Life of a Nomad

Chapter 8 - They're here...

---Colin’s POV---

“Sure looks painful.” Lincon remarked as he watched how the nurse cleansed the angry purple welt on Christina’s back. I rolled my eyes at his behavior, which was a mix of teasing, flirting and honest curiosity. It was clear to me that both Lincon and me were interested in Christina but I didn’t know about our cats.

Sure, Liam was curious about her but to make her our love interest, even possibly our mate….it would take more time to determine that. All I could do now was feel mildly irritated with Lincon’s constant flirting but I grinned every time Christina politely shot him down.

“It is but I’ve been through worse.” Christina said with a shrug, looking at the crowd in the distance, where other prides were arriving, along with several new Nomads. I frowned slightly at her remark but chose not to respond to it.

Most of the new arrivals were African Leopard shifters like the rest of us, well… except Christina that is. I knew she was a rather rare breed of Leopard but I couldn’t be completely sure about it. I had to console with dad for this one but that would have to wait for now, since he was busy guiding the Proving in good order.

“There you go dear. Please be more careful.” The nurse mildly scolded before Christina was allowed to leave the hut. We all stepped outside into the sunlight, savoring the warmth of it before Christina’s blue eyes curiously glanced at the crowing crowd in the distance.

“Are those all Leopards?” She asked, curiosity coating each word as her eyes flickered with a hint of green. I shook my head as we walked around the village, strolling under the canopy of the trees, coloring the floor in a bright olive and gold. “No, not all of them. This Proving is hosted by the African Leopard King, but that doesn’t mean that other species can’t compete. “

I pointed at a man, who was quickly making his way through the camp with his son in tow. “You see him?” I asked rhetorically, since Christina was already looking to where I was pointing. When she nodded her head, I continued, “He’s a Cheetah, the fastest werecat out there. I encountered him a few years ago, he’s a Nomad too. I expect he was in the area when he learned about the Proving, and now he’s come to let his son join the proving.”

She kept her eyes on the two men as they walked through the crowd to go to my dad. The man was tall, muscular but still slender, comparable to the athletic body of a swimmer. His son had black hair with bangs partially covering his eyes as he followed his dad every step of the way.

My eyes scanned the crowd and a small growl rolled through my chest but was stuck in my throat as I saw a faintly familiar face dooming up in the distance. Alex and his pride have arrived.

I quickly glanced at Christina to gauge her reaction but she just lifted one slim eyebrow before shaking her head slightly at the cocky way Alex was parading in front of the pride. Did he get promoted to Chieftain or something? When I expressed my confusion to Christina, she nodded once. “Yeah, his dad did so in a sign of trust. Little did he know that it’s misplaced.”

“What’s wrong?” Lincon asked, coming up from behind us and paused when he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Christina and me. She didn’t seem fazed by the contact but just looked away from the arriving prides when Lincon chuckled slightly.