Anada (Book #3)

Wake Up And Fight

I was startled from sleep by something metallic rattling downstairs. It was only loud enough for a shapeshifter like me to hear though. I immediately knew that it wasn't Reina starting breakfast.
The wooden clock on the wall notified me that it was only 6:30. We had all been up late last night. No one, except for me, would have enough physical strength or willpower to get up this early.
I was still in my dragon form from when I went out last night. Nothing is like waking up with wings and a tail.
Without a single sound, I slowly and silently journeyed down the staircase.
Then I saw them. Two men. They were each about twenty-five years old. Muscular shoulders revealed their strength. Black jackets and equally dark pants made them appear sinister. One had light brown hair, but the other had very short black hair.
Before I could even go down one more step, they turned as if knowing that I was there.
They somehow had figured out that I was watching them, and I figured out how when they're strange scent reached me. They obviously could smell me too.
Shapeshifters! And they're not here to be friends either!
The scent of a shapeshifter is truly unique. Of course, no human can smell this. Only a shapeshifter can, and we can also tell if someone is a threat too.
We stood there just looking upon each other fiercely, and then we all suddenly broke loose.
They were sent by Leon Escapade!
I jumped from where I was on the staircase. I was furious. How dare they come into my parents' house like raiders?!
One of them came at me in mid-shift. We collided together in an ear piercing roar.
I didn't realize what he was until I was tearing at his black furry hide.
The black bear snapped his jaws dangerously near my throat. His claws tore down my side, but my scales protected me well.
This was my first real fight with a shapeshifter, but it was an equal fight too. We were the same size.
The shifter grabbed ahold of my shoulders with his paws, immediately throwing me down and he then clamped his jaws onto my throat. A sickening crunching sound came from the scales on my neck where the bear was biting down on. I gasped for air as I felt my windpipe shrink inside his strong jaws.
You're gonna regret that, bear!
My long black talons started heating. My powers increased the temperature in the core of my talons. I made sure my spines didn't heat though. I didn't want to burn the hardwood floors beneath me.
I then quickly raked my superheated talons across his thick hide. He immediately let go of my throat while roaring in pure pain.
I let loose a furious noise of my own. I could also feel a heavily steady flow of slick liquid running down my neck.
I jumped up and started to fight back, but another being harshly rammed into me. I didn't hesitate to leave him scars either.
The other man had shifted into a snow leopard. He was just as large as the bear. He seemed to be faster and less clumsy though. We rolled together on the floor. He received countless and extremely painful burns from my talons and the flames that licked out of my mouth.
We tumbled into the dining table. I was quickly reminded that I was inside my house and immediately stopped using any fire power.
I used my wings and tail to slap and hit with. The spines along my tail left a few cuts on the big cat.
This shifter was very determined. Who else would still be fighting me with such ferocity?
I head butted him harshly, and then sent him flying with a swift kick of my hind legs.
He was immediately replaced by the bear, and I fought him once more.
I was vaguely aware of the team's presence. I wasn't sure if they were helping me fight or was attempting to stop us. I had no time to think of that. I was being murdered in my own home.
My struggle with the bear became twice as hard when the leopard returned. The wild instinct of our inner animal had come out in a gruesome harsh way. Nothing seemed more important than defeating each other's enemy.
Suddenly, something crashed into the bear's head. He fell on top of me unconscious. I was pinned down by his weight. The leopard took the advantage and clamped down on my throat where the bear had not finished his work.
My neck was longer than he expected and I was able to bite his shoulder. I heard a catlike screeched come from his chest even though he never let go of me.
Then another object crashed down on him and he too fell unconscious.
I didn't hesitate to pull myself out from under their weight.
"Anada, are you alright?!" Elias was holding one of the chairs from the dining table. A look of deep true concern covered his entire face.
I stumbled to my right. There was blood running all along my neck. My hand automatically reached toward the wound. I trembled from all the adrenaline racing through my bloodstream. I still felt like I was in the fight.
Elias gave me a look that made me think that he thought I might attack him too.
The bear stood abruptly from his still state. He was about to lunge at Elias, and I was about to rip him to shreds if and when he tried it.
Instead, Alex yelled loudly, "Stop this!"
The bear slumped defeated. I doubt that any one could continue with that many cuts and burns.
"Who are you?" I asked him with no concern for his ragged state. My voice was barely even understandable.
He shot me a malicious look, "I'm here to stop you."
I step forward unintimidated, "Then why were you in the kitchen? Were you going to make yourself breakfast before deciding to slay us in our sleep?!"
Before either of us could continue, we each had a wet towel thrown at us. I jumped back from the sudden surprise. Then I started wiping the blood off my scales. The bear shifted and cleaned himself too. The leopard was still unconscious.
Reina started speaking loudly and angrily, "Stop acting like animals! We are civilized humans! Stop fighting and start talking. Get cleaned up and don't dare start again."
My towel is bright red when I'm done. A sickening salty iron smell wafts from it.
Elias sighs, "Anada, let me help."
He takes another towel from Reina and washes the back of my dragon neck. Westen was already mopping the floors. Alex has a pistol drawn incase either of our uninvited guests get a sudden streak of bravery. Neil was surveying us as if he was studying our behavior.
"Anada, this looks really bad." Elias tells me with a hiss after looking at the blood still pouring from my neck wound.
He let's his anger out on the black bear and the snow leopard who is now just rising from the floor, "This is all your fault! What's wrong with you? Shapeshifters become shapeshifters only because they have a positive destiny. Your destiny is not to be killing each other off like beasts! Was it Leon who sent you?!"
They glare at him with no words, and I'm barely able to growl, "Answer him!"
I greatly regret speaking. My voice barely can be understood. A raw tone mixed with pain is clearly audible though.
The leopard shifts back to his human form and tells us while still in pain, "Yes, Leon sent us. He told us that you were planning something bad, and that's all we had to know."
I know exactly what to tell them, but no sound comes out of my throat. My arms and legs are starting to quiver violently from the shock of my wound.
I make a motion with my hand. The direction I signal toward is the nearby coat closet. Reina knows exactly what I'm trying to explain. I want her to show them the staff.
Elias insists that I come upstairs so that he can treat my threatening neck wound.
Still in dragon form, I sit in the tub while he continues to wash away the blood.
"You're obviously bruised, but we can't tell how bad it is until you shift." Elias starts a one way conversation.
He fingers the wound, and sharp pain erupts from the tender touch. A hiss tries to be formed, but only the sound of exhaling comes from my nostrils. This only brings me more pain.
He starts talking once more, "I'm so sorry! I'm doing the best I can. There's torn scales and everything. It looks horrendous, and you know that a detailed statement like that means a lot coming from me."
I open my mouth to speak, but he clamps it shut. I give him an annoyed look, but my appearance soon softens.
As he finishes wrapping the bandages around my neck, Elias begins, "I'm guessing you won't be able talk for a while..."
I nod, but only enough for my head to move up and down.
I wanted to talk, communicate, or anything other than this torturous silence of not being able to share thoughts and words. This was that bear's fault too!
I step out of the tub. Elias lets me by him, but he momentarily stops me.
"Hey, I know you're mad. Just don't go do something you'll regret doing." He councils me.
He was telling me not to go pick a fight with the two shifters downstairs.
I don't do anything like that. Instead, I walk out of the bathroom. There was no use trying to communicate by letting him lipread my word, especially in dragon form.
Elias follows me downstairs as if he thought I may decide to start a second fight, which I did feel like doing at the moment.
I make my way down the staircase and go into the dining room where I pick the heavy wooden dining chairs up off the floor. The floor had already been mopped by Westen. The burning scent of clorox filled my nostrils. I have always disliked that smell even before I was a dragon, but now that I'm a shapeshifter it's just like a repellent.
I could hear the team talking with the two shifters in the living room. Neither did I like having the two of them in my house. I wanted them gone as soon as possible. Hurt or not, they had to leave.
It felt like they were invading my territory, and in a sense they had done that very thing.
Ignoring the traitorous people of my own species, I sulk into the kitchen and search for something to dull the pain. I'm able to easily reach into the cabinet for what I need.
I feel Elias's presence come up from behind as I swallow the pain killer, "You ought to talk to them. I'm sure that they're just mistaken."
I point toward my throat to remind him that I can't talk at all. He says a quick sorry, and I decide to take his advice and confront the shifters.
I stalk toward the living room to find the team showing the two shifters the staff. They're currently trying to explain its use.
"This controls shifters? That's stupid!" The bear shifter told Alex while looking at the staff laying on the coffee table.
I point at the staff myself. I wanted someone on the team to show them how it worked so flawlessly.
The man glances over at his partner, the leopard shifter, when I enter the room.
The leopard man tells me sarcastically, "Cat gotcha tongue?"
Since I couldn't talk, I flared my wings out and bared my teeth in a silent snarl. My viscous scene made me look terrifying.
"Stop it! All of you! If you turn your backs on each other like this, shapeshifters will never have to be revealed in order to be destroyed!" Neil shouts causing a surprise. This was one of his rare outburst.
"What are you talking about? Revealing?" The leopard turns his attention to Neil.
During the whole time he explains the story to them, I want to talk and add in my own comments, but just like before I was in tight bind. Plus, my throat was still throbbing even after I took the painkiller.
Once Neil had told them all the full details, the bear man, which I still did not know his name, tells us, "This makes sense. Leon Escapade has always... acted strange near shifters, but it's usually in a bad and disrespectful way. I knew him before he knew what I was. He was a very different man then. He treats every single agent like they were his brothers and sisters, but he acts like a total different man around shifters."
"Show us how this thing works." The leopard shifter picks up the staff.
Neil takes it, but hesitates before turning it on. I point it at myself to let him know that he can use it on me.
Elias seems concerned, "Are you sure?"
I nod quickly.
A few seconds later, I feel the effect of the ringing coming from the staff. The two shifters have they're ears covered from the high-pitched noise, but they're focused on me. I'm in my dragon form and I feel it taking over me. It was a nauseating feeling that I hated.
Neil told me to do something, but I didn't hear it fully because my eyes already started clouding over.
Just like when Leon had me controlled, I saw only a few blurred moments come through my hazy state. I tried holding onto my humanity by mentally pushing against the control. Fighting the control was a natural reaction that came from being completely taken over.
After a few minutes of seeing glimpses and smudges of what I was doing, the fog cleared and so did the ringing.
I shook my head to help clear the clingy feeling from my mind.
"Okay, now I believe you." The leopard man said shocked from somewhere below me.
What did they make me do?
I looked down to see myself standing on top of the garage holding a rock up to my head as if it was a cellphone. I throw the smooth rock out into the woods and jump off the roof effortlessly.
The two shifters give the staff a fearful look. They start talking about how it needs to be destroyed, but my teammates explain that there's a second one still in Leon's possession. Destroying it wouldn't help stop the ultimate threat.
They both turn back to me.
The leopard shifter says embarrassingly, "I believe that we owe you a huge apology. My name is Colten."
Colten shakes my scaly hand, and then the bearshifter introduces himself as Robin.
I think we now have the solution to finding out how to infiltrate Leon's network.