The Weretiger and Werewolf

catching a ride

Cleo

I look down at Winter “what are you talking about?” I say while pulling him to his feet. Winter flinches under my hand but I ignore it and keep a firm hold on his arm. Winter doesn’t say anything and I give a growl “you can’t that I’m not a shifter and than expect me to not ask what you mean by that.” Winter nods “ok fair enough but let go of me and I’ll tell you what I know.” I consider his bargaining and hoping he’ll tell me I let go of him and sit down, waiting for him to start talking. Winter immediately takes a step away from me, which makes my heart feel as if it’s cracking in two.

I motion for him to sit and he leans against a tree instead. I sigh but say, “Ok what do you mean?” Winter seems to look everywhere but at me, finally he says, “how much do you know of the shifters who aren’t your normal colours?” I arch my eyebrow “you mean like me?” Winter nods “tigers aren’t meant to be black with charcoal stripes, they are either tan and black or white and black.” I shrug “so?” Winter explains, “in wolf packs they are known as the dark shifters.” I look at him confused “I know that I’m a dark colour but a wolf goes pure white, that is not a dark colour.” Winter shakes his head and replies, “it doesn’t have anything to do with the actual colour of the shifter, and the dark shifter refers to their soul.” I frown “are you saying I have a dark soul? Because I don’t think that is something that is a genetic thing, having a dark soul comes from your actions and what you do.” Winter nods “yes usually but not in your case. I’m guessing you either know from legend or experience that you’re seven times stronger than a normal shifter?” I nod and he continues, “Well the legend makes it sound as if it is amazing to be one of these legendary shifter but in actual fact the reason the legend was made was so that people who are these dark shifters would come forward without fear of being harmed. After all who would want to harm a shifter who is seen a prodigy. “ I raise an eyebrow “I’m guessing that’s not a dark shifter is though, I’m not some prodigy?” he shakes his head and I breath a sigh of relief “good, I was scared that people would think I had to win this war or something. I didn’t want the pressure.” Winter looks at me with a strange look on his face.

“no, you’re not a prodigy, the whole legend was made up so it was easier to find dark shifters.” I can feel a cold shiver running down my back and I asked a question I was sure I already knew the answer to “than why did they want to find dark shifters?” Winter looks at me with a touch of fear in his eyes “they wanted to kill every dark shifter that’s found, no one except the pack leaders and second in commands know the real story that the legend came from. It meant that every dark shifter was found easily and killed before anything could happen.”

I look at him and see that there is no trace of a lie on his face. I finally ask, “How do you know this? I’m guessing your not a pack leader or second in command?” Winter nods and replies, “ I found out because I was in training form my father to be second in command. He’d started to tell me secrets of the leaders and second in command. In fact I found out about dark shifter two weeks before the flood that wiped out my most of my pack. And another week after the flood when demons came to kill my pack I saw how dark shifters were made.”

I jump at his last words “what do you mean? How are they made? Like I’m some kind of experiment?” Winter shakes his head and is about to answer when someone calls out “Cleo! Hey you found your mate!” I look behind me to see that Jay is calling out to me. I look at Winter in fear of being found out and see that he’s gone. I give a curse, not only did Jay somehow find me but Winter has run off, again. And I didn’t get to find out what being a dark shifter even means or how they are made.