Breaking the Moon

10: Mein Hafen

.^^ Ryan and Haven ^^

— Ryan —

I watched Haven dart into the forest, her massive Liger form no surprise to me, having seen her personality, and smelled her scent, which easily overpowered my own.

Casey walked over, and hummed. "I guess she'll calm down soon enough... that was a little too smooth, for a first shift."

"Maybe it's the Fairy Blood?" I hummed.

"Good theory... Well, you want to go for a run?" He grinned.

"You're on!" I leapt forward, shifting, and sprinted into the woods, absently circling to check on the other Shifters.

After about two hours, I began collecting the now-sleeping baby Shifters, carrying them to Casey, who would take them to Thatch for the shots they needed, like rabies, cold and flu, and hormone supplements.

Most Shifters had an excess of hormones, especially after their first shift, but adding more helped the process of the animal side growing into its adult form.

I'd collected every one except Haven, by hour twelve, and I looked at Casey as the sun slowly came up. "Did Haven already come in?"

He shrugged. "I didn't see her, no."

"Hmm..." I looked at the woods curiously.

"Maybe she'll be like you." He suggested.

"I hope not... two days locked away within your own mind is not a fun thing..." I sighed.

"Then let's see if we can track her. Her scent is too strong to pinpoint, but you can try, right?" He asked.

I nodded slowly. "I'll do my best... but I'll need you to distract her, if I need to knock her out." He nodded and shifted, lumbering into the forest silently, while I darted into the trees, smelling the hefty path her scent left in the air.

—

I cautiously backed away from the bones of the deer she was chewing on, out of her view, and shifted, looking at Casey. "Well, it's official, she might be stuck that way. We'll have to wait her out." I sighed.

He nodded. "True. I'll take first watch. You go to town and see about fixing up a bed for her in your cabin."

I sighed, but nodded and jogged down the mountain, away from Sour Pass. Oliver was sitting on my porch, when I approached. "Olly? What's up?" I asked curiously.

He looked up. "Ahh, Ryan! I came to ask you about that new Stone by the Lake? It's... potent."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The Territory... it Expanded. My shop is still on the edge, but the woods beyond the Town have Expanded... it's some seriously strong mojo, slipping an entire forest into a pocket like that." He shivered.

I blinked slowly. "How far?"

"About 30 miles further, far as I could tell. The entire forest, 35 miles or so to the East of the lake, just got pulled into our Territory. Luckily it didn't brush the interstate, so that headache was spared..." He stretched his back slowly.

"35 miles? You're sure? That's... that's too far for me to search in a day... I need more Cats!" I growled, kicking a rotten plank on my porch, crushing it.

"Mm... the Haricot Clan has informed me that a Tribe of their relatives from Russia and Ukraine are leaving, and in need of Sanctuary. I'll offer them a Valley, in another piece of the Territory. We need to expand, build more, and move the Boundary Markers." He looked around my porch for a moment, then raised an eyebrow at me wordlessly.