cosmicshifts (15 page)

Herman stood, and her words echoed in his mind. She was going to leave him. He
couldn
’
t think of that now. He had given his word that he would help Phillip. “There is food and water in the main room. The blankets will keep you warm and there are a pile of bones to burn next to the fire.”

“Okay.” She grabbed his arm when he tried to leave. The look on her face made him stop. “W-What if you don
’
t come back?”

Her dread filled expression and the small lines that deepened her eyes stopped his heart. Maybe she really did care about him rather than this being a fluke encounter. “I
’
ll
be back. I promise and I
’
ll
bring your friend.”

She nodded. He left and walked out to the main room, feeling the transformation come back out on him so he had taken his normal form once more. Being with these aliens had given him more time to spend in his hairless form. Herman could come to like that form, and he understood why Phillip chose to like it as well. From what he gathered, the hairless visage was the normal shape for the other male. He was pale skinned and interesting to look at. Herman grabbed a pack that he stored his clothes in and the cloaks he had set aside for himself and Phillip. They would need it when they were close to the palace.

He glanced at Phillip and gestured for him to come. The other male nodded. Herman took a few
luma
stones and handed them to Phillip. He led the way along through the tunnels that he had walked many times over. This time he prayed he would be able to get in and out of the castle without any trouble.

Chapter Five

Phillip followed Herman. As he did, the
the
earth underneath his feet helped to anchor him. The thought of being in
Alika’s
arms drove him onward, following the large white haired alien who had opened his cave to them and had offered his help. He was surprised that a relationship or something had formed between Herman and
Elarna
. He was getting to know the violet skinned alien more on the ship, but he
wasn
’
t expecting the crash. He still
wasn
’
t sure how that happened.

Either way, he knew that Herman reminded him of the stories told on Earth about a Yeti. It was bad enough he was called a Sasquatch or a Mud Ape, depending on where in the world he was at the time. If there were other
BigFoot
like him on Earth, then maybe they had the same abilities he did to tap into the elements and not leave a trace behind. Maybe those men had been cursed as well. In his case, he had fallen in love with a shaman
’
s daughter, and he had been cursed for it. Phillip had been doomed to roam the world alone, forever. Nothing could hurt him that he knew of. He had been shot, stabbed, part of him had been blown up; he
’
d fallen down a mine shaft, been impaled, and always he had come back from it. The man who had put the hex on him made sure that he would live out his eternity as a beast by night and a man by day.

Then he found
Alika
, and his world had changed overnight.

Who would have thought an alien and a former human cursed to be a beast would end up together? Now he was on another planet filled with Yeti who wanted to dissect the woman he loved. One of their own was trying to help him, and he also could turn into a man or at least what Phillip thought of as a man. As he thought about the man underneath all of it, Phillip felt an odd stirring within him. It was an attraction to the other man. He’d had his run-ins with men and women over the centuries. He’d had to become compatible, and sometimes he had slept with a man. For a moment he thought of the other man and what might happen between them.

He shook his head and needed to focus back on finding
Alika
. Phillip would have to maintain his human form for as long as he could. His rhythms were thrown off here. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the three suns or just because it was a different planet. However, if it meant being human for
Alika
then he would do it if it killed him. Herman was not so comfortable in his hairless form. They had to be careful because Phillip
didn
’
t want to find himself on the examining table. He
couldn
’
t describe what he was to these space yetis, and the last thing he wanted to do was end up in a zoo. That was the thing that he had feared about getting caught on Earth. How could he explain how he transformed back into a human at the rising sun? Who believed in magic? Over the years, he had met only a handful of believers, and the ones who had tried to help him were unsuccessful in removing the curse. Maybe it was supposed to be that way. Maybe he was supposed to have helped
Alika
the way he did. Now he was a Bigfoot exploring space.

He had been astonished finding her because her footprints had resembled a wolf
’
s, but they had turned human, and he had found her passed out at the foot of a mountain. The sun was rising, and hunters had seen the ship sail across the horizon and ignite the treetops. He remembered the expression on the scientists
’
faces when he had come out of the forest with
Alika
. They were surprised he had any intelligence. What would they think now he had landed on a planet full of alien yetis? He chuckled, and the sound echoed through the cave.

They had been walking for a couple of hours. Some places he had to crawl on his hands and knees, but if Herman was able to go through the tight spaces in his furry shape then so was he. They emerged in an ice cave. The purple sunlight bounced off the walls and made everything lavender. The way the ice had been formed it looked like swirls of various colors, and he was caught in the middle of it. He marveled at the cavern’s beauty and would love to show it to
Alika
. He pictured her green skin bathed in the lavender light and how tantalizing she would look.

Herman grunted and gestured that they had to move on. He nodded and continued walking until the other male put up his hand for him to stop. Herman’s form shrank, and he became the hairless ape. He took the pack from his back and handed Phillip a cloak and some other clothes as well. It was time for him to work on being human for as long as he could. Once he was, he slipped the clothes on and caught Herman
’
s gaze on him and saw something in his eyes. He
wasn
’
t sure how to read it. Phillip pushed it off and pulled a shirt over his head. The garments were too big and so were the boots, but they were warm.

“How far away from the castle are we?” Phillip asked.

Herman sighed and cracked his knuckles.
“Just down the hill and around the corner.
It
’
s not far. This will bring us to a side entrance to the palace. It
isn
’
t heavily guarded.”

“How do you know about it?” Phillip asked.

The yeti ran his hand through his white hair. “Because it was the entrance that my mother set aside for me so I could come and go without the guards questioning me in this form.”

Phillip understood then that Herman was an outcast living in a cave away from others. “Why did they send you out of your home?”

“Being in this form, while I can heal, it’s considered an abomination. Everyone in my family except my mother looks at me as though I am deformed. It was easier to leave and have others come to me if they need healing. My father could barely be around me because I was the reminder he had created such an aberration. My mother tried to get him to understand, but he
wouldn
’
t listen. It was easier for me to leave and get in touch with my wild side. This curse is heredity through the male line. Even though the healing ability is considered a gift to our people, the transformation is considered a scourge.”

He laid his hand on the alien
’
s shoulder. “I understand completely. On Earth,
BigFoot
are
nothing more than myths or at least that is what people like to think. Earthlings are not able to shift into any other form. I got the way I am because I pissed off the wrong girl
’
s father two hundred years ago, and now I
’
m eternal as far as I know. So I understand being alone and not having anyone in your corner.”

Herman laid his hand over Phillip’s. A jolt rushed through him. He looked at the man
’
s green eyes, leaned forward and pressed his lips to his. Phillip
wasn
’
t sure what had come over him, but he went with it. After a second, Herman returned the kiss and pulled away.

“I
didn
’
t realize you were attracted to males.”

“It depends on the male,” Phillip replied, aware of the coy tone in his voice.

“Good to know, but we have to worry about getting your female out from the palace before we think about ourselves.”

“Right.
Sorry. I don
’
t know what it is about you, but…”

“It
’
s because we shared energy. I tried to heal you before. If this attraction you feel remains, we can act upon it later. Follow me. Keep the hood of your cloak down and don
’
t say anything. If you are asked a question, just grunt, act like you don
’
t really understand what the guards are saying. You
’
re my apprentice. It won
’
t raise any alarms because I was sent far away to the southern regions where healers are more prevalent and accepted. Understand?”

Phillip nodded and knew this was it. “What if I shift back?”

“Do the same.”

“If you
’
re just learning to channel your ability, then it will be understood. It took me a while to learn how to hold my hairless form.” Herman walked up the embankment to the cave opening.

Once outside, Phillip saw the town below and a larger building that spanned half of the town. Other Yetis
strolled
the streets, but he
didn
’
t think about anything as they walked the open expanse because all his concentration was on maintaining his humanity so he could at least try and be whatever it was Herman wanted. He pulled the cloak over his face and trudged through the snow toward the city, following the yeti. They got to the wall, and Herman stopped before a metal door. It was dull black with a few spiral designs in the metal along with an elaborate chevron. Herman pressed the gate in a specific pattern among the diamonds. They lit up one by one until it clicked and the door swung open. Phillip followed into a garden with plants that touched the top of the wall. Phillip looked out from underneath the hood and tried to keep from revealing any of his face or form to the other tall beasts. The floor was constructed of the same metal that the door had been. It was also etched with designs that looked like snowflakes.

As they entered the hallway, Phillip held his breath and prayed
Alika
was alive. Herman led him through twisting hallways that appeared to be carved directly from the ice. Along the walls were various types of stones that he had encountered in Herman
’
s cave that gave off enough light they could see by. Windows were carved into the ice. Several yetis walked by, all carrying spears, but they didn’t give them a second glance. He kept his gaze down and tried to stay underneath the cloak and prayed they would not make him stop. They came to another door guarded by two sentinels. He glanced up at them, and they resembled Herman in his animal form, all in white, but they each had a green sash draped around their shoulders with medallions on them. Phillip figured they signified some kind of rank. They crossed their spears together before Herman and grunted.

Phillip listened to the growls and the sounds uttered between the three
Yetans
. It all sounded menacing. The translator
didn
’
t work between beast and human. He
wasn
’
t sure because the one
Alika
had implanted was broken, and they
hadn
’
t gotten a chance to install a new one. He would like to understand what Herman was saying to the others. Even with a humanoid throat it was somewhat difficult for the alien to speak the guttural language. It took a few moments of them going back and forth until Herman lifted his hood and then gestured toward Phillip. They seemed disturbed by what they saw and pulled away from them. The guards uncrossed their spears and let them pass into the other room. So far Herman had kept to his word, and they had gotten inside the compound.

Phillip hoped they wouldn’t find the woman he loved strapped down to an operating table and being probed. If he ever did end up back on Earth, he could tell the people there that aliens
weren
’
t what they thought they were. At least he
hadn
’
t encountered any thin, gray aliens, who pulled people up in a beam of light. He
couldn
’
t say no about the implants because he had some alien piece of technology shoved into his head. When he walked inside of the room, they were in some kind of a viewing room.

From his vantage point, he saw
Alika
strapped down to a long metal table with medical instruments spread out on a tray beside of her. One of the yetis said something to her, but she shook her head. He inserted a long needle into her head, and she screamed. Phillip started to go find a way to get to her, but Herman grabbed his arm and shook his head. The fury at seeing his beloved being tortured was a knife to his own heart. All he wanted was to barge in and rescue her. Her cries echoed through the small room and grated on his nerves. It stirred the beast within him, and it took all his control not to change back into the Bigfoot. He
couldn
’
t take on all the sentries, rescue her, and get out of there if he showed his true self.

Herman whispered. “I know you want to get her, but you
’
re going to have to trust me. Follow and stay behind me. Understand?”

“Yes.” Phillip flexed his fingers and forced the beast into its cage in his mind. It was like wrestling a bear, but he made sure the beast was in the back and waited for Herman.