The Choosing (10 page)

Serim blushes a little. They’ve somehow managed to avoid speaking about the ritual. After they both shifted last night, they spent hours running and hunting through the forest. Jerath wanted to explore everything and Serim happily indulged him. They didn’t change back until the sun was already rising and the pair of them collapsed, exhausted, by the side of the pool.

“Well, I meant shifting.” She pauses and bites her lip. “But… um… maybe we should talk about that too.”

“Okay.” Jerath closes his eyes again. They probably should talk about it, but Jerath isn’t sure he can look Serim in the eyes as they do. It was different last night, with the magic still surrounding them, but in the cold light of day Jerath feels the awkwardness creeping back between them. They need to clear the air before it has a chance to settle. “Was it okay? For you… I mean.” Jerath swallows his embarrassment. “Was
I
okay?”

He squints at Serim out of the corner of his eye, while still trying to pretend he has them closed. She props herself up on one elbow and stares at him for a while before answering.

“Jerath….” Serim’s voice is soft, but Jerath can detect a hint of amusement in her tone so he opens his eyes wide and watches her. “The berries that we ate were particularly potent. Which is just as well, considering that you don’t find girls attractive at all. And I—”

“That’s not true!” Jerath interrupts. He thinks Serim and Mahli are beautiful. “I can appreciate how attractive a girl is. They just….”

“Don’t do anything for you?” Serim finishes for him, and he nods.

“As I was saying.” She looks pointedly at Jerath and he refrains from adding anything else. “I know how you feel about girls, but with the berries I sort of forgot all about that and got swept along with the magic of the moment. Do you know what I mean?”

Jerath nods. “Yes! That’s exactly how they made me feel.” He sits up and starts to use his hands as he talks. “I mean, my head was all fuzzy and it was like I was there, but not really? If that makes any sense?” Serim nods this time. “And when we were…
you know
… I didn’t think of it as being you. Just a warm, firm body, and I actually imagined that you were a boy at one point—”

Jerath’s eyes go wide and he slaps a hand over his mouth. He’s so used to telling Serim everything that it just all came out. He’ll be surprised if she ever speaks to him again. “Serim… I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean that I… well… I mean I….”

She lets him flounder a little longer and then bursts out laughing. She holds her sides and has tears rolling down her cheeks. “Oh, Jerath… your face!” She sucks in a couple of deep breaths and manages to compose herself. “I know the berries are good, but they aren’t
that
good. You like boys, Jerath. I’m not the least bit offended that you pictured me as a man during the ritual.”

Jerath breathes a huge sigh of relief, but he’s a little confused still. “You’re not?”

“Don’t get me wrong, the ritual itself is a very intimate and sacred act and I’m not trying to belittle it in any way. It was amazing, Jerath, and I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to help you through the Choosing.”

“But?” he asks, because there’s definitely a
but
coming.

“But… I’m only human, and I may or may not have pictured you as Ghaneth at some point.”

“Serim!” Jerath glares at her. “I can’t believe you let me think I’d upset you!”

She grins at him and he lunges for her. He digs his fingers in between her ribs and tickles her until she’s begging him to stop.

“No more… Jerath… please….” She’s breathless and writhing around under his hands, and he eventually takes pity on her. “So, in answer to your original question. It was wonderful. You were wonderful. But can we please not talk about it anymore?”

Jerath blushes at her words, but grins too and readily agrees to let the subject drop now. The awkwardness has gone and Jerath knows it won’t be back.

They sit in silence and enjoy the sun for a few minutes before Serim sighs.

“I miss them, Jerath.” She shuffles closer to him and rests her head in his lap. “I’ve never gone a whole day without seeing my mother or Mahli, and we’ve been gone for three nights now.” She takes a deep, shaky breath, and Jerath slowly runs his fingers through her hair to try to soothe her.

“I know.” He doesn’t know what else to say. He can’t tell her it’ll all be okay, as much as he might want to, so he just carries on stroking her hair.

“I worry about Ghaneth and Kyr too. We have to get them back, Jerath. If they don’t complete the Choosing by the next full moon, then they won’t ever be able to shift. We can’t let that happen.”

Jerath pulls Serim up by her shoulders so that he can see her face. “We’ll find them, Serim. Even if we have to beg the hunters to help, we’ll get them back.”

“And our village?”

“Once we have Kyr and the others back, we’ll free our village too.” Jerath speaks with a conviction he doesn’t really feel, but Serim looks at him with such hope and trust and he knows he’s going to make it happen, or die trying.

“Yes.” She sits up straighter, and Jerath watches with pride and relief as she reins in all her fear and worry. He needs her to be strong. “You’re right.” She smiles and her eyes flash blue for just a second. “We’re going to make them all safe.”

They collect more water from the waterfall, and with one last look around the clearing, continue their journey south in search of the hunters.

T
HEY
make camp later that night at the very edge of the forest. The flats of the plains stretch out before them, and Jerath’s uneasy at the thought of so much space. He’s always felt safe surrounded by the thick forest, and any land devoid of trees seems so exposed.

He looks back at the fire and catches Serim watching him.

“Nervous?” She passes him some roast rabbit on a stick, and he idly wonders how long it’ll be until he’s sick of that too.

“A little.” Jerath nods and pulls a bit of meat off. He hisses when it burns and sucks his fingers into his mouth. “Ow!”

Serim laughs and shakes her head at him. “What did you expect? It’s just come off the fire.”

Jerath pulls a face and blows on the meat before trying again.

“There’s so much space, isn’t there?” Serim looks out at the grasslands as she speaks. “We’ll need to take extra care, Jerath. Those raiders might be out there somewhere.”

He follows her gaze. “We could travel at night,” he offers. “If we shift, we can search for the hunters under the cover of darkness. Won’t that be safer?”

Jerath is aware that big cats are hunted outside the forest of Arradil. If they should meet any hunters while still in their animal forms, he and Serim would be fair game. But it seems less dangerous than to risk being caught by the raiders.

“It might be.” She finishes the rest of her rabbit and throws her stick into the fire. “Shifting takes a lot of energy, Jerath. We’ll still need to rest. And I don’t know how safe it’ll be to sleep during the day.”

He’d not thought of that. They’ll be far more exposed in the light and they won’t get much farther if they don’t stop to rest.

“We can travel at dawn,” Serim says. “If we take turns shifting, we should be able to spot any danger before it gets too close.”

So that’s what they decide to do. They rise the next morning before the sun and tread carefully through the last part of the forest in the dim light. Jerath gives the safety of the trees one last look before walking out onto the grassy plains with Serim’s black panther by his side.

They walk for hours. Serim bounds up ahead to check for signs of either the hunters or the raiders and their prisoners; but each time she comes back silent, just the annoyed swish of her tail telling Jerath she’s seen nothing.

They manage to find a small grove of apple trees by the side of a stream and decide it’s as good a place to stop as any. It’s only late afternoon, but they’re both tired from the early start. It’s Jerath’s turn to be in his shifted form, and he stalks off to check the surrounding area while Serim sinks down onto the cool grass and leans back against one of the thick trunks. He prowls over to her after finding nothing untoward and flops down next to her with his head on her lap.

She ruffles his fur, scratching her fingers behind his ears, and Jerath yawns and pushes against her hand. He never thought it would feel this good to be “petted,” but it does, and Jerath can’t hold back the deep, rumbling purr that reverberates through his chest.

Serim laughs and tickles under his chin. “You’re such a softie, Jerath. You won’t scare anyone like this.”

He bares his teeth and flicks his tail at her, but she just ignores him and carries on stroking his fur. Jerath closes his eyes with a contented sigh and decides that if anyone needs scaring, then Serim will have to do it. Her panther is much more suited to that anyway.

J
ERATH
is dozing in his jaguar form, his head still in Serim’s lap, when he smells the unmistakable scent of humans. He flattens his ears and listens. They’re coming from the southwest and Jerath can tell that there’s definitely more than one. He bares his teeth and growls, low and menacing, and slowly gets to his feet.

Serim’s hand drops to the ground and she startles awake. “Jerath?” she whispers. She looks at his stance: teeth bared and shoulders hunched. “What is it?”

Jerath hisses and snarls, his tail twitching back and forth, and looks in the direction of the approaching men.

“We have visitors?” she asks, and Jerath nuzzles her hand in answer.

He’s just about to shift back when Serim lays her hand on his back. “Wait.” She closes her eyes and sniffs the air. “Southwest and quite a few of them by the sounds of it.”

Serim had told him that her senses were heightened because of her animal form, but he hadn’t realized by how much before now. He can hear their feet as they march through the grass, their chatter and laughter as they walk closer and closer to him and Serim. Jerath is a little shocked when he realizes that Serim can hear it too.

“They’ll be here soon, Jerath. We could hide, but….”

She meets his eyes and Jerath tries hard to convey how much he hates that idea. They need to know if these men can help them, no matter how risky it might be.

“No. We need to find out who they are.”

He paces in front of Serim, protecting her as much as he can.

“I need to stay in my human form. If they’re hunters from the Southern lands, I’ll need to be able to talk to them. But if they’re members of the raiding party….” She’s quiet for a moment, and Jerath can smell a hint of fear. He pushes up against her legs and whines. “If it’s the raiders, then I’ll shift and we’ll run away as fast as we can.”

Jerath snarls and shows his teeth. The last thing he wants to do is run. If it is the raiders, he’ll tear them limb from limb for what they’ve done. He’ll—

“Jerath!” Serim hisses. “I can tell what you’re thinking, but that’s your animal instinct. We can’t beat them all, and us getting caught or killed won’t help the others.”

Jerath struggles to contain his urge to attack. He knows Serim’s right but it’s hard to let it go. She strokes her hand down the length of Jerath’s back and he calms under her touch. They wait in silence. Both have their eyes trained on the trees where the strangers should appear any minute now.

They don’t have to wait much longer before several voices can be heard, getting louder and louder until a large group of young men breaks through the trees. Some don’t even look much older than he and Serim, and Jerath is almost positive they aren’t the raiders. He feels Serim relax beside him, obviously thinking the same thing.

“Who are you?” One of the strangers steps forward. He’s tall, with golden skin and almost white-blond hair; he’s one of the younger ones. Jerath licks his teeth and lets his gaze sweep over the length of the man’s body. He has broad shoulders, and Jerath can see a flat and tightly muscled stomach through the open front of his tunic.

“Jerath, focus,” Serim mutters under her breath.

She sounds a mixture of angry and amused, and Jerath knows he’d be blushing right now if he was human. He huffs and flicks her with his tail.

“I am Serim, of Eladir.”

Jerath curls around her legs, baring his teeth at the men.

“Eladir?” The young man looks confused. “You’re a long way from home.”

“You know of our village?” she asks, and Jerath studies the man some more.

He has a dark wooden bow slung over his shoulder and a large, serrated-edged knife tucked into his belt. Definitely hunters. They all look too young to have been with the hunters who visited Eladir before, but it’s possible they could be from the same village.

“Yes, we’re familiar with the villages of Eladir, Lakesh, and Westril. You’re shifters, yes?”

Serim nods, and her hand tightens in Jerath’s fur. Not everyone is comfortable with shifters, and Jerath waits to see how they will react.

The young man steps forward with his hand outstretched, and Jerath instinctively crouches low to the ground and snarls. The man falters and holds up both hands instead.

“Hush.” Serim strokes her hand down Jerath’s flank and looks up at the hunters. “You’d best stay there. We’ve recently had some trouble and my friend is a little protective.”

“Okay, okay.” The man looks wary, but doesn’t step back. “I’m Meren. And we”—he waves a hand over the men standing behind him—“are all from the Southern lands of Kalesaan. We’re on a hunt, looking for food for the winter. What are you two doing so far from home?” Meren’s gaze falls on Jerath, and he looks at him with an almost awed expression. “Is she a shifter too?” he asks, before Serim has a chance to answer any of his other questions.

Jerath huffs in amusement.

“Yes,
he
is,” she says. “And we’re traveling south to find the hunters who helped our village five years ago. They were from the village of Chastil. Do you know it?”

The men behind Meren start to talk among themselves, but it’s too quiet for Jerath to hear clearly. Meren holds a hand up and they fall silent. “We are from Chastil. I believe my father may be one of the hunters you’re looking for.”