Page 2 of Catnip

A split second before the weapon found its mark, a high-pitched scream resounded in theskies.

Great. Eagles. The servants of the shifter council had joined the party. Not only was he going to die - he was dying knowing his Pride wasdoomed.

That was his last thought when the magnificent bird of prey descended, plunging at high speed towards the driveway-cum-battlefield.

And it caught the arrow in its talons, before batting its large wings and flying backup.

Whatthe…

An eagle had savedhim?

His tiger sniffed tentatively and caught a faint scent he wasn’t ever going to forget. Olives.Lavender.

Andblood.

Shit.

The eagle - the female eagle, if his sense of smell didn’t betray him - had been shot by Lorren. She may not be injured badly enough to die on the spot, but it didn’tmatter.

Coveney knew that, like everything else Lorren touched, her arrows werepoisonous.

Duty

The majestic birdof prey had, as usual, done more than her share. At Ava’s request, she’d leapt out of her skin and saved the day, grabbing the arrow aimed at the heart of the feline she’d observed from a distance for longer than she cared to admit. Then, after another arrow grazed her wing, she’d carried on flying, bravely, and not only long enough to get them away from the battle. She’d stayed in charge of their body, knowing how little Ava could toleratepain.

Poor eagle. A powerful, deadly beast, stuck with a wimp of ahuman.

You did well, birdie. Let me take overnow.

She knew she had to put her big girl panties on; she was still bleeding, for one, and despite all her skills, her eagle couldn’t tie a bandage. Secondly, she needed to take over, because if she didn’t grow a spine, her eagle would start resenting her, some day. She might even stop listening to her at all- which was how shifters becameferal.

The bird flew further into the woods, where they’d left her clothes and her car before setting out to meet the Wyvern Pride thatmorning.

Every day, Ava woke up, took a shower, brushed her teeth, and told herself in the mirror, “I’m going to go speak to the Wyvern Alphas today.” And, every day, after lurking at the edge of their land, staying far away from their patrollers, she came home without so much as exchanging a word with aWyvern.

Well, almost every day. A couple of weeks back, she’d come across a large, powerful, and ruthless tigress from their pride. Yeah, that had helped with the jitters. Strangely, she’d gotten away without losing anylimbs.

Andtoday…

She’d felt the change in the air as soon as she left her hotel room, and every single piece of her had been tempted to run. But she hadn’t. Thinking of all the children they had playing around the pride house, thinking about the felines she’d observed from a distance for weeks, and, above all, thinking about that stern, stoic white tiger she hadn’t failed to notice, she’d let her braver self take over, and flown at high speed around the entire territory to see what they faced. It wasn’t often that Ava Flavia Dale could be proud ofherself.

Shifting back, Ava cried out in pain, her hands pressing her side. The wound wasn’t huge, so it shouldn’t have felt like someone had plunged a white-hot knife inside her. Even she wasn’tthatmuch of a wimp. Swallowing her bile, she peeked at the wound, long enough to see some disgusting green discharge coming out. She sniffed and cursed out loud. Shit.Poison.

What was she supposed to donow?

Ava was particularly unprepared for the shitty cards life had dealt her these last six months. She’d been pampered. As the fourth child, the child no one really needed, her place in her flock had been embarrassingly privileged. She had the benefit of being treated and respected as a Dale, yet no responsibility fell on her shoulders. So, she’d spent her time helping her siblings - her elder brother, in particular. Richard had started to take over for their parents, but he was so severe, the rest of the flock practically trembled when he entered a room. Having her by his side had mitigated their reaction. She was the soft Dale. The one people smiled at and offered cookiesto.

And then, six months ago, her entire world hadcollapsed.

She’d been on the run the entire time since; twice, those who wished to kill her had come close. The old family friend she’d run to now laid in a shallow grave because he’d helpedher.

She wasn’t the fourth child anymore. She was more than likely the only Dale left alive, and not for long, unless she got that wound lookedat.

Painfully, Ava managed to pull her jeans up her legs. Dismissing her bra, she grabbed her t-shirt, but lifting her arms was excruciating, so she just pulled her leather jacketon.

She wasn’t far from her inn. She could makeit.

And then what? Unless the owner was miraculously well-versed in the art of manufacturing antidotes, and willing to administer it to a shifter, she was still screwed. She couldn’t go to a hospital; regular human doctors hardly knew how to deal with shifters, and, anyway, they would ask questions. Origins, address, name. She couldn’t afford that sort oftrail.

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