Page 5 of Shifter's Homecoming

When their gazes connected, Trent’s wolf stirred inside him, and a ripping, shocking pain shot through him. Next to him, on the ground, appeared his very own black-furred wolf, big and tough and rangy looking, nose low, tail out, teeth gleaming. The thick pain stopped all at once, like it had never existed.

Trent looked at his wolf and his wolf looked back. Unreality swam in Trent’s mind, almost convincing him he was dreaming, that none of this was real, that he was really muzzle-down in the mud, still dying. Still in the throes. Still a wolf with a man inside.

Smokey padded lightly forward and captured Trent’s wolf’s attention. The two animals—one small, one big, one cat, one wolf, both almost completely black-furred except for two slight brushes of white, plus a figure 8 on one shoulder—they touched noses. At the moment they did, Trent’s wolf disappeared. Just … blinked out of existence.

Trent stared at the space hard, casting about inside himself for the presence of his wolf. Empty. His wolf was not there. Trent felt the absence like a hole at the very center of him. He could not bear it, but he would bear it, he had no choice. He wanted to pace again. Instead, he only stared at the cat who was not just a cat, waiting for what came next.

Smokey blinked once, twice, then sat on his haunches on the colorless ground and curled his tail around his legs. He nodded his ridiculous cat head at Trent and spoke only inruhi, his lips not moving.

His voice sounded in Trent’s head, rather deep, but mellow and accented.

That was not your zyanya.

The accent was a posh English one, just like the BBC documentary guy. Trent stared at Smokey suspiciously, wondering if this could possibly be real. The absence of his wolf inside told him, this was all real, even if the idea of Smokey sounding like Sir David felt a little ridiculous.

“It felt like my zyanya.” Trent growled, his patience already thinning.

Of course it did,Smokey said, not moving a muscle, although his tail twitched for no reason Trent could see.

Trent did not have a response for that.

Smokey got right down to business.You and thedragenwere partially right. You do have a mission and I am here to offer it to you—He may have kept talking, but behind him in space, the earth swam in blue light, catching Trent’s attention, stealing it completely. The blue ball rotated in darkness, looking beautiful and distant.

Trent stared, not blinking. Silver light streaked across the sky around the earth one, two, three times, maybe more. For no reason at all, Trent thought that the beast had made it home, the beast had transformed back into Jaggar, and Jaggar was with his mate. Trent was glad, glad in his heart for his friend.

More silver streaked, then a blinding light shot from below, straight up into the sky, seeming to end in a blast of heat and sound somewhere in space, somewhere near this sorry excuse for a meadow Smokey had brought him to. Trent was entranced by the sights, by the sounds, and by the wordless feelings they brought to him. A cat came streaking by, not a housecat like Smokey, but a big one, a real catamount, like a mountain lion with fangs bigger than Trent’s own. The big cat had a silver clock in its mouth. It passed Trent so fast and so close that Trent whirled around to face behind him, but he could see no more of the cat. Only the dead meadow lay around him.

Trent had the sense of time passing, much time passing, and he could… not… get… a handle … on… it …

Somewhere in Trent’s mind, Smokey’s voice reached him from a great yawning distance away.Trent, you will lose your chance—it’s almost too late.

Smokey was yelling at him, yelling and shaking him mentally.Trent, come back to me. Pull your attention away from time and space!

Trent tried, he tried hard. He wrenched himself back to himself. His eyes landed on Smokey, who still sat in front of him, tail curled around haunches, like in reality, only a few seconds had passed. To Trent it felt like he’d lived a week’s worth of time, maybe two, maybe three, he had no way to tell.

Smokey’s voice was urgent, hisruhistrained and screaming, even though he sat still and motionless.This is your last chance to accept,Smokey was shouting at him and it felt completely unreal to Trent.In a few minutes it will be too late, he will die for good, and once that happens, all is lost, she is lost and he is lost and you are lost…

Trent didn’t know who or what Smokey meant, but he knew there had been an explanation. He’d been offered his chance to get his life back while his mind had been pulled elsewhere, he’d been asked for his acceptance, his word that he would … dosomething…. and Smokey needed his all-important answer.

Desperation swirled through Trent. He had missed so much! He did not know what he was agreeing to, and yet, he agreed anyway.

“I accept,” he forced out. “I will do it.”

Smokey peered into his face.Our time is short. How much do you understand?

Trent wanted to say he understood none of it, but then he realized he did understand some. Some of what Smokey had told him while his mind had been far away had gotten through to him.

He, Trent, had died, he’d known that part. He’d thought he would sacrifice himself so that another could live, like he’d seen someone else do… but that hadn’t happened, but he did have a chance to get his life back. Instead of a sacrifice, he was being given a mission… and if he completed his mission, if his wolf completedhismission, and if … if someone else completed their mission. If the stars lined up completely and everyone did exactly as they were supposed to do, Trent would no longer be dead…

Trent could be alive again. He could get back to his family, back to his life.

The running of the wolves in the meadow called to him as strongly as his family back home did, though. Trent thought of that green, green meadow, and he asked himself sincerely if he really wanted his life back. In that life he was stuck as a wolf, in that life he was in the constant service of the fight against the demon. In that life he would never have a mate. In that life he would always be trapped between two worlds, the world of the wild wolf, and the world of the human man, and never belong to either. He would never know the sweet comfort of a mate or the fierce pride and joy of pups. He would never speak as a man, he would never see himself as a man, he would never know that part of life that was so… integral to others of his kind.

Trent had never railed against his fate, he’d found peace within it, but… was that enough for him to return to it instead of that vast meadow where all those fine wolves were? He knew he would be able to shift in the meadow,he knew it.

Trent thought of the young, his niece and nephew, just tiny pups, with their whole lives in front of them. Trent understood instinctively he would get to watch them from wherever he was going, he would get to watch them grow and play and learn, but he would not get to scent them, or nuzzle them, or love on them, not in the way he knew best…

Yes, Trent decided again, he wanted his life back.

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