Page 21 of Storm Dragon
“Hey y’all,” Tamsyn called out, sure to add all the gratitude and true affection she felt for everyone in attendance. “First of all, I, along with my sister, Peaches, and every single one of us who call Defiance and Mt. Serenity home, want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts. When I sent out that email, I thought I might get ten, maybe fifteen responses, but looking out here at all of you…”
She paused right before her voice cracked and took a quick breath. Widening her smile, she jumped right back to what she was saying before the attention span of those in attendance was lost.
“Well, all I can say is, damn, you sure know how to prove me wrong.”
As a roar of laughter filled the pasture, the nerves that made Tamsyn’s tummy do flips settled with the love and acceptance she felt. She felt more like herself–stronger, clearer, and ready to make sure all the people of Defiance and Mt. Serenity were safe and sound.
“As you can see and feel, the winds are picking up and the black clouds are rolling in. It won’t be long now. It appears the weatherman was off by about eight hours.”
“Nothing new there,” Peaches laughed. “That’s why we’re always ready for anything, am I right?”
Whooping and hollering, cheers and ‘hell yeahs’ rang out loud and clear for anyone within earshot to hear. The clapping was like thunder, and the stomping of feet shook the ground. It was the biggest and most profound show of solidarity Tamsyn had ever seen.
Feeling as if she could move mountains with her own bare hands, Tamsyn opened her mouth to continue when the first raindrop touched her cheek. From one beat of her heart to the next, it was as if the Heavens had opened up. Sheets of water fell from the sky only to be caught by the wind and thrown in every direction. As it struck the exposed flesh of her arms and legs, it felt like millions of tiny blades.
“Well, shit, I guess Mother Nature didn’t like what I had to say.” The renewed laughter of the crowd before her was reassuring and exactly what she needed. “So, since this rain isn’t going anywhere, y’all get with your Team Leaders for maps and assignments. Just look for the flag that matches the color of your badge, and you’ll be on the right track.”
In unison, all heads fell forward and all eyes went to the badges Peaches had carefully printed, laminated, and hung on lanyards. Before they had a chance to move, Tamsyn added, “Once again, thank y’all so very much, and don’t be in a hurry to leave when this is all over and we’re all safe. I plan on enlisting the help of Miss Bonnie Sampson to cook up a feast unlike any other!”
“You know I’m ready,” the Alpha She-Wolf cheered. “I’ve always got your back!”
More whoops and hollers and the clapping of hands filled the pasture, their loud appreciation only overshadowed by the howling winds and pounding rain. “Now, let’s get to gettin’! Holler if you need anything at all and I’ll come runnin’!”
Knowing she could travel to the highest peak of Mt. Serenity way quicker on four feet as opposed to two, Tamsyn mentally beamed, “It’s all about you, Bridge. Let’s show Mother Nature what we’re made of.”
“Oh, girl, that’s music to my ears.”
Blanketed in wonderfully warm Magic, the brush of fur against the inside of her flesh was the only warning she got before she was standing on four paws. In her mind’s eye, Tamsyn saw Bridgette in her gloriously gorgeous Bobcat form. Reddish-brown fur started at the crown of her head, flowed down her spine, and ended at the tip of her beautifully fluffy tail. Light brown and tawny fur swept down both of her sides, gradually lightening to a snowy white that covered her underbelly. Shaking to fluff her fur, Tamsyn padded towards Peaches, who was also fully Shifted and looking ready for action.
“Let’s do this, Sis,” she mentally chuckled. “It’s just you and me and the peak of Mt. Serenity.”
“’Cause Bridgette and I just chopped liver, right?” Bethany, the Bobcat Princess with whom Peaches shared her soul, sniped. “Can you believe that crap, Sis?”
“Oh, puhlease,” Peaches groaned. “Get over yourself, Bethany. It’s not Tams’ fault you’ve been on silent mode for a month of Sundays.”
“Why, I never,” Bethany griped.
“Don’t even try that bullshit,” Bridgette chimed in. “And don’t push your luck. There are a few embarrassing stories about your shenanigans I haven’t told Tamsyn yet. Don’t make me go there.”
“Whatever,” Bethany hissed. “I can see I’m outnumbered.”
“But you’re loved,” Tamsyn chimed in with a chuckle that had everyone joining in. “Now, that’s better. So, let’s head out.”
Turning towards the trail that led up the side of the mountain, the feel of the rain on her fur and the ground beneath her paws pushed Tamsyn’s thoughts back to the dream from the night before. The forest all around her looked so familiar. Hell, there were even fox squirrels grabbing all the nuts, berries, mulberry seeds, and hickory shoots to have enough food to outlast the storm.
Jumping over the log that had been at the base of her favorite trail up the Black Mountains since she was a young girl, Tamsyn’s pace quickened to a steady jog. Farther up the trail she traveled, the awareness that Peaches was hot on her tail reassured her that somehow and someway, things were going to be okay.
Traveling farther but the mountain and closer to Catmandoo River that cut through the Ryder Pounce territory, Tamsyn’s senses went on high alert. There was no doubt she was being watched. She could feel the eyes of at least two male Wolves sizing her up. Their gaze was hot and lusty and all wrong. She had no idea whose Pack they belonged to and didn’t care. Yuck! Was all she could think- and for once, Bridgette agreed.
There was no attraction at all. Their scents were musty and mangy, like wet dogs. Looking to the left, she spotted them just under the low-hanging branches of a massive Red Spruce tree that had to be nearly three hundred years old. The eyes of the Wolves didn’t sparkle or shine or make her heart do that silly little pitter-pat she’d always been told would come from meeting her One True Fated Mate. Hell, their tails didn’t even curl when they looked at her.
“Not to mention, they are dogs,” Bridgette groaned. “Emphasis on the word, dogs. Why the hell would Fate or the Universe or any other of The Powers That Be make us in all our glorious splendor for a mutt?”
“Whatever was I thinkin’?” Tamsyn chuckled. “I know better than to even scratch an itch if you’re not on board.”
“Too right you are,” Bridgette quickly agreed, the Celtic brogue of the Isle of Skye where she’d been raised so very many centuries ago sneaking into her voice.
Tamsyn was as far from an easy lay as New York City was from Kathmandu in Nepal, and she wasn’t looking to change anytime soon. Sure, she scratched the itch when her heat came. That was an undeniable fact of nature. She had two friends with benefits in her own Pounce, guys she felt comfortable enough with to have sex and remain close friends. So far, neither of them had found their True Fated Mate either, and as far as Tamsyn knew, they weren’t looking. Their arrangement worked, and that was what mattered. If things changed, then they changed. If it wasn’t broke, why should she try to fix it until she had to?
