Page 13 of Shifted Existence

Deer, rabbits, raccoons, and other non-predatory animals came to the river to drink their fill or cool themselves. Nothing jumped up out of the water to get them. That was good to know. When a pack of wolves moved in, the prey-type animals departed, but that was par for the course. She watched them cross the river and realized it was deep enough that they had to swim. She smiled as a mother bear and two cubs ventured into the water to catch something to eat.

Bailey’s tummy rumbled, reminding her it had been a while since she’d eaten. When the bears left, she ventured out, filling her large flask and dissolving one of the purification tablets into it. She had decided that given that she was in a new reality, it was better to be safe than sorry. The idea of dealing with dysentery while holed up in a tree had no appeal. None.

When a trout came too close, Bailey stabbed it with her knife, cleaned it, and wrapped the two fillets in a piece of her shirt that she cut off. If she could find a place to let the wind and the sun dry it, it would be safe to eat. Until she could do that, she made her way along the riverbank sourcing edible plants and berries. Not as good as cooked or dried fish would be, but it filled her up and would have to do. Making a fire was not something she was prepared to do, not because she couldn’t, but because she thought it would attract too much attention.

Once she had eaten and had a good long drink of water, Bailey refilled her flask and dissolved another half of a tablet into the water. She’d only had to purify it by that much and wanted to conserve her resources. When she found a more permanent place and water supply, she would experiment to see how much purification the water needed in order to be safe. As clear as the running water appeared to be, she was hoping it would be minimal if it was needed at all.

She returned to her tree, still avoiding the well-worn paths, but no longer skulking along the ground. Once she’d made it back to the tree, she stood back and was pleased to see that unless you were eye-level with the hollow, it would be difficult to see if anyone was inside. She climbed back into her little nest, made herself comfortable and allowed herself the luxury of a nap.

Bailey planned to begin exploring her new reality this evening. Granted, she wouldn’t be able to see as well and some predators preferred to hunt at night, but at least she would be harder to spot. She closed her eyes, sighing contentedly. She hadn’t been in the Eclipse Province for any length of time, but already she felt as if her life had improved substantially. True, she would still be hunted and could be forced by someone bigger and stronger to be his mate, but at least here she felt as though there was a chance to forge a new life, to find a better way.

* * *

“What do you mean she blew up the portal?” laughed Artemis.

Talon wanted to be angry, furious even, but there was a small, growing part of him that admired the tenacity and courage it had taken for his mate to escape her reality and him in such a spectacular fashion.

“Just what I said. She knew I was on her trail and had followed her to what passed for a dwelling—a cave inside a large bluff with escape tunnels riddling it. I suspect it was once some kind of mine. She set explosives within the cave and along all but one of the tunnels. I doubt she meant to cause the kind of destruction she did. The place now looks like a caldera left after a volcanic explosion.”

“You’re sure she is unharmed?” asked Blitz, trying hard not to laugh.

“So far, but that won’t be the case when I capture her. She ambushed Hemming to access the portal and when I tried to follow her through, she launched another explosive and destroyed the damn thing.” Talon shook his head. “Fortunately, those in power in the Conquered Realm are easily intimidated and I was able to secure rights to any females Hemming and Laskey found hiding in the village. The Council here in the Eclipse Province were fit to be tied, but I assured them she was, in fact, my fated mate and I would deal with her.”

“I’ll bet they wanted to put a bounty on her head…”

“They did,” Talon growled low. “I assured them that would prove fatal to anyone touching her in any way and those who had allowed it.”

“Let me guess,” said Blitz who had no love for the Council, “they wanted no part in pissing off their greatest warrior and his pack.”

That brought a smile to Talon’s face. “Something like that.”

“Should we organize a hunting party?” asked Artemis.

“No. I thought about it, but this is between my mate and me. It would also not do to be seen as an alpha who cannot run his fated mate to ground and bring her to heel.”

Artemis shook his head. “You almost sound like you’re looking forward to that.”

Talon turned and grinned at him. “I am. I’m going to regroup, take care of anything that needs doing and head back to where the portal was. My hope is that I can pick up her trail. I’ll work out of the village until I deem she’s moved on and then I’ll head out and follow her until I find her. Hemming, his mate, Laskey, and whatever other females the village was hiding should be here in a day or two.”

“Do you want any of the other females they bring back mated to warriors while you’re gone?”

Talon shook his head. “No. Let’s set up a lodge, a kind of dormitory for them, once we know how many there are.”

“Are you expecting many?”

“Uncertain, but the girl hadn’t just come of age, which, as I pointed out to those in the Conquered Realm’s capital, means this wasn’t new behavior for the villagers or those in the cities. I suspect there might be more than a few who are doing the same. Warriors and our other wolves may visit and speak with them, but none—save Hemming’s—are to be claimed.”

“So, in fact your mate may well have done our pack a great service,” said Artemis in an upbeat voice, causing both Blitz and Talon to groan in unison.

“Don’t start. You do not get to take up for her before you’ve even met her. I would point out she could have killed me, Hemming, and who knows who else. I’m just glad we don’t have anyone missing.”

“Where do you think she’ll go? Why do you think she did it?” asked Blitz.

“I have no answers. I think she may well try to find a place and people she can call her own.” Talon held up his hand to ward off argument. “I know she would have found that here. But I think it may be the answer to finding her and then making her happy here. I know we have several she-wolves that originally came from that area. I may want to speak with them down the road.”

After Blitz and Artemis left, Talon washed, changed into clean clothes, put together a small bundle to see him through the day, strapped on his weapon, and headed out.Enjoy your run, my mate, for I will enjoy running you to ground.

CHAPTER9

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