The Voice of Gaia Part 2 “Come on Brennan, lets get out of here. Just follow me back to the house.” I told him as I moved to my car, keys in hand. The worried look on his face said he was wondering what was chasing me. “Are you alright Sophie? You look like death warmed over.” he asked cautiously. I cut my mean snarl short. “Yeah, sorry for snarling. Just a bad day. The faster I get home the better off I will be.” I answered as I almost leaped into my car. I almost didnt wait for Brennan to follow me as I started my car and backed out of my spot, almost pealing out in my haste to leave. Brennan had never been to my house and I wasnt sure if Lara remembered exactly where the turn off was at otherwise I would have been speeding down the highway, leaving them to find their way on their own. Finally the distinctive rumble of Brennans truck roared behind me and I left the parking lot, spattering gravel behind me. As I drove I chewed on the fingernails of my left hand, a habit that I had picked up over the last few days and one I was definitely disgusted with. It was a gesture that not only revealed how nervous and upset I truly was, it was a sign of weakness that could potentially be used against me and that was completely unacceptable. Mad at myself for chewing on my nails I put my hand back on the steering wheel before glancing in the rear view mirror to make sure Brennan was still behind me. I managed to look down in time to flip on my turn signal and turn onto the long dirt driveway leading up to the house I shared with Maggie set back into the forested landscape. Halfway down the drive I slowed nearly to a stop when I spotted a shiny, new black car parked next to Maggies ever present blue SUV. Warily I continued forward until I was parked next to it. I must have looked terrified because when Brennan pulled up moments later red lights were dancing in his eyes and the distinct smell of aggression was coming off of him in waves as he leaped from the drivers seat and approached me without even shutting off the engine. “Do you want me to go in with you?” he asked in a half snarl. Just him asking the question steadied me and I took a deep breath before giving him a weak smile. “No, I can handle them I think. I can only smell two of them and I think theyre female by he amount of perfume theyre both wearing. Go ahead and wait somewhere out of sight and when you see them leave go ahead and come back.” I explained with a confidence I didnt really feel. Brennan gave me a look that said he didnt really believe me but he didnt argue. “Alright, we wont be far. If you need help you yell, you hear me?” he ordered fiercely. I reached into my car and grabbed my leather messenger bag from the passenger seat. “You can bet on that.” I replied easily. Brennan paused for a moment, clearly uneasy about leaving me to his task alone. Finally he went back to his truck and drove away, my hearing telling me exactly where he had pulled off of he muddy drive and turned off the engine. I smiled as I walked up to the front door, picturing him and Lara sneaking closer to be ready if I did need their help. Keeping that picture in my mind I straightened my face, took a deep breath, opened the door and walked inside. The first thing I became aware of was the sharp, sickly odor of fear. I knew it was coming from Maggie and the fact that these unknown strangers had frightened her made me angry, not good for them. As I rounded the corner of the entryway into the living room I got my first look at this new enemy. Two women were seated on the sofa while Maggie sat in her favorite arm chair. The first was middle aged, wearing a severe gray dress suit with her hair in an equally severe bun at the back of her head. The second woman was in her mid twenties and was nicely dressed. She didnt seem nearly as severe and tough as her partner, as if life hadnt beaten all the nice out of her yet. “Sophie, this is Madge Peterson and Penny Franson. They are from Childrens Social Services.” Maggie introduced quickly, her voice strained and brittle. Even the severe womans name irritated me, and I pinned her with my oversized gold green eyes. “Oh, what do you want?” I snapped, letting my attitude show. Madge cleared her throat. “We received a call that Miss Janson here was neglecting your care Sophie, and from looking at you I am thinking that call was warranted. When was the last time you had something to eat?” she asked in a cold professional voice. My eyes narrowed and I glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. “About an hour ago. I worked a shift at the diner. I ate when I got there and I ate before I left.” I snapped back. “Well, I suggest we start with the home inspection before we continue with this interview. Would you please show us your room Sophie?” Madge asked, smoothing her skirt before standing. I wanted to claw her eyes out. Instead I turned and headed for the staircase, not even bothering to wait for the intruders. In my usual silent way I strode through my bedroom door and placed my messenger bag on my vanity, unloading the books I had picked up at the Fielding Falls public library and placing them on my bedside table. I was standing at he perfect angle to catch the shocked dismay on Madges face when she walked through the door. “This is your room?” she asked incredulously as she looked around the spotlessly clean space. “Yes. Is there something wrong with it?” I asked defensively. “No, no. Most teenagers are very messy is all. I am just slightly surprised at how clean and well organized your space is.” Madge covered quickly. “Im not most teenagers.” I said flatly. “I can see that.” Madge said speculatively. “What is this tree sculpture in the corner here? It looks as if it has been clawed by some sort of large animal.” Penny commented curiously. Once I had been able to shift forms again after the casts had been removed from my arms I had found I had a problem leaving claw marks when I stretched. I had mentioned the problem one day to Thomas Rufus, the Elder of Bobcat House and he had arranged to have my scratching post made and delivered to me. My mood growing worse I gave Madge my sweet but deadly smile. “Neither me or Maggie appreciates holes in the carpet or furniture so that is there for me to sink my claws into instead.” I offered freely. Maggie, standing in the doorway, blanched at the acid in my voice but the two social workers ignored it. Madge even went so far as to laugh. “I don think so Miss Janson. Lets continue shall we?” she said, easily dismissing my statement as nothing more than a lie from a troubled child. The two strangers had turned to walk out of my room and missed the way my hands curled, but the gesture wasnt lost on Maggie. I swear that by the time this little visit is over Im going to show you exactly how big my claws are, I thought hotly as I followed them downstairs. As Maggie showed them around the various rooms downstairs I sat down in the armchair that I had claimed as mine and waited for the inquisition and the bloodbath to begin. As soon as everyone was once again seated in the living room Penny began with the questions while Madge and I proceeded to stare each other down. “As you can understand Miss Janson we were quite dismayed to not be able to find any documentation at all for Sophie. Considering what happened with your eldest daughter Danielle I am hoping you can easily explain this, otherwise we might have to involve the police in this matter.” Penny pushed, despite Maggies cry of injured dismay. I broke my stare with Madge and pinned Penny with a hot predatory glare. “I would be more than happy to explain it. Maggie and I are not related. And if you speak about her that way again I will gut you where you sit.” I told her with deadly intent. “Sophie, there is no need to be such a drama queen.” Madge admonished harshly. My gaze turned to her slowly as Maggie grabbed my hand and squeezed, a silent plea not to kill anyone. “There was no drama involved Miss Peterson. I was deadly serious.” I replied in a tone that chilled the room, giving the woman my sweet but deadly smile. This time Penny seemed to realize that they were in some kind of danger and I caught her shudder. “My apologies Miss Janson. You said earlier that you worked a shift at Maggies diner. Do you do that often? What do you do there, and what about school?” Penny continued, though much more cautious. “One of the waitresses had to quit when she got close to having her baby, so I took over until we could hire someone capable of doing the work. That hasnt happened yet. And I dont go to school, I dont need to.” I replied, carefully leaving out the time I spent at the school in Eagles Landing. “My dear, you are a child and every child must attend school.” Madge said to me haughtily. I dropped Maggies hand before I crushed the fragile bones. “And like I said upstairs madam, I am not most teenagers. I have long since graduated my high school equivalency and if I had my diploma to show you I would. Sadly I have been unable to contact the right people to get another copy.” I returned, just as snooty. Madge was starting to get angry at having every one of her ploys swatted down, and she was about to do something stupid. “You yourself said you werent related to Miss Janson. I really do hope you know who your parents are and will give us accurate information without lying to us like you have done so far.” Madge snapped, done being nice. Two could play this game. “With as blatantly stupid as both of you are being Im guessing that the meaning of the two large paw prints in black paint on either side of the door is lost on both of you.” I snapped back. Penny frowned. “I thought it was just some sort of odd decoration.” she commented innocently. “Then allow me to enlighten you. As per the Gaian Charter drafted in 1957, section 45 sub section F regarding the Beast Kins rights to defend, protect, hunt, and enforce their own personal pieces of territory. A member of the Beast Kin minority must mark their territory in a way easily understood by any humans who may encroach upon it so that no misunderstandings can be claimed later by complaining plaintiffs or defendants if legal action is sought. I would have thought leaving my paw prints on either side of the door would have been statement enough.” I returned, reciting the law from memory. I thought Penny was going to faint but Madge only narrowed her eyes. “Miss Janson, are you being kept here against your will by this animal or do you feel in danger from her at any time?” Madge asked with enough venom that my blood boiled. Before anyone could react I leaped from my chair and had one arm around the racist womans throat. “By all rights I should just gut you alive for being a rat. You stink of the cruel idiots that I ran away from. So instead you are going to take a message back to them. My name is Sophie Janson, and anyone that comes here to try and take me against my will, will find themselves in the furthest bowels of the seventh Nether-hell before they even realize that all of their grandly laid plans have failed. Maggie Janson is off limits and anyone in or around Eagles Landing is off limits. Is this message understood?” I growled fiercely. Madge swallowed hard. “Yes.” she said quietly. Satisfied with that I picked Madge up by the back of her gray, tailored suit and dragged her to the front door before easily tossing her out onto the front lawn, Penny rushing past her stinking of fear to help her partner to her feet. “Dont bother coming back, because if you do the next time I wont be nearly as kind and I will eat you first before thinking of asking questions.” I called out to them. Penny was nearly in tears and her lower lip quivered. “You have no right to treat us like this!” she yelled back. At that moment something inside of me snapped and as a ghosting of my tigers stripes appeared all over my skin I gave a full throated roar that sent both women scurrying for their car. The sound of them pealing out of our driveway barely registered as I turned and stalked back through the house, pushing past a concerned Maggie on my way to the back door. Once I was outside I began to pace, constantly clawing and scratching at the offending tattoo on my arm. It was my fault that everyone here was in danger. I was the cause of this whole mess and I was always going to bring harm to those I cared about. I was so agitated that I was completely unaware of Brennans approach and when he touched my arm he startled me, not a good thing given the circumstances and my state of mind. In my agitation I had shifted just enough to have claws at the ends of my fingers and I reached out and swiped. I felt my claws make contact and for a brief moment all I could do was stand and stare at the thin streams of blood welling up on Brennans skin near his collar bone. “Gaia help me, what have I done?” I breathed as everything seemed to crash down around me. Before Brennan could even stop me I shifted into my full tiger form, ripping out of my clothes and racing off into the dense forest. “Sophie, wait!” I dimly heard Brennan call behind me. I didnt care, I was terrified of the horrors that were haunting me and the monster that I was turning into. *** I had run until I collapsed in a meadow that was a perfect circle ringed with one ancient tree of each species, almost as if they were sentinels. In the center of the meadow was a large quartz pillar that looked as if it had been dropped there at the whimsy of some ancient god. I had dropped at the base of the pillar from sheer exhaustion and immediately fallen asleep. And like the few days prior the nightmares began to prey on me. In this particular dream I was constantly shifting back and forth between a small child and a tiny tiger cub, constantly being chased and tormented by an endless line of the instructors and trainers from my past that had caused me pain. And then deep inside my dream I called out for help. “Mommy save me!” my little girl self screamed before shifting into a helpless tiger cub. Then appearing in the dream between me and the old woman who always wielded a wicked iron rod whenever we couldnt control our shifting was a tall, lithe woman who was beyond beautiful. She waved a hand and my tormentor disappeared in a puff of ash and dust. “My poor baby, let me help you.” she said, reaching down for me. I woke at that moment in my human form to see the woman from my dream standing not far away from me. It was disconcerting waking in a different skin than the one I had gone to sleep in and that usually didnt happen. “Be at peace my child, I mean you no harm. I heard your cry for help.” the woman said with a soft smile. I eased down into a wary crouch as I studied her. She was extremely tall with dark brown hair that flowed like spun silk to her dainty bare ankles. Her eyes were almond shaped, giving her the look of the people from the Eastern Empire except her skin was as pale as cream and her eyes were an arresting shade of emerald. Her ears also came to a delicate point, accenting her heart shaped face. She was dressed in a very odd but beautiful dress. The front looked to be two large ivy leaves covering her small, high breasts with the leaves extending down her torso to her hips where the leaf material changed to shimmering blue water in a full skirt to her ankles. I cocked my head to the side as I gazed up at her. “Who are you?I dont know you, yet... you are familiar to me.” I told her, my feline curiosity getting the better of me. “I am the Mother, though most mortals have given me the name of Gaia. I am not surprised that you found your way to this place. It is one of the few places of deep magick left.” the woman said as she moved closer to me. I frowned as I stood, sincerely wishing for my favorite boulder to perch on. “Is that why you heard me call for help in my dream?” I asked her, slightly confused. “That is a good part of it. You come from a long line of royalty in your own right Sophie, and though most of my change children have forgotten the gifts that I gifted them when I created them you still run very close to those gifts. I need your help Sophie, and in turn I can help you with your problem.” the woman stated more than asked. “How can I help you? Im just a girl looking to make sure the ones I care about survive the danger that chases me.” I said with a simple shrug. “I created the change children to act as the speakers for those who didnt have a voice to speak themselves. The change children spoke for the animals to the world of men and to the creatures of deep magick, even going so far as to be the third side of the triangle of power of ruling queens. But men have grown greedy and far too grasping and now must be reminded of who really rules the land. I am going to wake the deep magicks, but few still have the gift close enough to the surface to be the voice for the creatures of the wood.” Gaia explained carefully. I shook my head in denial. “No, I cant be what you want me to be. Im dangerous and better off out here where if I go completely crazy I wont hurt anyone.” I denied, my fears suddenly rushing back on me so fast that I couldnt process them. I shuddered as I broke out into a cold sweat and tiger stripes ghosted across my skin. Gaia quickly reached out and enfolded me in her arms and slowly peace seeped through my fear and anxiety. “Whats wrong with me? Im not like this!” I sobbed uncontrollably. Gaia held me away at arms length, drying my tears as she looked deeply into my eyes. “There is something here. Something not natural. Hold still for a moment.” she said, tapping the right side of my head just above my temple before placing her hand over the area. I immediately grew dizzy and then a flash of warmth spread from a point somewhere inside my head down into my right eye. Then Gaia pulled her hand away and sitting in the palm of her hand was what looked like a small computer chip with wires of various lengths spread out around it. Without even realizing it I began to snarl. “Your emotions and dreams should return to normal now my child, and I have woken up your gifts so do not be alarmed if forest creatures come to you asking for help. In the next few days messengers from the great powers that I will be waking will be coming to you to ask for council, so be prepared. In the meantime this will show that you are my envoy.” Gaia stated as she placed the offending computer chip in a black velvet bag and tied it carefully to a fairly heavy chain with a pendant in the shape of an odd looking tree. Immediately I knew I couldnt wear it without it choking me when I changed forms. “Im sorry, but I cant wear this. If I were to have it on me when I changed form I would choke, and I have no way to carry it after.” I told her regretfully. Gaia only smiled. “Sophie, that chain and charm is made from Elven metal mined by Dwarves and infused with magick. When you change form it too will change to fit your animal form, and once you put it on it will never fall off or be taken off by anothers hand unless you yourself remove it first.” she explained carefully. With a deep breath I slipped the chain over my head and watched in fascination as the chain adjusted to fit me. “What does the tree mean?” I asked curiously, running the pad of one finger over the beautiful gold pendant and feeling the buzz of power emanating from it. “That is the tree of life, from which I created everything. I hate to rush you my child but my time on the physical plane is limited and I am sure your family will be worried about you. Just know you can always return here if you need assistance and someone will always help you, though it may not always be me.” Gaia stated, rushing through the explanation. At the mention of Maggie and the others I was abruptly shoved back into reality. “Crap, youre right! Thank you Mother Gaia, for everything!” I said before quickly changing forms to race across the clearing and slip silently through the ring of guardian trees. *** I was sitting in the crook of a large tree, resting and panting lightly after running a long distance. I had already crossed over into the farthest boundaries of my hunting territory but my waning energy and the scrawny rabbit I had eaten hours earlier had long since worn thin. I had also decided that the car was the greatest thing ever invented by man. Suddenly there was a crash in the underbrush to my right and I resettled myself on the branch for an ambush if the situation required it. Then out of the brush came Laras half grown wolf puppy form, her nose to the ground like a blood hound on the trail. She was so preoccupied with her task that she didnt even notice me jump down out of my perch and silently come up behind her to bowl her over with one of my giant paws.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 14:34:49 +0000