Lost Bear Found (Oak Mountain Shifters), page 1
Lost Bear Found
Oak Mountain Shifters 6
Leela Ash
Copyright ©2019 by Leela Ash. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Table of Contents
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Burning Falls Shifters Preview
1.
Marcus growled, his hackles raising at the possibility of confrontation.
“Hey, calm down, man. I just told you that you didn’t give me the right amount of money. That costs three dollars, not two.”
Marcus closed his eyes, forcing himself to stay centered. He was tired of the bear within him always being so present and causing problems. He would just as soon have been born a human.
The thought of humans caused his stomach to churn guiltily. They just didn’t understand bear shifters. Didn’t understand the culture and customs. Or their tempers. It wasn’t something he should fault them for. Still, it tended to really piss him off.
In fact, it had caused him so much grief that he had lost his home. He had lost everything. Some days he felt bitter at his own kind. Letting humans on the mountain with the bear shifters had been a mistake. Everyone knew it was a mistake. Especially now that the world had gone back to closing their eyes to the existence of shifters of all kinds and convincing themselves that humans were the only intelligent species on earth.
It was infuriating, really. But the humans who were still living on Oak Mountain knew better. And they also knew to keep their mouths shut.
They also knew that if they messed with Marcus, things were going to go downhill. Fast. And they might not ever recover from it.
“Here,” Marcus said darkly, tossing a wadded-up dollar bill onto the counter. The clerk stared at it before finally taking it and uncrumpling it to put it in the till. Marcus grabbed his six pack and moved on. He’d had enough for the night. He was done.
It had been hard for him to hold a job, particularly in the human world, so he knew it was probably a mistake to be spending what little money he did have on alcohol. But things had been feeling bleak. He missed home. He wanted to go back and have a place in the world again. How was he supposed to do that though when everything he loved had gone to shit because of his temper?
Once he had been banished from Oak Mountain, he had begun a long journey of self-exploration. He searched the world for a way to keep his inner shifter at bay. He had gone from shifter clan to shifter clan. And in several of those, they all told him the same thing. The elephant shifters had mentioned the tomb in Oak Mountain. The fox shifters had elaborated on the mythology of the tomb, stating that within, there was a guardian statue that had incredible power. And it had been told that its purpose had been to maintain balance for the dragon shifters on earth.
When Marcus sought help from the elders of the dragon shifter clan on mount argon, he had been told that it had been brought to this planet from Kaldernon because many dragon shifters had enormous stores of power and often struggled with how to yield it. It was easy for them to become tyrannical, or even start slipping into the murk of insanity. They believed the powers of healing applied most appropriately to dragon shifters, as it was a dragon shifter relic.
However, the otter shifters told a different tale. Although, yes, it was a dragon shifter relic, its powers were not limited to dragon shifters alone. It could apply to any shapeshifter under the right conditions, and it could help to balance out the struggles within a man so that he might finally regain mastery of himself and the beast within. Shifters who sought its power when the beast became too much to bear were granted peace.
It was clear to Marcus, and to all of the elders and shifters he had spoken to, that a visit to this sacred place would serve him well. But the issue was that it had been more or less mythical. The statue’s location was obscure and only something that could be speculated. He had to figure out a way to get someone to help him with the excavation. And he didn’t have a whole lot of money. The bear made it nearly impossible for him to keep his cool, especially in situations like work. And even more especially, with humans.
And the human world was where he had been banished to live out the rest of his days, despite the fact that he had nearly slaughtered a whole handful of them one evening during a particularly vicious bout of temper. In fact, it had been his anger toward them that had caused his banishment in the first place. The humans had been diplomats; important men in the world. And Marcus had managed to make a mess out of everything. He’d held an important position in the clan, and now it was all over.
He didn’t blame the council for banishing him from the mountain. He just wished that there was some way for him to make things right. He had to find that statue. Locating the tomb might be his last and only chance at salvation. Before he really did something that he might regret.
Marcus sighed as he walked out of the convenience store. It was getting late. He should return back to his little hovel before he was forced to endure the rush of teenagers and good-for-nothings that happened to wander out this way. He was sick of having to hold his tongue, but even more terrified of what could happen if he didn’t. Things tended to escalate quickly when the bear was in charge. And there weren’t many days where the bear wasn’t in charge.
But if he could find someone to help him locate the tomb, or even manage to do it himself without the other bear shifters realizing that he was digging into the mountain, he would be able to put those worries behind himself for good. He would do anything to be back in control again. He could hardly remember what it was like. He had always been something of a hothead, but ever since… well. Something in him had broken and it was time to fix it.
Marcus was heartened by the thought and cracked a bear open as he walked toward home. It had been one of his favorite things to do back on the mountain. Take a nice, midnight stroll and knock a few back. Nobody there seemed to mind. So, it came as something of a surprise to him when he heard a man’s voice from across the street shouting to him.
“Hey!”
Marcus ignored the voice and continued on. The man shouted to him again, and Marcus finally gave the guy a slight glance, raising a brow at him. What the hell was he on about? It was best not to give it too much attention, because generally his experience was that people who were shouting to you on the street were not doing so for pleasantries to ensue. He didn’t need the trouble. Not from some random wise ass on the road.
Not only that, but he was already on edge from the cashier chump telling him he had been given the wrong amount of money. It wasn’t what the kid had said. It was how he had said it. Like he was somehow above Marcus and that Marcus might be lowly enough to have done it on purpose. So here was this scrawny, pimply-faced moron getting all puffed up and manly to demand an extra buck from a stranger. Getting some kind of sense of self-importance over it? What the fuck.
The bear was awake now, and when the man shouted a third time and began to cross the street, Marcus stopped walking and whipped around to face the man who was harassing him.
“What?!” Marcus bellowed, the bear roaring in full effect. The man paused for a moment, uncertain as to whether or not to proceed before finally deciding that yes, it was going to be a good idea to harass Marcus further because whatever he had to say was apparently of ultimate importance.
“You can’t drink on the street like that. It’s not legal here.”
Marcus paused, looking from the guy, who looked like a middle-aged accountant, to the beer in his hand. The one thing that had been making him happy after another fucked up and lonely night. An
“And what business is that of yours?” Marcus asked, trying to keep the bear at bay. He gritted his teeth. “Are you a cop or something?”
The man stood straight up and squared his lanky shoulders. Marcus almost wanted to laugh. Stupid human. Thinking he’s so great with all his laws and dogma to hide behind. The guy was clearly a coward, and the bear was begging Marcus to prove it to him.
“No,” the man said, “but I could call them. Why don’t you be a sport and just pour it out in the gutter there, and we can forget all this happened. You still have five more to enjoy when you get home.”
Marcus stared at the man in disbelief, blinking at him as the ferocity of his temper began to spike.
“I’m not pouring out my fucking beer, are you stupid?!” He gaped at the man. “Are you going to buy me another one? Why would you even suggest I waste the money like that?”
The man pursed his lips at Marcus. The bear’s fury was stronger now. The slight grip that he’d had on his self-control was waning, and the familiar sensation of the bear within overtaking his faculties was becoming alarmingly clear. He was beginning to black out and lose all control, just like he had done back on the mountain. He had to end this altercation before it got ugly. He couldn’t let himself hurt someone else.
Marcus threw his beer on the ground. “Get away from me. Now!”
The man gaped at him for a few moments. “You might need rehab,” he said quickly before turning on his heel and walking away briskly. It took everything Marcus had not to let out a loud roar and go tearing through the streets that way, toward the irritating man and everything he represented. He wanted so badly to pummel that good for nothing asshole. Why did people like that exist, anyway? They were wastes of space.
No, that wasn’t rational thinking. He had to try to get back to his center and away from the rage-fueled world of the bear within him. He wasn’t going to devalue anyone else’s life and let the cruel darkness of his rage take over anymore. Not if he could do anything to stop it. Even if some righteous jerk thought it was okay to lecture a grown man and encourage him to waste money. People had their reasons, right? Even if they were shitty ones.
He turned away to walk in the opposite direction of the man and collided shoulders with somebody who was walking past. A dark-haired guy, who was just as tall and burly as Marcus was, snarled. “Hey, watch yourself, shithead.”
The stranger pushed past and went on his way. That was the final straw. Marcus could feel his control slipping until finally, he was completely blacked out and the bear was in full control.
2.
“There you go, Roxy. All patched up and ready to go home,” Elizabeth said, smiling down at the little dog. The dog wagged her tail at its veterinarian as she retrieved a milk bone from the canister on the shelf behind the examination table.
Liz lifted the little dog and summoned her assistant. “You can bring Roxy’s owner in now.”
The assistant nodded and soon, Roxy was wiggling in Liz’s arms as she attempted to get into her own “mother’s.”
“You are such a miracle worker! I swear, I thought I was going to lose her,” Ms. Hampton said, kissing the top of her excited little dog’s head.
“She’s a trooper,” Liz said with a nod. “I’m glad that you brought her in when you did. She’s in good hands. Now just be careful with her, she will be tender for a while. But within a few weeks she will be good as new. You won’t even know anything ever happened.”
“Thank you so much!”
Ms. Hampton and Roxy left the office and Liz sank down in the small chair opposite the examination table. She glanced at her watch. It was almost eleven at night. Time to close up. She had pulled a double shift when she had gotten the call about Roxy getting into the chemicals under the sink and it had been a long couple of days of rehabilitation. But they were out of the woods now and it was clear the little dog would make a full recovery.
“I was worried about her,” Jackie, the assistant, said, bringing Liz a bottle of water. She leaned back against the examination table and smiled at Liz in admiration. “You know she isn’t kidding. You are probably the best veterinarian I have ever met.”
“You know this is a small town,” Liz said, laughing dismissively. “I’m probably the only one you have ever met.”
“That’s not true,” Jackie said, shaking her head firmly. “I know a lot. And you are special. I’m really lucky to be learning from you.”
Liz smiled and took a long drink of water. She was exhausted. “Well, you might not think I’m so great if I ask you to close the place up so I can go home and get some rest…”
Jackie laughed. “No, that wouldn’t bother me or change my opinion of you at all. You need to get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Liz sighed. It was too soon to think about the morning already. She was tired. It was time to get home.
“Okay, I appreciate it a lot, Jackie. I hope that you have a good night.”
Jackie beamed at her. “I will, and it seriously isn’t a problem at all. I love these guys.” She gestured behind herself to where, behind the door, the kennels full of animals were displayed. “Really, get some rest. You need it. And not only that, but you deserve it.”
Liz smiled and gave her assistant a nod before scrubbing her hands one last time and heading out to her car. She paused suddenly, realizing that she had walked to work that morning and her car was still at home, in the garage. She didn’t live too terribly far from the office and had happened to walk to work. Some days if she knew, or rather, thought that she would get out at a reasonable time, she didn’t see the harm in getting a little exercise. She tried to stay fit and healthy. It was important to her.
But tonight, she was deeply regretting that decision. She had been on her feet for hours and hours, and it had been emotionally and physically stressful. Now she was going to have to walk all the way home in the dark. She usually wasn’t there that late. But Roxy had been a special case, and she had always had a soft spot for that dog and Ms. Hampton. It had been a long road for the little thing, and although Elizabeth thought she would be able to handle that, she was dead tired.
Liz sighed, attempting to summon the energy to head outside. At least it would be over with sooner rather than later once she started, and she could go to bed and get everything all taken care of. She would have to remember to grab the supplies she had ordered that she had mistakenly shipped to her house rather than the office. They were due to arrive that day and she had missed the shipment. But they were either going to be waiting for her on the front porch or at the post office. Either way she made a note to get them to the office.
With a deep breath, Elizabeth stepped outside into the crisp night air. It was a beautiful evening, alive with a strange and promising energy. Almost as if there were a crackling electricity in the clouds that was trying to tell her something. Maybe it meant that something good was coming and that she was just going to have to wait and see what it was. It was a nice feeling, and although she was often wary of anything supernatural because she had a highly active imagination, she didn’t mind the positive omen and inhaled deeply. Even if she was tired, it was worth it to walk to have a comfortable feeling like that. She never would have been aware of something like this stuffed away inside her car.
Soon she was walking quietly toward home and made her way carefully down the quiet streets. There weren’t a whole lot of residential areas in this neck of the woods. It was mostly sparsely scattered businesses out this way. But she had settled in pretty close to the “downtown” area of Greenville and her little home had served her well for the duration of her stay. It was an odd little town, with odd sorts of people. She, of course, was one of them.
