A Tale of the Other Kind: A Therian Novel (12 page)

‘What do you mean? You can do so much. You could become a game ranger at the Kruger. It’s perfect for you – it’s out in the bush and you’ll work with animals,’ she encouraged. 

‘That’s not really what I mean. I mean, yes, it sounds fantastic, and probably what I should do, but things have changed too much. I don’t know where life will take me.’ He got up and walked a couple of feet away from Sienna, who anxiously stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

‘It really is ok,’ she whispered, ‘I’ve already forgiven you for leaving me,’ she said. ‘But now, I need to know the reason why.’ 

He could feel her eyes on his back as he walked a couple of feet further away. She made him too nervous. The words formed in his head but he still didn’t know how to say them out loud. He felt nauseous, unable to think straight. Her sudden touch made him turn around, and he looked at her with fear of pending rejection in his eyes. Her soft hands touched his shoulders, trying to calm him. 

It was now or never; he had to tell her the truth even if she rejected him. He was shaking uncontrollably. Her touch, her presence and the thought of her running away from him was too much to stomach, but the lies and secrets were becoming too much to tolerate. 

‘Kai,’ she said softly, ‘You can tell me.’ 

‘I’m not human,’ he blurted out. 

‘What? Kai, don’t be silly,’ she giggled nervously. 

He turned around, facing her. ‘I mean it Sienna. I’m not completely human,’ he tried again. 

Her facial expression turned from a smile to confusion. ‘Is this some sort of joke? Are you trying to play me for a fool?’ 

‘No, no,’ he said seriously, ‘not at all.’ 

‘Have you lost your mind? You can’t really think that I’d believe
that
?’ she asked, stepping away from him. ‘Why do I keep attracting nutcases?’ she mumbled to herself. 

‘I’m not crazy Sienna; you have to believe me. At first, I thought I was crazy too, and I didn’t know how to tell you.’ 

‘Kai, stop it now! This isn’t funny,’ she said nervously, as she kept moving away from him. 

‘Do you really think that I will believe something like that? Is this your way of getting rid of me?’ she demanded. 

‘Oh hell, I knew this wasn’t going to go down well.’ 

‘You bet!’ 

‘Okay, okay, let’s just calm down. I can explain everything. I can show you,’ he said anxiously. 

Sienna folded her arms. ‘Are you mad or something? Stop playing games Kai,’ she said, unimpressed. 

‘I’m not playing games. I can prove it.’ 

‘Well then? Go ahead,’ she said, thinning her lips. 

‘Not here, somebody might see.’ ‘Seriously?’ 

‘Come with me,’ he said, taking her hand and started walking into the forest. 

‘This is ridiculous,’ she mumbled under her breath, looking unsure whether to follow him or not. Drying leaves and broken tree branches cracked under their feet as they walked deeper into the forest, followed by a dead silence, which engulfed them. Darkness filled every corner of the forest, until they came to a clearing, where the bright moon lit up the sky like fire light. ‘Kai, you are starting to scare me. Let’s just go back home.’ 

‘I’m sorry, that’s not my intention. We can go back home and you can go on with your life and forget you ever met me or, I can show you what I have been trying to deny and protect you from. 

‘I just can’t live this lie anymore, Sienna. It’s your choice if you want to leave or, I can show you who I really am.’ 

She nodded, and then he stepped into the middle of the clearance, unsure whether he was doing the right thing. 

He turned to look at Sienna, who was now standing next to him. ‘Are you sure you’re ready to see this?’ 

Sienna kept quiet, suddenly looking unsure of her decision to follow Kai into the forest. Fear showed on her face. ‘Yes,’ she replied, swallowing hard. Kai closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Slowly he opened his eyelids and exposed marvellously bright green, catlike eyes with yellow specs. 

Sienna gasped. ‘Your eyes, they’re so bright. Like they were this afternoon!’ 

‘That’s just a small part of it, Sienna,’ he sighed. 

‘I can stop if you want,’ he said, waiting for her to respond. 

‘Oh my goodness,’ she said, putting her hands to her mouth in awe. ‘This can’t be real. Your eyes, they’re not real! I mean, they can’t be, can they?’ 

Kai looked away, ashamed at what he was about to do. His heart pounded, scared that she would run away. ‘That’s not all...’ 

‘There’s more?’ 

‘Please promise me that you will trust me, even if you are frightened. I promise I won’t hurt you,’ he begged. 

‘Okay,’ she looked around uneasily. ‘I trust you.’ 

Kai took a few steps back from Sienna. ‘Are you sure?’ 

‘Yes, yes, I’m sure,’ she replied, intrigued. 

He took another deep breath, and before Sienna’s eyes, he turned into the beast he was hiding from her. First his hands turned into paws, his bones elongated, stretching into their new form, making space for his broadening muscles. Black fur sprouted over his entire body, covered with spots. Whiskers grew from his face and cat ears emerged from his head, and a thick, strong tail popped out from behind him. His shirt, torn and tattered, fell to the floor. 

‘Holy crap!’ she exclaimed, her knees buckling to the ground. She shook with fear, yet excitement showed in her eyes. ‘Really?’ she asked. ‘This is unbelievable. You're human, but, you're not. You look like a cat - a human-cat.’ 

Kai wished he could read her mind at that moment. He didn’t know whether she would resent him now or fear him. Her eyes were wide, and he could see that she did not know what to do or say. He didn’t want to scare her, so he slowly walked over to her and bent to his knees. 

‘You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m not going to hurt you,’ he said, placing a paw on her shoulder. 

‘It’s just, just so much to take in,’ she said, looking him up and down, completely awed. She extended her hand, and ran it over his furry body. Finally, she moved her hand to his face, touching his whiskers, softly caressing his strong feline jawbone. ‘I … I don’t fear you Kai. You are so beautiful,’ she stated. 

A sudden purr escaped his throat, shocking them both, and Sienna burst out with laughter. ‘Did you just purr at me?’ 

‘Umm, yeah, I guess I did,’ he smiled, flashing bright sharp fangs. 

‘This is just so, wow, unbelievable,’ she said, amazed. 

‘Have you always been this way?’ 

‘No,’ he replied, ‘this is all kind of new to me.’ 

‘I don’t understand?’ 

‘Neither did I. It all happened so fast. Before I knew it, I was changing and new things were happening to me.’ 

‘Wait...’ she held up a finger. ‘The night I was attacked by the lion, was that you? Were you the one fighting off the lion?’ 

‘Yes, it was me. For some reason I can shape into a proper leopard and then, well, this - neither human nor leopard. I was trying to get the lion away from you.’

‘But you disappeared, left me alone in the forest. Where did you go?’ 

‘It’s all so hazy. I can barely remember what had happened that night. It was the first time I transformed. I was confused and didn’t know what was happening to me. The only thing I can remember was the rustle in the bushes just before I left you and the rest is just vague flashes ... I’m so sorry for the pain that I caused you that night,’ he said, running his paw over her hair.

‘I remember the black leopard ... you, I mean, the leopard – you, were trying to fight the lion, and I somehow got tangled up in the middle of it. The lion slashed me so deep that I passed out. 

‘The next thing I remember was waking up in hospital, my back stitched up and hurting. You just disappeared. I couldn’t even find you at school, even though people said that they’d seen you there. But every time I tried to find you, you weren’t there.’ Tears formed in Sienna’s eyes as she relived the nightmare she’d gone through. Kai felt ashamed of how he’d handled the situation. 

‘That’s all in the past now. Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive me? I’ve been such a fool. I promise that I’ll never leave you alone like that ever again.’ As he said it, he changed back into Kai the human. Slowly, he bent down, his lips softly touching hers, and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. She tilted her chin upwards, and greeted him passionately. He could feel her body sinking into his. She let him pull her closer, making no effort to move away from his embrace. 

‘Let's go back to the house,’ she said, pulling away.

‘Don’t you think it’s getting pretty late? Your parents might get worried.’

‘I’m sure they’re fast asleep, and not even aware that I left the house,’ she persisted, taking his hands and pulling him back towards the house. ‘Besides, you don’t have a shirt on – not that I’m complaining, but it is getting cold out here,’ she prodded.

Kai was feeling pretty cold, and only now realised that his torso was exposed to the chilly air. He agreed, and let her lead him back to the cabin. Inside, he could feel the cosy fire heating up the entire ground floor of the house, slowly burning away the chill that was sinking into his bones. ‘I’ll make us some coffee, while you go upstairs and get something warm on,’ she said, motioning towards the kitchen.

‘Thanks,’ he agreed. 

Once upstairs, a very angry-looking Astrid greeted him. ‘Astrid, what the hell are you doing here?’ he asked stunned. Astrid stood in the corner of his room, throwing daggers at him with her eyes. ‘Did you not listen to one single word I told you?’ she hissed.

‘What are you talking about?’ He asked astonished at her overwhelming anger.

‘Shifters are cursed, Kai. We are not allowed to fall in love with humans!’ She blasted.

‘Is there really a need for such a melodramatic display?’ he asked angrily.

‘You are making a huge mistake Kai,’ she said, marching over to him. ‘Stay away from the human. Or this will not end well.’

‘You have no right to tell me who I can and cannot be with!’ He hissed back furiously. Astrid looked shocked and took a step back. ‘Have it your way. But she’s no good for you Kai,’ she said, anger disappearing from her face. 

‘Why are you being like this?’ He prodded.

‘You should forget about the human. She doesn’t belong in your world, our world. It’s just not right.’

‘I don’t get why you’re so irrational, Astrid? Why are you so mad about this? Sienna is fine with everything. She knows everything.’

‘Everything? Are you mad? Humans aren’t allowed to know about our world! It’s forbidden.’ 

‘She won’t tell anybody. I trust her,’ he tried to explain.

‘Ugh Kai,’ she said, putting her hands in her hair, frustrated. ‘You just don’t get it.’ Her eyes were wild with fury again, which almost scared Kai, but he knew that something else was bothering her, something that she wasn’t telling him. 

‘Why is this upsetting you so much?’ he questioned, as she rapidly walked around the room. ‘You know this can be dangerous to all of us, don’t you?’ She asked. ‘I don’t see how Astrid. Don’t you think that you’re overreacting just a little bit? Just get to know Sienna, and I’m sure the two of you will be trying on dresses together in no time.’

Her jaw dropped. ‘Excuse me? No, I highly doubt that your new little girlfriend and I will become bosom buddies any time soon. This is all way out of her league. Her dainty human body is not built for our world Kai. I know you can’t see this right now, but soon, it will all be much clearer. You need to trust me on this.’

‘No Astrid, I cannot trust you on this. I thought you were my friend. This is ridiculous, you should be happy for me, but all you are doing is throwing rocks at someone you don’t even know.’

‘True, but I know enough, and I can tell you now – you need to stay focused.’

‘On what?’

‘Do you really think our lives are just as simple as “oh, yippee, we can turn into other beings and it stays like that” umm, no!’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘We aren’t just hunters Kai. We are defenders.’

‘I’m not following you, at all,’ he said, exasperated.

‘I gathered as much.’

‘Now isn’t the time to start mocking me,’ he fumed.

She fell down on the bed. ‘Some shifters aren’t, well, as at ease with humans as you might be. They hunt them and kill them. They torture them and play with them before they tear them apart. In some of us, I guess, our human part is still strong, but in others, there is more of the beast than their human side, and this is how Quinn is winning his war on Zai’s children. 

‘Shifters are in a constant battle for our mere existence. The others aren’t happy to be kept a secret from the fragile humans, but some of us actually have brains in our heads – we would like our world to be secret – none of these humans will be able to handle our kind. 

‘We’re too different for their perfect world. To them, we’ll be a threat. They will hunt us, persecute us and eventually...’ she became silent. ‘Eventually our very existence on this planet will end.’

‘Okay, so? We need to protect shifters and humans -ironic for you huh?’ Kai teased.

‘Oh shut up,’ she snapped. 

‘Why are you so afraid of this, what’s his name … Quinn? I’m not letting him dictate to me who I can and cannot be with.’

‘You are being so stupid!’ Astrid fumed.

‘I think you should rather leave now,’ he said. Anger and impatience were getting the best of him.

‘What?’ She asked shocked.

‘You heard me Astrid.
Get out
.’

Surprise showed in her eyes as she got up from the bed and motioned over to the window. Kai stared at the ground, avoiding eye contact. She flashed him one last hurtful look before she disappeared into the night.

Kai glared after Astrid as she leaped through the window, their conversation repeating itself over and over again in his mind. When he eventually returned downstairs, Sienna was confused by his sudden state of mood and excused herself to give him some space. 

‘I apologise for being so spaced out,’ he said as he saw her off, ‘I’m just really tired and need to get some sleep.’

‘It’s okay,’ she smiled, standing on her toes as he kissed her gently.