Ch.1 – I come from haunts of coot and hern.
The St. Louis cityscape was laid out before me as I gazed out my hotel window. I have always loved traveling, visiting new places with new exciting things to see and people to meet. But moving, moving is a completely different story. With traveling you have one suitcase and can stay wherever you like, do whatever you want. When you move, especially long distance moves, there are so many piffally details to take care of that it completely kills the enjoyment of the travel involved. Especially when you consider all the extra hassles being a lycanthrope adds to the mix.
Yet, even with all of that, I was excited about my new city. Well, I guess I shouldn't really call it 'my' city until I find somewhere to live. Oh, and meet with the local pard, can't forget that little detail. Yeah, right. St. Louis has a certain reputation in the preternatural community that I couldn't help but admire, but it did make moving here a pain in the ass. And the pard of St. Louis had the most notable reputation of all. The Nimir-Ra had been so suspicious and paranoid when I asked to meet with her that I couldn't even get permission to come until the Nimir-Raj intervened. I was meeting with him tomorrow to discuss whether I would join their pard or live as an independent. Being an independent wasn't usually an option, but given that I'd been a lycanthrope for years, and that this pard had had some bad experiences with new members, membership wasn't going to be automatic. Considering what my last pard was like being an independent didn't sound so bad, especially with that coalition thing they had here. And then there was my new job to be nervous about. All and all, is was more then enough to kill my travel high.
I shifted in my seat at the window and gazed out at my new home. The colors of the sunset were gradually fading into the deep blue shades of twilight. Not for the first time, I felt a stab of homesickness. I grew up on the west coast, in Washington State, but after I became a lycanthrope it wasn't safe to live there anymore. They still paid bounties on lycanthropes there, no questions asked. At least the laws here protect a few of my rights, back home I could be shot in the street and the perp would get off with a warning, and that only for the discharge of a firearm within city limits. No, I couldn't go home, or back to Memphis. I shuddered at the thought of returning there. But this city definitely has possibilities.
As the last of the light faded from the sky I stood up stretching my tired muscles. I had been driving since dawn, and despite the early hour, was ready for bed. I crawled under the covers and turned off the lamp on the bedside table. I felt sleep pulling at me and I drifted off to sleep thinking about home.
I woke to the impersonal blaring of an alarm clock. Groggily, I batted at the bedside table until the shrill sound finally stopped. Ah, blessed silence. I snuggled back into the covers. Do I really have to get up? It's only eight o'clock and I don't have to meet Callahan until noon…but I have to find somewhere to live. That's right. Can't live in a hotel forever. With a sigh I pulled myself out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. After I splashed cold water my face I felt more awake. I stared at myself in the mirror briefly, before I finally started my morning routine. After brushing my teeth and a quick shower I threw on a little lipstick and eyeliner. My wavy dark brown hair got pulled into a knot at the back of my head, out of the way. After rummaging through my overnight bag I pulled on a nice red top and wrapped a blue sarong around my waist, pinning the side to make a skirt. It's just too hot for jeans today. I shoved my wallet, phone, and keys into a brown jacket, draped it over my arm, and was out the door.
After a quick breakfast I met up with the realtor I'd talked with on the phone the day before and began making the rounds of available apartments. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, but in general they were either too big, too small, or just down right shitty apartments. There were a few ok places but nothing to really get excited about, nothing that I would be willing to live in. The time was edging towards eleven and I decided to call the apartment hunting quits for the day.
A little discouraged, I climbed into my car and fished around in my glove compartment for the directions the Nimir-Raj had given me. We were meeting for lunch at a place called the Lunatic Café. It shouldn't take long to get there, but I always like to give myself extra time when driving in an unfamiliar city. After several wrong turns I found the place and pulled into a parking lot a few blocks from the restaurant.
As soon as a stepped inside I could feel the warm prickle of lycanthrope energy against my skin and smiled. You've gotta admit, naming a restaurant frequented by lycanthropes the Lunatic Café takes balls. And a good sense of humor. I told the waitress that I was meeting a Micah Callahan here. She smiled and led me away through the tables. The restaurant was nearly full with the lunch rush. Most of the patrons were tourists, but there were a good number of lycanthropes thrown into the mix.
The waitress showed me to a secluded table near the back where a man with curly dark hair kitty cat eyes was waiting. As I approached he rose with a smile and extending a hand in greeting. "Ms. Fraser, nice to finally meet you."
"And you, Nimir-Raj," I said as I shook his hand. "Would you like me to greet you formally?" I wasn't certain if he would insist in such a public place, I didn't think he would, but it's better to be safe then sorry. Especially when Were politics were involved.
An amused smile quirked his lips as he shook his head. He indicated that I should sit and he did the same. We made pleasant small talk as we looked over the menus.
The waitress left with our orders and I was left with nothing to distract me from the inquisition that I knew was coming. I been through several pard interviews, but each had been so widely different from the others, that I wasn't sure what to expect. Eventually, he would drop the nice guy act and start grilling me on everything I knew. Where I was from, why I left, ingredients for the Secret Sauce, that sort of thing.
He must have known what I was thinking because he chose that moment to begin. "So, Ms. Fraser, tell me a little bit about yourself. Where are you from?"
I almost sighed. So it begins. "Well, I'm originally from Washington State. More recently I've spent a year in Wales and another year in Egypt studying. The last two years I've spent in Memphis, which is where I'm moving from. And please, call me Ariana." I knew he would ask more about this, but since it tied into when I was infected I thought it best to wait.
"Ariana then." He conceded with a smile. I couldn't decide if that smile was his version of a blank face, or if he was just naturally cheerful. He was a hard man to read, "What were you studying that took you to such different places?"
"Egyptology," I smiled at the surprise that flitted across his face. "And Museum Studies." I guess there was reason for his surprise. It often seems that not many lycanthropes are that scholastically minded, and those that are tend to study Biology for some reason. I hate Biology. "After two years at Western Washington University, I did a year at the University of Swansea in Wales. They have a top level Egyptology department, and I learned about museum curation. I then took my senior year in Cairo. When I moved back to the US, I earned my Masters at the University of Memphis."
Micah nodded and looked at me thoughtfully. I thought he was going to ask me more about my experience with foreign pards, when he changed directions on me. "How long have you been a Wereleopard?" he asked me gently.
"Four years." I paused before continuing. Had it really been only four years? It seemed like a lifetime at passed in that short amount of time. "I was infected between my sophomore and junior years of college, just before I left for Wales." As I told Micah about it, my mind slipped back to that night of its own accord. "My niece Lilly and I were out for a walk at night. It wasn't long past sunset. We didn't hear anything at first. But then there was a loud noise in the trees and I caught a glimpse of something coming at us. I only had time to turn and shield Lilly before it reached us." I was trying very hard to keep focused, to stay in the here and now. But my mind kept flashing on the searing pain in my back, Lilly's screams of terror, the echoing gunshots of the Sheriff…
I was waiting for the false sympathy that everyone had offered in the past. The Nimir-Raj locked his green kitty cat eyes on my hazel ones. His eyes were filled with haunted knowledge and a warm sympathy so genuine that I felt myself loose a breath I wasn't aware I was holding. He gave me an encouraging smile and indicated that I should continue.
"There were only three other Wereleopards back home, but they helped me as best they could after I got out of the Hospital." Not that they could do much more than guide me through the first couple of changes. "It was only two months later that I went to Wales for school, so most of what I know I learned from my Welsh pard." They had taught me how to be comfortable with my lycanthropy.
The sound of a clearing throat brought me back into myself. Guiltily I looked back at the Nimir-Raj, and he took a casual drink of water as if he actually had had a dry throat. As if. Lucky for me he was a subtle man. He had been very patient so far. I might as well continue on, the bad part was over. Mostly.
"Since I haven't had to renew my passport since I was infected I didn't have any problems traveling. I had to be very careful though. If something happened and they searched, my name would come up as a known lycanthrope. I'm outted by the way I was infected, but it's just not generally known. When new laws came into effect in Egypt, my Nimir-Raj was very worried about me. The laws basically stripped all rights from foreign shifters, so he made me leave." I hadn't wanted to leave. Egypt was where I had been the happiest. It was home. Wales taught me to be comfortable as a lycanthrope. Egypt made me proud of it. But as usual politics had to go and ruin a good thing. I sighed. "That's when I moved to Memphis." Maybe if I held my breath and looked innocent he wouldn't ask me the obvious.
He gave me that mask-like smile. Maybe…no such luck, he was going to ask. "So Ariana, why did you leave Memphis and come to St. Louis?" Shit.