Shifting Fates: Veil of the Forgotten

Ch. 10

“Akhlut”

I wake up surrounded by fur and sleek skin, pressed against the familiar warmth. The steady rise and fall of breath, the heat above me, soft and thick. I inhale the smells that fill my senses — earth, pinecones, and a hint of fresh water.

These scents always find me. They bring me back to when I was young, sneaking into the market during games of hide-and-seek, the area mats where I would train, curled up to rest after exhausting myself. I missed this. This is something I regret leaving behind. The beast had always been a part of me. Its presence calms the storm inside my head with a soft nudge of his muzzle, unlike the fragmented pieces of my past, which fade like whispers before I can catch them. But, these memories, memories of him, this beast — they’re vivid. Unshakeable. I run my fingers through its fur, embracing his comforting presence. My fingers…

Shit. I curse within my skull. I must have shifted.

I burrow deeper into the beast’s fur, but the familiar feeling of being beneath my fingers, a constant comfort. It is almost too easy to recall and get lost in it — the way it feels, the way it smells. But everything else, all the other lost memories, the faces, the voices, the pain… they stay just out of reach, clouded, distant. I remember the beast as clearly as I remember my own name, but everything things else…remains veiled in shadows.

Fear flickers inside me, and a chilly breeze moves through the cracks of my mental door. I remember the darkness. I remember my racing mind before it took me. What if I wake up as something else? What if I woke the beast and I couldn’t control it? But no, I feel my true form now, one that brings familiarity, not chaos, usually. Relief washes over me, but it is short-lived.

If I shifted… who saw?

Panic rises, twisting my relief into dread. My true form is my deepest secrets to the world outside the castle walls, the part of me that even Mother kept hidden from the world. And now, I may have exposed it.

I shove myself further beneath the massive white being, the weight of his body grounding me. My new, yet familiar forms, begin to take form, like slipping into a second skin. Bones snapping and reforming. My true shape takes on the form of another. Every breath, every twitch of my muscles changing feels right, but… something is off. It’s not the shift itself — that part has always come easily — but there is an undercurrent, a power stirring within that feels different, almost anew. It hums in the background, faint but undeniable, like a forgotten song I should know. Why now? What was this stirring of power, how long can I keep it at bay?

I focus, trying to rein it in — the power, the beast within. But it is like trying to hold back a flood with bare hands. It presses at the edges of my mind, more feral, more insistent than before, like it is growing beyond me, harder to control with each use of my powers. My chest tightens as I struggle to keep it buried, but it is clawing its way to the surface, demanding more of me.

My reasoning for escaping the castle, not to just run from the walls that confined me, but from the questions — the secret I am keeping, even if I don’t know all of them. I needed freedom, not just for myself, but to find answers to the changes happening in the shadows of my mind.

The beast above shifts, the warmth of its fur pressing closer, as if sensing the turmoil that ignites in my chest. A soft nudge to my side — its nose, maybe a paw — pulls me back from my spiral of thoughts. I exhale, grounding myself with the comfort it provides. It has always been like this with the beast — steady and constant. But even as it offers solace, I can’t shake the feeling that something has changed within me.

A chill runs through me as reality crashes in. I shifted and left my true form out in the open. I close my eyes and let myself shift completely, my fear of the unknown within me will not stop me forever, but the fear of exposing my true self, might. My bones compress, my skin tightening until my form shrinks into the familiar, innocuous shape of a bat, weightless form — the one disguise that offers me both freedom and concealment.

The beast’s warmth above me still lingers against me, but now I am hidden — small, unassuming, nothing like the creature I truly am. Yet, even in this harmless form, the threat of being seen eats at me. As my limbs retract, shrinking into delicate wings, I let the familiar weightlessness of my bat form take over.

Did the vampire see me? Did anyone or anything see me? How reckless I am becoming as if I wasn’t enough already. My head rings, and it roars through my skull. This is getting old. The sound in my head lingers into a dull, sharp pain. As if someone is forcefully caressing the ends of my mind, my soul, and squeezing it between their fingers. I peek around the beast over me before crawling out. This being sheltered my true form, my true self. Once I’m out from under my protector, I stumble, trying to find my footing. My eyes drift back to the beast now in front of me, the one that guarded me, like he always has. 

His resting appearance is the grand, robust body of a wolf, as large as the great white bears in Osnya. His white, fluffy fur has dried many of my childhood tears. His pointed ears, with black tips, constantly jerking and turning with every sound. His body is marked with patterns resembling an aquatic creature many sailors fear. An orca whale — killer of the sea. Currently, his tail is that of a wolf — long and agile, used when he needs to balance his commanding movements, but I know he can switch it to a forceful whale tail fin whenever he wants.

I look into the creature’s eyes, glowing gold — ginger, like embers beneath the night sky. There’s a sharpness in its gaze that gleams with recognition, and a faint grin curls on his bloodied muzzle. His fangs, long and jagged, could crush any man. My mind drifts as I take in the sight before me. Mud clings to the creature’s white fur, streaked with dark, drying blood.

The sight would be terrifying to most, but it is familiar to me, minus the blood part, mostly. This creature has always been there — always saving me, always finding me in my worst moments. He lingers like a shadow, silent and deadly, yet… comforting. A protective force.

Shadow… Vampire.

Where is he? Did my creature, my guardian, get to him? My thoughts drift further, unease creeping in as I wonder how far my creature’s wrath extended.

I scan the area, my eyes sweeping past pine trees and ember-lit branches, lingering in the darkness that stretches unnaturally long in the dim moonlight. The forest seems still, too still, as if holding its breath. A living entity just watching as my journey unfolds. A strange sensation prickles at the back of my mind, making me tense — something or someone is near. Where are you? I pause, listening.

A soft rustle, barely noticeable, catches my attention, and I turn toward the sound, my heart quickening. Between the trees, a shape appears — more shadow than substance at first. My breath hitches, and my pulse pounds in my ears as the figure moves. It is not just the forest playing its mischievous game, something is there. Hidden there in the darkness, waiting.

Then, out of the blackness, the figure materializes, as if peeling himself away from the very shadows. We make eye contact, and the previous sharp pain around my skull, eases, if only by a fraction.

“I’m guessing you know this, Akhlut.” The vampire steps out of the trees’ shadow, his voice is soft but clear. The darkness clings to him, reluctant to let him go, but there is something different — the fading trace of power I had glimpsed earlier.

The lunar rays shimmer against his now exposed, dusky skin. His shirt and tunic are slashed to pieces and his cape is long gone. I can make out what might be dried blood, dry mud, or perhaps even a tattoo along his neck and arms. Funny, the things you miss when you are worried about your impending doom. I can’t help, but be curious as my eyes travel down and notice his boots are coated with thick, tacky mud that clings to the grass.

My head throbs. Practically knocking me over, but it soon fades with a caressing wave. Everything is so loud in this skull. Annoying. Wait, how does he know of Akhluts?

He smiles, but his eyes shift back to the Akhlut next to me, watching the creature intently. The creature lowers its head, kneeling close to the earth beside me. I quickly grab my satchel that lays next to the creature, convenient, and I climb up his muzzle, and settle on top of his head — leaning against his ears for support.

“This is… Halfy,” I say with a raspy, dry voice. Halfy’s presence, like always, ground me. I sense my heart slowing as I think about him, even my muscles seem to ease. There is something about him that makes me feel safe, among everything else that is chaotic. And, I mean, he literally fought Halfbloods for me. “Did he do that to you?” I motion to the vampire’s shredded clothes.

Halfy is more than a protector — he is a part of me. Every time I felt the weight of the world bearing down, the grumbles, the poking from his large snout, or him taking up all the bed, reminded me I wasn’t alone. I glance up at Halfy, grateful for the warmth of his fur, just grateful for him.

The vampire delays — watching. It feels like he is waiting for something. His eyes linger on me, almost as though he can see beyond the surface, deeper than he should. The silence stretches too long, and I wonder if I am more of an open book than I want to be — like he said before.

“Halfy? That is…unique,” he smiles with a hint of amusement, but pauses as he studies me. His eyes trace over me slowly, making me feel exposed, vulnerable. Then, as if deciding to let the moment pass, he continues. “Halfy chased me up a tree — though the tree did most of the damage.” He gestures at the torn pieces of his clothing. Behind the vampire man, a tree reveals muddy footprints on its trunk — paw and shoe prints combined — illuminated by passing clouds and moonlight. “He laid on top of you for hours — guarding you.” His eyes narrow slightly, watching me, his gaze sharp, like he is waiting for a slip, a crack in the surface.

“I named him when I was like eight, okay?” I shrug it off, trying to sound nonchalant, although I am not sure it is coming off the way I want it to, given the look I am getting from the vampire. It is a silly name for such a fierce creature, I know, but it stuck. “Just be glad Akhluts prefer the ground.”

I can feel the vampire’s eyes on me, sharper than before, like he is noticing something. The intensity of his gaze makes my heart stutter for a beat.

Shit. Do bats live that long?

I freeze, catching the brief flicker of amusement in his eyes. His eyebrows knit together in a subtle, questioning arch. His lips curl, a small smile playing on his face, as if savoring my slip-up. I try to keep going, acting like it didn’t happen, but the air between us changes, charged with something I can’t quite name.

“We are bound by an unbreakable bond. He always finds me — eventually.” I let out a small laugh, wincing as it passed my throat.

Halfy always found me. He was always a been better at hide and seek than I will ever be. But if I had the nose of a would, I’d probably be good at finding people, too. Out of all the bonds in my life, Halfy’s is the one I cherish the most.

Bonds are a fascinating concept in our world. Unless you know how to see them, they can easily go unnoticed. Right now, no one can see the band I share with Halfy, but in my true form, there is a rune for familiars etched onto my left index finger. The same mark is hidden inside his left ear — the very ear I am leaning against, keeping me upright.

I’m not surprised Halfy found me before anyone else. He probably left the castle the second he realized I was gone and sniffed me out, probably my stench. I can only imagine how pissed he must be.

Sorry, Halfy. The creature next to me rumbles a deep growl that vibrates underneath me. I sometimes forget how Akhluts truly are formidable they are. Long curved fangs and golden ginger eyes cause most people to run or climb trees.

Akhluts are rare creatures, found only far north beyond the vast sea on an island called Espa. There are no fully written books about them in the Grand Library, only from what we have learned from Halfy. How an Akhlut ended up in Adros to begin with is another mystery in itself.

How did this mortal, powerless now, vampire then, know about them? How many days, years, or centuries has he been exploring this world? My stomach tightens with what I am going to assume is jealousy, not from the nausea caused by the events of the last few hours. Decades spent behind stone walls, I can’t even imagine traveling the lands for centuries, however one wanted to…

The same feeling panged at me when I would watch the clan’s people from my locked window. Just guessing and wondering what their day was going to be filled with. Fresh bread from the market, a new book to read from the Grand Library, a drink at the local tavern, my imagination never stopped wondering. I shake my head, trying to rein in my swirling mind, even though I know sometimes it is a lost cause.

The vampire’s eyes watch me with the same curiosity that I have for him. Interest in something unknown and different, but unlike him, my calm composure is nonexistent. I quickly try to transfer his gaze, his presence, onto something else.

“Halfy is an Akhlut, yes. A wolf/orca shapeshifter. As you already know…” I say and watching the man even as a shiver moves down my spine, I can’t look away.

The way he looks over every part of Halfy as I speak, he has seen them before. He knows something. His expression is not of fear like most who see Halfy for the first time, and I mean, especially after Halfy chases them up a tree. Most run at the first sight of an Akhlut, or at least the ones who lived to tell the tale.

Akhluts do not climb. There is no need. Most of an Akhlut’s time is spent either running along the earth or under the water’s surface. This man knew that. Just as quickly as I finish my thought, the twinkle in his eyes that I think I see — vanishes. I watch his face and can see that he is weighing his options, or maybe trying to think of something snarky to say, I assume. Or that is at least what I would be doing.

“I have been existing for a very long time. I have seen things, even some things I would gladly never like to see again. A drunken female ogre and an even more drunken dwarf? Highly don’t recommend it.” His cerulean eyes seem to light up as he talks. “But I have never seen a bat. That can have human-looking hands...” He gives the faintest of smiles, exposing his teeth. Fangs, no more. “Who can control fire, who has ice in their veins, and not to mention has a bonded Akhlut.” The smile fades just as fast as it appears on his face. “Interesting tattoos, by the way. Although I think mine are more swanky.”

Well, shit. I curse, and it is quick and biting in my skull. Wait, swanky? What kind of ancient vampire is this? My thoughts swirl chaotically, bouncing off the edges of my mind like an acorn or letter tossed like a squirrel or a Ratatosker would throw an acorn.

He saw at least a part of my true form, so he knows more about me than most. I pondered for a moment. Maybe, just maybe, I can spin this into something that could benefit both of us. He has secrets, and plenty of them, so maybe he provides information to me and for the clan in return. If he knows of Akhluts, what other information could he have? Not to mention, I didn’t know he was a fucking vampire at first. After some tantalizing confessions, maybe I could offer the possibility of getting his powers and immortality granted back. Maybe, maybe not. Who knows? And I mean, it is not like I have to tell him — that I may have the ability to do that same thing, although I am extremely untrained and have no proficiency in it whatsoever.

The real question is, am I ready to go back to the castle already? Back to the wards? Back to Mother?

I look at the man. He is shivering somewhat. Being mortal does not protect you from the cold. The autumn air disturbs some of the fur on Halfy’s head where I sit.

“You didn’t run? After Halfy chased you, I mean? Or to escape from the mean bat? Who took something from you?” I say with a cracked voice and a big smirk resting on my tired face.

He glances from Halfy to me, then down to his clothes. “I thought about leaving, but the universe had other plans for me.” He says with a snicker. “I have not been mortal in centuries — I am like a plump stuffed fowl out here just waiting to be feasted on.” He shifts his weight and points his punctured finger my way. “Plus, I figured if I stay within range of your… Halfy... he would alert to anything that comes close to you and me in return.” 

I scowl. He is clever, or at least keen enough to know how to survive a night within the Endless Forest, where no mortal elects to go willingly, or at least most. However, he was smart enough to let this bat go. I chuckle slightly at the thought. Stupid mortal vampire. Let’s just forget that I nearly erupted from my skin with sheer unknown horror and let’s just be glad I am lucky enough to be sitting on the head of my guardian beast now.

Maybe we can strike up a deal.

“I believe.” He says, motioning to his ripped clothing before a smile spreads across his sharp face once more. “I am owed some new clothes. But, I’ll settle for your name instead.”

His tone is more playful than the studying observational stare he keeps, which doesn’t make the intensity in those cerulean eyes either. There is something about the way he leans slightly forward, as if my name holds more weight than just an introduction. The way he studies me, as it there is knowledge just out of my grasp.

Excuse me? Deals off! I owe you NOTHING.

His eyes linger on Halfy, and then they move to me. Blue battling oranges in his irises and a grin moves into his cheeks. “Little not bat, with female tattooed looking hands, who takes things, who has an essence that could knock any mortal on their ass.” He shifts his weight, but that grin never fades. “With a bonded Akhlut.”

I huff instinctively. Well, shit. Look at this predicament I have gotten myself into. My head still rings, and maybe that is what interferes with my common sense. My surroundings no longer have darkness. The forest sounds are reasonable vibrations in my ears once more. The pounding on my mental door is quiet, other than the ringing of a headache I can feel in my teeth. On top of all that, Halfy is here — he found me. So, fuck it. I mean, there are probably a bunch of other girls with my name, right? 

“Mihaela.” My name moves past my lips in a single quick breath, as if more effort would keep it locked behind my teeth.

Mother’s number one rule — broken. I exposed a part of myself. As the moment continues, I don’t care. I mean, I already exposed my form by accident. We are too far in this situation now to not at least give some formalities, I guess. Plus, I feel like if I am going to get any information from this vampire man, it is going to be a give-and-take, unfortunately. But that doesn’t mean I am going to tell him all my secrets.

He walks closer. Closing the gap. I can feel Halfy get taunt beneath me. He watches Halfy’s body and then looks at me again. “One who is like a god?” He moves a little closer. “Mihaela…” I freeze at the sound of my name on his mouth. On his lips. My breath caught on an exhale. Halfy lets out a low grumble heavy in his chest. “Mihaela, who?”

I pet Halfy’s ear with one of my wings. Sending thoughts to Halfy, to reassure my beast.

It is all right Halfy. He is smart, but mortal now. I whisper down our bond. Bonds connect things in more ways than one. Minds, our minds, are linked.

“First name bases only. Still, don’t trust that you won’t take a bite out of me when I’m not looking. With or without fangs.” I say while studying him.

I notice his mouth twitch as his tongue moves across his teeth. He continues to walk closer to us, edging a few steps at a time, watching Halfy still. Testing the water of the guardian beast — my guardian beast. 

“So stubborn, but fine, as you wish.” My own words echoed from his mouth. He inches a step closer. “Your parents must have noble plans for you. To name you as if you are to be a god.” He is testing me as much as he is Halfy. He moves closer. I can sense the fur rise along Halfy’s spine. “Did your gifts come... from them?”

I pause for a moment, gathering my thoughts, but choose to act oblivious to his choice of words. Hardly gifts, I would call all of them. Remember not to give away all my secrets.

But I need information that could show Mother I am beneficial outside the castle walls. This whole situation may benefit us, me, after all. So, maybe a deal can be made, for now.

Trust me, Halfy.

“My Mother is the only one who can grant you your things back,” I say, barely more than a whisper. I need to remain cautious with this mortal vampire since we are still in the Endless Forest, there could be listening ears around every bend. I am not one to tiptoe around, unless it benefits me, of course, but with this, getting straight to the point is the only way. I don’t have time to dance around and lollygag. My patience is not in existence, anyway.

Whether I can or can’t grant one’s powers back is not something to speak about out here. I feel my instincts ring to scan our surroundings. Even with Halfy, we can’t be too careful. My gaze moves back toward the ember-leaved trees, past the mortal vampire. An array of autumn colors weave with a grim night. We have already been talking more than I would normally be comfortable with anywhere, but especially out in the open, within this forest at night.

He looks at me up and down, from the tips of my large ears, my night-seeing lavender eyes, and past my wings wrapped around one of Halfy’s ears. “It’ll be a pleasure to meet her.” He says. 

I doubt he will say that later.

He is about an arm’s length away from us. He could easily reach out and pet Halfy if he wanted. Which he probably does, but wisely chooses not to.

“But, I’ve got to say, crossing paths with you has been far more…entertaining.” He bows before us. “Zanir.”

I want to roll my eyes at his stupid smirk, but something about the way his eyes linger on me, makes me hesitate. That look in those cerulean eyes — it should have sparked nothing more than irritation, especially after all he put me through. Instead, there was something else, when I would like when I would let the fire burn too hot in my hands. What is that? Not welcomed.

Maybe it was adrenaline from the journey, exhaustion from using my powers in an already vulnerable state, or maybe I was losing my edge — letting my guard slip to a presence I should fear.

Yet, I couldn’t ignore it. It rears its ugly head every few heartbeats, every stupid smirk. The fact that his presence stirred something deep, something I am not ready to confront…like ever.