Chapter 2- New Smell


    Ezekiel didn’t know what exactly called him off the beaten path that night....but on instinct, he had followed the soft breeze of the night. Now he stood and watched the mortal below him from the tree branches high above the intruder''s oblivious head.


    So close that he could smell nothing but thick coppery blood.


    It drenched the air, it bleed across Ezekiel’s senses, tickling the beast inside of him. It growled dangerously coming awake in moments as if jolted from its rest.


    So strange. It was a curious scent, blood....and something else, laced along with it. It overpowered the smell of pine that had always been a part of his Clans forests.


    The smell of a mortal was alien to him in and of itself.


    Ezekiel had never actually met one in person before. Of course he had been told all kinds of things, much of which he had quickly tossed right back out of his brain before it could take root.


    Many Shifter’s not only wanted to stay far away from mortals, but a lot of them feared their sapien partners. His people seemed to mistrust their weapons, and their influence, but many Shifters just disliked their massive numbers.


    Unlike any of the seven Shifter Clans around the world, it was well known that mortals rarely suffered from things like infertility. In fact, Ezekiel had even heard it told that the mortals had so many children that many of them were discarded by their parents or sold into slavery, or wiped out of the womb completely.


    But this blood, almost burned slightly as Ezekiel inhaled it. It was strong.....it was new.


    He took another inhale. A deep rumble bubbled up into the darkness. The beast within him was disturbed by the smell and yet compelled to pull it in.


    It was like pepper was being drug deep into his nose, but beneath the strange pinch, there was something, warm? Something...intriguing. Ezekiel knew that he needed to run this stranger off for good.


    That he needed to chase the Mortal off Clan Lands and go back to patrolling the woods the same as he had every night, but instead Ezekiel found himself stuck in the trees, clocking the unwitting mortal with his senses.


    In the back of his mind, he heard the anxious growls of his companion, his Shifter.


    The beast inside, the big cat was more than disturbed by the mortals'' presence and sharp scent.


    The claws of its consciousness dug at Ezekiel''s mind, his soul. Begging, asking, and insistent to be released. It wanted to investigate, to hunt, to get closer, and Ezekiel wanted it too.


    He soothed the companion inside of his chest, calming its energy, but still, the air filled with the warm pop of the Shift. Small aspects of his inner beast bled through, merging with his mortal form, mixing them.


    Ezekiel soft blue eyes, and black pupils, contracted sharply, slitting into the eyes of a beast....a cat.


    And Ezekiel knew that his irises would be shining now, an iridescent bright blue light would now be lent to his gaze by the Shifter inside, that turned his soft blue gaze into twin globes of light.


    The blue in them was far too pale to be called sky blue. To him it was more like the hot flash of lightning in a storm. While his nails began to lengthen. Growing by inches. Which was an unpleasant tug, following the energy he released until his nails were sharp claws, more than capable of ripping a man limb from limb.


    His teeth also grew and, much like his nails, this was accompanied by an unpleasant tugging sensation as his mortal canines, extended into fangs worthy of any hunter.


    With the Shifter sense pouring into him, energizing him, sharpening his reflexes, eyesight, smell, and taste all at once; Ezekiel once more took a deep inhale of the air. With a soft inhuman growl, he started testing it for information. The essence of another scent could tell him so many things.


    The smell could reveal how his prey was feeling. If they were sick. Where they had been. Even what items they were possibly carrying on them.


    So Ezekiel opened his mouth and pulled in the air; parting his lisp slightly so that the scents could saturate his tongue and throat. And instantly wished that he hadn’t!You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Ezekiel gagged hard as the smell of sour puss and sickly pungent rot coated the back of his throat.


    Infection....a terrible infection...


    Ezekiel thought to himself as he took another breath.


    This mortal....is very sick. How did he manage to get here in that state?


    Ezekiel shook his head.


    He’ll be dead soon...


    Ezekiel realized as he looked down on the muttering mortal.


    Not only could Ezekiel smell the blood, but his feral eyes saw the way the intruders'' bloody clothing stuck to his frail shivering body.


    He could smell blood coating the air like a mountain of pepper and copper.


    The tastes of it on his palate was so warm, that it burned Ezekiel’s nose.


    But.....oddly he didn’t turn and leave. He couldn’t...he couldn’t turn away.


    He.....wanted to speak to the mortal all of a sudden. He wanted to investigate.....he wanted to smell more of this strange, yet somehow good smell.


    He wanted to meet this being that he knew nothing about. He....wanted to help it.


    But mortals aren’t supposed to be here....


    Ezekiel had to remind himself. Then he looked down at the intruder again. The mortal was screaming something, his voice so dry and broken that it made Ezekiel cringe.


    Still... it’s sick. If I leave now.....?


    There was so much blood. And now Ezekiel was torn. Did one run an injured and dying mortal away? Or did he help it?


    Unexpectedly the choice was made for him as the mortal suddenly broke off from his mad rants and slumped over in a huddle against the pine tree.


    Liquid coughs, and sounds that Ezekiel had never known before began to come out of the intruder below him. Sounds like that.....hurt him to hear. Like sobs.....like soft screams. Like pure agony.


    And before he knew it Ezekiel was going down.


    But remaining cautious, Ezekiel hissed down at the intruder to get his attention first.


    Possibly startled by the sound, the Mortal screamed and jerked up his head and Ezekiel couldn’t help chuckling darkly as the stranger jumped nearly out of his skin.


    Ezekiel could sense the mortal fighting to find the voice that taunted him in the darkness. But knowing that he was hidden from view, Ezekiel looked over the mortal form above. He couldn’t see much from his angle. Just the top of the mortal mans head. Its hair was light golden and brown and soaking wet.


    Simple pants and a shirt also soaking wet. And bright, giant blood stains...all over. But more important than all of that Ezekiel couldn’t see anything on the intruder that he could use as a weapon.


    No sheathes. No bulges in his pockets. But Ezekiel knew that that didn’t exactly mean that the intruder didn’t have any hidden blades on him.


    I’ve got to take this slow....just in case...


    He told himself, then he moved in.


    Ezekiel stalked along the branches over the mortals oblivious head; toeing the wood beneath his feet. His movements were graceful, smooth, and confident. Because of the beast inside, Ezekiel never feared falling. He trusted the beast, his inner cat to lead him safely; to navigate the darkness for its mortal counterpart.


    Quickly Ezekiel lept from the tree without any hesitation.


    Like fluid, he fell to the forest floor ten feet below, until he felt the shock of spongey needles underneath his feet. Ezekiel then let gravity pull him down into a crouch, as he came to a stop, and then he listened for the mortal’s response.


    Ezekiel had landed only a few feet away from him, but the mortal didn’t seem to notice him yet. Ezekiel had heard that mortals couldn’t see well in dim light. Nor did it seem like they could smell the way his people did.


    Any Shifter would have smelled him by now, but this stranger remained slumped over by the tree. Making that horrible noise.....smelling so....different from anything Ezekiel had ever known.


    Suddenly the mortal spoke. “Please.....please just stop....” The intruder sobbed into the shoulder of the pine tree holding him up. His face was still a mystery to Ezekiel as the mortal had it turned into the dark shadows of the night, and his dirty, wet hair was obscuring his face. But his voice was shaky, breathless....and scared.


    Ezekiel straitened to his feet, silently watching the intruder for any signs of agitation as he took one cautious step and then another step forward and as he moved Ezekiel tried to speak to the strange person.


    “Hello?” Ezekiel said softly to the mortal and was rewarded with a terrified shout as the mortal jerked his head up.


    Ezekiel paused for a moment as the mortal seemed to finally notice him there in the darkness.


    Still Ezekiel couldn’t really see his face, but their eyes did meet. Mint green. And Shadows. That’s what he saw. Eyes so green that they should have been glowing. Eyes so lost that they took one look at Ezekiel and darkened with....deep distress.


    They looked at each other for only a few seconds before the mortal made a soft broken sound and scrambled back into the tree even more.


    He was holding his side...Ezekiel could see. He could also see the blood rushing Instantly Ezekiel got hit with another sharp jab of his scent. Puss, dirt, and blood...a lot of strange blood. “Hey, what happened to you?” he asked as he took another step closer. “Whats wrong?”


    “No!” the intruder abruptly moaned. “I won’t!!!”


    “You won’t?” Ezekiel asked him. Confused by this mortals erratic behavior. “You won’t what? Hey, can you hear me?”


    “I won’t go....” The intruder simply whispered. “I wont.”


    Ezekiel shook his head.


    Did all mortals behave this way?


    Ezekiel asked himself as he moved closer.


    Or is he acting this way because of the pain he’s in?


    But somewhere along the way Ezekiel had made a terrible mistake....


    He had dropped his guard and entered the mortal’s personal space.


    Purely on instinct Ezekiel shifted his weight to the side just as the blow hit.


    The intruders'' shin cracked into his right thigh with more force and power than Ezekiel would have thought was possible. The precision made it had to deflect the strike without pain. Ezekiel stumbled back, as he blocked the groin shot. But he didn’t get the chance to be happy about it before he looked up and saw a glinting blade coming down angled at his heart!