Tales Of A Shifter (B6) - The Child Of Sun & Moon

Chapter 7- Confusion

Chapter

Ezekiel lead both his family and the Elder along with her escort out of the main mansion at the center of their Lands, and together they all trekked some 11 miles out into the Southwestern side of the pine forests encircling their home.

The mass burial of the ghouls had not been a planned thing, with much of the natural earth having to be disturbed and even one or two trees with too deep of a root needing to be cut down and removed to make disposal easier.

There was also the fact that the bodies having such poisonous properties made it very apparent to Mantilo, and the rest of the Guardians that the Ghouls couldn’t be left to rot near any bodies of water, villages or in an area where it could lead to disease for the local wild life.

The fetid stench of death lingered on the soil where the ghoul’s corpses had been placed almost two months prior following the invasive attack by Hovel and Jacob. There was a unnatural eerie silence upon the twenty or so feet in either direction of the mass grave that had been dug and filled with the poisonous gangly dead bodies of what had once been the men women and possibly children of the Rat Clan, so long ago.

Ezekiel took the lead, more because he understood that in some unspoken way this situation because it so closely involved his Mate, both his parents and even Walter the future Clan head were differing to him and allowing him to be the main one speaking with and addressing the Elder.

Ezekiel crested a small rise, the mulch of the dead pine needled crunched beneath him as he reached out to one of the slender trees beside him and he let it support him as he made a small hop down into a more even footed side of the forest trail. And just before him his sharp eyes alighted on the large rectangle of earth that had been dug some 12 feet deep and six feet wide by his brothers and other Clansmen to hold the dead.

Elder Bonsa as assisted by one of her escort, a tall, dark skinned man, with both brown silken pants and a shirt and pointed white shoes. Now that Ezekiel was less stressed out and willing to observe the men in the Elders routine it was clear to see that all of them were dressed in the same silky brown materials, and shoes and that ll five men were decked out in clothing that was stitched and covered with lace that had obviously been embroidered with the crest of the Elders.

It seemed that unlike the Elder Bonsa and even Elder Balder who carried the crest as a golden tattoo burned into the forehead, these men could only sport the crest of the Elders on their clothing.

But in this case these men’s crests were slightly different than the ones displayed prominently on Bonsa head, because there was a small symbol placed on the clothes that looked like a wicked and stylized EB that that melted into the symbol for Elder.

EB? Her initials?

Ezekiel mused as he watched Bonsa and her men draw close. Ezekiel couldn’t be sure if that meant that these men were her servants, bodyguards, followers or an even more disturbing idea her slaves.

Do the Elders keep slaves?

The thoughts were pointless questions that he didn’t really care to have answered.

He swept them away and centered his mind on more important matters.

Bonsa’s face was stern but there was no denying the disgusted lift of her lip, and the flash of fangs as she was violently assaulted by the stomach turning scent of putrid poisoned rotted carcasses in the sunlight. It was obviously a scent that her inner Lion did not find aggregable, but Ezekiel couldn’t really blame her....his own Leopard was crawling around in his skin in discomfort at the otherworld stench.

Following behind the Elder both Drin and Erin looked positively green, both of the young Guardians covering their mouths and nose in an attempt to blunt the scent. To Ezekiel’s sensitive ears he caught the soft sound of Erin holding back her vomit.

Ezekiel wanted to go to her as he sensed her fighting to hold back her food, it was obvious that in her condition her and the baby were getting far to sensitive to be involved so heavily in all of this. Drin was closet to his mate though and he led her to the far end of the path, so that they were down wind, and Erin could catch her breath.

Ezekiel felt horrible that his cousins were even dealing with all of this when they had a child to worry about, but perhaps sensing his worry both his cousins looked to him, nodded at him as if to convey their determination and Erin even flashed him a small queasy smile, which Ezekiel returned.

At this point all of the Guardians were gathered in the clearing and Bonsa took a second to look around her, fan a hand at her face in open displeasure and then she snipped at him. “So? Telll me of what exactly transpired here.”

Lander hissed, his green eyes flitted around in an obnoxious roll as he crossed his arms. “Uhhh, cant you smell that s**t! Its pretty clear what happened here....” Lander pointed to the space a few feet before them. “It’s a grave yard for the things that tried to kill us all.”

The Elder looked from his brother back to Ezekiel. “I want to see it. And I want to know why this happened.”

Ezekiel frowned, lifted his hand and directed her closer. “After you...” he drawled.

Bonsa waved at her men, signaling to them to remain, before she looked at Ezekiel, and then walked past him towards the mass grave. Ezekiel followed, even as his Leopard whimpered at the thought of stepping even an inch closer.

The cavern that had been dug deep into the earth buzzed and hundreds if not thousands of insects hummed and droned over the feast of rotted flesh below.

The light that could cut down past the forest canopy alighted on the unmoving elongated limbs, thick vicious talons, grinning horrific fangs and the large milky eyes of the ghouls stacked inside. Bonsa looked over the grisly sight, her face showing little, even though the small point of her fangs over her bottom lip easily ousted just how disturbed and uncomfortable she was.

“I...see. The Rat Clan lives....” The Elder took a moment and started again. “Boy this is something I never thought to see again in my life time. Dead piled up in ditches and left to rot and the Rat Clan....savage shifters lost to insanity...its almost to horrible to be real, but I see it is....”

The stench gave Ezekiel an instant head ache and he drew back but didn’t retreat as he looked to Bonsa paused and he said.

“You sound like this brings you pain to see it, but you clearly have dealt with these things before. Elder Balder told us that the Elders were tasked with killing off the Ghouls almost 800 years ago. Do you feel sympathy for them? Or are you just upset they managed to survive?”

Bonsa touched at her lips and glanced away. “We had once hoped that such unfortunate creatures had been eradicated from the world for everyone’s safety....”

Ezekiel watched her and then he simply hissed. “They weren’t. In fact down in some twisted little zoo far under the earth there were hundreds of these abominations living, and breeding and feasting....and one of the men responsible for that is the one you say we killed.”

“The Lions Clan Head? But...why?” The Elder snatched her hand down and she looked at him. “To be clear I accuse you by the testimony of another Clan boy....if you would see that testimony challenged then tell me what you know about what happened to Jacob Ellicist.”

Ezekiel stood up straighter and clasped his hands behind his back. “I have told what became of Jacob and why he died. I have expressed to you that he hurt me...and he hurt those that I love. I have told you how he attacked my home and I have shown you the proof of that failure...Jacob died attempting to hurt Brandon a mortal that he believed he had some claim to and we did not...”

Bonsa cut him off. “Yes Yes! You said before that Jacob came here to take back a mortal man. And in the final struggle he was killed by the man. And...you expect me to just leave it at that? You expect me to believe that this monstrosity of bloodshed and all of the attacks and secrets and accusations of treason is all because of one simple mortal?”

Bonsa continued as she pointed to her left at all the dead ghouls. “You want me to just take for granted the secret cultivation of a condemned race, as well as the single most damming loss of a Clan head in over a millennium...and you want me to just accept this weak explanation as the full explanation?”

Ezekiel glared at the Elder. “What more do you want from me?”

“What more do I want? I want you to stop playing coy! How about...the whole truth? This man Brandon and all that you know about him I want to know it too...” Bonsa cut her eyes at him as she turned a small circle, and grunted.

Then she walked up to him and she put a hand against his right shoulder. He wanted to draw away, but he didn’t have the time to before she moved her hand to his heart and she hummed to herself. Quizzical and unyielding her eyes captured his and she leaned into him.

“Don’t play with me boy...I want you to tell me what unnatural monster it is that has been feeding on you...and upon this land...”

Ezekiel’s entire being reacted as I it had been burned and he snarled as he pulled back.

“What are you talking about...!”

“I am talking about the thing you want so desperately to hide from me!” The Elder roared over him, a sound unlike anything he thought she could summon from her slender frame. “There is a residue upon you, this land and even in the air Boy! It clings and its not of any natural origin. It is unnatural...and it is not a shifter....” Bonsa’s eyes flattened.

“Elder please you don’t understand...”

“Stop this you are asking for something the boy cannot tell you!”

At that moment both Glen and Mantilo tried to step in and intercede, but with a full on snarling hiss the Elder sent a vicious glare at the Clan heads, that seemed to stall them in their tracks. Then as if for good measure Bonsa looked at the other Lion shifters she had brought with her, and almost in an unspoken command they moved to block his brothers and parents from attempting to get closer without having to get violent and physical.

Nates face crumpled into livid rage and he snapped his fangs at one of the men, his eyes gleamed pure white like opals as the wolf in him went wild, but Walter grabbed him around the middle and held him from lunging.

“Get away from Ezkeiel! Stop forcing him to do this!” Nate shouted. He sounded so upset that Ezkeiel knew he definitely did not want Ezkeiel to have to do anything more that would make him feel even worse for violating his bond with Brandon.

Ezekiel was snapped back to the Elder as the woman put a clawed hand at his chin and forced him to look into her eyes. Talons scraped his cheek as she released him.

“Boy....did you know that as an Elder I am afforded the eyes and senses of ones much more powerful then myself and my Kings can see souls, through the flames that burn in all living things we can feel and sense the spirts of others, see it burning with our own naked eyes....” Bonsa tilted her head at him, then she looked around herself. “Do you want to know what I see when I look at you and at this land in certain places?”

Ezekiel was terrified of her answer, but he didn’t let it show as he asked. “What do you see...”

Elder Bonsa chuckled. “Half your soul is missing Boy. That’s what I see. Your essence has been deeply and dangerously diminished, feasted on but not entirely devoured. ”

The Elder crossed her arms, and glanced around. “Honestly There is this....vacuum of emptiness I sense in your home, like a god came through and just wiped across the canvas...or took vicious little bites out of the world....”

Bonsa lifted an eye brow and glanced at him. “I can hear your breathing and heart beat going crazy....and you family always gets especially tense whenever I begging probing into this mysterious mortal you want me to believe Jacob Elicist was willing to start a war over just to have him...?” Bonsa smiled, but it was all sharp and it made Ezekiel’s skin dance with goosebumps.

“Tell me more about this man, this Brandon...and tell me what he is....because something tells me he is not mortal...”

Ezekiel shook his head and he quietly tried to argue. “Elder what you are trying to get out of me won’t change the fact of what has happened or even why Jacob was put down...” Ezekiel sighed and he closed his eyes.

“He wanted to hurt the person I love. He wanted to take him away from me and...” Ezekiel stopped. He understood that what he was about to say would likely get him the full wrath of the Elder but he was past the point of lying and it was clear that the Elder was already aware that this all had much bigger things going on.

“Jacob and Hovel of the Alchemists Brotherhood want to kill my Mate.” Ezekiel clenched his jaw and hissed.

“Jacob died trying...and Ill kill Hovel myself before he ever comes near Brandon again.”

Ezekiel didn’t have to hear the gasps from Drin and Erin to know that he had shocked his family by finally giving up the act and revealing his connection to Brandon. Ezekiel looked at his family and he saw their worry and concern for him etched in their faces.

The Reaver wanted deeply to reassure them, but he knew that by presenting himself as Brandons Mate he had just openly expressed his refusal to cooperate in any way that would lead to his Mate getting hurt, and he had also placed himself opposite those that would think to go after Brandon....including the heavens themselves.

Ezekiel’s eyes centered on the Elder and where he had expected to see something like rage or even calculation all he saw was a small glimmer of sympathy.

The Elder took a shallow breath and she touched her heart. “Mate? So...” She quietly said. “You claim this thing....”

Ezekiel bristled and steeped closer with a deep rumble. “He’s not a THING!”

Bonsa tilted her head again and she cut back. “And he is not just a mortal either....is he?”

“Why ask me all this if you know...didn’t Balder tell you anything!?“Ezekiel rolled his fangs in his jaw in frustration and looked away. The Elder clocked his withdrawal in silence then she said.

“As I said Elder Balder came to the Dragons rambling on about finding boy lost to time, then....Balder just disappeared without a trace and to be truthful he went missing long before he managed to tell us anything of importance, perhaps he was taken?”

“What!” Nate growled, his eyes got wide with fear. “Balder....he can’t be in trouble right? He’s an Elder too. He’s strong.”

Ezekiel looked at his brother’s stricken expression then he felt Elder Bonsa move, she stepped back and put a hand to her chin.

" I have no answer to that...but All of this is....quite confusing to be honest....” The Elder snarled then she turned around. “Tell me HOW Jacob Elicist met his end at the hands of this 'not' mortal Brandon?”

Ezekiel glowered at the woman and so it was Walters voice that rose up calm and commanding and sure.

“Why do you need to know such details Elder?” Called out Walter form the side. “His dead brown eyes weighted the woman and yet for all the inflection in his face or voice he could had been looking and speaking to a bug on the ground.

“My Brother has expressed to you all that you have asked of him and things that he did not have to reveal....and still you ask him to willingly speak more on what his Mate did, a crime you threaten us with death for?”

The Elder sighed. “You misunderstand me Clan Heir...“she called back soft, and Bonsa even dipped her eyes in a respectful gesture as she called Walter by his rightful tittle. “I don’t not seek to gain evidence concerning the murder of the Clan Head Jacob any longer....instead I seek to understand my own fear concerning the fact that I believe I was sent here not for the reasons I was lead to believe.”

Walter crossed his large arms over his barreled chest and he rumbled back. “Explain.”

The Elder took a breath, glanced around at all of the Shifters before her and she shrugged. “I am not sure if I can explain. First I am sent here to investigate accusations of treason and murder, only for me to reveal that both the murder and treason were accidents carried out by the hand of a mortal man not aligned with your Clan.” Bonsa licked her lips and looked around.

“I arrive here and all around me I sense something is wrong and out of place, amide a burial ground of creatures I had believed long eradicated....and now there is the implication that nothing I was told by the Lion Prides was truthful seeing as you accuse Jacob Elicist their leader of conspiring with the Grand Master of the Alchemists.”

Bonsa looked to Ezekiel and she quietly finished. “None of this speaks to clear motivations on your end to lie to me...but if you are not lying and the Lion Prides are knowingly being dishonest with the Dragons I can only assume that there was a reason for all of this....and as clear as I can understand it that reason must be to sew seed of chaos and confusion among the Heavens and in your Clan....”

Bonsa turned slight upset eyes about and then she said. “I need more information, but I think it is very clear that something about all of this is not adding up. Why would the Lion Clan ask for a formal investigation...and yet neglect to tell me that Jacob Elicist was involved in an attack upon this land?”

“Chaos and confusion....a storm of misinformation.” Ezekiel’s mind raced as he put a hand to his chin in concentration. He followed along with Bonsa’s stark logic and assertions and he found that in moments of her explanation he began to feel that something was very very wrong. “Are you saying this was all some kind of plan?”