Niamh Harpe shifted back from her were-panther form and walked naked down the lane the last hundred yards to her cabin on Wolf Creek Road in north-central Washington State. She liked to shift away from her cabin lest her panther-form cause the female striped skunk who lived under her porch to lose her mind.
The weather, typical of high mountain country, had started sunny and changed to a cold driving rain that hinted of snow. She ignored the rain as she ignored the pain of the shards of gravel beneath her feet. Niamh never allowed discomfort to rule her.
The six-foot blue-eyed blonde was in a good mood. She'd had a good two-day run in her panther form. Her belly was still full of a careless mule deer buck she'd taken down the first day in a good stalk. Refreshed and reinvigorated, she was eager to get back to her latest vacation project, a large mural on a five-foot by six-foot old-growth cedar panel she was carving for a Seattle law office lobby.
Her good mood evaporated when she came within sight of her cabin and found two stocky middle-aged women standing by an elderly jeep. Their elaborate braided hair was as black as a crow's wing, they looked enough alike so they had to be sisters maybe five years apart.
They smelled of Wolf-Kin.
She could also smell their uncertainty and fear--that wasn't unusual. She was an enforcer for the police arm of Were-Council. Beings were often fearful around her.
"Singer and Song bless you, Niamh Harpe," the eldest said. "A fine place you have here."
"Thank you, I like it."
Niamh stood quietly watching them, waiting for them to tell her what they wanted. She couldn't imagine what it would be. She worked for the Council, not for any individual pack or clan.
The eldest of the two licked her lips and spoke. "My name is Aiyana, and this is my sister Aviaja. Perhaps you could get dressed and then we could talk."
Niamh sighed. Her carving was going to have to wait.
"Very well."
She led them into her cabin.
"Have a seat, I'm going to shower and get dressed. I'll be down shortly."
The two women were looking around wide-eyed at the interior of the cabin. Niamh smiled slightly at their reaction. She was proud of her home. Her great grandfather had built the cabin, and each successive generation had added on to it. Her contribution had been a new kitchen wing.
As she showered and washed her hair, she considered her visitors. They were probably from the Chelan Pack. The pack had a new Alpha. She had liked and respected the old alpha. She did not like the new one. He was arrogant, but all alphas were arrogant. His problem was that he was dumb and ambitious as well, a bad combination. Thankfully, it wasn't her job to deal with him.
**
Niamh brewed the tea and placed cups and her grandmother's good teapot on a placemat in the center of the ancient heart pine table that dominated her kitchen.
The two women stood close together, eyes downcast, twisting their hands nervously.
Their submissiveness was irritating.
She gestured them to sit and poured the tea, making a ceremony of it to calm them.
Niamh spoke the blessing:
"May the Mother of All bless and keep us." She took a ceremonial sip of tea and watched them nod in appreciation for the brew.
She waited to find out what they wanted.
Aiyana spoke. "My niece is missing. We're afraid somebody abducted her. They say you search for the Lost Ones. Are they right?"
Niamh ignored the question.
"When?"
"Three days ago, we were babysitting for my sister who had to be over in Seattle. We took little Katrinka shopping with us in Wenatchee at Old Navy. I went into the dressing room and when I came out, she was gone. Avi and I searched the store and the parking lot. But no scent of her anywhere."
"How old is she?"
"Kat just turned eight."
"Does she know how to shift?"
"Yes and no. You know how it is. At that age, the shift is painful-so the little ones are not always willing to go through with shifting back and sometimes they forget how to do it."
"How long were you in the dressing room," Niamh tried to build a mental picture of how things went down. Despite herself, she was interested. It was a puzzle. She liked puzzles.
"Hmm, I don't know. Normal time, I guess. I wasn't feeling well, so it couldn't have been long."
"Aviaja, what were you doing?"
The younger woman had tears in her eyes. "I was watching. I promise you I was. I had just turned my back for a minute and she disappeared."
"What did the other folks in the store say?"
"They remembered nothing. They were having problems with a rude woman up in the front screeching about how she'd been cheated."
The two women watched and fidgeted as Niamh digested what they had told her.
"What did your new Alpha say when you told him?"
"He said he'd look into it," Aiyana's lips thinned, "but I could tell he won't do anything. Katrinka's grandfather was the pack's former Alpha. He's playing politics. His position is stronger if she isn't around to remind the people of her grandfather."
Niamh agreed silently. The man was a slimy individual--that was exactly what he would do.
"Okay, I will look into it. I'll keep in touch, but you be sure and call me the second you hear anything."
"Her mother is missing too. Would you let us know if you see her?"
Niamh nodded.
The women were so pathetically grateful, it was uncomfortable. She sighed with relief when they drove off. Her home was her refuge. She rarely had visitors, and she liked it that way.
After they departed, she puttered around her kitchen cleaning up when her phone chimed a text message from her boss.
"Get on Zoom," it read.
