SWNOVELS Chapter 19: Azura
Yellow-mane avoided the traps on the footbridge and entered the village, intent on seeing Banchara. He began walking down the main clearing, but before he could move beyond the first cottage, he was confronted by a crowd. Every villager was present and all of them were deeply shaken.
“You are the elder called Yellow-mane, are you not?” asked one of the villagers.
Both Yellow-mane and Grandfather had been born and raised in another clan far to the east in Canada. Grandfather had left home first, long before Yellow-mane, to find a clan of his own. The two had corresponded regularly and at least once a year they would meet, away from their clans, and spend a few days together discussing their villages.
“Yes, I am Yellow-mane, younger brother to the one you knew as Grandfather,” answered the elder Scythian.
“You must save us!” cried one of the villagers.
“Please protect us,” yelled another. The villagers were in a state of panic.
“What is it I’m supposed to protect you from?” asked Yellow-mane.
“The one called Gabriel! He’s not pure! He’ll kill us all!” the villagers cried.
In an instant, Yellow-mane was gone and an enormous saber-toothed lion was in his place. The beast roared so loud the woods became silent for miles around. In another instant, Yellow-mane the man, was back. He stood looking over the now-cowering crowd. Many of the villagers were still in their animal forms, having changed for fear of the giant lion.
“I am ashamed of you! Did you learn nothing from Grandfather? You are afraid of Gabriel because he is only half Scythian?” Yellow-mane asked. Then, lowering his voice, he continued, “After enduring the same kind of treatment from humans for centuries, have you no empathy? Yes, he’s different than what you’re used to. Yes, he’s new to the clan, but what has he done to earn your hatred and mistrust?”
“He’ll bring destruction down upon us, Banchara told us so,” said one of the females.
“Then where is Banchara?” asked Yellow-mane.
Each of the villagers looked around and then the murmuring began. No one had seen Banchara leave, but she was not in the village. What would become of them now?
“Banchara betrayed both Gabriel and Breena tonight in front of the elder council. She has deceived you all. She is to be banished,” Yellow-mane declared.
“She only did it to protect us,” one of the females protested.
“You are wrong, she did it out of fear. If I have learned anything it’s that actions taken out of fear rarely accomplish anything which lasts. Instead of thinking of a way to deal with the problem, her fear caused her to act rashly and against the law. Our most sacred law! A law which doesn’t allow us to kill one of our own, just because we fear them. Besides, if Gabriel is half as powerful as you fear, what would happen if you attacked him?” Yellow-mane asked the villagers.
“We will flee then, deep into the woods where he’ll never find us,” declared one of the men.
“If you do, then you will lose your ability to change forms. In a few years or perhaps months, you’ll be stuck in your human forms forever. Is that what you want? Is that the price you’re willing to pay for your unfounded fear?” asked Yellow-mane.
“But…we have already attacked him. How will he ever forgive us? Will you talk to him? Can you convince him we didn’t want to do it, it was all Banchara’s idea? Breena must be convinced as well,” declared the man closest to the elder.
“I will mediate for you with your new elders. If you give them a chance, I think you will find they are wise beyond their years and more powerful than any Scythians I have ever met. I know power when I see it. Don’t forget, I grew up with Grandfather,” Yellow-mane explained.
The villagers were starting to settle down. It would still take some work and some cooperation from Breena and Gabriel, but the villagers could not only co-exist with their new elders, but more than likely they would thrive. It would take time to build the trust, but it could be done. As the group started to walk away, there was one female who never moved.
As Yellow-mane watched the rest of the clan retreat to their cottages, she walked toward him. She was petite, barely five-foot tall. She was perhaps in her mid to early forties, and quite attractive. Her name was Azura, but she was simply known as the beautiful one. Not only because of her human form, but even more so, because of her animal form.
As Yellow-mane watched, she walked directly up to him until she was less than a foot from him. He almost laughed as he looked down at her, but the look in her eyes told him this female, even if she was small, was filled with a great deal of fire. The top of her head barely reached Yellow-mane’s chest. He was many years her senior, but she had the eyes of a woman wise beyond her years.
“May I help you?” Yellow-mane asked her, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest.
Why was he afraid of this tiny woman?
“I just wanted to get a closer look at the man who will become my mate,” Azura answered.
“Is that so?” Yellow-mane asked, recovering his composure, “How is it that you’re still single?”
“I’ve been waiting for the perfect combination of brains, brawn and courage. I was also hoping to find all that in one Scythian who was also very handsome. From what I see and what I sense, I’ll never meet another one like you,” Azura answered very matter-of-factly.
At this Yellow-mane had to chuckle. She was direct and full of spunk. He’d never really been attracted to anyone before this, but his heart was doing somersaults and his mouth was getting dry just looking into her eyes.
“Do you have a name?” he asked gently.
“I’m Azura, the beautiful one,” she answered.
“Yes, yes you are,” commented Yellow-mane.
As soon as he said it, Azura the woman was gone, and in her place, was an amazing animal. In all his years and interactions with other Scythians, Yellow-mane had never seen a clouded leopard before. His already fluttering heart skipped several beats. He was looking at the most beautiful animal he’d ever seen or heard of. He’d seen swans, peacocks, and amazing horses with unparalleled colors. He’d witnessed foxes and red pandas with coats like sunsets, but none of them could compare to the creature in front of him now.
Even among clouded leopards, Azura was beautiful. The base color of her coat was almost pure gold. Then she had the most amazing black and white markings accentuating her entire body. As a Scythian, she was much larger than any other clouded leopard and a perfect match for Yellow-mane’s Saber-toothed lion’s coat. Her eyes were flowing rivers of gold and her nose was a deep ruby-tinted pink. Both her eyes and nose were perfectly framed by the deep chocolate brown of her muzzle.
As soon as he saw her in her animal form, Yellow-mane was gone and the giant saber-toothed lion was in his place. He stood there as Azura turned repeatedly, pacing back and forth in front of the elder, all the while rubbing her cheeks along his massive chest. Like a house cat, she was marking him as hers. She had heard he was one of the extinct great cats in his animal form, but she could never have imagined he would be so perfect, so powerful, and so majestic in his own right. The moment she had seen him change in front of the villagers, her love for Yellow-mane was cemented forever.
She might be called the beautiful one, but as far as she was concerned there was nothing more beautiful than the massive lion standing in front of her. Everything about him made her feel happy and safe. She had always been intrigued by Grandfather, but he was both spoken for and too old for her. When she learned, just this evening, he had a much younger brother, she was determined to meet him. Now she was so thankful she had.
After a few minutes, they both calmed down enough to revert to their human forms. Without saying a word, Yellow-mane took her tiny hand in his and began walking. He wasn’t going anywhere in particular, he just wanted to spend time with her. He wanted to know everything about her. He wanted to know if she would return to his clan with him and if she would be willing to spend the rest of her life with him.
Yellow-mane had been forced to stay away from Grandfather and his clan by the very gift Grandfather contained. They met only rarely and for short periods of time. Even then, he couldn’t hug his big brother, the gift wouldn’t allow it. It hurt Yellow-mane to see how much pain all the gift’s energy had caused his big brother and hero.
Many years ago, he traveled south to the United States and challenged the leader of another clan for the right to lead. He won the battle, but the gift had refused to leave the leader and enter Yellow-mane. At first, he was furious, but once he came to his senses, he asked to stay and be a part of the clan. Since he had resisted the urge to inflict serious damage or death on the clan’s elder, he was accepted.
Years later when the clan’s leader was dying of old age, he passed the gift on to Yellow-mane. This time, the gift had willingly entered the much wiser, calmer, and more patient Scythian. It was one of the few times in all of Scythian history two brothers had managed to secure the position of elders within two different clans. It was clear the bloodline was strong in this family. The same family Gabriel came from.
Azura couldn’t be happier. She had waited a long time for the perfect mate. Both her and Yellow-mane had accepted they would never find a perfect match. Neither of them was willing to accept anything less. Now, Azura was convinced there could be no better match anywhere on the planet for her than Yellow-mane. Somehow, during all the turmoil the clan was going through, from the death of Grandfather and the conflict with the new elders, to the disappearance of Banchara, she had finally found him. Life was indeed stranger than fiction.
Part of her was disappointed to be leaving the clan when they needed stability more than ever, but there was no way she was going to pass up the chance to be with her perfect mate.