THE GREAT SURPRISE

Suzy left them and head out the exit door entering the cabin. She changed into proper snow attire and grabbed the extra snowboard in the closet. Then she exited the cabin and snowboarded into the forest down the hill stopping exactly where she spotted Roy when he was injured. She unbuckled her shoes from the snowboard and placed the board underneath her arm. Approaching the east, she spotted the frozen creek and saw the cave they were in. She ran into it and remembered the pathway heading inside.

‘I didn’t bring a flashlight or food, shit,’ Suzy muttered. ‘But I do have a packet of strawberry flavour gum and my phone,’ and she turned on the phone’s flashlight.

She started walking down the path lighting her way going deeper and deeper into the cave until she saw a light shinning her above. There was a rope leading to the surface.

‘I wonder where this will take me,’ she asked herself and grabbed the rope starting to climb up until she comes out of the hole.

Looking at her surroundings it was a sanctuary for deers. There was a huge fortress in the middle of the land. Slowly, she stood up on the grass with all deers looking at her. She sensed they were shifters as they made an angry alarming ‘whoosh’ noise.

Suzy thought, ‘I should let them know I come in peace.’ Then she spoke, ‘I’m not here to fight you! I’m looking for my friend. Do know where Roy is?’

Immediately, all the deers shifted into humans; mostly were men but there was one woman and a little toddler who stood out.

‘Suzy!’ Rosa beamed surprisingly. ‘What are you doing get out of here!’

Suzy shook her head, ‘No! Where’s Roy? I need to talk to him!’

Instantly, they heard a loud yelping sound. All heads turned to the balcony of the fortress. There Roy stood mighty in his Alpha Deer form and leaped across the railing landing onto the ground shifting into himself.

‘You heard from Tyler, didn’t you?’ Roy asked; smelling the scent of his enemy’s and her’s mate-bond and frowned.

Gold sensed it too and groaned, ‘I told you didn’t I?’

He rolled his eyes, ‘It doesn’t matter anymore, I’m still her family like she said.’

Suzy looked worriedly at him observing his bandaged chest and left leg and asked, ‘How could you fight about something so ridiculous?’

‘Arguing about you isn’t ridiculous, Suzy. Besides I’ve always wanted to get under Tyler’s skin,’ Roy replied smirking.

Suzy matched right up to him and stood in front of him, everyone was in awe by her boldness. Then she wrapped her arms around his back and embraced him, ‘I don’t like it when you’re hurt, Roy, please don’t fight Tyler anymore. Why don’t you two become allies?’

‘Allies?’ Roy repeated annoyingly and yet Gold was surrendering to her desire.

‘Let’s just end it, Roy,’ he said.

Ignoring his deer and looked at Suzy’s sad eyes. It nearly shut him down but he pushed her away.

‘Go! Don’t come back here again,’ he warned her.

Suzy frowned, ‘Why? What have I done to you?’ and stepped back.

‘You gave yourself and your heart to my nemesis,’ Roy answered shifting into his deer. ‘Get out of here!’ He screamed and it frightened her as she ran away being chased by him.

Stumbling onto the ground, Roy was about to crush her, when Crystal her bear took over shifting her into the bear form and clawed the side of his face as he backed up. She roared and the forest became silent.

‘Surround her!’ Roy commanded and the humans shifted into deers charging after her, blocking her way. ‘I won’t let you escape, Suzy.’

Crystal and Suzy spoke at once, ‘We’ll see about that.’

Tyler didn’t sense Suzy’s scent anymore, immediately, Dakota felt something was wrong and explained, ‘She isn’t in the Bed & Breakfast. I sensed she went out in the forest.’

He frowned, ‘She did what?’ and thought, ‘She probably went after Roy, shit! This is not how this is supposed to work.’ He ran and found Ronny, Tommy and Andrew and, his friends at the bar. ‘Guys, Suzy is gone. I think she went after Roy.’

‘Roy?’ Deck asked.

Jordan replied, ‘How the heck does she know him?’

‘I’ll explain later let’s go,’ Tyler said and they followed, leaving Junior in charge.

He and his guys shifted into their bears’ forms and ran through the forest snuffing her scent. It led them to a cave.

‘It’s a tunnel?’ Tommy questioned surprisingly.

Ronny asked, ‘She’s inside of there?’

‘We won’t know unless we find out,’ Tyler told them as they followed him in walking further into the cave until they saw light above coming from a hole at the surface. They spotted the rope and climbed up one by one until they got out and spotted a light brown bear surrounded by deers fighting. While the Alpha Deer, Roy stood proud and tall smirking.