BK 4 - Chapter 32 - The Man-Lion
"Are you okay?" Jayce asked Lisa. He couldn't imagine what was going through her mind; knowing everything about her birth was most likely a lie. Lisa hadn't moved since Alex had hung up. It was unbelievable that he had stumbled upon his birth parents.
"I don't know. How would I even begin to look for my birth mother, or if I even have one? Just because Alex was taken from a tribe doesn't mean I wasn't a test tube cub." She replied while staring out the window. Wesley reached across the table and put his hand on hers.
"If you don't mind, I can look into this for you. We know how they took Alex from his mother. I'm sure it wasn't the first time. They probably did the same thing to your mother." Lisa smiled at him gratefully with tears running down her face. She wiped them away quickly.
"Thank you. I would appreciate whatever information you can find. I guess with Alex being part of one of the tribes, maybe there's a good chance we're more connected than we thought. Uncle Wesley, is there a way that we can use the laws for the tribes and include laws that pertain to animal rights? We are both people and animals, so can we be covered under both laws? I'm just thinking that some people will try to find loopholes to still kill us when we're in animal form." Lisa asked, trying to change the subject. She didn't know what to think about the possibility of having a birth family out there somewhere. Melanie and Saxon would always be her mom and dad, but she would like to know where she came from.
"That's a good idea. You know, if we're able to do this, then we'll be able to live freely without fear of humans finding out what we are. There are also added dangers, with more people knowing of our existence. Just like humans kill each other, more will probably come after us. A law may not stop them like we hope, but at least it may slow them down." Wesley turned back to his laptop. As much as they needed a law for protection. Humans were good at finding ways to break the laws that were put into place.
"A lot of what we've found will be good for shifters, but what about vampires and witches?" Mindy questioned. She was still fascinated by the world she had become a part of. She could see how shifters would fit into Native American legends, but where did vampires and witches fit in?
"That's a good question. They're part of our supernatural world, but they're different. Is there a way we can work them in too? Obviously, the animal rights part won't fit, but maybe something else can help protect them." Lisa looked at Wesley. She could see the concern on his face and knew it was because she was trying to hide how she felt about what Alex had shared. She just wasn't ready to deal with it yet. Not until she had something conclusive.
"We'll figure out something. We're not letting any part of our family go unprotected." Wesley stated. He decided when he and Mindy left Lisa and Jayce, he would get busy trying to find Lisa's birth parents. Knowing how much it meant to his sister Kitty when she discovered their mother, he wanted to do the same for his niece. She deserved to know where she came from.
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Breanne felt better the following day, so she and Dustin decided to try their first reservation. When they drove down the dirt road, they felt apprehensive. It was depressing. Some of the people looked like they hadn't had a good meal in a while. A few watched from a distance while they parked and exited the car.
"Who are you?" A young boy asked, looking at them with interest.
"My name is Dustin, and this is my girlfriend, Breanne. We wanted to see if any elders are available to speak with us?" Dustin replied with a smile.
"Why do you want to speak with the elders? I'm right here. You can talk to me." The boy said, crossing his arms. He looked to be about eight.
"We're really interested in Native American history and were hoping someone could tell us about your history. What's your name?" Breanne squatted down so she was at eye level with the boy.
"My name is Johnny, but why do you care about our history? We don't have any. Look around. We have no money or anything because of people like you taking our land. How do I know you're not here to steal from us?" Johnny asked, glaring at the two of them. Dustin and Breanne shared a look, trying to decide how to answer him.
"Don't mind, my brother. He's all mouth. You said you want to talk to the elders. My name is Cole. We don't get many visitors here. Everyone goes to the reservations that have casinos. No one cares about us." Dustin looked at Cole, who appeared to be around thirteen.
"We don't care much for the casinos. We want to hear the truth about the struggles of your people. We want to understand their hardships to get to where they are now. I know your family is proud to have this land and will hold on to it for dear life. That's what we want to learn. We're not here to hurt anyone," Dustin said, keeping his eyes on Cole's. The boy frowned and then nodded.
"Okay, follow me." Cole turned and walked away, pulling Johnny with him. When they reached a single-wide trailer sitting on cinder blocks, Cole turned to them.
"Wait here. This is my grandma and grandpa's house. I'll see if they will talk to you." He said. Johnny stayed behind to watch them until Cole returned a few minutes later.
"Come on in. My grandpa said he won't promise anything, but he'll hear you out." He said, holding the door open. Johnny went inside, with Breanne and Dustin following.
When they reached the living room, an elderly man and woman were sitting in chairs, looking at the couple curiously. They both had snow-white hair in braids down their backs. Dustin assumed they must be the boy's great-grandparents based on their age.
"Cole said you want to talk to us. Please sit down and tell me what you want to know." The man said with a voice deeper than they expected from how frail he looked. Breanne and Dustin sat across from him.
"Thank you for your time. My name is Dustin, and this is my girlfriend, Breanne. We are interested in Native American history and were wondering if you would be willing to share some of your history with us." Dustin was treading carefully until he knew more. Some Native American tribes believe in shapeshifting, but he wasn't sure where this one stood.
"You're here for more than that, aren't you, son? Your eyes tell me more than your mouth. Don't be afraid to tell me what's really on your mind." The older couple smiled slightly as though they could see through Dustin and Breanne.
"Yes, sir. We're interested in the history of shapeshifting specifically." Dustin replied. The man and woman started laughing, along with their grandsons. At first, Breanne and Dustin thought they were going to tell them they were crazy, but they were wrong.
"We'll you've come to the right place. You're not wolves, or I would have been able to smell you. My senses are a little off, so tell me, what are you?" Dustin looked at Breanne in shock.
"I'm a panther, sir. My girlfriend is going through the transition to become one as well. I just marked her two days ago." Dustin replied. The older couple nodded while the two boys froze. They didn't know why their grandparents acted like they knew what Dustin and Breanne were talking about. Weren't they ridiculous for thinking people could be animals?
"A panther, huh? I haven't met too many of you over the years. I'm Xipil, and this is Atzi. We have been around for a long time. My grandfather was the last shapeshifter of our people. Our tribe could shapeshift into mountain lions. Do you have time to hear a story?" Xipil asked. Atzi smiled next to him. She hadn't spoken, but the couple almost seemed like one unit.
"We have all the time you can spare," Dustin answered. Xipil smiled widely before leaning back in his chair. Johnny and Cole moved to the couch to sit next to Dustin and Breanne; they wanted to hear the story too.
"Well, let me start at the beginning. Our people didn't come from the east like some of the tribes. We came from what you now call Mexico. When we separated from the tribes in the southern region, the tribal wars began. Most tribes had an agreement that women and children were not to be casualties, but some of the tribes didn't follow this unspoken rule. When our tribe was attacked by a merciless leader, he slaughtered the women and children first. When the chief saw what had happened, he became so enraged that he shifted into something else no one had seen before. Hence the birth of the man-lion."
