Once Upon a Shifter (120 page)

Ellis kicked the pack. “Your head is made of cement.”

He sat with his arms crossed, wearing only a t-shirt and jeans, as the other members of his crew suited up in their yellow jumpsuits. Ellis hated wearing a jumpsuit. It restricted his movement, it was hot and he couldn’t phase with it on. He loved going down into a burning forest fire, ripping off his shirt and feeling the flames tickle his back. He didn’t understand why Beckett always made them wear it. They could all heal quickly if they got burned anyways. It didn’t make any sense.

“Alright we’re going to circle the drop zone,” Beckett yelled over the wind, pouring through the open door.

Ellis felt the plane bank and he grabbed onto his seat. Everyone stood up and strapped their parachutes on. Finch and Quint each picked up a huge padded chest with a ripcord on the side. They tossed them out of the open plane door. The ripcord on the chests would snag on the way down and open the parachutes. Someone would have to go retrieve the two chests packed with all of their equipment, food and water. It was usually Ellis.

“Everybody out,” Beckett yelled. Finch and Quint disappeared out the door, followed by Matteo, Sander and then Keene, until it was just Ellis and his older brother left in the plane.

Wind pushed Ellis back as he stepped towards the edge of the door. Beckett grabbed his arm. “Where’s your suit?” he asked with a stern voice.

“Don’t need it,” Ellis said and dove out of the plane headfirst.

Ellis sped towards the drop zone in the valley like a missile. He tucked his hands to his sides and shot towards the quickly approaching ground at a dangerous speed. The cloud of black smoke was pouring out of the trees in the close distance. It was growing larger by the second.

All of the other guys had their chutes open, falling gracefully to the ground. “Woooo,” Ellis screamed as he bolted closer to the ground beside the burning forest. He yanked on the cord of the parachute strapped to his back. His body jerked upright as the parachute mushroomed above him.

He dropped down like a stone in water. He waited too long to pull the chute, not leaving enough time to slow down properly. He slammed into the ground. Hard. “Mph,” he grunted as his legs absorbed the violent impact. The red parachute tumbled down over him like a soft blanket.

“I’ve seen nicer landings by crash test dummies,” Keene said, as he floated down beside him. “I think the cement parachute would’ve slowed you down.”

Ellis watched him land as he rubbed his twisted ankle. His fast healing antibodies were already flooding the area, repairing the damaged tissues. In a minute his ankle would be good as new.

“Do you ever shut up?” Ellis asked.

“Only when I’m eating,” Keene replied.

Ellis picked up a rock the size of a golf ball and threw it at him. “Well eat this.” Keene’s hand flew up as fast as a snake’s strike and caught it.

The others landed nearby and gathered around Beckett. Ellis unhooked his chute and strolled over.

“Alright I want this one done by the book.” Beckett pointed to the burning trees in the distance. “I want to clear a thick line over there. Well away from the fire. We’ll trap the fire in between our line and it can burn out to the river. I don’t want any phasing. We do this in our human forms. I don’t need your bears getting distracted with any fleeing deer again.” He looked at Ellis, the only one without a suit. “Since my baby brother forgot his suit in the plane, he’ll be a runner for the day.”

“What?” Ellis yelled, throwing up his hands. “Let me get in there. I’ll go right in the middle of it, clear the ground and stop the fire in its tracks.”

Beckett shook his head. “Too dangerous. We’re going to clear it out there where it’s safe.”

“But that’s going to take double the time,” Ellis complained.

Matteo darted over and grabbed Ellis by the neck with fingers like iron clamps. He lifted him in the air. “Are you questioning your alpha?” he hissed.

Ellis desperately tried to peel his hands off of his neck but Matteo was too strong. He opened his mouth trying to speak but nothing came out. Air, blood and words were all cut off from the second’s powerful grip.

“I don’t think he can answer with your hands wrapped around his neck like that boss,” Keene said.

Ellis’ vision was starting to go blurry. He felt lightheaded and dizzy.

“Well then it looks like he’s going to die,” Matteo said casually, staring into Ellis’ wide eyes.

“Drop him,” Beckett ordered.

Matteo let him go and he fell to the ground. He leaned over, taking short, desperate breaths. His throat burned but his vision returned. He squeezed his fists and stared at the ground.

“Enough fucking around,” Beckett ordered. “Ellis go get the gear.”

Ellis looked down the valley at the two large chests that landed half a mile away. He sighed.

“Yes and do hurry up,” Keene said. “My throat is parched.”

Ellis sat on the chests with his chin in his hands waiting for someone to call for a bottle of water, a sandwich or a fresh ax.

He stared at the raging fire in the distance and clenched his jaw.
If we did it my way we’d be on the way home by now.

Ellis loved to be in the thick of the fire. He loved hearing the crack as the burning hundred year old trees crashed down around him. He loved slamming his ax into a thick trunk, snapping it in two with his super human strength. But his favorite thing to do was to phase into his bear and push the flaming trees over. He could contain a fire by himself in under an hour.

His inner animal called to him.

Ellis shook his head. “Fuck off,” he muttered. His bear was desperate to find a mate in the past few months and it was driving him nuts.

Keene poked out of the tree line in the distance covered in soot. The dirty, fire retardant suit clung tightly to his massive frame.

“Hey waterboy,” he called out. “I’m sweaty. Come wipe me down.”

Ellis stood up. “I’ll wipe you down with an ax.” He took a step forward.

“Easy,” he said laughing. “Just stay there. Those sandwiches aren’t going to guard themselves.” He disappeared back into the forest laughing.

“Fuck this,” Ellis said and ripped off his shirt. He slid out of his jeans, kicked off his boots and phased. Long, thick brown hairs sprouted out of his skin. There was a loud ripping sound and pain. Lots of pain, as his body exploded into a large, brown grizzly bear. A low grumble released from his chest and he sprinted off towards the forest on four powerful legs.

He ran right into the edge of the blaze, where the forest was glowing bright orange. The heat was intense but Ellis loved it. He stepped up on his back legs and pushed a long tree over that was untouched by the fire. It cracked and snapped as he forced it down with his giant paws. It squealed as it gave way and tumbled down, taking several smaller trees with it. Ellis moved onto the next one.

Half an hour later he had the fire pretty much contained.
Just a few more trees.

He reared up and pushed on the trunk of a large oak tree. His bear was thinking incessantly about a mate.
It’s not going to happen dude. Leave me alone.

He was arguing with his inner animal and didn’t notice Beckett running into the area, calling his name. The large oak tree cracked under the force of his paws and fell like the blade of a guillotine. It landed on his brother.

Beckett’s screams woke him from his trance and Ellis phased back to his human form.

“Shit!” he said running over naked. The old log, the size of a baby’s pool was lying across his brother’s chest. Beckett’s eyes were glazed over and rolling into the back of his head. His mouth was opening and closing, slowly, like a fish out of water.

“It’s going to be okay,” Ellis said, more for himself than for his brother.

He bent down and tucked his arms as far under the tree trunk as possible. He held his breath and grunted as he struggled to stand up on his thick legs. Every muscle in his body was strained to the max under the extraordinary weight. His heels sunk into the earth as the tree inched up.

“Ahhh,” he grunted through clenched teeth, as he pushed his body to the breaking point. The fallen tree slowly lifted higher until it was off Beckett’s crushed body. He took a short breath and stepped forward, pushing the tree away from his brother.

He dropped the tree on the ground when his brother was safely out of reach.

“Beckett,” he whispered as he dropped to his knees beside him.

Beckett’s face was still. He wasn’t moving. Ellis held his limp hand in his and shook his head. This couldn’t be happening. His strong and stubborn brother who always looked out for him in his own bullheaded way. The responsible and calm alpha of the crew who never lost his cool. Ellis couldn’t imagine a world in which Beckett wasn’t in it. Ellis didn’t want to imagine that world. Of course they butted heads but he loved his brother. He needed his brother.

Ellis lowered his head as his vision blurred. A tear rolled down his cheek and landed on his hand.

A long, low growl escaped from Beckett’s throat and Ellis perked up.

“Let’s go buddy,” he said, shaking his brother’s shoulder. Beckett moved his head to the side and Ellis exhaled hard in relief. “Oh thank God,” he said, squeezing his alpha’s hand.

Beckett was going to be alright. In an hour or so he would be completely healed and chewing Ellis out for disobeying instructions.

Ellis couldn’t wait.

two

Alexi took a deep breath to steady her shaking nerves and walked to the table of big, burly men. “Hello,” she said with a trembling voice.

The eight pairs of eyes turned and stared at her. She pulled out her notepad trying to look confident. “Is everybody ready to order?”

The short, bald guy with an ax tattooed on his neck looked her up and down slowly. His penetrating stare sent a chill up her back. “Where’s Lucy?” he asked with a deep, raspy voice.

“I don’t know,” she stammered. “It’s my first day.”

“Lucy always knows what we want,” he said. The other guys grumbled in agreement.

“Well how about you tell me and I’ll try to remember for tomorrow?” she asked trying to be friendly. She rolled the pencil in her fingers nervously.

She looked to the largest guy at the head of the table. He stared at her with intense dark eyes, while he stroked his long brown beard. “What would you like?” she asked him.

He reached behind her and grabbed her ass. “This is what I would like.” The whole table burst out laughing.

Heat rushed to Alexi’s cheeks. Her mouth dropped and she froze as the man cupped her butt, laughing. She looked down at his disgusting yellow teeth and clenched her teeth in anger.

She grabbed a menu off the table and slammed it right into his laughing face. His hand dropped from her ass and his face changed to pure rage.

Alexi took a step back as he gripped the table and began to breath quick, violent breaths. His dark eyes changed into a pale orange color as he stared at the table struggling to control his rapid breathing.
Is his eyes changing color?
He grabbed the metal knife in front of him and bent it in half with one hand.
What is happening?

Alexi stepped back and bumped into the table behind her. A glass fell, rolled off the table and shattered on the ground. She reached behind her, feeling the table until her fingers wrapped around a knife. It was a blunt butter knife but it was better than nothing. Alexi was a big, strong girl and could usually defend herself but this guy was terrifying.

The other men at the table watched him intensely. They all remained quiet.

She heard the metal click of a shotgun behind her. “I see a flash of fur in here and I start firing,” the cook Chuck warned. “I won’t have this shit in my diner again.”

Alexi looked between Chuck and the bearded man.
Fur? What is going on?

The man got his breathing under control and the other men at the table relaxed their tense bodies. The man looked at Alexi with his dark brown eyes. “Eight coffees and eight Lumberjack breakfasts. Eggs over easy.”

Alexi placed the knife down on the table behind her and collected their menus. She walked back behind the counter on shaky legs.

“Making friends?” the other waitress, Barbara asked chuckling. Barbara was a large, older woman with a warm smile that Alexi instantly liked. When Alexi walked into the diner two days ago, desperate and on the run from her past, Barbara had taken her under her wing, like a mother, and offered her a job and a place to stay. The place wasn’t much. A garage behind her house that was converted into a small apartment with a functioning sink and a pull out sofa. She offered it to Alexi for one hundred dollars a month. It was a stark contrast to the four thousand, five hundred dollar penthouse suite that she was renting with her fiancee, Greg, in San Francisco. But at least it was safe. And away from Greg.

“What is with those guys?” Alexi asked, placing the faded blue menus on top of the pile. She was afraid to look back at the table.

“You’ll get used to them,” she said, ripping open a gold bag of coffee and pouring it into the paper filter in the machine. “They’re the Flint Crew. Lumberjacks on the East side of the mountain. They come in here once a month or so, usually trying to stir up trouble.”