Mythe: A Fairy Tale (41 page)

“How does that work? Isn’t there some sort of physical law about the preservation of matter or something?”

Richard had assumed his professorial tone when he answered. “It does seem to defy the laws of physics, but that just means we don’t understand it fully yet. As you can appreciate, there isn’t much research on the subject, since there aren’t more than a handful of scientists in the entire world who even know we exist. Personally, I think that there’s some sort of matter/energy conversion…but then I’m not a physicist, so…,” he shrugged. “I will tell you this though. Shifting takes a lot out of you when you’re transforming up in size. That’s why we eat so much.”

Manda had chuckled at this explanation for their voracious appetites, and she was oddly comforted by his admission that they didn’t fully understand every aspect of shapeshifting. Paradoxically, this simple lack of factual information made it seem much more real to her. It wasn’t tied up in a neat little package; real life seldom was.

Manda’s attention was drawn back by Richard’s voice as he spoke to Josh on his cell phone.

“Do you have plans this afternoon or can you get free to come help me give Manda a more comprehensive demonstration?” Josh’s reply made Richard grin. “Okay. Finish that run and meet us back here then.” Richard paused again while Josh spoke, and then rolled his eyes. “Yes, fine. I don’t expect you to starve. We’ve eaten already, but we can stop and get you something to go.”

An hour later they were pulling away from the drive-thru window at a local fast-food restaurant. Josh sat in the backseat of Richard’s car, happily devouring the large bag of food he’d ordered.

Richard asked Josh to direct them to an appropriate, secluded location. His explanation that Josh had explored the surrounding area fairly extensively since their arrival surprised Manda.

“My morning runs aren’t usually strictly runs,” Josh explained around a mouthful of French fries. “I mean, why run when you can fly, right?”

In between mouthfuls of junk food, Josh directed Richard up a series of narrow, snow-packed roads. By the time they’d driven two miles they’d twisted and wound through the forest so much that Manda no longer knew north from south. After another several miles, Josh indicated an almost indiscernible track off to the right. It was probably the access road to someone’s summer cabin, but right now it disappeared under a deep drift of snow after the first ten yards.

“We can park there and walk the rest of the way. The spot I’m thinking of is about a mile from here, just on the other side of that ridge.” Josh leaned forward between the front seats, eagerly pointing to the steep slope he was referring to.

Manda groaned. “This means you’re going to have to carry me again, doesn’t it? How do I get myself into these things?”

Richard chuckled. “You can blame your own curiosity and sense of adventure, and since I don’t think you’re quite up to the hike yet, you either let me carry you or we turn around and go back to the hotel now.”

Manda’s troublesome curiosity and sense of adventure naturally got the better of her. Unwilling to forgo Richard and Josh’s show-and-tell, she agreed to ride on Richard’s back. She hadn’t had a piggy-back ride since she was a little girl, and she was certain she’d look completely ridiculous, but she was prepared to look like a fool in order to see more of their shapeshifting.

Surprisingly, she thoroughly enjoyed the experience. With Josh leading the way, there was no one watching to see if she looked silly or not, and clinging so closely to Richard was far from unpleasant.

The two men ascended the steep terrain effortlessly, though Manda knew it would have been a strenuous climb for the fittest hiker. They conquered the ridge quickly, and sooner than Manda anticipated, they arrived at a clearing in the center of a heavily forested valley.

“Here we are,” Josh announced, slipping his pack from his shoulders. “We’ll have all the privacy we need here.”

“This is perfect,” Richard agreed, allowing Manda to slide to the ground. The two men tramped around in a circle, packing down the snow underfoot, then Richard took the pack from his brother and unzipped it, pulling out a rolled up blanket—the type that was designed to take to football games and similar events. One side was a water-resistant nylon fabric while the other was warm, soft fleece. He spread it out on the snow in the sun at the edge of the clearing. “Your front-row seat, Miss.”

As Manda settled onto the blanket, he produced another fleece blanket and a thermos from the pack. He handed her the thermos.

“Hot tea, just the way you like it,” he advised and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. “Shall we go ahead and get started? I think Josh wants to go first.” He settled onto the blanket beside her as a grinning Josh slipped off first one boot then the other, placing each sock-clad foot onto the corner of the blanket as he did so. He proceeded to remove the rest of his clothing until he was wearing only his pants.

“That’s enough,” Richard laughed when Josh reached down as if to remove those as well.

Josh chuckled. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to do it the hard way. What first then?”

“Start with something small and cute and work your way up,” Richard suggested.

“I beg your pardon,” Josh protested in feigned outrage. “I
don’t
have anything
cute
.” He said the word like it was an insult. “I only do fierce and awe-inspiring.”

“Awe-inspiring,” Richard guffawed. “Right. Shall I tell her about the time you got yourself grounded for a month when you were fourteen? You inspired something, but I don’t think it was awe.”

Josh blushed scarlet. “Okay. Cute and cuddly it is.”

In the blink of an eye Josh disappeared, startling Manda. On the corner of the blanket where he’d been standing, his pants lay in a heap atop the rest of his clothes. Manda glanced around in confusion. Where had he gone? When she glanced back to his clothes, a small, furry face was pushing free from the pile of fabric.

“Josh?” she ventured uncertainly. The animal—a small otter, she realized—managed to wriggle free. It sat up on its haunches and waved at her with one tiny paw.

Manda giggled in delight. “Awww! You
are
cute and cuddly. You can’t deny it.”

Richard chuckled beside her. “I don’t think that’s the kind of ‘awe’ he wants to inspire.”

Josh bared his teeth to show his displeasure, producing a high-pitched grumbling sound. He belied his aggressive appearance however, with a wink that was so startling it made Manda giggle again. Josh bounded closer, stopping in front of her. He stretched his head forward and nuzzled her hand gently. Manda realized she was still holding the thermos and sat it on the blanket beside her.

“You can touch him if you’d like,” Richard advised, “as long as he behaves.” Richard delivered the last part as a warning to Josh, who stuck his otter-tongue out at his brother.

Manda giggled again and Josh narrowed his eyes at her, managing to look annoyed. She reached out and hesitantly stroked the fur on his head. It was thick and soft.

“Sorry Josh, but you’re like a Disney character,” she explained apologetically. Josh snorted and backed away from her. “Well, don’t go away mad.”

Josh winked at her once more and then, as fast as a thought, he became a raccoon. He circled once and then stood up on his hind legs and waved both paws at her in a very raccoon-like gesture. Manda managed to contain her amusement this time, limiting it to a broad grin.

“Still fairly adorable, but not quite so Disney-esque,” she conceded. Josh covered his black-masked eyes with two tiny paws and shook his triangular head.

“Clown,” Richard laughed. “You can try something fiercer now. Something small though.”

Josh cocked his head for a moment and then shifted into the form of a lynx. This was definitely more intimidating than the otter or raccoon had been. He was easily three times the size of an average house cat, with a short tail and tufted ears. He regarded her with amber eyes that made her a little nervous; so nervous in fact that she unconsciously shrank back from him. She realized what she’d done when Richard wrapped his arm around her reassuringly.

“It’s okay. It’s still just Josh.”

The Josh lynx winked at her then, and pounced comically on Richard’s outstretched leg. It occurred to Manda that his clowning was meant to put her at ease. She had to admit, such a display would have been terrifying if she hadn’t been prepared for it and if it hadn’t been someone she knew and trusted. Josh’s deliberately amusing human gestures served to remind her that it was still just him, and nothing she needed to fear. She leaned forward and reached her hand out toward her friend. He padded over and let her bury her hand into the thick, soft fur on his shoulders.

“This one’s really beautiful, Josh. I like it. What else can you change into?”

Josh turned away from her and leapt from the blanket into the deep snow. His broad, heavily furred paws acted like snowshoes, keeping him from sinking too deeply. He turned to face her and then in slow succession became a cheetah, a horse, a bighorn ram, an owl, and a dozen other forms. The larger animals didn’t fare as well as the lynx had, and sank into the snow. As a golden eagle, Josh launched into the air and soared across the clearing, then turned and glided back, landing amidst a flurry of powdery snow.

“Now
that
looks fun!” Manda exclaimed excitedly. “Is it difficult to fly?”

“It definitely takes some practice,” Richard replied, “but it’s even more fun than it looks. Do you want to see my favorite out of Josh’s collection?” Manda nodded enthusiastically. “Show her the big one, Josh.”

Josh backed away from them with his wings outstretched, then stopped and swept them forward. Before he had completed the wing stroke, the eagle was replaced by a massive, pristinely white polar bear. Manda gasped and recoiled reflexively. Richard gave her shoulders a quick, reassuring squeeze.

“Impressive, isn’t he?” he said with a smile.

“Yes, very,” Manda agreed breathlessly. She was a little unnerved by the nearness of such an imposing predator. It was a little difficult to remember that this was Josh. She knew it intellectually, but on a more primal level the huge bear inspired a thrill of fear. Refusing to let her fear overrule reason, Manda stood up, letting the blanket drop from her shoulders.

“You’re sure that it’s 100% Josh, right? Up here?” She tapped the side of her head. “There are no stray bear impulses or anything?”

“100% Josh,” Richard assured her. “You’re completely and totally safe. I promise.”

Trusting Richard’s word, Manda stepped forward to the edge of the blanket. She waited for Josh to approach with her hands clasped tightly in front of her. When he was within arm’s reach, he stopped and tipped his head to one side. With all four paws on the ground he was able to look directly into Manda’s eyes only by lowering his head.

“Good grief, Josh! You’re huge.” Josh made a small huffing sound that resembled a laugh. Manda reached out to stroke the fur between his ears. It was softer than she expected. She took a step backward and let her hand drop to her side. “This is amazing. Thanks for showing me.”

Richard wrapped the blanket around her shoulders again and stood beside her.

“Are you warm enough?” he asked. “We can go back to the car and warm up for a bit if you’d like.”

“No, I’m fine.” She was quite warm, actually, with both her coat and the blanket and with the sun beating down. She was beginning to think she should have brought sunscreen. “Is it your turn now?”

“I suppose it is,” Richard agreed, though not as enthusiastically as Josh. “But first.” He grasped her shoulders and turned her around so that her back was to Josh, guiding her away from the edge of the blanket. “Close your eyes,” he directed, covering them with his hands for good measure.

“What?” she asked. When she heard the rustling of clothing behind her she understood and blushed. “Oh.”

“No peeking,” Josh teased as he donned his clothes.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Manda shot back, eliciting a chuckle from Richard.

“Okay, it’s safe,” Josh advised, a minute later. Richard removed his hands from her eyes and she turned around to find Josh standing barefooted on the blanket, safely clad in his pants and pulling his shirt back on over his head. “Pretty cool, huh?” he prompted when his head emerged.

“Very cool,” she agreed.

“Well done, little brother,” Richard commended. “Thank you.”

Josh replaced his coat and sat down on the blanket to put on his socks and boots. “My pleasure. Now it’s your turn.”

Manda sat down next to Josh and poured herself some tea from the thermos while Richard proceeded to disrobe as Josh had. He lingered over the task though, folding his clothes carefully and stacking them in a neat pile. Manda edged closer to Josh while they waited.

“What did you do to get grounded for a month?” she asked, slightly impressed. She’d gotten herself grounded for a week here and there when she was younger, for infractions she couldn’t even remember now, but she couldn’t imagine what she would have had to do to earn a month. Well, actually she could think of plenty of things that would have earned her that or worse, she just couldn’t imagine ever doing them…or imagine Josh doing them.

The explosion of laughter that her question prompted from Richard drew a glare from Josh. The younger man relented though, and with a shrug and a self-deprecating grin he explained to Manda.