Nemani was a peaceful place. Nestled in the foothills of the Woolfenden mountain range, this village was very small. Though there were times when the villagers quarreled, they rarely allowed outsiders to witness their disputes.
So who did the villagers consider to be an outsider? Anyone not born there.
Which made living in Nemani difficult for my brother and I.
Setting my basket on the table, I wiped sweat off my forehead. "Richard, I'm back!" I called as I sat on a stool. I heard clattering from the other room.
"Rachel! What did you get?" My brother asked as he stumbled into the room. I shook my head as I noticed his disheveled clothes.
"A loaf of bread, a couple of eggs, and a skein of thread." I answered. Richard frowned as he straightened his shirt.
"Is that it?"
"I stayed for as long as I could without arousing suspicion. " I said as I pulled the bread from the basket. Taking my knife, I cut off a slice. Taking a bite from the slice, I handed the rest of the loaf to my brother as he sat down.
"Well, we can try something else." Richard said with a shrug. Taking a bite, he smiled. "Perhaps singing in the square?"
Tilting my head, I stared at my brother. " Your singing isn't very good anymore."
Richard chuckled. "But you still sound alright. Besides, how often do have you heard music here?"
Tapping my fingers against the table, I shook my head. "Never." In the week we had lived in Nemani, I couldn't recall having ever heard a single note of music.
Richard snapped his fingers. "Great! You'll sing, and I'll play my drum."
The next day, we went to the town square. With Richard pounding the beat on his small drum, I sang one ditty after another.
At first, only a one or two people stopped to listen. Then a few more came. By the time we stopped for a break, half the village had gathered.
"See!" Richard said with a grin as I sat next to him. "This was a great idea."
Wiping sweat from my forehead, I gave a nod. "You were right." Now we could study those who had gathered.
"Excuse me," I turned to see that the baker's oldest son standing near where we sat.
"Yes?" I asked, wondering how he had gotten so close without us noticing.
"There is a village meeting tonight. Since you are fairly new, I thought I would extend an invitation." The baker's son said, his blue eyes half closed as he studied me.
"Thanks for letting us know." Richard said as he tapped his fingers against his drum.
Eyes narrowing even further as he looked at Richard, the baker's son gave a nod. "It will begin shortly after sunset, here in the square." He said, then left.
After a few more minutes, I got up and began to sing again.
That night, Richard and I arrived at the square. Looking around, Richard frowned. "No one is here."
I looked up at the stars that were starting to appear. "Perhaps this is something they do to newcomers." I suggested as I tried not to frown as well.
Richard shook his head. "That does-" He cut off as yowls rose from all around us. I turned around, scanning the surrounding buildings. From within the growing shadows, I caught movement.
"Richard," I said quietly. He gave a slight nod.
He had seen it too.
Shifting position, I stood back to back with my brother. The moment had finally arrived.
Growls rose as feline creatures slunk out of the shadows. Some were on two legs, while others were crouched on all four. They were smaller then I expected, and each had a different fur color.
Werecats. A common type of shapeshifter, but still dangerous in a large enough clowder. I quickly counted the ones I could see. "It looks like the entire village is here, brother."
I felt my brother shrug. "Not surprising, with how secluded it is. We must have stirred up quite the fuss by moving in."
I gave a nod, then looked around at the shapeshifters that had surrounded us. "So, are you going to turn me? Or are we suppose to be hunting practice?"
"That depends on your reasons for coming to our village." A firm, elderly voice replied. The felines shifted to allow an old woman to walk toward us.
"I don't think we've met, madam." Richard said as the woman came to a stop a few feet away from us. The woman smiled, revealing feline fangs.
"I am the matriarch of this village. Why have you come here?"
I tilted my head to look at Richard. He shifted slightly, then gave a small nod.
Looking back to the matriarch, I paused to take a breath before answering.
"We are looking for the shapeshifter who turned my brother."
The matriarch's eyes widened for a moment as she looked at Richard. "He does not have the scent of our kind." She said, her voice rumbling faintly as she spoke.
Richard looked at me, eyebrows furrowed.
I took a step away from him. "Go ahead."
My brother gave a quiet sigh, then closed his eyes. Immediately his flesh began to ripple, red fur sprouting from it as his bones shifted.
I looked away for a few minutes, then looked back to see that Richard had finished shapeshifting.
This time, he looked like a werefox. But as he took off his shoes, I saw that his feet had transformed into hooves.
"Last time I saw him shapeshift, Richard looked like a werecat with wings." I said, turning to look at the matriarch. "He was attacked a few months ago, but didn't see what had done it. When he first shapeshifted into a werewolf with snake scales, we realized that he had been turned by a shapeshifter. But each transformation since then has been something different." I looked at my brother, and gritted my teeth. "We're searching for the shapeshifter who did this, so Richard can learn if the transformations can be controlled."
The matriarch looked away from my brother. "I have never heard of such a beast. We are all werecats here, and have little interest in outsiders." The matriarch said, then lifted her hand.
The most of the werecats surrounding us broke formation; sauntering away into the night. Some merely sat down, or wandered about within hearing distance.
"We request that you take your search elsewhere by the day after tomorrow." The matriarch said, then turned and walked away.
I looked at my brother and crossed my arms. "We will find the one who did this to you."
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