Regali (A Walker Saga) by Jaymin Eve Page A

who were closing in on him.
    “What ’s a wolver?” he asked.
    “They were a pack who warred themselves to death . We have not seen them in many years.”
    “I ’m a Walker,” Colton said, his pale blue eyes flashing in warning as the black cats closed in. “I’ve never been to Regali in my life. But I do shift into a wolf, a canine animal.”
    “Yeah , a dog, like woof-woof, you know?” Lucy piped up.
    She was still teasing Colton, but I could see her moving closer and getting her hands up to defend him.
    “No, not like a dog. I’m a wolf. Completely different,” Colton said as he stepped in front of her, edging her out of the jags’ sight.
    Ria turned and spoke in growls to the small cat people. They stopped the screeching and started to calm down.
    Klea was at her Queen’s back. “I thought you smelt familiar when we first met. It is similar to the wolver, but there are many subtle differences. The jags probably missed this. Their sense of smell is not quite as developed as the leons’,” she said as she grabbed one of the jags by the scruff of the neck and threw it backwards.
    Then s he growled what sounded like harsh warnings, and all of the rest moved away.
    Once the packs had calmed down and taken their seats, Ria moved into the center of the clearing.
    “I have found the fringe.” She project ed her voice out into the clearing and silence descended faster than you could blink an eye. “I know we have been waiting for this moment for a long time and finally I know how they have managed to avoid capture and stay undetected.”
    Growls, screeches, chirps, cheeps and many other noises rang out in a chorus of song. Or speech. I couldn’t tell.
    “I need to prepare you all, though. They wear the skins of our dead.” Ria choked out these words. “They use the pure essence of our loved ones to hide their evil ways.”
    I was sure that tears rolled down the faces of almost all of the animal-people in our midst, although it was hard to gauge expressions on their furred, scaled and feathered features. Sorrow rose in an engulfing emotion and I found a few stray tears rolling down my own cheeks at this outpouring of pain.
    Brace reached up and , with both hands resting on my face, he used his thumbs to brush away the salty wetness. He gave me a gentle kiss on the lips for comfort, nothing more. I stared at him, unable to pull my eyes away until Ria broke the sorrowful silence.
    “We will leave in a few moments . The rest of the guards are on their way, and none should miss this moment.” Ria lifted both hands skywards.
    The vines from up in the canopy dropped down.
    “Are you okay to travel on the vines?” she asked us.
    “No problem ,” Lucy said without hesitation.
    “Hold up,” I said . “What does that mean?”
    “The vines will swing us through the jungle . It is the fastest way to travel through the canopy.”
    Sounded insanely unsafe to me, but hey, six months before who would have thought I’d walk through a wall into First World, let alone everything else that had happened since.
    “Let’s do this.” I jumped to my feet.
    We’d left our packs at Ria’s place, so all I had were my sweaty clothes, and myself. And that was all I needed.

Chapter 7
     
     
    I couldn’t find the right words to describe our journey through the trees. Once my initial fear faded – being thrust at a breakneck pace toward branches, trees and vines – I couldn’t help but enjoy every moment. The speed, the scent of the forest, which was earthy but with sweet flowery aromas intermingling, and the freedom of flying.
    We were surrounded on all sides by the different pack members . Some of them flew; some jumped through the branches; and others also used the vines.
    The forest was too densely packed for us to be able to do this without Ria parting the branches. It was a once in a lifetime experience. I was having a lot of those lately.
    All too soon our momentum slowed , and I gave a final sigh as my vines