11. Time

Andrea POV

Months have passed since the night of my hunt.

But I still feel like I'm running for my life.

I have been running for I don't know how long.

I was running over brush, darting through the few trees here and into a ditch nearby.

I was enjoying the much needed fresh air.

7 months ago I was brought to the small town just east of a place called Tortilla Flats.

I have no idea where it is located, but it does have a handful of people at most.

Except for the occasional tourist.

I thought for sure that we would bring attention to ourselves but come to find out that the people here keep to their own.

But the place that I ended up traveling to was a long one.

I recall the weeks I spent on the road.

Dodging every pack wolf that was still trying to find me.

I traveled south, then back west.

Then north, back south and headed east.

It was so twisting that I often mistook the towns for the pervious one I was at.

I left the south once again before finding my self north again.

The last stop I made was on the outskirts of Castle Rock Washington.

I was then placed something resembling an RV and told not to look outside the windows, we traveled for I think 18 hours.

I can't tell if I was still in the states anymore but it was better to not know.

All I knew was that I was safe.

Safe enough to be running in wolf form.

Siaya loved being here, it had very few outsiders to worry about.

No one came to this little piece of land.

I wondered if it was privately owned.

Panting hard I stopped at one of the smaller bodies of water to get a much needed drink and some rest.

The place has mainly females, some males but they mainly keep to guarding the area.

We hardly see them unless it's time for the next group to replace them.

Every few days we get supplies brought to us by the local Weres.

I found out they are WereYotes-coyotes.

But here they like to be called Skin Walkers.

I learned that they are Native to the area.

Where as most Weres are descendants of some long ago full born bloods, these were very much pure blooded WereYotes.

I respected the fact that they don't like the outside world to know their secrets.

They keep to themselves in their own borders where you need special permission to cross their lands, even the humans.

As the sun began to set I started to head back to the town when I started to get hit with unbelievable pain.

I forced myself to breathe through them and decided it was Braxton hicks.

A form of labor pains that prepare you for the 'big show'.

'We better take it easy going back' Siaya told me.

'Good idea, I don't need little nugget coming too early' I laughed back at her.

'Oh he's coming tonight, I just want you to take it easy and hurry back. I don't think its wise to have him born out here with no one to guard us.' She cautioned.

That was when I remembered that night of my awakening, Siaya told me I would be having a boy and he would be "born under the light of the blood Moon eclipse"

It is when the moon is between shifting from a blood moon and blue moon.

It is very rare to have a child born during this time, because it happens so quickly.

It took me 3 hours to return back to what is now called our home.

Right when I got within range of the guards they sensed that something was wrong.

The local healers or Medicine Woman came to me and helped me into the birthing tent, or teepee.

They were chanting something in a language that I didn't understand.

Then the one we call Mother came in and told me that it was already time to push.

Just as I started the moons reached their apex and the teepee glowed a hue of red and blue.

I noticed the women chanting even louder and swirling, what I think was sage and cedar around me and just seconds later my son was born.

Thank heavens because that pain was as bad as the first time I shifted.

Siaya was over joyed and she immediately bowed to him in my head.

'Our pup is beautiful' she purred at him.

She already wanted to shift so that she could scent him but I don't think I could do that right now, I was a bit too exhausted.

The 3 hour walk back might have done me in for the night.

'Don't worry we have him forever' I told Siaya

'I think I can feel his wolf, he's so powerful Andrea' I stared at him.

She was right.

The power coming from him at this young an age was indeed rare.

I looked at him, he was so small, when he looked at me I noticed his eyes.

He had one red/orange eye like fire and the other blue with slivers of white, like ice.

Soon he was taken from me to get cleaned and blessed by the elder WereYote.

I cannot believe that my son is here.

After the trouble I had to keep him alive.

How his father nearly hunted me to my death and I got away in mere moments.

The way I had to run for my life everyday.

Until I was blessed to find myself among fellow Weres…well Skinwalkers.

When Elder Mother returned, she held out my son to me and told me,

"He is destined to change the lives of us all, he is blesses by the creator. He has a power in him that is of our origins, he is descendant of us all" she told me.

"I don't know what that means" I told her more confused then anything.

"It means every tribe or pack will hunt him down for this power, he will not be safe. His fate is either our salvation or our end." She told me.

"How can I keep him safe? I don't want him to live in fear or hunted." I pleaded.

It was true I would do anything for the little one in my arms.

His father surely would be no help.

Same with my own father.

My mate was definitely out of the question.

Since I could not trust any male role model for my son, I knew just who to trust with his up bringing.

Someone that would make sure he knew how to defend himself and the ones he loved.

The very person that I have given my utter and complete trust to.

"There is a way we can help, but it will be painful for you." Elder Mother came to me with a sorrowful look to her.

This didn't sound like something I wanted to hear right after giving birth.

"I'll do anything, I just want him to be safe, his father wants him dead and most of the Were community wants me dead. No where is safe for us." I started to cry.

"Do you have it in you to bind his powers until he is of age and never go near him?" She asked me.

I looked at her with fear, my baby, barely born and I have to give him up.

How can I do this?

I wanted to stay by him and keep him safe, he needs me more than anyone right now.

"I'm his mother, I can protect him. I don't trust anyone with him. If he indeed has this power then I need to keep him safe."

"Your path is a dangerous one I'm afraid and far from him. You need to help his father. His father is in some trouble and is going to die if you don't help him. That is our only condition to return his power. With both parents by his side this child will bring all Weres under one law. If one of you should die he is our end and we will forever be enslaved by him and he should not reach his first birthday." She told me.

She looked as if that pained her.

She was caressing him like he belonged to the yotes.

She had a sadness to her that I feared she might not let me decided myself.

But really there was no choice.

I would do anything to help my son.

If that meant that he needed to be away from me for a few days, weeks, or months then I needed to, just to make sure he had a future.

She gently handed him back to me, I took him all in.

His little hands wrapped around my finger.

"I promise you my love you will see me again, you are loved, you are wanted and you are blessed. Priestess will give me the courage to do what needs to be done so that I may return to you. By all that is within me I will return with your father. I need you to be brave and trust me. I love you so, so much" holding his little frame I looked to Elder mother and I nodded.

"I have one condition before he is taken" I told her.

She smiled like she already knew what I was going to ask.

"Of course, and we will grant you your request"

My body was already healing, but I was exhausted.

But still, I shifted.

Siaya immediately went to him, she nuzzled him and he reached out to her.

Holding on to her ear he smiled.

Siaya immediately started licking him, trying very hard to get him to remember her scent.

'What is our pups name going to be" she asked me through our link.

"What do you think we should call him?"

'He is of both worlds, human and were, he's both heavens grace and h**ls wrath, of both fire and ice. I think Micheal is perfect. He is both angel and demon. He's our Micheal.'

"Micheal it is" I said as Elder mother turned to Siaya.

"Will you also give up the child and stay away from him" Siaya wanted to take him, she wanted to keep him for ourselves.

But as soon as I was going to say something she calmed down.

Siaya was heartbroken, but she nodded anyway.

She nuzzled Micheal one last time before standing by Elder mother.

"Then we will begin, you must stay in wolf form until I tell you to transform" she instructed the both of us.

Moments later Siaya was standing in front of the fire, while the yotes chanted along and members encircled us.

Micheal was on the opposite side in the arms of the lady who delivered him-Caly was her name.

She was so kind through my pregnancy and always helped anyway she could.

I spoke to her often, it was like having a friend here in the unfamiliar.

I missed Nessi so much, mostly because all my stories were about her and I.

Our adventures, the troubles we got into, our first shifts.

Everything, Nessi was my sister.

Somehow Caly understood.

She was comforting when I missed home, my mate and my family.

And now she held my son, my future, my reason for surviving this long.

Just as Elder Mother and the other Yote shifters chanted louder, the fire turned a blue color and she shouted "Shift now".

It was the most painful shift I had ever done, the second my bones snapped to reposition it healed fast and I had to rebreak it again.

Siaya and I were both yelling at the pain.

I couldn't tell if I was about to pass out, every time I wanted to stop the pain came again.

It seemed like forever until I was back in human form. I was naked and sweating form my shift.

Just as I looked up to Caly and Micheal they both vanished.

I looked everywhere, but Elder Mother came to me.

"You don't need to worry about him he will be ok. You will rest and tomorrow you will start your path to get your family back." I was shattered, to get him back I must save his a** of a father.

Someone I really didn't want another breath to escape his mouth.

How could I sleep when my world was now who knows where.

I longed for Michael.

'We shall use the pain to get us back to him' Siaya said 'lets try to sleep, we are leaving tomorrow.'

It was a short night but I felt refreshed.

I was gathering a bag that I would need for my travels.

Just then Caly entered my room.

I ran to her.

"Where is he? Is he ok? Who is he with if you are here?" I needed to know everything but she looked at me and said.

I took hold of both her arms and had her facing me.

"He is healthy, and he will be in good hands. The person who will take him knows that he needs protection and will keep him hidden and safe."

That was it, she handed me keys and a map.

"Elder mother had me stay here until you woke, but I must return to myself..Good luck" and just like that she was gone again.

She must have been a ghost of some kind.

I didn't know that was even possible.

'I really got to figure out how she does that' I said to myself.

When I left my room I noticed I was no longer near anything I remember, I was now in Nevada.

'How the heck did we get here?' Siaya asked

"I don't know, them yotes are some shifty characters" I smiled at the little pun but I really did need to ask next time I see them.

'Are you ready?' Siaya asked me as I got into the vehicle I assumed was for me.

"Ready or not, Michael needs this. We need this. So its time"