Within you I found home

twenty two

        THE LAND OF THE SHIFTERS WAS SMALLER than you'd thought it would be. 

        It was located in a cosy valley surrounded by mountains, the tallest one at the back. A stream of water rushed down the middle of the land, dotted with bridges. If you had to guess, there were around thirty cabins of varying sizes on either side.

        Straw covered the path between log cabins. There were also various other buildings like a large cattle farm. At the end of the path, there was a single cobblestone building which was taller than the rest. The shape of it reminded you of a church. It was surrounded by a circle of water, the lake splitting into two and creating a trench of liquid around it before it met again on the opposite side.

        The front of the church-looking building was littered with flowers and what looked to be offerings in the form of animal crafts, moonstones, and drawings.

        A statue sat on the left side of bulky wooden doors along with an empty stone platform on the right. It made you wonder if there were two statues at some point. Ivy climbed the walls of the building. Your eyes locked onto it as you walked past with Nico and Mith on either side of you.

        "Your home is beautiful," you commented, taking it all in.

        Everything felt so at one with nature and it shouldn't surprise you since you imagined their kind appreciated it more than most.

        "We're proud of it," Nico responded.

        Two people walked the same path as you, heading in your direction. A man and woman who eyed you oddly.

        You attempt to glare back but you were so small and non-threatening compared to them that they didn't so much as blink. It turned out, you didn't have to try because Nico did it for you and his glare was one-hundred times more effective.

        "You want to tell me what it is you find so interesting, mutts?" He barked, coming to a stop just before they passed, his hand resting protectively on your lower back.

        The male was slightly shorter than his companion and he had black hair which was wrapped tightly into a bun. He shook his head. "No, Enforcer Nico."

        The blond female pursed her lips, making her chin dimple more pronounced. "No, sir," she repeated.

        "Didn't think so. For making my guest uncomfortable you're on cattle duty for the next month," he ordered, a bite in his rough voice and suddenly you realised why Rommel was so afraid of him.

        Apparently, getting on the wrong side of Nico was a very bad idea.

        "Let's go," he nudged you forward, not waiting for their response. "They can smell the human in you, the shifter too, but it's no excuse for them to stare like that. Just let me know if anyone makes you uncomfortable and I'll deal with them."

        "I don't want to cause trouble. . ."

        "That was awesome, Dad," Mithun interrupted in awe. "They were so scared of you! Can I boss people around like that?"

        Nico held back a smile. "No, son. You must earn their respect yourself. Work your way up the ranks. You can't force them to listen to you, you must give them a reason to and being my pup won't cut it. I won't allow you to abuse my name like that. My father taught me and Rian the same lesson."

        You liked that.

        It made you think of the rich people in your village. The noble's whose children were born into power and had no sense of reality because of it.