(MxM)Tales Of A Shifter (P2) - The Clan Celebration

Chapter 25 - Party Prep

Chapter 25

The next two days were a blur of activity all across the Clans Lands for Ezekiel, his parents and his Brothers.

The Clan Head and the Guardians were called on continuously to assist the various other families in the Villages or to move stands, tables, sheets and food out into the Northern fields just beyond the Mansion, where the Clan's annual Celebration had been held for the last few decades.

As the men in the family stayed busy, Ezekiels mother, Glen spent a lot of her time organizing the music, decorations and the various Leopards and Leopardess who would be running their crafting booths and food stands. He and his brother helped move merchandise about or clean out space.

Ezekiel knew that many of the craftsmen in their villages made their living on the night of the Celebration, hocking various items from steel, to wools and leathers, all the way down to jewelry and honey.

So he took his time to help many of the Craftsmen set up and transport their wares across the fields, using the labor and the exercise to take his mind off of the fact that he was quickly running out of time. In only a few more days Ezekiel knew that the lock down would cease and that Brandon would be preparing to leave for good. And there was nothing Ezekiel could do to stop him.

Ezekiel felt something was driving Brandon to run, driving him to keep traveling even though he had no admitted destination in mind to travel to. But what this burning secret was or how Ezekiel could get Brandon to stay?

Ezekiel just didn't know. So he lost himself in the work.

And all through the hustle and bustle Ezekiel and his family continued to hunt each night. They scoured the lands for any signs of their unwanted guest's the Ghouls. At night Ezekiel could almost feel them slumbering out in the darkness, but no matter how they searched for them, the Ghouls continued to elude them. Ezekiel and his family could only hope that the beasts had somehow moved on, or disappeared up out into the mountains as the night of Celebration grew near.

And then it was there. The first day of the Celebration.

***

After the attack Brandon had planned to sequester himself away from Ezekiel and his family and simply let the days of the celebration fade away.

To his surprise Brandon woke up on the morning of the first day of the Celebration that promised to last for three more days and nights and let out a shout of surprise, before falling out of the bed and landing at Erin's bouncing feet.

"GOOD MORNING!" she cried, her soft hazel eyes sparking with an unnatural light as she glanced down at Brandon on the floor.

"What the..!" Brandon sheepishly tried to pull the covers up over his bare chest and torso. He had opted to remove his shirt and sleep in only his jeans as the night before had proven to be slightly toasty. "Erin!? Were you just watching me sleep!?" Brandon found himself huffing as Erin cocked her head to the side to watch him, she frowned slightly at his surprise, her short hair dancing across her shoulders as she moved.

"How much would it bother you if I said that I kinda was?" Erin softly questioned him.

"So you were watching me!?" With a sigh Brandon dropped the sheets and walked over to the bed and plopped down on top of it. IT wasn't until Brandon had rubbed a gloved hand down his face and glanced back up at the leopardess that he realized that she was staring at him. At his body. At his scars.

Clearing his throat Brandon waved his hands in front of his slim stomach, where Erin's eyes were locked onto the long cuts that had long since healed leaving behind five long faded furrows. Erin's gaze shot up to his and her cheeks reddened as he looked back at her.

"Erin why are you in here?" Brandon asked her, quickly moving past the small awkward pause that tried to follow. Brandon knew that her gaze had held no sexual connotations...or disgust. She was simply curious. "And how long have you been watching me?" he put forth as he dropped his hand from his face and sat forward with his elbows resting on his knees.

"Well, only for a moment or two." The young leopardess shyly admitted as she bent down and gathered Brandon's spilled sheets from the floor. "I'm sorry. I know you asked not to be touched before with Drin. But I didn't really know how to wake you up without actually touching you! And Glen asked me to gather you from you room."

As Erin came forward and handed Brandon the sheets, he thanked her softly, before casting her a small confused look. "Glen asked you to come and get me?" He asked Erin as she took a step back from the bed. "Why?"

Erin cast him a small frown before slowly replying. "Well, so you can attend the Clan Celebration..." She began.

But already Brandon was shaking his head. "Erin..." He said with a small sigh. "I'm not attending the Celebration. I just want to rest up for my travels."

A slightly stricken light entered Erin's eyes affecting Brandon even if he didn't want it to.

How did such a tall girl manage to be so darn cute and endearing?

Erin stepped towards the bed and implored him with her almond eye "But you have too Brandon!" She implored catching his eyes. "You're our guest of honor!"

Her words hit a barrier in Brandon's mind and made him scowl at the young Leopardess. "What do you mean..." He almost felt himself growl as if he were taking on some of the qualities of the Shifters he had been staying with.

Obviously sensing the shift in his tone and posture Erin's tone went from begging to hesitant. "Um....Well you're the guest of Honor today. Isn't that great!?"

Brandon tried to drown the moan of frustration in his hands as he slammed his head down into his gloves. Hearing his distress Erin tried to placate him. "Don't be mad! It was Glen and Mantilo's idea!" she tried to explain.

Biting off the moan he was exhaling Brandon looked up at Erin and "But why!" he asked her.

To this Erin smoothed a hand down the front of her legs and shrugged while looking away. Instantly Brandon got the sensation that she was evading the question. "Well...." Erin began taking a few steps across the room and starting to finger the curtains hanging across the window. "There have been a lot of rumors floating around in the Villages. Everyone is absolutely ecstatic to know more about the resident mortal living with the Guardians." Erin shyly reported glancing out of the window.

"Erin..." Brandon called pulling her eyes back to him. He tried to keep the edge out of his voice and failed. "Who exactly told them about the "resident Mortal" as you put it?" He asked her, putting up his hands and making quotation marks as he spoke the question.

Once more Erin glanced away....until finally with a sigh, and cheeks growing slightly red she replied with another shrug. "Well..." Erin it her lip and cringed. "Nate was always a bit of a gossip when it came to keeping secrets in the past you see...So naturally every Shifter in the Clan has heard something or other about you by now...."

Brandon growled, knowing that he was parakeet-ting the Leopards and not even caring. "I'm going to skin that wolf." He breathed at Erin earing himself a small giggle form the sweet young Guardian.

"Well..." Glen's voice suddenly announced her presence. Her bright green eyes locked on Brandon and Erin as she seemed to sashay into the room, her long locks bouncing around her beautiful face as she spoke. "You will have to skin my son later Brandon....because for now I've got to get you dressed and clean for the Celebration! UP! UP!"

"No!" Brandon groaned. But for all the good it did him. Glen made the most powerful Leopard in the entire Clan bow to her whims.....What made Brandon think he could fight her if she wanted to parade him around?

So after a few useless hours of complaining Brandon allowed himself to simply fall into step behind the leopardess and Erin, as they gathered him up, got him dressed and dragged him out of his room.