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  “Yes, it is.”

  Suddenly, Chance was on his feet. “Up for a walk to the river?” He grabbed her hand and started off into the sunny fields. “Race you!”

  Ana freed her hand and sprinted through the long grass. As she ran, insects flew away to safety, making skittering noises. Grass blades bent and broke as her swift moving form blew past.

  A blur whizzed past her, and she shouted, “No fair using your powers! Cheater!”

  Her toned legs flexed as she pushed her muscles to perform faster. Her eyes squinted against the sun’s rays and she leaned into her run. In the distance, the river glinted like an exposed vein on the earth’s surface as a sparrow watched the commotion from a nearby log.

  Chapter 3

  Chance’s eyes watered as he stared unblinking at his laptop screen. Research was boring but he preferred it over hiking the trails outside his home. There were too many memories of Niyol here. He had avoided shifting since he’d transformed into the thunderbird for Ana. Using his powers only reminded him of his absent grandfather. Like salt in a wound, it hurt to think about his loss. Instead, he focused his attentions on finding his next teacher.

  When Niyol had sacrificed himself, he’d given Chance his power, along with his memories. He’d discovered this immediately following his grandfather’s death, when visions of Niyol’s last minutes were revealed to him. Like watching a movie from the bottom of a glass, fuzzy around the edges with a clear center point, a handful of nagging questions had been answered. But, they were only replaced with new ones.

  Afterward, Chance had pieced together information about his grandfather’s past. After fleeing from his shapeshifting brother who’d killed their father, Niyol had traveled to Mexico. There he had met an experienced shapeshifter who gained his trust and became his teacher. In a vision, his name, Balam, was revealed to Chance.

  Chance’s grandmother was from Mexico as well, which was the perfect cover story for his parents, who understood his supposed need to go search for long lost family members. Only, it wasn’t family he was really in search of.

  Chance typed in ‘Balam’. He discovered an online encyclopedia page with the heading, A number of Pre-Columbian Mayan rulers bore the name B’alam.

  Chance skimmed through at least a dozen names. The word ‘jaguar’ was in all the translated meanings. So Balam must mean jaguar!

  He clicked onto another page about Mesoamerican cultures linked with jaguars and his eyebrows rose. “Jackpot,” he murmured.

  OLMECS, JAGUARS, AND THE ‘WERE-JAGUAR’

  In surviving Olmec archaeological records, jaguars are never pictured naturally, but with a combination of feline and human characteristics. These ‘were-jaguars’ have been found as carved jade figurines or as carvings and paintings on altars.

  The jaguar was believed to have the ability to pass from this earth and into the spirit realm. Shamans used them as spiritual companions to guide them to battle against evil souls.

  JAGUARS AND THE MAYA

  The Maya, whose territory spanned along the Yucatán peninsula and down the coast to Guatemala, were a literate society who left much documentation of their lives. The Maya believed the jaguar was able to cross between worlds. They associated the underworld or spirit world with night, which is when jaguars patrol the jungle. Jaguar pelts were worn only by the ruling class, and ‘jaguar’ became a part of their rulers’ names.

  After reading the page, Chance sat back in his seat and scratched his head. Everything seemed to fit: his name, his location and fact he was a shapeshifter. That could mean Balam was a descendent of the Olmec or Maya. Chance considered the possibility that there could be different families of shapeshifters across the world. If the thunderbird form was used by various shapeshifters in Native American tribes, it would make sense that different cultures of shapeshifters could have created their own important animal representations as well.

  Although this research was interesting, what Chance really needed to figure out was how to find Balam. He hoped the answer lay in the buried box at his grandfather’s ranch in Montana. When he’d dug Niyol’s final resting place on their secluded property, he’d had a vision. He saw Niyol dig a hole and bury an intricately carved box. Chance knew the location well because it was their secret place. Niyol would take him there for evening bonfires whenever he visited the ranch. At the time it didn’t mean anything to him but now Chance wondered if his grandfather wanted him to find the secret box that was entombed within the rocky soil in the clearing south of the homestead.

  “Well, I guess it’s time to start planning,” he mumbled to himself. He grabbed a piece of lined paper from the top drawer of his desk. Numbers were scrawled across it in jumbled clusters. For the past two and a half years, he had worked diligently at a local auto body shop. He’d bought some parts for his own pet project, an old Chevy truck, but he also had a nice nest egg saved up. If his calculations were correct, it would easily cover the cost of gas and food for a couple months. But if Ana came along as she’d threatened to, then they needed to find some more resources.

  His black cell phone lit up and started vibrating on the edge of his bed. Without hesitation, he reached over and answered. “Hey.”

  “How’s the planning coming?” Ana asked.

  “Okay. With my savings I think we can make a couple months on the road. But it’ll be tight. Mom did say a while back she was going to give me some money from Grandfather’s estate to help out with the trip, though.”

  “Well, thanks to Mom, I’ve had a couple of photography jobs. She can’t help but brag about me to all the locals who come through the bank so I have a little in savings. There’s also the check that Aunt Tera and Uncle Jace gave me at graduation. I haven’t used any of it except for what I used on Eva’s birthday present,” Ana said.

  “Good. We should be okay with money then. I just don’t know how long of a trip this’ll be. Grandfather gave me two years of training. I doubt that if I find Balam he’ll be all, yeah here’s the handbook, take care! Mom seems okay with me going away for a couple months while I look for Grandma’s side of the family. I don’t know how long I can stretch it out for.”

  Ana said in hushed tones, “I know what you mean. I’m not sure how to tell Mom I’m planning to go with you. Eva will be bummed.”

  “If you’re coming along, you need to understand this won’t be like a vacation. For all I know, we’ll be searching in the jungle. We won’t find Balam poolside at the Hyatt. We need to travel light. Get a backpack, the kind you can fit a lot of stuff into. Are you game?”

  He could hear Ana’s smile through the phone as she said, “Of course. I think it’ll be exciting.”

  “It’s time. I can’t wait any longer. I’m going to call George up at Grandfather’s ranch and let him know I’ll be coming through next week…and that I’ll have someone with me.”

  “So do you know where we’re going yet? Any road signs in your dreams?”

  “I wish. Not so easy. I know we need to head to the Yucatán Peninsula. But once we get there I just don’t know. I hope Grandfather left me some answers buried in that box because otherwise we may wind up lost and I’ll never find Balam. He’s probably dead, anyway. Why can’t any of this be easy?!” Chance’s fingers curled tightly around the phone and the plastic creaked under the pressure, reminding him to loosen his grip.

  “Hey, don’t think so negatively. Let’s just wait and see. Have faith.” Ana’s gentle voice calmed him. She was the only one who could do that. Chance’s thoughts settled on Ana’s words. Have faith. He supposed he would have to, because the sinking feeling in his gut made the hairs at the back of his neck raise. His instincts were clear. He was in danger.

  Chapter 4

  Ana stretched her feet onto the dashboard and let the sun warm her toes. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The passing fields and forests went unseen while the rumble from the van’s engine served as white noise as she fell asleep.

  After driving the first coupl
e of hours, she had switched over to the passenger seat. Chance seemed more than happy to drive, even though it wasn’t his precious truck. Days ago, they had decided to use Ana’s van rather than Chance’s Chevy truck. Although Ana’s VW camper was brightly colored and loud as a lawn mower, it had the living space they needed for their trip. Equipped with a simple kitchen and table, it was also perfect for camping out, if necessary.

  Ana was exhausted. Saying goodbye to her mother and sister had been emotionally draining. Eva didn’t want to see her go, and cried as they rolled off the driveway. Her mom had stayed in the house. She was too angry at Ana for ignoring her wishes. Melissa didn’t want her daughter to leave. Although months had passed since the doctors gave Ana a clean bill of health, Melissa hadn’t trusted it, even though the evidence was clear. Ana was upset that her mother couldn’t understand how important it was to her to go and explore the world now that her heart was healed. She decided she would call her tomorrow and try to smooth things over. Ana steadied her breathing and closed her eyes.

  A catnap was just what Ana needed to relax and unwind. She was free. Free from the constraints of her health condition. Free from school and responsibility. She was finally free to do what she wished. The whir of the pavement below them served as a lullaby. While her mind let go and began to soar in her dreamland, a soft grin touched her lips.

  Pine trees dotted the grass-carpeted valleys below as she glided in the sky. A warm breeze combed through her feathers, caressing the contours of her lean, light form. She was where she belonged. It felt good being so close to the stars and heavens. Soon, the soft, familiar feeling of flying began to fade.

  For only a moment, she was unsure of where she was. Then, she recognized her nighttime observatory, her special place to gaze at the evening stars and the spot where Chance had revealed his most impressive form yet, the thunderbird.

  She was as at home here as she was in her room, or possibly even more comfortable. Pines clustered together and swayed like a mother soothing a child. The open expanse presented countless glimmering stars. Her thoughts clouded and the dark angular shapes around her fell away. Now only a foggy gloom surrounded her and she grew anxious.

  Where’d the stars go?

  As confusion overtook her, a melodic sound calmed her nerves. Birdsong unlike anything she had ever heard filled the air. The gloom lifted and she was standing on a rocky shore of a lake with her toes in glacial water. A chill ran up her spine as a breeze blew past her.

  I am here for you, Ana.

  “My love. Time to wake up.”

  Ana jolted awake and she momentarily had the sense she was falling. Her hands flew out and gripped the closest things to her: Chance and the dashboard. Her surroundings were filtered through a sleepy fog. The sun was low in the sky, getting closer to the mountains in the west. Chance had her door open and was leaning inside with his hand on her shoulder. He snickered at her reaction and gave her a kiss on the lips.

  “We’re here.”

  “What? How long was I out for?” Ana stretched her arms and yawned. A fetid smell blew in from the open door and she quickly raised her hand to her nose, crinkling her face. “That smells fresh.”

  “Get used to it. This is a cattle ranch. Soon, you won’t even smell it.”

  “Do you smell it?” she asked.

  “Oh, yeah. No getting by my animal senses.”

  He held his hand out to her and she slipped out of the van. A soft breeze blew across the prairie. It picked up some loose strands of Ana’s hair and moved them across her face, tickling her nose. After getting past the pungent whiff of cattle, she took in the ranch.

  There was a large log cabin to their right and a thin man was walking down the front steps to greet them. He had on a wide brimmed cowboy hat that dwarfed his small head and covered most of his gray hair. His worn leather boots scuffed the dirt as he walked.

  “Chance, it’s been too long.” He held his calloused hand out to Chance, who gave it a firm shake.

  “Hey, George. Nice seeing you. I see you’ve kept the place up. Looks good.” Chance turned to survey the property. Ana thought it was to cover up his quivering cheek.

  George’s face grew serious and he toed the dirt. “Well, thanks. I do my best without Boss around. He knew this land better than any ‘un. It’s too bad he’s gone.”

  They stood in silence for a minute. Ana watched the men out of the corner of her eye as they stood like statues, not wanting to crack. Chance’s soft hand found hers and she gave it a reassuring squeeze.

  “So, George. I’d like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Ana.”

  “Well, hello. I’ve heard about you.” He punched Chance’s shoulder playfully and winked at Ana. “Well, why don’t ya’ come on in, I’ve got some beef stew on the stove, and your bedrooms are all ready.”

  “Mmm, sounds good. I am pretty hungry,” Ana said.

  “Well, you may have a different opinion after a couple nights of it.” George laughed. “It’s my best recipe, but only one of a handful.”

  “No need to apologize. I’m no critic.” She eagerly entered the house and took a deep breath, taking in the delicious smell of beef stew, which she considered a vast improvement to the aroma outside. George disappeared through a doorway into what Ana figured was the kitchen.

  The cabin was homey and rustic, immediately putting her at ease. She recognized a familiar shape woven onto a tapestry that hung from the wall. The thunderbird. Ana reached out and touched it gently, the scratchy wool brushing her fingertips. Beside her, Chance tensed up, then retreated to the corner of the living room and gazed out a large, paned window.

  “What is it, Chance?” Ana wandered over, slipped her arms around him, and nuzzled her head against his back.

  “Smells like him here.”

  Ana breathed in deeply, recognizing Niyol’s scent, a musky fragrance mixed with something else—cinnamon. She closed her eyes and was comforted. “Everything will turn out fine, I just know it.”

  With Ana’s arms wrapped around him, Chance tried desperately to think that but instead, the same worrisome fear that had plagued him earlier crept into his chest and he scanned the horizon from the window. Finches perched in nearby branches, flit to the ground in search of food. A singular fence lizard crept along the wooden sill and stopped in a sunny patch to warm itself but kept its eyes on Chance’s silhouette behind the glass…

  Chapter 5

  The sun had barely kissed the plains on the horizon when soft taps at Ana’s door woke her. Not ready to meet the day yet, she squeezed her eyes tight and hoped the sound was only a dream. When the rapping at her door came again, she groaned and it swung open to reveal Chance, dressed and ready to go.

  “You’re not up yet?”

  Ana yanked the sheets over her, immediately thinking about her bed head and disheveled appearance. “Give me a minute, I’m not presentable.”

  A loud snort sounded and then footsteps. He gently coaxed the sheets back down and looked at her. Chance smoothed her stray hairs, cupped her face in his hands and gazed into her eyes.

  “Why are you so shy around me? Nothing can hide your true beauty.” He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers. After a minute, he slowly pulled away from her, letting his fingers trace her jaw and neck.

  Ana frowned, clearing her throat. “Nice try at distracting me. I’d like to believe you, but I know what I look like and it isn’t pretty. You ready to head out already? Do I have time for a shower?”

  Chance’s face fell. It was clear he was thinking about the time he’d lose waiting for her to get ready. She reconsidered and said, “Oh, never mind. I probably don’t need one. I won’t even be able to smell myself with all of those cow patties out there. I’ll just get on some jeans and run a brush through my hair. But can we get something to eat before we take off? I’m starved.”

  Chance grimaced once more but when Ana slipped out of bed wearing an oversized t-shirt and nothing else, he seemed to forget about his irritation. Th
e bottom of the shirt brushed her legs mid-thigh and his eyes lingered on her bare skin. Ana folded her arms and waited for him to look up.

  “Sorry.” With visible effort, he forced his eyes away and studied the bookcase beside the bed instead. Ana slipped on a pair of jeans and momentarily questioned leaving the private room for a bright sunny pasture filled with manure. After pulling on a gray sweatshirt, she grabbed her brush and gave her hair a quick onceover.

  “Okay, I’m presentable for livestock now.”

  Chance rushed to hold the door open for her. As they quietly wandered through the hallway, noises from the kitchen met their ears.

  “Guess we aren’t the only ones up,” Chance said.

  The smell of bacon and eggs filled the house and Ana couldn’t ignore the thoughtful gesture from their host or her bellowing stomach. She glanced at Chance, who seemed almost disappointed he had to stop to eat. He wasn’t one for patience.

  “Hey there, kids. I heard you so I thought I’d make a proper breakfast.” George winked at Ana and added, “Another recipe I do well. That only leaves griddle cakes, sausages and hash browns. The only things I know how to cook. I’ve always said, if you’re gonna do something, do it well.”

  As Ana sat down, George put a plate of food in front of her. It smelled delicious. The eggs were still steaming from the griddle and a large pile of hash browns were flecked with crunchy bits of bacon.

  “Looks good. Thanks, George,” Ana said.

  “Breakfast of champions. Protein, best thing for ya’.”

  “Oh, George,” said Chance, eyeing the steaming food, “I left that paperwork on the coffee table in the living room. Mom wanted me to tell you how much we appreciate you continuing to manage the ranch. There’s no one we’d rather take care of the business.” George nodded, leaned against the counter and struck his feet out in front of him.