I can hear them all around me. The hunters are following my trail. I look around, searching through the trees to try and see any of the people following me. Out of the corner of my eye I see movement. Instantly I hide behind the tree I'm next to, watching the human just 20 feet ahead of me. He looks around shining a flash light into the darkness that surround this forest. These human men dare try to kill an ancient like me? I can feel my lips quiver into a smirk. Being an ancient, I have power unimaginable. That power mixed with the fact that I am the daughter of the Celtic goddess, Morrigan, makes me very deadly. I take this into consideration along with the fact that these people need light to see in the dark. My smile widens. And yet I don't need light. The man shines his light in my direction. Unable to move into the darkness before the light hits me, he sees me and shoots. I crouch low to the ground my eyes never leaving the human man. My body begins to tremble and shake, my vision blurring with red. My mind enters a raging frenzy to teach these humans a lesson. The skin on my body is replaced with beautiful velvet black fur. My body takes on the form of my favorite animal. A large panther with bright shining green eyes, almost the size of a horse. I shake out my fur in happiness, having missed this form. My happiness is interrupted when I hear the humans yelling.
"Dang it! I missed her!" Hollers the man who shot at me. Immediately my hatred flares up again.
"Well look harder! We don't know what she could be now!" A man off in the distance yells back. I whip my head in his direction. I sniff the air, sensing he is farther away, but by the heat radiating off of him he seems larger then the man close to me. I let out a low growl. Too low for the men around me to hear. Getting into stealth mode I get low to the ground. I crawl towards the man closest to me, my hunger and rage mixing together in a deadly combination. Stupid human, I think to myself, You meant nothing to me and yet tonight you shall mean something to me at last. My meal...
I sneak up behind the man and pounce with a loud snarl. When I land on him a slight shock is sent through my body but I ignore it. I expected him to fight back but he doesn't instead he stares up at me smiling.
"I was wondering when I'd be able to see you in action." He says quietly. I look at him with confusion. Seeing he is no threat and will not hurt me I shift into a half human and half animal form.
"What?" I ask once I change forms. He watches me, his eyes full of awe. I study his expression sensing a bit of want form him. "Who are you?" I ask, demanding.
His smile becomes a grin. "I'm surprised that you couldn't tell who I am when that shock went through you." He looks me in the eyes. "I'm your soul mate." His words hit me hard. Soul mate?? I remember my mother once telling me that everyone is connected to another person. Could he really be my soul mate? I try hard to remember what my mother said were the signs. "A slight shock when first touching, a connection with minds, a feeling of closeness and safety, and a drawing feeling towards your soul mate" Is what she once told me.
I look down at him my eyes becoming wide as I see that he had changed into a form similar to mine but instead of a panther he was half jaguar. "How did you do that?" I ask as I look him over.
"Shift?" His eyebrows raise up. "I'm not human either Gealach. I'm a demigod too." When he uses my original name, goosebumps cover my body.
"Then who exactly are you?" I whisper softly. Why is my body acting so weird? He must really be my soul mate.
"I am Aigéan. My father is Barinthus, Celtic god of the sea. We are connected. The moon and the ocean, the Ying and the Yang, me and you. Without you I am nothing."