The clearing was large, holding a good hundred small huts. In the center of the clearing stood a much larger, grander hut that stood higher off the ground. A porch was on the front. A man stood there with a woman, a young girl, and Dragon. The rest of the tribe made a semicircle around the clearing from the hut.

“It has been so long since we have been blessed with the visiting of a Speaker,” the man on the porch said in a thundering voice, “and now we have two. Introduce them, Tigress.”

She nodded and introduced first Senar, then Vell, before the tribe gave their warm greetings. The leader told Tigress to bring them up to the porch and she did so as the crowd broke up. A man took their horses to a corral as they climbed the steps to the porch.

“It is good to have Speakers here again,” the man told them. “Almost eighteen years have passed since the last one. I am Cougar, the tribe leader.”

Vell and Senar nodded to him as to honor his status. Cougar was about six feet tall and wore a sleeveless white robe. His skin was tan. There was a bit of gray in his dark brown hair and his eyes were hazel. His face was shaven.

“My wife is Unicorn,” he said, motioning to the woman with him.

She smiled and nodded to them. Her skin was paler than everyone else’s. Her golden hair was pulled back to show her pale blue eyes. She was about medium height and wore a thin dress of pale blue and white.

“You have met Tigress and Dragon I know,” Cougar continued. “Our youngest is not yet named for she cannot Shift for another three years. She is only seven.”

Vell looked at the girl who nodded respectfully to them. Not to have a name until ten years of age seemed unfair to her.

“Father, Dragon, I wish to speak with you inside with the Speakers,” stated Tigress.

Her sudden request caught everyone off guard.

“Of course,” Cougar replied.

He led them into the hut. The walls were wood, sticks really. Through one doorway Vell could see a room of beds. Another doorway was sealed with a door. Cougar had them sit on benches in the small sitting room. The poorly built wooden floor creaked beneath them and Vell almost feared it would cave in.

“Begin, Tigress,” Cougar ordered when they were all seated.

The girl swallowed. “You must believe that I did this only to help someone who is dear to me,” she said quietly, looking at her father and brother. “It may have been for the good or bad, I am not yet sure.”

“Quickly,” Dragon demanded.

“I told the Speakers about Dragon and Doe,” Tigress said in a rush.

“You what?” exclaimed Dragon. He stared angrily at his sister, his hands clamped tightly to the edge of the bench.

Vell watched nervously. Senar sat next to her and she could feel the unease that held him as well.

“They may be able to help,” Tigress said defensively.

“That was personal,” hissed Dragon through clenched teeth. “I ought to singe you alive!” His eyes were like knives, piercing invisibly into his sister.

“I was-”

“I am leaving,” he announced, cutting his sister off and rising to his feet.

Cougar grabbed his son’s wrist to stop him. “Sit,” he ordered. “She may have done the right thing.”

“The solution lies with Doe.”

Vell didn’t know which Spirit had just spoken to them, but she was thankful for it. She and Senar both repeated the message at the same time. The three Shifters stared at them until they explained about what just happened.

“So how can you help?” Dragon questioned reluctantly.

“I think I know,” Vell said quietly.

The evening sun was warm in the open clearing. Vell took a nervous breath and knocked on the hut door. A young woman not too much older than her opened the door. She wore a thin tan dress. Her light brown hair was pulled back from her deep brown eyes. She was exactly Vell’s height, her skin tan as everyone’s.

“May I help you?” she asked, bowing her head. “Your name is Vell, correct?”

Vell nodded. “You are Doe?”

She nodded. “I am.”

Vell took a deep breath to relax herself. “Tigress sent me to speak with you.”

Doe’s face became concerned. “Come in.”

The hut was smaller than the one she had just come from. It had just one room with a bed in one corner and a bench in another. A bit of sewing sat on a small table against one wall. A few herbs hung from the ceiling while some candles burned within the room to give off faint lighting. Vell sat on the bench as Doe closed the door and sat across from her on the bed.

“Please begin,” the young woman pleaded.

Vell nodded. “Tigress asked me to talk to you, as I already said. She’s concerned about her brother.”

Doe nodded. “I know.” Tears began to fill her eyes.

“You can tell me what is wrong,” Vell said softly. She reached over and took the Shifter’s hand.

“I’ve let everyone down,” Doe whispered. “The least I can do is admit to it.”

Vell waited as she wiped her eyes.

“I never meant for this to happen,” her voice was no longer a whisper. “I don’t know who I can go to.”

“What do you mean?” Vell asked in concern.

“I am pregnant,” Doe replied, sobbing, “and the father isn’t Dragon.”

Vell had to bite her lip to keep from showing surprise.

Doe took a moment to control her tears and continued. “When I was younger Dragon and another man, Bear, had shown a good deal of interest in me. Then Bear slowly started to become interested in someone else and Dragon and I became very close. I knew he’d want to wed me, and I started to become scared. I didn’t want to be the leader’s wife while I was so young. As my fifteenth birthday grew closer, I became more frightened. I went to my mother, she’s the village healer. I told her how I was feeling about everything and she gave me something. It was an herb to keep me from becoming pregnant.

“Three months ago I realized what I was doing to him. He was becoming more upset almost every night. I decided to stop using my mother’s herb and allow myself to be his wife. I had to wait a month after I stopped taking the herb, so I asked if we could allow ourselves time to relax, suggesting that it might help. Dragon agreed. He still comes every night, but only to talk. We spend the night talking and he leaves in the morning.

“About a month ago, I decided to say we were relaxed, but something else happened. Mother wanted me to pick some herbs for her that can only be found at night.” Tears spilled from her eyes again. “As I walked through the forest, Bear found me. He didn’t hesitate, just... attacked me.” Sobs shook her. “The child’s his. I don’t want to marry Bear. I don’t know how to tell Dragon what happened. I’m afraid of what he’ll say or do. But I have to tell him sometime.”

Vell squeezed Doe’s hand in shock. She glanced at the slowly opening door, then back to the Shifter. “If he truly loves you, he’ll understand.”

“I’m afraid,” she repeated through her sobs.

Vell nodded to Dragon as he sat down beside Doe. She released Doe’s hand as Dragon took her in his arms. “Don’t be,” he whispered.

“You heard,” Doe sobbed.

“Everything,” he replied.

“You’re not angry?”

“With you? No,” he reassured her. “I’m angry with Bear. I will do all that I can to punish him for what he’s done to us.”

“I lied to you, Dragon,” she whispered.

He nodded. “You should have just told me that you wanted to wait.”

“I was afraid to,” Doe explained. “I thought you might leave me.”

Vell smiled and, nodding to them, stood and left.

“I never would have done that,” she heard Dragon tell Doe.

Once on the hut’s porch, Vell sighed and leaned against the side of the hut. She closed her eyes and tried to shut out everything that she had just heard.

“Are you all right after all of that?”

Vell smiled at Senar, not opening her eyes. “You had the easy task.”

“They both had to be about the same,” he told her. “I almost had to hold him down at first so that he wouldn’t storm in and hit her. As she told the story he started to feel so guilty.”

“That was an incredibly disturbing story to hear,” she stated and he agreed.

“They’re coming,” he said, squeezing her shoulder and she opened her eyes.

“That was an awful trick,” Doe said, eyes red from crying. “Thank you.”

Vell smiled. “You’re welcome.”