Chapter 451 Almost Home  

~ LHARS ~

It was hard to move at first, then impossible not to. He was going home. To his new home. To the arms of his mate. And he had to make certain she was safe.

Mind fixed on her in the safe place, her surrounded by other Chimera and waiting for him, in this land that none of them knew, but where the humans could never reach them, Lhars stumbled forward, then as the Gateway blazed with blue-white light to guide him, he sprinted through.

He wasn't sure how long he ran, but he knew when the Gateway urged him around a turn and into a side-tunnel towards a gateway.

Heart pounding with excitement and fear in equal measure, he sprinted down the short tunnel and launched himself through the gateway—straight some of the freshest air he'd ever smelled as he tumbled out of the gateway—which had opened about ten feet into the air—and dropped to the leaf-strewn dirt.

He'd had to catch himself, so he stayed crouched for a moment as the Gateway closed above his head and he took in his new surroundings.

He was in a forest. A lush forest, thick with greenery and damp with recent rain, though there was no water in the air now. To his right, a massive tree loomed far overhead, to wide to see around without moving. Ahead and to his left, many more trees—trees, and vines, underbrush.

He'd made an awkward grunt when he landed and the forest was quiet nearby. But he could hear the leaves in the canopy overhead rustling in a fresh breeze.

His furs weren't needed. This place was far warmer than Thana, and as he straightened, looking in every direction for Kyelle and the others, Lhars began to unbutton his fur jacket.

Underneath he wore the black uniform of the team. The temptation was there to rip it off and never set eyes on the thing again. But he didn't know what he would face in this world, so he forced himself to keep it on, folding the fur over his arm as he turned a circle, taking it all in. Thick, leathery leaves, larger than his hand—peppered both the trees, and the dirt. But apart from this difference—there were no pines to be seen, only large, leafy green trees—the forest felt like a familiar landscape. Perhaps flatter than Thana, but no less wild.

Yet, where were his people? Where was his mate? He'd asked to be taken to them, but he saw nothing.

As if the forest answered his unspoken question, a breeze lifted in the trees overhead and the leaves applauded him—and brought with that fluttering of air, the most delicious scent known to Lhars.

"Kyelle," he breathed and turned to face the wind, trotting into it immediately.

Following that scent for a bare minute—the wind growing stronger as the trees became more widely spaced and more sunlight began to filter between them, he circled another large tree to find a clearing beyond filled with dozens of bodies.

He froze, just for a moment, to be absolutely certain.

But his heart was singing.

Fifty feet away, Chimera clustered in groups and handfuls, some in families or packs, others in pairs of friends or mates.

There had to be over one hundred of them there already, and more like himself, filtering in from every side.

Even as he watched, half a dozen different males stepped out from between the trees, cautiously testing the air, before rushing forward to be greeted and embraced, sharing scents.

Lhars started forward too, his heart pounding.

They'd done it. They'd really done it!

Then his name came alive in his mind and he snapped his head to the left to find Kyelle, gaping at him from between two males who'd been talking to her, their backs to Lhars. He shifted immediately and ran, galloping the distance between them, his furs ripping off as his body became something other, though the black clothing stretched with him.

Then he was human again and catching Kyelle, who threw herself into his arms, weeping with joy and saying his name over and over, in his head and with her mouth—

that beautiful mouth—those soft lips, that tongue that he tasted immediately, whimpering with need for her.

"You made it! You made it! Thank the Creator!" Kyelle sobbed against his lips, clinging to him and wrapping her legs around him.

*****

An hour later, Lhars stood, dumbfounded.

Over two hundred of the Chimera had reached them, and several of the hunters were already out scouting for others who might have forgotten to focus on being brought to Kyelle. Lhars hadn't left her side, though he'd been forced to remember that he was her second and had responsibilities here as well.

Kyelle had been focused on keeping the females calm and surrounded by safe males since they didn't yet know what predators were in this place. But he was indulging himself, holding her hand, or leaving a hand on her back when she had to turn away. And she'd called for everyone to come to her as needed, keeping him close to her side.

Every word they heard from the scouts only raised their spirits.

No scent of human anywhere.

Some creatures, but so far nothing beyond the smaller mammals they would use for food, and a few of the Creatures from Thana.

Just quarter of a mile from the clearing, a river ran through the forest, following the line of the mountains to the south. Mountains lined them on three sides, but Lhars wouldn't have cared if they'd been surrounded by rock as long as food and water sources existed, and the lack of human presence was confirmed.

He was so distracted by both his mate, and his duties, it took him over an hour to ask Kyelle if he was the last one through.

She dropped her chin and shook her head. "Not unless... unless some others were dropped somewhere far away. But everyone seems to be coming to this general area."

Lhars frowned. "Who isn't back yet?"

Kyelle rubbed his arm and looked at him with sympathetic eyes that just made him frightened.

"Zev and Sasha," she said quietly. "We haven't seen or smelled either of them yet."