'What? Esu, the Lord of the Forest?'

  "I-I'm not s-sure I understand, g-great mother." A half-truth. My head swirled with questions, and my confusion wasn't feigned. ‘Why couldn't they decide? Why calling…’

  "What's wrong, girl? Talk to me."

  "D-Deckard, I think…I think they want to call the Lord of the Forest."

  He nodded, low and slow, humming like he had been waiting for this, even letting out a relieved sigh. 'Had he gone mad, or had I missed something?'

  ?Esu will know your fate.? The mother mossbear rumbled again, her voice like thunder rolling through my bones. ?He will know the fate of humans.?

  "T-They want him to decide what to do with me and what to do with all of you," I hastily translated, my voice shaky, the thought of facing an even more powerful beast tying knots in my chest.

  "Keep it together, girl. Believe it or not, dealing with Esu is the better option."

  "S-Seriously?"

  "Seeker’s honor.” That didn't sound very convincing. But Deckard quickly continued, “Of course, I would prefer to avoid this whole mess, but old as they are, these mother mossbears tend to be quick to make their judgment. Traiana forbids you to tell them. The Lord of the Forest, on the other hand, is not a Lord of the Forest for no reason. He is much older, much stronger and a lot more willing to listen."

  "He is? Oh, o-okay." The thought of meeting an old, sensible, kindly beast was easier to bear. But before I could settle into that thought, the mother mossbear left me breathless.

  ?You call him. Let him hear who you are.?

  'Huh? What? No! No, no, no, no. No, Way! I must have heard wrong!'

  ?M-M-Me??

  "D-Deckard, they… they want me to call him."

  "Can you?"

  "No! I’ve already tried! H-He didn’t come. T-They did."

  "Then tell them. Tell them you’re weak. Just for the love of Traiana, don't try to do something you know you can't do. They'd think you are stupid, useless - I've seen it happen. Show them that you know your worth - wasn't that the point of what you said before?"

  'B-Before?' Ah, the kneeling. Right. There was nothing wrong with having pride, but one should know her limits and act accordingly.

  ?Yes, you.?

  "I-I… I’m too w-weak, great mother. My v-voice will not reach him. I have tried."

  "Him? What the FUCK are you talking about, wench?" Shadow Thief barked in a whisper, his gaze sharp on the beasts. "Deckard! What’s she going on about?"

  ?You are, indeed. Will help you.?

  My ears twitched as confusion clawed at me. 'Help me? How? With what? Howling?' Before I could ask, the moss shifted, rising like a tide to wrap around my legs, creeping up my back, and curling over my head. To say it scared the shit out of me, how creepy it was, would be an understatement.

  "B-Brace yourself, Vara," I managed to choke out to the guardswoman just before a surge of the strangest sensation ripped through me, stealing my breath.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  "What, why? Oh, fuck my tits, not again," Vara groaned, catching on fast. So did Elira.

  As for me, I couldn’t help but raise my head, sitting up, my back arching against the rush. It was unlike anything I had ever known. Like I was... connected to the forest itself. There was no better way to put it. Much like how I could perceive the world around me through my domain, I could feel every plant in the forest, far and wide. Not the whole forest, of course, and I certainly couldn't see everything that was going on under the treetops as in my domain. But still, it was overwhelming. Incredible.

  'Is this how all the mossbears saw the forest?' If so, why did I even bother with my might? No, there had to be some kind of limit - something stopping them from using it whenever they pleased. Otherwise, why bother with me calling the Lord of the Forest? It just wouldn't make sense.

  ?You see woods??

  "Y-Yes," I breathed, my eyes darting about as I struggled to digest what I was seeing. There was so much, every corner of the forest, though bare to the eye, teeming with life. Even this scorched earth around us was still holding some.

  ?Then get ready to call.?

  ‘Shit! Shit, shit shit!’

  "Deckard, I need to shift," I told him through the ring and gave in to the wildness slumbering within me. Patches of my fur and feathers spread a bit. My hair had grown in length, my hands covered a fine fur wholly, and my feet turned into paws. But the real change wasn’t what I looked like. It was the forest - it hummed through me, alive and waiting. I could see farther, and... I knew I could bend nature to my will with a single thought.

  The pull to test it burned in me, but the revulsion burned hotter, holding me back from doing something I sure would regret.

  'Was this how the thought fuddlers felt? Unable to resist the urge to shape the minds of others to their will?' Even if they were, I couldn’t care. No excuse could forgive what they did - vile, every last bit of it. Unforgivable.

  ‘What about mossbears, then?’ some small voice nagged, ‘aren’t they just as bad, shaping plants like they do?’

  ?You smell more like a cub now,? the mother mossbear grunted, her breath warm and earthy as it brushed over me. The doubts I had clung to slipped away, smothered by the weight of the task lying before me. ?Prepared to call??

  "Y-Yes, great mother," I said, failing to get the dread out of my voice.

  ?Then call.?

  Even braced as I was, I didn’t expect the surge of energy flooding into me. It came from everywhere, crashing through my body. The connection to the forest… well, it wasn’t just a mere connection - it was a fire, waking my beast side in ways I couldn’t control. I felt… unstoppable. More alive than I had ever been, even as a human. Every part of me screamed to run, to tear through the woods and feel the earth beneath my feet. And the pride - tits, the pride. It swelled in me, so fierce, so big, it made my chest ache. I wanted to roar, to show everyone who I was.

  ?CALL! Call Esu!? The growl of the mother mossbear shook my bones, pushing me past the breaking point. Without thinking, I bellowed, my voice rising in a single mighty roar.

  ?ROAR!!!!?

  'Esu, come and see me!' The roar carried it all - my struggles, my joy, my yearning for home, for family. It tore out of my throat with a force like never before, so wild and so untamed. It felt as if I had become the beast itself. And my might? Where before it felt like my body was turning inside out, the energy draining out of me, now I was vast, my energy expanding outward without end. The very air trembled around me, the earth shifting beneath my feet. Even my pack groaned in protest as the weight of it bore down on them.

  "W-What the FUCK is she?" hissed the shadow-thieving male, his voice trembling with fear and disbelief. He wasn’t alone in his shock. Every human, animal and even the young mossbears had grown wary of me. Well, everyone except Deckard - truly a man deserving of being my mate.

  'Oh, for fuck's sake stop it!'

  "You sure are growing on me, girl," he said through the link of human tools, his tone casual, yet laced with awe - a spark that made my chest swell with pride. "I swear, for a moment you felt like a five hundred sigil beast."

  ‘F-Five hundred? That’s… Shit! Not now Sage!’ I screamed at my tail, daring to leave the safety of my legs and wagging happily behind me.

  ?Good call.? Much to my relief, the mother mossbear didn't seem to mind. In fact, oddly enough, I found her praise even more gratifying. ?Esu will hear.?

  'Will he?' Despite the breathtaking might of my roar, I couldn't help but doubt. Just because he heard me didn't mean he was going to answer. Yet such doubts melted away with the next beat of my heart. With my voice still echoing among the trees in the distance, a new roar rose out from the heart of the forest in response.

  ?ROooooaaarrrrrRRR!!!?

  There were no words, no might, yet, like a wave, it surged through Esulmor, shaking the trees with its force. All who heard it understood: the Lord of the Forest had acknowledged my call.

  He was coming.