Chapter 8

Tearing through the woods, he ignored the startled rabbit that crossed his path.  He ignored the loud snapping beneath his paws; he ignored everything except for the anger that pounded against his mind. It spurred every step he took, fueled his stride.  He tried to get it under control, did whatever he could to tame it, but he knew without a doubt that if he were to see himself in the mirror, the leopard staring back wouldn't have the clear blue eyes he was known for.

A growl vibrated in his throat, and with no one near, he let it echo through the woods, sending birds flying from the trees above him.  His claws dug into the earth beneath him as he skidded to a stop.  The air around him pulsed with magic that was waiting to be released, but just like his anger, he fought to keep it down.  He couldn't afford to let it loose with his mind and emotions so clouded.  He couldn't allow himself to make that mistake again.

Digging his claws deeper into the ground beneath him, he forced his breathing to slow down, forced his body to calm where his mind could not.  Her face flashed in his mind, the pain that was etched around her mouth, the tears that had clouded her eyes, and the anger threatened to return in full force.  He didn't let it though. Instead, he remembered what could have happened if he hadn't have been stopped. 

He let another face flash through his mind, and knew that his anger wasn't directed at anyone other than himself.  He could have ruined what everyone had been fighting so hard for from the very beginning.  He could have ended their chances at finally having a true leader after almost two decades of chaos.  He could have hurt one of the only people who knew him, knew what he was and would still fight for him.

A shiver tore through his body, and with it, the last of his anger fell away.  He couldn't dwell on his actions.  Hell, he didn't want to think of why he had gone after Ally, because the feelings that had ruled him moments earlier were a part of the past, a past that existed long before the darkness surrounded his mind.

Sitting back on his hind legs, he stared up at the darkening sky above him and did something that he hadn't done in years, he welcomed the images that flashed through his mind, the images that reminded him of who he once was.  Sara was among those memories, as she always was, with her wide blue eyes and crazy hair.  He shook his head in amusement at the memory of those days where life for them had been easy, and their biggest worry was where the next job would bring them.  It was a time when he was young and stupid, when he had thought he was invincible, when the problems of the world weren't his to shoulder.

He knew better now.  Now that he had lived through the worse days of his life, had lived through the fear in Sara's eyes when she looked at him, had lived through his father's death, he knew better.  The weight of the world was on all of their shoulders, and the more power it gave you, the more weight it added.  He just hoped that he could hold it.  He prayed that he'd be strong enough for whatever was to come, because as much as he hated to admit it, the doubts were there.  If he couldn't control his anger now, how could he control himself when the time came for him to truly fight the biggest battle of his life?

"You're too hard on yourself."

Barron snapped his head around.  Crouching down, he growled at the newcomer.

Owen tilted his head to the side, a gesture that was more wolf than leopard.  "Growl all you want, big cat, but you don't scare me." Barron hissed, causing Owen to chuckle.  "Hell if I know why, but you don't."

Tensing his back legs, Barron waited for Owen to take a step forward before he pounced. The younger man stepped out of the way, but wasn't quite quick enough as he took a paw to one shoulder. Owen spun when the weight hit him, but by the time Barron turned back towards the man, a wolf was in Owen's place.  It stared at him for a moment before tilting its head up.  A mournful howl flew through the woods, and Barron echoed the noise with his own yowl.

As their calls quieted, Barron allowed the shift to take over, but he didn't rise from the ground.  "You're either stupid or brave to follow me after what happened in there."

The wolf tilted its head again, and Barron sent Owen a small smile. "It's safe to come out now. I have it under control."

Owen nodded his head, and Barron glanced away as the wolf's body convulsed and snapped until a man knelt where the wolf once was.  "I'd like to think I'm brave," Owen gasped as Barron turned back towards him, "but right now I'm leaning more towards stupid."

"I haven't seen anyone shift that quickly in a very long time."

"A benefit of having two animals in me at once." Owen flopped back, sitting with his legs crossed comfortably in front of him as he leaned back on his hands.  "It gives me a little more energy with shifts.  Hurts like hell though."  He paused for a moment, looking unsure to whether he should continue.  "You're shift was quicker."

"Magic," Barron explained with a shrug as he too made himself more comfortable on the dirt covered ground beneath them.

"That magic was how I found you.  How do you do it? How to you keep it from being unleased every time you get emotional?"

Barron stared at the hybrid in front of him, studying and seeing more than Owen meant for him to see.  "I have a feeling we aren't talking about me right now." He rolled is shoulder, remembering when Owen had thrown him to the ground. "Were you holding back earlier?" Owen nodded, and Barron kept his surprise to himself.  "Any magic?"

"Me?" Owen asked with a laugh.  "No, other than having two animals in my head that hate each other, I'm as normal as any shifter."

"The other hybrids, are they as strong as you?"

Again, Owen hesitated before shrugging.  "I've only really met Marcy, and while she's not as strong as me, she is faster."  Barron opened his mouth to ask more questions, but before he could, Owen blurted, "I want to find more of us."

"More?"

He nodded, excitement flashing in his eyes.  "I know there are more like me out there, hiding what they are because they fear what will happen if their secret is known.  I can feel it, Barron.  They're out there, waiting for us to find them." When Barron didn't say a word, Owen leaned forward.  "If I'm stronger than a normal shifter and Marcy is faster, what about the others out there.  Could you imagine if someone was a hybrid snow leopard, how powerful their abilities could be, how frightening it would be for them not to be able to control it?"

Barron's eyes flashed, and he knew they were back to their red color when Owen sat back on his hands once more.  "Somehow, you know that I can relate."

Owen nodded, not denying the statement.  "Ally and I train together.  She tries to control my wolf, and for that, she allows me to try to penetrate her mind barriers.  I saw you once.  I don't know exactly what you went through, but I knew that you'd understand what it was like."

"How much do you know?"

With a chuckle, Owen motioned towards Barron's head.  "Your hair looks like a Yin-Yang symbol. It wasn't hard for me to figure it out."  Barron's eyes narrowed.  "Your secrets are safe with me though. I promise."

"But?"

"But nothing.  If you'll help me out, thank you.  If you don't want to help, I still won't tell a soul."

Barron tilted his head, reflecting Owen's earlier movement.  "What exactly do you want from me?"

"I know they're out there, and I know once they see how I live here, an equal, they will welcome the chance to fight for Ally."

"I hear another but at the end of that sentence."

Owen shrugged his shoulders.  "I have no way to find them."

The light bulb went off in Barron's head just as the realization that he had been set-up flashed through his mind.  "That's why Sara was called in.  You all want to use her to find more like you.  You knew that her father wouldn't let her come out here if it was for that reason though, didn't you?" Owen nodded.  "You do realize that Ally planned this."

Again, Owen shrugged.  "She may have planned this to push you and Sara together again, but you can't deny that it's a damn good plan."

He nodded before stopping mid-motion to shake his head. "We'll need all the help we can get, but why can't you work with Sara?"

Barring his teeth, Owen growled.  "I don't like her."  When Barron raised an eyebrow in question, Owen explained.  "She abandoned her crew when the going got tough.  She has no loyalty."

Barron's entire body tensed as Owen's words settled.  "You weren't there that day," Barron whispered. "You didn't see what I was doing to those people."

"Did Ned leave you?" Owen whispered back.  "Did Drew, Tony, Adam, or Zeke bale on you?"

"Adam wasn't there," Barron protested, but he knew it was a weak protest.  The point was that none of the others had ran from him after that day.  None of the others had looked at him with such fear in their eyes after seeing how much power he truly had.  They hadn't abandoned him, not like Sara had.  He shook thought from his mind before it could take root.  "The others weren't right next to me as it was happening.  Hell, they didn't even see it until it was over."

"Would Ally have ran?"

The question stopped all of his protests, because they both knew the answer to Owen's question.  Ally wouldn't have ran.  She would have stuck by his side, doing whatever she could to protect him from himself.  "Not everyone had a life like Ally did.  Sara was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and a family that made sure that she knew how much she was loved. She didn't have to learn the hard way that every moment counts, that you can't run away from people because you could never really know when you'd see them again.  I don't blame her for how she reacted that day, and you shouldn't either."

Owen chuckled and shook his head in disbelief.  "You must really love her then, because if she would have done that to me, I doubt I'd be able to defend her like you are."

Rising to his feet, Barron shrugged.  "A lot of times, you can't help what you feel.  But," he continued, "you can learn not to allow it to take control."

Owen jumped to his feet with a nod.  "It's a lesson I'll have to work on, but for now, I think we'd both be better off if I could stay as far away from Sara as possible."

Barron stared at the younger man, not knowing whether he should chuckle or growl.  This scheme had Ally's name written all over it, but the problem was that it was a damned good scheme, one that could actually help them in the next couple of weeks.  Could he do it though? Was he ready for this step?  Could he spend every day around Sara, being reminded of how it had been when they worked together in the past?  Could he stand the tension that bounced between the two of them every time they came into contact?

He looked at the expectant expression on Owen's face and sighed. Even if he couldn't handle it, even if it was hard on him, he knew he couldn't turn the man down.  If there were other hybrids out there who needed their help, who was out of control as he once was, it was his duty to find them, to make sure they got the help that he had gotten when he was younger.

"Fine."

Owen stepped forward, and when he did, Barron turned his back on the man and began walking back towards the cabin.  "Wait!" Owen called out as he caught up to Barron.  "Does that mean you'll help?"

He slowly nodded, but before too much excitement could bloom on Owen's face, Barron held up a hand.  "We have to wait for my family to show up, and I want to make sure they'll be safe here.  And, I can't promise that I'll want to travel too far, not with what's going on right now, but I'll talk to Sara."

"That's all I'm asking," Owen mumbled with a large grin on his face.

Barron shook his head.  "If only you knew just how much you're asking, Owen.  If only you knew."