Mariana felt her muscles relax,all the tension that had built up eased into nothing. Her consciousness merged with the spirit she heard take over. She looked down at her hands,hair was sprouting from her skin. Her fingers which usually had beautifully manicured nails,now had long claws.
She looked back at the hand that touched her face before and saw the same thing. Infront of her stood a magnificent looking lion. She now accepted what was happening and before long she was standing on all fours.
It felt weird at first because it was like it's her,but it's not. She could feel it was not her controlling her own body. It felt like being in the passenger seat of a car,you can see what's happening but it's not you driving. She was not in control of her own limbs.
Then suddenly she heard a voice in her head,"hi Mariana ,it's nice to finally meet you. My name is Nigist,your spirit lioness, don't be afraid of me. We are one now."
Mariana was lost for words 'how did it do that?' Mariana thought and as if she heard her Nigist answered "we are telepathically connected you can talk to me anytime."
"So can I,hallo Mariana!" Another voice said. It was deep,and from the look she got from the lion standing in front of her,it must have been him.
"Who are you?" Mariana asked him.
Instead of answering ,the lion licked her face and she felt Nigist pur. 'This is so weird,wait,was that a kiss?' Mariana thought. Next thing she knew the lion was nudging her body,as if urging her to stand up and move. He then turned around and faced the witnesses and he roared.
The sound of it was so powerful that Mariana felt like running away,but since it was Nigist in control,she just lowered her head in a bow. When she looked up at the humans around them,she noticed they had all gone down on their knees in respect.
Mariana heard the lion say "come forward my queen,by my side is where you are supposed to be." Nigist moved forward and stood next to the lion and they both roared.
We often hear of stories about were-wolves,but who would have ever thought that were-lion is something that could actually exist.
The lion brushed it's head against Nigist and Mariana could actually feel the softness of its huge mane. She saw him run forward and as if waiting for someone,he turned around to face Nigist who was still standing in the same spot.
Mariana felt the lioness walk forward slowly as if testing the steadiness of her feet,and after she was assured that she was strong enough,it turned to a steady jog. The two animals ran disappearing among the bushes and tall trees.
Mariana could feel the wind,the brushing of branches on her fur coat. She could hear and smell things that no human senses could. She picked up the pace and ran past the lion who was running besides her. The lion pounced on her and she tumbled.
He was now towering over her,he had a huge body and his face was covered by a huge mane. Mariana felt scared but Nigist wasn't. She could smell his sent and somehow it excited her. Then he did it again...he licked her face,her mouth and then he went down to her neck and sniffed her.
"Your scent is so captivating Mariana,I like it a lot." Mariana knew he was using the mind link thing to talk to her.
"Who are you?" Mariana asked him.
"My name is Branden,leader of the Tewodros Tribe ,my lion's name is Negus. Its nice to finally meet you my queen."
Mariana tried to move away,but Branden held her still. " Are you scared of me my queen?" He asked.
"Kind of ,I don't know you." Mariana answered.
"But your lioness isn't scared of me,infact it's like it wants something else." Branden said with amusement in his voice.
Mariana wondered what he meant but then she could feel Nigist waging her tail. 'this is so embarrassing ' Mariana thought,she would have face palmed if she could. Negus moved away from her and he stood at a distance,waiting for Nigist to get up.
The two lions then went back to walking side by side,going back in the direction of the house. Mariana boldly asked"Why do I feel like I know you,even though you just told me your name and we just met?"
"It's much more complicated,I can only tell you that it's destiny and fate that joined us together even before we knew of each other's existence.
Mariana didn't get the answer she wanted so instead she continued with more questions. She asked him if this was his first shift,how he knew where to find her,where he was from and so on. After a little while of walking,they stopped and both slept under a tree. Negus's body was laying close to Nigist,he had his head on her shoulder.
It looked so natural.
****
Everyone who was left behind now stood up to watch this incredible fenominal. Their King and queen had risen and they were together,as it should be.
"That was incredible,who was that?" Jennifer asked Melissa.
"I don't know,but from the interaction we have seen from Mariana,that must be her mate,the other lion she is destined to be with." Melissa answered.
Nobody had seen Branden coming in. Unknown to anyone,he had been observing Mariana struggle with her shift. He could feel her agony and he couldn't take it anymore. As he also felt the pull of the full moon,he decided to go to her so that they could shift at the same time. How poetic.
"So how long will they stay as lions?" Jennifer asked. One of the elders responded this time round.
"As long as the moon is at its pick,or until they both decide to shift back."
Jennifer looked worried,even though Mariana had ran off with that lion,it was still a lion and Jennifer didn't trust it.