The Jaguar's Mate

PROLOGUE

Quechua (Inca language)-English

Killari-Moonlight

Olivia, 5 years old. sss Rainforest, Peru. Home

“NOOO NOOO NOOO STOOOOOOP!!” Olivia wakes from her sleep to a massive pressure in her chest and drenched in her own sweat. Her scream becomes a silent wail as her airways begin to tighten and terror takes hold. She hears the sound of little cries near her and distant footsteps that draw close. Olivia perceives the unmistakable presence of the one person that she fears more than the plundering pain in her body. With a single motion Olivia and her sibling’s room suddenly opens

“YOU LITTLE b***h NOT AGAIN!”. Olivia’s mother approaches the bed and grabs a hold of Olivia’s hair, pulling it so hard that she lifts Olivia, with her massive strength, she throws her small body through the door and out into the main living area. Olivia stands and begins to run towards the door that leads to the backyard, her short legs don’t get too far before a hand pushes her to the ground “shift NOW i***t!!” 

With one swift leap Olivia crosses the door, with the cracking of small and not yet well-developed bones, she shifts into her jaguar mid-air. The small jaguar-cub, Killari, can now breathe for both souls, the human and the jaguar. The cub looks around and mouths a weak roar, she feels the disturbance in the air and the smell of dread. 

It is poachers Olivia! On the east side of the river, near the nest we found yesterday. 

Killari continues to run towards the deep of the rainforest-the cub’s backyard. 

STOP Killari we can’t leave them! 

Killari turns back to the house and runs frantically to retrieve her siblings, this time she will take them before her mother can see. The Jaguar and the girl don't understand they can’t shift on their own yet. The Jaguar enters her room and shifts back to her human form, her airways are not constricted anymore but she still feels the pressure in her chest. 

“Tamara, Nico, hurry!! You only need a change of clothes, come on!” 

She pulls the three year olds’ out of the room and runs towards the same door she came from. 

“Where do you think you are going with them? This is your problem Olivia!” 

Olivia’s airways begin to close again while her lips begin to turn blue, she drops to the ground and falls on her knees. Tamara and Nico resume their crying while they cling to Olivia's own small body. 

“SHIFT idiota!!” her mom yells the command again and Olivia shifts, able to breathe once more but with the realization that the hasty plan didn’t work. Her mom shoves her out of the house and slams the door while mumbling, “don’t get too far and be quick”.

Olivia...don’t cry, maybe next time we will escape!

We can’t Killari… my body hurts too much and we can’t stay in your body. 

I know… One day Olivia! One day when we are big we will do it!  

Killari hesitates for a few seconds, but the pain intensifies so she bolts into the rainforest and sniffs the air. She follows the scent of man-made machines and she begins to feel a growing despair that leads her to the area where they found the nest yesterday. She hides behind a large tree and observes as two men load cages full of blue-birds into a truck. Olivia gasps in Killari’s mind 

Olivia! it's the Blue Macaw! Remember what abuela said about them! There are not many of those, we must take care of them because people steal them to put them in tiny cages and use their feathers. 

Killari waits until the men climb into the car, she runs as fast as she can and quietly jumps into the back of the truck. The birds watch her and begin to fret at the sight of the rainforest’s most powerful predator standing so close, the cub is already large enough to scare the birds. Killari growls a command and the birds begin to relax, she continues to chew on the lock in the first cage and though her teeth are small her jaw carries what will one day be a powerful bite. 

She moves to the second cage and chews it open faster, giving the command for the birds to fly out. As the birds fly away, the fast-moving car halts to a stop, sending Killari into the air. She falls on all fours and turns with a snarl, the poachers point a gun at her but she runs, getting lost in the dense green of the jungle floor. She loses them with no trouble. 

She returns home and shifts back, she knows the door will be locked but tries anyways. She is not surprised when it doesn’t open, so she circles to the front and peaks through the window that looks into her room, she signals her siblings that she is back. They wave and settle in bed, relieved to see her return. Olivia returns to the back door and grabs her outdoor blanket. Her mother said people must not see her sleeping at the front door, it is not proper. She snuggles on the dirt and the lights inside turn off. Olivia is glad to breathe again. 

...

Olivia, 18 years old this day. sss Rainforest, Peru. Home

Olivia sat on the edge of her bed and looked around her room. She had slept there for 18 years, taken beatings, screams, insults and felt a constant suffocating feeling. She decided she wouldn’t miss falling asleep on top of a pillow soaked with her tears. She packed the last t-shirt in her small backpack and grabbed the two other bags.

She walked out the back door and waited for her brother and sister to return from their run. Since they were twins they couldn’t shift separately, they had tried countless times and always failed. This was the first time Olivia was able to command their shift and hold it by herself, she decided it felt weird but it wasn’t hard. 

She stared into the green of the jungle and saw the leaves of the white-flowering bush in front of her move, her heart rate started to increase, she was sure her mother wouldn’t be back for days, she had spent most of her time on jaguar form for the last year. Olivia was about to shift when a 190-pound black jaguar jumped out of the bush and knocked her down, landing on top of her. She slid her right arm over her chest under the jaguar’s front legs and brought her arm back to its right side. She caused the jaguar to lose its balance and fall on its side. 

She climbed on top of it and growled, “RIO! It's not funny you i***t! I thought you were Sandra!!!”. 

Rio, Nico’s jaguar began licking Olivia’s arm lovingly. 

“Owwww Ouuuch!! your tongue is raspy dumbass, shift back”. Olivia stood up and Rio, the large jaguar looked at her with love in his eyes and what seemed like a smile. Rio gave Nico control back, and he shifted to his human form. 

He began to get dressed, “You know what Olie? My jaguar will be bigger soon and you won't be able to boss me around” Olivia rolled her eyes, but her heart skipped a beat, Nico’s jaguar was near his full size and close to reaching s****l maturity, the s*x-drive dampeners didn’t settle him down completely. 

“Nico…you know that jaguars have no hierarchies, we are all dominant. Either way, Killari might be a bit smaller but she is smarter” Olivia said with a smirk. 

Nico snorted and looked around. “Where the hell is she??” As Nico said it, a smaller jaguar strutted towards them. “Ohh the princess decides to honor us with her presence, we have been waiting for you madam” the sarcastic tone in Nico’s voice made Tamara’s jaguar, Perla, growl. 

“Alright enough let’s go” Olivia said while turning around and walking away. Her siblings followed her out into the road.

No one looked back.