A terrible ache consumed her heart.

Happy Upcoming Gobble-Gobble Day, shapeshifter lovers.

I hope to have some good news about our to-be-released ShapeShifter Seductions free read, LOVE TO THE RESCUE, next week.

This week's flash scene is a continuation of the short story I began last week. The stars are Drev, a hunter with an unusual background... and his heroine, Keina Svonj, a winged horse with all manner of supernatural abilities.

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Chapter Two ~ Keina Svonj

Keina winged high above the immense, splendidly wild Montana valley. In her air horse form, she remained invisible to most beings.

As she sailed high above the majestic, Autumn-colorful landscape, Keina hoped to lift her spirits. A terrible ache consumed her heart, as if an evil dragon clawed it from her chest.  

She'd been banished for the fourth time from her home kingdom, the penalty six months of Earth time. Keina shuddered from her horse muzzle to the tip of her long flowing tail, tormented by her memory of the King's austere, scowling countenance atop his richly decorated, long, official robes as he pointed his scepter and pronounced judgment upon her.

Sadness, vibrational chaos owned her, and Keina plummeted for moments despite her airy frequency. Flapping her wings, she stabilized herself, and focused on the beauty below.

Wise, sky-soaring pine trees, yellow-gold aspens, and the mountain's stone floor, glistened breathtakingly in the early afternoon sun.

Flubergastov! Keina cussed. Was it her doing that the slime-disgusting, lascivious Prince Tretorff had stealthily followed her after the Fall Equinox ball? He'd attempted to force his unwanted, stinky-sour-breath attentions on her -- once she'd reached her chamber suite in the castle.

They'd practically wrestled, with Keina twisting furiously to fight off the Prince's grasping, tentacle like arms. When his hands grabbed at her like angry snapping turtles, she'd spun out of reach.

But the creepazoid Prince snorted and charged, rabid to mount her. Repulsed beyond belief, desperate, Keina morphed her lower half instantly.

The lovely silk gown she'd handsewn for the enchantingly festive occasion ripped, a searing sound that tore at her. Enraged, her blood boiling, Keina aimed her back hoof, and launched a kick at the Prince's bulging crotch.

Strike the spike! Kick the ugly stick! She won.

Whirling to face the now wimpified stud, Keina whinny-shouted her triumph. Tretorff's unmanly shrieks drowned her out, and he grabbed his cock and balls with both hands. Backing away, his eyes popping out like a virgin filly, he'd turned when she didn't rush to attack him.

Automatically returning to her human form, Keina watched the Prince run down the long hallway, his gait hilariously awkward.  Relief swamped her, and hysterical laughter burst past her lips. Keina ended up laughing so hard and so long, she collapsed against the door. With her legs buckling, she slid to the floor.

High in the sky, Keina circled then cruised above the color-splendiferous, old-growth forest. Earlier in the day, she'd discovered an isolated meadow with a variety of plants that tempted her horse palate.

Hungry for the sun-warmed blooms and greens that still grew during cold weather, Keina arrowed her flight skimming over the treetops. The sudden sight of a brawny-built hunter halted her in mid-flight.

Keina floated lower, feeling immediate empathy for the prey he stalked. If she could interfere...save a life...

 As she positioned herself above the man, astonishment jolted through her like flashfire. Oddly, the hunter's face and physique reminded her of the life size statues in the Garden of Ancients.

Keina had never observed a human who so closely resembled the progenitors of the Celtic gods. The difference... she judged the hunter's height to be just over six feet, whereas the gods had been thirteen feet tall.

According to song and legend, the gods and goddesses had sired and birthed their own lineage of humans. Was she staring at a descendent?

Finding herself entranced by the man's noble and powerfully sculpted features, Keina hovered, her wings beating swiftly as a blossom-feeding hummingbird. Given he hunted in the middle of shapeshifter territory, she sensed for his animal side.

Nothing tingled, no image formed in her mind. Yet, somehow he was beyond human in some way Keina didn't understand.

Did he know?

The way he silently negotiated the forest, following the signs and tracks, he appeared to be what Keina thought of as a high-performance human. Obviously, he was a strong, capable man, and superbly trained in the task he set before himself.

Keina decided she would take no direct action against him, but figure out another plan to keep the hunter from shooting his targeted prey. She lightly landed behind a stand of trees and simultaneously phased to her physical Pegasus self.

Not seconds later, Keina heard the distressed gobbling of a wild turkey, and knew. She charged toward the sound hoping it wasn't too late -- that her mythical appearance would shock the hunter into not firing.

Able to alter her frequency quick as a change in the wind's direction, Keina had no concern for her welfare if he shot and the bullet struck her. Seeing the turkey desperately flap his wings in an attempt to escape, Keina galloped in front of the hunter's line of sight.

No cracking sound of a bullet. He hadn't fired. Keina raced on instinct for the mountain cliff.

With the hunter's level of expertise, Keina well realized he could track her, even though she partially floated over the ground. In her brief look at his energy matrix, Keina witnessed his warrior courage, his formidable will -- that he already dealt with the supernatural world.

The strings of her own matrix hummed, alerting Keina the instant the hunter followed her hoof prints. To observe him, she launched into the sky. Shifting to invisible, she once again soared over the mountain valley.

An undeniable fascination about the unusual human grew inside Keina. Compelled beyond any misgiving, she waited, circling the immediate area.

Once the hunter appeared, tracking her to the cliff's edge, Keina allowed herself to merge with his thoughts. Oh-Flubergastov-no! She'd deprived his family of needed food.

To make her actions worse, she'd dishonored him and his family by interfering with their traditional and honored celebration. Another punishable offense in her home realm.

Keina shivered violently, yet managed to keep her vibratory rate high so she remained unseen. How was she going make this right? How?

Still shaking, she slowly flew toward the hunter, and halted before him. Gathering her courage, Keina stroked his handsome, square-jawed face with her wingtip.

When she knew he felt her feathers, Keina spoke to his mind. Even if he didn't hear her message, his heart would know the apology coming from her heart.

She hoped.

Somehow, some way, she would find a way to make his Thanksgiving celebration a good one. For him, and his family.

With resolve ruling her, Keina gradually backed away. At the same time, she searched his mind for the precise location of his home.

There had to be a suitable turkey available in a shop somewhere. And since she had wings... Keina flew a direct line toward Billings, Montana, where she'd rented a small apartment, and pretended to be human.

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Wishing you love and passion on the wild side ...

Savanna 

Savanna Kougar ~ Run on the Wild Side of Romance