Chapter 54: Fifty-four.

With a final check on her map, Colt realised she was finally nearing her destination. The rainforest was stunning this afternoon and until her trip she had never truly realised just how many shades of green there were, or how lush and vibrant they could all be.

Picking up her pace, with the knowledge that the person who could help her shift was getting closer by the step, Colt plowed on getting closer and closer to the main Amazon river, where she was destined to meet the shaman. There were toucans flying above her, and humming birds flitting from flower to flower around her, competing with the butterflies for the nectar. It was like the most beautiful creatures of the rainforest were out in force, welcoming her forward to her destination.

Colt was getting excited as she began to smell the rising damp levels in the air from the river. Her senses were on fire, and the sensations of everything about her, seemed to dance on her skin with such excitement as she moved closer and closer to her future.

It wasn't long until Colt could hear voices alongside the cacophony of jungle music. A man's and a woman's, she noted with apprehension. Stepping into the clearing where the voices were coming from, she was startled to see a couple standing in a close embrace together, beside a small jetty which lead to a skiff.

"Dana, please come home." The man begged, "I miss you."

"Oh, behave, I only left this morning. I will be home soon enough." The strange woman - Dana, chided.

She had long blonde hair swept up in a stylised braid on top of her head, and strikingly blue eyes, they looked like they reflected every shade of blue Colt had ever seen, and she was mesmerized by the liquid way they shimmered under the woman's thick eyelashes. The woman pulled the man to her and kissed him passionately, making Colt feel as though she was intruding on something almost sacred between them.

Colt coughed, to get their attention, not wanting to intrude, but at the same time being exactly where she was supposed to be, and not really having much of a choice.

"Ah, Colt. You're here, wonderful." The woman said, breaking the kiss with a clap.. "Come on, it's time to go." Then, she abruptly stepped away from the grumbling man, and walked down the jetty and boarded the small boat.

When Colt's only movement was a gaping mouth, and a frown of confusion appearing the woman called back again. "Come on now. I have been asked by my daughter, to collect you. She is the shaman you're seeking, Child."

With those words, Colt's feet felt suddenly compelled and they led her down the jetty and onto the boat. She noticed as she passed it wasn't moored in any way, it was just floating there against the current unwaveringly steady, no ropes needed. Feeling like she was in an alternate world, she seated herself under the small canopy, and turned to see they were already sailing away. Although with no engine anywhere to see, Colt was at a loss as to how exactly they were moving.

"What about your..." Colt struggled for the right word. "Companion?" she eventually settled on, turning to look behind them, but discovering there was only the jungle. No man, and no jetty, just the rainforest.

"Oh, don't worry about him. He will make his own way home. Always does, like a bad penny." The lady joked, ignoring Colt's evident confusion.

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand what is going on?" Colt questioned, realising they were headed back along the river towards civilisation. "Am I having some kind of stroke?"

"Heavens no!" Dana laughed, "You are quite well and I know you are confused, Child. This modern generation of shifters predominantly are if you ask me." The strange woman answered, sympathetically. "But Maeve will explain everything to you."

"Maeve?" Colt asked, trying to focus on one piece of information at a time.

"Your shaman, and one of my many, many daughters." The woman's smile lit up at the mention of her. "She will be meeting you at the hotel, her flight was delayed, and she panicked thinking she wouldn't get here on time. So she sent me, in her place to fetch you."

"I'm sorry, hotel?" Colt checked she was hearing correctly, failing to comprehend the change in plans.

"Yes Child, I believe it was the same one you were staying at previously, although your mate has departed already." She answered, like nothing was amiss.

"Right, so why was I traipsing through the jungle?" Colt asked, looking to figure it out.

"Don't worry, Maeve will explain that as well." She confirmed, then added conversationally. "I was impressed by your journey though. I was especially touched by your encounter this morning with the sloth."

"Oh, okay, thanks." Colt offered, completely lost for the moment as to what was going on, while hoping she hadn't made a mistake getting on the boat.

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In what felt like no time at all Colt noted, they were approaching a dock, behind which there was a line of flat topped seventeenth century buildings. It was here, that Dana ushered Colt into a taxi heading back to her hotel.

It was late evening in the city of Bélem, as Colt travelled in her cab back to the small hotel, passing all the different buildings the city had. In the distance she could make out the towering modern buildings, as they sparkled all lit up for the night. But, where she was headed was to the older more colonial part of the city, thoroughly enjoying seeing the older architecture lit up in the night. All the more so because of the cushioned seat of the taxi cab she was in. Roughing it did nothing to diminish her love of comfort, in fact it seemed to make her crave it all the more.

The city was truly beautiful, and she could make out certain influences like the obvious similarities of the french quarter in New Orleans, that some buildings sported, to the religious cathedrals that looked Portuguese in style. It was a beautiful mismatch of different cultural influences, all blended wonderfully together, while somehow remaining in stark contrast with one another at the same time, and this made the journey quite pleasurable, despite her aching limbs.

When she arrived at the room, she had been allocated, her first desire was definitely to shower first. Everything else could wait.

A hot shower and then sleep. She could collect her personal belongings from the hotel safe where she had left them, in the morning after breakfast. If she weren't so tired she would eat now, but the superb mangoes of the area would have to wait till morning, because Colt was out like a light before her head even hit the pillow.

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Colt was awoken in the morning by a loud banging on the door. She had no idea what was going on for a minute and heart pounding she tumbled out of the bed, landing with a painful thud and a wince on the ground.

Someone was banging on the door, still. She got up, rubbing her bottom as she did and silently fumed, as she walked over to the door. Then throwing it open she angrily said, "What?!"

"Not a morning person I see, Miss Merrier." Came the rhythmical Irish accent.

The woman standing infront of Colt was about five foot six, her dark skin and piercing blue eyed combination left Colt speechless. She was a vision, so much so, it was a few seconds later before Colt noticed the shocking white hair, falling down the woman's back.

"I'm Maeve. I believe you were expecting me." she smiled, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she examined Colt. "Now, hurry up, girl. There is no time to waste. We have a flight to catch."

"What? Oh, okay." Colt nodded as she tried to process the new information she was receiving while still half asleep. "Where are we going exactly?" She added, as an after thought.

"Ireland. That's where, you my girl will be shifting." Maeve nodded, affirmatively. "Now come on, I'll help you gather you belongings up. They're at the reception, I presume?"

Three hours later, a bewildered Colt was sat on a plane beside Maeve having departed from Val de Cans airport, heading to Lisbon where they would catch their follow on flight to Ireland. She couldn't help but be stunned at the change of events around her, and how everything had been pre arranged and organised, including all her travelling documents for staying open ended in Ireland. It was all mad, and was the last thing she had expected.

"So, if we are going to Ireland to teach me to shift, why was I looking for you in the Amazon? " Colt finally asked when her mind had caught up with the whirlwind of events enough to formulate a question.

"I was wondering when you would ask me that." Maeve smiled, sipping on her sparkling water.

"To be honest, there are a lot of questions swirling in my head at the moment, and I'm not quite sure where to begin." Colt sighed. "But that, also wasn't an answer" she added pointedly.

"You're right." said Maeve conclusively, before conceding to add, "You were in the Amazon, to put it simply, to find yourself. In the modern world, sometimes we lose track of who we are. With all the noise around and within us. Your trek forced you to narrow your focus onto yourself. Nothing else. Just you and your survival. Every person's journey to this state is different, some people have to go to deserts of Africa or the snowy plains of the Arctic, while others have to practice mindfulness every day.- Which personally, I detest, all that fecking colouring in is so boring. - Anyway, it had to be a test of survival for you, to hone your instincts and pull you back to, well you. It's also why there are no companions or devices allowed. Too distracting." She answered, her hand waving wildly as of it helped to make her point. "As for the step of teaching you to shift, there is nothing to teach. You Colt Merrier are a shifter with a unique ability. Two animal forms. That is where the tricky bit lies because, it isn't a matter of teaching you, it is a matter of making sure you can survive it. That is what we will work on, in Ireland, where there will be hospitals, and you will not be fighting for you life from poisonous spiders, for example." Maeve explained fully with a wink.

Colt nodded along shocked, adding "How do you know about that?"

"I'm a shaman, Sweetheart. The spirits of the gods told me." She said as if it were obvious.

"Okay, the gods? Really..." Colt began to ask, before changing tact. "Wait, I can shift?" She double checked.

"Yes." Maeve confirmed, noticing the skepticism on Colt's face before adding. "Tell me, you wear your mate's mark on your neck. So, did you mark him in return?" She asked to prove her point.

"I have the feeling you already know the answer to that." Colt smiled, remembering the passion in that moment.

"Now, you are catching on." Maeve laughed, before adding "How do you think you marked him if you can't shift, Colt?"

Author's Note: So sorry for the delay. Lambing is going well though. We are 8 sheep in with 11 healthy lambs. Will pop a picture up on the Facebook page @Bethanyriverwrites. Please let me know what you think of Colt's South American adventure. Stay safe. B x.