Glen queen of the Leopards and possibly one of the loveliest people Brandon had ever met gave him a darkly mysterious look at his ready and willing desire to listen to her tale.

The coldness on he face and in her normally bubbly mannerisms holding Brandon captive and anxious as he waited for her to speak further. Eventually Glen nodded to herself, as if she were trying to be determined or brave.

Then she seemed to gather her thoughts as she sat up straight, put out her hand, then sharply gestured towards how own body. “Brandon?” She asked calling his attention to her movement. “Can you tell me what you think when you see me?”

Brandon’s first urge was to say something flattering, but from the serious tone in her voice Brandon instantly guess that Glen was looking for honesty, not flattery. So, after a moment he easily spoke the one thought he had constantly had about the Leopardess since he had first met her. “I don’t want to offend you Glen....” Brandon started off. “But you’re really small. Everything about you seems dainty like a flower. Delicate, but...but it suits you, you know?”

As Brandon stopped speaking Glen scrunched up her nose, dropped her hand and sighed back at him seeming displeased.

“Exactly...I’m small. Even by most standards...and my size creates a fragility that I can’t deny.” Ezekiel’s mother agreed. “But there is a special reason for this Brandon. You see.... I’m not like some of the other Leopards in this Clan. About half of us...aren’t like the other half that live here.”

Intrigued Brandon asked. “What do you mean?”

“Well.... Brandon there are subspecies in all of the Shifter Clans. Branches and tiers of beast kind.” Glen informed him. “In the other Shifter Clans, they are all beholden to their species, but there are sub species or various other blood lines that reside within the borders of ever Clan.”

Brandon frowned as he tried to conform to this new information, before Glen waved at him and hissed.

“Don’t get confused Brandon. “She told his quickly. “I’m simply trying to give an explanation. Basically, what I’m saying is that even if there is only one Bird Clan.... there are different Bird Shifters that reside within that Clan. Some Shifters can turn into Flacons, or Crows, or Hawks.”

Glen gestured and shook her head.

“Much like there are different types of these same animals found in the wild, there are multiple types of Shifters in one Clan. They have different kinds of Shifters in this Clan as well Brandon. There aren’t simply Leopards that live here. There are Snow Leopards and Western Leopards in this Clan.” 

Glen sharply outlined ticking off on her two left fingers as she spoke. A small smile touched her lips as she suddenly explained putting a small hand to her bodice. “I am a Snow Leopard Brandon. My people aren’t like the Western Leopards. We’re smaller...more delicate as you put it. We are also colored much differently than the rest.”

Brandon twisted his lips to the side as he thought of Mantilo’s size, relative to his Mates and his sons. Then he said. “Okay, so let me guess.... Mantilo is one of the Western Leopards?” Brandon suddenly inquired.

Glen nodded. “Yes he is, as are all of the Guardians, including Erin, but Drin is a Snow Leopard much like me.”

Easily following along now Brandon said next. “I get it...you and Drin are smaller because you’re Snow Leopards? And Mantilo’s a giant because he’s a Western Leopard? Makes sense.” Brandon stated, then he stopped and shrugged. “But I’ve honestly never seen a Snow Leopard before, what makes you so different form Mantilo?”

Seeming pleased with this question Glen smiled gently and hissed quietly. A feral, playful flash of vibrant green neon light flashed across her eyes and she leaned forwards as if whispering a secret to him. “Oh is that so? Well, why don’t you see for yourself...say hello to my other half.” she said, before she swiftly Shifted right before his eyes.

A stiff gust of hot air expanded around her making Brandon blink, and the next thing he knew Brandon was staring into the calm, glowing green eyes of a Leopard.

The beautiful dress Glen was wearing and the sterling silver earrings in her ears....it all melted away as flesh turned to light grey fur...and a small graceful, snout with a soft pink nose, took away her mortal face. But Glen’s feminine eyes reflected out of the big cats furry face

And still Brandon was instantly struck with a realization that this Leopard was much smaller than any of the other Leopards Brandon had seen Ezekiel or his brother’s turn into.

This Leopard was quite compact....and really no larger than a young child. Glens Leopard was no longer then the lower half of Brandon’s body, and no taller than the coffee table sitting in the middle of the room. And unlike Ezekiel or Mantilo, this small beast was covered in soft shades of grey, with large fluffy blotches of snow-white fur dancing around its large round eyes, flat nimble paws, compact chest...and at the tip of a long-striped tail, almost the length of its sleek body.

Countless black spots danced across the shifting fur as the Snow Leopard simply preened on its hunches for Brannon’s analysis. A sudden yawn took the snow Leopard, and with a flash of needle-sharp fangs it cracked open its mouth, then dropped its head and ran a flat paw back and forth over its whiskers and mouth grooming.

Glen allowed her Shifter to remain there for a few more moments, but soon enough Brandon felt another stiff blast of warm energy on his skin and in moments Glen was picking herself up from where she was crouching on the carpet. With fluid grace she settled back into her seat, dusted and swiped at her dress and as she did this Brandon felt compelled to tell her. “Glen she’s so beautiful...your Snow Leopard. Thank you for showing me that...” He offered in genuine joy at what he had seen.

But to his surprise Glen didn’t smile at his compliment...she only glanced at him, before she quietly looked down and whispered “Is she beautiful to you? Once upon a time Brandon such words would have gotten you beaten...or flogged, maybe even both.”

Instantly not liking the sound of that Brandon sat back and asked her “Uh flogged and beaten? What do you mean?”

“Once.... Snow Leopards were considered lowly Brandon.” Glen openly told him looking up at him, her expression tight. There was a sheen of tears in her eyes as she spoke dark thoughts. “We were filthy. Weak. We were nothing special. Or important. Or beautiful. Compared to the Western Leopards a Snow Leopard like me was trash. We were refuse left to wallow and die by the hands of our betters.”

“That’s terrible!” Brandon offered as he imagined someone treating Glen in any unkind fashion and he felt his entire heart shutter in rage.

Glen sent him a small nod and said back “It was terrible, but it was the way this Clan.... our Clan once operated. The Snow Leopards were weak...and useless...and the Western Leopards were our Gods. Our Masters.” At this point Glen sighed and dropped her shoulders. Then she started to tell him more.

“The History of this Clan stretches back before the years of my life, but it is far from forgotten how things dissolved into chaos.” Glen softly expressed. “As Erin has already told you Brandon...the Dragons suddenly abandoned this world. They left behind a world no longer at war, but you see after the Dragons retreated from existence...There was a vacuum left behind that had to be filled. And so every graceless bully in the world started ripping and slashing for power. There was peace between the Shifters and Mankind of course, but inside of the Shifters Clans there was wars and constant fighting for dominance.” Glen shook her head and then continued.

“Nearly seven hundred years before my own birth because of the turmoil in the Clans.... there was a power struggle in the Leopards Clan as well. In the end, the Western Tribe Leopards snatched up all of the power, leaving the other Leopard Blood Line to wallow in defeat and subservience. Over time.... the Western Leopards began to appoint their son’s and daughters as the Clan Heads. And for many many decades no Snow Leopard would dare try to seize the power again.”

At this point Brandon broke in and asked. “But aren’t you all Leopards? Why segregate one group and take away all of their power if that’s the case?”

Glen cast Brandon a sad shrug and softly she replied. “I don’t know exactly why the segregation became so bad. At first, I’d like to believe that most of the hatred between the Blood Lines was only skin deep, but over time.... the bigotry and hatred were perpetuated by the small size of the Snow Leopard’s and the perceived superiority of the Western Tribe.” Glen shrugged and added. “But perhaps no matter how similar we seemed.... our differences were always going to lead up to fight.”

A small pause took over, before Glen actively shook herself, glanced at Brandon and once more poured into her tale.

“Anyway...many centuries passed until I was finally born. My mother and father were Snow Leopards, who due to the in-fighting had a hard time feeding me. But I was born at one of the worst times. Because the leader of the Western Leopards at my birth...was an evil man.” Glens face darkened with resentment as she spoke, shocking Brandon. “His name was Uror and he was an aggressive thoughtless beast of a Shifter.”

Glen sneered slightly as she said the name, then she continued. “Uror held little companion for weakness, and it was rumored that He had killed his own Mate in a fit of rage and was known to have been insane by her death. Under his tyranny my people, the Snow Leopards, were subjected to unbearable oppression and even slavery. Until war suddenly erupted between the Blood Lines.” Glen took a breath and some of the dark emotion in her face slid away. “Unable to remain in slavery Snow Leopards rose up...and led my people into battle. IT was the beginnings of a terrible Cold War. A War that easily split this Clan asunder, with the Western Tribe and the Snow Leopards eternally at each other’s throat. But after the two bloodlines split apart.... some semblance of peace returned to our lands.”

Glen gestured out. “For a long time, there were bloody skirmishes. Many Shifters lost their lives on both side, but the tension between the Snow Leopards and Western Leopards only simmered instead of boiling over into outright violence.....” Glen stopped and started to smile.

“The Snow Leopards leader at this time was a man named Garesh. He was bold. HE was intelligent. We called him Garesh the Shaman...because more than anything he was a lover of peace and of healing.” Glen put a hand to her chest and laughed softly as if remembering something sweet

“Garesh was powerful deep in his spirit. He inspired me so much in my youth. I truly believe that because of his teaching I choose to dedicate my life to preserving life as a Healer. He was a GOOD man Brandon, but slowly as the decades faded it was easy to see that he had aged and that death was inevitable. He was soon very old, but so to was Uror the bloodthirsty. Hopefully some whispered that Garesh was going to be able to negotiate peace before he gave up the ghost. But in the months leading up to the peace talks.... Uror .... was poisoned and he later died. The new Western Leopard that took the throne after Uror died was just as nasty as Uror had ever been, because he was the son of Uror.” Glen swallowed and gestured again.

“But still Garesh was determined and even though Uror’s Son was a foul and mean Shifter.... The Shaman of the Snow Clan was not prepared to give up on peace between our Blood Lines.”

Simply enraptured with Glen’s story, Brandon merely listened to her, but as she spoke for a moment Brandon pictured an aged determined old Shifter with a gentle heart and he felt the urge to smirk. But that urge was quickly killed as Glen jumped back into her story.

A small hesitation took her and for a second, she looked like she wanted to stop, but then Glen cleared her throat and said. “Unfortunately, Garesh the Shamans efforts fell on deft ears.... And one day as he spoke with Uror’s Son the Great Shaman was killed in the meeting hall. IT was heart breaking, and I was there to see it all happen. I saw the Shaman fall, murdered and I witnessed the end of a Cold War...and the start of a horrible Civil War between all my people moments after his body was put into the earth.”

Brandon closed his eyes and couldn’t help but sigh at the disappointing and sad tale. But Glen wasn’t finished.

The leopardess lifted her eyes and looked away as her hands lifted and were placed trembling to her lips. “Oh, I still remember the horrors we all endured during the War. After Garesh was assassinated, I was taken as a Slave to the new king, and it was during this time that I met Mantilo.” A small glimmer of hope that this tale was going to turn into something a little less dark tried to glow in his heart, but this hope was easily smashed.

Glen sighed and looked up and away as she explained. “Sadly, Mantilo was the Son of Uror.” Glen closed her eyes and wiped her chin in obvious agitation. “Back then...Back then Mantilo was the Clan Head of the Western Leopards and after Gareshs assassinated Mantilo spear headed the Civil War. He was powerful, dangerous, driven and because of him blood painted the soils of our lands.”