Dare to Bear (Book 1 Trail Guardians Series) by Christine Julian Page B

caretaker.”
    “A guide,” Ollun corrected. “Or the more banal, ‘leader,’ if your simple mind prefers.”
    Mason ignored the man’s digs on his intelligence. “Your lineage is purer, stronger than others of your race,” he said.
    Ollun blinked his golden eyes slowly. “Yes. My kin came from the stars. A galaxy far beyond this one. Though why the Ancients deposited us on this dreary, dull planet, I do not know and will never forgive them.”
    Interesting. Mason had never heard about this aspect of the Ollusian creation mythology. Mason, however, held the utmost respect for Mother Earth. “Don’t we all come from stardust?”
    Ollun clicked his tongue mockingly. “Poor, simple creature. Have you never questioned how owls came to have both eyes facing directly in front, more so than other raptor species?”
    “Never had a reason to.”
    Ollun sent him a sorrowful glance as if Mason had failed an elementary intelligence test. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t. You’re bound to the earth in all ways, whereas we hunt at night under the stars to feel the distant bond to our Ancestors. You, on the other hand, sleep in your own dung.”
    “Watch it,” Mason warned. “Werebears aren’t dumb lumbering beasts, we don’t hibernate, and we have taken an oath of protection toward humans. We’re not slaves to our baser natures.”
    Ollun looked down his narrow nose at Mason. “Your yowl only minutes ago suggests otherwise.”
    Snotty know-it-all . Mason bit back a snarl. He decided to appeal to the Ollusian’s intellectual curiosity, if he was going to get anywhere with the condescending man. “Fine. Since your bloodline is purer than others, like mine, you may not be affected. I don’t need to tell you what we’ve discovered.”
    Ollun’s eyes lit up like two yellow moons. “What discovery?”
    Mason shrugged and turned away. “Doesn’t matter. None of your concern.”
    “Now wait.” The man leapt from the branch and floated to the ground, the sleeves of his white garment billowing. He landed with hardly a sound, directly in front of Mason. “Does it impact the forest?”
    Mason nodded. “Specifically shifters.”
    “Is it damaging?”
    “Highly.”
    “Then I demand to have this knowledge for the sake of our kind.”
    “Oh, now it’s our kind. How generous of you to sink to our level.”
    Ollun sniffed. “Not for the desire to, but for the necessity of it.”
    “Then you should be aware of the dire implications.”
    The Ollusian arched a dark-flecked blonde eyebrow. “Two big words in the same sentence. Now you’re just showing off to impress me.”
    “You want impressive?” Mason growled. “My medical team has discovered a rabies strain that kills werewolves. In days.”
    Ollun glared. “That’s your news?” He scoffed. “Who cares about them? Good riddance.”
    “The strain has mutated,” Mason said with forced patience. “There is no telling how widespread the virus could go. Even your precious birds could contract it if bitten by a species carrying a deadly strain.”
    “We are expert hunters.” Ollun’s eyes flashed. “Unlike you ground dwellers, we swoop in and impale our prey before it knows it has become dinner.”
    Unimpressed, Mason crossed his arms. “What about snakes that coil around your claws with a strangle hold and get in one last jab with their fangs?”
    Ollun shuttered in disgust. “Vile serpents. Our ancient tales suggest they are our mortal enemies in another galaxy.”
    “I don’t care about your distant galaxy,” Mason retorted. “I care about the planet we live on and the woods we call home. Fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, vermin—things we come in contact with daily could carry a strain that will wipe shifters off the map. Within months .”
    Paling to a ghostly white, Ollun peered at him. “That cannot happen. Can it?”
    Mason nodded. “It will happen. It’s only a question of when. This strain is targeted. Our wildlife brethren may carry it and not