“Thanks.” Simon fell into step next to her when she led the way back to her tent. “For covering for me.”
“What else am I gonna do?” She glanced at him. “No one would believe me. And even if I had evidence, you already said you don’t want to be studied.” Simon and everyone else like him had kept their secret for so long, and it was their secret to keep. “I’m here for birds. Bird-birds.”
Although…
“How long have bird shifters been in this area? Roughly?”
He whistled. “Not sure. My grandparents lived here, so that’s a good long while.”
They walked slowly and carefully through the dark forest, the light from her flashlight dancing across the ground and the trees while she thought. “And you turn into a bird that’s not native to the area. I’m guessing more people from your town do that? Turn into uncommon birds?”
“Oh yeah, there’re all kinds of birds shifters back home, and non-bird shifters as well. There’s a wolf family, and—”
“So if we have records of birds outside their usual habitat, that could be because of shifters?” she asked, before she got side-tracked by the million other questions she had.
“It’s possible.” He eyed her. “Is that bad?”
“Kinda!” She gestured with the flashlight. “I study migratory patterns. If I collect data, I want to collect data on birds who actually migrate. Not humans who turn into birds and happen to fly around during migration season!” Her annoyance warred with her confusion and curiosity, and she knew it was ridiculous to take it out on Simon. If it hadn’t been for him, she still wouldn’t have known.
“Oh.”
She considered the data she’d gathered. The data the department had gathered. The unusual bird-sightings that got reported around the country. Around the world. How much of that was inaccurate because of shifters? How would they even figure that out? Her annoyance won. “You may have ruined scientific research and all I get is ‘oh’?” She let out a huff, anger and frustration welling up as she quickened her pace.
“I’m sorry?” he tried. “I never thought about it like that. We’ve always worried about scientists discovering us and locking us up in labs. I didn’t think you’d be annoyed that we’re messing up your data.”
She slowed down, feeling ridiculous and thoroughly ashamed. Here she was, worrying over research, while he worried over people. He had a point. She was used to her research being her number one priority, and her colleagues at work were the same. Research came first, followed by all the paperwork that came with the research, followed by teaching, followed by paperwork related to teaching.
She’d almost forgotten that that was the exception, not the rule. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a weekend where she hadn’t taken her work home. There was always some deadline looming on the horizon. If it wasn’t a scientific article she needed to submit, she had student papers to grade. Late evenings in the office were normal to her. Her new colleagues had mentioned it a few times during a lunch break, appreciating her drive and dedication, but warning her she could end up burned out if she wasn’t mindful. They told her she had to prioritize and delegate more to the teaching assistants.
It didn’t help that her apartment was so quiet and empty. She hadn’t had the time to unpack beyond the basics and make her new place feel like a home.
What did it say about her that she felt more at home in her office than in her apartment?
Embarrassed, she shook her head. “You’re right. If scientists found out, you’d end up in a lab. Of course you don’t tell people.”
“But if you want to figure out how and where birds migrate, then we disrupt that,” Simon told her. “Regular birds avoid us bird shifters.”
“So they might avoid your town altogether?” He hadn’t mentioned the name of the town, but she understood why he kept that a secret. “But not these woods?”
“I think they avoid the town because there’s a lot of us in one place. But when we go flying, we spread out more, so I guess we’re not as scary. Maybe they avoid the parts of the woods where we enjoy flying, though. I don’t know.”
Part of her wondered how she could research that, but she reminded herself that Simon didn’t want to be studied. “So regular birds can tell you’re not actually a bird?”
“Yep. I know what birds are like towards other birds, but they treat me differently. Not just because I’m a hawk,” he added. “I think it’s because the way I behave isn’t how a regular bird behaves, even if I can do everything a hawk does.”
She nodded at that. “You weren’t raised by birds, and you don’t live as one twenty-four seven. Interesting.”
“If it’s interesting, does that mean I’m forgiven for ruining your research?” He bumped his shoulder against hers.
She laughed. “Yes, you are. Of course you were more worried about us deciding to study you than the birds.” She’d just had a massive shock, but that didn’t mean she could take her confusion and anger out on him. She didn’t think she could be angry at him for long, anyway. It was weird. She was walking through the dark woods with some guy she’d just met and taking him back to her tent, but she wasn’t in the least worried he might hurt her. She felt comfortable around him, as if this wasn’t the first time they’d met. “So long as you continue to be interesting.”
“Oh, I can do that.” His voice was low, and she definitely wasn’t imagining the suggestive tone.
A shiver ran down her back. She couldn’t wait to find out exactly how interesting he was.
3. Simon
He wished he could see
