Skins & Needles (COMPLETE)

Skin

Charlotte

Have you ever gotten a really, really bad sunburn? I'm talking about the kind where parts of your body are just one solid shade of lobster red. You leave it alone for a few days, maybe a week, taking as few showers as possible and trying to find a way to lay in bed at night without rubbing it wrong, all the while slathering it with aloe vera and cut apples. And then finally, after a period of time where you hiss under your breath every time you change clothes and swear to never forget sunblock again, it begins to peel. The pain recedes, and you pull the dead, scalded layer of skin off in sheets, revealing new, soft, fresh skin beneath. And maybe you'll get a wicked tan on top of it.

That's how my first shift felt.

My body heated up, like Arsen said it would, more slowly but more intensely, until I thought my skin would literally melt, and then... bliss. I felt fluid as my bones changed form, and the burning sensation was replaced with an unbelievably fresh one, like chewing a new piece of mint gum, or rolling in satin sheets right after shaving your legs. I was hardly aware of the hair growing, covering my entire form as I melded into a new shape, until my shift was complete, and I shook out my fur.

I felt amazing. I felt powerful. My senses were in hyperdrive, but not in a jarring way. I was seeing things from a whole new perspective, hearing things in an entirely new way, and smelling each and every slight breeze like I was opening an oven. When I took my first step, I felt it through my entire body. I was connected to myself in a way I'd never imagined, and I wondered how anyone ever went back.

"What do you think?" Arsen's voice sounded in my ears, and I almost jumped out of my fur.

"How'd you do tha— oh my God I'm doing it too," I... thought? back. "How is this, uh, happening? It's so... Oh no, how do I turn it off?"

I turned to see him shifted too, and was in awe of how freaking massive his wolf form was. His black fur glistened under the dim lamplight, and his golden eyes pierced my own. I wondered what I looked like.

"Shifters can speak to one another through a telepathic link," Arsen explained, and moved toward me. "It's because of the Pass and its power. The place all shifters were born, and the connection to the natural world."

"Damn," I mused, and then sniffed at Arsen's face, because I don't know, it just happened. "You don't smell like a dog."

"Your senses are altered now," he said, and I thought I heard laughter even in his thought-speech. "You'll recognize our scent more as wolf when you compare it to other animals and shifters, but you'll be able to pick out each one of our unique scents too."

"I wanna go outside," I decided, and headed for the door. I heard each of Arsen's steps behind me as I trotted down the stairs, and glanced back to see him watching me protectively.

"Stay close," he warned. "Only Nathan and Ryanne know about your shift, and I need time to explain to the rest of the circle what happened before they jump to conclusions."

"Fine," I agreed begrudgingly, "but I wanna run."

"I know. Your first run should be with the whole pack, but we're on tedious grounds right now."

I paused before I reached the door when I noticed the smell of meat being opened, and turned to see Nathan watching us with wide eyes and bacon in his hands.

"Oh, hey," he said, glancing between us. "You shifted. How's it feel?"

I barked.

I fucking barked.