Unnatural Conduct

Chapter 11

Now that the portal was fixed, Hazel and I had nothing else to do but wait for night to fall that night, for the full moon to come out and for her to transform into her wolf and lose control of her human side.

Because I'd somehow managed to finish the portal up quite quickly, we had a few extra hours until sundown to make the preparations.

Hazel had recommended I put a barrier in front of the portal, just incase someone decided to come crashing through over the next few days. I did so, the air obeying my command with ease.

As for Hazel, well... she had sworn she wouldn't hurt me, but that didn't stop her from persuading me to put up shields around myself for the night as well, just to be safe. Without access to the portal or to me, she'd be trapped in the relatively small cavern alone that night; her wolf form wouldn't be able to fit through the small crevice that we'd used for entrance.

She assured me that her wolf was one of the milder ones, and wasn't likely to put up a hissy fit out being "caged," like some of the others did. I found this true after a few more hours had passed, and she'd shifted, my shields already up.

Her wolf had taken one sniff of the air around me, and, like she'd told Xavier would happen, she took a protective stance and paced back and forth in front of my little bubble, snarling at the portal as crevice, looking for any signs of danger.

Content that I was safe with her by my side and my magic shielding me, I was about to settle down and close my eyes when I heard a rough, familiar voice come through my head. It didn't speak in the common tongue, rather the strange one of a wolf. It translated in my head into, How dare you hide from me? I will find you, and I will take you.

The words were obviously those of Xavier's wolf, and shudders went through my body at his words.

I knew that we could use a mink link, and I'd been warned about his wolf's obsessive urges, but... well, I'd never heard of a wolf talking through my head. I shook my head, and sent back through the mind link something that translated into Xavier, calm down. I'm not hiding; I'll see you soon.

How soon? he demanded, his roar filling my mind.

Soon enough.

Upon hearing his returning growl, I cut off the mind-link, and looked to Hazel's wolf, who I could have sworn was giving me a somewhat curious look. I just shook my head, and she went back to her pacing, never once faltering.

Making sure I kept the magic shields up around myself and the portal, I finally, and probably foolishly, drifted off to sleep.

----

The morning was marked by a loud thud and a quiet, high-pitched squeal of surprise. My eyes snapped open immediately, trying to find the source of commotion, and then I saw what it had been.

Hazel was collapsed on the floor in her human form, looking out-of-breath and exhausted. I hurriedly dropped the shields that were surrounding me, and rushed over to her, checking her pulse and that kind of thing.

I heard a chuckle as I knelt beside her, and I gave the sweaty girl a curious look, cocking my head to the side.

"I-I'm fine," she said, still sounding very out of breath. "This happens every time the full moon ends; I'm always quite tired afterward. The noise you heard was probably my falling to the floor."

I nodded in understanding, but was still a bit worried about the girl. She chuckled once more, and pointed a hand over to the satchel of supplies we'd brought into the cave with us.