Shifter Universe #1 - Chaos

2. Strangers

KATALIN

The sky was dark, with the sun casting trails of red and pink as it peeked through the horizon. A chilly breeze carried new foreign scents, and for days, Katalin had ventured to the edge of their territory, excitement and fear filling her as those scents invaded her nose.

And now they were right there.

They were strangers—wolves, not bordering neighbors.

Foes?

Enemies?

Allies?

She couldn't tell.

Her snout twitched, the wind blowing through her red fur as she tilted her head back. They had crossed over. Her best guess was that her father had them escorted to the mansion by now, with a faint trace of his guards lingering behind, souring the new scents.

However, that meant bad news for her.

She had to head back.

Slipping away undetected while they were busy tracking the strangers was one thing. Doing it while they were on high alert was another. The wise decision would be to return now and seek the safety of her room.

Her tongue hung out of her mouth, tasting freedom one last time. Then she leaned forward, transforming back into her human shape. Fur slowly vanished, leaving behind pale skin.

Her posterior legs stretched, bones cracking. A shiver ran across her bare flesh as she stood in the middle of the clearing, nothing but her long red locks covering her chest.

It wasn't the same.

It wasn't as freeing.

She turned around, the long grass tickling her legs as she walked back to her clothes. Screw the corset. She slipped her sandy dress back on, tugging it downwards to cover her body.

She flipped her hair out of the fabric and wrapped it into a ponytail with a piece of faded blue cloth.

Walking back would take longer than running, but if anyone saw her in her wolf form, her father would hear about it. In their cub days, they were allowed to roam freely within the castle's constraints.

At that age, she didn't realize how limiting it was. Then, at sixteen, she understood there was a whole world out there.

The last three winters were spent trying to get to it.

And precisely at that moment, her father decided it was a nasty habit. Roaming, patrolling? Not for her. She had other skills to learn.

Sure, he allowed her to shift—as long as she respected about a thousand rules.

Which she did.

Most of the time.

Despite her father's beliefs, she understood the outside world's potential danger. She wasn't reckless, not venturing too far.

But what could she learn trapped between the same four walls all the time? It didn't make sense.

Katalin kept heading home, sensing a shift in the atmosphere. Everyone was on high alert; she could smell it. The foreigners were here, among them. From where she stood, she could see small groups gathering.

There was something to see.

Maybe she could sneak a peek, take a look at who they were before her father realized she was not where she should be. Unfortunately, before her curiosity could be satisfied, her father's minions intervened.

Katalin felt their eyes shifting to look at her, their bare feet dragging the dust beneath them as they readied to head in her direction.

Shoot. They spotted her.