Shape-Shifter

Chapter 7

I found that the forest floor was way more interesting than I had given it credit for. “I was talking about...” I couldn't put it into words. Doing that would make it seem real. “Are you okay with it?” I asked instead.

“What? You keep saying 'it' but I don't know what you're talking about!” he took a few steps closer, and I suddenly felt attacked. Without thinking I shifted into my wolf, ripping my clothes.

I heard Aaron scribble in his notebook. I didn't care. I part shifted so that my voice would sound human. “Don't!” It sounded more like a growl than like a human word, but that couldn't be helped.

Alex ignored me and took another step closer. “I want you to trust me. I want to be able to approach you, no matter what form you're in, and not be afraid that you will, out of fear, rip me to shreds.”

I growled again, but found myself backing away.

“I want you not to feel the need to hide, to attack or hurt me, or to go into defensive mode each time I get too close.”

He took two last steps and was now only inches away from me. I felt myself shrink back towards the floor, I saw his hand move towards my nose, but nothing seemed to register in my brain. Only the wolf inside me, yelling at me. Some ancient instinct, older than all the forms I can shift into, telling me something that my wolf brain didn't understand. Something that I doubted any of my brains would ever understand.

His human hands touched my nose, and I expected my wolf to bite his hand off, but nothing happened. The beginning of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. I had never really thought about appearances before. His lips were full, but not too full. His eyes were a pleasant colour that my wolf eyes wouldn't understand. I part shifted and felt my human sight return. His eyes were green. He moved a bit and the light that covered his face changed. Now his eyes were brown. He moved again – honey-brown. His eyes were the eyes of shifters', always changing. Could he be...?

NO! He couldn't be. It was the light. I've seen loads of humans whose eyes change colour with the change of light. I was thinking random thoughts now.

He brought his other hand down to me and touched me on the head, where I couldn't seen him. He leaned down towards me and I became very aware of the sound of Aaron's pencil scraping the paper of his notebook. Alex was very close to me now. He leaned towards my ear and whispered three words into my ear. “Shift back, please.”

Those words, spoken by him, had an odd effect on me. A shudder went down my lupine spine. A shift was brought upon my body, and I found myself in my human body, naked.

Alex went from his bent over position to a crouch, right in front of me. He cupped my face in his hands and looked at me. The same ancient instinct that had pulsed through me moments ago was back. I felt an urge that I couldn't identify.

“Alex,” I whispered, “your brother is noting every movement we make.”

“Then let him.”

I pushed him away from me. “Go get my clothes.”

He got up, a strange look on his face. The pulsing inside me ebbed. I felt almost the same as before, if it weren't for the memory of the pulsing playing so vividly in my mind.

He threw another long t-shirt at me. Did I really have that many of them? “Something proper this time please!”

He looked at me, then at his brother and gave me some jeans to pull on, looking vaguely unhappy.

“Let's go home. I'll feed you two when we get to mine,” I said and put Aaron onto Black-Beauty. “I hope she can carry three people, because I'm too tired to run or fly home.”