Full Moon

Chapter Eleven

I dart out of the open window and hit the ground, landing lightly. Pain moves in waves through my body. It gets worse and worse until I hear a sharp crack, and I know that my spine is realigning itself. I fall to the ground and whimper into the grass. A minute later, the itches begin. I watch, fascinated, as black fur forces its way through my skin.

That's when I realize that I can see every single detail of the world around me, even though it's dark. I look up at the moon, and a sense of surety fills me.

I bound off into the woods. 5 minutes later, I arrive at a rock overhang, which I squeeze my way through on mere instinct. The overhang opens up into a small cavern with a small reflecting pool in it.

I stare into the reflecting pool and an image of Silvia rises behind my eyes. The same image appears in the pool. Without thinking, I leap into the pool. And swim toward the bottom where a piece of glass rests. I nudge it with my wolflike nose, and then I am suddenly standing next to another wolf. The wolf is white and silver.

The wolf looks over, and I realize it his Silvia.

"Hello Lyra", she says. It comes out as a bark, but I understand it anyway.

"Hello Silvia", I say. This also comes out as a bark.

Silvia looks at the moon.

"It is almost midnight, and then I will be able to change back into a human. You will not, though. I will have to help you."

"Ok", I say.

At that moment, Silvia begins to change. I watch, fascinated, as her skin ripples and changes. I hear the sharp crack as her spine realigns itself. The fur recedes, and I am left looking at Silvia.

"Now for you", she says as she pulls a small bone out of her pocket. "This is going to hurt a lot more than your first change did. I am going to place this Sunbone on your tongue. It is a child's thumb bone. It has been filled with a mixture of silver and wolfsbane. It will force you to assume your human form, but it will hurt. Do not let the Sunbone fall out of you mouth, or your transition will pause, and it will be painful."

I open my mouth, and Silvia places the Sunbone on my tongue. As soon as I close my mouth, the pain begins. My mouth erupts in blisters, which spread down my throat into my stomach and lungs. Then the real pain starts. I clench my teeth, mindful of Silvia's warning. I close my eyes against the red cloud of pain and recede into myself. I feel the way my heart skips a beat as it switches back to its normal, human rhythm. And even though the pain is not over, I feel safe. I know that I will not let myself down.

I don't know exactly what happens next. I only know that among the pain and darkness, there is a rhythm. I reach out and wrap my mind around it, calling on it. And something answers.