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The darkening grey clouds in the distance are bundling up, stacking, colliding against one another forming columns that stretch high into the late afternoon sky. The sound of faint thunder rumbling the world in the distance is something that I can hear now.
The destructo twins are nipping at my heels with teeth leaving little scratches down at my ankles that they will pay for. They persecute me with Fang, and I avenge with my plants. For every nip of my ankles or thighs, I give retribution in all sorts of wickedness my mind can conjure up.
My mother employed them to run me hard and fast, knowing how much I hate to be chased especially by these two. It takes all my constitution not to turn around and lay siege to these wolves who think at the moment they are more than me.
Running past the group of wolves that are leaving the training facility I can alway tell when one of the females is from the Far North they always bow slightly to me, with low words of blessed, honored, before going on their way.
It's still hard to get used to. They seem to think that the Moon has given me the highest honor a female could ever hope to get, to be the mate's with the Alpha of the Far North.
Racing through the training facility my mother's been timing me how long it's taking my runs now. Every day there's small improvements, I'm getting faster, more sure footed. Even the twins are having a hard time keeping up with me in their fur form. They can't stay in their skin because I can beat them now in a running race on two legs and I think soon I will be able to outrun their wolves.
Skidding to a stop, Mom has all the knives laid out, the targets set up. She likes me to throw when I'm out of breath when I feel the most tired. Over and over again we practice the art of knives until I bleed from the callouses being ripped away. My father handles all my combat lessons.
It's monotonous, her giving me directions when the knife is not straight lined with the tip of the blade hitting the mark exactly dead center. Shamus has made it, comes walking in slightly stiff; he's been training with both my Dad and Uncle Grey. They don't take it easy on him. Instead, they demand more from him than anyone else in the pack.
Over and over again we throw only to retrieve the knives; boring doesn't do justice to the word.
Tedious
Unexciting
Repetitive
This is the worst waste of the day I can think of, more important things await me once finished with this. Lana the healer allowing me for the first time to make the herb mixture that suppresses a female's heat so no future can grow inside her nest. This takes a lot of preparation and a lot of concentration; we do this for all the females that have decided to go to the Far North Pack, they at least will have control of time of their heat and not by getting marked to bring it on.
"One more time Charlie." My mother is handing me the knives that Shamus collected from his turn at the targets. As he walks by her, she lets her hand touch his hair, ruffling it up.
"You're doing very good Shamus." He tries not to look proud pretending to shrug off the compliment.
Uncle Grey is giving him a nod of approval as he passes by him. That makes Shamus stand straighter, taller. I can see the smile that creeps across his face before he stands beside his mother who puts her arms around him, kissing his head. Nuzzling into his neck, "stop I'm not a pup mom." Stepping away from her, she looks hurt but doesn't try to touch him again.
"I'm tired mom." Letting the knives fall on the ground that she just placed in my hands. I'm hot and haven't eaten for a while. Feeling edgy as if everything is bugging me.
"Pick them up, Charlie." Her voice is irritating my skin.
"No." Stomping my feet as hard as a fifteen-year-old unshifted wolf can. "I'm done doing this!" Turning my body away from them, all they do is make me practice, all day, doing this over and over again, while I just want to be in the forest collecting my plants, or making things to help ease the suffering or older wolves.
"Charlie, pick them up." My mother takes a step towards me.
"I said no!" My turn to take a step towards her, everything for some reason is quiet. I can't look away from my mother's eyes. There is a great compulsion within me to hold my position.
We're almost the same height now, standing there regarding each other. Something deep inside that I'm not familiar with is making me stand tall, squaring my shoulders to her.
A whispering within myself to hold ground, do not turn tail, widen my stance.
Posturing my outward intent that I will not turn my neck in submissiveness. The wild 's seduction tremoring skin, something inside the marrow of me wanting to ascend to meet the wolf who is challenging her very nature.
A look of shock flashes in her blue eyes before refocusing on me, she steps slowly with caution to the side, so I have to turn my body slightly to keep tracking her movements. A low rumble from deep within echo's out in the quiet, a lift of lip to flash fang is without my control. It's done almost with the same ease of instinct that you would take a breath.
My turn to be shocked touching the spot on my chest where the sound reached outward from. The words of a wolf deep within has shuffled herself inside, scantly. A flexing of her voice that hasn't taken on fur form yet.
A percussion of sound vibrates around my exposed flesh, turning right Odin comes from where he has been standing, silent in the shadow of light that doesn't reach that part of the facility because no one is using that space at the moment.
Odin has just witnessed my wolf's first juvenile sound; her awakening has begun.
Another flexion of sound trembles outward, as she voices her sound for Odin's ears. There is a quick curve of his bottom lip that pulls at the corner of his eyes once the growl has died away. It's primitive without the refinement of how a shifted juvenile wolf sounds but to me it's magical to hear her for the first time. The deep ancient green of a forbidden forest holds me statue still. Taking a step towards me until my mother stands in his path, along with Uncle Grey.
He's always showing up unexpectedly since my injury, bringing me white sheets of paper filled with extraordinary descriptions of plants that even at times Lana our healer looks on with wonder. Her finger is going over the picture while her eyes take every detail in, I think deep down she must love plants almost as much as me.
He's holding two packages wrapped up with a few late autumn flowers attached to the bow.
Odin's stance doesn't change it's relaxed even with the threat of my mother and Uncle Grey standing shoulder to shoulder.
"Mother Wolf," Odin bows to her slightly, it's more a very minute tilt of the head but enough to understand it's meaning. He doesn't even acknowledge Uncle Grey, not with his body or his eyes. It's as if he's beneath regarding.
"Charlie pick those knives up." Odin's commanding sound makes me cringe slightly.
Hanging my head, before kneeling to pick up the knives. "I'm sorry mom, I don't know what just happened."
She touches my back before pulling me into her for a hug. "It's okay Charlie; I think you're going to be shifting very soon. The signs are all there." Kissing my cheek, rubbing hers on mine, before her teeth nip at my jaw it hurts slightly before she pulls herself away.
"You shouldn't be subjecting Charlie to the mundane. Making her throw knife after knife at an immobile target. It's a waste of her time and yours." Odin's addressing my mother while handing her a beautifully wrapped package the color of her eyes. Little flowers attached to the bow as well.
He keeps the deep green one in his hand. A folded up white piece of paper is attached to the top, I'm more curious for the paper than the present.
"She needs to practice Odin."
"I agree, but I have a question for you Mother Wolf?" He pauses while looking at me holding out the gift. When I take it, our fingertips almost touch the others. The package is dropped instantly, falling to the floor with a soft thud along with the clang of the knives I was holding. His stoic face shifting with teeth descending, there is a rough-toned growl whose language is not understandable to my ears. The sound he's making has my Uncle step into Odin's space, blocking his sight from me.
The scantiest of sensation creeps slowly downwards from the start of my neck it flushes it's path towards the base of my spine until it shivers itself out from my toes, it's a wobbling feeling that takes me off guard.
"Finian." It's seethed out from the base of Odin's throat.
"Odin, I'm not Fin, learn your wolves, better." Uncle Grey's firm voice is descending outward in strength. Mom comes to stand in front of Uncle Grey. He's very rash at times with his education in the ways of the wolf.
Odin's eyes fall from Uncle Grey's as if he is no longer important. Instead, it's my mother who now holds his line of vision.
"Mother Wolf, why train Charlie on objects that don't move, when her enemies will be moving. She needs to be training on the moveable, not the immobile. Her enemies will never stand still and let her hit them with silver; she needs to be practicing on the ones who don't want to be hit with sharp knives." His eyes flick towards the twins who are still in fur form, they rise uneasy. His sight now at my ankles and shins taking in their nipping bites, that now are almost healed. My body is shifting more towards juvenile then pup, those years are leaving while my next stage in transitioning is just starting.
"You two wolves start running now." With a sweeping grace, Odin picks up the knives by the sharpened ends, letting me grip the handles. "Let's see how good you are Charlie?" The destructo twins let out a whine, looking towards my mother she nods her head.
"I can't throw knives at my cousins; I don't want to hurt them."
"They won't get hurt if you can't hit them." That makes me bristle upwards if I had fur it would be standing along the ridge of my back.
"I can't hit them."
"Then you will never survive in my pack." Odin is saying this with nature's harshness.
"You have to take your training seriously. You need to be stronger than what's going to be waiting for you when I walk you into my pack on the first day. I won't be able to fight with you; you will have to do that on your own. Now I want you to throw them at your cousins and see if you can hit them. It won't hurt them it will just sting as if being stung by a hornet." Odin's speech is directed at me but also at my mother, who takes in every word.
"Paley, Keegan start running." On my mom's advice, they start to run in zig zag patterns. With a quick toss of the knife, it lands with a clang on the ground missing its target. Paley turns to look at me with a smug wolfish smile as he slows his momentum down. Faster than I can clamp my hand shut, a knife is taken out and thrown Paley's way embedding into his rump, the wolf making a high pitched whimpering sound before scampering away quickly. Odin is not looking at Paley but into my eyes, the visible tension in him is more rigid than steel.
"I need to leave. I won't be back till the spring, may the winter be mild and spring comes early." The words are breathed low for ears to strain to hear before leaving. The wolves at the entrance give him consideration as they take a step back from his forward movement. All give him right of way out of the facility into the night.
The package in my hand feels light, and with an excitement that Odin's gone I open it up revealing a new set of mittens, made with the same fur as last time.
It's a perfect fit.
The white folded paper has a drawing of another plant used for in the Far North, not native to the territory of my pack. It's detailed expertly all in Odin's writing. When looking up my mother has a blushing smile on her face because he made her a set for herself.
Throughout the remaining fall and into winter my mother has me practicing with my cousins, along with Shamus by my side. The both of us practicing delightfully on our cousins, who are getting much faster at maneuvering their bodies from stinging knife tips but we are also getting much better at aiming at the moving.
Much change is happening to a body that is getting closer to a shift; smells are becoming much more distinguishable. The tone of the sound is picked up from far away distances, and I'm able to hear conversations that I never was able to hear before.
After the spring, it's as if I am a whole other female. Over the winter the pups body has become that of a juvenile female. A voice no more puppy in nature, everyone commenting that I rival my mother's traits.
It's a big party that celebrates my 16th year, Judy the cook making my mother's favorite cake, chocolate. I picked the cake out because I know how much mom loves it. All the juveniles of the pack are here, and we get to dance after at the party. Which none of the males ask me to dance. I'm the only one that is without a dance partner and my two cousins laugh at me as they are dancing with their female partners.
Shamus wasn't allowed to come to the party; he's still too young even though he's taller than me now. His body is starting the beginning of his juvenile transition. He's just a few inches shorter than the destructo twins, and they cringe every time someone says it won't be long before he's taller than them.
The twig breaks behind me, a shadow falling over my body darkening my sight. Stiffening instantly with who I can sense behind me. My hands are pulling away from the log I was digging underneath of, going to wipe my hands on my pants I think better of it; my mother hates when I'm dirty.
"Charlie, how are you?" Odin's voice is sounding behind my ear, so close that I can feel his breath on my skin. He inhales deeply from the back of my neck a sigh breathing out with his next exhaled breath.
"Odin." The name is falling out on a shaky voice.
"Charlie, why so scared? Don't you know by now I could never hurt you? All this time visiting you if I wanted to hurt you I would have already."
"You just startled me that's all." Trying to sound convincing. When I turn to face him, he's crouched down, holding something in his hands wrapped up in the faintest green wrapping paper, spring wildflowers decorating the package as if he just picked them for the occasion. They haven't even started to wilt. He's changed over the winter, his shirt tighter fitting, just as I have gotten taller, it feels as if he has too, his shadow he casts is bigger, larger, distorting the light of the sun with a wider width.
He's a mass of bone, sinew, and flesh. Tattoos of wild game and black spiraling ink etch on the skin where there is no more flash of skin left. The ancient symbols are extending up until hidden behind the sleeve of his shirt.
"I wanted to bring you a gift just for you. I'm going to be bringing you something else, but for now, I wanted to give you this before your first shift." He hands me the package; that looks as if he wrapped it himself. It's not a perfect wrapping job; uneven edges layered with tape trying to hold it all together so whatever is inside stays wrapped up.
"I can smell her Charlie, your wolf just underneath the surface of your skin." His body tremors as canines try descending before he shakes his head snapping his jaw closed.
His eyes hold the color of a dark brooding forest inside them. Green is the color I love the most especially the darker shades of green.
Sitting on the carpet of new moss, I begin to slowly unwrap the present he brought me.
The springtime breeze is ruffling the new leaves on tree branches, sounding as if an ocean is nearby that's gently lapping at the shore.
He sits himself down facing me, getting comfortable, making it seem that he will be staying for a while.
"It won't be long Charlie." His chest expanding taking in a lungful of air; he doesn't release it right away. Instead, he holds it in as if he's savoring the flavor of me.
"I know." He's right the wolf inside is stirring relentlessly. She's flexing her muscles with each day that's bringing her closer to the surface.
Taking great care with opening the wrapping paper up if he spent time putting it on it's only right I show him that I appreciate all the effort he made.
"I thought you might have a use for it." He smiles at me, the first time he gives me that kind of gift.
"It's beautiful." I mean what I say. The homemade leather journal fits easily in my hands. Not too bulky, small enough to fit inside my satchel easily with the two other books my father has given to me on my birthday.
"Do you like it?" He questions out, but the smile that's spread wide across my face answers his question. Putting it up to my nose, smelling leather, birch bark and him, the freshly turned soil that I always smell while digging for roots, that's Odin's smell.
Cracking the spine of the homemade book open, feeling the texture of paper on fingertips. It's unusual; the paper feels grainier thicker than what I'm used to drawing on. His body is coming closer to mine; his cheek almost presses against mine. It's without touch that he lays me down on a thick bed of moss, his body hovering just above mine. Forearms are taking his weight, the green forest of his eyes are slowly giving way to slate black pools of the abyss.
Lips so close but not touching.
"If I could kiss you now I would." The rumble of his voice so close to my face is a corruption of my body.
Author's note
Thank you to everyone staying interested in the story.
Much appreciation for this.
Please leave a comment or vote if you're enjoying it!
Thank you
Rachelle