The leaves grew still as the bustling world held it's breath. It was as if they could sense the upcoming event and was bristling in anticipation. Babbling brooks laughed themselves quiet, respectful as they wound their way to the clearing.
Today was the day five tribes would come together. The day they were united in the goal to bring the next generation of shapeshifters home. Those who were too young would look on in envy while the elders gossiped and recalled young golden days of adventure.
I, for one, was ready for my life to begin.
Days had been counted down while I anxiously waited for the right constellations to take their stage in the sky. My best friend called me crazy but I knew he was excited to.
After all, today was the day of the Ceremony, where we would finally receive our second forms. Where we could shift into forms that would let us fly in the wind, see in the inky darkness, brace the chill of the icy mountain peaks.
Where I would, at last, be free.
(Side Note: In this novel, people are referred to as the animal they had called, even if they're in their human form. Ex: A viper walked up to me, reaching out her hand in greeting.)