Mated to the Moon

Chapter 2

I dug a hole in the snow and placed Ersa in it, her naturally pale skin seemed to fit right in with our surroundings. She cooed at me and smiled at me, giving me hope that maybe this would work, and I could save her. I walked a few paces away from her, so she was at a safe distance away from me while I attempted my first shift. Normally Lycans have their first shift in their early adolescence but I was late, I’m Eighteen and a half now. I wasn’t sure if it was possible, especially with how weak I’d been kept over the years.

I plopped down into the snow and leaned my back against an old oak tree, the firm trunk gave off an earthy scent that made me relax. I closed my eyes and steadied my breathing. The sounds surrounding me filled my ears and coursed through my veins, I smelled the winter air and imagined that I was running through the snowbanks with my paws hitting the ground. My paws were ebony like my hair and my eyes were black, my wolf was small for its kind. I took a deep breath through my nose and when I exhaled, I called for my wolf for the first time. My wolf perked its fluffy ears at my voice and looked directly at me, a long-lost friend that it had yearned to be with.

I clenched my fists tightly as I imagined my wolf charging at me, my body grew tingly and warm as if the winter air no longer had any effect on my delicate body. The wolf seemed to pounce on me but instead passed through me and vanished, confusion filled my mind. I opened my eyes quickly to look around confused but as they opened a scream filled my lungs and echoed in the trees surrounding us. My bones were breaking, it was the most painful thing that I had ever experienced. I cried out as my hips seemed to snap apart, my flesh was being ripped away and my blood was spilling out from the open wounds covering my body. I clenched at the snow-covered ground, but I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore.

I can’t do this! I thought to myself.

I sobbed; my cheeks were covered with the dampness from my tears but was slowly freezing to my face. Ersa started to cry a few yards away as I’d scared her with my screams of pain.

I’m sorry Ersa! I can’t do this! I thought as I coughed up blood as the pain grew more intense.

I couldn’t hold on anymore, I felt like I was dying. Everything suddenly became dark, my vision was gone, the intense pain of my body being ripped apart made me blind, my body gave up and everything disappeared, I no longer felt pain, I could no longer feel the cold snow under me or the wind whisper through my raven locks that hung around my body freely.

This must be what It feels like to be dead. I thought before the world went black.

I woke up a few minutes later in my wolf form, I felt refreshed as if everything that had just happened was all just a dream. I looked around at my surroundings, everything seemed sharper, my vision, hearing, and my sense of smell. The scent of the pine trees surrounding me filled my snout, I’d finally turned into the wolf that I’d been longing to finally meet. She was more beautiful then I could ever imagine her to be. She has strong legs with large paws that flatten the snow from under her with ease. Her ears were fluffy and perked at the sounds surrounding her, although I wasn’t used to all these new senses yet, my new keen hearing hurt my fluffy ears and I flattened them against my head and whimpered.

I sniffed the air and located the scent of my daughter, it was beautiful, she gave off a warm aura that seemed to draw me to her. I slowly went over to her, walking on all four paws seemed to come naturally to me. I approached her and gazed into her onyx eyes, she looked back at me, studying my furry face that was now a wolf’s face. She seemed to recognize me as she smiled after a few moments and tried to reach out for me while giggling. I felt overjoyed inside, I couldn’t speak so instead I licked her salty face with my long and warm tongue, leaving a trail of saliva on her cheeks.

I grabbed hold of the back of her snowsuit with my new set of canines and lifted her up off the ground, I held her in my teeth as if she were a cub, which she might as well have been, she was the daughter of a wolf. I leaped away while carrying her safely in my mouth, I needed to get us away from this place and find somewhere warm to stay the night.

I could travel faster as a wolf and cover more ground in a short period of time, it felt amazing to work my new muscles. Ersa giggled as we ran fast through the trees, they seemed to pass us by in a blur, my wolf was fast as well as strong. I’d never felt freedom like this before, I don’t know if I could give it up, I could almost stay a wolf forever.

But I won't.

My ears perked at a new sound that was coming towards us, it was a new set of paws that were charging towards Ersa and I. It was another wolf and he sounded like he was faster than I was, I was only a new changeling, I wouldn’t be able to stand up against other wolves.

Was I in someone else’s territory without being aware of it? I couldn’t tell.

I didn’t know much about my own kind, I dug my paws into the ground and pushed my lean body to run faster, fear started to cloud my mind. Ersa’s life was in danger, I needed to get us away as fast as possible, but it was impossible, this new wolf outmatched me easily.