Wolf

There is one thing that I do like about the full moon. The change comes easier, and you are able to change without having to strip down or rip whatever you’re wearing at the time. Your clothes sort of just turn into fur, and then back into clothes. Of course, stuff that isn’t clothes doesn’t change; like packs, or swords, so you do have to lug that around. I stood in the calf-deep snow behind the shack and faced the forest that spread out in front of me. The fierce wind was stinging my face, swirling the snow around, so I quickly surrendered to the pull of the moon and felt myself simply melt into my other form. There was a brief moment of dizziness, then I tipped back my furred head and howled.

I turned my head, checking on my load, then trotted under the canopy of the forest, feeling the change instantly. The forest stilled the howling of the wind and reduced it to the barest breath, so that I was able to travel more comfortably. I stretched my trot out, gradually picking up speed as I followed the faint tug that grew stronger with every second. I was soon grateful that I had taken every opportunity to eat a full meal; I would need all the energy I could get for the fifty mile trek into the Canadian wilderness. Once I had settled myself into a proper run, I kept myself on constant vigilance, scanning continually for any sign of danger. I wanted to avoid as much trouble as I could, it would be better for me to arrive fit and healthy, not to mention strong, instead of injured. A lone was supposed to return so that the Alpha knew that they were able to fend for themselves. If I showed up to the meet injured, or even hungry, Farra would pounce on the chance to force me to re-join the pack; where she could keep an eye on me. My nostrils flared, and I sifted through the smells, noting which ones were prey, and which ones were forest; no danger yet. My biggest fear of course was humans. Not that they would kill me on sight, because wolves are endangered here now, but I would make a pretty peculiar sight, trotting around with a sword on my back.

My stomach rumbled suddenly, and I sighed mentally, I checked what I could see of the sky and told myself firmly that it was much too early to stop for the night, let alone to think about hunting. But I automatically started looking for sign of prey, and smelling the wind. I looked up again, it was getting dark, but the trees had obscured the fact; it was already dark enough to be twilight under the canopy. I catch a whiff of rabbit and freeze, inhaling deeply, pinpointing its location. I sprang suddenly, flying upward in a short, lethal, fox-like jump. I landed squarely on a pair of rabbits, breaking their backs and killing them instantly. My mouth watered as I picked them up, but I refrained from eating them searching for a spot to stop for the night; it would not be good for me to eat them raw and then change only to lose my supper.

I stopped in a small clearing, not really all that much, but it had signs of having been a campsite before, which was good for me; people are less likely to notice the remains of a fire in places where there have been fires before. As soon as I’d changed back, I got a fire going and gathered enough to last the rest of the night. I skinned the rabbits with the hunting knife I keep in my boot and set them to cooking on a spit, turning them idly as I watched the flames. I had two days to complete the journey, with fifteen miles under my belt already. I could make it, I knew, but it was a question of how soon. As soon as I finished off the rabbits I stoked up the fire to keep it going and hunkered down for the night.