The Alpha's Songbird - A WerewolfXHarpy Novel

Alight

It had been days since Henri had taken flight, and finally she could take no more. She was always able to fight off the urge for at least 24 hours, maybe 48 if she was lucky. But eventually that intense desire turned into a painful, achy longing. It was impossible to resist, not in a chocoholic locked in a room with a Hershey bar sort of way but more like a drug addict going through withdrawal. She had to have it, that feeling of the wind zipping under her wings and the world speeding by below her.
She waited many long, painful hours until darkness finally fell before peeling herself out of bed and donning a thin, strappy tank top and a pair of black leggings.  Her back felt like it was on fire, like little bugs were underneath her skin and slowly biting their way out. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her arms as she moved to open the door.
The night air was cooling and comforting as she turned the key to lock the old, beaten up RV. Yes, it was so old, in fact, that it needed to be locked with a key. Checking to make sure she was alone in the clearing, she turned and walked off into the darkness.
After locating a spot she deemed safe and big enough, Henri stopped for a moment to wiggle her fingers and toes nervously. Drawing in a shaky breath, she glanced around one more time before closing her eyes and letting the transformation happen.
To say the shift was not painful would be a lie. The night's tender silence was sliced open by the grotesque sound of bones snapping and reforming. Henri winced as her body metamorphosed.
Suddenly, from Henri's bare back sprouted a pair of huge, dark wings like that of a bird, long feathers fanning out like flower petals searching for sunlight. Her fingernails elongated, darkened and hardened to form thick, sharp talons powerful enough to tear flesh.
No slower than the crack of a whip did she alight into the air, her powerful wings sending her far above the surrounding treetops. Higher and higher she flew, every second taking her further away from the RV which now looked like a Lego brick below her.
Her eyes, though they appeared unchanged, had transformed as well. The moon was blanketed by thick clouds, and no campfires or other light sources could be seen below, but still the world looked clear to her. Like a nocturnal creature, the details of the forest were visible from countless yards away.
As she flew further and further, all the while gaining speed, the pain was replaced with a deep satisfaction. Waves of relief washed over her as the wind sent her long, brown hair flying wildly. Adrenaline pumped itself through her body. It all felt food. It all felt right.
It wasn't until she was miles away from the clearing that Henri flew back down, taking a moment to perch herself on a tree limb that looked sturdy enough for a few minutes of rest. Below her, her darting eyes could see the forest alive with activity. Tiny mice skittered across the grass as crickets rubbed their legs together to create a sharp, repetitive song. The vicious eyes of tiny, threatening spiders twinkled like reflections on the surface of water.
The clouds gave way to a waxing moon which stared down at Henri as if to look disappointed. She always gave in to the desire to shift and take flight. No amount of discipline could stop her. It was a battle she could never win.
As she sat quietly, she thought of the werewolves. An old friend had once taught her that the weres believed the moon was the celestial body encapsulating the spirit of the Moon Goddess. Most of the wolves believed she controlled everything. Life, death and even love and lust were all part of her domain.
But what did the werewolves know?
The journey back home was a period of quiet repentance. Much like when driving on long, sprawling roads, sometimes Henri would get lost in her thoughts during a flight. She'd fly for miles and miles on autopilot without so much as blinking before something shook her back to reality, and all she could do was wonder how she hadn't managed to crash into something on her way home.
Finally landing, Henri was quick to transform back. She groaned and gritted her teeth as her wings receded, bones cracking and shifting to fall back into place. It only took a few painful seconds before her body was completely human again. Her talons shrunk back into pinkish, brittle fingernails. Her eyesight weakened and dulled until she found herself staring into the blurry darkness.
There was never anyone there to greet her when she returned from her trips. Henri had no family, no friends, and she more or less liked it that way. It was always just her and the RV and the open road. She had always found herself standoffish and easily driven away by others. Her cell phone, barely used, had only three contacts inside, none of which ever called her with regularity.
Yes, Henri was a loner. Sometimes she doubted a single creature on Earth was aware of her existence.
So why then, when she squinted her pathetic, human eyes, were there two tall figures waiting at her door?