Rising (Revised & Edited)

Chapter 8

Tyler's Point Of View

Scar and everybody else searched for Angel for months after she had killed Maverick. Even the shapeshifters who were supposed to be the best trackers couldn't find her. One-Eye refused to let me find her, Angel needed space, if I went to her when everyone was out there, they would follow me to her. She would run even further then. It killed me, laying in the healing den, waiting for my body to mend itself, knowing she was scared out of her mind, alone. If it hadn't been for you he would have killed me. You said so yourself one night in the meadow, Maverick was a danger to the pack. I just want you to come home, to see how worried everyone is about you, that nobody is angry. I sighed. Thoughts like that were useless, they wouldn't bring her back, she wouldn't hear me. I shifted my body, wincing as I did. "Tyler, you should shift, it will help heal you," One-Eye advised.

"I don't think I can do that. I've only been through it once...I don't know...can't...." I told her. The idea of going through all that pain, just to turn around and do it again was sickening. Made my stomach curl.

"It was what you were born to do, Tyler. The more you do it the less it will hurt until eventually you don't feel it at all, it goes quickly," she said. "The first time is always the worst, no matter what, just remember that. The very worst experience of shifting you will have already happened." I closed my eyes. I don't know how to do this. "Picture what you want to turn into, the way it moves, feels. The sensations it experiences," she instructed.

I cried out as my entire leg shattered, the rest of my body following as it began changing. Panting after a few hours, I lay on the stone floor. "Now do it again," One-Eye commanded.

"Already?" I asked as my eyes widened, pale hands covering myself.

"Yes, and keep doing it until your body tells you it can't," she growled. "Scar will be back any day and as soon as he is he will announce that the search is off. You want to bring her back, yes? You need to be able to run and jump and swim, yes?" She asked. I nodded my head. "Then get to it, it's the only way you will be ready by the end of the week."

My human body shuddered at the thought of what was ahead of me. I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, a tear sliding down my cheek as I screamed, my bones breaking, muscles stretching. One-Eye looked on, expressionless. "I take no joy in watching you suffer, Tyler, it just is the way we are, a part of our lives. See this as a blessing, in the future you will be able to transform with little effort and on a whim, and can even teach your mate to not fear it," she said as my world blurred and darkened.

When I came to I found myself laying on the ground, a dark grey paw in front of me. "You can rest, now," One-Eye whispered.

"But I-I only did it twice..." I told her as I tried to push myself up, muscles screaming at me to stay down as I collapsed.

"You did it over a dozen times, Tyler. For the past few days, maybe you just blocked it out," One-Eye said. Over a dozen times?! How?! That's...that's...impossible...

I didn't understand what One-Eye was saying, couldn't process it. For her, I did it for her. Scar isn't back yet, so resting is the best and only thing I can do, I don't think it's physically possible for me to get up right now anyway. Gods. I hate this entire situation! All I can think about is the worst possible things right now. I can't stand not knowing if she's ok. With a long sigh I lay my head back down, closing my eyes as I easily fell into a deep sleep.

#

When I awoke, snow was just beginning to fall. I rose to my paws, amazed at how easy it was after my last experience trying to stand. I lazily made my way outside, felt as snowflakes landed on my fur, my breath coming out in white plumes. I looked around, life had resumed, and Scar was sitting before Caroline, his head hanging low, ears back as she let out a deep, mournful howl. One-Eye approached me from behind, crooning. "It's time, Tyler. Find her, you won't be followed. Scar plans to go out on his own one last time as well, if you run into him, help him. It may not seem it from how he has treated the situation between Maverick and you, or Maverick and Angel, but he is a good leader, even if he has been a bad father," she said.