Among The Stars [DISCONTINUED]

CHAPTER 6

I stood to my place in the line of wolves-in-training. There were about 13 of us in total, plus Andrew and Salyna who were the oldest of us so they had the authority to teach.

"How are you doing?" Tommy whispered to me, ignoring the fact that the teachers were talking.

"Decent," I answered, glancing at my 22-year-old brother figure. "You?"

"Nah," he said, scrunching up his nose. "Could be better."

"Why's that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Haven't been able to talk to Laura lately, she's been busy. Y'know, the whole leader thing?" he explained.

I nodded.

"Speaking of which, how's Will doing? You talk to him the most and Laura's been wondering. Maybe I can give the information to her since she didn't see him in The Big Hall today," he continued.

"Well you can tell her that for all I know, Will's been doing just fine," I said, smiling at the thought of my best friend.

Tommy opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Salyna. "Alright, get to work!" she clapped.

I turned to Sabrina, who was on my other side. "What are we supposed to be doing?"

She sighed. "You never listen, do you? The usual. Practice."

"Cool, thanks," I nodded, walking further away to start.

First, I thought, sitting down. I have to clear my mind from any distractions. I closed my eyes, taking deep breaths. 'JuMp iN thE caDillac-' I sighed, opening my eyes and shaking my head. Those songs just always have to come at the worst moments, don't they?

***

After finally managing to clear my mind and focus solely on the task at hand, I stood up. Second, focus on what I want to look like. Partial transformation, so I have to imagine myself with ears, tail and nose. First, tail.

KEY

[origin]

(what it symbolizes)

- what it means

fox

wolf

rabbit

hawk

William[old-German] - determined protector(unknown), 10, 17-18; Snuffles - 'to sniff' 3

Olivia[unknown] - olive tree(fruitfulness, beauty, peace and dignity), 8, 15-16; Dolphus - 'Majestic Noble Wolf' 2

Sabrina[unknown] - nymph of the river Severn/river goddess(hope, waiting), 8, 15; Lovota - 'a fast and good-natured wolf' 1

Tashon[American] - God is merciful, gracious(unknown), 10, 17

Laura[Latin] - bay laurel plant(full of life, uplifting, inspiring and charming), 15, 22; Dandelion - lion's tooth, 5

Tommy[unknown] - common soldier in the British army(unknown), 15, 22; Adoff - a 'noble' or 'honorable' wolf, 6

Salyna[unknown] - moon, goddess of the moon, dedicated to Mars(unknown), 21, 28;

Andrew[Greek] - strong and manly(manly or brave), 19, 26; Channon - Young wolf, 'the wise one', 7

Asher[Hebrew] - happy(unknown), ?, 25;

Lucius[Latin] - light(unknown), ?, 42