Blinded

7

The Sun was well over the horizon when Oli and Kate left their den. The forest was filled with the chirping of birds and the air was crisp and clean. A perfect day and yet the two fox siblings sulked and said not a word to one another.

The night had been spent in deep discussion, neither wanted to shift into their human form and neither wanted to be surrounded by wolves, even if it was just for the night and yet, Kate wanted to at least try to make an effort with the wolves even if that meant shifting into her other form. She had tried to convince her brother but nothing got through to him as he denied wanting to shift, over and over again. "It would be a bad idea. The wolves would have us surrounded and we wouldn't be able to escape." He'd say, which was a fair point. Kate had no replies to her brother's words but still kept trying to convince him.

The night had ended in a stalemate, neither could agree on a decision and both fell into an uneasy sleep.

Now they walked through the forest, ignoring prey as it fled and neither saying a word to one another, then a familiar voice filled the air around them, "The two of you look dead." Oli and Kate perked their ears and their tails wagged just a bit. Kate watched as Elder Nora stepped out from behind a tree. Her graying muzzle was slightly open and her golden eyes stared at the two young foxes. "I can only guess that the way you two are looking right now has to do with your conversation with Alex and Weaver last night." She said and watched as Kate and Oli nodded.

Oli did not hesitate in asking, "He sent you to convince us to shift, didn't he?" his intuition was sharp and caught Elder Nora off guard but she collected herself as she responded, "Yes, but not to convince."

Oli rolled his eyes and flattened his ears before stalking off, bit saying a word. Kate was shocked at her brother's behavior and looked at Elder Nora. "I'm sorry... it's a touchy subject for him." Kate apologized. "It is fine but if you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Elder Nora ask and Kate let out a deep sigh as she sat down. "It happened when we were young, I think it happened, maybe a year or two after our parents abandoned us. . ."

The fall air was crisp and clean as two young fox siblings walked through the forest. The younger was barely able to keep up with his sister. "Are you doing alright?" Kate called back to her brother, who stumbled through a pile of leaves. His tiny head bopped up and then down before he nodded. "Where are we going?" He asked as he pushed through the leaves. "We're going to the falls," Kate said. "Why?" He asked his curiosity taking over. Kate smiled and said, "Because you turn ten years old tonight, it'll be your first shift and the falls are safer to be rather than the hollow."

"Does it hurt?" Oli asked and Kate sighed, "Unfortunately yes, but you'll adjust." "I don't like the falls they're too loud. They drown out everything." Oli said and Kate gave a slight smile, "We'll be behind the falls where it won't be as loud hopefully." she said and the two made their way to the falls.
. . .

The roaring of the falls filled Oli's ears as he and Kate neared the falls. The air was beginning to cool his fur, warning him that night would soon be upon them. He stuck close to his sister's side as he felt the moisture in the air begin to cling to his fur.

"Grab ahold of my tail." Kate said to him and he gently bit down on the end of her tail. She led him to the underside of the falls and all Oli could hear was the roaring if falling water crashing down and into the river that fed into a lake, or at least that's what Kate told him.

They only spent a moment behind the roaring falls before Oli could feel even more dampness upon his fur and his sister led him further away from the falls, the roaring only a distant sound now. "Can you hear me?" Kate asked as Oli let go of her tail and sat down on the semi-wet cave floor. "Yeah, I can hear you." He responded twitching his ears towards her. "Good, we should rest until your shifting starts." Kate said with a yawn. Oli wanting to protest, yawned as well, not realizing how exhausted he was. Kate curled around him and he lay next to her enjoying her warmth, the warmth that had saved him many times during winter.

Oli had awakened to a sudden pain in his back. It was sharp and agonizing causing him to yelp and whine. He could sense his sister stirring awake. "Are you okay?" She asked tiredly and all he could get out was a loud yelp filled by a loud snap and crack. Kate was fully awake now as she realized that her brother's first shift was beginning. She quickly shifted into her other form and watched as her brother's back straightened, his face flattened, and his paws turned into fingers. His first shift was completed within ten minutes but something was wrong. He was panicking.
"Oli it's okay, it's over." Kate said to him but it was as if he couldn't hear her.

Oli was shaking. He stretched out his furless arms, trying to find his sister. He heard a muffled sound and tried to reach towards it but found nothing. His heart pounced and he got up, his two legs shaking as took a step forward, then another and another.

Kate watched her brother walk awkwardly, his arms stretched out trying to find something. "Oli I'm over here." She said but he didn't hear her and within a moment she was horrified.

Oli stepped his foot down but instead of it connecting with the ground it slid out from under him sending him to the ground, his head hitting the ground and without any clue as to what was going on he felt the coldness of water surrounding him, dragging him down. All he could do was struggle upwards trying to take breaths of air before he was plugged back beneath the cold darkness but his strength was waning and as he went under one last time he heard his sister shouting his name.

Kate ran as quickly as she could from under the falls, careful to not slip on the ground. "Oli!" She shouted as she left the caves. She shifted into her fox and ran down the river hoping to see her brother but she found nothing until she reached the lake. His body was on the shore and he wasn't breathing. She shifted once more and cradled his lifeless form. "Oh, gods no." She said as she put her hand on his chest, warmth just beginning to leave him. She was panicking as she felt her brother's warmth flee then she heard a fluttering of wings and saw two women standing near the tree line their eyes glowing golden in the dark.

"Please help him! I can't lose my only family!" She shouted at the women, tears warm and wet falling onto her brother. They seemed to converse and then one walked over to her and kneeled down. "What happened?" The woman asked and Kate explained that this was his first shift and thought it'd be a good idea to go behind the falls, thinking it'd be safe until it wasn't. "It's all my fault we should have just stayed near the hollow. It would have been safer." She whispered more to herself than the woman standing next to her. "It's not your fault. You were just trying to be a good sister, but I must ask you to move so that I may see him." The woman said and Kate nodded, moving aside so that the woman could examine her brother.

She turned away afraid that her brother couldn't be saved but within a few minutes she heard coughing and hacking and turned to see her brother wrenching up water and the woman making slow circling motions on his pale back.

She ran over to him and hugged him before looking back to the woman and saying, "Thankyou. Thankyou so much for saving him." The woman only nodded before returning to the treeline where the other stood. They stood only for a moment before shifting and flying off. Kate turned back to her brother who had managed to shift back into his fox form. She did the same and without any words, she curled around him and neither slept that night

"... Ever since that horrible night, he has refused to shift. I don't blame him, I wouldn't want to go through that again." Kate finished telling Elder Nora the reason why Oli wouldn't shift.

Nora nodded her head in understanding and thought for a moment before saying, "Understandable, he can't see and when he shifted for the first time he couldn't hear quite as well but let me talk to him alone." She said and Kate nodded. "You'll find him near the ashen tree. I'll be hunting but call for me if you need me." Kate said and began to walk away from Nora. "You know it wasn't your fault. You truly were just trying to protect him." Nora said and Kate looked back, her eyes clouded with sadness before running off. Nora sighed and began to move deep into the forest.