A Shifting Land

Chapter 9

Swift stretched, her claws scraping uncomfortably over dark chocolate bark. Her mind reached out, brushing against Kiri's with affection. "Today is the day, the final day after 2 weeks alone." She summoned a ball of saliva, slapping it on her tongue as his tail flicked over her mouth.

He opened one eye, peering at her from a pile of fur. He yawned, both pairs of fangs visible as he tilts his head back. "Maybe I don't want to. I don't really like how they treated me." He pulls his tail back with a disgusted look on his face, "Swift! My tail is dripping!" He exclaims, appalled.

She cackles, "Then don't put it on my muzzle!" She curls closer to him in their tree hollow. "Why do you guys not go higher in the trees?"

"They don't practice shifting, not like we do." Kiri glanced out the hole, watching the branches sway around them. "They can't do it fast, not like Bladen and D'vala had us practicing. If they fell, they'd hit branches or the ground. They wouldn't be able to catch themselves. Not necessarily."

Swift stared at Kiri, shocked a new head hadn't sprouted from his shoulders. "You said they. You didn't say call them your people."

"D'vala was telling me about some of the major differences. She doesn't think they should be called Dukari, just a subspecies of them. Either way, why do you want to go back? Aren't I enough company?" Kiri hid his face back in his fluff. "They'll make sure we are in separate burrows. Or make us stay outside the pack still."

She rolled her eyes. "If we're outside the pack we can just come sleep here. We don't have to live with them, just declare our sanity so we can at least live around here."

Kiri gave her a wide eyed stare, "But wait, what if they decide they want us to stay in the pack space! Then we definitely couldn't just chill. They'll make us watch the bipeds and do all the worst jobs."

"Then we just ditch them again!" She laughs then sombers, "Are you scared they'll reject you again if we go back?"

Kiri hides his face and ignores her.

"So what if they do? They don't define you as you. They tried to hinder you!" She exclaims, then stops when she sees his heartbroken face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I know better then most about how mean it is to have that kind of thing smacked into you." She turns her eyes to their little hollow swaying in the breeze, fresh growth peeking out at her. "I don't know about you but these last 6 days have been some of my best."

She slowly pulls herself to her feet, her ears brushing the top of the hollow. She gives him a gentle nudge before leaping out into the air. Wind took her, throwing her away from the tree in a dizzying flash of colour. She closed her eyes, letting instinct guide her.

Bladen stepped up, letting control frol through him. "There. Tree branch, right shoulder." He twisted the body, sending it spinning around the branch.

Swift grinned, "It was the change in wind pressure, right? There was a buffer that diluted the air flow."

Bladen nodded. "Yep." He shifted, their body becoming a tiny bird in the span of a heartbeat. He pulled them up. "You saw how I did that, right?"

She shook her head, "Show me again, please."

Bladen guided them back up to their hollow and shifted back. "Nope. Think about it instead. I'm taking a nap."

Swift rolled her eyes as she crept back up on the hollow, her body cold and damp with dew.

Kiri scrambled out past her. "Not happening! That only works once!"

She giggles, "Come onnn Kir, let's just get this over with. I'm sure your mother will be excited to see you alive." She nudges him hard enough to nearly tilt him off the branch. "I want to see you and Alpha standing toe to toe, and I think you can kick Shylo's ass in a fight now."