The Frozen Melody

21.Wolf.

That fateful night changed Tyson’s life again.

Alone and scared in the dark woods, the boy had braced himself for disappointment. But when he mentally opened that door and went down the path to call up his beast, it came so easily.

So naturally.

It felt as if his other form simply flowed out and engulfed him in its warmth. There was none of that pain which usually accompanied his transformation. Within a second, he had changed from the scared shivering boy to a little wolf pup.

Tyson was so shocked at how quick and painless the process had been that he yelped and jumped back. Leaning his back against the tree, the little pup studied his small paws and blinked his big glowing eyes in surprise, and then he turned a bit and looked at his wagging tail.

Could this be a dream?

If it was, he hoped that he would never wake up from it.

Minutes passed with only the shifting of the trees and grass. The crickets continued cricking, and the hootings of an owl sounded from afar.

Could this possibility be reality?

Those cobalt eyes glistened as it all sunk in.

Too overwhelmed with emotions, the young wolf threw his head back and howled his heart out. The thumping against the chest was almost painful, and his mind stretched to accept how easily he had shifted.

The wintery wind ruffling his fluffy white fur and his heightened senses made his dark morbid world lit up. Everything suddenly felt like it was going to be alright. That he was going to be okay.

Following his animal instincts, the boy snaked through the tall grass, bushes, and trees. He was going to run ‘til he dropped.

Everything was going to be different now that he got his wolf back.

Tyson dashed through the forest trying to hunt for food. But his small puppy form wasn’t suited for hunting yet, and his weakened state did not allow him to run for very long. So taking it all with good humour, the pup played through the woods a bit more before tottering back to the house.

Not wanting to leave the safety of his beast form, he climbed onto the sofa and curled up against the fat cushion to fall quickly into a peaceful sleep.

His first peaceful, non-drug induced sleep for many, many years.

Keith discovered the sleeping wolf pup first, and was quite confused about this new animal. That was, until those bright eyes opened sheepishly and the little wolf transformed swiftly into a naked yawning boy right in front of him.

Keith's eyes were wide as saucers, and his mouth opened and closed wordlessly.

The man's goldfish expression was enough to bring Tyson's lips twitching upwards. It was the first time he smiled since arriving in this world.

"TYSON GOT HIS WOLF BACK!" Keith snapped back to reality and hollered up the staircase where the others were just waking up.

The excited scream and loud crashes that followed was so intimating that Tyson shoot straight off the sofa. He unconsciously reverted back to his wolf form and hid under the tea table.

"Where is he?!" Hibie came squealing down the stairs in her wrinkled pajamas.

Keith kneeled in front of the tea table and looked under it to see Tyson staring back at him with wide eyes. "Tyson, why're you hiding? It's just us."

The puppy blinked. Keith was right; there was no reason for Tyson to be so scared. The loud banging just caught him by surprise and he reacted instinctively. With his ears were pulled back and his tail was tucked in between his legs, Tyson slowly crawled out from under the table.