Phoenix Moon

You Did What?! (Part 1)

I hadn't spoken to Andre in over a week, but I didn't really mind. I didn't want to risk ruining the memories of Paradise. And it's not like I'd had time to chat anyways. We only had a few days until the Graduation Banquet, and I was beginning to feel the pressures of adult life.

All week the graduates were required to shadow jobs in the pack as part of our evaluation. We spent 75 minutes at each profession, were given a 20 minute break, and then rotated to the next job. It was exhausting to say the least. Luckily I was in the first cycle, so by noon I only had to survive one more shadow session, and it was the only one I really cared about.

I was excited as I made my way down to the small school. All of the littles up to age 12 had school in this building. When a wolf reached 13, or began to show signs of a first-shift they were moved to a secondary school, and put through a more training-focused program. Today I got to work with a class, and if I hoped that if I did well I would be placed as a teacher. It was the number one that I put on my request sheet, but it wasn't a guarantee. The Council had to be pleased with my performance.
I stopped at the door, shook out my hands in an attempt to release the nerves, and sucked in a deep breath. This was it. The rest of my life depended on this shadowing.

I pushed open the door into the main hallway. It had been years since I stepped foot in this place, and it brought back memories. Not all of which were good. I walked to the teachers' lounge which doubled as the main office.

As soon as I entered a young woman greeted me. "You must be..." She looked down at a sheet of paper, "Lily?"

"That's me" I said with a smile as I held out my hand. My goal was to be overly polite. They needed to like me.

"Lovely. I'm Delena." She said as she shook my hand. "You're our last shadow for the day, and most of the younger children are at the Meadow for training, so we are going to send you next door with one of the shifter classes."

The shifters? I was not prepared for that. I'd always been told that the year of your first shift was like a human's puberty on steroids. These kids weren't always in control of their emotions, actions, or most importantly, their shifts. Inside I was panicking, but I kept what I hoped was a convincing smile plastered on my face.

"That sounds great" I said, trying to sound pleasant. It seemed to work because Delena beamed.
"I assume you know where it is?"
"Yes. It wasn't long ago that I was there myself." I said with a forced laugh. Delena chuckled along.
"I'll let you go then." I thanked her, and dropped my smile as soon as my back was turned.
-
After a long introduction the teacher split the class, and released them to their various tasks. He wasn't the kind of person that would take any crap.

The teen shifters were working on self-defense in their wolf form. A few were stuck trying to figure out how to shift, and those were the kids I was asked to work with. I was lucky. This task wasn't near as hard as I'd expected.

The students that stared expectantly at me varied in age, but seemed to mostly be 13 or 14 year olds.
"Ok so you've all shifted before right?" I assumed they had, but I thought it would be best to double check.

I received a chorus of 'yes's' back. "Good. I want you to spread out a bit and close your eyes." I waited as they followed my commands. "Picture what it's like to be in wolf form. Think about how it look through those eyes, think about being all fours. I don't want you to miss a single detail. Can you see it?" The kids nodded.

"Now picture yourself in human form shifting into the animal. Breathe slowly. Let your instinct take over."

I waited as the kids concentrated. It didn't take long for one of the boys to buckle over. I rushed to where he had fallen and grabbed his hand. With a squeeze I said "Relax. Remember that this is normal. Just let your wolf take over." Fear was evident in his eyes. He looked so vulnerable, and I understood exactly what he was going through. The first couple of shifts were the most painful experiences I have ever gone through. This poor boy had felt that same pain, and knew exactly what was coming. It broke my heart knowing that there wasn't anything I could do to help.

I turned my attention to the rest of the group and yelled "Stand back. He will take up a lot more space in wolf form." They didn't have to be asked twice.

I turned my attention back to the boy. "Remember to stay calm." I told him quietly. "You're safe, there's no reason to panic." I squeezed his hand one last time and stepped away. He was small, maybe 11 years old, much younger than most shifters, his eyes were clenched shut, creating wrinkles around the edges of his face. Without warning his back arched, his canines grew, and moments later he shifted.

He had a beautiful wolf. His fur was a dark grey and his large eyes were the color of a storm cloud. For a few moments after the shift he was freaking out. I stepped forward cautiously, with one arm outstretched. I halted when my hand was just inches from his nose. Patiently I waited for him to make the next move. The rest of the class was silent. Even the trainer seemed to be holding his breath as he watched us.

After what seemed like an eternity the boy made eye contact and pressed his muzzle into my hand. I smiled reassuringly at him. "You did it." I whispered. "You did it." He barked playfully, and I laughed along. "To change back you just need to picture your human body. Feel the wolfs presence in your mind. Imagine the change in reverse."

It didn't take him near as long to shift back to his human form. Someone passed me a towel that I held up for the boy as he put on a pair of shorts. He pulled the towel down from my grasp lightly when he was finished. He looked up at me and a huge grin spread across his face.

"I did it!" The boy squealed. He sounded like a little girl, but no one else seemed to notice that. They were all too elated with their classmate's success. It was a beautiful sight to behold. The other kids in the class rushed in to congratulate him. They high-fived each other and cheered.

Mr. Brady, the teacher, came and stood beside me to watch the kids. I could tell how much he cared about them, and as crazy as it sounded, I did too.

"You did well today" I was startled to hear him talking to me. My cheeks burned red at the compliment.

"Thank you. I'm glad I was able to come."

"I don't do this very often, but I'm going to request that the council place you here. What you did for Colton today was amazing, and I'm getting old. It's time for me to retire. I need someone I can trust, and I have a feeling you would do well here."
I was shocked, giddy, confused, and speechless all at once. "But sir-" I started.
"No buts. If you want this class it's yours."

"I would be honored."

"Good." He said. "Now get out of here. Go enjoy your last few days of childhood." I checked my watch. He was letting me out almost 20 minutes early, but I knew better than to argue with Mr. Brady.

I could use my extra time to go to the library. Maybe buy a coffee...

As I neared the center of town Kat came running up to me. She was breathless and her voice sounded urgent. "Lily! Oh thank goodness. Andre and Luke... Fighting and..."

"Kitty. Just slow down. You're not making any sense. What's going on?"

"Andre's hurt"

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