Challenged - Skinwalker Book 2

Chapter 22

"What was that?" Sierra asked, greatly intrigued.

"What?" Adam asked innocently.

"What did you just do? How did you stop it like that?"

"Oh. I reversed the transformation. I didn't intend to trigger it I just... need to get out a bit. It's been a few days," he remarked, somewhat abashed at having caved in so easily. He scratched the back of his neck in awkwardness.

"I didn't even know that was possible!" Sierra exclaimed, excited.

"Whoa, back up! That's level two transitioning and you're more like at level zero right now. Let's see if we can get you up to level one first, alright?"

Sierra agreed reluctantly.

"Ok, so I need to pick a memory..." she mused as she mentally took stock of her brief time in tiger form.

"Yes, something physical - something that really stood out to you in the way you connected with your environment in that form." He thought a moment. "...And in your case, probably something that is very specific to a particular animal," he reasoned.

Sierra closed her eyes as she tried to think of something she could use.

"What do I do when I find that memory?" she asked as her thoughts suddenly tumbled on the sensation of large, padded feet stretching out and almost soaking into the castle boulders as if they were giant furry suction pads.

"You focus on it. Just repeat that one memory, over and over again - each time intensifying the sensation you experienced in your mind," Adam replied.

It only took one repeat before her skin started jumping. She hadn't actually intended to try and trigger a third morph, and she definitely wasn't ready for another round of searing pain. But she didn't know how to stop it, so instead she scrambled over into a crouched position and tried to embrace it. It hadn't been too hard to find a thought to focus on, but trying to relax when her body felt like it was ripping itself apart was a bit more than she could handle right then. She screamed - out loud that time - and clenched her muscles, struggling against the pain all the way through the process. She could hear Adam trying to coax her to relax and accept the jolts of agony, but it was as if he was a world away. When she finally emerged in full feline form, she was exhausted, sweaty and crabby. As if sensing the latter, Adam backed away slowly and took cover behind his little protective wall again. Then he watched her quietly, absolutely fascinated.

"Amazing," he remarked, "your eyes seem to stay a version of blue no matter what creature you transform into," he observed.

Sierra barely noticed what he said. She paced back and forth a while, feeling frustrated and bitter. She wanted to be human, but she just didn't think she had the strength or courage to face all that again so soon. Further, she felt unsettled in her new shape and that wasn't helping matters either.

"Try stretching," Adam suggested. "It always helps me feel better."

Sierra growled a little irritably, then decided it was worth a try. She slowly pressed her front legs out before her and let her bum tip high into the air. The muscles across her back started to straighten and then ease into their new shape. It felt so good that she let the stretch slowly work its way down an arched back, ending in a back leg extension on either side. The tension and anger seemed to melt from her bones, leaving her feeling strangely contented. She sat on her haunches and started cleaning herself.

Adam smiled and ventured out from behind his screen again.

"Your trigger time was a lot quicker on that round. It probably only took you about half a second to actually initiate the transition," he remarked. "And I'm guessing you got what you were aiming for this time?" he noted with a smile.