Fox Shifter

Fox Shifter: Prologue and Chapter One

Prologue

            A small slip of a girl stood alone bouncing a red ball against the wooden wall of a shed.

            Slap, smack, slap, smack…

Her hair fell in beautiful ringlets dancing in the wind like a flickering flame. When she looked up you could make out her rosebud lips, snapping green eyes, and fox like beauty. The small green dress she wore was turning brown from the dust and dirt and was obviously worn out from hours of hard play. She wore no shoes and when she stopped bouncing the ball and picked her way back through the forest you could tell that she held a certain natural grace.

In the all-encompassing darkness of the forest the little red head easily walked without stumbling or falling once. She began to quicken her strides and soon broke through to a clearing.

In front of her was a small cottage, the white walls in desperate need of a new layer of paint and the windows black from the soot of a fire that was apparent from the smoke billowing out of the chimney. At the door stood a woman who held a striking resemblance to the young girl. Except while the girl had red hair and deeply tan skin from hours of play outdoors the woman had silvery white hair and pale skin. The woman grinned at the girl and cocked her head to the side. Bright blue eyes flashed in the shadows.

“Lillyana get inside, dinner is ready!” the pale woman called out.

At the mention of food the little girl took off and barreled into the house. She scrambled up the wooden chair and snatched a chicken leg off the platter in the middle of the table. She made a chomping noise and munched happily.

Across from her sat a boy with the same red hair and green eyes. He was older but still held the same mischievous glint in his eye as the girl. “Lillyana, you know the rules. We must wait for father.” Lillyana put down the chicken leg and pouted up at her older brother. He just smiled at her and reached over to mess up her hair. She growled and pulled away, narrowing her eyes at him. Then a hulking figure entered the room. Squealing Lillyana launched herself at the man. He laughed and scooped her up swinging her around as she shrieked.

“My little fiery Princess!” her father bellowed. She giggled and he set her back down.

“Hi daddy!” she said as she stuck her thumb into her mouth and climbed back up her chair.

Their mother walked back into the house and smiled warmly at her family.

Chapter One

A gentle breeze tugged at my hair sending it flopping into my eyes, grumbling I pushed the red strands back behind my ears. With a happy sigh I flopped backwards onto the soft grass. I smiled at the baby blue sky and closed my eyes letting the feeling of peace wash over me.

I couldn’t care less that my clothes were getting dirty or that I needed to be home in twenty minutes and if I wasn’t my brother would most likely send out a search party for me. Instead I took deep breaths, taking in the fresh smell of the earth and pushing all thoughts out of my head. My sensitive ears twitched at the sound of wind twisting its way through the trees, at the lazy lapping of a pond nearby, at the buzzing of insects and the straining of flowers as they tried to get as much sunlight as possible. A feeling of serenity warmed my heart. This was the only place I felt I truly belonged. I did not fit in with the bustling of a city or locked up in the confines a classroom. No I belonged here, safely nestled in nature.

My toes curled around the velvet blades of grass as the sun pleasantly warmed my skin. I felt the familiar pull of the earth and I gladly let it beckon me to it. It wrapped around my mind and sent a bolt of energy throughout my body. When I opened my eyes I could see everything in such clarity and sharpness that my breath caught at the beauty. I could feel every single living organism in the forest around me. I could hear the pounding heart of a squirrel as it ran from a hawk. I could see through the hawk’s eyes the squirrel as it made a beeline for an old oak tree. I could feel the squirrel’s sharp claws dig into the bark of that old oak tree as it reached the safety of its tree hole.