Shifted

Chapter 16

That night I slept like a rock, exhausted from the climbing and hiking.  As I lay in bed, my thoughts drifted to Jackson.  After spending the day together, it felt as if our connection had intensified.  I could still feel his energy, despite being miles apart, linking the two of us together.  I drifted off to the memory of Jackson's laughter and the feel of him holding me in the water.

When I opened my eyes, I found myself face to face with the red fox.  He was standing on my chest, staring at me with his unblinking eyes.  I couldn't look away.  For some reason, I wasn't scared of it.  I could tell that it wanted to tell me something.  Without any warning, the fox jumped off my bed, and scampered out of my room.  I got up, not bothering to change out of my pajamas or find a pair of shoes.  I ran after the fox, following it down the stairs, and out the front door. 

Once outside, I looked up to see the moon was almost full, its light filtering down through layers of thick fog.  A flash of red in my peripheral vision brought my attention back to the fox, who had just darted down the street.  I ran after it, ignoring the chilly night air.  The fox veered off the street, disappearing into the woods.  I followed blindly after it.  The second that my foot touched the forest floor, the world around me seemed to shift.  I looked back behind me, but the road was gone, replaced by an expanse of forest. 

Suddenly I noticed that the fox was standing beside me.  It looked up at me with its large brown eyes, and I got the feeling that whatever the fox was trying to tell me, it was urgent.  The fox took off running and I followed, this time keeping pace with the animal.  A feeling of dread crept into me like ice.  I could feel the fox's worry, and it was amplified in me.  Something was wrong, and all I could think about was how much I wished Jackson were here to help. 

We came to an abrupt stop in front of a large tree, and the fur on the back of the foxes neck began to stand on edge.  There was a metallic smell in the air that set my stomach on edge.  Feeling uneasy I walked forward as quietly as possible, and looked around the tree.  As I started to come around the tree I saw a hand lying limp on the forest floor.  I quickly came the rest of the way around to see it was attached to a red haired, freckled boy strewn across the roots of the tree.  He was covered in blood, so it took me a moment to realize who it was. 

"Gabe!" I shouted, falling to my knees beside him.  I heard a shriek like a large bird, and I saw something with wings like a giant bat descend from the tree.  I put my hands out to block Gabe from the beast, fear coursing through me veins.  The beast stood in the shadows, and I could just barely make out the shape of a girl with large bat-like wings.  Suddenly the fox lunged out from behind the tree to stand between me and the creature.  The fox growled, bearing its teeth.  With another shriek, the creature leapt into the air, and flew up out of the trees, disappearing.  As it flew away, I caught a glimpse of its bright red hair.

I turned my attention back to Gabe.  I put my fingers to the side of his neck, and found that he had a pulse.  He looked pale, with puncture wounds on his neck and claw marks all over his body, but he seemed to be breathing.  Relief flooded through me, but it was quickly replaced by fear again when I heard something approaching in the woods.  Whatever it was, it was moving fast.  I got up on shaky legs, and grabbed the biggest stick I could find.  Just as whatever it was was about to come around the tree, I swung the branch as hard as I could. 

A clawed hand grabbed the branch and stopped it before it smacked the on comer across the face.  When I saw Jackson's wolfish face, I dropped the stick and wrapped my arms around him as tight as I could.  All the fear in me melted away, and I felt safe.  I felt the fur on his face recede, and he wrapped his arms around me protectively. 

"How did you know?" I asked, pulling away and looking up into his dark, brooding eyes. 

He shrugged his shoulders.  "I just suddenly got this intense feeling that you were in trouble.  I ran as fast as I could."