Don't Keep Me Waiting

Epilogue

I was running in the woods with Nate. We were playing, and it was so much fun. Nate would chase after me in his wolf form and I would shift to whatever I could to escape him. I had fully mastered my shifting and there was no limit to what I could change into. I was running as a wolf, hopping over fallen trees and dashing through little streams. I heard a howl and I knew Nate was closing in on me. I smiled and jumped over a fallen tree. In midair I shifted and became a jaguar.  I continued my dash. I was running when I smelt him. Damn that boy was fast. I stopped to take a sniff and I realized I was getting close to the edge of our territory. I quickly shifted again. This time I took off as a deer. I usually didn’t do any type of prey animal but deer pranced through these forests like nothing and some put up a hell of a fight to catch them.

So I went for it. I leaped through the forest, and I could tell Nate had gotten behind. His scent was gone, and I couldn’t hear him. I laughed to myself and ran near the edge of the borderline. It was dangerous but what is life without a few risks. I’ll tell you what it is, boring. I laughed and continued to win our game.

Suddenly I felt another presence. I sniffed and I didn’t think it was anyone from the pack. I looked over, across the boundary line, and just in time I saw a wolf lunging at me. I ducked it and he went flying past me. This is exactly why I didn’t shift into prey animals. It’s like putting a target on my back and saying ‘I’m just a little deer, please come eat me.’ I turned to face the trespassing wolf. He was on our land. He snarled at me, trying to show he was intimidating.

I smirked and started to shift. The snarl disappeared at the first change of my shift. When I was done I was a huge, furious black bear. This was going to be fun. I went on my back paws and stood at my intimidating height. The wolf cowered against the ground. One wolf wasn’t a match for a bear. Well maybe an alpha but surely not the little weakling this wolf was.

Nate burst out of the bushes and he was growling. I went on my four paws and watched as Nate took over. I relaxed. Nate advanced on the wolf and he whimpered. Nate barked and the wolf whimpered again. The wolf tried to slowly crawl away. Nate barked at him savagely, saying he wasn’t getting off that easy. He was from the other pack on our territory, and to his own stupidity attacking the alpha female. Boy did he really make a mistake.

I saw it in the intruders eyes when he saw he wasn’t going to be able to just sneak off. The idiot got up and growled at Nate. He was going to try and fight him. Oh wow, he was stupid. Nate snarled and took a threatening step forward. I heard a little yip and it went right to my heart. I knew that yip. I looked up alerted. Then I saw him on Nate’s back. Mason was on his back and he looked scared. My baby.

If that wolf attacks Nate he may hurt my baby. Just then the wolf sprang forward. My heart stopped and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I jumped at that moment and I tackled him before he could my baby. The wolf went flying through the forest. I heard a crash as he must have slammed into a tree. Mason was yipping like crazy. He was so scared. My poor baby.  I went over to Nate. I shifted to my tiger form. Mason looked up and his little eyes met mine. He started crying for me, and my heart crumbled. I reached back and grabbed him from Nate’s back.

‘Go after the invader. I’ll take Mason back home’ I said into Nate’s head.

‘Okay kitten. Stay safe.’ I gave him a nod. He pressed his nose to my fur before taking off. I set Mason on the ground and he continued to yip. I licked him and my long tongue made his hair stick up. He quieted and looked up at me. I leaned down and rubbed my face against his.  Mason smiled at me and I was so happy to see him happy again. Then he changed and he looked like a little tiger cub. I grinned and picked him up. I gently carried him in my mouth and headed home. I was fast walking, trying to avoid the noise from Nate and the other wolf fighting.