Often Hushed

Chapter Seven

Sorry that this initially has no bold words and the italicized parts, but I'll change it to that ASAP ^.^

Rock on, my possums.

I don't know why I said that. I had a late night. -_-;

I've decided that I'm going to try to stockpile write during the week, and try to at least update weekly on Sundays. If I don't update on Sunday, then my fallback day extends all the way to Wednesday. If you can't tell, I'm a little late today. Per fridging usual. Anyway... 

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CHAPTER SEVEN

I whirl out of the sliding glass door as soon as I get up, ignoring the sudden, jarring pain from my leg. I shove the handle to the side with enough force to shatter the door entirely- and it does. I hear the tinkle of small pieces of glass and chunks of plastic and when Behr swears, showered with blinding shards. I barely notice as he slows down because I speed up.

When I'm out, I push on into the green of the wilderness, ripping off my shoes and throwing them to the side. I don't wince at the searing burn that the breakneck pace is inflicting on my hurt leg, and I don't even stop when I hear a terrifying crack. I pause only to shear my leggings and underwear from my legs and to rip my shirt from my chest before I start to transform.

In a word, it's excruciating. In a couple, painstakingly excruciating. The full process can take around a minute of torturous bone-breaking, but we could stop anywhere along the phase, from being just a little hairy with elongated ears to the size of a giant, man-eating wolf-horse.

I feel the spasmodic cringing of my muscles as they change, feel each individual bone creaking, feel as the particles of my broken leg weave themselves firmly together. When we leave one form, the conditions can change, but they can come back just as quickly- meaning that my broken leg is healed as a Wolf, but will still be hurt when I Shift back.

And then, I'm done. I raise my snout to the air and let out one keening howl. It bursts out of my throat and dances through the latticework of emerald leaves above us. I stamp my dark-haired hind paw into the ground with some force, scraping into the peaty soil with my claws, before jetting off, going deeper into the woods.

I hear a deep, trumpeting growl that doesn't quite reach the pitch of a howl and know that Behr has Shifted. I hear huffing and realize that Behr is on all fours, stepping perfectly in my paw prints, following me as if we were out hunting.

I peek over my thick shoulder and bare my teeth at him. He is larger than I thought he would be- I'm probably four fifths his size. His nose pushes against the flank of my thigh, urging me forward.

With the speed came the freedom that I've been missing since the death of my Wolf family. I haven't been out properly in ages! Trees flash around me on all sides as I prance around them, and I'm sensitive to the noises above me in the sky. Thanks to the loud announcements of our Shifts, all of the prey is scattered away from us. His dusty yellow hide suddenly brushes against mine as we run side by side, sharing the tension of bunching muscle under our pelts.

I press my ears to the side of my head as we continue to zoom on, free from the ability to communicate humanly. Behr butts my shoulder blade with his chin and waves his great head to the side. I nod, indicating I understand before he winds off.

I think I grin wolfishly, but it ends up looking terrifyingly feral. Behr was trying to initiate a game of tag- on all fours.

The rushing wind halts it's journey when I do, leaving me with the screaming quiet of a prey-free forest. I close my eyes in concentration, honing my nose in on Behr's scent. Even in wolf form, he smells a little bit like potatoes from what he just ate, even though it was just a slice. I drift over the ground, following his scent carefully. When I notice a blond streak in the corner of my eye, I abandon my scent-seeking. The nose can be easily confused, and I trust my sight better, anyway.