Fly

Chapter 13

The next day was uneventful. I visited the pup den and played with them for a bit. Afterwards I headed over to the elder den and discussed nearly everything. With my head swollen with knowledge, I went back to my den, shifted back to human, and worked on my pelt. I managed to string it up against the wall of my den. I placed it on the side where the sun would hit it and when the sun moved, I moved. In between the movements of my pelt, I went down and tried to talk with the wolves, but many were afraid and avoided my gaze.

I told myself that by the end of the week I won't let these people act this way. I went back to the elders and asked how to be an alpha the way I need to be. It wasn't very helpful.

"Every alpha is different, leading their pack in the way that works for them. Use your instincts, skin changer."

...wow ok thanks. Considering I'm, you know, not a wolf, I don't think I have quite that capability. I have human instincts, not wolf!

I swallow my frustration and go back to my den. Strangely, I was still full from last night. Do wolves not eat all the time? Oh right, they binge and then don't have to eat for a couple days, I remember that now. Oh man that's cool!

I'm still thirsty though, so I hunt down wherever I put my bag and katana in my den. It was thrown into the back, so I walk all the way in and attempt to unzip it with my teeth. That didn't work, so I tried using my paws. God how do animals live without opposable thumbs?

Eventually I give in, shifting my front two paws into hands. It wasn't super painful, and very brief. I guess I just have to do this a lot to get faster and less painful.

I unzip the bag, pulling out a water bottle. As I twist off the cap I realize I don't have a mouth. I mean I have a mouth, but it's a muzzle not a flat thing like a human. Sighing, I fully shift back to a human.

That was nearly painless and definitely under ten minutes. Hm, maybe I should try shapeshifting into a bunch of different things and just getting my body used to it. I'm not doing anything anyways.

I quickly gulp down the entire water bottle. I feel kind of nauseous, you aren't supposed to do that, but I need the water storage for the shifting I am about to do. I toss the empty plastic on my bag and sit down, crossing my legs in a meditative pose.

First, I think of a bird. A large one, how about a hawk? Yeah, that should work. I focus on a hawk and feel myself begin to shift.

My legs shrink, skin changing to scales, feet changing to talons. My arms turn to bones and lengthen, spouting feathers and attaching a thin membrane of skin and cartilage to my rib cage to form wings. My torso furrows, making a bullet shape, also popping with feather. My head collapses, nose and mouth shoving forward and hardening and turning a yellowish-brown as my beak develops.

After only a few short barely painful minutes, I was indeed a hawk. I spread my wings to an impressive wingspan of about 5 feet. I flapped a couple times, getting used to them. Then I pulled them back, folding along my sides. I walked on my stubby legs out of my den. There I opened my wings again. Can I fly?

I stood on the edge of the rock and flapped my wings. Maybe I need a running start? I back up some and run at the wall, flapping frantically and hoping I will catch lift and fly!

I run to the end of the rock and keep running. And by running I mean falling.

"Wow, that worked so well, go me" I mutter bitterly as I struggle to stand back up. I think I dislocated my shoulder - I mean wing? - so I shift back to human, pouting. I lay on my back massaging my shoulder when I get the idea to try a smaller bird first and then work up to a huge bird of prey like the hawk. I jokingly consider the chickadee, but then I seriously consider it. It's a tiny, adorable bird. I should be able to learn on that.

I was fixating on flying before night fell.

I walked back up the rock to my den. I sat down and imagined the cute little chickadee. I shifted rapidly. It was a small creature, it must have been easy to become from my much larger human body.

I hop around, chirping giddily.

Oh my god this is so much fun haha! I feel my mindset shift to fit the animal. That's odd... I never experienced that before.

I bop around to outside of my den. I don't need a running start for this tiny bird, not that I can run right now. My legs are too small.

I jump and flutter my wings, hoping to get somewhere. It didn't work. In the wild, how do birds learn how to fly? Oh yeah, they jump around and get some air and then their mother or father shoves them out of the nest. So I'm not trying to fly across the pacific right now, I just need to sort of be able to fly.

I manage to jump around and float a bit. Excited, I bounce to the end of the rock and jump off. I flap my wings as hard as I can and oh no I'm falling too fast for my wings to catch I'm going to di-

Oh wait nope. My wings catch on the air and my decent slows. I don't really fly but I achieve a parachute effect and slow my decent so it is but a soft landing.

I CAN FLY! I mean, I can't really, but I'm getting there!

A little pup came barreling over to me. I shriek a terrible screech from my bird vocal chords. The pup seemed scared and tries to slow down but he cant. I immediately begin a shift back to human. By the time I do I am nearly fully human. With a beak on my face and a layer of feathers all over me, I open my arms wide like a hug and catch the poor pup. By the time he looks up at me I am finished with my shift. I laugh while picking him up and walking back to the pup den with him.

The wolves standing around watching my desperate attempts at flying are all making a braying laughing sort of sound as I walk away. I laugh with them. This is insane, but I will get it today.

Once I drop off the pup, I go back to my den and shift to the chickadee again. I make my way back to the edge, which from my tiny size it looks like a cliff but I have no fear, and drop off the face of it again. I flap harder, stronger, faster and I do the same as before but by the end I was bobbing in the air about 6 inches above ground before I stop and my talons hit the ground.

I was in air, not moving downwards. Flying? I think so.

Again!

I go back up the mountain and to the drop I go!

I do even better this time, getting to about a foot left of air below me where I stopped moving. I even moved upwards a little! I do this same action over and over, being able to fly higher and higher until I don't need to jump anymore! I can jump hop in the air and fly!

Its been many hours, nearly nightfall, when I finally shift back to a wolf.

I watch the sky from my stationary position on the ground. Wow. Still life is super boring compared to flying! Maybe tomorrow I can try being fish and breathe underwater as I swim!

A/N: Yes, I know, ~filler chapter~. So exciting... not. This was boring for me too, and I wrote it. Bland, but important. I had to show her learning her skills so i could maybe do some time skips or overviews of periods of time later on. But for the next chapter, we're going to watch her learn how to swim! Fun, yeah?! No. I' not going to do that to you guys, haha. Don't worry. But really, don't forget those mutant wolves, or Naverta. And what about how she dies? Maybe she was doing all this dumb, silly stuff so she wouldn't have to think about it. I mean, if you died and came back to life, would you just sit around all day moping and winding yourself up?