Shapeshifters

1

  "LIGHT, WAKE UP," I recognized the voice as my best friend, Dust. He prodded my side again. "Get up. The in–trainings are getting on my nerves."

He was pleading. I tolerated his begging a little longer before I got up and stretched. I looked around the camp that had been my home for almost two moons. My littermate, Rose, was playing with Dust's littermate, Thorn, I believe his name was.

"They would be cute," I said aloud to myself. "He's good for her."

Dust looked at me like I was cag-mag. "What?" He asked. "Who's good for who?"

I hadn't realized I'd spoken aloud. "Thorn and Rose," I responded. "He's a little protective of her. It's like they are mates already. Even though they are only pups."

Dust nodded in agreement. I knew he would agree even if he didn't straight out say. That was one of the good things about him. He never questioned why or argued about anything. I got the feeling that someday that would change, not yet though.

Dust and I walked to our rock. Our rock was just a medium sized rock near the edge of the camp. It took a great leap for us to get up there. We staked the rock as ours when we were only one moon old. The youngest pups to ever get to the top, so all the pups and in-trainings, which was surprising, said it was ours. Every sunrise, Dust and I went to the top to share news and all that's happened, or just rumors that we heard were going around Sunpack at the time. When we got up there, we heard movement under us. We slinked to the front of the rock, but kept low so that whoever, whatever, was there wouldn't see us. 

"Are you sure that's what he meant?" I looked at Dust and mouthed, Moon? He shrugged, but we didn't move because we heard another voice.

"I'm pretty sure," I recognized the voice as Suntail's. Suntail was our packs second deputy. Currently acting as first because our leader was apparently sick. "He was pretty upset when we kept calling it a sickness. He demanded that it was a curse. How else would he have that idea if it wasn't him." He sounded a little angry, I could hear him breathing through his teeth from up on the rock.

Dust and I exchanged a look of confusion when the first voice responded, "Suntail, I don't think that you can just assume that."

"Yes I can Moon," Suntail sounded like he was on the verge of yelling. He was trying to keep his calm, as if he didn't want anyone to know something was wrong. "You weren't there, his pelt bristled every time he heard the word sickness. He acted like we had forgotten that Cedarsky was the first."

"Suntail," Moon started. Moon was our first deputy. Her father, Stormsky, was our leader, the very same one who we had heard was sick. "How do you know he wasn't just mad that Cedarsky was the first? Maybe he wishes it was a curse?"

"I don't believe so," Suntail said. "There's more to it than he is letting on." 

I looked over at Dust and he nodded to me. Signaling that maybe we should leave. We went to leap down from our rock and Dust hopped gracefully down. When it was my turn, I bounded and tripped when my front paws hit the ground. The last thing I remembered was Dust calling for help and seeing Suntail and Moon run over.

*****

I could see and hear everything. Yet, I didn't recognize anything. I looked around and walked around, trying to catch a familiar scent. When I hadn't, I automatically assumed I was dead and was waiting for someone from Nightpack to guide me. The only scent I could distinguish was the scent of pines. Then I opened my mouth again, and caught the scent of something, or someone, that I thought I recognized. I allowed it to bathe my tongue in its sweet fir scent.

It can't be, I thought. He's dead. Plus I've never met him. I'm only going off of what I've been told.

A cat then appeared in front of me. He stepped out of the mist. The cat was grey and white, almost an exact match with the description of what I'd been told Shapeclaw looked like.

Shapeclaw was one of the shapeshifters that protected the packs, I told myself. Then during the big war, he died along with his partner, Shapetail. That was a moon before I was born.

Then I realized that it was Shapeclaw! Also that I was so deep in thought that I hadn't realized that he was looking at me, as if waiting for me to respond to something he had said.

"Can you repeat that please?" I asked him shamefully. "I wasn't listening."

"I didn't say anything," Shapeclaw told me. "But you need to know this Light. Things are about to change. You can stop it if, and only if, you remember these words. 'To break this one, you must willingly change your name. First, to prove. Then, to save'. That's all I can say." He touched his muzzle to my head. "Good luck, Light. I know you will make me proud."

I whispered a goodbye and I thought about what he had said. Now I know I'm not dead, I told myself. I should be, but I'm not. I realized that I should've asked him where I was and how I get back to Sunpack.

"Light."

I heard my name. 

 "Light."

There it was again. Faint, as if it was far away. But I knew it was there. I made a decision to follow the voice, the voice that I couldn't quite place whose it was.

"Light."

It was stronger now. In just the few steps I'd taken, I was already that much closer to the mysterious voice. "Light."

I heard it again as if it were right next to me. I looked all around, trying to find the source. Then I remembered that no one ever looked up, so I looked up and there it was. A light, sunlight to be exact, or just a bright light that made it seem as though it were sunlight. It seeped through a hole just big enough for me to jump through. I got ready to pounce through it when something made me pause.

"Light," I knew I recognized the voice. It was Dust. "Light, come back. I know you're not dead. Please wake up. I wouldn't tell anyone this but, I'm scared for you. They keep telling me you might not make it, but I know you will. Come back, you're my strong warrior." I could tell that some tears had been shed, but I could tease him about that later. I knew I had to get back. I crouched low, got ready to jump, and pounced.