The Forest Guardian

Chapter 1*

I run as fast as I can, my steps quietly echoing through the forest in a fast pace.

The sun is raising a little to fast for my liking and it's stressing me out.

The ground is cowered in leaves and small bushes, which don't make my run any faster or easier. I leap over most of it, but that takes time. And that's something I don't have.

One factor that does speed up my run is the black horse-form.

It might seem a little weird seeing a horse running around in a forest, with a wolf on its tale.

But I know that it's no risk of me and Lucy to get caught - as it's five o'clock in the morning.

I wanted to see Makaah, one of the great grizzlies of this forest so I had to get up early.

Unfortunately.

It turned out that Makaah was a really nice bear, and let's just say that what started as a shift-taking-ritual ended up as a conversation about airplanes.

It's not the first time an airplane is called 'mystical bird', and I have to explain what it really is.

The short story; I'm running late and in minutes I have to be back at my house, because I promised mum I would walk Maxie before school.

Maxie? She's my dog, or my family's dog.

She's of the berner sennen kind, with big black body, white belly and light brown details.

Lucy is Maxie's best friend, that's why she wanted to come with me.

Lucy is the Alpha of the local wolf pack. She looks like a wolf, with grey-white fur and yellow, almost glowing eyes.

I'm happy I have her.

The forest is relatively quiet, but as we get closer to our destination, the trees stands more sparsely and a faded sound of traffic hit my sensitive ears. They are sensitive even as a human, but they are as best when I'm an animal.

My horse form's hooves slide on the whet mud at the backside of our big, white house before I shift into human form.

It only takes seconds, and it's not painful at all. I've shifted to the horse many times before, but if I wouldn't have shifted to a new animal many or any times before, it hurts. My horse-from is one of the more frequently used forms.

The pyjamas I wore before I shifted appears on my body. My dirty blonde hair lays upon my shoulders, barley nudging the middle of my shoulder-blades. My green eyes glow smugly.

That's one great flaw with shifting - my eyes glow, seconds after and seconds before. It's like they want people to walk up to me and ask why the hell my eyes look like spotlights. As I know about this, I try to avoid people when I have - or will - shift.

I run up to the ladder leaning against the house and start to climb it.

It leads to the second floor of the house and my bedroom window. I let the glass slowly swing open before stepping in. It doesn't make a sound, thankfully.

When both my bare feet are at the hard wooden floor of my room, I turn around and close my window, but not before hearing Lucy.

''Hurry up!'' she barks.

I smile as I understand what she says, knowing that it's a thing with being a guardian.

I barely manage to get under the covers of my bed, when the door to my room loudly swings open.

''Wake up Samantha! You're walking Maxie before school!'' the familiar voice of my mother singsongs as she enters my room, puts a pile of clean laundry at the end of my bed before almost dancing out.

I steal a glance at the alarm clock as a giggle escape my lips, the clock showing that I've got two hours left before school.

This is going to be a piece of cake.

I jump out of bed and get dressed. The summer is warm, so I grab a pair of jean shorts and grey T-shirt to wear, before quickly track down my military patterned Converse. I let my hair be, since it aren't tangled I don't bother to do anything with it.

When I'm done in my room, I run down the stairs to the kitchen, just to grab a sandwich I know dad made before he left for work.

As I chew the bread with ham and tomatoes, I grab my jean jacket, it too with military pattern.

As I chew down the rests or the sandwich, I look for Maxie only to find that she's nowhere to be found.

This is seemingly odd, as she loves the morning walks with Lucy.

I'm about to use some guardian powers to track her down, when a loud bark quits my search. It's coming from the hall.

''Hurry up Samantha! Lucy's waiting!''

In the hall, Maxie stands with her leash in her mouth, waving her tale so hard that she probably would lift off the ground like a helicopter.

''I'm going now!'' I yell for the house to hear, as I start to unlock the front door.

''Bye sweetie! I won't be home when you get back!'' I hear mum's faded voice yell from upstairs. As I hear water dripping, I assume she's in the shower.

Maxie looks like she's at a track waiting for the gun to be fired so she can run, and the second I open the door she's just a blur of black fur. Gone and away.

I laugh at Lucy that stands at the front lawn with her tongue hanging out of the mouth, giving her a crazed expression. Her tale is waving as much as Maxie's, if not more. The dog and the wolf run around each other, playing and just saying hi.

I start to walk down the empty sidewalk in front of my house. The two of them follow, sometimes in front of me, sometimes behind.

We walk along the street when I spot an old lady, walking her white poodle in a baby blue leash. Both of them are holding their head high, like they were above everyone and everything.

I settle with using one of my guardian powers, since I need to warn Lucy about the upcoming people. I don't want to be seen with a wolf calmly strolling around town.

Without any extra energy wasted, I let my own mind, search for others. It's like a dark-blue and purple replica of the world in front of my eyes, with lights glowing from other souls.

Humans are red and I can't do anything with them, but it's the other ones that's interesting. Animals are yellow and trees - yes trees - are green or brown.

So, with my mind, I find Lucy's red soul, and open up a mind link.

''Old lady up ahead.'' I say through the newly opened link, almost a little bored.

I could say it out loud, and the old lady wouldn't think that I was out of my mind. You see, humans can't hear or see when I talk to animals. But mind link is cooler, and slightly more effective.

I can't make any links with humans, do to the fact that I'm not their guardian. Trees are the opposite, I can only talk to them using mind link - but not with words, more with thoughts or feelings.

''Okay, thanks!'' Lucy says and when my eyes sees the normal coloured world again, she's gone.

The old lady walks past, sending a snort at me, or more at Maxie. Her poodle holds his head high.

I roll my eyes at them.

Lucy runs out of a bush and attacks Maxie playfully, and they start again.

I wish I had a friend like that.

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A/N:

Pic of Maxie as Media.

Bye!

//siggeisthedog