My paws moved lightly over the forest floor as I moved rapidly between the trees, running so fast it felt as though I were practically floating. I could both hear and sense my pursuer closing the distance between us even as I pushed myself to run as fast as I possibly could.
My dark red fur was standing on end in fright as the larger animal quickly closed in on me and I realized I had no other choice: there was only one way I could escape without revealing my true identity. I saw my chance as a large fallen tree came into view and I headed straight for it, hoping I was only imagining the hot breath on my neck.
When I reached the log I gathered myself as if to leap over it but instead ducked into its branches at the last second as my pursuer dove overhead and I heard the snap of its powerful jaws.
I immediately bolted back in the opposite direction and leaped on to a low tree branch with ease when I knew I was out of sight of the other predator. I scaled the tree almost like a squirrel and then froze near the top, my frantically beating heart and quiet pants starting to slow as I searched for signs of my pursuer.
A flash of mottled grey fur caught my eye then and I held my breath as the huge wolf slowly stalked past my tree, sniffing around to try and catch my scent which I had already concealed. I listened as the wolf moved off slowly and I finally turned and leaped from the tree, changing from a terrified red fox into a large and magnificent hawk in mid-air and quickly soared away.
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The Shifter
General FictionWhen Alexandra Knight discovers she is a soul shifter on her sixteenth birthday, her entire world is turned upside down. Forced to leave home and go into hiding, she has only her animal spirit to help guide and train her. But when the day comes that...
