The Forest Guardian

Chapter 11

''Why am I here again?'' Lucy whines. For the third time.

I can't really call Lucy a whiny soul, but with all rights she has a big mouth she's having trouble to shut.

"You're here," I remind her, for the second time since I didn't bother replying last time she whined. "because I was tired and dumb enough to invite Luke for a talk about how I escaped from his kidnapping."

Lucy rolls her bright yellow eyes at me as she paces back and forth in front of me.

We're in a glade, not that long from the house I escaped from a couple of days ago. Lucy told me that it's outside the werewolves so called "territory", and according to her that's a good thing. Even if the werewolves territory is tiny compared to Lucy's or even the local pack of boars.

''What are you going to tell him then?'' Lucy asks, when she has paced back and forth for the twenty-eighth time.

I sigh and is about to answer that I don't have a clue, when I hear Emight loudly talking to Luke in the distance.

I give Lucy an apologetic look and she turns around to leave.

''Good luck!'' She say through mind link before she disappears between the trees.

Great! Now I'm alone and about to face a guy I won't be able to explain anything too. Not that I want to anyway.

I'll need that 'Good luck', and about three hundred more. Even if I still don't believe in it.

''Aaaaaah! I'm so excited!'' Emight squeals.

I guess that's totally normal for a male wolf to do.

''No! I don't want to shift back!''

It still feels weird to not hear the complete conversation but just one side of it. It's like listening to someone having a phone call. A phone call when they talk about personally stuff in a public place.

''Yeah, but do you have any clothes laying around or do you want to greet your mate nude?''

What the hell do he mean with nude?!

I sigh and stand up form my spot in the log. I walk around the fallen tree I was sitting on in a wide circle. It doesn't seem like my mate and his wolf can get themselves together.

I hear the sound of a branch break behind me, and I turn around. It's not like I'm not prepared for Luke to enter the glade.

But I'm not prepared for Emight to stand there.

His big brown self stands there in all his might watching me carefully. It looks like he's afraid he's scaring me.

''Oh you know Luke! Of course I'll walk up to her and possible scare her!'' Emight says sarcastically.

I tilt my head to the side a little, studying him thoughtfully.

Like this, up close and from a little higher view than wolf perspective, he's not that big really. He looked much bigger when I was in wolf-form. He isn't taller than my shoulder, so like a really buff bear.

''I don't know how I thought!'' Emight responds to something Luke said.

I continue to admire Emight in his right form, until a idea pops up in my mind.

I wonder if...?

Since Luke doesn't seem to want to shift into human-form anytime soon for some reason, it's at least worth a try.

If it works it will be really cool. If not I'll look super weird and will have even more to explain.

''Emight....'' I trail of as I start to walk in the direction of him, without going straight forward.

He tilts his big head to the side a little, and a breeze plays with some leaves behind me. The wind lightly pushes my back urging me to walk forward.

''I, as the Guardian of his forest, with the powers from Arí, wonder I could use your shape and shadow in my quest to protect this forest at all costs?''

Emight sits down.

''I don't know if I can...'' he says and glances at me.

My pace is slow and my footsteps almost without sound as I continue my walk up to him.

''Just... can you try to block Luke out and give me your paw?'' I ask, a little unsure about this myself.

The breeze that's urging me forward plays with the crowns of the trees, happily making them whistle in the wind.

''Okay.''

I stand in from of him now. He looks me in the eyes, and I swear he holds his breath. His blue eyes are fully focused on me.

Suddenly my hand reaches out and strokes the fur on his neck. It's really soft. I snap out if the trance-like state quickly.

''Let's do this.'' I state and sit down on my knees in front of him, carefully stroking his right front paw a little, before I stop.

Emight lift up the paw and place it in my hands, that I conveniently hold out for him to place it in.

Something crosses his eyes, and I recognise that reaction. He raises his head high and his gaze becomes empty and clouded.

Every animal I've done this ritual with does this. I think it's because they deep, deep down in their souls, that Arí created, know what to do. How too give me their shape to shift into.

''I, Emight, give my shape and shadow for you to use in your quest to protect the forest and it's creatures.''

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A/N:

A little short, I know.

But I had to delay it a little, since I always want to have at least 8 chapters ahead of the chapter I post.

It's just in case of a writer's block, don't worry.

I really should dedicate this to PeddleTree ... But that means that I have to turn on my Stone Age computer. And I actually did.

Anyway, that peep seems to me kinda awesome. And vote a lot ;)

*hint hint*

//siggeisthedog