Shifter

Chapter One (lyra)

A young girl slept soundly in her straw filled bed while the rain droned outside her room. The girls honey gold hair was splayed out around her head and her fair skin appeared blueish as the moonlight seeped in through the window and pooled around her. With freckled cheeks, a small button nose, and long lashes, the girl was among the prettier children in her village.

The girl's sleep however, was short lived as her eyes fluttered open suddenly at the sound of loud rapping on her window. Squinting towards the commotion, her eyes landed on the soaking wet figure of a boy around her age. She sighed in relief. It was her closest friend: Ryan. Though the girl had no idea as to why he had decided to  make an appearance at such a late time and during such harsh weather.

Quickly, she threw open the window to allow him inside.

"Lyra." Ryan said the girl's name with relief.  Water dripped from his messy brown locks. His dark blue eyes were tired and he had a cut directly above his brow and one cheek was slightly pinker than the other.

Lyra gently placed one hand on Ryan's red cheek and asked, "What happened?"

"My uncle has come to town." was his only response. Lyra new what this meant. Ryan's Uncle (his father's brother) had been coming on more frequent visits to Ryan's family ever since the death of his father. Though, Ryan's uncle acted as though he were out simply to lend a hand to Ryan's family, as he happened to be a moderately wealthy merchant, Ryan was well aware that he had other plans that involved his mother as well. Lyra couldn't blame his resentment towards him. Ryan's uncle was often abusive.

Regardless of what had happened between Ryan and his uncle that lead up to Ryan's injuries, the cut on Ryan's forehead looked nasty, and Lyra knew she needed to clean it.

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It took little time for Lyra to clean Ryan's cut. It hadn't been nearly as deep as she had thought. It was clear that the cream Lyra had used was working well, as the redness around the outside of the cut had started to diminish.

"Ryan," Lyra said as she set the cream back under her bed, "do you need to sleep here?"

"I don't think I'll avoid getting worse than a scratch or two if I go back there."

"You sleep in the bed Ryan. I'll get a blanket for the floor."

"No Lyra. I'm okay I—"

"No." Said Lyra rather sternly. "You need good rest. I will be fine on the floor and you know it." Ryan sighed knowing that she was right.

The village that Lyra lives in, Trirish, thrives on gossip and secrets. Not many secrets have gone untold. Lyra however, held a secret and kept it from everyone but of course Ryan. She new if anyone found out, including her father, she would surely be killed. Lyra was a shifter. She could turn into any living thing at any time. Though Lyra loves her gifts, she knows that not many people would be as accepting to her as Ryan has been if they were to find out. Unfortunately, it was a common belief that shifters used there gifts to deceive, steel, and murder.

Lyra has kept her secret for 15 years now. She had finally told Ryan 3 years ago. He had been shocked at first, but he new Lyra would never do anything to hurt him.

Once she new Ryan was comfortable in her bed, she went behind the bed, stripped off her clothes, and shifted into the fluffy form of a black and grey dog. She had seen this animal a few years back, and has chosen this form on many occasions due to the softness of it's fur. Lyra curled up in the wool blanket she had set up on the floor.

Minuets had passed in silence. Lyra was close to falling into the depths of slumber, when she heard sheets rustling. She turned her head to see Ryan sitting up and looking down at her. Ryan patted a spot near the foot of the bed, beckoning Lyra to come. She took his offer and curled up by his feet.

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Lyra woke up as the sun rose in the sky. Her father would be angry if he were to discover Ryan had slept in room. She needed to get Ryan out. Quickly she shifted and put her clothing back on.

"Ryan!" Lyra whispered with quiet urgency. "You need to leave! My father will be awake soon." Ryan rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up.

"Oh. I'll wait at the creek. I don't want to go back home right now."

"I won't be long. Maybe an hour and Ill meet you with some food." With that Ryan quickly snuck back out the window.

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Once Ryan had left and the morning sun came through the window, Lyra noticed some splotches of crusted mud on the wooden panels that made up her bedroom floor. Not knowing how much time she had until her father would be awake, Lyra quickly got to work, doing her best to scrape the mud of her floor.

She was half way done, when she reached for a rag to dust away the brown dirt powder. Her hand was clumsy in her haste however, and knocked over an empty jar she planned to fill with flowers. The jar hit the ground with a loud thud and broke into pieces.

Lyra's hands started to shake as she made to clean up yet another mess. Foot steps sounded from down the hall and Lyra knew she was in trouble.

The door flew open and Lyra's father came in. His grey flecked hair was messy and sleep still lingered in his pale blue eyes. Those unforgiving eyes stared back at her and Lyra was grateful that her Green orbs didn't match his.

"What is this?" Her father spat out in disgust.

"I-I," Lyra stuttered feeling absolutely helpless, "I was trying to—"

"To what? Make a mess?" His eyes glanced over the broken glass, but landed on the mud that Lyra hadn't finished cleaning. "Where did the mud come from?"

"I—"

"No. Move aside" when she didn't budge, Lyra's father reached towards her and tossed her aside. Her head making a thud as it made contact with the wood of her floor. "Mud. All over the windowsill. Who was in here girl?"
Lyra didn't answer. "It was that boy wasn't it." Still no response from Lyra.

Lyra's father exploded with rage. He grabbed hold of the sleeve of Lyra's night gown and drug her out of the room towards the kitchen. Lyra braced herself for what was about to happen. She took in a sharp breath as her father brought down a flexible yet sturdy switch upon her backside. Once. Twice. Thrice. He shoved her away.

"Go do something useful." He said once he finished.

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It had been over an hour past when Lyra told Ryan that she would meet him. Though her backside still stung, she didn't want Ryan to wait any longer. Careful not to get caught, once again by her terrible father, Lyra made her way to the kitchen and grabbed two apples.

Lyra looked down at her tattered night gown and decided to change into something more presentable to the public. Besides, she didn't need Ryan worrying about her injuries while he had his own to be concerned with.

Once her clothes were changed, Lyra made her way towards the creek where Ryan said he would be.

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