An enslaved pack ruled by a merciless dictator. A pack of assassins out for blood and revenge.
A lone wolf who can't find his place among any of it.
Through betrayal, binding pacts, and revolutionary acts, with more shadows looming between the tree...
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The clearing they waited in was far enough from the Manor to provide privacy, but close enough to walk to. Terra stood in the middle with her head tilted towards the sun, her loose clothing being pushed back by the summer breeze.
Jake stepped up to her and looked around the clearing. "It's pretty nice out here, huh?"
Terra opened her eyes again and nodded. "How did you find this place? With the sound of the river and stuff it's almost...serene. So close to the Manor, I wouldn't think it to be possible."
With a short laugh, Jake moved towards the edge of the clearing. "I found it on a morning run one time. Sometimes we get close to it on the runs, but only on occasion." He slung the backpack from his shoulders and put it up against the tree. "Alright, let's get to work then."
He pulled a blanket out and dropped it near the middle of the clearing. "I want to go hard at this," Terra said. "I know what you said, and I won't push it, but I want to be able to shift."
"I know," Jake said. "The thing about shifting is it takes both physical and mental strength. It will take a lot of concentration."
As he neared her, Terra straightened up, her shoulders moving back. "Just guide me through it," she said.
His hands went delicately to her shoulders. "Think about being a wolf. Think about the freedom it brings you; the speed, the power, and every sense throughout you." Jake moved his hands from her and walked in a circle around her. "It should start from deep within you first."
Terra let her eyes close and pictured the night she ran on the full moon. Something stirred within her and crept up her body until she lurched forward.
"If you fight it now, without the moon, it will disappear," Jake said.
She wasn't sure where he stood around her, instead focusing on the sudden pain. "Bring it forward, accept it, and be one with it."
There was a crack as her bones started to reform and Terra dropped to the ground. "Emotions can bring out your wolf, but you can't use that as a crutch either," Jake said. "Instead, focus them down into your core and bring out your wolf by will alone."
The shift started in her chest, her ribs were reforming and shaping as she changed from the inside out. Each snap made her wince and she shut her eyes tighter. The shift sent a pounding headache through her skull.
She could feel every little change in her body. Her skin reformed as she changed and slowly her body started to go numb. Terra's mind flashed back as she imagined the wind through her fur and something swept through her as she shifted on her own. When she finally landed as a wolf, she collapsed.
Jake crouched before her. "Each time we do this it will get easier. The next hard part is going to be shifting back." He stood and looked down at her. "Shake off the shift first, I'll wait."
