Princess of Flames

Shifting

        Taylor woke to the rustle of clothes and sunlight pouring in. She looked to find Breanna already up and getting dressed. She stood up and crossed the room to get her shoes. She sat next to Breanna on the edge of the bed where she was also pulling on her's. They said nothing as they headed down to the kitchens. She didn't go to the dining room, she went to the kitchens. She had promised Emrys that she would help in the kitchens after yesterday. So she walked through the doors to find the largest piles of dishes she had ever seen. Emrys came out of the dining room. "Those are your priority this morning." he said pointing towards the giant pile of dishes. "All of them?" she asked knowing the answer already. He didn't respond, that was an answer in itself. So she walked over to the dishes.

      When Taylor finished her hands were limp. She walked into the dining room and only Liara and Rowan were still there. Her father it seems got a late start on breakfast too, and Liara was sitting there reading a book Taylor lent her. She sat down next to her father and started eating right away. Her father said to her when she finished, "Change, then meet me outside." She didn't question him and hurried to her rooms. He was going to be starting the grueling magic lessons, she just had a strong feeling. When she was coming down the hall before the double doors that were the main entrance to the fortress she ran into Brydan. He raised a brow. "I didn't know it was possible to wear that much steel." he said looking over her. Indeed she had daggers, her sword, a bow and quiver of arrows, and her hunting knives that were a gift from her mother. She gave him a wicked smile. "I'm having a training session this morning with Rowan. And these are the only the ones that are visible." she said. He nodded understanding that a session with Rowan was not any normal training. "If I didn't bring everything I wouldn't be prepared. If I'm not prepared then I might have to do more." she explained. He nodded. "Good luck." he said. She walked past him and went out the doors and began mentally and physically preparing herself for the oncoming pain that was sure to come. 

       "Shift." She snarled at him, "How am I supposed to shift?" "Just do it. It's simple." She glared at him. "No. It's not simple. No." He decided the first thing they were starting on is shifting. She didn't even know what her other form was. It could be a hawk but she doubted it. Or it could be a human, like her mother. Or it could be something else entirely. Breanna and Soaren were the only ones who had actually been able to shift. And theirs' happened to be hawks like her father. "What does it feel like? It would most likely be like your mother's since you have fire as well, but that's just my guess." She closed her eyes and found this small string. She reached out and tugged on it. It didn't do anything. She decided to follow the string. It led her to a veil, where she could sense herself on the other side but a different kind of self. She slipped through the veil, still holding on to the string. She snapped back into herself and through her closed eyes she felt a blinding pain go through her body and a bright light flashed. She snapped open her eyes to say it didn't work but she couldn't say those words for some reason. She looked down on herself to see reddish grey fur coating the legs that ran into paws at where her feet should have been. She looked up to see her father watching her intently. "Taylor, you're a wolf." Her eyes must have widened because he said, " Do you realize you are one of the biggest wolves I've ever seen beside Fenrys?" She tried to smile in this form but it came out more like baring her teeth, though he saw it in her eyes. She could really challenge Soaren now. She turned and tried to walk back to the fortress now that their lesson was over. She stumbled not used to four legs. Soon she got the hang of it. She tried trotting, which she soon discovered was fairly easy, which then turned into a run. As she passed the wards, the guards pointed crossbows at her. She snarled at them. One shot a bolt at her, which she nimbly jumped out of the way of. She liked this form. Rowan was by her in an instant shielding her with a wall of hard air. Once they seemed to realize it was her they let her pass through. She trotted back towards the kitchens. Shifting took some energy away from her and now she was exhausted and hungry. The doors to the dining room were open and she walked right through them into the onslaught of her friends and family gaping at the giant wolf walking through the doors. Brydan immediately was up with a sword pointed at her. The idiot. She snarled approaching him with predatory grace. She sat down in front of him giving him puppy dog eyes. And when she did that he seemed to get the fact that this was her animal form. But Soaren didn't. He tried to stab her with a dagger but she lunged at his feet making him back up. In the moment of nobody attacking her she reached back through the veil. And with Blinding pain slightly less painful than the first time and a bright light she shifted back to her fae form. "I didn't think you would stoop so low as to kill your own sister." she said to Soaren who was gaping for the real idiot he was. Brydan was the only one who saw her as a wolf and knew who she was. He was just smirking while everyone else was wide eyed. She just said to everyone, "Make some space and let me eat already."