“Come, let’s go into the woods and I will tell you,” I said. She nodded and got up on shaky legs. Aunt Matilda walked on her other side and the two of us made sure she was steady. Around us, the pack walked. The ones that had got to know her, walked closest to us. I saw Medow holding a blanket and smiled. They would be there for Amie.
“Let’s stop in the clearing ahead,” my aunt said. I nodded. It was large enough and the forest floor was covered in soft moss. It was a good place.
“Amie, look at me,” I said, and she lifted her forest green eyes to me. “The first shift is not comfortable. Your body temperature will increase to speed up the changes to your body. There will be cramping in your muscles as they start to change. You will feel the bones breaking and rearranging. It isn’t fun, but it’s usually quick once it starts. Once the first time is over, it will never feel like that again. The next time you will hardly feel it,” I explained and saw her eyes grow big with fear.
“It will be fine, child. You are not alone. We will be with you,” my aunt said and guided Amie to sit down. I sat down next to her on the forest floor. She was looking around and her eyes stopped on Cadence.
“Even the pups?” she asked.
“Yes, they need to see and understand so they can be prepared when it’s their turn.” She nodded and closed her eyes as a tremor wrecked through her body. I felt helpless as I could do nothing for her. I had guided several of our younger pack members through their first change. But I had never felt like this before. Maybe it was because she was so unprepared, or maybe because I felt like life had handed her a bad hand until now. I don’t knowwhy, but I struggled with keeping calm. The only thing stopping me from acting out was the knowledge that Amie needed my calm.
“Time to get out of your clothes, dear. Trust me, you don’t want to tear through them and end up walking back to the pack house wrapped in a blanket. Been there, done that, not worth it,” Matilda said. There were soft chuckles from the pack. Most wolves would rip through their clothes one time or another. Nudity wasn’t as big of a deal in werewolf society. But we still avoided going around naked if it could be helped. Matilda and Medow had helped Amie to stand and were helping her undress. The pack was looking away out of respect and even I lowered my eyes to give her some privacy. When she sank down to the ground next to me, she was wrapped in the blanket Medow had brought.
“Do you have any questions?” I asked her. She looked at me and shook her head. I could see the fear and confusion. “It will be okay. Unless you count that this means my aunt was right and that is a small catastrophe. She is far too used to being right all the time,” I tried to joke and got a smile from her. When a new set of cramps rolled through her, she grabbed my hand. “It’s okay. Lay down and try to relax. Don’t fight it.” I told her and she laid down. The pack drew closer and we all watched her as she did her best to relax. It didn’t take long for the shimmer to appear around her. It was close now. Her body shook and a low whimper escaped her as the first sound of snapping bones could be heard. As I watched on with worry, her porcelain skin began to disappear under thick fur. Before I knew it, the woman had been replaced by a wolf. The only thing visible was its head which was sticking out from the blanket. She was beautiful. The fur around her nose and eyes were a light strawberry blond and got darker the further away from the face it got. I could hardly wait to see the rest of her. “Amie, can you try to sit up?” I asked,knowing it was confusing to be in your other body the first time. She blinked at me with the same green eyes as always and sat up. She swayed a little, but soon became steady. The blanket pooled around her and we all got our first look at what hopefully would be our new pack member. Her body was covered in dark red fur, the tip of her tail and her paws were the same light colour as her face.
“She is so cute!” Cadence exclaimed and everyone chuckled. I could see the twinkle in Amie’s eyes and knew she didn’t take offence. But when the pup rushed forward to pet her, I stood up and blocked his path. I caught him and took him into my arms. Together, we looked down at Amie. When I stood, she almost reached my chest, sitting down. She wasn’t a small wolf.
“Cadence, we have to respect each other. We don’t touch someone without asking, especially if they are in wolf form and we can’t mindlink with them. Amie is in a very vulnerable place and we need to respect that. She has honoured us by shifting in our presence for the first time,” I told the pup. He looked up at me and then down at Amie, who looked back at him.
“Yes, Alpha. Sorry, Amie,” he said. I smiled and ruffled his hair before letting him down.
“Good boy,” I told him and watched him make his way back to his father. I looked at Amie. “Ready to stand?” I asked. She focused and got her back legs underneath her. She swayed a little and she took a step to the side, her tail balanced the body automatically, but she wasn’t used to the feeling and swirled around, trying to get a look at it. I couldn’t help but to chuckle. She got steadier by the minute. Amie made her way over to where Cadence was standing and she nudged his hand with her nose. He looked at me and I nodded with a smile. With a reverent look in his eyes, he ran his hand over her fur and he squealed.
“She’s so soft,” he told everyone. I felt a moment of jealousy, but pushed it aside. The pack started to shift one by one. They gently walked up to Amie, careful not to overwhelm her, and let their wolves greet her. I stayed in my human form until she had been greeted by the pack.
“Would you like to test those new legs?” I asked her. She yapped happily, and I laughed. I shifted into my dusty blond wolf. It was larger than Amie’s but not by much. Standing, her wolf was almost as tall as both Martin’s and Sam’s. I walked up to her and nudged her to start moving. It was strange to not be able to talk to her. But she got my meaning and started walking. She did well for it being her first time. Matilda had shifted and started walking on the other side of Amie. I let the pack know in the mindlink we would take Amie for her first run and they could resume the celebrations. After a while of walking, I urged Amie into a slow trot. My aunt soon got tired and mind linked me she would go back to look after the pups. I told Martin, Sam and Medow to join us. Soon, all five of us were running through the woods. I made sure to keep close to Amie, to make sure she didn’t tire or lose her footing. But she was a natural. Her wolf seemed built for speed and when we sped over the soft forest floor, her eyes glowed with joy. After a while longer, I told the others they could go back to their planned evening. I knew Medow and Sam would need some time alone as a mated pair, and Martin usually had a date set up. I herded Amie to the same viewpoint we had stood on that morning. The moon hung over the river and the stars sparkled. It was as perfect of a night as you could hope for. I raised my head and howled at the moon. As a thank you for everything she gave us. Others joined in and I looked at Amie, who just stood beside me, looking at me. I stopped howling and locked eyes with her and let out another howl. She took a deep breath and then she joined me. The firstnotes were uncertain, but as her confidence grew, so did her howl.
Chapter 8
Amie
Howling! I was howling. I was in my wolf form, standing on a hill looking out over the most spectacular view I had ever seen, and I was howling at the moon. There were so many things to unpack in that sentence, it made me dizzy. But in a good way. The howling died out and I tried to get a look at myself. I was much steadier on my paws and I twisted and turned in an attempt to get a look at my body. I heard a huffing sound and looked over at Finlay’s wolf, and I swear he was laughing. His sand-coloured wolf was just as mouth watering handsome as his human form. I was grateful he had been with me through the night. He was a good Alpha. He stood up and trotted over to me and swung his head in a gesture I thought meant he wanted me to follow him. I nodded and he took a small path leading down towards the river. He walked up to the bank and looked down. Curious, I followed and looked as well. The water was almost completely still and the dark night sky made it into a mirror. I could see myself and I was surprised. Not even my mother, who I had inherited my red hair from, had a wolf who looked like mine. The same red colour as my hair, covered most of my fur. But myface, paws and the end of my tail faded into a cream colour. My green eyes looked the same. I was big, but I had already figured that out, standing almost as tall as Finlay. I had to do some jumps just to articulate the joy I felt at that moment. Again, I could swear Finlay was laughing at me. But it was okay. I was in my wolf form and I was just brimming with joy and amazement. After a moment, Finlay pointed his nose up along the trail they had come. I understood it was time to head back and nodded. I was happy to calmly walk beside him through the forest. The night might have been short, but I still needed to figure out how to get into my human body. We got to the place where I shifted, and Finlay changed back to his human form and put on shorts. He smiled down at me and lifted the blanket that was still on the ground. I got the message and let him cover my body. I looked up at him, I had no idea what to do now. He seemed to understand.
“To change back, you just need to focus on your human self,” he told me. He made it sound easy, so I tried to focus on my human side. I felt the same tingles I felt when I took on my wolf form, but this time there was no pain. And then I was lying on my stomach under the blanket, completely naked. “There you go. I knew you would be a natural,” Finlay said with a smile.
“Thank you. That was…” I started to say, but I didn’t know how to finish the sentence.
“Yeah, that's how it feels the first time,” Finlay agreed as he handed me my clothes and, like a gentleman, turned around to let me dress. I was a little wobbly on my legs, but I found my balance. When I was dressed, I walked up to Finlay and tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around with a smile.
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for guiding me through this and not abandoning me.”
“It was my honour,” he told me, and I could tell he meant it. We talked as we walked back towards the fire. I found theworld slightly different. My senses were sharper than they had been. Matilda was sitting in her spot, and the pups had quieted down and were either sleeping on spread out blankets or sitting, playing. When Cadence saw us coming, he ran over to us.
“Amie! How was it? Was it as fun as you thought it would be? What did you do? Did you run? Did you hunt? You were so big, I bet you would be awesome at hunting. My dad always kills rabbits for my mom and he will teach me how to when I shift the first time.” He fired off his questions in a rapid sequence and I had to laugh.
“Calm down, little one. Let Amie get a word in,” Finlay said while chuckling.
“Sorry, Alpha,” the pup said. But he was still looking up at me with bright eyes.
“How about we sit down, and I will tell you all about it,” I told him, and he looked so happy it made me smile as big as him. “Thank you again. I’m all shifted out for tonight, so go and have fun. I’ll rest by the fire,” I told Finlay. He hesitated and looked like he wanted to object.
“Go on, I’ll keep an eye on her,” Matilda said before he had a chance.
“Okay,” he agreed and then he was heading towards the forest again. I sat down with Cadence and started to tell him about my first shift. I was still in awe that I had a wolf. I could feel her inside me now. Like a shadow with emotions. Matilda walked over to the table with leftover food and came back with a plate piled high and handed it to me. I had not realised how hungry I was. After I had answered most of Cadence’s questions, I went to town on the food.
“This is amazing, thank you,” I told Matilda between bites. She laughed.
“Shifting always makes you hungry and ten times as much when it’s the first time,” she explained to me. Cadence hadjoined his friends, and I could hear him tell them what I had told him.
