If I could do better, people can do better, then the world would do better, and the better off everyone will be.
Asher looked over at me and grinned.
“Welcome to the light side, Echo. We’ve got kisses and cuddles to smother you with.”
I laughed.
He may be a tad ridiculous sometimes, but he didn’t hold back who he was, and he made me laugh more times than I could count in the past ten years.
We parked by the entrance to the national park and then went for a hike.
“I’m always more at peace in nature than in the city. But I can’t bring myself to give up Seahill,” Asher stated, and I found myself nodding to his words. I was the same way.
“Mind if I let myself be a little freer?” I asked nervously. Being in the wild as one of the wild was the most peaceful I could ever feel.
“Go for it; just don’t eat me.” He smirked, and I went off to undress myself behind a large tree.
“Any requests?” I called out to him, curious.
“Your favorite form,” he replied, and I couldn’t help but smile, knowing my favorite form was like reading my diary if I had one. The animal spirit inside everyone could tell you the most about the person, who they were as individuals. In modern culture, people laugh about spirit animals, but my people believed that every person had the spirit of an animal that made you who you were. Sometimes many, like a totem. But I still carried that belief.
Without much thought, I changed into my favorite form, interested to see Asher’s face when he took in the 360-pound grizzly bear.
I roared at him for kicks, to see if he would show fear, but there was none.
Just awe.
“I can see it,” was all he said before he started slowly walking down the trail, expecting me to join him.
“There’s not hunters around, right? I don’t have enough room in my apartment to nurse a big-ass bear back to health if you get hurt.”
I sniffed the air and couldn’t scent any human beyond him. I’d have known if there was another person out here with us.
We walked together down the trail in peace and quiet, enjoying each other’s company and being in nature. When we came to a stop by a bubbling stream, I decided to throw my inhibitions to the wind and enjoy myself. Bears could play as much as any animal could.
The water was cold, but I stepped in and splashed around. When I was in an animal form, I didn’t need to be civilized. I could just be free.
So, I splashed and tried to get Asher with the cold water, but he did some magic with his hands, and the water couldn’t touch him.
Cheater.
