“Bye, Dad, I’m losing the signal.” I touched the screen to end the call just in time to cut off whatever he was about to say. If there was something I didn’t need to know, it was what my parents called making whoopee. Picking up the phone, I walked back through the bedroom and looked out the wall of windows onto the back porch. The sky had taken on a steel gray color, and the wind was starting to pick up. I glanced at my closed laptop and made my decision. I knew it wasn’t the smartest plan, but I needed to get out of these walls and feel the wind under my wings for a while.
Stripping quickly, I opened the door to the porch and shivered in the cooling air. After closing the door, I shifted, then perched on the railing, turning my head side to side and lifting my snowy wings to get a feel for the breeze. My owl took over now, flicking his head side to side and watching the area for predators bigger than us. I reminded him I didn’t want to hunt today, so together, we decided it was safe to fly for a while. Flying was my favorite way to break through when I was blocked, and this kind of weather was our favorite. Taking off, we glided over the oaks and pines, moving with the wind coming out of the Northwest. The feel of the air said rain was coming, but not for a while. Closing our eyes, we drafted the wind and played in the currents, forgetting all the troubles for a while. Our problems would still be there when we got back, but for now, we were free.
3
COMET
The wind whipped the trees above me with a winter chill. It felt like home with the bite of cold and the smell of snow in the air. I hiked up the next rise, loving the feel of the cold and the burning of my muscles straining against the incline.
The Santas had been right to insist I get away for a while. Of course, they were right. They were Santa, after all. I’d fought against it for a few weeks, even still, but eventually gave in. After finally reaching the highest point on the trail and seeing all the gentle mountains spread as far as the eye could see in either direction, I had to agree this had been the best place to choose.
I sniffed the air again and instantly knew a storm was approaching. I’d known it was going to snow. The signs were obvious to me since I lived in a place with perpetual snow most of the year. I’d had to cover my laughter when the kind lady at the last shelter had asked me to stay yesterday.
“This weather coming is no place for man nor beast, son. You sure you want to risk freezing to death out there in the wilderness?”
“Thank you, ma’am, but I assure you, my beast and I will be just fine.”
She’d looked at me with eyes sharper than they had been a moment before, then just nodded and gave me a small, wry smile and a wink.
“Yep, I reckon you’re right about that. Alright then, be careful and have a good time, but mind you, stay on the right trail. There are other beasts in the woods that like their privacy, you get me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Now, high in the hills, away from any civilization I could see, I was happy I had chosen this spot. Looking down, I wondered what kind of beasts she had been referring to. I knew there were bears, deer, and other creatures around. I could sense their presence as I had been walking the trail. Some had been curious, some leery, but none seemed to be anything other than what they were. If she was referring to shifters in the woods, I hadn’t been aware of any yet.
The wind picked up again, and I headed back down the other side of the rise to continue on to my next destination. According to my map, I knew there was a campsite in a few miles. I’d stay there tonight and see what the weather did. If my instincts were correct, a huge snowfall was definitely coming tonight and maybe for a day or two. This area wasn’t used to that kind of snow, so it would cause all kinds of problems for humans and animals alike. I hoped they could find a warm place to shelter from the storm.
As the day wore on, the weather went downhill fast. The rain started just as the sun was sinking, or I assumed it was since it was getting darker. I was nearing the empty campsite when I felt a strange sensation like a tug to the side. Stopping, I looked around to see if a branch or something had hit me, maybe the wind blowing debris, but nothing was there.
I kept going a step or two, then felt it again, a sharper pull back and to the left. Turning around, I saw a side trail heading away from the camp. To test it out, I stepped away from the path one more time, then felt it again, this time much stronger than before. Whatever this was, it wanted me to go that way.
I remembered what the lady had said this morning about staying on the trail because of the beasts in the woods, then shook my head and brushed off any worry about what I was about to do. I wasn’t Little Red Riding Hood, for heaven’s sake. As I turned around and headed for the offshoot trail, I reminded myself I was a freaking reindeer shifter, one of Santas’ best. I could handle anything these woods threw at me.
As soon as that thought had run through my mind, there was a rustling above me, and suddenly, I was being attacked by feathers. A huge bird flew directly into my face, knocking me back on my ass in the mud and freezing rain. The white feathers were all I could see until I was able to get hold of it and stand. When I could get some distance, I saw it was a white owl with gray spots and a delicate face that looked wise and sad simultaneously. It was beautiful, but I stayed back. I didn’t want to get attacked again.
I assumed the wind had knocked it a little and it would be on its way, but when it fluttered a few times, hopping to one side, then another, and couldn’t take off, I saw the problem. One of its wings was hurt. Speaking very gently, I approached it.
“Easy now, you’re hurt. Can I help?”
I didn’t know an owl could look skeptical, but it was clear it didn’t trust me. I tried again. “Hey, I get it. I’d be skeptical, too, but trust me, I’ve had experience with all kinds of animals and birds. Let me see if I can help?”
Stepping closer, this time the owl didn’t immediately flap away. Its injured wing lay awkwardly to the side but didn’t look broken. I stooped down into the freezing mud and reached out. When it didn’t immediately attack, I extended my hand and ran my hand down its feathers. As soon as I touched it, I felt a jolt and immediately pulled back. It was like electricity had built up, shocking me somehow. From its reaction, it had felt it, too.
“The fuck was that?”
I didn’t expect an answer, but the look on its face clearly said I was the one who should know, not the owl. Fair point.
“Let’s try this again. Must have been electricity from the cold air.”
I reached out again. This time, I felt nothing more than feathers. I gently touched the wing and the bones underneath, and it seemed unbroken.
“No breaks, little guy. Just sprained, would be my guess. You definitely can’t fly home tonight.” I looked around and made a decision. “I’ll keep you with me tonight. You can’t be out here by yourself with the storm coming. You’ll be as good as dinner for something.”
Okay, now it looked alarmed. How the hell had I never noticed how expressive owls could be?
“Look, it’ll be fine. You can stay with me in my tent. It won’t be a luxury, but it’ll be better than a tree in a snowstorm with a hurt wing. Plus, it’ll be much warmer. I tend to give off a lot of body heat.”
Could owls give you a side eye?
