The first nodded. "Yep. Got the source from a seal shifter who was there. There was someotherspirit messing with the water spirit. Seal guy said there was an air one, too. So I guess there's different kinds. Kinda like us, huh?"
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I almost felt like a child again, excited about all the mystical unknowns of the world. But most of all I was eager to find out if one of these spirits could grantmywish.
Because my greatest desire of all was to be normal.
I could no longer contain my enthusiasm. I had to know more about these spirits and where I could find one. These coyote shifters were the closest lead I had. I couldn't let them get away.
I burst out of the thicket, making both of them yelp in surprise. In a hurry not to frighten them, I stood up on my hind legs so I could use my front paws to sign my questions.
But it was too late. Before I got halfway into my sentence, the coyote shifters were already terrified.
"Shit, a fucking bear!"
"Run!"
My heart broke. They thought I was a wild animal. They didn't know I was a shifter too.
I was going to lose them if I wasn't quick. Desperate now, I grunted and held out my paw, urging them to stay put.
But my outstretched claws scared them. They didn't pause to see I was trying to communicate with them. They squealed and ran off their tails between their legs.
Frustrated, I dragged my paws over my snout. This always happened. Every single time I tried to get through to other shifters, it never worked. The outcome was the same—they ran away from me thinking I was going to eat them.
Why? Why couldn't I just speak and be normal?
Shame and disappointment washed over me. If anybody needed help from these spirits, it was me. Being unable to speak ruined my life. It made my parents abandon me. It made every single shifter run away from me. I couldn't even form a friendship, let alone ever find a mate.
After all, what kind of omega would want an alpha who can't speak?
I closed my eyes, fending off hot tears. I was so tired of being alone. I craved a companion, one to hold and touch and caress. One to snuggle against at night and to walk beside during the day. One to watch sunsets and sunrises with.
I wasn't picky. He could be any shifter species. Hell, he could even be a human for all I cared.
But I knew it would never happen because I was broken.
Ineededto find one of these spirits. I needed them to fix me.
A breeze blew by, ruffling my fur. Along with it came a scent I'd never smelled before.
I paused, my eyes shooting open. It smelled amazing but it wasn't food or water. What could it possibly be?
I turned in the direction of the wind. To make sure I wasn't imagining things, I sniffed again, wrinkling my nose.
It wasn't a figment of my imagination. There it was again—that same incredible scent.
Distracted from my downward spiral, I followed the scent trail. It came from deeper in the forest.
A moment later, another scent hit me, mingling with the first. This one froze me in my tracks. It was sharper, muskier, and unlike the first, this one was familiar. It was the distinct smell of an apex predator like myself.
But it didn't belong to a bear. I knew very well what this scent belonged to, and for some reason, I got a sick feeling in my stomach—like something terrible was going to happen if I didn't intervene.
I broke out into a run, my heart racing, and prayed I made it in time.
3
Ashe
The ground wassoft and earthy beneath my hooves. I walked with my head lowered to avoid my antlers snagging in any low branches or smacking into tree trunks. Maybe walking through the forest in my deer form wasn't the most convenient mode of transportation, but after the three-legged race I was sick of being a human for now. I needed to relax and let my all too human emotions fade away, and the best way to do that was walking on four legs instead of two.
