As we returned with our baskets full of acorns to boil and then pulverize into flour, Levi approached us with a big grin on his face.
“Hey there,” he called.
“Hi,” I said, my smile matching his. That tug, that pull, I’d felt the night before stirred in my mind, my heart, and my soul.
“Linnea, would you mind if I stole June away? Dinner is in a couple hours, and I wanted to talk to her.”
Linnea stifled a goofy grin. “No problem at all. We’ve already gathered what we can. I can get it over to the supply house.”She took my basket and hurried off, throwing a knowing wink over her shoulder as she went. Levi didn’t see it, but I did, and I couldn’t stop myself from blushing.
When she was gone, Levi looked around furtively, then took a step forward. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. I sank into him, a small whimper leaving me as his lips pressed into mine.
“I missed you,” he said.
“Yeah? I missed you too.”
“I wanted to take you somewhere special before dinner. Are you up for a trip?”
“Special?” That was an interesting thing to ask, and impossible to say no to. “Sure. I’m game.”
“Great,” he said. “On the way, I want to try a few more things to bring your wolf out. Are you down for that?”
“I’m not eating dead animals again, am I?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.
“No. It’s nothing gross like that, but it may seem a little silly. You’ll need to bear with me.”
“Give me what you’ve got.” It was beginning to feel like learning to shift was a lost cause, but I’d try anything.
“I want you to follow me, but on all fours. Run like a wolf even though you’re still in your human form.”
“Are you serious?”
Levi nodded. “It works for younger kids sometimes when they’re having trouble their first time. I thought it might work for an adult too.”
I opened my mouth to protest, then stopped. I’d done everything else, so why not this?
“Okay,” I said, hunkering down on my hands and feet. “Go ahead. We’ll see what happens.”
“Same as before,” Levi said, stepping out ahead of me. “Do your best to clear your mind and try to call out to your wolf.”
“Sure. Yeah. Let’s get to it before someone sees me,” I said.
Levi shifted and trotted off into the woods. I followed, awkwardly galloping on my hands and feet like a handicapped monkey who’d fallen out of a tree. We went on like that for over a hundred yards until I was breathing heavily and my hands were scraped raw.
Back aching and dripping with sweat, I straightened. “It’s not working, Levi. I tried, but it’s no good.”
He shifted and jogged back to me. “Sorry. It was a long shot, but I thought we should try.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry it didn’t work. I know you’re trying everything to help me. Thank you, anyway,” I said, wiping dirt from my palms.
“Hop on my back,” he said. “What I want to show you should get you in a better mood.”
“Sure,” I said.
He shifted and moved up until he was right beside me.
Once I was on his back, Levi took off, running at breakneck speed. I giggled in glee as he bounded through the woods. It was like riding on a rollercoaster, somehow both terrifying and exciting at once. The cold air was invigorating, and the warmth of his fur pushed back the chill enough to keep me comfortable. At one point, I lay flat against his back and buried my nose in his fur, breathing in his animal scent.
We headed higher into the mountains surrounding the valley that held both Hidden Grove and Idlewild. Finally, we emerged into a spot in the forest where the trees were a bit thinner. When he stopped, I climbed off, and he shifted back.
