Page 103 of Fool Moon First Aid

“This is how horror movies start,” I mutter, though I comply, shutting my eyes tightly.

Tyler’s hands are gentle on my arms, coaxing them to relax at my sides. “Now, connect with your spiritkin, with your wolf,” he guides, his voice a steady current in the shifting tide of my thoughts. “Turn inward. Let the world fade, and follow the thread of your consciousness to that inner spark. Reach for it.”

I take a deep breath, letting his words anchor me as I try to still the whirlwind of thoughts—my father’s shadow over my life, Ethan’s betrayal, and the confusion of my emotions. I push them aside, searching for the core of my soul.

When I think I open my eyes, I’m met with darkness, despite the time of day.

Tyler’s voice reaches me, distant yet clear. “What do you see?”

“The forest. I’m still here,” I whisper, my voice a flicker of sound in the vast silence.

“Good, very good.” His praise is a warm balm. “Do you see your wolf?”

Searching the shadows, I see a pair of glowing eyes. “There,” I say, the spark of connection fleeting as the vision dissolves with my forward step, leaving me blinking into Tyler’s concerned face.

“I lost it,” I confess, the sting of failure sharp.

“It’s all right,” he soothes, his hands warming my arms. “It’s a journey. It’ll get easier, I promise. Soon, calling her will be as natural as the beat of your heart.”

His reassurance, free of any judgment and filled with empathy, reignites my determination.

I can do this.

“Okay,” I say, channeling a rush of determination that pumps strength into every fiber of my being. I close my eyes once more, letting my whirlwind of thoughts scatter into the crisp air like leaves in the wind. Gradually, the mystical forest reappears before me, and there she is, my spirit animal, poised majestically at the base of an ancient, gnarled oak tree. She cocks her head, an ear twitching in my direction, and I’m mesmerized by the sight of her fur dancing in an ethereal breeze that seems to touch only her.

Her eyes are pools of ancient wisdom, glowing with a mystical fire that feels both alien and familiar. In this moment, I realize we’re not just connected, but we’re also woven from the same cosmic fabric.

She moves toward me, her presence commanding yet gentle, her tail carrying whispers of the night’s deepest shadows. She dips her head and scents the air, as if judging the essence of my being.

That’s when it hits me—she is judging me. She is determining if I’m worthy to wear her skin. This must be what it’s like for those who are bitten by shifters, those who have to prove their worth to their spiritkin.

I lower myself to the ground with a reverence that feels as old as time itself, our movements synchronized in a dance set by the stars. Our foreheads touch, and in her eyes, I catch a glimpse of eternity—a bond that transcends time, connecting us in a way words could never capture.

“So this is what it feels like,” I murmur as my soul seems to stitch itself back together, the broken pieces fitting into a seamless whole.

Her purr vibrates through me in a sound so profound, it feels like the earth itself is resonating within my chest. Together, we stand, our essences blending so seamlessly that the line between woman and wolf fades into nothingness.

As I open my eyes, the forest around us is alive in a way it’s never been before, every leaf, every whisper of wind, an extension of my newly discovered self. I am the ancient pines, the fertile earth beneath us, and the very breath of the forest.

“Well done, butterfly.” Tyler’s voice, filled with pride and affection, resonates within me. “Now let’s see if you can shift back.”

I let go of my wolf form, feeling her slip away as effortlessly as a dream fades at dawn, and then I stand before Tyler, his smile lighting up the dark like the first rays of morning sun.

“Ready to run?” he asks, his excitement so contagious, it sparks a fire within me.

“Yeah, yeah, I am,” I reply, my own excitement bubbling over. We exchange grins, two wild hearts on the verge of an adventure.

We shift together, embracing our wolf forms once more. As I shake out my fur, I can’t help but let out a laugh, feeling it echo around us. Tyler shifts with a fluidity I’m itching to master, but that’s for another day. Today, I get to run as a wolf, wild and free, with Tyler by my side, embracing the untamed spirit within us both.

Ava

There’s this wild, intoxicating freedom in the run, each touch of my paws against the earth sparking a connection I didn’t even realize I was craving. It’s like stumbling across a missing piece of my soul I didn’t know was lost. Weaving through the forest, I finally feel whole.

Complete.

Tyler nips at my heels, urging me on, the wind blowing through my fur. It’s in moments like this where I get it—the sheer ease of letting go, of melting into your spiritkin, where all those pesky human worries just evaporate. I could live like this and forget about the mess waiting for me back in the human world. Forget my dad. Forget Elijah. Just me, Tyler, and the endless embrace of the forest.

Of course, reality bites hard. The thought jolts me to a stop, dead in the middle of this leafy haven. Tyler, sensing my mood, nudges my chin, his eyes full of unspoken questions.

---