Page 18 of Shifted Fate
“Yes.” I yelled back, and he chuffed out a laugh.
This is what shifting opens up for you. The world comes alive. The trees speak to you; the wind calls to you; the moon watches over you. The world calls to us, and our animals answer.
“When will I get to experience it?” I couldn’t wait until I could shift. Nix chuffed her agreement but stayed silent.
We shift when our bodies can handle it. The bigger or stronger the animal, the later we shift. Your father wasn’t ready when he came of age. We shifted after he mastered his magic and his body. We were twenty when we finally shifted.
“I have to master my magic?”
I don’t know if it’s mandatory for you, but it was for us. We needed to be able to control the magic as we shifted. That way we didn’t hurt anyone when we lost control.
Nix came forward, and I heard her speak to me and to Loki.Amy will have to do the same. I cannot come forward without that safety net in place.
“Why not?”
Nix shook her head.Your power is waiting to be released. I hold it back. Just like my aura that you hold back. If our control slips even for a moment, it can leak out and magic is chaotic without intent. You could hurt people you love.
You could kill someone.Loki’s voice cut in and the reality of the situation really hit. If I couldn’t master my magic, I would never shift.
Just like my previous life.
Chapter Fourteen
M
y father skidded to a halt at the edge of a small clearing with a stump in the center. I slid off Loki’s back and he trotted off to shift. He walked back to me and gestured to the center. “Go sit.”
I nodded and walked into the clearing. The tree’s shadows were still deep, as the sun had just breached the tree tops. I shivered, not from the cooler temperature since wolves burn hot, but from the feeling of the woods around us. It felt like something was here. Something was waiting for this moment.
I turned to face my dad, and he was still at the edge of the clearing. “Why are you still back there?”
“This isn’t for me, it’s for you. I have already done my time in this place.”
“Your time? What are you talking about?”
“This is a sacred place. The clearing here holds our family’s power, and it’s warded against it.”
“Against it? Dad, what are you talking about?”
“Just listen. Sit down on the stump.” I sank to the top of the stump and then looked back to my father. “Take your shoes and socks off, then plant your feet.”
“Why?”
His laughter cut through the quiet air. “Are you going to question everything I tell you?” He shook his head and then waved his hands.
I took off my shoes, socks, then quirked an eyebrow at him. “Happy?”
“Yes. Now the first lesson you have to learn is connecting to nature. We pull our power from the world around us. Give and take, push and pull, every action has a reaction.” My father planted his feet and took a deep breath. The trees shifted toward him, like his intake of breath was pulling them to him, and then he blew out. The trees bent backwards and shivered in the wind, almost dancing like they were happy. “Sometimes we take power, sometimes like now, I give it.”
My mouth was hung open, and I was looking around. “How did you do that?” My eyes darted from the dancing trees to my father and his face was alight.
“Magic.” His laugh was contagious, and I laughed with him. “Now to do that, like I said, the first step is to connect to nature.”
“How?” My mind was blown, and I had no clue how to connect to anything other than my phone.
“Focus on the air around you, the way the wind blows. Focus on your feet, how the grass tickles your soles, how the ground supports you. How the trees pull energy from the sun and the land. How the animals survive off the land. Everything is connected and once you connect to the land, you can feel it all.It will be overwhelming. You will feel…alive. For the first time in your life, you will truly feel alive. That’s the only way I can explain it.”
“Okay.” I closed my eyes and felt the wind blow around me as it whispered through the trees. I wiggled my toes in the grass and I felt…stupid. “How do I know if I’m doing it right?” I cracked open my eyes and my father was gone. “Hello? Dad?” I stood and started walking to the edge of the clearing and called again. “Hello?” The dark trees shifted and I took a step back.
