Page 102 of Campfires & Canines
17. Metamorphosis
Hazel
Twelve hours later, we stand in a dark forest. I admire a full moon through the swaying branches. Supposedly, it will make this easier for me.
Bugs hum and something bigger rustles nearby - a raccoon, I think. But I keep my eyes fixed on Slate.
His cheekbones are highlighted and his dark hair gleams like gunmetal.
I want to anchor myself to him and listen to his soft reassurances. But everyone is counting on me to handle this transition. This isn't exactly what I imagined my first evening back with my mate wouldinclude.
"Marigold, Cedar, keep your distance. Clove and Cassia, forward." Heath directs his team.
"Ready?" He asks softly, just for me. I nod.
Heath and Cedar turn their backs. Everyone is waiting on me.
I suck in a shaky breath. My mind is racing and I can't recall any of the instructions they had provided earlier.
Awkwardly, I pull off my clothes. Maybe someday I can shift right out of my clothes like my friends, but not today. My face is burning even while the rest of me is shivering in the cold night air. What if we’re wrong? Maybe because I’m half-shifter, I only get a few of the benefits like sensitive hearing and glowing eyes, and nothing will happen when I try to wolf out.
"What exactly do I do, again?"
Clove's warm voice floats over me. "Do you feel anything? Any sensations in your body or strange perceptions?"
"Um, I don't know. Maybe?" I close my eyes.
I feel my pulse. But there is something else. An urge to explore and run through the forest. It's a wildness I've possessed all along. But now it's pulsing strong with each beat of my heart.
A strong sense of possessiveness rocks me. I tune into Slate in a whole new way. I want to claw at anyone who even looks at him. I want him all to myself.
My eyes pop open. "Guys, I have no idea what I'm doing," I complain.
Slate comes closer. He slips his hands around my waist and leans our foreheads together. "You can do this. I'm sure it's strange, but let those instincts take over. It's the desire to be free and the feeling of being one with the forest."
I take a slow breath. I can do this. His hands fall away, but I can still feel his warmth close to me. I try to focus on the sensations and emotions again.
This sense of wildness grows as I let myself fall into it. It's throbbing inside of me. I want to crawl out of my skin.
The intensity surprises me. My eyes pop open and I look to Slate to ground me.
His full mouth curves. "Your eyes are glowing."
"I feel like I want to take off running," I whisper.
"Keep going," he replies. He flexes his hands at his side as if he wants to reach for me but is stopping himself.
I focus inward again. The wildness pulses stronger until I feel like I could be lost. Swept away until no one even remembers me.
My skin prickles and I feel as if my entire being is shimmering. It's like electrical current and wind.
My body feels different, stronger, and tingling with energy that has nowhere to go. I want to tear at my skin to release some of it.
A wave of smells hits me all at once - the warm smell of Slate that also lives on my skin. The herbal scent that makes me picture Cedar. Clove smells like yeast and cinnamon. Heath smells like salt and grass.
I blink at everyone. The forest around us is lit up with spotlights. I can see every twitch of my friends and movement of the tree branches. I can see bats dancing across the clouds past the treetops. My field of vision is wider and the trees look more gray than green now.
Slate's huge wolf is before me, but now I can see he's not mostly black. He is the darkest gray-brown, with a dusting of cream alonghis chest and up his muzzle. His evergreen eyes meet mine, the moon lighting them up into lanterns.
