Chapter 01 #3
Clothes were getting shed as the call to shift rippled through the crowd.
Nakedness was not an issue in wolf society.
Wolves were taught from a very young age not to stare.
Shifting in the buff was normal. Clothes were regularly worn when in human form.
Warriors usually wore shorts to train in.
Easy enough to ditch them if they had to shift.
But, clothes never shifted with a wolf. So, whether man or woman, being naked before and after a shift was normal.
There were caches of clothes stored around pack lands just in case a wolf found themselves in need of a change.
They were never the finest quality clothes, but they did the job.
Jaxom took his clothes off to keep from losing them in his first shift.
He’d been told to look inward and lean into his wolf.
Wolf would take over and complete the shift.
It was a tense moment of letting go so that his feral side, his wolf, was in control.
He felt his body begin the transformation.
Fur erupted all over his body. Joints popped, broke and reformed.
Limbs shifted to fit the wolf hidden within.
It hurt but in a temporary way that was easily ignored.
Jaxom opened his eyes in wonder at how fast his shift had happened. Asher was only half way through. The grimace of pain written on his face would have been amusing if Jaxom hadn’t just shifted. Asher would get faster over time.
Getting up off the ground was an odd sensation as he navigated four limbs that he didn’t know how to use yet.
His dad’s wolf was there with an entertained, yet proud grin on his face as Jaxom finally got up on all fours.
Paws were firmly planted on the ground. Black fur, from what he could see, covered his body.
Odder yet, he was looking down on his dad.
A man who’d always been larger than life in human and wolf form. Jaxom now towered over him.
His dad gave him a play-bow and said through the mind-link, You may be bigger than me, my boy, but I can still beat you!
Jaxom took off after his dad’s light gray wolf into the forest. Asher reddish brow wolf was only a few steps behind, followed by his family.
Jaxom’s mom’s beautiful deep brown wolf raced in beside her mate and playfully nipped at him.
Jaxom reveled in running with his friends and family.
He’d spent his whole life waiting for the time he could join the pack and run together on a full moon.
He’d listened to the yips and howls with the other children unable to shift, and wonder what it was like to be strong, fast, and fierce. Now, he knew.
He was shocked to see how much taller he was than his pack members.
He was faster and already stronger. The feel of his paws hitting the pine needle covered forest floor felt amazing.
Jaxom could feel the vibrations of the wolves running next to him through the ground.
The smell of the forest and wolves filled his lungs.
That sense alone was so much stronger than his human form.
It felt like he could smell hundreds of wolves that had shifted in other Moon Circles.
Directional hearing was novelty. Every move of his pointed ears helped him zero in on what other wolves were doing. Every newly enhanced sense sent him exploring in new directions. It was almost like he was experiencing the lands of the Blood Moon Pack for the first time.
Different warriors playfully challenged him to sprints.
The finish line wasn’t the point. The joy of running fast and hard with pack members was exhilarating.
These were men and women Jaxom had grown up with and respected.
Some wolves challenged him to mock fights.
No teeth, just play. He got to try rearing up to knock over warriors he knew could outmaneuver him at the moment.
No one bested him, or knocked him off his feet.
However, he didn’t win any rounds either.
Balance and power were still skills he needed to perfect.
The only thing Jaxom regretted was that his Luna wasn’t here. He’d hoped his birthday would bring his mate into his life. That was alright, though. Now he got to hunt for her. He knew she’d be worth it.
A tan wolf rushed Jaxom from the left. He dodged the charge and kept moving. The tan was still on his heels, snapping and snarling at him. Other wolves in his pack were keeping their distance from the wolf.
Dad? Who is this guy? Jaxom asked through the mind-link as he dodged a nip.
Prince Renz. Doesn’t seem to like you, does he? Need help?
No, I got this, Jaxom didn’t want to accidentally embarrass the princeling. The guy was a year older, royalty, and jealous of any hint he could be lesser than some other wolf. Maybe he viewed Jaxom’s wolf being larger than his as some sort of challenge to his royalty.
Jaxom spun around and attempted a play-bow but the Prince wasn’t having it.
Renz lunged at Jaxom, snarling. Jaxom let him close in.
The guy seemed to need a victory. For this one time, Jaxom submitted to him and let Renz knock him down.
The Prince roughly pushed his paw into his chest, showing his teeth.
Jaxom wasn’t surprised that Renz’s wolf looked proud of himself afterwards.
He didn’t realize how poorly he’d launched his assault.
Even though Jaxom was a brand new wolf, he’d spent years watching the warriors train.
The Prince was trying too hard. Jaxom’s dad had trained him in hand to hand combat.
He knew Jaxom could fight even on four legs.
His dad chuckled through the mind-link as Jaxom stopped another attack from the prince. The guy backed off, growled at Jaxom and took off into the night. Jaxom let it go. There was no point trying to put down a spoiled brat on a night meant for celebration.
With a joyous howl to the moon, Jaxom took off with Asher. The night was too young to let anyone ruin it.
When Jaxom finally got into bed in the wee hours of the morning.
He dreamt he was the Lycan standing on the mound of brown rocks.
He started running, a woman clung to his back.
They were being hunted. The hunters wanted them dead.
He had to get her away from them. His woman, his Luna wasn’t safe.
Wounded and bleeding, he ran faster. He couldn’t let them get captured.