159. Orion
Orion
My paws pound against the earth.
The vibrations beneath me… feel like more.
I push faster.
Asher chuffs somewhere behind me. But I won’t slow down.
I can’t.
The dreams… The aches… The pressure building under my skin.
I can’t deal with it anymore.
Something is happening to me.
Every night I run. Every night I hunt the forest. Every time I sleep, I hunt in my dreams.
My pants have been tighter.
I’ve been leaving my flannels unbuttoned.
I should not be growing at my age.
But I am.
I race through a clearing, and the light from the blue moon above washes over me.
A howl rips from my chest, echoing through the forest.
In the distance, wolves return the call.
I’m so close.
I sprint into the tree line.
And inhale a nose full of… blueberries.
The scent from my dreams.
My leg breaks.
I slam to the earth.
My other legs snap.
The air in my lungs catches fire as all at once, my bones crack.
Then the familiar magic of a shift wraps around me.
Except I don’t shift back into my human form.
I grow.
My limbs get longer.
My body gets bigger.
My teeth get sharper.
The ground beneath me indents as my weight increases. As I become… something else.
And when it’s over.
When I rise.
When I look down at my paws.
When I feel the new presence inside my heart.
I understand.