I would make for a nearby house and bang on their doors, but it’s the middle of the night. There’s no telling how long it’ll take for them to answer. Not to mention, they might be just as annoyed at me as at Tank. I have a bit of a reputation as the resident weirdo.
My best chance is to lose Tank in the wild out here, and hide. I dart around a cactus and crouch.
Tank runs fast for such a big guy. And quiet.
Folded in half, I sprint again. The moon lights my way, and I’ve always had pretty good night vision. But Tank does, too.
After my fourth sprint, I hide behind a boulder and wait. I listen, but there’s no sound.
My skin prickles. There’s something out there, breathing heavily. Instincts older than time tell me it’s not human.
Something’s out here, and it’s hunting me.
I peer around the boulder and meet glowing eyes. My stalker is some sort of giant black dog. A pet off its leash? Or something more sinister?
Tank’s name is on my lips. The man I’m trying to escape is the one who can save me. Ironic, but there it is.
I spring up from my crouch and run hard.
Behind me, the beast snaps into motion. I’m running as fast as I can, and it’s gaining on me. “Help,” I scream. “Help, Tank, help!”
A growl rings out behind me. It’s close. I’m going to die in the brush, torn apart by a wild animal.
And then-
Everything changes.
The darkness sharpens, and suddenly I see everything. Scents burst in my nose-the fresh-rain smell of creosote, the distant bloom of citrus trees. Something in the bush twitches-a feathery body, hiding and praying the predators will pass. I smell its fear.
The moon shines her spotlight on me. My head whips back. My spine crackles. My body shrinks… my hands morph from five digit, human ones to furry paws. I land hard on all fours, my body aching, my nose twitching with a thousand new smells. I’m tangled in layers of fabric. Yipping, I claw my way out of the tent of my old clothes. My legs scrabble against the sandy earth as I break free. I shake hard, and the tingles on my skin fade. My fur stands on end. My tail fluffs up like a pissed off cat’s. My long body feels sleek and strong.
Fur? Tail? Wait a minute.
I point my nose to the moon and yip. My four paws stay solid on the ground.
Paws? Now I’m really starting to freak.
There’s something I’m forgetting. Something I’m supposed to be doing.
A growl ripples over the grass to my left. A dark shape crouches there, eyes glowing.
What was I doing? … oh yes. Running for my life.
With a high-pitched bark, I leap forward and race through the underbrush. There’s a puddle ahead. If I roll in it, I might diffuse my scent. The wolf behind me won’t be able to track me so easily.
Wolf? Now, how do I know that?
Teeth snap at my heels. My body finds new speed-the energy of the hunted. I surge forward. My four paws strike the ground seamlessly.
Paws? Four? What?
As soon as I think about it, I lose the rhythm.
One leg misfires, and I go flying. I flop on my side, feet waving in the air in a desperate scramble to get back up.
A shadow falls over me, and a growl makes me freeze.
The wolf stands over me, lowers its head, and sniffs along my white belly. My paws shake in the air.
The beast… transforms. Moonlight shimmers as the black fur sucks away, revealing tattooed skin and bulging muscles. Tank stands over me in human form.
“Foxfire?” His voice is growly rough, like a wolf’s. My heart’s gonna explode.
“Change back,” Tank orders.
A sudden pressing urge comes over me, like a sneeze. I succumb to it, and my body takes human shape. I shout, convulsing with surprise.
“Foxfire, it’s okay. You’re okay.” Tank kneels beside me, holding my shoulders, steadying my thrashing body. My limbs tingle like they’ve been asleep, but other than that, it doesn’t hurt. Not like my head, which is spinning. And-oh fuck-I’m naked.
“Wha-” I sputter. “What the hell just happened?”
~.~
Tank
She’s a fox. An actual fox, with white-tufted tail and rust-colored fur. Narrow nose and perky ears. She’s similar enough to a wolf that I caught the scent on her but didn’t know what it was until she shifted. An actual fox shifter. I’ve never seen one before. I didn’t know they existed until she transformed before my eyes and ran away, beautiful and lithe in the moonlight.
This… complicates things.
I scoop her up and carry her back up the wash. She whimpers in my arms. Her body trembles, and tears glint on her lashes. She’s scared as hell. Of me? Or of the shift? I somehow got the feeling this was her first time.
“Breathe, baby, breathe,” I murmur.
We’re both naked, but that’s not why she’s shivering.
“I’m losing my mind. The moonlight, it called to me. And I…” She raises her hands and stares at them in horror. “I had paws!” She turns wide eyes on me. “And you were a wolf!”
Yep. First time.
“Breathe, baby, breathe,” I murmur.
We’re both naked, but that’s not why she’s shivering.
“I’m losing my mind. The moonlight, it called to me. And I…” She raises her hands and stares at them in horror. “I had paws!” She turns wide eyes on me. “And you were a wolf!”
Yep. First time.
“Okay, baby. It’s going to be okay.” I kicked the door open. I half-broke it before I decided to just change into a wolf and go through the doggie door. My clothes are in a pile on the old linoleum, but I don’t stop.