Chapter 3: McKenna

It was almost sunset as I made my way down the stairs of the packgaff. I had dressed in an old tee and a pair of jeans that I no longer cared for. That way, I wouldn't be upset when they were destroyed. I had a hoodie and a pair of sweats in my arms for when I changed back. I knew I'd be knackered and would want to go straight to bed, so I'd chosen something comfy.

I reached for the handle on the front door, but it swung open before I could grab ahold. Breckin stopped halfway through the doorway, catching sight of me.

"Oh, good. Da sent me to look for you." He let go of the door handle and went back out. I followed him to the right, toward the West Field. I wasn't excited about having my first shift be in the most public area of the territory, but I followed nonetheless. When we got to the West Field, though, I didn't see my parents among the pack members there. I frowned, confused. I turned to Breckin to ask where they were, only to see him walking toward the back of the packgaff. I smiled, realizing where he was headed. The North Training Field was the most secluded area of the pack territory. No one would be there at this time of day. As we approached, I saw my parents and Amon standing at the edge of the field.

When I reached my mother, she took the clothes from my arms and leaned in for a reassuring hug. It wasn't until then that I noticed that I was shaking a bit. It hadn't occurred to me that I was so nervous. I smiled at her as she stepped back and I turned to face my father. He had his hands clasped behind his back, something he did when he was at ease. That helped calm my nerves a bit. If he wasn't worried, neither should I be.

His eyes met mine and he sniffed the air. "It's time" was the last thing I heard before I felt a pain shoot up my back. I felt my eyes widen and a gasp escape me as my back arched. I doubled over as the pain spread to the rest of my body. My head started pounding and my ears started ringing as my pulse quickened. I squeezed my eyes shut and balled my hands into fists. I felt my bones crack and shift as my body changed. The pain seemed to go on forever until, suddenly, it stopped. My head cleared and I opened my eyes. I found myself lying on the ground and looked up to see three pairs of eyes peering down at me in concern. The fourth pair of eyes, Breckin's, were wide with wonder and excitement. I can only imagine how much he wished to be in my position right now, but he still had two and a half years to go.

I gathered my strength and pushed my new body up off of the ground. My family backed up to give me room as I caught my bearings. Looking down, I saw that my fur was the same mouse brown color of my hair. I couldn't wait to see my eyes. I knew that they would still be blue, but they were suppose to be brighter in my wolf form.

'We need to run.'

It took a bit for the new voice to register and for me to realize that I hadn't heard it so much as I had thought it. Ash. My wolf's name came to me almost of its own accord. I heard myself huff in response as I turned toward the forest.

'We need Cael.'

I looked back at Amon, hoping he would understand what my gaze meant. I didn't yet know how to mindlink. Luckily, he knew what I needed and jogged behind a tree to discard his clothes before emerging as his wolf.

'Ready?'

The voice wasn't his so I could only assume that it was Cael, his wolf.

I let Ash respond, knowing that her instincts would know how to do so.

'Aye.'

We took off into the forest, the trees flying past us quicker than I ever thought possible. I knew that wolves could run fast, I guess I just never realized how fast. It felt so free and natural that I knew this was what I was born to be. I tested my new abilities, leaping over fallen logs and swerving between tightly-clumped trees.

A thought occurred to me and my curiosity got the better of me as I leapt at a tree trunk. My paws connected with the bark and I pushed off, twisting my body into and out of a flip before landing back on the ground. I only paused for a fraction of a second, before breaking into a run again. I heard Amon's laughter in my head as he followed me.

Not long after, I decided to stop so that I could test out my new senses. I closed my eyes and inhaled. I could smell a clean, earthy smell to the east.

'The lake,' Ash said.

I turned to the west and caught the unmistakable stench of sweat coming from the training fields. As Amon approached, I smelled a deep pine scent. I concluded that it was indeed him and couldn't help but think of Maeve. She had dozens of those pine scented candles in her room.

'That is not a coincidence,' Ash said, mirroring my own thoughts.

I'm sure that it wasn't intentional on Maeve's part though. There was no way that she could know what he smelled like.

I closed my eyes again, but this time I focused on my hearing. I could hear Amon's heartbeat and birds chirping in the tree branches overhead. I heard the rustling of the leaves and, about 20 feet away, I could hear the frantic beating of a tiny heart.

'Rabbit.'

I could practically hear Ash licking her chops so I walked toward where the sound seemed to be coming from. Just as I was about to pounce, a small rabbit bolted out of the bushes and disappeared into the hollow trunk of a tree. Ash sighed in disappointment.

After mucking about¹ some more, I noticed that it was getting dark so I turned toward home and broke into a trot. Amon followed close behind and, even at the slower pace, it didn't take us long to reach the packhouse.