Transformation
-Naomi-
"Are you saying you don't trust the Alpha's judgment?"
"It was the Alpha's judgment to appoint me as Door Sentry. And I would die at the soonest, than let any man, witch or thing compromise the house of Moonlight. This woman is unfit to enter." The words buzzed gently through his morphed vocal cords to his beastly fur chest and vibrated the back of my skull. I wiggled my left hand to verify that the wolf's iron grip was as strong as ever, and any hopes of escaping this situation were better left in some whimsical world, than in this reality.
"I see then. It would seem we just cannot get along, Bonduras." said a voice that sounded like Arthur's. I yes as a feeble attempt to control my fear and detach myself; it did next to nothing of course. But if this was some sort of wicked nightmare, welding my eyes shut would be the fastest way to wake up.
"My apologies, Master Arthur. It would seem so." replied the wolf.
"Well, there is always "that way" Arthur said.
The wolf gave a little pause.
"You don't mean-" the wolf started.
"If it would satisfy you, why not?" Arthur replied.
I didn't hear anything further from the two of them. A few minutes passed, and still nothing. Some part of me began to hope that my trick had paid off and I was back in my warm apartment in Quebec, but the grip of my captor was still there. They had probably mind-linked themselves to have more clandestine conversations on whether I get to keep my life.
Suddenly, the grip of the wolf loosened all at once, and I felt myself crashing onto the marble floors beneath. I gave a cry, and a small gasp for air as I tried to clamber back up. My back felt heavily decompressed, and it was very difficult to get my knees back in an upright position. I opened my eyes to see Arthur standing before me, with a devil's grin. He looked so much taller than usual.
"I think White is a good color on you" he said cheerily.
I tried to curse him out, and at once, I noticed something was very wrong. My voice was gone.
"So, what do you think?" asked Arthtur, turning his gaze to the wolf. It stood on all fours now, its eyes narrowed and his pupils frozen. His bushy tail wagged slowly as it silently considered me. But there was something wrong with what I was seeing. Coupled with the fact that I couldn't even speak, I figured it was time to leave and get out of this accursed place. I would figure out the rest later.
I leaped down the step; poising myself to run for it when I got to the parking lot, but my legs gave out when I landed. And no matter how hard I tried, that was it for me. They went numb.
"Whoa! Easy there. You haven't done this in a while, right? This is going to take some getting used to." I heard Arthur's voice behind me, and it all made sense. The Canadian breeze was supposed to be cold, and my blouse had been ruined by the gunshot wound, so why did I suddenly feel warm?
I held out my hands to confirm, and sure enough, two bright-looking paws with brilliant white fur and short claws presented themselves before me.
After more than 7 years, I was back in my wolf form.
"It's like watching a baby trying to walk. It is a miracle that she can even move at all. However, she has met the conditions. Even though she is an unremarkable specimen of a werewolf, this woman may pass into the house." the wolf said out loud. It shifted back into the hulking brute that had opened the door when I knocked; his expression changing from ferocity to a handsome listless human face.
Arthur slowly approached me, crouching to address my immobile situation. He pointed to his head. Probably telling me to mind-link him, but I wasn't going to do that.
"How's this for your top 3 worst weddings?" he asked laughing.
But I wasn't amused. I was more interested in how the hell I was able to shift back into this form, without even trying or thinking about it. And as if he read my mind, literally..
"No, I'm not going to tell you anything. At least for now. But one thing's for sure" he pointed at the brass gates.
"If you leave now, you're never going to find out how to do it again. Shifting is like riding a bicycle. Only one thing. You CAN forget how to ride it, and in your case, it becomes twice as difficult trying to do it again after so much time. Look at your hind legs. See how badly developed they look"
I turned as much as my wolf head would allow me to. My left leg looked severely emaciated. He was right. Now I could see why they didn't have ebough strength to support my full weight.
"In this case, I helped ride the bicycle for you. But understand that leaving here now will cut you off permanently from being able to shift again. Understand? Your werewolf days would be over." he stressed. His childish laid-back tone changed momentarily to one of stern warning.
The thought of not being a werewolf anymore seemed foreign to me. It had been part of my identity since birth. Was that part of the reason I was so irritated when the sentry questioned me about it?
Yes, I hadn't shifted in years, but I couldn't imagine what it would be like without my extra senses, without the refreshing feel of the full moon on my skin, without the confidence and bravado that had helped me pursue human goals that would've proved extraordinary for normal people? But most important of all, and all I could think about, was losing my only connection to Vincent.