CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I hear a hawk cry somewhere above me and turn my face up. When the moonlight catches my eyes, something happens. Everything starts to look different - sharper, more in focus.

The shadows all around me are no longer dark, blurry shapes. I can make out each individual one, can tell which branches are swaying in the woods and which are moving because an animal just leapt through them.

It’s happening. I could cry with joy, but my eyes no longer feel human. The delicate lashes and tear ducts have given way to rounded eyes that let me see clearly even in the dark.

My muscles ripple beneath my skin, and I feel my body changing form. Soon I have four feet on the ground, bare, touching the stones and snowy patches directly. No more heavy soled boots separating me from the world around me. I feel everything.

A thrill runs through me, and I lift my head and howl. My wolf’s voice is clear as crystal, piercing the night sky, and I hear animals all through the forest respond, crying out