Chapter 2 - The First Shift

Chapter 2 - The First Shift

SNAP

                I whimper as my bones break and realign themselves. I remember waking up feeling sick, mother and father saying I could stay home from school for the day. About an hour ago I went to the kitchen for a drink and that’s when it happened, my ankle broke on its own and I let out a blood curdling scream that had my parents running to me. It was then we realized I was shifting.

                "She's only six! She shouldn't be shifting till she is sixteen!" It was my mother, her voice laced with fear and worry. I knew that the fever I had been experiencing since last night was now not a cold or flu. My body had decided that now would be the time I would shift into my wolf form for the first time.

SNAP

                 cry out, my voice mixing with a howl. How could anyone expect a six-year-old to handle so much pain in one go. I know the risks of an early shift. Father made sure that we knew that the shift was a painful process and reassured my siblings and I that I would be fine when it happens at sixteen. That is until now when my shift started at only six years old. But what I want at this moment is the pack doctor to come and numb me. Tears form in my eyes as I helplessly look towards my mother and father, begging for help.

                "It just means our little Amber will be mated to an Alpha one day, maybe even a Royal." My father says with pride as he reassures my mother that everything will be alright. He hugs her briefly before bending down and holding a bottle of water with a straw to my lips.

 “Drink Amberle, it’ll help.” I do as he tells me to and quickly drink as much of the cold liquid as fast as possible. He is right, it did help. But my skin feels like it is on fire, like it did when I accidentally scalded my foot with hot tea only ten times worse. More bones break and shatter before reforming, the pain causing me to retch up any fluids inside my stomach.

SNAP

My body contorts with pain as I shift to all fours, my body changing from human to wolf, the pain more unbearable than before. Tears are streaming down my face as my jaw becomes longer till it is a snout, teeth sharpen unnaturally, and fur covers my skin.

SNAP

My mother leaves the room crying knowing that the possibility of me making it through the shift at this age is low. I could end up dying today just from the shift.

GROWL

My father wipes away the sweat and blood, cause by the fur that continues to pierce my skin like sharp needles, from my forehead, causing the ears that shifted to the top of my head to flatten with pain.

SNAP

WHIMPER

SNAP

After what feels like an eternity of pain I slowly open my eyes to a new sensation. The house is quiet, but I can sense my parents in the room. Their presence calling to me like a G.P.S signal. Something instinct told me to listen too.

"Honey, are you okay?" My mother's worried voice carries from across the room from where I am hiding. I whimper slightly wanting to answer but finding I couldn’t. It takes me a moment until my mind wraps around the fact that I am in wolf form. My tail thumps gently and I let out a soft whine. It is clear my parents are giving me space to learn about my second body, letting me test my limbs and focus on the new sensation of being lower to the ground. With courage I stand on wobbly legs, taking my first step before crashing to the floor and out of the safety of my hiding spot behind the kitchen island.

My parents gasp and I stare at their faces, their eyes wide with awe as they watch my movements while I struggle to stand again, my mother quickly helping me up and letting me use her body as support to stand.

"Amberle, you're beautiful. Maxwell, grab the full mirror from the hall way for our daughter to see herself." My mother exclaims happily, her hands in my fur and softly petting me. I give her a puzzled look as my father walks away to proceed with what my mother requested him to do. After a few minutes he returns with the glass portion hidden from my view. Curiously, I follow his movements until my eyes are blocked by my mother and the sounds of the mirror being set up reaches my ears. Finally, things quiet down as I feel my small body being led to a spot, curiosity causing me to grow impatient. I want to see what I look like.

"Tah-dah!" My mother exclaims, taking her hands off of my eyes and moving out of the way. I face my reflection with shock and curiosity as a fluff ball of fur stares back at me in the reflection. From what I can see I am the size of a full-grown medium dog, smaller than most werewolves who shift for the first time because I am only six but still bigger than I expected. In all honesty I should not have shifted at all for another ten years when a werewolf is mature and strong enough to handle the pain the first shift brings. The wolf in the mirror has fur like fire and it is this fur that mesmerizes me the most as my striking blue eyes stand out against the fur. Like the surface of the sun with multiple oranges, red and yellows it holds my attention in the reflection of the mirror and when I moved each strand of fur swayed as if I am a ball of living fire.

I am beautiful and I know it, even if I am only six.

For a while I just stare at myself, moving my tail and paws to watch my fur. My whole being fascinating me. Hours passed and my parents left me to watch my reflection as I sat quietly on the kitchen floor. Now and then they would remind me to drink water or eat food that they place in bowls for me to eat. I just refuse to shift into my skin and go back to walking around like a normal every day human would.

"We're home!" My sister calls as she and my brother slam the front door closed. School must have ended for the day as their loud footsteps announce their way towards the kitchen.

"How is Amber doin-" My brother stops his question when he catches sight of me only to stare at my form, my tail wagging with happiness to see my siblings. Both had shifted early, Zack at age ten and Mia at age nine. Zack, now now fourteen and Mia, now eleven, were carried out of the house on their birthdays when the shift took over. Father and the Alpha made sure to coach them through the shift while mother kept me and Leo with her. With both my siblings having more experience as wolves over me and knew the pain of an early shift, they made sure to describe the pain in detail and what happened scaring me so much that I had nightmares. Of course when my siblings shifted, the pack celebrated with two prodigies as their fates meant something greater for them. That they would strengthen our pack. This now meant the same for me as well.

"Is that Amberle?" Mia asks in awe, her eyes staying on me.

 "Yes, apparently the fever she had this morning was her starting to shift." My father answers, taking the mirror away from me. I whimper in protest, biting the cuff of his pants gently and giving him puppy eyes in hopes of keeping the mirror to myself.

 "Sorry Amber but you’ve sat in front of that mirror almost all afternoon. You need to get up and move around more first to get used to your wolf side.” I whimpered again after his statement as I move to keep staring at myself. I knew my father is right as my clumsy attempts to keep the image of my fur in front of me has my body tripping and slipping on the hard wood every few steps until father and the mirror were too far to catch up. I could hear the gasps from my siblings, turning to see their eyes still trained on me, on my fire like fur. Their wolves being dull compared to mine I smile knowing that I am a rare wolf amongst my siblings. Zack is a beige wolf with a white spot over his left eye like my mother’s wolf and Mia a soft russet brown with black tipped paws.

But I am unique.

I am different.

And I am determined to stay that way.