Chapter 2: Oh, Poo–Poodle?

Jamie did make it back before too much time passed and she missed her own Shifting Ceremony, so take that Sarah! She could be responsible, when she needed to be anyways.

She was still full of energy, and at this point, Jamie knew she was a lost cause.

"Only 30 minutes to the Ceremony. You sure are cutting it close, Jamie."

"Mom! Well, I can afford to be a little late. I'm the only one shifting this month." Jamie grinned sheepishly while her mother shook her head in fondness.

"Even so, your father and Gabriel put a lot of effort into this for you since they know how important it is to you."

"There's not that much to do," Jamie mumbled, cheeks flushing slightly, but she was horribly pleased.

"Maybe so. Now, you have a bit of time left, go change out of those dirty clothes."

Jamie didn't argue. She wasn't the only one keyed up and raring to go.

"Alright, I'm going."

Jamie quickly jogged back to her house to do as told. While their territory was rather large that meant nothing if they didn't have a strong community.

They were usually referred to as the Western pack of the White Oak Territory. Packs were usually about five per territory in the different sectors. North, East, South, West, and Central.

Central was always the smallest pack though, always more geared towards peacekeeping than things like border patrols and duking out territory disputes. That's why they held the annual Pack Council meetings there.

There was the Northeastern pack, but they didn't really talk about that pack and let them do as they liked as long as they upheld the standard shifter rules.

No shifting in front of humans, stay out of human communities if you don't have permission, all that good stuff.

That had never really been a problem when Jamie was a kid. You were just that one child who had an obsession with wolves. The only difference was shifters stuck with the phase.

After changing, Jamie was just about to head to the pavilion when a hand shot out, stopping her.

"You're really going dressed in that?" asked Sarah, and Jamie gave herself a look over.

Combat boots, jeans, nice red top, leather jacket.

"What, am I supposed to wear a dress?" she scoffed, crossing her arms and Sarah playfully rolled her eyes.

"Your hair, stupid. Your flyaway bangs are about to fly away with the rest of that mane."

"Maybe I'm going for the wild look."

"Look me in the eyes–look me in the eyes and say that to my face."

Jamie laughed before heading back in to fix her hair, running a brush through it, coming back out and spreading her arms before Sarah gave a nod of approval.

"Better."

"If I'm late, I'm gonna blame you. You'll be dead to me."

"I'm saving you. You should be thanking me. 'Oh Sarah, thank you for keeping me from looking like the packs' wild child at this very important and exciting ceremony. I'd be an unfashionable wreck without you.'"

"Yes, where would I be without your curling iron and ironic cats eye eyeliner?" deadpanned Jamie.

"Dead to me, that's what," stated Sarah, and the two laughed. "God, I really am gonna be jealous for a month while you're out there with a bad*ss wolf form."

"It's only a month, and hey, I'll even clear a trip to the Southern pack. I know you think their shifters are cute."

Sarah bumped their shoulders together before they made it to the pavilion, the rest of the pack gathered and waiting. All that was missing was her.

Jamie took a breath and straightened up, walking to the center where a big marble basin on a pedestal stood. It was filled with water, reflecting the full moon which was almost in the center of it.

Her mother and father were a few feet away, giving her some space for the first shifting and they mirrored her own excitement.

Jamie looked into the water. The moon was finally centered, lighting up the entire basin and looking like a white halo behind her, and she closed her eyes. She felt a soft pulse, a silent song, and followed it, let it play out like it should, and she shifted.

It wasn't quite like shedding clothes or a second skin. She'd heard people describe it as the world tilting in a good way. For her though…it felt a lot like everything on the inside finally getting a chance to be free.

Jamie blinked and everything was dead quiet.

That…wasn't how it usually went after you shifted.

Sure, Shifting Ceremonies weren't usually times for talking, but that's because it was time for howling, for the rest of the shifters to shift with her and welcome her into the pack.

Jamie wondered if her fur was white or something and looked down at her paws.

They were not white. They were black, like her claws, like her fur, but it was all wrong. Her muzzle was too close to the ground, her paws too small, the shape all wrong.

Heart pounding furiously, Jamie looked up and around at the rest of her pack. They were all staring, looking down, unable to say anything, and she didn't blame them because what the hell was going on? What–what was–

Jamie caught her reflection in the marble of the podium. It distorted her appearance, warping it, but it was clear enough.

It was not a large, proud wolf staring back at her but a small, shocked black poodle.

'....What the fu–!'