I let Firyali ride Frostbite since I had my own set of four legs. Shifting was as easy as dropping onto your hands and knees, which spontaneously turned into paws. Around here we laughed at Midgardian tales of werewolves screaming as claws ripped out of their fingers. Humans were so dramatic.
The greatest change was something unseen. I felt closer to the world around me, more at ease. My paws connected to the dirt beneath me, and I felt every flicker of wind across my gray pelt. Like a nearsighted person putting on glasses and being able to see more distant objects. My restless legs were finally satisfied as I stretched them over the earth, trotting at an easy pace beside Frostbite.
At the same time, shifting wasn't easy. When I was younger, my mother made me promise not to, fearing Crows would target me. Grudgingly, I agreed, only shifting for a couple minutes when I knew I was alone. Ever since Albin spread word of my power, dubbing me the 'Wolf Princess', there was no point in keeping up the secret. But I knew that shifting still made my mom scared for me, a constant burden I had to carry with me.
"Gone hunting yet?" Firyali asked.
"Huh? Uh, no," I said, craning my neck to look up at her.
"I went on a hunting trip the other day to help the trainees hone in on their instincts. You should join us sometime."
"Sounds fun, but I don't think I have the skills to try and hunt yet. Have you changed your mind about getting the potion?"
Firyali laughed. "No, my opinion on walking on all fours covered in fleas hasn't changed."
Once a Warrior has completed enough training, they are eligible to take the shifting potion and become a Wolf. Despite Firyali being beyond eligible, she stubbornly refused. I couldn't see why since the potion gave you extra strength, speed, heightened senses, plus the ability to chat with animals.
The day felt as lovely as it looked from the window. There was still snow on the ground, but the sun chased the cold away, leaving a patchwork of white, brown, and green across the forests. I took a deep breath of the first fresh air I've had in weeks. Once in a while, Mo's shadow zoomed across the ground, which was all I could look at since the sky was so bright it hurt my eyes.
An hour of travel brought us to the village gates, guarded by two men in armor. I didn't even glance at them as I trotted by, but Firyali's unease rose like a red flag. I waited until we passed them to ask her what was wrong.
She glanced over her shoulder. "I've never seen those guards before."
"Newbies?"
"Maybe. I'll have to ask Sigurd about it later today."
The trail beneath our feet widened into the main road of the village, which was vacant of all signs of life. The warmth of the sun seemed to slither away as we walked the hauntingly still street. There should have been voices and music, carriages and mules, especially being the Spring Equinox.
I shifted into human form to get a better vantage point, but all I saw were the closed signs hanging in the shop windows. "What's going on?"
There were some kids who dared to peak their heads outside, but my hope depleted when I heard their whispers about the 'Wolf Princess'. I pulled my hood up to hide from their gaze. I didn't care about people knowing of my power, but rumors about me being some sort of a hero were another thing.
Firyali sighed, looking around. "The people are scared. There have been more Crows lurking around. No matter how hard we try, we can't keep them out. There's been disappearances, arson, theft. People are afraid to leave their homes."
"They've been breaking into cabins," I mumbled, glancing up at Mo perched on a roof. "That's sort of the reason I wanted to come."
My knees buckled as I walked up to the cabin. It was just as Månen had said: smashed windows, charred wood, and the door busted open. My boots crushed broken glass sprinkled across the ground.
Månen was a soft weight on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ylvana."
I scoffed quietly. "You're not the one who did this."
"If I would've known, I would've told you," Firyali said from behind me.
"Does my mother know?" I asked her, looking in one of the windows to see the inside was just as damaged.
"Not to my knowledge."
"Huh, our great King keeping secrets from us," I spat. "What a surprise."
"Maybe he didn't know either."
"That's a bunch of scat and you know it."
"What do you want to have done about it?"
I couldn't think up a response. The King and his Warriors couldn't save us, and we were even more helpless on our own. This problem was so complicated, it seemed impossible to even begin to fight it.
The bushes rustled, snapping up my focus. I scooped my hair away from my ears and listened closely. There was definitely something skittering around us, following close behind. I breathed deeply through my nose to collect the scents in the air. In the castle, I could sort out smells easily, but it was a different story in the forest surrounded by squirrels, rabbits, and a million different kinds of plants.
When I finally sniffed out the creature, I let out a breath. "It's okay, Firyali. It's just a little pest coming to say hi."
A little red fox trotted out from the trees, looking up at me with a little smile. "I scared you, huh?" he said.
"You think that's funny you little brat?" I said, reaching down and rubbing his furry cheek.
"Another friend of yours?" Firyali asked.
"Yep." I hefted the fox up in my arms for her to see. "His name's Pine."
"Nice you meet you." She reached out and patted his head. "Don't owls eat foxes?"
I glanced at Mo, watching us from the trees. "Yeah. Took a little bit of reminding, and some pleading, but eventually I got them to get along. Don't you want to be able to make animal friends like me?"
She rolled her eyes. "You are my animal friend."
I gasped. "You called me 'friend'."
"Shut up. Where do you want to go to next?"
"You happen to know where Chris and Caoimhe are?" I asked Pine, setting him back on the ground.
He nodded. "They walked to that place you three always go to hang out and eat."
I looked back at Firyali. "The Lodge."