The day after the third night of the full moon, I'm awoken by a loud clang and banging below me. Garrett jumps up and out of bed, ready to fight an invisible enemy. He glances around, confused.
"Hun, I don't think the war has happened yet." I laugh at him. He lowers his fists that had raised when he jumped out of bed. He runs a hand through his tousled hair only succeeding to make it more messed up. He looks so vulnerable, which isn't something I see on him too often, that I get up and just wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head against his chest.
His arms come around me, lovingly. He leans down over me and proceeds to rain sweet kisses all over my face, finally landing on my mouth. I take him in, feeling his fangs scrape and graze along my lips and tongue. I forget all about the ruckus that forced us out of bed this early. That is until a rather distressing sounding crash is heard again. The bang forces us apart abruptly.
We grab our clothes from the floor and dress in a hurry. As we make our way out of the room, Max and Kali are emerging from their rooms. The four of us race down the stairs to the kitchen.
There, in the middle of the kitchen, amid a mountain of pots and pans, is Balan. He grins sheepishly at us as we enter the room.
"Morning," he announces cheerfully. "I'm making breakfast."
"Emphasis on the word 'break'," Max mutters under his breath. He was obviously woken just like we were. His clothes are rumpled and wrinkled. His hair just as messy as Garrett's. He still has a sleepy look in his eyes.
Contrary to Max, Kali is looking more like she just finished a runway show rather than spent the last three nights up all night as a wolf. Her hair is perfectly brushed and in a smooth braid. Her clothing is pristine and perfect. Her face and eyes show no indication of sleepless nights, and I'm fairly certain she has at least a little make-up on.
"Aw, don't be angry with him. He just wants to help." Kali tells Max. Even her voice is chipper and clear with no remnants of sleep lodged in her throat. Max narrows his eyes at her.
"Why the hell are you so chipper? And how the hell are you so damn wide awake? Is that... Is that blush and eyeshadow? When did you have time to do that?" Max snarls at her. She just smiles and shrugs at him without answering. Instead, she goes over to Balan and begins to help him clean up the pot and pans and then make breakfast.
I catch Max's eye and motion for him to follow me. He does, with Garrett trailing behind. We go into the living room where we can talk without too much of a chance of being overheard. Especially, with the continuous banging coming from the kitchen.
"Dude, what's going on?" I ask Max as soon as I'm sure Kali won't hear. "You practically jumped down her throat. That's not like you man."
"I know. I can't really help it. I've been up every night aching for her. It's made me irritable. Especially since she keeps throwing a cold shoulder my way."
"You want Kali?" Garrett wonders aloud. Max nods.
"In a bad way, man," he tells Garrett.
"Shit, man. I don't know what to tell you." Garrett and Max both sigh and run their fingers through their hair at the same time. I don't think either are aware they're doing it. Their movements and gestures are so similar. But then, so are their hearts. Is it any wonder I fell for both of them?
"Crazy idea," I chime in. "You ever think of just saying something?" Max gives me a droll stare.
"No shit. But how do you ask someone like her out? I mean, she makes the girls at our high school look like a walrus." He smiles lightly and I laugh at the reference to our favorite movie. "How did you ask Garrett out?" Garrett's head perks up at his name.
"I didn't. It just kind of happened."
"Oh great. So, what? I just wait for 'it to happen'?"
"Well, no. I don't think it would. I wouldn't wait too long though. I've seen a couple of the other changelings eyeing her." I say, knowing that Max will go off about it. I'm not disappointed.
"What? No. What the fuck? There's plenty of changeling girls. Can't they leave me just this one?" Max isn't talking to me anymore, he's just ranting, and I let him. He needs to get it out of his system. As Max is ranting, Kali walks in from the kitchen. She just lifts an eyebrow at him but doesn't say anything. She nods her head towards the kitchen, an indication that food is ready. We all go to the kitchen to eat. Max's face is bright red from being caught ranting.
Breakfast is relatively quiet. Just as the last bit of pancake is in my mouth, I hear a banging at the front door. Garrett and I look at each other. He shrugs. My eyes narrow in suspicion. I get up slowly, heading for the door. Max and Garrett right behind me. I glance out the window next to the door and laugh. Max and Garrett look concerned.
"It's Tyson," I tell them, unlocking the door to let him in. They visibly relax as Tyson enters the house.
"Ready?" he asks, barely making a step inside.
"Sure. No time like the present, huh?" I follow Tyson outside to where Alexis is waiting by his car. Max, Garrett, Kali, and Balan have come out to see what happens.
Alexis steps forward and hands me a small, white box. I lift the lid on it and stare down at the pendant that is resting on a bed of cotton. The silver gleans in the early sunlight. The blood red and pine green stone is large, about half the size of my palm, and a perfect circle. At the bottom of the stone there is a silver wolf howling at the stone moon. Across the moon there is a dragon flying. Encircling the entire thing is a rope of braided silver.
I pick up the pendant by the chain, also silver, and drape it over my head to rest on my chest. Though the stone is cool, it seems to pulse with warmth. I close my eyes and feel that warmth spread through my whole body, slowly at first, then faster until I feel it all the way to my fingertips.
I shiver unexpectedly. I open my eyes and look at Tyson. It doesn't seem like anything has changed, but then it does at the same time. Garrett steps closer to look at me. He stares into my eyes.
"Cal, your eyes have changed," he whispers, holding my head. I feel mild panic bubble up. My eyes were always the only part of myself that I truly liked and never wanted to alter. I choke out a small squeak.
"What?"
"How?" I manage to get out in a raspy voice. I clear my throat. "How have they changed?"
"Well, the color is deeper, but it's more than that. I can't exactly tell how. They just seem different."
"Don't worry, Cal," Tyson says. He motions for me to follow him as he heads to the forest behind Garrett's house. We all follow him. We all walk in silence for what seems like forever to a large clearing in the middle of the forest.
"Gare," I turn to Garrett, "did you know this was here?"
"This wasn't here. I know this whole area and this clearing isn't part of it." He tells the group at large matter-of-factly.
Tyson just turns around and grins at us.
"Stay there," he instructs us but continues walking to the center of the clearing.
There's a shimmering in the air, unseen but still felt. The suddenly heated air whips around us, kicking up the dead leaves strewn around our feet. In less time than it takes to blink, where Tyson once stood is a massive golden dragon.
The translucent, pearl wings stretch easily fifteen feet to either side. His large gold body glistens in the sunlight. The only color other than gold is the thin line of spikes running down his back in a menacing looking bloody red. He lowers his head to be able to look us in the eyes. His eyes are black as midnight.
He stretches out one clawed hand towards me. Something in me trusts him, but I'm still weary. I hesitantly touch his claw with my hand. His scales aren't rough like I thought they'd be. They feel more like the boa constrictor I got to pet on a school field trip in sixth grade, smooth and silky.
He obviously isn't satisfied with the amount of time I'm taking and grabs me around my body and pulls me over to him. He sets me down right in front of him. He points to his chest, then to my chest, then to his again. I look down at my chest and see the pendant. I grab it and look up at him. He smiles, can a dragon smile?, and nods. I puts one claw over his eyes, miming to close my eyes. Then he gestures to rest of his body.
I nod. I think I got it. I take a deep breath, grip the pendant tight, squeeze my eyes shut, and think of myself looking like Tyson. And....nothing. Tyson sighs and shifts back to human.
"You can't force it," he tells me. "You have to feel it. Can you feel the dragon inside you?"
I think for a moment, searching inside myself for the dragon. I catch a glimpse of bright blue scales and piercing blue eyes. I nod to Tyson.
"Alright. Let's try again. I'll stand off this way to give you some room." Tyson moves away, leaving me in the center of the clearing.
Again, I close my eyes, picture that blue that I saw a flash of. I grip the pendant tightly, take a big breath and just let myself feel the dragon. I feel the same shimmering around me that I felt when Tyson shifted earlier. Before I know it, I've sprouted up. I open my eyes and look down. I'm towering over the clearing.
I hold up my claw and examine the front and back, admiring the brilliant ocean blue of the scales. I hear cheering from the edge of the clearing and turn my head to see Garrett, Max, Kali, and Balan jumping up and down and yelling. Cheering. Cheering for me. I smile. I feel a strange sensation on my back and look behind me to see wings. I stretch them out as far as they go, almost touching either edge of the clearing.
I picture my human body while holding the pendant, and I immediately shift back to my human form.
Garrett and the others come rushing towards me. Garrett is the first to reach me. He swoops at me, lifting me off the ground and turning me in a circle. His lips are on mine by the time my feet hit the ground.
"Wow! That was awesome!" Kali says as she and Balan reach me and Garrett.
"Damn right it was." Max, being fully human, is a little slower, but all those years in track weren't a waste.
"Very well done, Grandson." Tyson takes his time walking to the group. Something tells me that's all the praise I'll get out of him, but it's enough.
"It was so weird. I would get flashes of blue scales and eyes. So, I focused on that image and, boom, I'm a freaking dragon." I'm so excited, I'm gesturing wildly with my arms. Tyson nods.
"That's your dragon letting you know it's there. It always was, but the pendant unlocked it, let it break free. Your dragon won't behave the same way as your wolf. Your wolf wants to do what it wants without being reined in. That ring holds it at bay, but it won't last forever. Your dragon, on the other hand, wants to be a part of you. It was born with you."
"I understand."
"Wanna go again? The more you shift, the easier it becomes."
"Hell yeah, I do," I exclaim excitedly. Garrett and the others back away. I feel a shimmering and see Tyson shift to his gold dragon. I concentrate on the blue dragon inside me. The shimmering sensation sparks all around me and once again, I'm shooting upwards.
I look around me. On my back feet, I stand an easy twenty feet high, the same as a single-family home. Tyson stands a bit taller than I do, so he must be around thirty feet tall. He points to the sky. I understand that he's asking me if I want to fly. If I had the ability to speak, I would totally answer with "Hell Yeah", but I just nod. He smiles and stretches out his wings.
Tyson gives his wings one powerful thrust and he's airborne. I mimic his movements, stretching out my wings and sharply bringing them down towards the ground. My feet leave the ground a little bit, but then I slam back down. I try it again, only to be rewarded with the same result.
[You have to keep flapping your wings.] A voice sounds in my head. I panic, startled by the voice, and end up slamming down on my back. The voice laughs just as Tyson lands next to me. He holds out a clawed hand to help me up. I accept it.
[It's not enough to flap once. You have to keep flapping, especially when you first take off.] I look around for the source of the voice, but I don't see anything. Tyson sighs.
[Cal, it's me. Tyson. Shifters have the ability to communicate with those in their faction. Remember?]
I vaguely recall Joshua saying something about that, now that Tyson mentions it. I try to communicate back, but no matter what I say, Tyson doesn't respond.
[Direct your thoughts. It helps to look at the person you're talking to at first. Talk to me in your mind in the same way to do when in human form.]
[Ty...Ty... Tyson? Can you hear me?]
[I can, Cal. Great job.]
[This is hard.]
[Yeah, I know. But it gets easier.]
[Okay. I'm ready to try again.] I tell him, pushing myself up, off the ground. He nods. He repeats the movements again. This time I watch what he does after the first thrust. His wings raise up and come down again with slightly less force. Each time he flaps his wings, they seem to be descending with less force.
[Allow the wind to carry you.] Tyson instructs. Okay, I got this. I turn to Garrett, who looks concerned, and give him a thumbs-up. He smiles and mirrors the gesture.
I stretch my wings out, raise my head to the sky, and bring my wings down hard towards the ground. My feet raise off the soil slightly, so I repeat the movement. I raise higher. I do it again. Each time, going higher than I was previously. Soon, I'm as high as the tree-tops and soaring over them. I catch up with Tyson, who's been circling over the trees waiting for me.
[This is fucking awesome!] I tell Tyson. He nods and does a loop-the-loop move so smoothly that I'm jealous. I spread my wings and get some height before attempting the same move. It's jerky and not exactly a complete circle, but I did it. I can hear cheering from the ground.
We spend the next several hours with Tyson teaching me different maneuvers and tricks, any or all of which can be used in battle. Max, Kali, and Balan have long since gone back to the house, but my ever-faithful boyfriend just sits patiently in the grass waiting for me to finish my training.
Finally, I land in the clearing and shift back to my human form. Garrett comes up to me and envelopes me in a tight hug.
"That was amazing, Cal. You are amazing," he tells me against my neck as he holds me.
"Me? You're the amazing one. You sat here the whole time waiting for me."
"Where else was I going to go? I'm right where I want to be."