A few minutes later, we were riding down a sandy path toward the Blue Sky Lodge. A large wooden cabin surrounded by fields and a lake came into view.
A separate house was located further down the lake. Sheep grazed in the fields, and the wind blew, giving it a serene feel.
A large Irish Wolfhound patrolled the yard as I parked my Honda in the tiny parking lot. It came and sniffed me. It was very interested in Mars, but ran away yelping when Mars hissed "Scram" at him.
A middle-aged couple came to greet us. I could see they enjoyed life, as they had laugh-lines around their eyes.
"Hello. I'm Nathan McNeill. I called earlier for one night."
"Yes. I'm Nelson Anderson, and this is my wife, Gerda. Everything has been prepared. Here is your key. Call if you require anything. Enjoy your stay." What a nice pair.
I unlocked my cabin and entered. The smell of wood and flowers drifted across the air. Now this is a holiday home. I let Mars out of his carrier to explore.
Many fishing rods stood in the corner, the fireplace was electrical, and there were beverages in the fridge. I happily swiped two beers. But Mars, being the party pooper as always, stopped me.
"We're not here to play," he scolded, "I'm here to teach you the last skill. It's what your grandfather called, FULL FORM. But its real name is Feile Maor." Huh? How am I supposed to pronounce that?
"Say that again? I missed it the first time," I said.
"Dumb kid. Don't worry about that. Just call it FULL FORM," Mars instructed. Yep, I'll do that.
I gave a thumbs up, annoying the cat. "Feile Maor, or FULL FORM, is the ultimate technique. So far, no one in your family has been able to activate it fully."
"Why not? Is it too difficult?"
"It's not more difficult than the others to initiate, but the problem is while they are in that mode."
I gulped. "What happens then?"
"Just as full form applies, you will transform fully. So far, you have only shown parts of feline nature, but not in FULL FORM.
Everything will be activated at once. But your predecessors could not handle it. In your father's case, he gave up after failing," Mars explained.
"It sounds cool. Hold on, what about my grandfather?" I asked. He looked uneasy as he answered, "You must understand. He was experimenting at the time.
Both of us didn't really know what would happen. So when he activated FULL FORM, he... self-destructed."
"Are you telling me that's how he died?" I asked in disbelief. Now I understand why everyone refused to tell me how granddad died. They were too embarrassed.
"No, don't be stupid. His assistant and I managed to get things under control, but he became crippled. He didn't die. He did age faster, though.
Lost nearly three decades of his life. Another reason why your father gave up so quickly. This is very dangerous if you don't know what you are doing."
"Yet you are willing to teach this to me?" I said it sarcastically. Mars peered at me deeply. "Because, unlike them, I think you can do it.
You love to brag that you are a quick learner. But I have to admit, that's the truth." His whiskers twitched with anticipation.
"You will learn FULL FORM until we must go back to exorcise that spirit."
"Wow, I never thought that you would have so much faith in me." I felt touched. "Just do what I tell you," Mars yipped.
And so my training started. I had to activate my skills, one by one. Activating three was fine, but trying to add the fourth was gruelling. I've never initiated all four at once, so my entire body felt strained.
Especially since I had recently just perfected SHADOW. I sweated as Mars ordered me to change over and over. But by the time I could take a break, my body ached all over.
"Mars, I feel all icky. I'm taking a bath. You won't mind, right?" I asked. Mars licked his paw.
"Darn kid. Fine, but make it quick. We don't have much time." No way, I'm going to enjoy myself.
The bathtub took ages to fill, but once I lay down, it was heaven. I think I lay there for about thirty minutes when Mars barged in and demanded I finish. Why was he such a party pooper?
I wore my pyjamas when we continued our session. I nearly passed out from activating all my power at once. Mars surveyed my exhausted form.
"Almost there. Hmm. You look a bit pale. Let's get something to eat while you recover and start training again."
Demon.
My hair fell around my face as I bent to eat my supper of steak and veggies. Mars suggested I eat meat to build up my energy. He was right; after I wolfed down my food, I felt more energetic.
"Are you finished? No? You look finished to me. Let's return to training." Evil bastard.
I trained for six more hours, only taking five-minute breaks to hydrate. It was near dawn that I managed to tap into FULL FORM. It was not what I expected.