Changing Appalachia

6

A rosy glow illuminated the tall Appalachian mountains from behind, making them appear as black shadows against the sky. Baby birds high in the trees began a frantic shrieking for food. It was that sound that woke Lillith up first. She woke up and sat up slowly. She could still feel last night's events in her lower stomach and back, and she smiled to herself. She realized she and Elijah had never changed back to human form.

Lillith looked at him now, lounging peacefully on his back, his hair carelessly splayed around his head. She consciously tried to shift to no avail; confused she walked outside the tent into the sunlight and tried again. She wasn't sure if she should be alarmed yet or not, but she couldn't recall any other shift she'd had where she couldn't change back.

"What the hell?" Elijah had awakened with a start, instantly realizing he was still in wolf form. His hands were furry, steel gray nails replaced his chipped pale human ones, his body was covered in plush silvery hair. He had thought his shift last night was a dream, but this was proof it wasn't.

Lilith returned to the tent with a light smile, "Good morning."

Elijah took in the sight of her for a few moments, his body starting to wake up at the sight of her like this. "We didn't change back?"

Lilith shook her head slightly. "I haven't been able to. I don't know what's goin' on yet, Elijah, but we shouldn't panic."

"I wasn't panicking yet, but I thought it would wear off after a while. Ya know?" He ran his claws through his own chest hair. "How do you change back?"

"Well, all I do is think about it real hard but like I said, it ain't working this time. Might be a moon phase or somethin'." Lilith shrugged. "We might as well enjoy it since we're here. How about breakfast?"

"I can get behind that." He flashed his fangs at her. He really didn't mind the change, this body felt right to him, stronger and capable of anything.

Outside in the sunlight Lillith made her way behind the tent to the truck. Her heart instantly sank at the sight of the two flat tires. The scent around the truck was familiar in a way that turned her blood to ice. She turned around quickly, her eyes scanning the bushes around them as if expecting something or someone to jump out at them. "Elijah!"

Her voice was so urgent that he dropped the stick he was stoking the fire with and turned around. Lilith was standing a few feet away from the truck warily looking around, he could sense her alarm from here. He crossed the camp site in a flash. "What?"

"Your tires." She pointed at the truck. "That didn't just happen by itself."

Elijah growled, the scent he picked up was oddly familiar but he didn't recognize it. "Who in the hell- I mean why in the hell would someone do this?"

Lilith shrugged. But she knew the scent belonged to Holden. Their relationship had ended abruptly and violently when Holden began experimenting with substances that made him act violent and unpredictable. They had parted on bad terms during a particularly violent outburst at Lillith's house. Ryan had put himself between the two or it might have ended much worse. As it was she'd been left with some bruises and cuts.

"I bet this was Amy," Elijah muttered as he walked around the truck angrily.

"It wasn't Amy." Lillith glanced around. She didn't know what to tell him. The real story might be too much, it might make him change his mind.

"Then who was it?" Elijah stormed past her to the fire he had just started for cooking.

"It isn't important. But take a deep breath- you don't smell Amy around here." Lillith replied. Her chest tightened and she made her way to the fire to sit beside him. The morning air was still cool, but Lillith couldn't shake the sickening feeling that threatened to ruin her appetite. She poked at her breakfast when Elijah handed her the metal plate.