Shifters: The beginning

10. Alec

I was on the ground. My underbelly brushing uncomfortably along the forest floor.

I wish Thomas had let me stay in the desert.

But we had to stick together.

Me and him shifted as often as possible. I had found out the hard way that the less often you shift, the more painful it would be.

That didn't mean I don't hate it.

Don't get me wrong, I love my other form. But I love it over sand. Thomas is perfectly comfortable in the forest because he can just fly out of it any time he wants.

I can't just slither back to my desert.

Layla knows how it feels, just her pain is more severe. She can only shift when we get to a deep water source. So we break into backyard pools whenever we come across one. But she still can't shift as often as us.

It's plain on her face. She is absolutely miserable.

But I can't worry about her now.

I have so many questions I am trying to answer. Why do are clothes stay with us intact after we shift? Why do all of us feel a similar pull deeper north? And the huge question all of us are afraid to ask, or even think about.
What are we?