Shadowed

Chapter 27

I felt my body being jerked up and down as it was cradled in a pair of strong warm arms. As I awakened further I became aware of pain. Pain that sharpened with every jolt, and it hurt like hell. My head slowly awakened, each cog turning into place and my senses heightening. ‘Ow. . . ‘  I gasped as my head bumped against something hard. Hang on. . .  my body stiffened as alarm bells rung . Who’s carrying me. . !?!?!!? I painfully swallowed; my throat parched and as dry as sandpaper. I took a sniff of the air around me. The scent of blood filled my nostrils and nausea swept over me in a dizzying wave. My throat bulged as I fought to hold back the fowl acidic bile that had lurched upwards.  Blood...MY blood..Memories of a large black cat biting into my shoulder re-surfaced as well as the evil amused laugh and eyes that stared fascinated as he ripped his claws out of my chest. And the pain. Aww..! There was then the memory of pain at the back of my head and then my vision fading.  My eyes snapped open and I twisted my head upwards to see who was carrying me, praying that it wasn’t ‘him’. My eyes were met with a luminous turquoise gaze that settled my worry and gave me instant relief. But there was also the look of knowing which lingered in Kale’s gaze deep in the darkest flecks of green. He knows. . . or suspects.  I need to shift. . . and it’s going to hurt. A lot. Part of me begged to wait and do it later, but the other half screamed for me to just get it done and over with. The sooner the better. Kale’s arms tightened around me sensing my distress.  I closed my eyes and began to call on my shift.

It started sooner than I expected it to since I was injured. It began with fresh pain slicing through the muscles of my back legs. My muscles were ripped apart and re-shaped, my joints began to pop and my bones crack. It was the destroy of one body which was ripped apart on the inside, while the other one is being re-built. “Damn it Kaela you’re not ready for this! Not now!!!! Just wait till we get back.....Shhhh it’s ok.”  His voice softened as I let out a scream of pain as the shift spread out across my chest. He stopped running and loosened his grip on me a little to make it easier for the shift.

My body groaned in protest, my muscles screamed while stretching and reforming back into their normal position. There was only my chest and my head left to fully shift. I knew I would not look a pretty sight with balding black hair over my neck and face along with a hideous jutting half formed jaw with long incisors peeping over my top lip. My chest rippled and crunched and I let out a moan as my sternum clicked into place the skin around my wounds tightening. The fur receded all the way up to where my natural human hair line is, where it then thinned and grew out slowly changing back to my blonde hair colour. When my shift had completed I was gasping for breath sweat beaded on my forehead and I let out a half cried, half laugh of relief that the shift was over. Kale was still holding onto me and looking down at me with a masked expression which was hard to read. I could dimly make out the features of his face, but my eye sight even in human form was enough to work out his subtle mouth and his strong unclefted chin. “I’m going to take you home gatito “

“D…D…Don’t….talk…to….me....in s..ssspanish..assss .. whiiiipe..!”

“Fuuccc…” He stopped midsentence and shut his mouth tightly refusing to say anything his lips becoming a thin hard line. Kale’s eyes narrowed as he glared at me and then continued to stop onwards.

I wasn’t stupid when it came to speaking Spanish. My mother had taught me bits of Spanish as she’d learnt it when she was young. It was the only language she could teach me when homeschooling. We tried French, but it was hard for her to teach me before teaching herself. Besides I enjoyed learning Spanish, it sounded a lot cooler. No offence to any French people.

As Kale stomped his way out of the woods and my body was slowly slipping into sleep . I haven’t said anything to him the whole way besides ‘don’t talk to me in Spanish ass wipe!’ he just saved my ass.  I forced my mouth to open, as the brink of sleep drew nearer and nearer. “ .t..thhank….yoouu.” I whispered sleepily. I gave a sigh and then before I knew it I drifted off to sleep.