Shapeshifters

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"WHY AREN'T YOU still looking for her?" Dust demanded to know from Suntail.

It had been almost a moon since Light disappeared. After three suns of looking, the pack gave up. They even announced her missing at the meeting after she left. At the next one, they are going to ask all the packs to stop looking. That it was hopeless. 

Dust didn't share their views, especially since Tawny came and told him herself that she was okay. He hadn't told Sunpack yet, in fear of what they would think of him. He didn't know Tawny very well, but he didn't think that she would prank him like this. Tawny came to him the other sun and told Dust that Light hadn't talked to her since the second time they met. 

Dust wouldn't tell anyone, but he was scared. He was scared that Light was becoming to much of an up-walker and forgetting who she really was. 

Suntail and Moon kept asking him if he knew anything, but since Dust wasn't allowed to join the search parties, he had to keep telling them he knew nothing. If Light had wanted the whole pack to know, she would've had Tawny tell the whole pack she was okay.

"Dust," Suntail said. "Listen here. As I told you before, we can't look for more than a few suns for any pack member. Especially a pup, we shouldn't have even looked for her as long as we did."

Dust guessed it made some sense, but not a lot. He just nodded and turned away. The only thing to do is trace Light's steps. He told himself. Dust waited in the pup den until he had a clear shot to the entrance of the camp. As soon as it was clear, he bolted across camp and through the entrance. Dust ran, leaving everything he'd ever known behind. He ran all the way to the five pines. 

Her scent was still there. Dust was surprised, since it had been almost a moon. Tawny had told him to follow her scent all the way to the up-walker pack. Since it was about moon time, He decided to rest until sun up. 

*****

"Young pup," a voice said. Dust looked around and a black fox with some white patches stepped out of the mist. "Why did you run? Don't you know it's dangerous to be out?"

"Who are you?" Was all he could manage to say. "Where am I? Did you put Light in the up-walker pack?"

"Calm down," the fox declared. "I am Shapetail. You are in Neverpack. A place that your Light did visit. More than once. And no, I am not the one who put Light in the up-walker pack. It was the curse. I can help you."

"Please do. I need to rescue Light as soon as I can. Is there a cure? Is there a way I can help?"

"Dust," Shapetail stated calmly. "before anything else, there is a prophecy I think you need to know. It goes like this: 'one pup of light and one pup of dark, will join together and change the packs forever.' And there is additional part to the prophecy, called the help."

"What is the help?"

"'There will be one of Valley who will help the young pups.' Don't tell anyone." Shapetail warned. "That is the one thing that drove your friend Light away. Was the pressure of not being able to tell anyone." 

Light couldn't tell me. Dust thought. I was trying to make her, that's why she ran.

Shapetail looked scared then said, "Wake up Dust! Wake up!"

He faded into the mist as another cat stepped out. Who is this cat? "Once again pup, my name has no consequence to you. Wait, you're not the same one as before."

"You mean Light?" He asked. "You're the one who cursed her."

"Most fun I've had in sun-circles. Anyway," He proceeded to an something in a made up language. Dust cocked his head in confusion. "You're just like the other aren't you?" He didn't wait for Dust to respond before saying, "History is about to repeat itself. When you wake, run away and hide. The pup of light and the pup of dark will die. Leave while you can. Until next time pup."

With that, the cat faded and Shapetail ran towards Dust demanding to know why he didn't wake up. Dust almost cried and told him he didn't know how. He'd never been here before.

"I should've known they would go after you," Shapetail eventually said. "I knew I should've reached out sooner. I'm sorry. This is all my fault. Now I have to fix it. When you wake, remember this: to break this one, you must willingly change your name. First to prove, then to save. That's all I can say. Good luck, my son."

*****

Dust jolted awake. Realizing that the sun was rising now, he stood and fell down.

"I'm never this dizzy when I wake," He said aloud to himself.   

Dust turned to go back to Sunpack but realized that he wasn't himself. He was an up-walker, wearing the up-walker pelt that changed every sun. Dust walked toward the up-walker pack. Noticing that none of the up-walkers were paying attention to him.

"I never thought I'd end up here," He said aloud to himself.

One up-walker came up to Dust all giddy and said, "I'm Petunia. You look like someone I know, Rose. I bet she would love to meet you. We are going laser tagging later today, would you like to come?"

He stared at Petunia dumbfounded. Before stuttering out a sure. She quickly went to the box in her paw and started hitting it quickly.

"I'm just letting Sunny know I'm bringing a friend. You'll like her. When Rose first showed up, she was all confused. But Sunny fixed her right up. Now you can't tell she thought she was from somewhere called Sunpark, or something like that." 

"Sunpack?" Dust offered. Mostly amazed that he could understand Petunia and that she could understand him.

"Yes, that sounds right," She said as if she was not here in her mind.

The box in her hand made a sound and Dust jumped. Petunia told him that Sunny said it was fine that he was going laser tagging with them. Petunia and Dust went to her house and got ready to go. When they arrived, Petunia paid for him to go in and they sat waiting for Sunny and Rose to come.

Rose is from Sunpack. Dust told himself. Is Rose Light in disguise? I guess maybe I should change my name. To what though?

Sunny and Rose arrived not long after they got there. It's Light. Was his only thought.