Mare in the Pack

Chapter 2

I'd heard from other wolves that the first shift was painful, but I didn't believe them. I should have. I wanted to scream. I needed to scream. But I couldn't. I felt my skin tearing, stretching and repairing. My bones snapping and growing.

It felt like hours, but when it was finally done, I felt my breathe heave and the old mare stepped closer to me, shock clear as the day, in her eyes. I felt a bell ding in my head, a mind link. I opened my mind to her. "Child, who are your parents?"

"I'm adopted.. my adoption papers only say abandoned where my birth parents names are supposed to be." I could feel my own fear through the link to the herd.

"Dear child, I beg your forgiveness." The old mare lowered herself closer to the ground. Just like the wolves did with the Alpha.

Looking around at the others, they too, had lowered themselves to me. The leader wasn't there, but I saw him in human form walking with a large, body length mirror. I recognized it as my mother's mirror in her room. "Mira, you need to see yourself." Was all the leader said.

He turned the mirror to face me. I was not a normal horse shifter. My coat was a deep blue covered in white spots. My coat, to put it simply, was the night sky. Only when I stood, did I realize that I truly wasn't normal. I had wings! They were the same as my coat on the outside, but when I stretched them out, they had the whole lunar cycle printed on them.

I felt an overwhelming sense of fear. I felt like I was going into another panic attack. My breathing became rapid and erratic. My legs felt like that were about to give out. I watched as the world tilted and waited for the impact of the ground, but it never came. Instead, I felt my dad's arms wrap around me.

I felt him force my body into the fetal position and felt him hold me close to his chest, just like the pack doctor had told them to do when this happened. I wasn't sure when I shifted to my human form, but I do know it must have been before dad curled me up.

I don't really remember what happened after that. I really only remember the darkness taking hold then nothing after that.

I opened my eyes slowly, light assaulted my pounding head. With a groan, I sat up and looked around. I was in my room. The usual white walls covered in posters and trophies. Furrowing my brow I got out of bed. I was in my PJs, but I remember that my clothes tore away in my shift. I shook my head and decided that I was going to go ask my mom.

I opened my door, but there was nothing there. Fear once again rose inside me. I slammed the door closed and dove back onto my bed. This isn't happening. I kept telling myself. I curled into the fetal position, repeating it over and over.

"Oh my poor child." A woman's heavenly voice said. I jumped and looked around the room I knew now, was not mine. "Settle my daughter. I know you are frightened, but you need not be." A woman with golden hair appeared in front of me. Her eyes shown bright like the sun, but as soft as the moon. It's strange, I know. But this is what she looked like. "Fear not, my daughter. I am your mother as much as the wolf is your mother."

"Who are you? Why am I here? Why am I so different? Why?" I rambled on and on.

The woman laughed. Her laugh sounded like music to my ears. "Mira, my daughter. You are of my blood. I gave you, my beautiful girl, to the mortal realm so that you may bring them back to the glory that created them. I needed you to meet me again, to have you remember what it is you must do."

I stared at her for what felt like years. "Nope! Nope! Nope! I can't do this!" My heart raced and my breathing became erratic again. Panic set in, the world tilted.

I felt warm arms wrap around me. "Oh my poor child... What have they done to you?" Her voice was soft and loving, but I could hear the concern in her voice. "I know it was for the better.. but I regret sending you there, my sweet girl."

It took a while to calm down, but when I did, I looked at the woman. "I'm calm now. What should I call you?"

Her smile was as soft as my moms when I was little. I have a shockingly good memory. I mean, my first memory is being in a dumpster screaming my tiny lungs out. "My sweet girl, I gave birth to you in this realm. You are my blood."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Are you actually my birth mother?" She nodded softly. "Why did you leave me in a dumpster?"

"I didn't. I raised you here. When you were old enough to learn, you asked me many questions. And when you asked about the creatures I made, I showed you. You asked me why they didn't worship me like they used to, and I told you why. When you hit adulthood, you asked me to send you to the mortal realm so that you may bring back the creatures to their proper ways. I begged you not to. In the end, you won and I sent you there. But, something went wrong. You aged backwards and when you landed on the mortal realm, you were but a two day old baby. I could hear your screams and I wished I had not given up and allowed you to go there. For 16 mortal years, I watched you. Made sure you fell into good hands. And when I saw that they did a wonderful job raising you, I gifted them a pup of their own."

I was shocked to say the least. Tears burned my eyes and this time, I didn't fight them back down. I let the flow freely down my cheeks. "But... What about my beast form? Why am I so different?"

"When you were young, barely older than James, you told me that one day, you were going to make a creature like mine, but in all sorts of colors. Blues, pinks, purples. There was one you drew for me, you said that it was going to be the first one you would ever make. I decided, that when you landed on the mortal realm, you would be blessed with the exact same creature you drew for me. A deep blue horse with white spots. The wings being the lunar cycle. You told me, you wanted to call them Pegasus. So, that is what you are."

Fragments of memories were falling into place in my mind, before screaming in the dumpster. I lived a long time here with her. "What about my father? Who is he? Where is he?"

She had a sad smile and hugged me tightly. "He is no more. He was killed the day you were born. He gave his immortality to save us."

I looked down and my tears flowed free again. It was sad that I couldn't meet my father, but I was also proud of him. He sacrificed his life, to save mine and my mothers. I wiped my eyes and looked at her again. "Thank you, mother. I remember now and I have to go back. I promised that I would bring the creatures back to you, and I still plan on doing it. Mortal life isn't as long as you think. I'll be home before you know it." I smiled and hugged her.

I whipped my eyes open with a gasp. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust so that I could see, but when they did, I realized that I was in the pack hospital. I blinked a few times, just to make sure that I was actually here. I looked over as the door was opening. "Dad." I breathed out.

He froze for a second, before running and hugging me tight to his chest. Strangely, it didn't feel like the way it used to. I guess that's because of my returned memories. "Mira. Thank the Goddess. You're awake."

I smiled a little. "How long was I out for?" I sounded pretty hoarse. Didn't help that my throat felt like sandpaper.

"You've been out for a week, Mira." I blinked in shock. "Mom and I were so worried. We thought you would never wake up."

I smiled softly. "I always come back, Dad. Plus, I met my birth mother." He looked at me, his eyes swarming with confusion. "Dad, I'm the Goddess's daughter."

He looked at me strangely then backed away a step or two. "All shifters are children of the Goddess. Everyone knows that she created us. That--"

"Dad. Pray to her. Ask her. She will tell you."

He looked sceptical at first, but soon closed his eyes and began to pray. A second later, I had no control over my body. "Johnathan Arkansaw, head warrior of Blue crescent pack. I hear your prayer. Mira, is in fact my birth child."

I saw dad look at me strangely once again. "Forgive me, but please, show me proof that you are in fact the Moon Goddess I pray to."

"Before Mira was adopted by you and your mate, you prayed to me. A prayer that I honoured. I gave you not one, but two, children. Mira, and James who was born from your infertile mate. You prayed that you would follow me anywhere that I may go. Even if that mean I took a dark path. You would still follow me."

He stared again at me, this time, in shock and belief. Quickly, he lowered his head. "My Goddess, forgive me for trying you. I didn't mea--"

"Hush, my son. You and your pack are to help Mira with her task. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, my Goddess. I am your servant for as long as you need."

At that moment, James and mom walked into the room. Mom looked weirded out by dad lowering his head to me. I wanted to giggle, but I still couldn't move. "Silvia Arkansaw, you and your mate have a task, as well a little James there."

Mom jaw dropped. "Mira! Don't y--"

Dad covered her mouth and his eyes glazed over as well as hers. When their eyes cleared, mom quickly lowered her head. "Forgiveness is granted. Now, Johnathan, you will inform Silvia of your task. I have one more thing to give then I must go." My arms moved to pick up James. As usual, he bit me as soon as his feet left the floor. "Now now, little James." He froze, realizing that I am not me right now. He retracted his teeth and gave a small whine to show he was sorry. " I give you, a painless shift." My finger touched his nose and he sneezed.

Not a second later, there was a small pup lying in my lap. I felt like I could control my body again, so I did. I hugged my little brother in his tiny wolf form.

For a while, we just talked and I told them things that I had seen in my time of being an immortal. They were interested in what I was saying and eventually, I told them that I needed to rest. They hugged me and headed home for the night.

The next morning, I was discharged from the hospital and I got to go home. Apparently, the herd of shifter horses, had stayed so that I didn't feel the abandonment of the link being too stretched. Or, whatever they meant. I'm still pretty new to this whole herd/pack stuff. Especially because I never thought that I would actually be a shifter. Don't get me wrong, it feels amazing being somewhere that I fit in, but it's still all very new and very confusing.

I walked right up to the stallion and touched his neck. He was in his horse form so I opened my mind to him. "I never got you name."

He looked at me, his chuckle sounding in my head. "I'm William. Will for short."

"Well, William. I'd like to shift and run. How do I shift?"

His nose shimmered and he shifted to human form. "Easily. Just start from here," he touched my chest with a finger. "Call out to your horse and allow the shift to take over you. Once you've shifted, you'll remember exactly how to do it again any time you want to."

I closed my eyes and called forth the horse inside me. I swear I could hear it running toward me. I didn't feel anything, so I pushed myself harder, forcing myself to allow it to take over. And then, the first snap of my bones sounded off. It didn't hurt nearly as much as it did the first time, but it did still hurt.

When the shift was done, I stood tall and looked over myself. I was small, but I was strong. And with that, I reared up on my hind legs and took off into a run.