Lunar Shadows

Training Under the Moon

The moon hung high in the sky, a pale sliver in a sea of stars. Elena stood in the middle of a secluded clearing, shallow breaths escaping her lips as the cold nipped at her skin. She could feel the weight of the forest closing around her, the ancient trees watching her, as if they were waiting for her to suddenly unlock some deep, hidden power within.

Rafe stood just a few paces away, arms crossed over his chest, eyes trained on her. Usually, he carried an aura of silence and intensity around him, but this time it was tainted with something else-expectation. The weight of her experience, not the simple fact of it, would be different this time, she knew; and Elena could feel though those very eyes were fixed on her, they had so much meaning outside the knowledge that tonight would be the first real test.

"Are you ready?" Rafe asked into that hollow silence, and Elena shifted violently in surprise at his words.

She nodded, and tried to suppress the nervous flitter in her stomach. "I guess."

Rafe looked at her knowingly. "It is not about guessing. You need to trust yourself, Elena. Trust your instincts. You have always been holding back and that is what has kept you from accessing your full potential. Time to let all doubts go."

Elena swallowed hard. She wasn't sure what Rafe expected from her, but every part of her screamed she wasn't ready. She had only just found out what she was, and now master it? Her hands trembled slightly, but she fought the fear down.

"I'll try," she said, almost whispering. "But I don't know if I can do this."

Rafe did not respond for a moment. He took a step forward, his eyes scanning her, reading her body language. "You've been a werewolf your whole life. Only you didn't know it until now. What's happening here tonight is about reminding you of who you really are."

Elena brought her eyes back up to his, sensing a flicker of doubt. "How am I supposed to do that? I've never even shifted before."

Rafe's face softened, the tension in his jaw relaxing for the first time. "You will. You just need to let go."

A gust of wind rustled the leaves around them, and Elena closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She could feel the energy of the forest beneath her feet, the pulse of the earth, and it somehow comforted her. She wasn't alone in this. She was connected to everything around her.

Opening her eyes, she locked gazes with Rafe. "Okay," she said, her voice more steady now. "Show me what to do."

Rafe nodded, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. "First thing's first. Focus. Close your eyes, and feel the pull of the moon. You are not just a human." You are a creature of the night. Let your senses sharpen. Let the beast inside you awaken."

Elena hesitated for a moment, then did as he instructed. He asked, "Do as I say. Then. She shut her eyes in order to tune out the rest of the world surrounding her. The wind in the trees, the sound of small creatures rustling in the underbrush beyond, the cold bite of the air-all became white noise.

And then she felt it. A hum, deep within her bones-a hunger, sharp and primal, surging up from the pit of her stomach and clawing its way to the surface. Her body tensed, every nerve alive with an unfamiliar energy. It was like the moon itself was calling to her, pulling her toward something ancient and untamed.

"That's it," Rafe's voice came again, soft but firm. "Feel it. Let it take over. Don't fight it."

It was with the onset of the change that the ache began in the muscle. A scorching wave of heat burst within her chest, clenching her skin tighter as bones began to shift. It felt like a storm, wild and uncontrollable, twisting everything inside her. Her body creaked in pain under the pressure as she fought to contain it.

Then she opened her eyes and saw the world through a blur of shifting shapes. Her vision was sharper, more acute. The shadows in the forest even seemed to pulse with life; every scent in the air whetted sharper and more distinct. She could smell the damp earth under her feet, the trace of Rafe's own scent, and perhaps something else: a dark shadow looming just out of reach.

An instant later, Elena's knees buckled as the pain of transformation swept over her with such dramatics. She gasped and shrieked but could only roll on the ground while she fought to bring it under control. "I can't—"

"You can," Rafe urged. "Just push through it." He stepped forward but kept his distance. "Don't stop now."

Elena tightened her fists, keeping her senses trained on the rhythm of her heartbeat. Power erupted within her, clawing to escape. No beyond imaginable came close to what she could hear now: her senses literally roared in her ears. It felt overwhelming at the edge of reality and beyond terrifying. But, more than that, it felt as if she could finally awaken, open her eyes after so long of being closed, and see everything as it was.

Her skin burned, her bones crackled as they were reshaping, her muscles stretching longer, and her senses broader than she had ever imagined. The beast within her fought to escape, but for that moment, Elena was ready.

With a final wrenching cry, the transformation was completed.

She was on all fours and as she looked down at the world from a completely different angle, her mind started to dance at what she saw. Dark and sleek, her fur glistened in the pale moonlight. Her senses were on fire; everything about her was alive, throbbing, and she felt it all. Night sounds blared and yet she managed to hear clearly everything.

Rafe's voice came from some place overhead. "Look at you, Elena. You did it."

Elena's heart raced as she looked around, seeing the world through the eyes of a predator. She felt strong, invulnerable; yet there was something awakening inside her-something black and primal. It was a hunger she had never sensed before. The pull of the wild she felt was real, as was the knowledge that whatever familiar world she had known was changed forever.

Rafe approached with slow careful footsteps, as if giving her the needed space for adjustment. "How do you feel?" he asked, almost in a whisper.

Elena inhaled deeply, the luck of the draught and a fantastic world playing on her face. She felt alive as never before, yet under the fresh skin that tingled was a fear as well. This fear was of the power she had just unleashed, fear of what she could become.

"I feel... different," she answered, hoarse, the sound of it vibrating in her chest. "I feel like I could tear this whole forest apart."

Rafe smirked very slightly. "You are strong, Elena. But you need to learn to control it. The beast inside you, you can't let that control you."

She nodded back into being, but her head jerked on the rawness of change. She had somehow held off the worst of what was going to happen, but there was no going back now. She was going to have to figure out how to use this power, or it would consume her.

Stepping back, Rafe left a bit of space between them. "Take your time. When you're ready, we'll start training you in how to focus your power. But before we do, you need to get used to the new you."

For a long moment, Elena stood there, drawing in deep breaths and letting the reality of what had just happened settle inside her. The forest, the night, the power-it was all hers now. She was going to learn how to control it, no matter what it cost her.