Violet Waves

The Awakening

My breathing was labored after I shifted back into my human form, my exposed body left laying in the grass. I could hear Fang pounding into the ground with his right paw, telling me that I needed to get up now. My arms struggled to support my weight for a moment as I got back into the feeling of being human. My knees buckled as I stood up, briefly bringing me back down to the ground, but I pushed myself to get back up.

"Edelweiss what do I do?!" I strained to speak to her, absolutely terrified of what I should do.

"Run girl! You have no chance!"

Tears came to my eyes as I realized how right she was. My body was still heavy but I implored it to begin to run to the tree line. I needed to live. I needed to get back to my parents. My stark white body hurled through the grass and I left over the tree line, my hair catching on every branch as I continued to run. The fading light of the clearing was behind me, and the dark of the woods replaced it. A howl ripped through the air, sending chills down my spine as I turned to look at Fang.

"Don't look back! It will slow you down!" Edelweiss shouted at me. My head snapped back to forward and I continued to sprint, my body becoming lighter as I pushed it further. Ragged breaths shot out of my open mouth as I ran, and I could feel my extra strength building up inside. It sent me propelling forward, faster than I'd ever seen anyone run. This gave me hope that maybe, if I could continue to run, Fang would get tired and stop giving chase. A smile took its place on my face but was replaced quickly with a frown as Edelweiss shouted at me again.

"Duck!"

My body bent over and a large dark figure leapt over me, crashing into a tree and sliding on the leaves. Fang was a lump under the tree, and for a moment I thought I had won, he was down. I saw Fang stir and he clawed his way back up to standing, huffing at me as he did so. We were but 10 feet apart and there was no way I could escape this situation. I started to panic and shut my eyes instinctively. If he kills me, I don't want to see any of it. I backed up and felt the bark of a large oak along my back. My hands reached behind me and my palms grasped the tree. I grasped at the tree tighter and said a prayer.

"Oh Goddess please do not let me die, I need to get back to those I love. Please! I implore you!"

Time seemed to slow and I could hear Fang approaching. He was running and would have my throat ripped out in a second. I flinched as I could feel his hot breath on my face, ready for death. But his breath stayed, and then stopped. I heard a confused whimper and opened my eyes. The oak tree had him in its grasp, and quickly let him go, launching him deeper into the Forest. I could hear crashing sounds as his body landed far away, and I slumped down, my shaking legs suddenly giving way.

"What the hell was that?" I pulled my hands in front of me and looked at them. They looked normal, just a little scratched up. I whipped around to face the tree.

"Did you… did you help me?"

Here I was talking to a tree, not expecting an answer when I could hear it in the wind, a very faint, 'yes'. My eyes widened and I quickly stood.

"I'm gonna go now. Thank you."

In my panic I ran back to the clearing as fast as I could. When I reached the soft grass I collapsed onto it and curled up into a ball. Tears streamed down my face as I realized I did indeed have a power, and most likely wouldn't be able to go back to my parents. I sniffled like a child and glanced at the grass.

"Can I talk to you too grass?" I waited a moment and heard it in the wind again, 'use your palm'..

I picked up my hand, wiped my face with it, and then held it over the grass, just barely grazing it.

"I think you should put your hand onto the grass more." Edelweiss chimed in. She must have also been shocked by the revelation. My palm shook as I placed it further into the grass, touching the dirt below. It felt cool to the touch and my breathing calmed down a bit. I took a deep breath and concentrated. The grass started to wiggle beneath my palm and the blades started to shoot up, growing and wrapping themselves around my hand, tightening and constricting my movements. I watched in amazement as grass continued to hug my hand, and eventually let go, as it shrunk back to its original size. I pouted a little, but sat up quickly when I heard a rustling from the other side of the clearing. The examiner emerged in his human form from the woods, clutching his side and limping slightly.

He struggled to cross the clearing, and as he approached me, collapsed onto the grass, taking his time to gather himself.

"Sir? Are you okay?" I said meekly.

His head popped up a bit and he glared at me, then let his head back down to the earth with a thud. His chest rose more slowly now as his wolf healing took over, and he was able to prop himself up on his elbows. Both of us sat naked under the falling sunlight in the clearing, taking our time to compose ourselves. He finally spoke first.

"No more tests, we're done here I think."

"What do you mean no more tests? I thought there would be more to it!" I blurted out. He scowled a little.

"There is more, but I don't need to do it. Can I see it again?"

I furrowed my brow, confused for a moment, but I knew what he was talking about. I reached both palms out and placed them on the ground. I used all of my concentration and imagined the grass wrapping around his legs. I couldn't be certain if it actually happened until I glanced up and saw an 'O' on his face instead of his usual tight mouth. The grass was indeed wrapping up around his legs, and had started to trail its way up, when I could see a hint of panic on his face.

"Okay! Stop!" He shouted and I ripped my hands up from the ground. The grass quickly receded and he sighed, bringing his hand up to clutch his chest.

"I know where to place you."