Keeta
919 Words
*Vienna*
I carefully remove all of my wet clothing and lay everything out to dry. Not knowing what to do next, I crouch down on all fours.
Well, this is awkward. I am glad I am alone in the woods right now. Keeta, any suggestions here?
First, I need you to bring my presence to the front of your mind. Focus on all of your senses. Feel the soft grass beneath your hands and knees and imagine that they are now paws. Feel the wind brush against your bare skin and imagine that instead it’s blowing through your fur. Then, let me do the rest. It will be painful, but you must try not to fight it. Fighting it will only make it worse.
I did as Keeta instructed me to do, although it all felt a little ridiculous. Here I am on all fours, naked, talking to a wolf inside my mind. Wow... Okay, for real now I need to focus. I let Keeta's presence come to the front of my mind. When I did so, my senses sharpened further- I felt as though I could hear every leaf rustle in the breeze and I could smell the sweet smell of distant wildflowers. I then started to picture myself in wolf form- the paws, the fur, and all that other meditation stuff that Keeta mentioned. Okay Keeta, I am ready when you are!
I suddenly felt what I could only describe as a surge through my mind forcing its way forward. And then the pain hit.
I felt every single bone in my body cracking, breaking. I felt them get longer and change shape. The pain was nothing like I had ever experienced before. Tears sprung to my eyes as I let out an ear-piercing scream. I prayed to the moon goddess that I would black out so that I wouldn't have to endure this pain for another second. If only it would be that easy. As my bones continued to snap and reform, I felt fur spring from my arms and legs. I felt what I can only assume is a tail sprout from my backside. Nothing could have prepared me for this.
Suddenly, the pain dissipated. I open my eyes and look down, finding creamy white paws instead of my hands. The wind softly brushes against my now furry golden coat. Woohoo! We did it, Keeta!
I hesitantly take my first few steps and find that moving in this new form is like a second nature. I let Keeta completely take over and recede to the back of our shared mind. She takes off, running through the forest, picking up speed as she goes. We are fast! She jumps over fallen trees and rocks with ease and grace. We run for what feels like miles and miles. I have never felt more free in my entire life.
Remembering what we had shifted for in the first place, I remind Keeta that we need to try hunting for food as our stomach growls fiercely at us. Keeta turns serious and begins slowly prowling through the woods, looking for prey. Hours pass before we hear the subtle rustling of leaves off to our left. We stealthily head towards the noise until we come across a small doe. Keeta's instincts take over as she pounces on it. Our first kill. Keeta wolfishly smiles with her tongue hanging out as she admires her catch.
We finish off our meal and then decide to head back. We traveled farther than I originally thought, so it takes us quite a while to find our way back to my stuff. I shift back to my human form and am very pleased to find that shifting back is not painful at all. I gather up my now dry clothing and wrap all of my belongings into Matteo's big sweatshirt, forming a makeshift bag. I shift back into Keeta's form again, this time it is much faster and much less painful. We grab the sweatshirt with our mouth and start walking down the mountain. We might as well get as far down as possible, where the temperature is warmer, before night falls.
Even though my situation still sucks, I feel so happy roaming the forest in Keeta's form, warm and dry in my coat of golden blonde fur. It makes me temporarily forget how terrible everything is right now. It gives me hope that maybe I can fix this somehow, maybe I can get my life back and return to my family, my friends, and Matty.
...
Night has fallen again. The day passed by in a blur, and I was starting to enjoy this goddess forsaken mountain somehow. Once the weather warmed and the rain stopped, I could really appreciate the beauty of the mountain top, the surrounding forest, and the quiet ease of a day spent outside.
I find a comfortable place to rest in a bed of long grass at the base of the mountain. I decided to try to get some sleep before I teleport to a completely new place. A new mountain- hypothetical or literal. A new, terrifying unknown. This is my life now.
I shift back to my human form and get dressed, carefully tucking all of my precious but few belongings back into my pockets. I lay down and slowly drift off to sleep, much more comfortable now than the night before in the cold and the rain.
What will tomorrow have in store for us?
- Writer
