Page 27 of Demon Rejected
“I was in the forest once. How do you expect me to find the pond?"
“You’re a wolf. You’ll find a way." Matt turned his back towards me and walked away.
Okay, that is going to be so much not fun. Ugh.
The forest smells like green, I always associated smells with colors, and this one was fresh and beautiful. My feet hurt and my hips ached. Where was that damn path? Twigs and leaves hit my face. I held both buckets in one hand and did my best not to slip or trip over my own feet. My knees felt weak, and my stomach burned with hunger, cramps, and nausea made their way inside me.
“Great."
Another twig smacked me right over my left eye, leaving a red mark that burned. Awesome.
The more I walked, and the deeper I adventured inside the forest, the more pissed off I got. All I could see around me were damn trees. I had that feeling that I couldn’t see the forest because of the wood that was all around me anymore. Tired, hungry, hurting, and thirsty, I threw the buckets down to the side.
“Fuck this, fuck Matt, and fuck him Miyagi-ing me."
Anger bubbled up inside me about everything, not being able to shift, not having the power to control my wolf, and the way I felt around Matt, like a love-struck teenager.
“Come on, girl, you can do this shit."
With one bucket between my legs, I started hitting it like a drum. We Will Rock You is always a good idea if you need to blow off some steam.
My eyes closed and I started to think of Sparky. Was she here, with me? I forced myself to believe in her, in her power. Sparky appeared next to me. She was beautiful and ablaze. A desperate scream left my throat. I couldn’t believe it. She’s here and I’m awake.
“Sparky, I’m so happy that you are real!"
She nodded and leaned her flaming wolf shape against me. The flames felt warm but didn’t burn me at all.
Matt came crashing through the undergrowth.
“What happened? I was going crazy thinking something attacked you."
He looked at Sparky, his eyes ablaze. “Is she?"
“Yes, she’s my fire. She’s Sparky."
Sparky lay calm in front of me, and Matt touched her. That was a bad idea. Her flames touched his skin and a huge blister formed.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Let me see." I took his hand and blew cool air on it. Sparky whimpered. “We’re both sorry. Neither of us wanted to hurt you, okay?"
Matt smiled. “I learned my lesson. I won’t touch the flaming beauty. Don’t worry. My wolf is going to fix this."
And he did.
Matt shifted into his wolf. Sparky was still calm, moving her head from left to right, curious. This was the first wolf shifter she ever saw, same as me.
After I accepted that Sparky was real, I could communicate with her again. My soul stopped feeling empty. I had no idea what I missed all these years. Now I knew. I missed her.
Being able to control my wolf felt amazing. With each day, I felt more confident.
Matt was there with me. He was calm and strong and super-fast with a fire extinguisher if needed. Fire didn’t do anything to me. I learned that during the last few weeks, Matt was not fireproof. The few red blisters on his upper arms showed that. His wolf was healing him fast.
Still, I felt terrible because I burned him.
Sparky had to learn that he couldn’t touch her. Ever.
The full moon was floating above the top of the mountains, its cold rays breaking through the thick layer of clouds that powdered the sky over the last few days. Each ray that touched me felt like a cold kiss. Matt and I stood away from each other. We avoided touches and spent too much time together.
It was hard for me to stay away from him, to only see him as a teacher but, when I had the choice, I picked him. Staying with him was the best choice for me. My body called out to him, but he was stronger than that. Tonight, under the full moon, Matt said that I should try to shift into a wolf. The moon was helping shifters, well... shift.