63 Awaken

When I finally come back to me, I'm covered in dried blood and I feel like I've run for ten days straight. I see that she has brought me back to the forest's edge so after taking a few steps, I collapse next to a tree and decide to rest.

She must have had fun... I feel myself smile as I slowly close my eyes. I feel so nice and relaxed... like I just enjoyed the best workout of my life. Even the injury from the panther was gone! As soon as I start to drift off, I hear "Eris? Oh thank goodness you're okay."

I open my eyes to see Kian running over to me with a look of concern. I Lazily blink at him as he kneels next to me and starts looking me over. That's when I realize he's no longer wearing the same thing. He must have headed back when I disappeared.

I muster up as much energy as possible and will myself to shift back. I almost didn't want to... I stand on two feet again as I roll my shoulders but the next thing I know, I'm shoved up against Kian's chest.

He hugs me close and says "I was so worried when I couldn't find you. When I found the dead panther... I.. I started thinking the worst. Why were you gone for so long? What happened?" I blink in confusion and ask "How long was I gone for?" Man, it felt weird to speak again...

He gently pulls me back to look me over and says "Twenty days! ... are you okay?" I make an impressed face and nod my head as I say "Never better. I'm just tired. I let my beast roam free for a while..." I sniff at myself as I say "I'm in need of a shower and a really fluffy bed."

He gives me a weary smile and quickly scoops me up. I groan and say "Not this again... I can walk you... actually, this is kinda nice." I lean my head on his shoulder as he continues to carry me but this time there's a smile on his perfect face.

I'm just a little too tired to care. My plan was to take a bath and then sleep but I pass out before I even get inside the palace. When I do wake up, it's the next day and I'm still in the same clothes. I pull the covers back and roll out of bed.

I stumble into the bathroom and make myself a large bath. How this is even possible without electricity is beyond me. Magic. After cleaning up and getting dressed, I walk out of the room to find two guards standing by my door.

I clear my throat and ask "Do you happen to know where the Queen is?" The one on the left says "Reporting. The Queen is currently in the drawing-room." Drawing-room? I nod in response and mumble "Thanks" as I start walking in the direction he's pointing in.

After walking for a bit, I find several guards standing next to a double door. I slow to a stop and nod before walking over. They take one look at me before allowing me to pass. One of them opens the door for me and I quickly mumble another "Thanks" as I walk into the room.

Standing in the very middle of a brightly lit room is Queen Cara. She stands before a large canvas, leaning in as she adds lifelike details to the beautiful birds in the painting. The large, floor to ceiling windows are open, allowing a pleasant breeze to sway the white curtains.

"I see that you have finally become one." Queen Cara says leaning in closer to her painting. I smirk at her and say "Yes, thanks to you." She dips her brush into the paint once more before making one last stroke while saying "There, you're all done!"

Suddenly, the birds in the painting start coming to life! They flap their multicolored wings before they suddenly start coming straight out of the painting! My jaw nearly hits the floor as the birds come to life right before my eyes!

They fly around Queen Cara once before heading straight for the open windows. I stand in complete shock as the two birds disappear from the room. I slowly turn back to Queen Cara and struggle to ask "Did... Did you just create two birds... with paint?"

She chuckles at my reaction and cleans her brush as she says "Yes and I think you might be able to as well. It's not that hard but when I tried to create a shifter like you... it didn't work. I think I need to try another method. What do you think?"

I shake the look of disbelief from my face and say "Yeah, sure! Why not try molding clay. Might as well, right?" My sarcasm is super thick but she looks up at me with surprise and says "That's it! I'll try molding them! You're brilliant, thanks Eris!"

Knowing that she completely misunderstood my sarcasm, I awkwardly scratch the side of my head as I say "I only have a few days left before the next full moon... I was wondering if I needed to get anything to go back."

She gives me a knowing smile and says "No, I have everything you need. We'll immediately start working on your powers to make up for lost time. I want to show you what you're truly capable of doing." She cleans her hands off as she continues "I've noticed that you like to give yourself boundaries when boundaries don't actually exist for you and I."

She walks over to me and says "I want to show you what you've kept hidden inside of you all this time and I want to show you how to wield it to protect yourself and the ones you care about. Are you ready?" My heart races with excitement as I nod my head.

She looks at me with a knowing smile but it quickly fades. Not even a second later and I'm hit with that sharp pain again! My knees buckle and I fall. I grip my shoulder and suck in as Queen Cara rushes over with concern.

When she kneels down next to me, she narrows her eyes on me and grows still. When I look over to her with watery eyes, I see slight confusion bleed into realization. She gives me a stern look and says "It looks like this is the punishment I was worried about..."