Odin's Prize

Birth Of A Wolf

Flexion

Random jolts that currents pain up the length of my bones freeze my movement forward. It's a pausing footstep that's held midstride until the shifting ligament loosens enough to allow movement again.

Spasms

The wolf's body is starting to uncoil itself from its dormancy in short flexing, shifting movements within my skin. Sometimes the pain is erratic descending down my spinal canal rendering me useless until she shifts herself back into a fetal position within me. Other times the pain is so consuming I can't help but scream for my parents, that's when the bones in my hips flex and extend outwards, ligaments loosening then tightening in an uncontrolled eruption of torment that lasts for minutes instead of seconds.

Interpretation of the world is coming through scents now, not just sight.

Everything is awakening.

It's nose first then body at times when foraging within the strict boundaries I'm permitted to go to by myself. Once I understand what each herb smells like there are no more blind searches for what's needed, all I have to do is tilt my nose into the wind, take a big interpretive inhale and go in that direction.

During dinners, the wolf inside vocalizes her shifting sound for all to hear. Hunger has never been a problem for me until now, no matter how many calories I consume throughout the day, it's never enough. When Paley goes to take the last cookie from the plate, it's the first time to lift lip and flash a real fang out. The juvenile tooth cutting gums as if they are a surgical knife. The pain comes after it's done, so sharp is the fang that at first I don't realize what happened until a searing pain starts to radiate at my jawline with the way the shifting joint goes back into place. Paley stands his ground not taking his hand off the cookie, while his eyes flash his proclamation that it's going to go to a fight.

The adults watching, not saying a word as is their way. Juveniles wolves need to find their own social and pecking order wihtout adult interference.

Hierarchy's maddening rush surges through veins that have become dilated, engorged with blood. There's a maliciousness in the way Keegan snarls towards me with my outward threat to his twin. Shamus's first distinct rumble from within a chest that's becoming much broader sounds out his own challenging rebuttal towards Keegan.

Shamus's face registers shock while Uncle Grey smiles outwardly. The situation de-escalates quickly with the new voice that's just heard for the very first time. Dad gets's up to pat Shamus's back, Uncle Grey puffing up proud of his oldest. Aunt Meela hugging him close to her, cheek to cheek with a tear in her eye.

Even Shamus is struck hard by the first open sound of his now waking wolf.

The destructo twins halting their forward progress of aggression as they come to give Shamus's shoulder a squeeze all smiles and good cheer, while everyone's attention is on Shamus, my hand takes the last cookie on the plate. Biting into it, Paley's eyes find mine and I give him another flash of real fang before smiling sweetly with my teeth.

When released from the dinner table it's a great rush to go outside, the need to find my quiet darken space is overwhelming. The jolts in my spine unhinging bones with a startling, strangling effect on my breathing. Yet, that pain doesn't stop my progress forward, finding this special spot about three weeks ago, it's an old bear's den.

It's underneath an old hollowed out tree, the dirt walls feel safe from any side attacks if any come. The smell of Odin overwhelms the den. He found me here a week ago, laying inside with my face pressed against the cool earth. The wolf inside me shifting and flexing her body in overwhelming waves of pain. My fingers were slipping out of sockets transforming into claws only to slide back into skin form again. There was nothing I could do but lay whimpering transfixed with the shifting of my body.