The grass was warm under my fingers. It felt vibrant.
It felt green.
I took in a deep b
reath.
I could smell the trees.
I could hear the leaves fluttering on their branches.
I dug my fingers into the earth.
A rabbit moved a half mile away, running through a thicket.
I didn’t know how I could hear it, but I did.
I rose to my feet.
Something was coming.
I could feel it in the vibrations in the air.
The way the forest seemed to bow around it.
Whatever it was, it was the king of the woods.
From the trees came a howl like I’d never heard before.
The song it sang caused my bones to quake.
It was love. And hope. And anguish. And every terrible, beautiful thing that had ever happened to me. To mine.
I tilted my head back and sang in return.
I put everything I had into it.
Because I didn’t know if I was dreaming.
I felt pain, but it was an ache in my heart.
Our songs intertwined. Harmonized. Became one.
I’d never howled like that before. I hoped one day I could again.
There was a tug in the back of my head.
It hooked itself in and pulled.
I felt my eyes sharpen. My gums itched. My hands shook.
The pull became stronger and I wanted to run.
To hunt.
To feed.
To feel my paws on the earth, tasting the wind on my tongue.