Page 1 of Beast and Remedy
1
Will the Pain Ever End?
Two hundred and six bones itch to fracture and transform back into the human form my body once knew. And through the splintering of my own self, the agonizing pain coupled with the harrowing screams never gets easier.
How stupidly mistaken I was in ever hoping that would be possible.
Despite everything I’ve learned, these last few years of dedication toward understanding this magic, I’m still left empty-handed. Reducing the need to shift, improving control over my abilities, and eliminating pain—nothing helps.
My blood pumps faster as I brace for the impact of change. Torturously, I wait, the impending paroxysm taunting me.
Some people may argue it’s miraculous to see everything from the perspective of another species.
It’s not.
Little do they know how suffocating it can be in this state.
To lose sense of your humanity, cave to the animalistic nature, and become something else entirely. To be a fierce protector of the woods, following the pull of my gifts.
I wish I couldn’t remember any of it. At least it would make it easier.
Magic hums in my chest, power thrumming in satisfaction.
The last three days of patrolling the forest, protecting creatures, and maintaining the hierarchy of beasts is the only allowance that will grant me a chance to shift back to my true self.
A reprieve from being a beast.
Fighting through the building emotions and trepidation, I inhale the rain, the cedar, and the wind one last time.
I may dislike shifting, but my stronger sense of smell has softened my disdain for the outdoors by helping me findsomeappreciation for the beauty and magnitude of nature.
A chilly breeze ruffles through my mahogany fur as my claws dig deep into the damp, soft soil, bracing against the ground as the first bone breaks.
A loud bellow escapes, echoing through the woods, and there is nothing I can do to stop the shift once it has started.
I can only be a victim to it.
Leander, the Deity of Beasts, used to roam the woods of Draymenk, ensuring every critter, mammal, and being who set foot in the forests—hisforests—knew the ruler in their midst. But Leander is gone, far away from this world with the other Makers, waiting and watching as destiny chooses which new heir will inherit a fraction of their power.
A pop of my ribs steals my breath and a draft of copper stings the air.
The transformation crawls up my spine, stealing my angry thoughts as magic rearranges the arch of my back, the curve of my hips, and the swell of my breasts.
Air sweeps by, flesh meeting it, and my long, wavy red hair crosses over my face instead of fur.
The surging pain ripples up higher. It drives up to the crown of my head, yanking me back, my vision fraying. The roar I think will leave me transitions to a human scream as the remnants of the shifting process ebb.
My heart hammers in my throat, bile threatening to escape. Fighting my body’s reaction to the turmoil, I push against the cold soil, focusing on my breathing.
I imagine a fire caressing my skin, my fingertips rubbing paper with each page of a book I turn.
A bright light circles me, and muscled arms hold me tight against a solid chest. Golden irises, warm like honey, cross my mind—
My concentration breaks, and I lose control.
The nausea comes.
A cold sweat breaks out across my brow as I shudder and heave, exhaustion weighing me further into the ground.
