Page 5 of Dreams of Magic

Kenzie wanted to be mad, but she couldn't work up the anger. She could understand her mom wanting to keep her to herself. But to not tell her something like that; she couldn't take it. It was too much right now.

Her mom wasn't here for her to yell at like she did as a teenager. Mom called them tantrums. She couldn't slam a door to show her she was upset or use all the hot water, so she had to wait for a shower. She used to sneak out of the house and go sit by the dock, just to scare her mom when she was really mad.

She always had a bad attitude as a teen, but those tantrums would never last more than a few minutes. She would always come back and there would be a cup of hot chocolate on the counter, and Mom would ask, "Are you done?"

Kenzie always answered with a yes, then they would hug and drink hot chocolate together like nothing had happened. She was rarely punished for those spurts of attitude because Mom called them, “Finding my sass.” She also said that werewolves could easily lose their temper and being able to control it is what kept them from being animals. Remembering that always helped. She really was the best mom a girl could ever ask for.

Frustrated and upset, she threw the car door open and climbed out. Because it felt good and suddenly, she did feel mad, she slammed the door closed.

Kenzie kicked her flats off, pulled her shirt over her head, then shimmied out of her pants. Then standing there in her underwear, Kenzie made the decision to let her sudden anger go. She didn’t want to be mad, so she was going to run it off. She slid her underwear off, unclipped her bra and dropped them on top of the rest of her clothes.

Completely naked now, Kenzie walked out of the garage and straight into the woods. She stood there, just inside the tree line and breathed in the familiar scents. She could smell pine and dogwood trees, and the faint scent of the little bunny who likes to hide under the shed. There was a light fragrance of the wildflowers growing randomly throughout the forest floor. But best of all, she could smell the fresh air.

Taking it all in, she felt the first stirrings of the change. Her body knew what she wanted, and she let the feeling flow through her.

It doesn't hurt. It's like a light pressure. She feels her body start to change, to morph into a new shape, the bones cracking as they re- formed. A slight itch crawls across her skin as fur sprouts out all over her body, and she drops to the forest floor as her legs reshape.

Now on all fours, Kenzie quickly shakes out her fur. Oh god, this feels so good. It really has been too long. On instinct, she lets out a loud howl toward the sky. It is full of sorrow and regret, sadness for a life that was cut too short. Letting her voice fade into the breeze, so only an echo remains, she lets go of her anger and frustration.

Sniffing the air, Kenzie took in all the scents around her again, this time so much sharper. And then she takes off. Dodging trees and branches, she runs as fast as she can, no destination in mind. She just wants to feel the breeze in her fur.

As she puts on a burst of speed, she sees a large tree trunk coming up in front of her and leaps over it. She didn’t realize that the other side was a slight hill, and she stumbled, falling with a little tumble to the bottom. Luckily it was just a short fall, the only thing hurt was her pride.

She shakes out her fur and gets back to her feet and takes off again, this time a little bit slower so she can pay more attention to where she’s running.

Kenzie’s not sure how long she runs for when she comes upon the little stream on her property. She must have gone at least three miles to get there. Bending down she laps up some of the fresh cold water. It tastes amazing, cooling her body instantly.

Feeling refreshed, Kenzie decides to sit there for a minute and just enjoy the sounds of her surroundings. As she sits, she can hear a little rustling noise off to her right. When she looks over, there’s a little squirrel climbing up one of the pine trees very slowly. It's like he knows she’s there and he’s trying not to disturb the predator that has entered his domain.

She feels a little bad that she disturbed him and now she doesn’t want to move and possibly scare him off. So, she sits as still as she can, not even blinking as she watches him very slowly climb the tree inch by inch.

Finally, he reaches the branches high enough in the tree that she’s no longer worried about scaring him away. Slowly she gets up, stretching herself out to release the stiffness from sitting in one place for so long. Then, with a heavy sigh, she heads back toward home so she can pack a bag.

It is time to find her other family. As terrifying as that seems, it’s also like she’s been waiting all her life to find that missing piece.

Chapter 2.

Aiden

"Jordan! You just got your ass kicked! Next time watch your surroundings. Getting distracted like that gets a person killed." Aiden was watching from the sidelines of the training area while the guards practiced maneuvers.

"Ah come on Aiden. Cassie is sneaky and she tricked me, I totally could have had her."

Snickering, he looked over toward Cassie, "Yo sis! Apparently, Jordan doesn't think you play fair!"

"AIDEN!! She is going to kill me."Jordan snapped in Aiden’s ear, sending a mental image of him on his back, paws in the air as if he were playing dead.

Aiden couldn't help it as he busted out laughing when his sister started circling Jordan from behind. His sister was on the smaller side as far as werewolves went, but she was scrappy and extremely fast. She fought differently than the men did because she didn’t have the physical strength that they had, but her technique was flawless.

She had beaten Jordan at fighting so many times he had lost count. Occasionally he gets the upper hand though, and he is very gracious when he does. Unlike Cassie, who boasts about it for days after.

The funniest thing about it, is that Jordan is one of their best fighters. Cassie just has a different way of doing it. She’s not on the guard, though she could be if she wanted to. She comes to these practices to stay in shape. At least that's what she says.

More likely she just finds it fun to kick the guy’s asses, especially since they all make fun of her for how tiny she is. It's in a loving, brotherly way, but still, she feels like she has to prove something. Secretly though, as good as Cassie is, Aiden was pretty sure Jordan lets her win sometimes.

"Aiden, do you mind if I show him a little humility?"Cassie asked, using mind link.

Aiden indicated for them to begin,"Go for it, but don't hurt him too bad. We need him on patrol tonight."

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