Hey everyone. This is a story I have been working off and on for the past year. Tell me what you think. And please be honest, but not harsh.
Prologue
I am walking down the King’s halls, which is forbidden, but I am in the shape of a wolf that looked like one of the guard’s dogs, which are to be respected. Each shape-shifter village had a….um…. ‘Mascot’. My village has the wolf. You could change into a wolf with any feature: wings, nine tails, an extra head, etcetera. As long as it was a wolf. I am a shape-shifter and shape-shifters are supposed to be enemies with the kingdom and the kingdom’s residents. But I don’t care. Suddenly a snow hawk flew threw the air, heading for Cess. I hurriedly run to a dark crack in the wall and change into a wolf the size of a mouse, but a wolf all the same, the hawk followed. She knew she was only to come to me if I was in human form. She is supposed to be scared of the guard dogs, seeing how they all like taking a snap at her. I know that there is a hollowed-out space at the back. Sheviron followed back. I morphed and quickly snapped at the poor bird, “How many times must we tell you not to deliver a message to me unless I am hiding in human form?! Won’t it look strange for you to like one dog out of them all? And what if they get curious and have you meet every dog in the kingdom? Not only will you be tortured, they will get suspicious because I won’t be there!” The poor hawk guiltily looked at the ground. But inside she was hot with anger. Couldn’t the foolish girl remember agreeing that she could be approached in wolf form if it was urgent? She clacked her beak in annoyance. I glared at the bird. She obviously forgot I could read animal minds, or maybe she meant for me to hear that. But she was right, that’s what we had agreed. “Let me see the message,” I said, not knowing what was so urgent. Sheviron lifted her leg. At least she felt guilty about snapping at me! She still had an icy look in her eyes, but it wasn’t as angry, or mean, like she was thinking about snapping off one of Cess’s fingers. I gently pulled the letter, eyeing the bird. I saw her looking at my fingers and clacking her beak, and along with what I heard, I wanted to be careful. The second it was off her leg, I quickly opened the letter. Wanting to know what was so important, I quickly skimmed the letter. When I was done, I realized I didn’t understand a thing, so with one last look around to make sure a curious dog didn’t sniff the crack, I slowly read his letter. It read;
ript MT'">Cess,
ript MT'">Meet me at the old Robber’s Hide-Away Shack in the woods. I need to talk to you. Ryeth learned about you from a letter that I was reading from you that was hidden in my jacket pocket. I don’t know why he was digging in my pockets and that alone makes me suspicious. But he has been my family’s advisor for many years. He was apprenticed to my great-grandfather’s advisor and has been with the family since. But he has advised my grandfather and father, and now me. I am scared that he will have me killed. I believe he is tired of serving royalty and wishes to be royalty. I am the only one who hasn’t been married before ruling. But that is only because of my father’s riding accident. So if he gets rid of me, or has me kicked off the throne for knowing you, he will rule. And he is very old, so there is little chance he will find a wife and have children ready to take the crown when he dies, so the kingdom will be destroyed with fighting over whom rightfully belongs as King. Please hurry.
ript MT'">Thyon.
It was a letter from the king. But it wasn’t just any king. It was the King. King Thyon. The king my people were at war with. Wouldn’t they be shocked to find that their princess was at peace with their enemy? I morphed into a guard-dog-wolf again and ran out of the crack’s back, which led out to the forest behind the castle, with Sheviron flying above. Looking at her flying above me, I came up with an idea. Something to talk about with Thyon. Suddenly, just because I am a teenage girl who wonders, I started thinking about what Thyon thought of me. Probably a dark brown haired, chocolate eyed rebel girl, for I was a rebel to the fighting in-between our village and Thyon’s kingdom. I had creamy chocolate brown hair, and in my show to be different, the ends and bangs were snow blonde. I had alabaster white skin, with rough, worn hands. I was always climbing or digging or something that wasn’t the greatest for my hands. Everyone had the hawk mark some color, some size, somewhere on their body. I happened to have a tar black, small mark on the inside of my right hand, at the base of my thumb. But I loved adventure, but no where but my home village was quote on quote ‘safe’, so I always wore a fingerless black glove to hide it. That way I looked like a normal girl. My eyes were dark brown. So dark that it seemed like I had no pupil, and when I get mad people said I had the devil’s blood through my veins and his soul in my heart, but I feel like a freak compared to the other shifters, who were blonde with blue eyes and basically never got mad if you didn’t go against the laws, as I do. I was so caught up in thinking that all of a suddenly I felt a pang of pain on my shoulder. I had walked into the shack. Sheviron smirked. Could she have told Cess that they had reached the shack? Yes, she could have. Should she have? Well, since Cess was her master’s best friend and was royalty as well, probably. But still, this was her way of getting back at Cess from snapping before thinking! I grumbled. ‘Stupid bird!’ I thought, could have warned me anyway! I was tired of looking like one of the guard dogs, so I morphed into my normal look. After a few minutes of tingling skin, I was a snow white wolf with the mark of a black hawk across my back. When I spread my wings, which was rare, the marks wings were on mine, so it was like a hawk’s shadow was on my back, flying with me. The wolf was my village’s “mascot” but my people’s was the hawk. Fierce, yet gentle and kind, and forever free in the skies. Unfortunately, I wasn’t just my village’s royal family that bickered with other royal families from other villages over stupid reasons; I was part of the only royal family within the Shifters. The royal family consisted of my mother, father, brother, and I. I stretched my wings, feeling bored. Surely he gave the letter to Sheviron, then left? Which meant he had way more time to get here. I decided to lie down in the shadows, waiting. Now, many ask “Why morph into a white wolf when you know you’re going to hide in the shadows?” But the answer to that is simple. You’re good if you are black and can’t be found in the shadows. But you’re the best if you can be a bright white and still remain undetected. Suddenly I felt like someone was gliding a piece of ice down my back. Someone else was here, watching me…. Could it be Ryeth? Was Thyon right to be scared of him?
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Chapter 1
Then, apparently spying my uneasiness, Thyon left the shadows to my right and said, “Am I better at staying unseen?” The fur on my back laid down. It was true, ever since I had criticized him about remaining unseen when meeting me, he had gotten better. Why, I didn’t even notice him, let alone see him. “The king is late appearing!” I playfully snapped, trying to ease the tension that rolled off of him in waves. “Let me see, I am the king. You are the princess. Don’t kings have control over princesses?” he returned. I smiled, but then it fell when he got his ‘serious’ tone on. “What should I do about Ryeth?” he asked, obviously desperate for advice, now that he no longer trusted his advisor. “Don’t trust him, but don’t make it obvious. Ask him about things to do with the kingdom, but nothing to do with the war. He may start dropping hints, letting others find out and confront you so he will seem innocent.” Thyon stared at me, saying, “I don’t think Ryeth is capable hurting me or my family’s honor.” Disgusted with his willing to trust someone who was sneaking through his coat pockets when the coat was sitting on the back of Thyon’s chair in Thyon’s study, I morphed back to a human and grabbed his chin roughly and forced him to look into my eyes, growling, “He was in your study, where no one is supposed to be without you asking them and attending them, digging through your pockets! He might have just been digging for some money, maybe the family ring you sometimes leave there, but he found valuable information that can make you meat for the dogs that guard you and him king! How can you not see that he in now an enemy? But the thing is, you can’t let anyone know he is, because then they will start asking questions. And when questions are asked, those who have a want for revenge answer them!” He numbly nodded, or sorta nodded as his chin was still in my grasp. I let go, quickly grabbing a rock and crushing it against a boulder before I broke a bone next time I grabbed him. He started to mutter, “Thanks, now my jaw is bru-” when I sliced the air with my hand, signaling silence. He stopped, looking around, but his hand was still rubbing his chin. That boulder had flinched. Then, I noticed the shifter-mark on it where it met the ground. It was a guard, the only shifters that could morph into anything that matches its surroundings. Like their ti
tle suggests, with this they can easily guard against enemies. I put my hands on my hips and barked, “GUARD! Morph now!” He did as I ordered, but only because of my parents. If I had been anyone else it would have morphed into some animal and disappeared. It was one from my village. Umm, named Jakson I believe. I snapped. Couldn’t a girl have some peace and not be stalked everywhere? “What are you doing here?” Ooohhh, he was so lucky I didn’t want to freak Thyon out, or he wouldn’t be going home tonight. He scoffed, “You leave the village for some guy ou-” He cut himself off, staring hard at Thyon. Thyon’s eyes grew big, scared that something horrible was going to happen to him. Suddenly Jakson’s eyes flew to me. “I can’t believe it! I knew you always headed this way by your scent, but I never could have guessed it was to meet him!” I snapped and said, “Go dunk your head in the river!” He smirked; obviously it was the wrong thing to say. He immediately became a night-black wolf with the hawk mark a little darker on his front right paw, and took off into the woods. I looked at Thyon and said, “I have to go catch him and make sure my people don’t find out about us. Send me Sheviron in a day or two.” Then I became my normal wolf form, leaping into the sky to beat Jakson’s legs. Sheviron clacked her beak in a nearby tree. Could she have told Cess that that boulder wasn’t natural? Yes, but she also knew Thyon was already there. What was she supposed to do? Have Cess yell at Thyon not to come out? Then the boulder-person would have heard or guessed and never would have left Cess alone. Oh, what is a bird to do in that situation? She clacked her beak angrily again and flew to sit on Thyon’s shoulder. She calmed down a bit when he carefully stroked her wing tip. Thyon sighed. Why was everything going wrong now? Couldn’t it have come in bits and pieces? Or never? He just wanted the war to end, but what was he supposed to do? Walk up to the army and shout, “My best friend is their princess, so we aren’t fighting them,”? Ya that would go over well, so well that he would hang. The turned to go back to the palace, thoughtlessly stroking Sheviron.
Chapter 2
When I got home, I saw Jakson, in wolf form, talking to my mother. As we p*censored*ed, I snapped, “Nark, you just got exiled…. And that shall be my first rule as king’s advisor,”
“Cess, here, NOW,” came my mother’s calm voice. “Yeah, yeah… I’m comin’” I said, I was a stuck up sixteen year-old, what more could you expect? “Jakson told me you were disappearing to meet the king…. Is that true?” she asked, “What if it is?” I replied glaring at the ground.
“Then-then…You shall not be able to leave the village until your brother is coroneted,” my mom said slightly flustered, for she had been expecting me to deny it.
“WHAT?!” I yelled. Before she could say anything, I left to sulk under an oak tree. How could she do that? Couldn’t she at least tell me I couldn’t go near his side of the valley? And that I was to take someone with me everywhere I go? Something along those lines? Jakson walked up and said, “I didn’t tell her, I told my brother. I was waiting for a reaction from him, when he tackled me and tied me up in our hut. I watched him shift into me in my wolf form and ran off to tell the queen. I may bug you and stuff, but I wouldn’t turn you in like that. I think you are my only friend, and I’m not stupid. I wouldn’t try to destroy that,” he said as he sat next to me.
“Oh really?” I said sarcastically through a teary glare at him.
“Yeah,” he said and turned to leave. I sat there, silent for a few minutes. But then I felt guilty about it. He did have a jack for a brother. “Wait!” I called, “I’m sorry, I just hate this war. That’s why I hang out with the king,” I said, or at least telling him part of the truth, and started picking at the roots of the tree.
“So do I,” Jakson said as he plopped down next to me.
“Well, I’ve gotta go,” I said, not really knowing what to say next and not really wanting to stick around for an awkward silence. He nodded and stared at the ground. I usually walked quickly, and that’s how I started on my way to my hut. Then I felt myself getting a headache. I stopped; trying to think of why it would hurt, and then realized I had a lot to think about.
Being the princess, I got my own hut, which was handy at times. I walked in and slammed the door, then thought that someone might want something and I didn’t want to be disturbed for even that, so I got up and put a sign on the door that said ‘Don’t Even Dare’ and slammed my door again. I lightly threw myself on my bed and buried my head into my soft, deep, cherry red pillow. After a while it got uncomfortable, so I rolled on my side. That got uncomfortable. I grabbed the pillow and got on the floor with my hands behind my head. At last I was comfortable. I closed my eyes. In the darkness I saw my mother smiling, blue eyes twinkling, and rubbing Roth’s dirty blonde head. Then I saw my father join the scene. The same dirty blonde hair, shoulder length, was wet. From the playful sparkle in Roth’s eyes, the laughing look in my mother’s eyes, and the amused look in my father’s, I could tell they were laughing about some prank Roth pulled on dad. I also noticed I wasn’t in the scene. It was a memory I had taken from Roth’s dog, Iza, before she died. Another came into my mind. It was one of Roth walking with a big smile slapped on his face, a girl on either side of him. Another memory. It was me, not long before Iza died. I was sitting under a tree, my shoulder length hair falling from my shoulder on one side. In the sunlight you could see the red that ran through it. Behind me, people were pointing, staring, mouths open in silent laughter. The eyes of the girls were mocking, the eyes of the guys were sympathetic, but the sympathy you would give to something that you thought was truly pathetic. Tears welled. They fell down the sides of my face. I wished I could be normal. I wished I could be beautiful, pretty, anything like the other girls. The tears came faster. Suddenly a cold, wet thing was pressed on my eyelid; a rough, slobber-covered thing licked my cheek. I opened my eyes to see Strykrr. He was my dog. He was short, with long fur. It was white with streaks of tan on his back, sides, and legs. He had a single tan stripe between his eyes. It began at the top of his head and ended right under his eyes. His face had freckles that looked like someone had grabbed them and thrown them across his face. On his coal black nose was a single scar. His eyes were happy, always happy, unless something was wrong. When he was excited, his golden eyes were bright, hard gold. When he was worried, for any reason: about me, someone he saw, someone he knew, for any reason, they softened. They showed his worry. He laid his head on my stomach and sighed. He looked at with his ‘I love you. Always have. Always will, even when no one else does or will.’ Look, except this one seemed to say, ‘We love you. Always have. Always will, even when someone is too stupid to.’ I lifted my head a little, and then was shocked his eyes were the blue, but seemed to be turning green, of someone in this village. ‘That’s another reason only he will love me’ I thought. I had raised Strykrr from day one. I had been walking home from a meeting with Thyon when I found him on the side of the road. His mother abandoned him because he read minds. It had confused him, so he had told her. She panicked, not wanting one of her pups known as the freak dog. So left him on the side of the road then went back and told something to his brothers and sisters about his disappearance. A wet poke in the cheek brought me back to the presence. He had something to show me. I nodded and waited, my eyes closed, for the memory to come to me. It came slowly, and by how detailed it was, I could tell it was fresh, probably from that day. It was Jakson, right after I had left him. He was watching me go. Then I heard what he was thinking. You may ask ‘Why couldn’t you before?’ well you see, shifters can’t read each others’ minds, but I can read Strykrr’s, who can read shifters. After I examined every detail of Jakson and his surroundings, his thoughts made themselves heard to me. Why do I have to be such a chicken? Why can’t I just ask her? Then I heard a different voice, the one that answers the questions in your head with the answer you don’t want to hear, but you believe is true. Because it said she likes Thyon. Even you can see it. She wouldn’t want you. No one here is good enough for her, that’s why she went to Thyon, the next best thing outside a shape-shifting king. I gasped. This was how Jakson felt about me? I opened my eyes and looked at Strykrr. I looked at him shocked, half at him and half at Jakson. This was the first time that he looked at me like I was stupid! I got up, put the pillow back on my bed and said, “Don’t look at me at like that! How was I supposed to know?!” Right as my hand touched the door knob, I realized that there was a reason why I wasn’t that mad at Jakson, or that I hadn’t wanted to leave, and why I hadn’t wanted to be left alone with him without a reason. I liked him back, but I had kept myself so busy, I had never let myself really think my feelings for him out. And that was why I hadn’t let myself remember his name. It gave me the reason I needed to talk to him. I ran outside, so happy I could shout. Strykrr followed me as I ran to his hut, but no one was there. I ran all over the village. I laughed at myself when I finally found him. Under the tree, right where I left him. I paused before letting myself be known. I looked at him. Then I looked at what I was wearing. A black spaghetti strap top with jean short-shorts, with some high-top shoes, I sighed, deciding I looked good enough for meeting him. Then I started to take in details about him. I noticed that he was indeed very good looking; maybe what girls would call ‘cute’ or ‘hot’. I noticed his dark blonde hair had streaks of black in it. His hair was turning BLACK! Under his shirt I could make out muscles. The kind that you can see to let you know he is strong, but also the kind that don’t really let them be known. He was tall and his skin was little darker than normal. “Jakson!” I called. He turned to look at me. Oh my gosh! His eyes were turning green! His face had freckles like Strykrr, like someone had them in their hand and had thrown them across is face. Knowing what I meant to do, my heart soared. It sung, it was so happy I thought it might burst. “Yeah?” he asked, his voice sounded like his mind was still tormenting him. “Um… I know it’s kind of sudden, but…. You wanna go out? For like a walk and lunch or something?” Could a face get any happier, or any brighter? “Yes!” he said, jumping up so fast he basically ran me over trying to get his footing back.
Chapter 3
It’s a week later. We’ve gone on a date every night. No one knows but us. I’m still not sure how to act, and he’s so shy. Tonight, though, we’ve decided to let us be known as a couple. Half the reason was we wanted to be known as an ‘item’ and half the reason was that girls started noticing Jakson and I didn’t really like that. I was talking with Krystall, my best friend. Her dad was my dad’s top advisor. When they were busy and our moms were out doing something, they always stuck us together doing something. After a while, we became stuck together at the hip, or so we are told. But then I met Thyon and we kind went our own ways. But now that I’m in the village twenty-four seven, we’re stuck like glue again. She was like everyone else. Long strawberry blonde hair that went down her back, which was always let out loose, and bright blue eyes. Her skin was fair, but was normal for shifters, almost a peachy color. As we p*censored*ed a group of guys, I saw Jakson in the middle. Obviously he was hanging out with his old friends too, as he was no longer following me around and guessing which part of the border I would be crossing to get home. I smiled, and nodded to him. He was going to make the first move of us being known. “-and I was like ‘That’s so not fair!’” Krystall was saying when Jakson got out of the circle his friends had created around him and made his was over to us. He walked up next to me. I was still facing Krystall when he grabbed my hand, pulled me a little closer to him, and wrapped his arm over my shoulders. Only then did I smile and look up at him as I wrapped an arm around his waist. “And he was l-l-li-?” Krystall cut off and looked at me with a mixed ex
pression. Half was a questioning look; the other was an accusing look. I had worn my hair up today, so his arm hid it behind his shoulder. His friends noticed he had his arm around a girl, who had her arms around him, and came over teasing him. “What do we have here?” one asked as he jumped and shook Jakson’s hair. “Well, it looks like he’s been keeping his girl from us,” another said as he walked up with his arms crossed. Another was about to say something when, out of boredom and the pure want of wanting to see what some one would say, I let my hair down and looked at the guys surrounding us and said, “What’s up boys?” One whooped in amazement, while another wolf whistled, and the first boy, Jakson’s best friend Ren, said, “Dude! You must have something you can teach us! You got the undateable princess-” at this I glared at Ren who didn’t notice it, “-to go out with you! Wait! Are you guys…. You know…. A couple?” At this I looked at Jakson, who looked at me, so I turned to Ren and said, “Are you a guy?” A confused Ren, not knowing what he being a guy had anything to do with it, said, “Yeah.” I smiled and said, “Well, there’s your answer.” After a few moments of silence, Ren figured it out, punched Jakson in the arm and said, “Dog!” before disappearing with the guys and Krystall. As we walked to the tree where I had asked him out for our picnic date, I said, “There you go. Now we are known to the world as a couple!” and I don’t know who smiled bigger, me or Jakson. Maybe it was Strykrr, who never left my side since I asked Jakson that fateful question. Suddenly Sheviron landed on my other shoulder, with a piece of parchment tied to her leg. I panicked as I looked at her and then Jakson, and back to her. I kissed him on the cheek before leaving so quickly I left his arm hanging in the air, and taking her into my nearby hut. I closed the door and took the parchment off her leg and mindlessly stuffed it into Jakson’s jacket pocket, which I was wearing. He knocked on the door, so I called, “Um, sorry babe! I am kinda busy right now!” He nervously laughed as he said, “I can see that. Can I at least have my jacket back? It is my favorite one!” I nodded numbly, then remembered that he was on the other side of my door and weakly said, “Ya, sure, of course!” I partly opened the door and stuffed his jacket out of it, with my note still in it. His eyebrows furrowed together confused as he said, “Um, ya. See ya tomorrow Love?” I called, “Ya!” anything to just get him to leave so I could deal with Sheviron and Thyon’s note. He nodded to himself and said, “’Kay, talk to you then,” and finally left. I smiled to myself and slowly slid to the floor, leaning on my door. Then I remembered the snow Hawk in my room and patted my stomach, saying, “Bring me his note.” She glared at me like I was stupid, but landed on my stomach and seemed to stick her empty leg is my face as if to say “See?!” I looked at her leg, then stared harder at it. I grabbed her leg, which made her squawk until I let go. Then I remembered what I did with it. It was in Jakson’s jacket. I calmed down, and reached for the chair where I always put it and saw it was empty. My note from Thyon was in Jakson’s jacket pocket, with Jakson…..
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