(Rose)

Rose opened her bag to put the practice swords away. Inside, her enchanted storage resembled a kitchen pantry. She pursed her lips when she saw the mountain of dirty laundry on the bottom shelf. The other shelves were piled high with books and papers, swords and armor, pots and pans, and overflowing with detritus.

Ew! Her nose wrinkled when she saw the remains of an old egg sandwich laying atop a cracked plate.

I should probably clean my bag… Next year.

Amidst the clutter, a small figurine caught her attention. It was a hand carved wooden eagle. It was painted with streaks of bright yellow and rich russet. Her dad had made it for her, and her mom had painted it.

Images of her childhood flashed through her mind. Her father had worked in the armory, which was right next to the dueling grounds. She would help around the armory when needed but spent most of her time watching the duels and imitating the swordsmen. Her mom had a hard time dragging her away from there and getting her interested in more womanly arts.

Her dad had given her a practice sword on her fifth birthday. It was the best gift that she had ever received. While brandishing the practice sword, she had jumped up and down and squealed in delight. Her mom had given her father a reproachful look, but she had let her keep the sword.

Other kids had thought that she was odd, walking around and swinging a wooden weapon against invisible foes. Most of the girls her age went to bed with dolls, but not her. She had slept with her practice sword.

These days, she kept the eagle figurine and the practice sword in her enchanted bag as mementos of her childhood. She smiled wistfully and closed the bag.

A rustling in the brush caught her attention. She shifted her eyes and saw a wolf bounding away.

(William)

“Rose, how many shifts can you do?” asked William.

“Well, I haven’t counted all of the transformations that I’ve mastered.”

“You mean you don’t know how many? Hmph!” William harrumphed. “If it was me, I’d know exactly how many shifts I could do.”

She shrugged. “I stopped counting after the first hundred.”

“So, which one is your favorite?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure if I have a favorite shift.”

“Rooose, come on! You’ve got to have a favorite,” William insisted.

“Uhhh, let me think. Different shifts are useful in different situations. I love the nightcap wasp for its potent paralyzing venom. It’s great for subduing your enemy.” Rose paused.

“The shield spider has a tough carapace, which is strong enough to withstand a direct arrow hit. The acidspitter drake has saved my scales a few times. Its spit is so corrosive that it can eat through metal prison bars or the threads of an enchanted net in seconds. And let me tell you, enchanted threads are really tough.” Rose stroked her chin.

“The crypt snake was the shift of choice for the assassins of the old kingdom, but too many shifters died trying to acquire its venom. After all, you’ve got to get bitten by the animal to mimic its toxins.”

“I didn’t know that…” William’s eyes widened.

“Oh yeah, I was dying to get the crypt snake venom. It’s my favorite.”

Scraps, did she actually get bitten by a crypt snake? Why would she even want that?

“Oh, oh! Here is another good one. The flux spider is perfect if you want to liquify the…”

“Rose!” Lisa snapped. “That’s a bit too graphic for him.”

“Ahem, right.” Rose cleared her throat.

“Aunt Lisa,” William protested. “I wanna know.” His plea was ignored.

They continued to chat as they prepared to leave. The remains of the fire disappeared under a blanket of snow. Rose shifted into a horse. She reared up on her hind legs, shook her mane, and whinnied impatiently. William wished that he could shift, so he could join in her antics. He wanted to experience the freedom of galloping on an open field, instead of being bounced around like loose luggage.

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My backside is sore. He frowned.

Still, he was grateful that his aunt’s equine shift provided him with a decently comfortable seat.

Soon, they resumed their journey to Scar.

William yawned. If he was at home, this would have been the perfect time to take a nap. To keep himself from dozing off, he started asking questions about the Hidden City. “Is it really true that there is an actual mountain under the actual mountain? Hmph, it’s probably just a big pile of dirt under the mountain. People like to exaggerate.”

“You’ll see it soon enough for yourself,” Ivan replied.

“Well, what about their hot water pools? Do you think they’ll let us swim in them?”

“I don’t see why not,” Ivan replied. “The Scarans use them for recreation all the time. Once a year, they have a swimming competition at the Grand Palace pool.”

“Is everyone allowed to use the Grand Palace pool… even small kids?”

“You’re not a small kid, so you don’t have to worry.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.” William’s nose wrinkled. “Do you think small kids pee in the Grand Palace pool?” he whispered.

Ivan sighed. “I don’t know.”

William continued with his questions. He knew that Ivan had read books about Scar. Eventually, he ran out of questions and the boys fell silent.

A while later, William spotted a group of deer in the shady woods. Then, a wild grouse raced across their path.

Why would a bird run on the ground instead of fly? he thought. Stupid bird.

A few times, he heard the distant howling of wolves.

The sky darkened. Glancing up, William watched a murder of obsidian crows fly overhead.

He tensed and narrowed his eyes. “It’s an ill omen when just one obsidian crow flies above your head.” He watched the birds flying off into the distance, before adding, “And we just had an entire flock fly over us.” He glared at the departing birds.

“That’s just an old wives’ tale,” Ivan countered. “Obsidian crows are more common in the northern mountains. We’ll probably see more of them the closer we get to Scar.”

“Hmph!” William grumbled to himself, sounding unconvinced.

Still, it was hard to stay unsettled when the forest around them was so picturesque. The pine trees were covered with the icy tears of winter. A nearby brook, frozen along its edges, sparkled like the milky quartz in his stone collection. Except for the occasional gusts of whistling wind and the monotonous crunching of snow under the horses’ hooves, it was quiet.

It’s too quiet, he thought.

A feeling of uneasiness crept up his spine. William glanced over his shoulder. He felt like he was being watched. His mind flashed back to the crows.

I don’t care what Ivan says. Those birds are a bad omen. I just know it. His eyes darted from side to side, and he wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.

Ivan whipped his head around and peered into the distance. He looked unsettled.

“What did you hear?” William asked. His brother only replied by raising his finger to silence him.

A bloodcurdling howl pierced the calm of the forest. William’s breath caught and he shot an alarmed glance at Ivan. His brother was already reaching for his sword. Bays and barks echoed in the clearing behind them.

We’re being hunted, William thought, and his blood ran cold.

Lisa and Rose leaped forward in a gallop. William leaned down and tightened his grip on the mane. He kept glancing around. His eyes widened when he saw their pursuers.

What in the seven moons are those things. A shiver ran down his spine.

A pack of beasts converged on the travelers. They were wolf-like, but at least twice the size of the common wolves that William occasionally saw near the farm. One of them leaped out of the thicket and vaulted toward Lisa. Its wide square jaw snapped viciously and narrowly missed her flank.

William’s gut twisted with fear.

The beast had long curved fangs. Its thick silver coat shaded to a wicked black ridge along the length of its spine. The horses doubled their speed as more wolves joined the chase.

“Rot and ruin!” Ivan cursed. “Saberwolves?” He swung his sword at one of them, narrowly missing it.

With one hand, William reached into his pouch and snagged his slingshot. He dug around in his pocket and grabbed a few rocks. Massive wolves ran between the trees, flanking their left side. Others appeared and disappeared behind patches of the thicket on their right. William gulped when he saw more wolves on the path ahead.

“They’ve got us surrounded,” Ivan cried out.

The mares suddenly transformed, sending their riders flying toward the snow. William extended his hands and braced for an impact that never occurred. He felt a tug on his coat, which slowed down his descent and allowed him to land on his feet.

One of the nearby trees shook violently, sending icicles raining down on the closest wolves. Several yelped as frozen spikes sliced through their thick fur. Flying rocks assailed another group of wolves. William loaded his slingshot, took aim, and let loose.

Thwonk!

Yowl!

More Saberwolves raced toward them. Ivan shoved William behind him and stabbed one of them. It yelped, hobbled away from the fight, and started licking its wound.

Lisa and Rose transformed into massive bears. The pack hesitated. Growling, ears flattened against their heads, they circled the bears.

Suddenly, the pack stilled as though waiting for something.

Like trumpets announcing the arrival of royalty, the wolves lifted their heads and howled. Several moved to the side, creating an opening in their ranks.

William watched wide-eyed as the biggest wolf he had ever seen stalked into the clearing. Its scarred face made it look even more menacing. The beast prowled forward, and the pack closed in.

The bears were a force to be reckoned with. They levitated tree limbs and rocks to pummel the pack. They bared sharp fangs and bellowed as they swiped and shredded the nearest wolves. Ivan hacked and slashed, keeping the beasts at bay.

“Take that,” William cried out and released his last pebble. The projectile hit one of the wolves in the flank, only enraging it further.

William kept being bumped and jostled as he tried to stay in the middle of the group.

Things were looking grim. Rose’s attacks slowed as she limped on her back leg. A wolf opened a nasty gash on Lisa’s shoulder. Her fur was stained with streaks of crimson. Filled with bloodlust, the pack attacked with even greater ferocity. Another wolf leaped on top of Lisa and sank its teeth into her already injured shoulder.

With a bellow, his aunt collapsed.