Kade bobbed his head once in a definite nod.
“You're soft,” Florian said, running his hands through the wolf's fur down the length of his body—then, remembering it was still in fact Kade and not a dog despite his appearance, yanked them away in embarrassment. “S-Sorry. I don't know if that's, like, rude or... I really don't mean to be creepy or anything.”
Kade's eyes softened, his ears pulling back; and somehow Florian knew that he was laughing at him. The wolf tossed his head once as if saying no, then stepped away from Florian, letting the length of his body brush against Florian's legs as he went. Turning to look back at him, he made another bowing sort of gesture, and Florian closed his eyes to try again.
This time, the little spark of magic that he pushed through his body felt like itcaughton something, and he hissed at the tearing, painful sensation that radiated through him all at once. He tried to pull back, but it was already too late, and he could feel his body shifting and morphing—getting lower to the ground, his center of gravity dropping all at once.
He started to cry out, as if every bone in his body were aching with growing pains all at once; but the noise that escaped him didn't sound like his voice, but like a growl.
And as quickly as the sensation had overtaken him, it was gone. He was lower to the ground, now standing eye-to-eye with Kade. He stepped back nervously, and the strange motion of all four limbs moving to carry him made him jerk to a stop. His ears pressed back flat to his head as worry bubbled up in his chest, but he couldn't speak. He could only look over at Kade nervously for guidance.
Kade stepped up alongside him; Florian realized that he had lowered himself to the ground, and his tail was tucked between his legs. His movements had been entirely instinct, but he couldn't bring himself to stand back up to his full height. Why was he fearful?
And then he could—he couldsmellwhat Kade was trying to say to him? Somehow that made him more frightened, but the thought came through clearly.
It's all right. Don't be scared.
Kade's ears were pricked up, his tail straight and slightly wagging. His eyes were big and bright, watching him intently. He took a few steps closer to Florian, moving slower this time and slinking lower to the ground. His snout came up and nudged Florian along the side of his face, snuffling into his ear, before moving down the scruff of his neck. They were all comforting gestures that somehow made him feel a bit less nervous.
Maybe he shouldn't have tried this so soon. Changing his appearance had been one thing, but becoming another creature entirely? It still felt alien and difficult: his movements clumsy and unpracticed as he took a few cautious steps and watched Kade circle around him. While he could certainly understand how Kade was communicating with him, he had no idea if his own thoughts were coming through at all.
It's all right. You're safe. Go slow.
He hesitated, feeling his ears still pressed flat along the back of his skull. Straining, he tried to think toward Kade,Can you understand me?
Kade sneezed, almost as if he were laughing.I hear you.
Finally his pounding heart—the sensation in an entirely different place now—slowed enough that he could take in his surroundings a bit more easily. Colors were dimmer, and his line of vision wasn't as far; but now that he was focusing, he could hear all sorts of noises where in the courtyard there had once been only silence. The rustle of the leaves, the sound of Kade breathing, his own heart hammering—and more distantly, he heard footsteps and the other sounds of life coming from within the castle and echoing through the grounds.
See?he felt from Kade as the wolf stepped up to him. Though the colors of his fur were not as differentiated compared to how he’d seen him as a fae, the brightness of his eyes still came through clearly.It's different, but good.
Yeah,he agreed, tossing his head in a nod. He caught a glance of his feet—his paws—and as he did, he began to look over himself, as much as he could with his head now at a different angle to the rest of his body. That would take some getting used to. As he craned his neck, then spun in a circle, he could see that his fur was jet black all over. He could be a different color if he wanted, Florian thought, but somehow the black felt fitting.
Suits you, Kade answered, before he even realized how obvious his thoughts must have been.
For one frightening moment he wondered if Kade could senseallof his thoughts now, and embarrassment flooded him at the possibility—though he did not feel that all t0o familiar sense of heat rising in his face. But Kade didn't seem to react tothat, so he decided to just be careful of his thoughts for now, and he would ask when he shifted back.
Follow, he felt more than heard from Kade. When he looked back over, the wolf had taken a few steps out of the courtyard, looking back at him with eager anticipation, so Florian followed. After a few steps, he was already getting the hang of walking with four limbs instead of two.
They trotted along the winding path that had led them to the courtyard, and Florian marveled at the fact that he'd seen more emotion from Kade as a wolf than he'd ever seen on his face or in his voice while he was in human form. Though he was no exuberant golden retriever, there was a certain doglike playfulness to him in this form. Maybe he liked his wolf form better, he wondered—or maybe it was just the novelty of showing it to someone who had never seen it before.
When they reached the end of the stone path and were back in the main garden, Florian felt again from Kade—Follow!—but he hardly had time to react before the gray wolf had broken into a run, dashing into the garden. He didn't even have to think. The moment he saw Kade start to run, mouth open and ears pressed back, he too broke into a run and instinctually chased him through the bushes and trees.
Had he ever felt so excited just to run before? It felt as if joy radiated outward from him each time his paws hit the earth, so unbridled that it couldn’t be contained within his body. If he could, he would have been full-on belly laughing as he chased Kade around the garden, earthy and floral scents filling his nostrils.
Then as suddenly as he'd started, Kade stopped, whirling to face him and lowering his body in a play bow with his ears straight up.
Play!
Florian scrambled to a stop, his body instinctively lowering to mirror the play bow; and they watched each other motionlessly for a moment until Kade lunged at him. Though his teeth flashed, and a growl escaped Florian's throat as they jumped toward each other, there was no hostility as they wrestled. The only thing he could sense coming from Kade wasfun.
He could feel a sharp nibble from Kade's front teeth near his ears, and he darted away, turning back to jump and pressing his forelegs into Kade's shoulders. Without thinking, he answered the play bite, his teeth pressing through the thick fur around his neck—
A yelp escaped the other wolf, and Florian leapt away, suddenly frightened.
Stop!was the only thing Florian could make out from the jumble of emotions coming off of Kade, as he slunk a few steps away.Hurt.
Before Florian realized what was happening, the wolf was engulfed with light. In an instant, Kade's human form sat in front of him, pressing a hand to the side of his neck with a wince. When he pulled his hand away, it was smeared with blood.
