By Hook or by Wolf

For years, my brothers and I have been hunting in these woods. We’ve used this place for food and for adventuring. Tonight we’re using the woods to run and to play. Without speaking about it, we can all sense the fact that we’re growing agitated and anxious without our mate close by.

I run ahead, followed by Lee and Cody. Together, we move swiftly through the underbrush, over hills, and around fallen logs. I leap over one log and my brothers do the same. We run.

Faster.

Faster.

Faster.

I’m in excellent shape, as we all are, and running doesn’t feel strenuous. It feels good. I can feel some of the tension from the day starting to melt away, starting to fade into oblivion. I love the way I’m starting to feel more calm. I love the way my heart is finally feeling normal.

We approach a clearing we know and love. Then we stop. I stand in the center of the clearing and my brothers circle around me because this is the part of the evening where we play a little game.

I’m stressed.

Tense.

We all are.

One of the best things about being a shifter is our strength, but it also means that fighting with people we know and trust can be really, really fun. Lee’s dark eyes pierce mine as he circles around me. I am the prey in this moment, but I’m not going to go down easy. Lee leaps at me and I jump away just as Cody comes forward, too. The two of them bump into each other and start wrestling, fighting.

The air is filled with growls as I jump into the mess of bodies and fur in the center of the clearing. Together, the three of us wrestle and fight one another.

Together, we allow the tension that’s been building up to finally seep away. We let go of the anxiousness, the frustration, the exhaustion.

I stop worrying about the fact that my entire body feels like its on fire and instead, I fight with my brothers.

We growl.

We nip.

We hit each other with our paws.

And then, finally, we release one another and we shift back.

“Damn,” Lee says, standing with his hands on his hips.

“Yeah,” Cody agrees.

“That was just what I needed,” I say, looking around. The moon is shining bright and the stars are out. It’s a totally clear, totally wonderful night.

“She’s going to be worth it, you know,” Lee says.

“She already is,” Cody says. “I knew when I saw her that we were meant to be together: that we all were.”

“It’s a strange feeling,” I agree. “I’d never really thought about us sharing a woman before.”

“I don’t feel jealous,” Lee says. He shakes his head, as though it’s the strangest problem. “I always thought that if I was in a situation like this, that I’d feel jealous. I don’t, though.”

“Me neither,” I agree. “If anything, it’s a relief to know that if anything happens to me, the woman I love will be taken care of.

My brothers murmur in agreement and then we walk to the edge of the clearing where a creek runs down over a cliff. It creates a lovely little waterfall that’s very beautiful to look at. Staring down, we eye the swimming hole beneath us. The moon is bright enough that there’s a clear view of the water beneath us. We’re all hot and tired, sweaty and gross, so it’s no surprise when Lee turns to us and grins.

“Me first,” he says, and leaps off the cliff.

Laughing, Cody follows.

I bring up the rear.