4. Hernan

Chapter 4

Hernan

My trip to the junk stores had proved to be what I needed… or at least enough of a jump start to get me moving. The funny thing was that it wasn’t the design elements or themes of the items I’d purchased or the pictures I took that made a difference. Not really. It was that one little elf. I had him on the shelf, looking in my direction, and for some reason, his gaze kept me focused. Something about him had me not wanting to disappoint the cutie.

He wasn’t a person or even an elf. There was nothing alive about him, but still, something about the artistry turned him into a silent cheerleader. The first few days, I pushed that feeling back. But this morning I found myself showing him a new mug design and asking his opinion. That’s when I recognized my need to shift. If I didn’t get out and let my beast free soon, I was going to become a recluse of an artist whose only friend was his work and a random trinket.

I closed up my studio space and got in my car, driving to my favorite shifting spot. It was close enough to my home to not be a huge trek, but the mountains were tall enough that I could fly unnoticed as long as I was careful to listen for drones and planes.

Hunt? My dragon was getting excited. It had been too long since I’d let him spread his wings.

We can. Are you hungry? Usually he wanted to burn shit, but since I’d been more productive, he’d been able to sate that side of him more than he had been.

Fox.

It wasn’t an answer, but it would do.

I pulled off the road and onto the path I always used. It wasn’t exactly a road or even a driveway, but it was flat and went to the clearing and was close enough.

The sun was beginning to set, the sky filled with reds, oranges, and pinks all blending together and in spots resembling fire. This was my favorite time of day to come.

I wasted no time getting undressed and stepping far enough from my car to shift. I fell back, allowing my beast to take over. He ripped through me, his excitement undeniable, and he took to the air before his feet even hit the ground.

His mission to dine on a fox took over, and instead of soaring in the air like I’d expected him to, he kept low, watching the ground for any sign of movement. This was when the critters would first start to stir or were getting ready to hide away for the night, making it the perfect time for hunting.

My dragon passed on some squirrels, a rabbit, and two skunks. I was grateful on the skunks, because as fast as my dragon could swoop down, he wasn’t always quite fast enough to avoid us getting sprayed. The scent took weeks to get out of my nose. Not. A. Fan.

A rustling in a bush caught his attention, and instead of circling around or diving in, he landed on the ground, forcing a shift.

What the fuck? I wasn’t usually that blunt with him, not wanting his brattiness to emerge, but it was cold out and I was naked.

Look. Keep. I had no idea what he was talking about, but he was being insistent, and I was cold, so I walked over to the bush.

A tiny kitten, not much bigger than my hand, stared up at me.

“What are you doing here? Are you all alone?” I scooped them up, and they licked my hand, more like a dog than a cat. Or maybe that was a kitten thing. I’d never had a pet, so I had no idea.

Keep.

If their mom is here, they are staying put. I wasn’t going to arbitrarily remove the little one just because they were adorable. That was for sure.

Look. Look.

I carried the fur ball and scented the area, looking for either the rest of their litter or their parent. I found neither.

“Fine.” I rubbed noses with the little one. “You can come home with us. I promise my dragon won’t eat you.”

My beast pushed at me. He wanted out after forcing me into my skin. I wished he’d freaking make up his mind.

I set the kitten down and walked far enough away to shift without harming them. My dragon took his wings, and as he stood there, the kitten ran up to him and climbed on his foot and rubbed against his leg.

Looked like there was no need to worry about a scared kitten after all.

Ever so slowly, my dragon walked back to the clearing, with our kitten, for apparently that’s what was happening, holding on to him the best they could the entire trip.

Instead of shifting back, my dragon curled up on the ground and took a nap with the kitten. How was this my life? But also… I didn’t mind.

It was dark when I took my skin again, getting dressed, gathering up the kitten, and driving straight to the local pet supply store. The sales person saw me coming, and I ended up with a cart full of items I hadn’t even known existed before, but that they insisted would make life better for both the cutie and myself.

I didn’t think twice about picking up every single one of them. This little one already made my dragon more settled than he’d been in a long time. And besides, who didn’t love having a companion to hang out with while they work.

At least now I wouldn’t be chatting up a knick-knack every day. Probably. Maybe. There was something about that figurine that had me feeling like maybe I still would. But now I’d have my fur baby too.

“What’s their name?” the clerk asked.

“I’m not sure yet. They haven’t told me.”

“You should pick a Christmas name. A new kitten is the best Christmas present ever.”

I wasn’t sure if I’d call a living being a “present,” but I had to agree, they were the best.