Chapter 46 Running together
“Come on, slowpoke!” Lyra called over her shoulder, laughing as we headed to the forest. “You’re stiff. Move those legs!” She added.
“I’m not slow!” I snapped, my pride flaring despite the soreness burning through my thighs.
“Oh, you are,” she shot back, smirking. “And don’t think I haven’t noticed. Last night left its mark, didn’t it? You’re moving like a… wounded deer.”
I clenched my jaw, glaring at her, but she only laughed, spinning around to dash ahead. Fine. If she wanted to turn this into a race, I’d play. I pushed myself harder, ignoring the sting in my muscles, ignoring the lingering heat of last night that made my stomach twist unpleasantly.
"Okay here we are, we are going to undress and shift", She spoke.
"Undress?, In front of you?", I glared at her, but she was already peeling off her jacket and her blouse with a casual ease that made my stomach twist. She shamelessly let her breasts free.
I hesitated, brushing my hands over my clothes. “I’m… not going to just ... undress like that in front of you,” I admitted, heat creeping into my cheeks, more from embarrassment than anything else.
Lyra’s grin widened, sharp and teasing. “Oh, don’t be such a prude. It’s just undressing. Nothing to be shy about. You’re scared you’ll lose to me?”
I shot her a glare, heart hammering. “I’m not scared.”
“Sure,” she said, stretching and letting the glow of her wolf eyes shimmer in the morning light. “Then show me what you’ve got.”
“Fine,” I muttered, taking off my own clothes, the cool air brushing against my skin. I kept my arms crossed, stubborn and self-conscious but she still gazed at my body with a wide smile. She was seriously weird.
"Okay, lets shift", I interrupted her.
With a deep breath, I let the tension coil in my muscles. I felt it first in my spine, then in my limbs, bones elongating, muscles knotting and expanding, fur brushing against my skin. My nails sharpened into claws, senses screaming to life. The smell of damp leaves, pine, and Lyra’s own wolf form filled my nose.
Lyra laughed, her wolf form sleek and black, tail lashing in excitement. “Finally! About time you admitted you’re a predator!”
I growled, chest swelling, feeling the power of my form coursing through me. The forest seemed to lean in closer, alive with every leaf, every snapping branch beneath my claws.
“Last chance to back out,” Lyra mind linked me as she crouched low to the ground, eyes glinting with challenge.
“Not a chance,” I growled back, muscles coiling. In a blur, we launched forward, leaping through the forest, leaves snapping under our claws. The wind whipped past our faces, the scent of pine sharp and exhilarating.
Lyra surged ahead, daring me to catch her. I bit back a shout, pushing through the soreness and the lingering fire in my muscles, tail lashing behind me for balance. Branches brushed against fur, roots threatened to trip me, but I didn’t slow.
The forest became a blur of green and brown as we twisted and darted, leapt and landed. Every ounce of strength, every flicker of instinct, burned through me. Lyra laughed behind me, her voice carried on the wind, and I snarled in playful challenge, refusing to let her win.
Branches snapped beneath my claws, leaves rained down around us, and my chest heaved with exertion but I didn’t care. The forest was ours, the competition ours, and for the first time since… well, since last night, I felt alive, free, untethered.
Lyra’s grin widened as she glanced back, eyes daring me. “Come on, Mara! You’re not even trying!”
I pushed harder, claws digging into the earth, heart hammering. “Watch me!”
And with a burst of speed, I closed the gap, the thrill of the hunt and the chase surging through me like wildfire.
without warning, she spun, coming back at me in a mock attack, teeth bared in a playful snarl. I jumped aside, tail whipping, and she darted past, laughing or at least, the wolf equivalent, a high-pitched, gleeful howl.
We were no longer thinking about the competition. Every motion, every snarl and bark, every flick of tail or shift of weight was communication. Challenge, invitation, teasing, it all flowed between us naturally.
I crouched low, racing forward, then suddenly pivoted, dodging a branch and skidding in the dirt, forcing her to swerve sharply. She barked in surprise, then let out a rolling growl of delight, nudging me with her shoulder as we barreled side by side.
We leapt over a small stream, water splashing around our paws, and I lunged at her, not to bite but to push, to play, to test her reflexes. She ducked, rolled, and came back at me again, teeth glinting in the dappled sunlight, eyes bright and alive.
Branches whipped past, leaves fell in our wake, and our laughter, feral, wordless, pure filled the forest. I had never felt so untethered, so completely alive. My muscles burned with exertion, my lungs heaved, but the soreness of yesterday, the lingering shadows of last night, they melted away in the rush of movement and instinct.
We chased each other in endless loops, darting between trees, spinning in sudden arcs, challenging one another to sprint faster, leap farther, twist sharper. Each mock growl, each nudge, each playful bite at the scruff was part of the dance.
For a moment, I forgot everything but the forest, the wind, the thrill of speed, and the sheer joy of movement. Lyra’s wolf form moved like poetry, fluid, confident, teasing me with every bound and I pushed myself to match her, to test my limits, to feel the exhilaration of being fully free.
Finally, we collapsed in a sunny clearing, panting, tails lashing, fur damp with dew and dirt. I rolled onto my back, ears twitching as she nudged me playfully, pressing her side against mine. A soft, shared growl of contentment passed between us.
The sun warmed the clearing as we lay there, panting, ears twitching, tails thumping lazily against the soft grass. My chest heaved, muscles trembling from the sprint and endless leaps. Lyra’s sleek black form pressed against mine, fur damp and glistening with dew, and a low, satisfied growl rumbled between us, her way of saying, well played.
Lyra nudged me again, softer this time, and I realized we were both ready to return to our human forms. I drew a shuddering breath and concentrated, letting the wolf instincts loosen, the muscles shrink, the fur fade, the claws retract. The world softened around me as I shifted back, and Lyra shifted too.
Finally, Lyra rolled her shoulders and turned to look at me. We were fully naked again but she didn’t even care about it. “See? Told you it was worth it,” she said, voice soft now, free of teasing. “You held your own, Mara. Not bad for your first proper run as a wolf.”
"I swear on my life this nightmare better be over." I told her as I hoisted myself up off of the ground not caring about my nakedness.
"Today is over, but tomorrow the real fun starts, we are going to train together like warriors " She stated with humor that was unreciprocated on my part.
"I'll look forward to it!" I said with a big fat smile plastered onto my sweating face. I was very thankful that werewolves avoided sunburns because I would probably have a face the color of a tomato by now.
Spending this much time under the sun was never my first option.
"Oh I'm sure you will enjoy it, Mara. Now let's go before you drop dead from heat stroke although I can't say I'd miss you too much." She said with a sneer before wiping some invisible dirt off her flawless naked skin. Her focus now diverted from me giving me the perfect opportunity to flip her off, wore my clothes quickly before following her trail.
She didn’t first fully get dressed up but I didn’t comment about it.
She gets on my nerves the more time I spend with her. It's constant bickering and rude remarks testing my self control but I ignore it.
"Where are we heading to now?", I asked.