Chapter 36: Trial And Error

“Let’s rest here,” Jasper says, slowing his horse near a group of dead trees.
Eliana sighs with relief as he slides down from their steed, her heart beginning to finally calm down.
He turns around reaching up to help her descend.
“I am able to get down on my own,” she murmurs, swinging her leg over the side.
Jasper is right behind her, though, his hands finding her sides to ease her movement.
Eliana gasps, a fire exploding in the pit of her stomach, taking over her entire body. His hand causes her shirt to bunch up, the breeze brushing against her bare skin.
“Are you alright,” Jasper questions close to her ear once she is standing on the ground.
“Uh, I’m fine,” she forces out harshly.
Refusing to even look at him, she moves away, her chest tight. She gulps, moving to Alma in order to begin unpacking some of the food.
“I will go hunt for some meat. I saw some deer running around about a mile to the north,” Evyn states sliding down form his horse. “It will be easier to hunt without the horse getting in my way.” He pats the animal on the back.
“Be safe,” Jasper nods before moving to the tree line and grabbing some large branches to start a fire with.
“Should we be staying long,” Alma wonders mainly to herself. “What if they catch up to us?”
“We cannot continue going and not eat or allow our horses rest. We will run them into the ground.” Jasper sets down the branches as he explains. He looks up, his focus on Eliana, but she refuses to make eye contact and unwraps some bread, offering it to Alma.
Olisnia wanders into the trees without a word, her hair flowing behind her.
Eliana hands Alma a larger piece of bread and whispers to the werebird, “Give this to Jasper please.”
The younger girl stares up at her momentarily, confusion lining her brow. She nods uncertainly and shuffles over to the werebear.
“Here, have some bread while we wait for Evyn to return.”
“Thank you,” Jasper smiles down at her but shifts his gaze back to Eliana who has pivoted away, tending to the horses.
When Alma leaves his side to check on the other two horses, Jasper makes his way toward Eliana. He pauses when he is a couple of yards away, giving her distance.
As Jasper speaks, his voice vibrates through her body. She has to hold her breath in order to not reveal her reaction. “Eliana, why are you avoiding me?”
She shakes her head and breathes in deeply. “I am sorry if I made you feel this way. I did not mean to do so.”
“You are alright, though?” He walks around to face her, his gaze soft.
Eliana refuses to make eye contact, staring at the ground instead. “Yes, thank you.”
Jasper nears her, his body heat warming her skin. His lavender scent causes her chest to ache. He reaches out and brushes a stray lock from her face. His fingers end up gently touching her cheek in the process. She bites down a sigh at the explosion of sensations and sways back and forth.
“Jasper, please,” Eliana glances away before she is able to give in to her emotions. She bites her lip and inhales deeply. It is a long minute before she takes a chance to look back at him.
A dark shadow has taken hold of his features, his jaw shifting as he grinds his teeth. She opens her mouth to speak, but Olisnia interrupts her.
“Eliana, come here, I have much to discuss with you before we depart.”
Hesitating, she eyes Jasper who stares at the ground, his brow crumpled. Forcing her heart down, Eliana pivots and approaches Olisnia.
“Why have you not told him yet,” the Drulian questions leading the Princess into the trees to slightly obscure their presence.
Eliana forces away any thought of her feelings for Jasper, “If I were to tell him that I might be a werecat, it will cause more questions and eventually I would have to tell him who I truly am. He will not react calmly.”
“You are a werecat, there is no doubt. Because of this, the soul bond is unbreakable. Even if he is initially angry, he will not remain so. The pull of a mate is almost impossible to ignore forever.”
“You do not know that I am a werecat. I do not have any abilities other than this so-called soul bond. You cannot even prove that.”
“I am able to see auras. Every race has their own unique color. Humans have a white shadow that follows them around coating the air. Pivurlions, on the other hand, are enshrouded in an ebony mass.” Olisnia pauses once they are not able to see the others anymore.
“And me,” Eliana asks skeptically. How is it she can see so much?
“You have a mixture. Almost half and half, which is odd since you are only one fourth of a Pivurlion. There is also a golden haze blending into the rest. It is a clear signature of a werecat.”
“Why is that? Why are the Kexon so special?”
Olisnia sighs, scratching her temple. “In the beginning, we created many werecats. They were the majority of the experiments we performed. We found that they were the strongest. They can outmaneuver a bear, and are much quicker than a wolf. While the other clans whittled down, the Kexon only got stronger. In the end they took power over all of Xalonia. They were fearsome creatures that even Drulians did not want to meddle with, but they were not cruel. They were, or rather are, honest and benevolent rulers. That is who you will be.”
Eliana tries to absorb everything that she is saying. “Even if I were a Kexon, how could I shift? Isn’t it too late to learn?”
“Oh, never,” Olisnia chuckles and waves a hand to a fallen tree. “Here, sit.”
Biting back a groan, Eliana complies and carefully sits on the trunk, hoping that it did not break underneath her.
Olisnia continues, “Now, close your eyes and breathe out slowly.”
She raises her brow at the Drulian, skeptical of what will happen. After a moment she gives in, sighs, and closes her eyes.
“Focus on your soul, clearing your mind. Only think of your form. Imagine your body becoming lighter, more agile. Think of yourself dashing through these trees, the wind blowing through your hair.”
Eliana tries to comply. She pictures herself rushing around the trunks of the small wooded area, the cool wind blowing her hair back. A giggle builds in her chest as she imagines running faster than she has ever run before.
“Isn’t it freeing? Now, imagine your hair much shorter, covering your entire body, keeping you warm from the cold air. Your hands have now condensed into large paws, patting against the dirt as you run. Your tail is swaying back and forth.”
Brow furrowing, Eliana twitches as she tries to do as she is asked. She rolls her shoulders wondering how this will help anything. She is now running on all fours, her body covered in fur.
“Accept the freedom, the instincts circulating through your body. You can see more clearly, everything bright, and you can hear a conversation in the distance. Revel in the sheer power you hold.”
Eliana releases a quivering breath as her nerves vibrate with the power. In her mind she is running through the forest, enjoying her freedom. She slides around the trees, now vibrant colors and alive, laughing as she breathes the fresh air.
Once the initial shock wears off, Eliana opens her eyes and looks down. There is nothing different. She has not even moved an inch since she sat down.
“This is not working,” she growls out, almost a hiss.
“It is alright, it is only the first time. We will continue practicing.” Olisnia moves to her side, sitting next to her for a moment.
She contorts her features with her sneer. “I am not a werecat, there is no way I will even come remotely close to shifting. I am sorry you have come all this way for nothing.”
“Nonsense, you will unlock your powers, believe me. It just takes time. I was not born with these abilities myself. I trained from a very young age. We can take a break for now and eat.” The Drulian stands, urging Eliana to do the same.
“So you begin learning magic as a child,” she questions as they begin their walk back.
“Yes, from the age of four we are put in school. All year long we train, until the age of thirteen. At that moment we get our tattoos that are infused by the elders with the amount of Magic that our bodies can handle. We constantly train even after that, to exemplify out abilities.”
Surprise rolls through Eliana, “Your parents are fine with that?”
Olisnia shakes her head, “I have no parents. None of us do. We are all raised by the Council. They are our family. It is a way to keep us form forming close blonds. It gives our enemies leverage over us if they see we have a weakness.”
“But the war has been over for years.”
“Humans are greedy and terrified of anything they cannot understand. Another war will come, and we must be ready for it.”