"Huuu," Anderson shakily exhaled out loud, it was done. Looking up at the sky, it was dusk. They spent an entire day sitting in this clearing. Listening to Aurora's bones breaking and realigned into the shape of her wolf.
Aurora laid on her side panting, soft whines came out of her mouth, and the aftereffects of the shift were blatantly clear. Aurora almost died. 'Finally,' Anderson thought to his wolf, Cyrus.
Shakily, he raised his hand and placed it on her furry back. Anderson closed his eyes to stop his tears but she didn't flinch away. Softly he rubbed her fur and whispered, "You have done great, my love."
Aiden, seeing his father had no trouble touching Aurora now, went to touch her big wolf's head. Her eyes were closed, but he knew she was awake. "You did it, sis, you did it!"
The trio stayed like that until the sun completely set and the night sky shone brightly above them. Aurora's breathing was more stable as the night wind blew through the clearing. Finally, having enough strength, she tried to stand. Just trying that alone was hard. But she persisted and, with the assistance of Aiden and Anderson, she stood wobbly.
"Aiden shift into your wolf," Anderson suddenly told Aiden. Frowning, Aiden faced his father with a confused look. "It's better if she has company in her wolf form one last time."
Aiden pursed his lips as he nodded, he glanced at his listless sister who stood still sniffing at the cold grass in front of her. Aiden moved without even bothering to take off his clothes. He shifted into his black wolf, tearing through them.
Aiden moved to Aurora and bumped his snout into hers. Aurora raised her eyes and met his. Aiden could see the pain and almost emptiness in her eyes. Aiden couldn't help but let out a soft whine. His perfectly good sister was deteriorating right before his eyes and he couldn't do anything.
He felt so helpless. Aiden looked at his father, who only shook his head. 'We can do nothing, we can only remind her we are here and help her in any way we can.' Anderson said in mind linked to Aiden.
'Then what do we do? Stay here until she runs out of steam?' Aiden asked his father, who once again shook his head no.
'We need to get her to run. Just around this area. It's her last run as a werewolf, she'll never be able to shift again.' Anderson explained and Aiden nodded. 'We can't mindlink her anymore as she doesn't have a wolf, so let's do this the old-fashioned way.'
"Aurora, can you move?" Anderson asked Aurora, who was spacing off, looking at the sky above them. "Aurora?"
Aurora turned her head and looked at her father, giving him a glimpse of her pain-filled gaze.
And even that gaze was slowly fading into emptiness. Anderson would be damned if he let her die inside in front of his eyes.
"Let's have a run?" Anderson asked her softly. Aurora paused, she seemed to be trying to mind link. Seeing her eyes sink deeper into emptiness as realization dawned on her, Aiden and Anderson couldn't even comfort her.
'What were they going to say to her? Sorry, the thing that was second nature to you is no longer working, but don't worry it'll get better?' They could never say it because that wouldn't help her.
"Come Aurora, let's run," Anderson gripped the nape of her neck and pulled her. He knew if he did not she would not move. Aiden followed his father's lead and moved to her butt and nudged her forward with his snout.
With the pulling and pushing, Aurora reluctantly began walking forward with shaky legs. Each step got more stable than the last, the weakness and pain from the shift was numbing away.
Anderson led her, Aiden walked beside her and when they made the first lap around the clearing, they sped up. The walk turned into a light jog, It took two laps around the clearing for the jog to turn into a run. Then the run turned into a sprint.
Anderson stood in the middle of the clearing, having let go of Aurora a long time ago, with his arms folded on his chest. He watched his children running. Each lap Aurora pushed herself to run faster, the wind flattened her fur. It was a freedom she'd never have again.
She would never be able to dash through the forest nor would she be able to feel the cool breeze against her face as she ran. She'd never be able to dig a hole or chase rabbits or deer with her friends or family again. Most hurtful of it all she'd never be able to hear, feel or sense Ren ever again.
This was the last. Ren was gone. She was dead. If only she wasn't so confused at that time, maybe she could have held on to Ren. Maybe she would have been able to keep her wolf alive.
Aurora stopped, she skidded across the forest floor at her sudden movement. She stopped and looked up at the sky. This was it, she could feel it happening, her time was up.
"Awooooooooo!" Aurora howled mournfully as she sat on her hind legs. Aiden stopped when she did and move towards her. He rubbed his big furry body against her before mirroring her. He howled.
"Awoooooooo!" Aiden howled. Anderson hesitated a few seconds but decided to shift into his wolf and walk up to his children. He sat on the other side of Aurora and also howled.
"Awoooooooo!" He howled. The three looked at each other before howling once more. "Awooooooo!"
Aurora's time was up, her howling turned into pain whimpering as she fell to her side. But unlike the shift earlier, her bones didn't crack as loudly nor was it unbearably painful.
The fur and skin melted off her as she lay on the floor. As it melted off, her light brown skin was visible. Aiden and Anderson immediately shift into human form, seeing that was happening.
It was Aiden's first time seeing something like this. He watched as her limbs shrunk back to human form and her skin stretched and melted off before turning into a gas form before floating away.
It didn't take hours for this to happen. In fact, it took no more than two minutes. When it was done, the three were silent. Aurora laid there on her side curled up naked as the day she was born.
Somehow, it felt different to her. She felt like her entire soul was left bare. Aurora looked at the sky, the cold breeze nipped at her bare skin.
"Cold," She muttered raspily, she felt cold. Never in her life had she ever felt cold, as a werewolf's body temperature was always higher than average. A werewolf could be stark naked in winter, with heavy snow falling, and they would never say that they were cold.
"I'm cold," she rolled to lay flat on her back, she moved her right hand and used her arm to cover her eyes. Her body ached with pain from just that movement alone,
'Ren, please answer me. Ren!' Aurora closed her eyes as tears rolled down from her eyes into her hairline. 'Please, please don't leave me.'
Aiden moved, wanting to comfort his sister, but Anderson stopped him. 'Nothing you say will make a difference, she won't listen and she won't care. Lets just leave her to cry it out. Just hold her hand. That is all we need to do.'
Aiden's lips moved wanting to say something out loud, but Anderson sternly gave him a look and he had no choice but to swallow his words and follow what his dad told him. Aiden moved and gently grabbed his sister's free hand. It was cold. Aiden had never felt someone's hand feel so cold before.
Aurora froze up feeling his touch, slowly she moved her hand away from her eyes and opened it. Her eyes were red and swollen. Anderson quickly moved and grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips.
His warm lips touched her icy hand, it reminded Aurora that they were here once more. No words could describe the relief she had as she fainted into the darkness. Her body was at it's limit.