had been built here before I was born, in an attempt to avoid the worst of the dust Brandon’s car had kicked up as he pulled up. The tub was in good shape for being more than thirty years old; the water was always warm, without being too hot. It was crystal clear from being continuously fed from an artesian spring nearby, and overflowed into a cooler pool downstream, and in the process, cleaning out any debris that might fall into the water.
After Brandon parked and the dust started to settle, I headed back toward both vehicles to speak to him.
"Hey, how're you doing?" he asked, unfolding his body from the small car.
"Pretty good, Bill recommended that I take the week off work, possibly next too. We'll see how long it takes me to get used to my new strengths and skills."
"And how're you doing with that?"
"Pretty well I think, I spent yesterday morning working with Bill on my telepathy, and during the afternoon Karen worked on teaching me shielding. Bill said I just have to practice; I pretty much have the basics down. But I think shielding is going to take more work, it's not as instinctual for me as the telepathy."
"Understandable..." he said, nodding. “I've had a bit of practice with shielding so that I can stay out of people's minds unless I want to. I have a talent kind of like yours, only I don't hear things, I see them. Not thoughts, it's more that I can see through their eyes."
"Oh wow, that sounds more than a little creepy and I'd want to learn how to control that too. That would be about as much fun as hearing random bits of information out of people's heads."
"You hit the nail on the head with that one. You ready to run?"
"Sure, let me get around to the other side of my car to change and then I'll meet you down by the tub when I'm done." I heard him chuckle at my desire for some privacy to shift, but I ignored him.
I walked around to the driver’s side of my car and opened the rear door before I started slipping my sandals off, I pulled off my shorts and tank top, folding them neatly and setting them inside the rear door on the seat. I set my shoes in the floorboard and then locked and closed the door before I bent into position and shifted.
As the skin tingling sensation of shifting subsided I moved and stretched my wolf body. Though I’d shifted once since I discovered what I am, I hadn't been extremely active and now I felt the urge to move and work my muscles. I was also discovering how much stronger my sense of smell was in this form and what a distraction the myriad of scents around me could be. I could smell the sand and the acrid scent of the creosote bushes that grew so well in the area, as well as the gasoline, oil and exhaust scents that surrounded the two cars.
I padded the short distance from the cars to the tub where Brandon was waiting for me and I discovered that the water had a strong mineral scent to it as well, it wasn't an unpleasant odor, just unfamiliar. I moved further downstream and took a drink from the edge of the cool pond before turning back to Brandon.
*Are you ready?* I asked him mentally.
*As ever.* I heard his voice in my head as clearly as if he had spoken out loud.
*Which way are we gonna head?*
*Over the dunes is boring, it's just endless hills of sand. Let's see if we can unearth a rabbit, chasing one will be fun.* He thought as he started toward the brushy area to one side of the clearing.
I followed his lead, watching carefully how he moved with ease in and around the brush we were now headed deep into. I didn't notice the sagebrush until he brushed up against it, as the much stronger odor of creosote seemed to overpower the mild scent until we were right on top of it and that surprised me. I pushed my way through the long branches of the bush, ducked under the thorny arms of the occasional mesquite and carefully avoided the frequent patches of cactus. It didn't take long for Brandon to startle a jackrabbit in to running from him, and the chase was on.
I
After Brandon parked and the dust started to settle, I headed back toward both vehicles to speak to him.
"Hey, how're you doing?" he asked, unfolding his body from the small car.
"Pretty good, Bill recommended that I take the week off work, possibly next too. We'll see how long it takes me to get used to my new strengths and skills."
"And how're you doing with that?"
"Pretty well I think, I spent yesterday morning working with Bill on my telepathy, and during the afternoon Karen worked on teaching me shielding. Bill said I just have to practice; I pretty much have the basics down. But I think shielding is going to take more work, it's not as instinctual for me as the telepathy."
"Understandable..." he said, nodding. “I've had a bit of practice with shielding so that I can stay out of people's minds unless I want to. I have a talent kind of like yours, only I don't hear things, I see them. Not thoughts, it's more that I can see through their eyes."
"Oh wow, that sounds more than a little creepy and I'd want to learn how to control that too. That would be about as much fun as hearing random bits of information out of people's heads."
"You hit the nail on the head with that one. You ready to run?"
"Sure, let me get around to the other side of my car to change and then I'll meet you down by the tub when I'm done." I heard him chuckle at my desire for some privacy to shift, but I ignored him.
I walked around to the driver’s side of my car and opened the rear door before I started slipping my sandals off, I pulled off my shorts and tank top, folding them neatly and setting them inside the rear door on the seat. I set my shoes in the floorboard and then locked and closed the door before I bent into position and shifted.
As the skin tingling sensation of shifting subsided I moved and stretched my wolf body. Though I’d shifted once since I discovered what I am, I hadn't been extremely active and now I felt the urge to move and work my muscles. I was also discovering how much stronger my sense of smell was in this form and what a distraction the myriad of scents around me could be. I could smell the sand and the acrid scent of the creosote bushes that grew so well in the area, as well as the gasoline, oil and exhaust scents that surrounded the two cars.
I padded the short distance from the cars to the tub where Brandon was waiting for me and I discovered that the water had a strong mineral scent to it as well, it wasn't an unpleasant odor, just unfamiliar. I moved further downstream and took a drink from the edge of the cool pond before turning back to Brandon.
*Are you ready?* I asked him mentally.
*As ever.* I heard his voice in my head as clearly as if he had spoken out loud.
*Which way are we gonna head?*
*Over the dunes is boring, it's just endless hills of sand. Let's see if we can unearth a rabbit, chasing one will be fun.* He thought as he started toward the brushy area to one side of the clearing.
I followed his lead, watching carefully how he moved with ease in and around the brush we were now headed deep into. I didn't notice the sagebrush until he brushed up against it, as the much stronger odor of creosote seemed to overpower the mild scent until we were right on top of it and that surprised me. I pushed my way through the long branches of the bush, ducked under the thorny arms of the occasional mesquite and carefully avoided the frequent patches of cactus. It didn't take long for Brandon to startle a jackrabbit in to running from him, and the chase was on.
I
Similar Books
