The pain of the light subsided. I stood outside with thick green branches blocking three paths. My dirty fingers traced a divot in the thick branch nearest me; it mirrored the size and shape of the gem. Clack. Clack. Clack.

I had to move away from this cave. I pressed the jewel into the divot. The wood creaked and burst, splintering jagged pieces over my body. I gasped at the little brown nettles poking through my shirt. Pain erupted over my chest and arms. The clacking came closer. I moved through the new opening to follow one of the paths. Up ahead, the three paths merged to two.

I felt too exposed on the paths; I decided to move away from all three and into the forest. I had to find safety. I knew I needed to find a hut, but I couldn't do anything if I couldn't move. Each step felt more painful as the nettles sank in deeper. I tried pulling one out, and the nettle broke off with the tip still buried deep under my skin. Wind clobbered the thick brush around me. A purple thorned branch scratched my elbow.

Snap.

My breath slowed to a quiet. I shifted my balance, ready to run if needed. Instead of the clacking, a horse-like creature peeked around a thick tree trunk. I took a step toward the beast for a better look.

Its piercing blue eyes followed me. This horse-elk-deer thing had dark silvery antlers curved forward and back. On its black forehead, two thick stocks branched out with silvery ridges swirling around the beam like a cross between a stag's antler, a unicorn's lightning horn, or two dragon horns that ended in six-branching sharp points. Each main stock had raised ridges swirling along the main antler. Odd. Beautiful. Never seen anything like this in Chicago, but I guess I'm not in Chitown anymore.

While Dr. Frost told me not to linger, but I couldn't take my eyes from the magnificent beast. The animal took two steps giving me a view of its stunning body, and stole a bite from one of the purple branches, still ignoring me altogether.

The antlers looked huge compared to its body. Somehow the muscular creature held its head high even though the rack was almost a fourth of the creature's body length curving in an arc towards its back. Swirls of black and silver fur like a husky or a wolf covered its body. My attention diverted to the sparkling blue scaly-looking symbols interrupting the thick pelt on its side from head to bum.

The black mane was similar to a horse at first. The one-inch wide mane slightly mohawked its way down from the top of the head between the horns down its spine ending at its rear. Its thick, fluffy, black tail curled up and looked at least as long as the entire torso. Muscular legs ended, with Clydesdale-like tufts over its paws/hoofs.

Two silver lines etched into its black face traced the contours of its nose and up over its eyes like a fabulous eyebrow arch. Under its eye, the two silver lines curved back to lead down to its black and silver chin. Its chin had short wispy tufts of a black goatee with two silver tufts on each side. The creature blew out its nose on a leaf, then its mouth ate the bare branch. The leaf floated to the dirt floor.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

My head jerked toward the sound. My limited choices seemed grim, and I happened to be too exposed; I needed to move. The elk-creature pawed at the ground toward the base of a large tree with some great climbing branches. I narrowed my eyes. I could either run and hope whatever direction I took would be in the orientation of the hut, or I could hide. The purple vegetation didn't seem thick enough to hide me well. The tree looked sturdy but covered in tiny thorns.

The tree it is. The muscle memory from my childhood tree climbing youth came to me, and I made quick work to the top of the first branch. When I reached for the next, I tried to keep the tree between myself and the direction the beast would be coming from. My fingers found some thorns. I silently screamed, putting my mouth to my shoulder and trying to breathe for a moment. I couldn't wait, though. I needed to get higher. Crying would have to wait. My hands became bloody messes as the thorns punctured my grip, but I didn't flinch. I lifted my body up another branch.

When I looked down to assess my height, the deer-creature reached for another branch, but this time, its attention was not on me but the cave opening I now had a view of. A hulking shadow paused. I swallowed and hugged myself into the tree, ignoring the nettles being stabbed deeper in my chest. If I cried, I died, and I wouldn't make a sound. I moved a hand to a new branch if I needed to move up again.

The deer blew its nose on another leaf, making it fall to the ground. Its dagger-like teeth sliced open the branch and chewed its new treat. What would such a creature be called? A mix between a deer and a dragon, but with no wings.

The shape of its face and its scaley skin under the fur was quite perplexing. I shifted my weight in case I needed to jump. I heard more clacking much closer; my adrenaline spiked. I tried to breathe slow and quiet to calm myself, but energy pumped through my veins, trying to encourage me to run.

The familiar long nails on stone changed to branches snapping. One of the city-creatures was coming.

I heard the bushes move first, wishing I was wrong, but I wasn't. I remembered the large silver and black body. The creature dragged its sparking talons behind it as it jumped into a run. Their eyes met. The deer-creature growled, and the tips of its branching antlers swirled with blues and silver lightning. The deer raised its legs showing off its thick muscular chest black with the ends of the long strands of hair sparkling white like a shield of fur.

This city-creature reminded me of Bigfoot or a yeti, but also more like a bear and a dog. These creatures moved like a gorilla, both standing on two feet and using their arms on the ground when needed. The two bodies crashed.

The deer's scaley symbols rippled, blue lightning snapped from the antlers to the yeti's talons. Yeti roared in pain. The beast swiped at the antlers clashing in sparks, and both creatures shook as if being electrocuted. I covered my mouth, trying not to scream. I had to move away from this scene and quick too.

I shifted and climbed as quiet as I could to branches closest to the next tree. I climbed over, trying not to slip, though the thorns felt like a suction to the tree, keeping my grip tight. I bit my lip while thinking. The next move I needed to make ended up being a slight jump to the next tree.

The two creatures continued their electric fight beneath me. The yeti's poisonous slobber seemed to have no effect on the deer, but its energy waned. I worried.

Should I intervene? What could I do way up here lest I give my position away?

My mind moved like mud. The deer somehow hooked a horn into the beast's side and tossed the beast into the rocks of the tree. The yeti growled and ran back. The deer steeled itself, and again a new spark rippled through its scales and to the horns. A stream of lighting zigzagged, pinging off the talons of the beast. The creature howled in pain.

I couldn't wait any longer. I grabbed a sizable ball-like fruit on one of the trees and pitched it as hard as I could in the opposite direction of the cave. The fruit made a satisfying clunk. Both creatures looked toward the sound, but only the yeti budged as it bulldozed its way towards the direction of the sound.

I looked back towards the deer-creature, but it disappeared! I frowned. Hearing the rampaging creature running further away, I continued looking for the hut. I stayed in the trees though my hands felt numb from the torn's pain. A pink light shined in my face coming from the east, pulling me in that direction; I jumped to the next tree.

I caught myself with the branch above. But my hands started to slip from the blood on my hands. I wiped as much of it on my shorts but sent new stabs of sharp pains through my palms. I didn't dare wipe a tear away, afraid the action would hurt my fingers too much. So hands are not numb.

Moving kept my adrenaline going. My one goal- find the hut. I misjudged the space on the next jump. Twisting my body at the last minute, I wrapped a finger around the purple bark. I felt like one of those Ninja-Warriors jumping from finger edge to edge. Like them, my stamina dwindled fast.

I could see through the leaves from my hanging position and located six huts. Each had a beige thatched roof made of fronds and something like clay. Something sparkled on each door, but I couldn't see it very well. I needed to get closer. There might be symbols? I looked down and didn't see any creatures nearby. I looked up; the sun in the sky nipped at the tips of the treetops. I couldn't dawdle any longer.

I found my path and swung, imitating a gymnast the best I could. I missed the last one, thanks to my own cockiness, landing on my ankle weird and hearing a pop. The impact stole my breath, and I became a crumpled mess on the forest floor. A groan escaped; I slapped a bloody wet hand over my mouth. I had to pull myself up and ran stumbling towards the huts, leaving a trail of blood from my hands, arms, and legs. My lungs crying for air, but I couldn't give it too soon. That would make too much noise, and I already made too much noise, a beacon for the creature.

As I got closer to the huts, I recognized the sparkles were indeed symbols. The far left one looked similar to the one from the pink gem slat. I stumbled forward, pressing my shoulder against the door holding my breath.

Pop.

When I opened my eyes, the brightness again light-blinded me.

A small crowd cheered and applauded. I looked down, my hands as unscathed as a newborn's bum. Instead of being inside a hut, I stood back in the wide training area from this morning. Several people stood nearby clapping and hollering, only two I recognized. I noticed an unsmiling Dr. Frost first. Her eyes narrowed in. She walked over to me, handing me a bag with a straw containing water, I assumed. I took deep drinks of the refreshing like spring water, but with a sharp metal tang as if blood lingered on my lips.

"Your mind must be going crazy right now." Dr. Frost gave a kind smile and looked more worried than sad. "How do you feel?"

I didn't know. I still felt the rush of adrenaline pumping through my veins. The lingering memories of the pain still felt fresh. I rubbed my hands and my chest. Everything confused me because I appeared to be okay, and my brain and body weren't on the same page.

"Keep staring at your hands, feel the bag. Squeeze it." Frost said.

I did as I was told. The bag felt like a knitted koozie. I squeezed again; it was half full now. The cloth was cool and dry.

"It can be confusing when you first come out of a training session after being so torn up. The pain is there, so you don't do it again, and your brain remembers the pain and thus the lessons. However, the process is confusing, especially if you haven't been through it before. You did amazing, though!" Dr. Frost smiled bigger.

Scott said, slapping my back, "Amazing isn't even the word for it!"

I turned and smiled at him.

"No one gets to the hut on the first try, and you did it with time to spare." He explained.

"Only because the Alphas didn't know what to do with her odd decisions. Who would dare climb a Liche tree which has poisonous leaves?" A snarky feminine-sounding voice said behind Scott. She eyed me, and my jaw dropped. The person standing near Scott looked precisely like the warrior from my dream.

"This is Nita, one of our best warriors. She's jealous she didn't do the same on her first trek through the training grounds." Scott introduced her. "The others you see are Betas and Gammas who were assessing you for their guilds, but I'll explain more about that later."

Nita huffed. ""You do not know my mind, Healer. I merely wondered what gave her the idea?"

"Well, that'll have to wait until after we all get some lunch," Scott said and offered an arm to me.

Thankful of the diversion, I nodded at Nita and took his elbow. I moved to give the bag back to Dr. Frost, but she made the 'no' gesture.

Scott took us to an outer courtyard that had a collection of tables. Several baskets of what looked like fruits and veggies in the middle of each.

"I wouldn't eat or drink too much. Everything has a lot more calories than you're used to, and we don't know how much the Goddess healed you. On that note, I would like to take you over to the Healing Hut after lunch."

I nodded.

Nita grabbed a few different fruits and started gnawing on a long flat fruit. "Now, I want to hear from her."

"Not now, Nita." Scott's voice lowered.

"Why not now?"

"Isn't that Lu coming over here?" Dr. Frost asked.

Nita's head dipped as if she tried to hide under the table. "I'm going to eat in my hut." She twirled and ran off.

Scott snickered. "That was cruel."

"I didn't think it would work!" She responded.

I looked back and forth.

"Lu has a crush on Nita since they were younglings. It's not reciprocal. Nita has been avoiding Lu. I didn't think still after all these years!" Dr. Frost shrugged, biting a spiky green fruit. She sighed. "I missed obsi." She lifted the fruit. "It's like sweet potatoes."

I slammed my hand on the table. Everyone looked at me. I had been so patient. I needed information. They were wasting time gabbing. I pointed around and put my hands parallel to the floor with my palms up.

"Sorry. I promised you information." Scott frowned.

I nodded. I double waved a "go ahead" gesture.

Scott had a satchel draped across his body. He reached in grabbing a book, and laid it in front of me. "This book can explain things better than I could, but I'll try to give you the TL DR while you eat, but you have to eat something first. Your training took a lot out of you, both mentally and physically. Think of the training as similar to a VR simulation." He handed me a long grey-looking fruit or vegetable. "This is Oba. It looks like a grey celery but tastes like pesto. It's like eating a long noodle filled with pesto. Oba is one of my favorites."

I took it from him. The Oba crunched like celery. The inside tasted crunchy and smooth; it reminded me of eating a delicious Pad Thai. The cheesy basil flavor didn't have an oily taste. I also grabbed the thing Dr. Frost called obsi because I loved sweet potatoes and missed them. I took a bite. The spiky part, the rind, felt tough, but it had a soft underside like a perfectly baked sweet potato. I nodded at Dr. Frost, and she nodded back. This may be my favorite too.

"Ok. So, I'm not sure where to start. You can read about our history and the legends in the book, but the most important part is who we are. In human terms, we are..." He fidgeted. He looked to Dr. Frost, who nodded encouragingly. "We are what you would call werewolves."

They both looked at me.

I wanted to laugh, but as I stared back at them, both looking apprehensive and scared, I knew they weren't joking. Hell, with all the creatures and the whole weird thing at the cave lake, should I be surprised something like a werewolf exists?

No. They told their truth, whatever it was. I nodded.

"You're not going to freak out?" Scott asked.

I pointed to my legs and my blue mouth opening it wide.

He chuckled. "Of course, you would be understanding with everything you went through. Umm. Ok. Since you can't ask too many questions, I'll try to answer what I think you would most want to know."

I nodded, munching away on my obsi.

"Everyone who lives here is a species we call Shifters. We only shift during hunts or in times of great harm to our community. Mostly we stay in our two-legged form." He pointed to himself. "Shifting is painful when one doesn't do it often. We do not hunt humans. The only exceptions are the warriors and trackers who shift for their patrols and training. Pith is very large. You're from Chicago, so for reference, our town is the size of a small city like Galena or Woodstock."

Dr. Frost cleared her throat. "But the reason Scott wants to take you to the healing hut is that we would like your permission to do a wellness exam to see how much you have changed from your baptism."

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"There's a... small chance the Goddess may have given you some other... gifts," Scott added.

I shook my head like I used to with my mom- the look many teens achieve of both incredulity and confusion.

"And while Dr. Frost runs her tests, you can read more in the book."

I shrugged and got up. I wished I could say, "Then lets just go." But I waved my hand, trying to encourage them to show me the way. Scott and Dr. Frost looked at each other. Dr. Frost sighed but led the three of us. While we walked, Scott rambled about how much he missed being here. How its smell feels like home. To be honest, I stopped listening. A few heads peek out of huts; some small children ushered back inside once their parents saw. I wanted to ask why the villagers hiding still, but I couldn't.

"Here we are." Dr. Frost smiled. The healing hut was a large thatched hut similar to the others, but inside was surprisingly modern. There was a large open floor plan but appeared to have lofts of different offices. The main floor had a few beds, chairs, and the walls were filled with books or jars of herbs. Dr. Frost sat me on one of the beds. Then she and Scott walked over to a shelf filled with different fabrics. They were whispering to each other, and Dr. Frost shook her head. I felt my anxiety rise. What were they arguing about? Me? Probably. But why? And what did they disagree on?

Scott gave me a medical-like gown to put on when they approached. Scott closed a curtain of woven fronds while I changed. I was happy to get out of my workout clothes, but also, I had a weird sinking feeling this was the part I should be nervous about. The light taupe gown slid over my thin frame, and I wondered how close to dying I was. I mean, I felt like I was knocking on death's door every day for the last few months, but maybe death had been dragging me in through the door, and I didn't realize it. I found myself pinching my stomach. The skin looked pale. My abs were nonexistent. My arms and legs looked like sticks; my legs now looked like shimmering blue posts with jagged silver scars. I looked like a monster put together a skeleton with the wrong parts, and this was after all the care they had given me.

"Are you dressed?" Scott asked.

Like I could answer. I opened the fronds seeing a surprised look on Scott's amber eyes.

"Do you mind if I touch your skin?" He asked, looking specifically at my legs.

I sat down and shrugged. Dr. Frost and Scott spent what felt like hours poking and prodding. They scanned and tried to shave bits off. The conclusion, the blue skin was super tough compared to normal skin, and they couldn't even pierce it with a scalpel. It was kind of fun when we got to the part where we were trying to set it on fire which I should have been weirded out, but it was kind of cool. My legs were only half blue, from my knees down like I had bionic prosthetics, but it was still malleable like skin, and I could flex my muscles and everything.

Dr. Frost brought over some herbs for me to smell. The first reminded me of roses. I gave a thumbs up. The next, I pictured purple lavenders. My body relaxed. I gave another thumbs up. The next was putrid like cow dung that's out in the summer afternoon. I gave a thumbs down and scrunched up my nose. The next one, I had a visceral reaction. I jumped off the bed to the other side of the room. My head felt heavy. The world around me wobbled. Scott and Dr. Frost looked at each other. Dr. Frost capped the jar. I put a hand on Scott's arm. Gesturing what?

"Wolfsbane, only werewolves have reactions like that unless you've been trained to withstand the toxin."

White speckles appeared on the outskirts of my eyes, and the world went dark.