Thorne
I sit on a bale of hay staring at the only other creature in here, the cow. At first the dumb thing had been afraid of me but now she mostly ignores me. I take a deep breath and exhale slowly, even in the warmer air of the barn my breath creates a cloud. I push to my feet and walk around the barn a few times. I manage to make two circuits before my breathing becomes ragged and I’m forced to sit down.
The cow looks at me and moos accusingly.
“I’m fine,” I argue.
She moos again and looks away, her tail swishing behind her.
I go to argue again then remember I’m arguing with a cow and sigh. I stand up and it takes more effort than I’d like to admit getting to the door. I push the barn open further, fighting to push the door over the snow. I look up and see Bella coming back from the apothecary. I try to duck back into the building, but she looks over before I can hide.
Her eyes narrow and she changes her course, coming right at me. “What are you doing?” she demands, a gust of wind whipping around us and stripping me of warmth.
I wince and steady myself against the door, “I was exercising.”
She frowns, “You can do that inside.”
“Troy is in there being hostile and it sets me on edge,” I mutter, looking away from her accusing glare.
“So you’ll risk hurting yourself out here? Or freezing to death? I didn’t think he was even home.” Her voice holds a strange edge that gets my hackles up.
I tense and glare up at her, “I could shift if something happened.”
“You and I both know that’s a lie,” She snaps, ice forming on her lashes as more wind whips around us, “You haven’t been able to shift, your body is exhausted from maintaining the one shape for Fate knows how long.”
“I have to build up my strength so I can protect you,” I shout, “It’s my responsibility.”
She rolls her eyes, “We’ve been over this a dozen times. One, I don’t need you to protect me. Two, you’re not in any condition to protect yourself, let alone someone else.” She points at the house, “Go inside, now.”
I feel the urge to shift rolling under my skin. This happens every time we’ve had this discussion; both of our emotions are high and the Chaos in and around us responds to them. My body resists Shifting, just like she said it would, so I bare my teeth at her.
She just glares back, one hand on her hip and the other pointing at the door to the house.
“Why are you ordering me around anyway?” I finally snap, my voice growing harsh as my body tries to shift and fails, “Do you think I’m an Order Hound? Are you trying to control me like one?”
Her eyes widen and she takes a step away from me, her hand falling to her side and the air instantly becoming stagnant. She stands there for a long minute, her entire body trembling. “N-No.” She whispers then runs away from me.
I realize I’ve gone too far when I see the glimmer of tears in her eyes. I stand in the doorway for a moment, unsure what to do, then the cow behind me moos, starling me into action.
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