"Shift?! How?! Wha-?" Sora couldn't believe what she had just seen. Could she be hallucinating? Or hearing wrong? Sora's heart dropped, and she was having a little trouble breathing.
"Sora? Are you OK?" Catelyn asked, helping her breathe by giving her a hand and walking Sora over to the bench and to sit down.
"I think I'm... Taking in too much" Sora gasped for air while trying to answer.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Catelyn shouted, shaking her hands before continuing, "Are you telling me you don't know that people can Shift?!"
"People can't 'Shift'! It's impossible for anyone to 'Shift' into a different..."-Sora flailed her arms, thinking of the word creature-"Whatever it's called!"
"Animals? Creatures? Mammals?-"
"Stop guessing that word I was looking for!"
Catelyn raises her hands in defeat. She knows that Sora will 'attack' someone when she is angry, but this 'attack' does not harm the other person other than annoy them by pushing and shoving them.
"So... You mentioned a great willow before. What did you mean?"
Catelyn put her hands down, then sighed and answered, "Wow, you really don't know anything about Shifting. Anyways, The Great Willow is a weeping willow tree that helps you with your powers and gives you an animal-based off on your traits."
"Then how did your dad get that parrot for your brother?"
"I didn't say you can only pick one animal. You can mostly go to get an animal for someone who can't get one yet."
"Isn't that an animal spirit thing?" Sora asked, trying to wrap her head around this while the kids on the playground screamed while playing tag.
"I guess."
"What's yours?"
"A... wolf," Catelyn mumbled.
"A what?"
"A wolf!" Catelyn yelled. She seemed like she didn't like the wolf.
"Cool!"
"Not cool! This means that I'm aggressive and rude and..."
"Loyal?"
"... I guess," Catelyn mumbled again, trying to hide the fact that she likes the wolf. "Besides, I don't really like wolfs; I like cats!"
Sora didn't answer but only responded with a nod. She was a little... OK, very nervous from all of these Shifting rules making Sora want to go to The Great Willow and get an animal herself but didn't know where it was exactly or what to do when she did find it.
"Right! If you're wondering where The Great Willow is, I'll tell you... Don't ask how I know your thought. You travel through the forest, into a big opening-"
"Erh, I'm not going to look for it."
Sora peddled as fast as she could, trying to reach the woods with a not-off-road bike. Was Sora imagining things, or was Catelyn telling the truth? Sora thought of what had happened. How was William able to Shift? Could Olivia Shift as well? Could Sora do the same?
Sora's head burned with thought while her stomach lurched with excitement. Sora weaved through the trees. The leaves gingerly touched her hair while she bounced on the bike. She would peddle fast then kicked both her feet up to glide through the forest without peddling.
Sora saw an upcoming light in the distance. She would peddle a little hard, scared and excited. As she came toward the light, she wasn't looking where she was going, and her bike collided with a rock on the ground, making her fling into the air.
There is a world where humans can shapeshift into animals, but you must have a pet to shift into an animal. One girl, named Sora, struggles to learn how and why people can Shift into animals. In the process, Sora finds a weeping willow tree where new Shifters come to either find a pet or learn if they can Shift. Instead of Sora finding a pet, she Shifts into a blue jay and gets lost in the forest. Follow Sora while she finds her way home without getting killed.
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