I nudged the small puppies with my snout, as they scampered around in the grass. Nearby, my sister lounged in the sun, her dark fur warming in the afternoon sun. I stretched and shifted back to my human form, bones crackling subtly, fur receding and replaced by dark brown skin.

"Kalina, I am leaving, I have a class in 20," I threw a daisy at my sister and she huffed as the flower hit her nose. She looked up lazily at her 3 children, who were busily burying themselves in the dirt and sighed. She shifted back also and began scooping up her litter.

"That nap was way too short, but thanks, I'm gonna go see if Ryan wants to see his nieces and nephew," she flashed me a grin as she juggled the pups, one who was attempting to shift mid-climb.

"Have fun with that, I have done my bit for the weekend," I said catching a puppy and settling them again for her before I quickly made myself scarce. I waved to my sister as I began jogging across the field. I passed by multiple members of the pack, greeting them quickly as I saw a group of younger wolves assembling in the training area.

"Hey!" I yelled as I caught up with them. I was greeted warmly by the younger pack members as I took position in front of them.

"Okay, for those of you who are showing up to this session for the first time this spring," I said, eyeing a few guilty faces, "I am Kyda, I recently was promoted to a fully-fledged pack warrior and I will be over seeing your training until the end of the summer. In winter we will have the tournament of the warriors, and see how many of you can retain anything I say from here on out." I quickly quieted the whispers of excitement for the winter tournament. It was a huge deal for young wolves, a great way for them to prove themselves to the pack.

"Okay, shift, we are starting with a nice long run," I smiled as they groaned, pulling off their shirts and trousers, all standing in enchanted sportswear designed to withstand the shift between human and wolf, courtesy of our local witches.

I turned and began running, leaping into my wolf form mid-leap, and I hurtled towards the forest. The younger wolves yipped and barked sharply as they took after me, pushing themselves to keep up.

'The point of running through the forest is all about helping your dexterity and seeing how quickly you can change your plan,' I said over the pack link as I veered sharply to the right, and leapt over a fallen log. I heard some panicked barks as they quickly tried to right themselves and I ducked under a low hanging branch, hearing the satisfying whack of it hitting another wolf behind me.

We ran for about 30 minutes, twisting and turning, ducking and leaping. At one point, I splashed through the widest part of the stream, the cool water reinvigorating their spirits. Soon, the fauna of the forest began to change. More and more brightly coloured flowers sprung from the ground and crawled up the tree trunks. The trees themselves were shifting and curling into towering masses. We had reached the heavenly thicket, home to the fairies and pixies.

“Okay, we have entered the Heavenly Thicket, keep your eyes peeled for pixies, they don’t like wolves trampling on their plants. And for the love of Ozidia, do not eat anything you don’t recognise, I will leave you out here!” I called out over the pack bond as I carefully leapt over the row of mushrooms and headed deeper into the thicket. I liked this part of the woods, the atmosphere here was electric compared to the normal serenity of the limeacre woods. The magic that was concentrated in the ground beneath us made the place hum with power that you couldn’t help but bask in.

As we reached a small clearing I slowed to a stop, satisfied with the run so far and watching the younger wolves collapse beside me in furry heaps. I sat down and shifted back, stretching out my legs.

"That was a good run guys, we'll take a short break and head back." I lay back in the grass and let the sun warm me. I like to be here, where you could smell the magic bearing plants mixed with the woody earth.

"Somethings here!" One of the wolves yelled as she shifted from fur to skin. I sat up and looked over, it was Ameena a close friend of mine who was a few months behind me in training, but a far better tracker than most wolves could hope to be.

"It may be some of the fae," I said to her as I dusted off my clothes before heading over.

"No, this is different," she insisted, and I felt her anxiety over the pack bond. I stood beside her and closed my eyes, letting my nose do all the sensing for me, and took in a deep breath. At first, I smelt nothing but the plants around us. But slowly and surely, a warm scent found me. It was like burnt ash and lavender mixed together, strong but pleasant, welcoming even. My eyes shot open and I began walking, tracking the scent, eager to find the source.

"Kyda! Wait!" Ameena called out and I heard her scramble through the bushes after me.

"Where are you?" I hissed as I scoured the woods for the smell. I stilled, the smell had wrapped itself around me and I sighed heavily as I breathed it in. I stepped slowly around the tree, dread suddenly filling me as I wondered who and what I would see there.

Amongst a patch of wild coloured flowers stood a tall, lean figure, clothed in a dark red robe.

"Wolf," the warlock said simply, without turning around. I laughed, releasing the tension I had built up and taking a deep breath.

"Did I say something funny?" He asked.

"You're not a pixie," I said and he turned around to face me.

"Nor am I a clown," he said sarcastically.

"We'll have to see about that one," I said and I stepped forward, holding out my arm, "Kyda, guardian at the Limeacre pack." He nodded firmly and picked a flower growing on the tree behind me, adding it to the collection in his satchel.

"And you are?"

"None of your business," he said and he turned to walk away.

"Wait! I don't think you understand, I think we may be--"

"Spare me, wolf, I know. It's a two-way thing, the mate attraction, even if I'm not a wolf." I stopped, somewhat offended by his off handedness.

"Don't you think we should talk for more than a minute before you walk away from me?"

"Not interested," he took a cutting of a vine and carried on.

"Kyda," Ameena whispered from somewhere behind me.

"Take the group back to the clearing, I want to try again."

"Good luck!" She cheered over the pack link as I heard the faint rustle of leaves as she left. I sighed and jogged to catch up with the warlock doing his best to disappear.

"Will you at least tell me your name?"

"What for?"

"For the sake of small talk," I said and he huffed and turned around. The large hood over his head obscured the features of his face.

"I don't like small talk."

"Then tell me your deepest, darkest secrets," I said with a grin and he groaned.

"I don't like to talk at all."

"I'm starting to get that."

"You're energetic," he stated flatly. I stayed put in front of him, bouncing slightly on the balls of my feet until he sighed heavily. He pushed the heavy hood off of his head, revealing tumbling dark curls and smooth brown skin. He met my gaze for the first time and I smiled as I finally saw into the depths of his dark eyes.

"My name is Ibhan, I'm a senior apprentice. Happy?" He crossed his arms over his chest and shifted nervously.

"Ibhan," I said slowly, "I like how that sounds," I said and he rolled his eyes.

"I'm gonna get going now--"

"No, wait! I won't be so forward if you really hate it that much," I said, "I'm just trying to break the ice." He clenched his jaw and settled his hands on the strap of his satchel.

"I don't know what you expect from me. I don't know who you are, I only know your name and that your aura is like a beacon, but I'm quite content on my own."

"I don't doubt that, I just want to get to know you. The mate attraction is not always romantic you know, maybe we're destined to be great friends," I grinned but his scowl only deepened.

"I am not in need of more friends."

"Nobody needs friends, you simply collect them like shiny rocks," I said and I saw the smallest twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Fine, I will give you some time to get to know me, but if I still don't like you then I am going home." His voice was firm and steady but his grip had tightened on his bag. I would have to tread carefully to make this work.

"Alrighty then, let's introduce you to the pack."