I am having a weird dream about playing on the NES as a human, but my fingers are talons and keep slipping off the buttons, driving me nuts. Then suddenly my brain yells MORNING. I jolt awake and grumble, shaking myself out. I say, though at least I got a decent amount of sleep.

  Shiners laughs and shakes his head. he says, clicking his beak as he eyes one of the partly frozen chickens and begins to eat it.

  I eye the food hungrily as I feel conflicted. My eagle brain says nicely chilled, while my human mind screams DO NOT EAT DEATH, as fifteen years of being human collide with millions of years of predatory evolution.

  Shiners stares at me incredulously. he says as I finally take a nervous gulp and grab the chicken leg, swallowing it whole. I am finally getting used to feeling like I am going to choke when I eat. Progress?

  I shake my head and chuckle. I say, pointing to the chicken,

  I am about to respond to the question when I hear someone outside and Charlie’s voice. “It is me, guys, so put something on and look decent.” That makes me groan in my head loud enough that Charlie could probably hear it.

  I laugh as Shiners calls out, “Do not come up here, I am completely naked,” as I try to fold my wings in front of me to cover between my legs as if I was embarrassed.

  Charlie comes up and gives a cute scream. “I am blind. Naked birds,” he says, covering his eyes once he is able to.

  It does make me think, as I tilt my head and look down at my feet as best as I can.

  Charlie shakes his head as Shiners repeats, he asks as I pretend to do a double take and stare at him with my beak open, doing my best to look gobsmacked.

  Shiners shakes his head, groaning.

  I chuckle at that and move to grab another chickensicle. I say.

  Charlie chuckles. “I do not have a lot of time before class, but I wanted to check on you while I could. I will be back by lunch, and maybe if I am lucky I will have some more meat for you,” he says.

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  I give my wings a stretch and yawn again. I cannot help feeling both excited and a little nervous about the idea of being a wolf.

  Charlie waves as he starts to climb down, and I walk to the edge of the fort to watch him. He looks up. “Try not to cause any trouble or give anyone nightmares until I am back in a few hours,” he teases, before heading off toward the school.

  I watch as Charlie leaves, then turn around and head back into the fort. I close my eyes. I say nervously.

  Shiners comes over. He takes a moment and adds,

  Fluffing my feathers and relaxing, I close my eyes. Okay, let us see how this goes. I try to find the source of the feelings I had in the dream. I can feel it there, but it is hidden and faint. Hey, you in here? Hello? I reach for it, but there is nothing beyond that tiny hint of something.

  After about ten minutes, I get frustrated. My mind keeps wandering. I cannot focus. And worst of all, I keep thinking more about thinking than actually thinking about the wolf. I sigh. I half joke.

  Shiners chuckles.

  Suddenly a new thought goes through my head. New fear gained. I groan. I say, though I do appreciate it. I close my eyes again and try to meditate, but I pause after a second. I mutter.

  Seeing only darkness and shades of colours, I keep trying. After a while, I can feel something more. It is a mix of curiosity, strangeness, and just there. It feels wolf, but I could not explain to how or why, I know that.

  But I am not ready to give up just yet. There is something there. Not one that I can see, but one that I can feel. A small flicker of feeling, a feeling of longing, of belonging similar to what I felt with the eagle. That there is something that calls to me. It is distant, but I can feel something. It is not time yet, but soon it will be.

  Hello? You there? I ask into the darkness, but I get no response, just the feeling of it being there deep within me. It is not ready to come out. Or maybe I am not ready for it to.

  After a bit more trying, I finally open my eyes and give a small yawn. I say.

  Shiners nods his head. he says as I groan and try to thwap him with a wing, but he dodges.

  I give him a small glare before saying, I say, motioning to the half-eaten box of chicken and meat.

  Shiners nods his head. he says.

  I give a mischievous grin. Ohhh I have an idea. I call out as I launch into the air, giving him no time to react for a few seconds.

  Shiners chases after me. he calls, starting to catch up to me as we fly off to have some fun.