The Crown's Entrapment



After taking care of a few daily chores within the Pack, Aurelia and Calypso met up in the same garden within the manor by the afternoon. Casually planting herself underneath the biggest shade she could find, Aurelia crossed her legs and prepared herself for another round of meditation. And just like last time, her mate was helping her by casually sitting down on a nearby bench and giving out pointers to her.

"Remember, Lia. Just like I told you last time," Calypso reminded her. "Just do what comes naturally."

"I know, Calypso," she scoffed. "And I already told you that I know what went wrong that time."

[That's assuming that our lack of power is the problem in the first place though,] Aura chimed in. [There's still a chance that there might be something else that we missed during our brief time together.]

[Still, our lack of power is the main reason why I can't shift in the first place,] Aurelia rebutted. [If there are indeed any other problems, then at least we've succeeded in what we sought out to do. Troubleshooting can come later.]

[Indeed.]

Taking a deep breath, Aurelia gave Calypso one last look before she closed her eyes and meditated. For a minute or so, she focused on the sensation of the cool wind blowing across her skin, the sound of rustling leaves crinkling from all around her as she allowed herself to relax. Eventually though, she once more found herself in the inner recesses of her mind with her inner wolf casually greeting her upon her arrival.

[We meet again, oh other half of mine,] Aura nonchalantly greeted. 

[That we are, my other half,] Aurelia greeted back, the two of them giving each other small smiles. [So, are we ready for another attempt? Do we have the required energy for this?]

Her wolf nodded as she began to emit a soft glow through her fur. [I believe we do. I can already feel it flowing through me. All that's left is to let it flow to you.]

[Let's do this then.]

Sitting down once more, Aurelia channelled her wolf's energies into herself. Like last time, she felt it emanate from within her chest, a cool warmth slowly spreading out to her limbs the more she began to channel it. Eventually, she felt herself starting to change, her limbs shortened as fur began growing throughout her skin. Her very soul began to form into that of a wolf, Aura's presence within her intensifying as she opened her eyes to the garden once more.

[Well, that worked,] Aura chuckled, her voice now louder in her head. [I didn't think it would be that easy.]

[Agreed,] Aurelia chuckled, her grunts now more animal-like as she growled. [I can see how other werewolves are able to shift so quickly now.]

"You finally did it, Lia," Calypso congratulated him, his hands clapping as he stood up to greet her. "Do you feel any different?"

Aurelia shook her head, knowing that she was currently unable to form words through wolf form. Still, she could probably talk to him through their Bond if she really wanted to. But for now, she was content with letting her actions do the work for her.

"That's good. Care for a bit of a test run then?"

Aurelia actually paused at the suggestion. Feeling out her new form, she could tell that she was both stronger and faster now when compared to her human form. It kind of irked her to lose her opposable thumbs and ability to speak, but she could see the usefulness of having a form that allowed her to sprint and run if needed.

[I'll do that then,] Aurelia nodded as she addressed him through the Bond. [I'll be back shortly.]

Not wanting to see Calypso's proud smile at her, she promptly launched herself across the vast garden, stretching out her legs as she tested her newfound speed and agility. Jumping from tree to tree, she dashed across gaps and obstacles alike, abusing her new form to its full extent as she twisted through the air with each leap.

[It's fun being a wolf, isn't it?] Aura cheerfully asked.

[It has its uses,] Aurelia chuckled. [At least I can embody half of our being now.]

[All we have to figure out now is how I can embody yours then?] her wolf asked with a smirk. [Do you want me to take control of your human body, so to speak?]

[We'll have to see if it's even possible first,] she hummed in thought as her scientific mind began running through the possibilities. [Either way, this is a major achievement for us.]

Eventually, of course, she got bored of running around the garden and promptly made her way back to where Calypso was watching her. He still sported that proud smile on his face, one that admittedly made her preen as she relished the praise.

"That was some fancy footwork out there," Calypso praised her with a smirk. "You're already better than most werewolves I know."

[I just used what's now available to me,] she scoffed through the Bond. [I'm sure most wolves can do what I did better.]

"Trust me, Lia, you're a natural," he chuckled. "So, do you want to get out there and run on a bigger field? Or are you done for the day?"

Aurelia shook her head. [I think I'm done for the day. I still have things to do, and I can always test some of the other aspects of my shifting sooner or later.]

"Understandable," he hummed. "I still have a few things to do myself. Well, I suppose you want me to bring you your clothes?"

[That would be appreciated.]

Letting Calypso leave her for a while to fetch her clothes, Aurelia began to concentrate on herself once more. Repeating the same steps as before, she found herself facing her human self, one that carried Aura's tone and thoughts as they met.

[I suppose it's time for us to swap back?] Aura smiled.

[That's the idea.]

Aurelia sat down and focused, channelling her energies onto herself as she began reversing the changes she made to her body. But unlike the first time it happened, she couldn't seem to gather enough energy to shift herself back to normal.

[Damn it…] she grumbled. [This is a problem.]

[We… We don't have the energy?] Aura nervously asked.

[It would appear so,] Aurelia sighed. 

Opening her eyes, she was greeted by a Calypso carrying a batch of her folded clothes. He looked rather surprised to see her still in her wolf form.

"Why are you not human yet?" he couldn't help but ask.

[That's the problem,] she grumbled in annoyance. [I can't change back at the moment.]