Tinker watched Warren leave and suddenly she felt unsure. Marlene was nice. She was matter of fact and Tinker began to relax as she explained the shifting process. Tinker sat and watched her, thinking smugly that she was smart and this shouldn’t be so hard.<br/><br/>The fact of the matter was that Tinker was afraid of the process. Shifting was somehow dangerous, that is what seemed to go through her brain in her father’s voice. Danger. Danger. Tinker felt her ruff begin to rise.  Marlene smoothly shifted, half shift, whole shift, just as easy as lapping water from a pond.<br/><br/>“We are close to the full moon and that should make it easier for you,” Marlene explained, “but soon, you won’t need the moon. Go ahead and try it.”<br/><br/>Tinker closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Danger. Danger. She focused and closed her eyes to completely give herself to the shift. Pain shot down her back and across her front legs. She threw back her head and yelped in distress. Danger. Danger. She tried to only see Warren in her head.<br/><br/>Popping and cracking and the fur began to recede. Tinker’s eyes rolled back in her head and she felt over onto her side where she writhed in agony. Danger, Danger.<br/><br/>Stabbing, searing pain tore down her abdomen and she curled in on herself. Tinker’s teeth were bared, straining as she was to will the shift.<br/><br/>“Hold on.” Marlene said, “ lay there and rest a minute.”<br/><br/>Tinker did, hands clasped around her knees. Hands. She had hands. She opened her eyes and could see no fur, only pure white skin, so white she could have been washed in mother’s milk. Mounds of blue black hair piled on the floor next to her and lay over her body like a compassionate blanket.<br/><br/>Marlenee crouched next to her and brushed back the waves of black hair.<br/><br/>“Open your eyes,” Marlene commanded her.<br/><br/>Tinker did, although the light was very bright.<br/><br/>Marlene was smiling down at her, compassion, joy and a spark of sadness in her eyes. Without taking her eyes away from Tinker, Marlene called,<br/><br/>“Warren? Are you out there?”<br/><br/>Then, she said in pack speak,<br/><br/>“Warren, if you can hear me, you might want to get over here in a hurry.”<br/><br/>Marlene ran her hand over the curve of Tinker’s spine and over her ample hips and thighs.<br/><br/>“You have the ass of a wolf, alright. All that running and jumping gives us girls lots of junk in the trunk.”<br/><br/>Tinker looked at her quizzically.<br/><br/>“Can you sit up?” Marlene asked, giving her a hand.<br/><br/>Tinker’s hair spilled around her, almost like the clothing that Warren and Marlene wore.<br/><br/>“Hair like that is sexy and it covers up your high small breasts. “Marlene commented. “But I have some jeans and a tee shirt you could wear if you want.”<br/><br/>Tinker looked at her and shrugged.<br/><br/>“Try using your words, your voice.” Marlene instructed. “You will find that talking won’t be a problem. Try.”<br/>“I want Warren,” were the first words that Tinker, the human, uttered.