As Nicole ran through the woods, her cloak flew behind her as a flag made entirely of her body. She has always been in love with just running and letting the wind flow over her skin, but that afternoon it was even better. She was finally alone with her thoughts instead of having someone constantly babysit her.

As she ran, she could feel a fire form at her heart and slowly spread through her body with every beat of the organ. Her veins were fired up but not the way they were when she was angry. It was more of a warmth than an uncontrollable fire. As the heat reached her skin, she started to feel itchy, and a sudden urge to all fours made her look down. As she did, her heart skipped a beat, stopping the flow of warmth and replacing it with adrenalin, and she stopped. Her halt was so sudden that she fell to the ground and rolled on it for like five meters as a result of her momentum.

She was a shapeshifter, and her mother had taught her how to turn into an animal, but upon seeing her arms and legs morph into something dog-like, she got scared. She hadn't so much as morphed her eyes since her mother was gone. It had always been their special thing, so doing so would have reminded Nicole too much of her mother. She took a deep breath before the adrenalin took over, and she sat straight up.

"Adrenaline makes you run. Rationality makes you think," she murmured the words of Jasper. As she evened her breath and spoke these words, her heart slowed down, and she felt in control again. As her fright subsided, it gave way to emptiness, and she started crying as she remembered how her mother taught her the art of shapeshifting in the forest she was sitting in.

***11 years earlier***

"Now remember, sweetheart, it's okay if you can't do it" Maya sat on the bed while her daughter stood before her. "The first time is the hardest, but you will get it, and once you have the feeling, it will be easy."

Nicole closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of freedom she felt that morning. The exercise her mother put together involved a run through the forest in the morning. It felt exalting every time. Nicole's senses were stronger than a human's, and although her hearing was the best, the morning scents always fascinated her. As she ran, they swirled around her, and she could feel her body wanting to become one with nature.

As she felt the fire in her heart stir, she locked onto the feeling. It was a bad description, but she could never come up with a better one. Her heart and mind became jittery and moved almost too fast for comprehension. Her veins filled with magic, although it died down as her memory faded. The pulsing feeling of her heart transferring magic from one part of her body to the next made her want to run and forcing her limbs to stay just caused the feeling to fade.

"That was really good for a first attempt," her mother smiled as Nicole opened her eyes.

"Thanks" Something was different, although Nicole's mind couldn't quite comprehend it yet.

"Now, let's see how to use those wings before we learn how to get rid of them," Maya chuckled.

They went out to the forest so that they could be aloe. The crisp air of the morning chased away all remaining tiredness from the five-year-old girl, who now sported wings. Her eyes shone with excitement as her red ears twitched to pick up the smallest sounds of the forest. Thanks to her attempt at shapeshifting, her instincts were on high alert, picking up things she's never heard before.

Her mother was already in the shape of a hawk, and she landed beside Nicole. She showed her daughter how to take off and then tried to give advice on how to use her wings. It proved to be harder than Nicole expected, but as she clumsily took off, something in her heart stirred. No matter how bad she was at first, it felt free. Using the wings was hard, but it gave her something she didn't know she was missing. Her young brain couldn't quite comprehend it, but she knew she would rather be out in the forest and fly than attend any classes her father made her attend. Not even riding her pony came close to the feeling of the wind brushing over her skin and feathers.

The thought and the feeling combined into a surge of magic so big she had no time to prepare for what it did. She was flying, and suddenly she was a small bird. A hatchling out of the nest, but it was a full transformation nonetheless. Her mother flew beside her and smiled as much as her current form let her. With quick advice, she led her daughter to land on a clearing.

"Good. Now use the remaining magic to turn back to your original form," Maya said before demonstrating. "Think about your form or maybe something that is normal, maybe even boring."

Nicole closed her eyes and thought about all the lessons on how to walk properly, her speaking lessons, and her father. She felt a tingly sensation in her skin as she kept her family in the focus of her mind. She pictured herself in the midst of them as they all did their own boring things around the castle. Opening her eyes, she looked down at her hands and traced her ears to see if she had succeeded.

"That was very good," Maya said, picking up Nicole, who yawned as exhaustion crashed down on her. "Let's get you home, my tired little fox," she chuckled before walking toward the direction of the castle with a now-sleeping Nicole.

***Present***

Nicole could hear the footsteps approaching her, but she didn't have the energy to try and run. She could also make out that the one who approached was Amelia, and she desperately needed someone to be with her. She waited in silence, only her occasional hitched breath disturbing the peace as Amelia tried to find her way through the undergrowth.

When she arrived, she didn't ask questions; she didn't even say anything. Simply sitting down beside Nicole, she hugged her sister and let her set the pace. Eventually, Nicole shifted and when Amelia let go of her stood up. They walked back to the castle together, although Nicole felt as if she was no longer supposed to be there. Something bad was going to happen. She felt it in her guts.