Velna Zuzka looked out the back window of her mother's dark sedan as the capital city of Riga pulled further and further away from her vision. That was a year ago. Now, living on the banks of the Gauja River, Velna celebrated her fifteenth birthday alone. She sat, knees drawn up to her chest, on a section of rock that jetted out from the side of the bluff's edge over the dark mirror of water. Sandy blonde tresses curled around her ears, cropped short to keep itself from her golden eyes.
Velna waited, sitting silently, for the sun to dip behind the arch the trees created in the distance. The fall air nipped at her, pulling at the clothes protecting her tender flesh, but she never rose from her perch to head back to her home. It was one of the rules she had been given.
Mama Reggie, her grandmother the grey and aged Regina, had pulled Velna aside that evening of the family's celebration. Velna's entire family, aunts and uncles included, lived with her and her mother in their strip of hotel-like lodges that they rented out to hikers occasionally. The party had consisted of a bonfire, a large meal, and her brother Bendiks wrestling with their cousins.
Rihards, an older boy her uncle Mihails had brought to their home with his petite wife Aija, sat lazily in an arm chair as Mama Reggie led Velna into the foyer of the largest of the lodges. Mihails, tall and dark, stood behind Rihards with a steely gaze as Velna's mother, Laima, rushed forward to embrace her daughter.
"You'll be fine," her short, quivering mother muttered into Velna's shoulder. Laima always seemed to shake. Stocky and shy, Laima wasn't always the best caretaker for Velna's outspoken charm. Unlike her mother, Velna was fitted for her personality, tall and vibrant rather than short and pale.
Mama Reggie pulled Velna's mother away, giving her a scolding look. Laima ducked her head, taking a few shallow steps back. Everyone in their family, with the exception of Mihails, listened to Mama with out question. Velna herself was one with them on that.
Turning to Velna, Mama gave her rules that were very precise and very clear, almost as if they had been written down on the palm of her hand for memory. "Vel, when the sun dips below the horizon and the sky transfers into the blue hour strip from your clothes. Hide them, bury them if that is what you think is necessary. Be sure that no on is at liberty to find them."
Velna had opened her mouth, but Mama shook her head and she quieted. "There is a tree you must find, tall with its top grown into the earth. Find it and go under the tree." Laima quietly moved forward again, a wolf skin in her hands. She passed it to Mama before retreating again, head dropped and hair pushed back from her neck. Mama presented the fur to Velna. "It'll be cold. Wrap yourself in this. When the night gets to its coldest sing the lullaby to keep yourself occupied. You remember the lullaby?"
Velna took the pelt, murmuring the words to the old song her mother would sing to her before bed. Mama Reggie nodded. "Go, you know plenty-ah teika to keep yourself entertained." She hugged Velna. "Don't come home early. Wait out the night Vel."
Velna slid a sharp stone between her index and thumb, looking out at the water as the sky turned a darker shade of blue. She had wanted to ask why she needed to remain outside for the night with the forest's wolves, why she needed to do so unclothed, but she kept silent. All the others had done this at some point, usually during their own birthday. Velna was no exception. Now she rose to her feet, dropping the sharp rock and climbing back up the side of the bluff.
Once her feet were solidly on the ground Velna frowned, brows furrowing. How was she to find this tree? If it even existed! She had been wandering through these woods for the past twelve months with her cousins and brother, but never once had she seen a tree with both trunk and branches in the earth.
And so, not having a place to even begin, Velna began walking. It wasn't more than an hour of steady pacing that she did, indeed, run into a tree that was of a different kind entirely. It reminded her of a weeping willow, it's branched pulled down creating an arch. But, unlike a willow tree, the branches were hard, knotting into dry earth.
Looking at the deformed tree sent shivers through her. Weren't plants supposed to move towards the sunlight? This tree was trying to burry itself away from it!
Ignoring her silly fear, Velna kicked off her muddy sneakers and quickly pulled off the rest of her clothing just as Mama Reggie had instructed. Bundling them up she shivered as she looked around for a place to put them. The distorted tree stood alone, no shrubs of even forage to decorate the hard dirt floor under her bare feet. Bending down to her knees she tore at the grown with her fingers, nails tearing as they caught on rocks. The ground was dry and hard to remove, but eventually she created a whole large enough to hold her clothing and the knapsack she had brought.
Tucking the clothing tightly into the whole Velna pulled her knapsack to her side. With gentle fingers she pulled out the wolf skin, wrapping it around her trembling body. Warmth filled her tight muscles instantly and she buried the bag with the rest of her things.
Velna quickly took cover under the branches of the arching tree, wrapped snuggly in the wolf fur. The grey and brown pelt tickled her nose as she curled up in a tight ball, thinking back to what Mama Reggie had told her. It had all seemed difficult at first, finding a single tree in the middle of a woodland full of them, but it was rather quiet simple. It had seemed as if her instinct had led her to the location.
"Spirits from the deep, who never sleep, be kind to me. Spirits of the grave, without a soul to save, be kind to me. Spirits of the trees, that grow upon the leas, be kind to me. Spirits of the air, foul and black, not fair, be kind to me. Spirits of the dead, that glide with noiseless tread, be kind to me…."
It wasn't a song for little kids to sing on the playground, Velna learned that early in life. It wasn't a song that a mother should sing to her infant child, yet Velna would throw tantrums if she didn't get the chance to listen to it. She played hand games with her brother while singing it, replacing Patty Cake with Spirits Be Kind. Her cousins parents sang it to them, Mama Reggie sang it while she cooked. It was tradition in their family for the children to be taught the Spirits song, just like it was tradition for the youth to spend the night in the woodland.
A shudder rode up her spine; tightening her muscles and making her hair stand on end. Velna pulled her knees to herself tighter, her stomach cramping suddenly. Tears stung her eyes as a bolt of pain shot down her thighs, straight to the bone, and she moaned. The moan turned into a yelp, then a scream as something cracked and broke. Her body began to convulse, her bones rippling and straining.
Rolling so she was on her hands and knees Velna tried to wait the pain out, but it only intensified. Gasping in the cold night air Velna looked down at her hands, teeth cutting into her lip as she bit it. Her head spun as she watched her nails grow long and hard, her fingers buckling and then curling as her palm extended, stretching her skin like it was rubber. The fine gold hair on her arms grew, darkened, and became coarse against her flushed flesh. She yelped as she felt her spine pop and suddenly it was just too much effort. Falling forward Velna hit the ground, mind rendering her in a sleep-like state as the change continued.
Velna was roused to a large black dog at her side. She was frozen, shock taking hold on her. The wolf before her was huge. From the end of his long, white washed snout to the end of his tail he was over six feet long. Velna could sense the thick muscled hidden by his fur as the wolf shifted forward. She stumbled back and lost her balance, realizing her center of balance had changed.
Turning her head she felt as fur brushed against fur and saw that she no longer stood on hairless legs, but four powerful and slender limbs that ended with paws marked with sharp claws. Velna stood before the black wolf, a wolf herself with grey fur blended with a ruddy brown.
Velna's tail curled between her hind legs, her ears pressing against her skull. Dropping her head forward she thought about running. She felt the muscled in her new legs flex agreeably to the thought and she spun, ready to bolt back to the river.
The black wolf grinned, lips curling back from his teeth. Velna was slow on all fours, not used to the change, and he cut her off quickly. She tried to dart past him, but the wolf stuck out his paw and caught her between her front legs. Heaving his body the wolf threw her back in front of him where he took a dominant pose over her.
The gesture sparked a memory of an older man catching her when she was little and throwing her over his shoulder. With slight disbelief Velna looked up at her uncle Mihails, meeting unfamiliar yellow eyes.
Yelps broke through the air as more wolves pressed past Mihails. Velna stumbled back, surprised as wolves smaller than both her and Mihails leapt at her. At first she cringed away from them, ears flat, till she was able to recognize them as her cousins and brother. They wrestled with one another as if they still were human, just using teeth and claws.
Velna could recognize her aunt Aija, small and frail standing at the furthest tree from the group, curled tightly in a ball as Mihails approached her. Velna detangled herself from the other young wolves when she saw her mother standing with Mama Reggie in their own wolf skins, the rest of the family curled around them. She approached them slowly, taking in the picture. It was easy to tell the person from the wolf, the fur didn't cover their expression, and male from female. Though the males seemed to have at least thirty pounds more to them than the females Velna was still larger than most of them. When she stood before her mother Laima her mother looked as though she was just a pup.
Laima stepped forward, lifting her head high to nuzzle against Velna's neck, licking her daughter's new fur. Again, Laima was forced to step back as Mama Reggie moved forward. Her wolf skin depicted her looks in her human skin, more grey in her coat then brown. Hard, yellow eyes scanned Velna before Mama's black lips pulled back and she ducked her head to Velna. Mama Regina, who normally stood at the same height as Velna, was, like all the other females, smaller than Velna. Velna didn't like how Mama turned her head while she still had it bowed, exposing her neck to her grandchild.
Others moved forward after that, cuddling and nipping at her ears affectionately as they gave her reassuring growls. They all past her with grey and brown coats of fur, matching hers own, and bowed their heads as Mama had done. One, however, was a pale grey touched by not ruddy brown but a dark blue-black cap that ran down his back. Velna recognized him as Rihards as he approached her, tail up like a flag pole behind him. Unlike the others he didn't duck his head when he greeted her; rather he wrapped his jaws around her neck and bit down softly.
When Velna snarled it came from deep in her throat. Pulling her head to the side, Rihards didn't let go. She twisted, turning herself swiftly to twine them together. When the opportunity presented itself, Velna sank her teeth into Rihards' pelt just at the base of his spine. The grip on her neck loosened before she was completely released. Rihards yipped at her bite.
Rihards skipped around her in a circle, turning back and forth and diving to nip at her hind legs. Velna snarled, barring her sharp and white fangs. In a too quick motion, she struck Rihards again in the hind. With a yelp, he fell back a bit. That lit a spark in Velna, a powerful feeling growing in her breast. Following after him, she caught his shoulders under her paw and dragged him to the ground.
Rihards rolled onto his back, shamelessly presenting his stomach to her. Staring at him, Velna watched as his tongue lazily lulled from the side of his muzzle. His ribs rose and fell with happy, exited breaths. Velna stepped over him, lowering her head to snap at his presented stomach threateningly. Rihards remained still, but Velna's ears picked up the thump of his tail beating the packed dirt.
Is he enjoying this? she asked herself silently.
He whined when she nipped at the pink skin where little hair covered, beginning to wiggle. Velna pressed a paw to his ribs, dominating him to stop. He did, and Velna looked up when the others began to howl. She saw her mother, watching her from Mama Reggie's side, her tail rigid behind her. By the perk in her ears, Velna could see Laima's interest with the situation.
Velna pulled away from Rihards, seeing the others were interested too. What is going on? Her mind asked in confusion. Why does this feel so right? But looking around at the pack of wolves, her family, Velna realized why. They've always been like this. The others, they all changed on their birthdays.
Taking a step towards the group, further way from Rihards, Velna lowered her muzzle to Mama Reggie. Her dominance over the others was very clear to her and Velna slowly rolled onto her back, displaying herself to the pack.
They howled their pride.