I am extremely sorry about the wait, but my computer has decided not to work so I had to send my story to another computer and am just now being able to upload it. Again, I'm sorry about the wait, but hopefully these next two chapters will make up for it. Enjoy.
***BELLA POV***
"Where are we going" I ask as I follow Shane through the forest.
"To train" she answers.
"That's not an answer" I state and she looks back at me in amusement.
"Just follow me and stop complaining" she commands with a laugh while I huff.
It's bad enough that I can't be near Alice or train with the others, but now I'm being taken to who knows where.
"We're here" Shane says as we push through the last of the bushes and come upon an open area.
It's pretty spacious and grassy with a few rocks off to one side, but then the earth ends and I can hear the roaring of moving water further below the cliff's edge.
"Trying to get rid of me already" I ask and she laughs.
"Don't tell me you don't remember this place" she says and I try to remember, but then it hits me.
"This is the place all of us used to hang out at and hide from the adults" I gasp and she nods with a grin.
"I figured it'd be the perfect place to start your training" she says before going to sit down in the grass.
She motions for me to join her and I sit down so we're facing each other.
"Alright, we'll start off simple; close your eyes" she commands.
I look at her in confusion, but do as she says.
"Now, clear your mind of everything; there's to be no distractions" she states.
I'm confused, but once my mind is clear, I nod.
"Good, now I want you to tell me what you hear" she says.
"I hear the water" I reply.
"What else" she asks.
I try, but all I can hear is the water.
"That's it" I answer.
"Let yourself relax, Bella; don't force it or you'll never get this" she states.
I nod and try to search for something other than the sound of the water, but I can't. A growl escapes my throat and I open my eyes to glare at Shane.
"This is stupid; I can't hear anything" I growl and she doesn't seem fazed by it.
"Just try once more, Bella; think that if you can do this, you'll be able to protect Alice whenever" she says and I sigh before closing my eyes.
I'm doing this for Alice. For Alice. With determination set, I clear my mind and wait. At first, I hear the water, but then I hear something else.
"What do you hear" Shane's voice is faint, almost like she's far away.
"I hear the birds singing, the leaves in the trees are dancing in the wind, and there's this humming in the air" I answer and even my voice sounds distant.
"Good, focus on that humming" she commands.
I do as she says and then it feels like I'm taken out of my body. I silently gasp as I feel like I'm drifting.
"Where are you, Bella" Shane asks.
"It feels like I'm in a void; a large, dark void" I answer.
"Do you see a light; once you see it, you'll know what to do" she states.
"I don't-" I start, but then a sphere completely made out of light appears in front of me.
Before I can react, the light-sphere encompasses me and I find myself in a white room. I feel a presence behind me and I turn to see my inner-wolf standing there, watching me with emotionless eyes. Something overcomes me, and I find myself moving towards my inner-wolf, only stopping when I'm a couple of feet away. I take a breath before holding out my hand with my palm down. My inner-wolf stares at it before slowly moving its head beneath my palm. I release a breath that I didn't know I was holding, when my fingers touch the soft fur of the wolf's head. My inner-wolf looks at me with accepting eyes before I'm pulled back into my body.
"Bella, open your eyes" Shane commands softly.
I open them slowly and blink when I find myself looking down at Shane who is grinning up at me. It takes me less than a second to realize what's happened and Shane notices the realization in my eyes.
"Congratulations, Bella, you just did a controlled shift into your wolf-form" she says.
I did it? I did it! High-pitched yips escape me as I dance around while Shane laughs.
"Ok, ok, now to get some more training done" she interrupts my happy-dance.
I look over at her with a tilted head and a confused look. She just smirks back before shifting herself.
'First off, shifters have three main weapons: our claws, our teeth, and our head' she states as she walks over to me.
'How do we use our heads' I ask.
'Like this' she answers and before I can react, she head-butts me in the side and I go tumbling.
'Hey, no fair' I shout and she just laughs.
'What are you going to do about it' she smirks and I run at her.
Without thinking, I jump at her, but she ducks and catches my hind-leg in her teeth, making me hit the ground hard.
'Rule number two: never let your opponent get in your head' she states.
'What's rule number one' I ask.
'Stay focused; an unfocused shifter is a dangerous shifter' she answers with a grin before turning to walk off.
Once her back is turned, I quickly rush and jump at her again. At the last second, she rolls and uses her legs to throw me over her head. When I hit the ground, the air is knocked out of me, but I quickly get back up.
'Rule number three: never underestimate your opponent" she states.
'How many rules are there' I ask and a contemplative look crosses her face.
'I currently have five' she answers.
'What's the fourth one' I ask, but then something tackles me from the side and I go rolling.
When I come to a stop, I jump up and come face-to-face with a grinning Sam.
'Rule number four: always be alert of your surroundings; you never know when another enemy might jump out' Shane answers as Sam goes to sit beside her.
'That was so unfair' I state.
'Rule number five: in war, anything goes' she replies with a grim look and I nod even though I don't really like this rule.
'What now' I ask.
'You're going to spar against Sam' she answers as Sam gets back to his feet.
'But how; he's stronger, faster, and knows how to fight' I state.
'Watch for your opponents strengths, weaknesses, anything that will give you an edge; do they tense when they're about to attack; do they rely more on power or speed' she asks and my eyes watch Sam.
He seems relaxed, just standing there, but then I see it; he tenses so slightly that I nearly miss it and then he charges. I jump to the side and catch his hind-leg with my teeth. He spins and his teeth catch my shoulder before I can completely jump away. I wince from the slight pain in my shoulder, but my attention is caught when Sam charges me again. I jump to the side again, but Sam caught on and his paw catches my side, causing me to stumble. Sam takes the advantage and tackles me with his teeth dangerously close to my neck, but he stops right before he strikes a death blow.
'Great job, Bella' Shane compliments as Sam backs away and I get back to my feet.
I shake my fur, knowing it's covered in twigs and stuff now.
'Well, I think that's enough for today' Shane says as she stands.
'How do I shift back' I ask.
'Oh, right; almost forgot about that' she laughs and so does Sam.
I glare at them both, but it does no good. I'm debating on just tackling Shane, but she looks at me and I remember that she can hear all of my thoughts.
'Ok, seeing as how you've already established the connection, shifting will be much easier now; close your eyes and tell me if you feel that light-sphere again' she commands.
I do as she says and eventually find the sphere again. I reach out for it and feel myself changing back into my human-form. When I open my eyes, I find a blanket over them and pull it away, but keep it around me as cover. Shane is standing a few feet off, rummaging through the backpack she had brought, with a blanket around herself as well. Sam is gone again and then some clothes are thrown at my face.
"Change into those and we'll head on back" Shane commands as she quickly changes into some shorts and a t-shirt.
I change as well and we both make our way back to house.
"So, whenever you need to shift, just search for that sphere and you'll get it; the more you practice, the easier it will get" she says and I nod.
"So, when am I going to be able to spar with the others" I ask and she looks at me.
"Well, I really just wanted to teach you the basics before we got into the actual sparring" she answers with a shrug.
"And that means" I ask.
"You can start sparring with them tomorrow, if you want" she answers with a smile.
"Yes" I jump up with a cheer, but my luck decided for me to trip over a tree root and land face-first in the dirt right in front of everyone else who were still sparring.
"Bella, are you ok" Alice asks, trying (and failing) to hold her giggles as she helps me up.
"Only you, Bella, only you" Shane laughs with everyone else.
"Why me" I groan in embarrassment with a bright blush.
I need to stop making a fool of myself, but I guess it's worth it to see everyone happy, especially Alice.
So, Bella has finally had her first official training session. And for those of you who are possibly wondering about the mystery girl, she's going to make an appearance next chapter, which will be up in a few minutes, so until then l8er.