Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 141492 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 707(@200wpm)___ 566(@250wpm)___ 472(@300wpm)
“Let go of yourself as you do when you’re going to heal someone. You’ve seen the brethren do it. Become only spirit, and keep the image of the owl in your mind. Don’t allow anything else to enter. Not fear or ego. Only the little owl. It is tiny, so it may be frightening at first, but know I’m with you. Trust in me and in yourself. I know you can do this, Safia.”
Safia took a deep breath and concentrated on every detail of the little owl, allowing her physical self to slip away. For a moment she felt completely disoriented and adrift. She found herself seeing with remarkable clarity, although colors were dull. She could see in three dimensions: height, width and depth perception were increased. Along with that, she was seeing close to a hundred times better than she had been. It was astonishing to see with the little owl’s vision.
I’m keeping us hidden from the little ones in this territory. I don’t want a fight, but you need to be very familiar with this section from above, and this is the best way to view it.
She loved the way Petru’s voice was perfectly steady in her mind. He was her rock, keeping her absolutely calm. She might feel trepidation being so small and lost inside the little owl’s body, but he was right there.
Tell me what to do.
You must step back and allow the owl to be in charge of the actual flying. That will be the most difficult part. Letting go completely. You are still there, observing, but she will fly. You will direct her to the places you wish to go.
I’m not learning to fly on my own? She knew her disappointment showed. The female owl took several tentative hops in the grass and unfolded her wings.
Patience. This is how you learn.
She heard the trace of amusement in his voice and couldn’t help the answering laughter bubbling up. She felt like a child at the market for the first time, staring at all the wonders around her, eager to get a special candy she’d never had before.
The owl flapped her wings, took two hops and then was in the air. The bottom of Safia’s stomach dropped away. She hadn’t been prepared for the little female’s sudden flight. When she settled, she found it wasn’t much different from when she took control of a bat or a bird. She was utilizing all the animal’s senses. And soaring across the sky. She loved the sensation. Loved it.
Pay attention to what you’re doing. Petru’s voice held a stern note, pulling her up short, making her instantly aware of her surroundings. You are in the owl’s body, but you are not the owl. You must always keep that image uppermost in your mind.
Safia was tempted to give him sass and remind him he’d said to be the owl so that if a vampire was in the vicinity, the undead wouldn’t be able to detect the difference, but he was right, she’d almost forgotten to keep the image in her mind. She would have fallen right out of the sky.
Petru had her land on the ground, which wasn’t nearly as smooth as she thought it would be. Her little owl tumbled over in a somersault, squawked in ruffled annoyance and glared at her mate.
Now shift back into you, fully clothed.
Safia had no problem with that order. She stretched, grateful to be back to her original form.
Shift into the little owl, but faster, Safia. Petru’s voice was clipped. No arguing with it. He meant business, and she automatically obeyed him without thinking. Get into the air quickly.
She followed the male bird as it rose, barely taking the mandatory hop. She did look around to ensure there were no predators close. There hadn’t been undue urgency in his tone, only the need for speed. They circled the farm again and returned to the same site to land, coming in faster this time.
Each time, Petru had her practice shifting faster and faster, following him into the air until he seemed satisfied with her speed. Then he moved slowly across the sky, quartering back and forth, studying the land beneath him. She was in his mind, following his every thought. He committed the terrain and everything on it to memory, mapping it out and recording it.
Petru noticed the smallest detail: shrubs, trees, caves, rocks, placements of roots and whether they were twisted or not. He knew where every fence was, every break in a fence. She found his brain amazing, the way it mapped out and filed information so rapidly. He shared his knowledge automatically with her, his brethren and Aura.
Finally, Petru signaled to her to drop to the ground in the farthest corner of her family’s farm, in the middle of the little owl’s territory, indicating they would meet others there so she might want to be fully clothed when she shifted. Safia followed him down, keeping the rules for landing uppermost in her mind. Knowing others were near made her nervous. Shifting still didn’t come that easily. She’d practiced in her head hundreds of times, but it wasn’t the same thing as flying through the air in the small body of a bird, retaining all the raptor’s natural traits and simultaneously trying to learn battle strategy from her lifemate.