Author Events

SHEDU

An excerpt from Rescue, Book 5 of Wizards of White Haven. NB this is an Age 16+ book.

NB. Tania is a young dragon.

After spending time watching some of the animus kids playing out in the field, and shifting into a whole range of different animals, it got Tania thinking as to what her limitations were. Jim had told her that no-one could tell a person what those limits were; a teacher could only act as a guide. In essence everyone had to find out for themselves and that was a curious proposition. Excited, she decided it’d be fun to experiment. She’d already successfully shifted into a different shape, with her human form, could she be something else?

Since Amelie was often in panther form, Jim a lion and Natalya a tiger, trying to become a cat seemed logical. She’d curiously watched every time an animus shifted, since it was a new skill to her, and had noticed the flare of concentrated and focused magical energy it took. The key seemed to be to visualise the new form, entirely and in precise detail, especially the first time.

As she and Aunty Natalya walked by the lake, she decided to take the opportunity and asked if she would shift into her tiger. Tania watched closely, and with a template in front of her, gave it a try. Shimmering, she felt the magic settle. She was not her dragon, but was definitely in a four-footed shape. Natalya’s shocked and rather apprehensive stare had her hurrying to the lake to look at her image. The result was not what she’d expected. ‘What have I become?’

‘I’m not sure,’ Natalya admitted in amazement. ‘I think you’ve kept some of your dragon.’ Tania had certainly become a very unusual feline. Rather than a tiger’s gold and black stripes, Tania was striped in blue and black. Her head was a little longer than usual for a tiger, mainly to contain a deadly looking mouthful of long sharp teeth, although her muzzle wasn’t as long as her dragon’s. Her paws were correct, although the retracting claws seemed unusually long and the tail was correct, with a fluffy tip. However, aside from the colour and the giant ten foot tall size, the most un-catlike feature was the fact she had large wings. Was that how her dragon’s wings were? Something was different. Ah, these wings were feathered and her dragon’s wings were leathery.

‘I thought the magic didn’t allow someone to assume a non-real shape?’ Tania asked in dismay.

‘Oh, it’s possible to mess it up, but usually it takes strength and determination to keep features that aren’t natural. Of course, you’re not human so the usual rules of limitation might not apply.’ Natalya walked around Tania examining the amazing transformation in greater detail. ‘Nothing feels or looks contrived or forced with your shape. You look just as dangerous in this form as your dragon,’ she added with a rueful shake of her head. ‘Right, shall we test this?’

‘How?’

‘Can you change your colour, perhaps lose the stripes to be one shade like a lion?’

Tania concentrated and a moment later, opened her eyes to Natalya. ‘Did it work?’

‘Did you visualise a mane?’ Nayalya asked, surprised for a moment that the creature didn’t have one. However, tigers didn’t have a mane and only male lions did. Tania was female and so it was right to be without.

‘No. You said to be a single colour. What did I do?’ Tania looked down at her chest and front legs to see they were no longer striped, but her usual blue. She growled in exasperation; she hadn’t managed to be the cat gold colour she’d hoped for. Hearing a small sound she whirled, immediately alert.

Freddie stopped, staring at the enormous and terrifying predator standing far too close to his wife. Natalya was in her familiar formidable tiger form, yet she was dwarfed almost into insignificance by the mythical and very deadly looking creature by her side. Automatically breathing in the creature’s scent he blinked in surprise but relaxed in relief. ‘Tania can become a Shedu? That’s a new one! I should have known it was you just by the colour,’ he teased.

‘A Shedu?’ Tania queried, but she was very relieved she’d become something recognisable and perhaps therefore real. ‘What is that?’

‘A giant lion with wings,’ Freddie said. ‘I thought they were a myth. I’ve certainly never seen a live one myself, but there’s a picture of one in the Féarmathuin portal room, so they must have been real.’

‘Was there ever a tiger version?’ Natalya asked curiously.

‘If Tania became such a thing, then I’d say that was your answer,’ Freddie responded. ‘Some people believe dragons are a myth because they are rarely seen, yet here she is.’

‘Thank you, Freddie,’  Tania said gratefully. Her experiment had worked. Whilst not how she’d expected, she’d proven she could shift into other shapes. Yay!