Leandra watched in fascination as Nathan's eyes shifted from mauve into a warm hazel. Before she could ask about the change, a rougher version of Nathan's voice spoke.
"Hello, Leandra, I'm Axel."
Leandra stared at him in shock. "What happened to Nathan?"
"Shifting in front of other people stresses him out, so Axel's taking over for a little bit," Griffin chimed in.
"But he's okay? He'll be back?" Leandra asked her son.
Axel and Griffin shared a look before smiling slightly. "He's fine," Griffin said.
"He'll take over when he's ready," Axel added. Axel looked over at Griffin, his grin stretching wider. "Griffin, why don't you take your mother outside? I'll be right there."
Griffin, though curious, did as Axel asked without question.
While they waited outside, Leandra asked, "What are we doing?"
"I'm not sure," Griffin replied, his eyes never leaving the cabin door.
Only a minute later, Axel in human form still, walked through the door. Only he was naked except for a blanket he'd wrapped around himself.
"Axel?" Griffin asked. "What are you doing?"
Axel smirked at him. "Well, your mother wanted to see Nathan shift and I didn't want to ruin another set of clothes. It's not that different from the first shift you saw."
Griffin thought back to that night, realizing Axel was right. "Alright," Griffin nodded at him.
Leandra gave her son a quizzical look that was ignored. She quickly turned her attention back to the small boy that had moved into the middle of the clearing. The next minute felt like an hour as Leandra watched him shift from a human into a wolf, the blanket falling away as his hands changed into paws.
Leandra could only watch in amazement as the wolf in front of her shook out its coat before trotting over to Griffin and sitting at his feet.
Kneeling down, Griffin gently stroked the wolf's ears. "Believe us now?" He asked, looking up at Leandra.
"Of course," she breathed. Slowly stepping forward, Leandra leaned down to pet the wolf's head, only to stop as he growled at her.
"Axel? What's wrong?" Griffin asked through the bond.
Axel never stopped growling. "I didn't notice before but I can smell something from her."
"Like what?"
Axel took a moment, trying to figure out the scent. "Something… metallic. The scent itself doesn't seem bad, but she should smell like other dragons. Smoke and dirt. I'm still getting it, but it's faint."
Griffin's head whipped up to look at his mother. Looking at her closer, he noticed a slight blank look in her eyes. His mind raced as he thought through all of their interactions since she showed up, not seeing any real difference from her normal behavior.
Standing slowly, his hand never leaving Axel's head, Griffin stared hard at Leandra. "Mom. Why do you have a metallic scent on you?"
**********
Far away, in the temple of Aderon, Draken Mortenson sat in his office, watching through a crystal mirror, as a young man shifted into a wolf.
"So," he said, leaning back and steepling his fingers together, "one got away. We'll have to fix that."