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I explained to him how to shift back into his skin, and with a couple of false starts, he was able to do it.
Suddenly, Joe was back, naked and trembling in my lap.
I put my arms around him and helped him sit up, then held him.
A strong instinct to protect the innocent omega came over me as I stroked his hair, keeping my arms wrapped tightly around him. After a few minutes, I realized he needed to warm up. "Wait here." I walked to a wooden chest and took out a blanket, then returned and wrapped it around him. "Are you okay?"
He looked dazed and confused. "What happened?"
"You shifted into a fox. You're a shifter, Joe."
"I…I didn't know those were real."
I couldn't help but laugh, but then realized he was being serious. "Wait, didn't you know I was the coyote who visited your camp?"
He smiled. "I did wonder about that, but I thought it was just wishful thinking." He scooted closer to me. "How long will this last?"
"What do you mean?"
He shrugged and looked up at me with so much innocence. "How long will I be able to turn into a fox?"
"Forever. You're a shifter. You always have been. I'm not sure why you've never shifted before." Well, I did have an idea, but I didn't want to tell Joe. I didn't want to tell him that my desire for him to be my mate might’ve been triggering his own mating instincts.
Joe stopped trembling but scooted a little closer until we were almost touching.
I wanted to wrap my arms around him again and pull him close, but instead, I reached out and rubbed his arm through the blanket.
He smiled at me, looking a little embarrassed. "Honestly it…it was fun."
I nodded and grinned. "Want to try again?"
His eyes were big and bright. "Okay."
I explained the basic dynamics of shifting, and then we were both in our fur again. I stood taller than Joe, so I laid down to appear less intimidating.
He walked around me, sniffing at my fur, then gave me a look that I understood to mean, "I can smell so many things now!"
After a few minutes, I walked out of the barn with Joe behind me. He closed his eyes and sniffed the breeze. I could only imagine what it must’ve felt like for him to have his senses so acute for the first time. Though he'd probably always had an insanely good sense of smell.
He turned his head toward the chicken coop and his body tensed up, ready to spring. I yipped to draw his attention away from the birds. That could turn into a problem. I motioned toward the lake then set out at a trot.
When we reached the field, I picked up the pace.
Joe easily kept up. Suddenly, I felt a light nip on the back of my leg and turned to see a twinkle in Joe's eyes. He yipped and then set off at a run, looking behind to see if I gave chase.
I did.
We raced into the section of pawflower that we hadn't harvested yet. Joe dodged the fat stems, darting from side to side. He was fast, and his smaller size gave him an advantage. He easily slipped between plants that caught on my fur, slowing me down. I barked, trying to scare him, but it didn't work. He only ran faster, looking back at me with his tongue hanging out.
I watched his gray-and-black tail whip through the plants, then I slipped sideways and ran out of the field. I raced around the edge of the crop, much faster without the plants slowing me down, and was there to pounce on him when he emerged by the lake.
I bowled him to the ground, and we proceeded to have a good wrestling match, slowly getting closer to the edge of the lake until we reached the water, and I jumped in. Joe hesitated. Maybe he wasn't a good swimmer? I swam back and gently coaxed him in, knowing his fox instincts would kick in.
Sure enough, once he was in the water, Joe paddled around happily. He was an excellent swimmer. Impulsively, I shifted into my skin and glided across the water with long strokes. I felt something touch me and turned to see Joe, also in his skin, face wet and smiling.
"Do you feel okay?" I treaded water, ready to catch him.
Beads of water on his face caught the sunlight as he beamed a smile at me. "I feel fantastic. I didn't know I could swim!"