The moon is rising, bright, and as round a woman about to give birth. 

That's essentially what's going to be happening here soon; my first shift, a type of rebirth. Three days ago I had been bitten, my own choice. A made decision that could give me a new life, or end it forever. 

The sun has just hit the starlit skyline, yet I can already feel the pull of the night in my bones. My body is tensing with the knowledge of what's to come. I've heard stories of others going through it, some making it while others die as the magic tears their bodies apart. It's literally do or die. 

Hearing the tales of others can never prepare you for your own personal hell, however. How does one prepare for pain that you've never before imagined? I have to fight down the fear, as I know it can do nothing but make it worse. Panic will do me no favors here. 

I wanted this, now it's time to own up to it. 

In a wooded clearing, far from any town or human dwelling, I've come to say good-bye to the old me and welcome in something new. If I had lived closer to any mountains, I would have gone there, but it would have taken longer than three days to get to any range. The forest works just perfect though, a two-day hike away from anything man-made. 

My eyes direct towards the swaying treetops, the mild breeze playing with the leaves, spreading the scents of wildlife all around me. A smile curves my lips as I strip away human bindings, folding them, then packing them away in a waterproof bag. Sweat has already started to form over my skin, the cool air licks at it, raising goosebumps. 

The cramping low in my belly is not a feeling unknown to me. Being female, I'm sure most have felt the pang of those hellish monthly stages where your body punishes you for not having life growing within it. Even though I could never bear any of my own, I still had to suffer through them, which was hardly fair if you ask me. 

Standing nude in the forest, while giving a sense of freedom, does feel a little weird when you aren't used to being naked. As this is something I've looked forward to for quite some time, I throw all insecurities to the wind and embrace it with open arms. Quite literally, as I move further away from my clothing pack and into the wider open space, the uneven grass tickling at my feet and calves. 

Even born half deaf, I can still hear the high pitched screeches of bats as they do their twilight hunting. Tossing my unneeded glasses back towards my things, my heart races as my vision goes from semi-clear to blurry immediately. My hands take a last glide over my skin, going over all the raised evidence of the scars that mark a hard life, a gruesome past. 

The breath quickens in my lungs as the muscles in my body start clenching. I wanted this, but I can't stop the fear that comes with it. The unknown. I dig my nails into my arms as I throw my head back, gasping as a shot to my gut takes me to my knees. 

The sound of my blood is thundering in my ears as I look down at my hands, giving something for my eyes to focus on so they don't hurt so much even as my skin feels like it's boiling. Panting as if I'd just run a marathon in hundred-degree weather, the brain in my skull feels like an egg cooking on blacktop. 

I've managed to keep relatively quiet this far, gritting my teeth to keep from crying out. The heat even appeared to be dissipating before it came back three-fold, this time breaking me.  

I can feel my bones move under my skin and can no longer stay upright, falling to my side and writhing in the grass. The prickling blades prick my skin, slicing at my flesh. My spine creaks, the sound reverberates through my head even as pressure from it splits the skin on my lower back. 

It's no longer possible to stay quiet, the whimpers that had been slipping through clenched jaws steadily grow higher in pitch, then an all-out scream splits the air. My sternum and ribs have shifted, expanded, and reshaped. I don't know what's worse, feeling my bones break and reform, or my organs move around to fit their new homes. 

Even my skull, which is liquid fire right now, is reshaping under my skin. Flesh splits, then re-knits closed as it takes on a new contortion. Everything on my face seems to elongate at once; my nose, ears, jaw, and especially my teeth and tongue.  

Claws had sprung from my fingers, making it so grasping at my body only had me injuring myself more. Tears cascade from my eyes as my limbs lengthen and remodel themselves, the palms and bottoms of my feet hardening into thick pads. The sharp scent of urine and blood combine and hit my nose. 

It feels like it takes hours when in reality, it only takes a couple of minutes for my body to remake itself. After skin would re-knit over a newly formed area, fur would grow in a rush. I didn't actually see it, as by that time I'd squeezed my eyes shut, but I felt it. The balls in my head felt like they were about to melt out of my sockets and my vision was spinning, so it was either close them, or chance losing them and puke among everything else going on.  

My headache slowly fades, my breathing along with it until it's back to normal with the strong beating of my heart. I lay there as my world rights itself, dwelling on the memory of pain for a little while longer before the scents and sounds get a chance to register. I can feel the ears at the top of my head move, and my nose at the end of my new face twitch. 

Elation fills me instantly. I survived! The magic of the Change didn't rip me apart, although it felt like it had been. Felt like it'd been cooking me alive. 

My eyes open slowly to see the blades of grass in front of my face, the scents of it, pine, and oak mixing in my nose. The clearing that had before been dark and blurry, was now clear as day. Not only could I see in vibrant color, but it was as if I were seeing everything with the sun at its peak. 

Looking down, long canine legs stretch out in front of me and turning my head reveals a wolven back end complete with tail, my fur shades of gray and black, with accents of brown. The sounds coming at me from all sides has me twisting my head this way and that, trying to take it all in at once. I can hear everything, perfectly. 

My heart swells with happiness. I don't even know if I can walk yet, but I'm happy. I got what I had wanted for years. Something I didn't think would have been possible in a million years, yet here it is, in the flesh. My flesh. 

Pushing up to stand, I wobble a bit, then I'm good. Just like many other things, as long as you don't think too hard on it, it comes naturally. My heart starts pounding again to the point I take off, running through the clearing in sheer joy. 

I stop a few minutes later, raising my muzzle to the sky. My howl cuts through the night as I share my joy with the whole of the forest. Feeling the breeze ruffle through my fur feels heavenly, even if it does bring the scent of game with it. 

The one thing I didn't account for, was another howl answering my own.