#Chapter 162: The Last Resort

Alyx

After removing his clothes, Alyx let the shift come over him. He fell to his knees, the bones in his body cracking and reforming. Even though many years had passed since his first shift, it still hurt. But it didn't faze him like it did when he was little. A moment later, he stood on four wide paws. His ears twitched as the sounds of the forest washed over him.

Behind him, Jeremy did the same. He nuzzled Alyx’s flank a moment later, wagging his wide tail. Alyx nodded his head at the guards, and the gate opened. He tore out into the forest, Jeremy nipping at his heels.

They started on the usual loop, the ground soft beneath his paws. Snow swirled down from the sky, gathering in his fur, and sticking to the bare branches of the deciduous trees. Tall pines and blue spruce rose to the sky, dotted with bits of snow.

They left paw prints behind them in the thin layer of white, tearing up clouds of it as they tore past. Alyx knew he should be weary of ice, but he was having too much fun