Page 80 of Found in Obscurity

He satisfied himself with that until a familiar prickle started at the tips of his fingers and toes.

He stared down at them in panic.

No.

Not now.

He needed longer.

He didn’t want to leave.

He tried to fight it, but it was no use. He could feel it taking over every cell. Commanding his body to take the shape itdemanded. He looked at his fingers helplessly as they morphed into claws.

He wanted to say goodbye to Lorin this time. He didn’t know when he’d be able to shift again. But Lorin was busy with the tea he wouldn’t even be able to drink as a fox, muttering a small incantation into the steam as he held it between both palms.

Kit could feel the small, bright flame of magic along their bond that he always felt as Lorin’s familiar.

And as if in sync, the force acting on his body lessened.

Kit blinked in surprise as the fur and claws crawled back along his skin a few centimeters. Lorin incanted again, that pulse of magic in his chest brightening as the shift receded further.

It couldn’t be…

Kit reached for their bond, their link, and held on tightly, letting it light him up from the inside. It was hot and molten, like trying to hold the sun. He felt like he was glowing with it from the inside out, and with it, the shift burned away, leaving him blessedly human still.

He panted in shock more than exertion, shaking all over from both the revelation and the near shift.

Lorinwasthe key!

Or rather, Lorin’s magic was the key.

It wasn’t about a specific spell or ritual. Lorin’s raw magic was the answer somehow.

Lorin stepped over with the teacup on a saucer. “Careful, it’s hot. Glenn said you should try and breathe in some of the steam too.”

Kit grasped his arm sharply and Lorin gasped, just avoiding spilling the boiling liquid.

“Kit! What are you doing? You could have burned both of us.”

Kit didn’t know how to explain himself. He was delirious with it, his head spinning.

He searched for the notepad and pencil, making distressed noises when he couldn’t locate them within the blanket.

“Woah, slow down. What’s wrong?” Lorin asked, putting the tea aside and crouching beside him to help him search.

They located the items and Kit hastily scribbled over it, fingers feeling bloated and numb.

I think I know why I’m able to shift to human.

“What?” Lorin gasped, eyes snapping up to his. “How?”

Your magic. I was just about to shift and you cast a spell. I felt you use the magic and it pushed the shift away.

Lorin dropped onto his ass on the floor. “My magic?”

Kit nodded.I don’t know why or how, but Ifeltit.

Lorin looked down at his own hands. The signs of his magic were littered all over his skin, the imprint of a fox lay across his palm.