Page 130 of Have a Bear-y Little Christmas

“You did it,”I said, finally able to use our natural language with her.

“I… mrphh!”

“It’s okay, baby, it takes a little while to get used to shifter-speak. Don’t try to talk. Just try to be in your body. Everything is all brand new, isn’t it?”

“…ye…ee.”

“There you go. You probably won’t be able to hold on to this for long, so if you feel yourself begin to fall, I just want you to let yourself. Don’t panic, don’t try to fight it.”

“I…”

She slowly pushed herself up, her little legs shaking, and I rose off my belly with her. I hadn’t even realized I’d lowered myself to her level in that way; I’d been so preoccupied with coaching her through her change.

“There you go. Look at you, baby! You’re incredible!”

Suddenly, several other roars sounded from around us, and I realized that a good chunk of our clan had shifted right along with us. While their animal sounds filled the entire clearing, it was their internal voices that rang clearly in my senses and my daughter’s.

“Congratulations!”

“A black bear! Just like her momma!”

“Merde! One way to have a weddin’.”

“Tiens, donc!”

“Goodness, she’s beautiful!”

“A shift so early!”

But I could tell when it got to be a bit much too fast when my daughter’s next step wavered, and her bear ankle rolled, nearly toppling her to her side. She skittered a bit, trying to find her balance, so I reached out with one of my paws and steadied her.

“It’s okay. Remember, look at me. I’m your alpha, and I will never let any harm come to you.”

Her cute little face with her cute little black nose turned to me once more, and I felt her bear body respond to my rumble with a few waves of calm. But that only lasted a moment before her anxiety spiked again, and I recognized the particular blend of chemicals that meant she was about to lose her bear form.

“Remember, don’t fight it, sweetie. Just fall. All you have to do is fall.”

Sure enough, her form began to rapidly shrink and her fur receded as she went through the same process she had just experienced but in reverse. It seemed particularly cruel to force a first-time shifter to have to experience a relatively painful process twice in rapid succession, but it was what our bodies had evolved to do.

But I wanted to be human when she was, so I told my inner bear it was time to switch out. He was reluctant, a bit aggravated that his time had been so short, but I assured him that he would be taking Addy on our first hunt and so many other important milestones in the coming months, that he acquiesced without so much as a grumble.

Naturally, I completed my transformation into my human form before my daughter did, so I was there to hold her face when she finally returned to herself. A lot of emotions had to be hitting her all at once, and the sheer assault on her senses from a first shift could be overwhelming, but I didn’t expect her to break into racking sobs the moment her body was able to.

“Addy, I’m here. We’re all here,” I soothed, pulling her to me. The rest of our crew followed, swallowing her in a four-way hug. “You did it! You shifted.”

“I ruined everything!” she cried, and the raw emotion in her voice just about made my chest crack right down the center.

Once again, it was Jeannie’s voice that broke through the chaos. “Darling, you didn’t ruin anything. Do you really think after how your father and I got together and then our magical proposal that we could have a normal wedding? You’ve helped make this the most special day we could have ever asked for!”

“Y-y-you’re j-just saying that!”

“Miss Adelaide LeBeau,” Jeannie said sternly. “Have I ever lied to you?”

“No…”

I lifted my daughter’s face so she could gaze into my eyes once again. “Jeannie is right. You didn’t ruin a single thing. You made this day so much more memorable than we ever could have asked for. I promise.”

“B-b-but your wedding?”