Read Talon (The Astor Chronicles Book 1) for Free Online Page A

finding it difficult to sit still and pay attention for any length of time.
    ‘Yes,’ Cradic replied. ‘You are here to learn the principles behind transformation so you and your Rada-kin can learn the rest on your own. Most Rada can only transform into five or six different forms. It really depends on your need to master forms, and your faith.’
    ‘What has faith got to do with it, Master?’ one of them queried.
    ‘In order to let go of your precious human body, it takes faith. You must believe in the gift Sy-tré bestowed upon you, so that you can remember the facets of your clothing and anything else you have on you during the transformation. If you forget something and you try to change back, that object could be gone forever.’
    ‘But I don’t know the inner workings of my body,’ I replied. ‘I couldn’t possibly know everything about it without turning it inside out.’
    ‘You’re right if you’re talking about your waking mind,’ Cradic said. ‘Thankfully each of us has an awareness of our body already built into our brain; we just can’t access this knowledge with our mind ordinarily. You might be surprised how much your brain knows about what’s going on inside your body. It is this self-awareness that you tap into when you choose to shift your form. All you have to do is picture the animal you want to become, imagine how it feels to be that animal, and instruct your body to shift to it.’
    ‘Sounds easy,’ one of the students said.
    ‘Ah, but there’s one thing to remember,’ Cradic said, hand raised, ‘if you try something you’re not ready for, the toll it takes on your mind will be too great and you’ll be back in your human form before you know it. Any interruption to your concentration will cause your mind to restore your body to your natural form. This is called a reversion.’
    Thus began my training in the Jarian art of animal transformation. It went on for four days. We studied the bones and drew sketches of dozens of animals, discussed traits and differences, senses and instincts until all I dreamed of at night were paws, hooves and tails. We took walks outside and studied the way the animals ran and played. We practiced our arithmetic on the strides and leaping distances of various kinds, learned about weight-bearing, swimming and climbing.
    On the third day, Cradic took us into the hospital for sick animals where we learned about the injuries and illnesses that could befall us or our Rada-kin if we weren’t careful. One lesson that stuck in my mind was the consumption of incompatible foods. If I ate bad meat or drank still water while in animal form, it could make me sick if I changed back before my animal body had processed it.
    Any injury sustained in another form would usually remain after we changed back. Injuries could even become worse and tear during the transformation. Healing Master Safton, and his acolytes, were the only ones in Jaria to master “whole morphing”, healing recent injuries during transformation.
    On the fourth day we got to attempt a transformation. The Rada-kin went first. Because they each had access to each other’s minds, through the waves, it was possible for them to sense how it felt to be another animal. Rekala’s first transformation was to dire wolf form. She had linked up with a dire wolf Rada-kin and used his impressions to guide her transformation. It was strange watching her body morph into the shape of a dire wolf. The luxuriant blue fur became rough black hair, the snout elongated and the teeth shrank a little. New teeth appeared that hadn’t been there before. The whole process took less than thirty seconds.
    ‘You did it, Rekala!’
    ‘You’re going to love this,’ she replied.
    When it was time for the humans to try, Cradic went with us, one by one, to the big space in front of the table. When it was my turn, my stomach fluttered with nerves.
    ‘Touch your Rada-kin’s back, chest and legs, concentrating on her sensations