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620 words. It kinda makes me sad that Maggie will be corrupted later by Nani XD.
She felt the pup struggle under her grip, though her long ivory fangs were gentle when Mala picked the pup up by the scruff. Rounded ears listened as she heard the pup give her name, and plopped her back onto the ground again, gently, as Maggie spoke about being a Luperci. "Well, your mother's right," Mala said as she lifted her head back up from dropping the young wolf. "You got just a little bit more growing to do." Cream colored muzzle leaned in again, her nose at Maggie's belly to tickle it briefly.
What she didn't expect the pup to ask was what she looked like when she shifted. Malachi felt different than the other Luperci, but nonetheless she thought of herself as being one. Though she nor anyone could explain why it was much more comfortable to be on all four legs, a pup usually looked more intimidated when they saw Mala in her shifted form - brief though it was. "Well, I certainly don't get smaller!" A small giggle bubbled up in her throat, which looked like it didn't belong from the shaggy female. "But if you really want, I'll show you."
Malachi took a deep breath, something she subconsciously did, inwardly hoping she would not scare the pup. Her body waddled back a few paces to give herself enough room, and enough space to be out of the way for her young, fuzzy friend. Honey eyes closed, as they always did when she was "shifting", moving all of her tremendous weight to her back legs. Slowly but surely, her front paws lifted off the ground, curling towards her sturdy chest as Mala rose into the air at her full height. Even standing she still looked pudgy, due to excessive eating, but in this form she was taller than most other Luperci. When Malachi opened her eyes, she merely peeked them open at first, to see Maggie's reaction. Her black nose wriggled, huffing mist into the air, wondering how she never felt bones grow or muscles move in odd ways when she shifted. At least, that's how other wolves described their transformations. Perhaps, because Mala was bigger on four legs, shifting was less.. obvious from the inside.
But the young female kept on talking to her, and Mala felt relieved that she didn't turn around and leave, leaving behind small, white paw prints in her wake. The large brown female slowly came back down to earth, again without feeling any bones pop or anything out of the ordinary. Her eyes were trained on the small wolf, choosing to finish her 'transformation' before answering the question. "No, no.. I don't live far from here, though," she said with a smile crossing her cream colored muzzle. "I live near Cercatori d'Arte, do you know where that is?" The beast didn't think the other would, unless her parents had told her. Then, for fun and games, Mala looked out beyond the pup, as if trying to search for where the art pack was. "It's right.. here!" She said just as she lifted a large paw to nudge the pup. "Tag!"
Before she wanted Maggie to react, Malachi turned and waddled off further into the forest, taking care not too venture too deep within. Though it wasn't her own pup, Mala still felt responsible to look out for the young whelp, for she was sure her parents and siblings would worry if it grew too dark. That wasn't her worry at the moment, though, as she tried to push her body to run faster than it was willing. Every grizzled inch of her, though, slowed as they did every time around this year, though the shaggy female willed herself against it.