He looked so ridiculous I started to laugh. It came out sounding like something you would expect from a wolf whose balls hadn’t dropped. That set him off too. He stamped his front paws on the ground, opened his mouth, and barked hard. It sounded exactly like the bark of a purebred Chihuahua. The sound was so squeaky and high, he jumped, as if he’d scared himself.

I fell to the ground, rolling on my back in wonder, amazement, and, most of all, glee. He pounced on me, and we rolled around on the ground, snapping at each playfully. Right then, we caught the scent of something. Something small. Not the kind of thing that was worth killing, but definitely the kind of thing that was worth chasing. We pricked up our ears and scented the air. It was a squirrel. It was to the west of us. It was two or three hundred yards away. I started to walk toward it but only my hind legs moved. I toppled over, and when I got up, I saw Jules’s wolf eyes dancing in amusement. He walked slowly and deliberately, carefully lifting one paw in front of the other, making sure to use all four. I did the same. My first steps were tentative and unsure, but in seconds, it felt like second nature. I took off after the squirrel and Jules followed, hot on my heels. We sprinted through the bramble, sending birds off their perches, squawking and hooting as they warned their species that we were headed their way.

We didn’t catch the squirrel. It wasn’t really our target; instead, we explored the forest at breakneck speed. It felt like a different planet from our new vantage point. The smells were unreal. Bark and pinene. Feathers and moss. Tiny heartbeats fluttered around us. We ran as we took it in. Our paws pounded the ground. We were moving like lightning, and it required next to no effort. We ran like the wind. We were the wind. We were one with the wind and the trees. We were the earth under our feet. We were born to run. We were made for this time and this place and this shape.

We ran till we reached the highest point we could find. We scrambled up rocks and boulders until we stood at the peak and looked out over the valley. I looked up and was transfixed. The sky was alight. A black curtain glittering with tiny lights. I saw stars like I’d never seen them. Millions and millions of them. I saw starlight hurtling through space toward me. I looked up at the moon and felt her majestic power course through my veins.

“Say my name, Sully,” she whispered to me.