The clearing Orion had led us to was quiet, surrounded by thick trees and bathed in pale moonlight. He stood in front of us, arms crossed, his silver eyes reflecting the glow. "Alright," he said. "You two need control. You can't just let your powers take over when you're scared or angry. We're going to start small."
Leo stretched his arms and cracked his neck. "So, what? You're gonna have us meditate or something?"
Orion smirked. "Something like that." He turned to me first. "Luna, your ability is tied to emotions, both yours and others'. Right now, it's unpredictable, but we're going to change that."
I nodded, already feeling the swirl of emotions around me. Leo's impatience, Orion's quiet focus, my own uncertainty. "What do I do?"
Orion picked up a small rock from the ground. "I want you to focus on this. Push all your emotions into it. Imagine it absorbing everything you feel—your nerves, your excitement, even your doubt."
I took a deep breath, staring at the rock in his hand. I focused, thinking about all the emotions crashing inside me. Slowly, I reached out, letting the energy flow. A faint silver glow flickered around the stone.
Orion nodded. "Good. Now, take a deep breath and pull the emotions back."
I hesitated but did as he said. The glow faded, and for the first time since getting my powers, I felt… stable. My emotions weren't overwhelming, just quiet. Manageable.
"That was amazing," I breathed.
Orion smiled. "Great job…" it felt like he was going to say something else when he paused. He closed his eyes really tightly and held on to his head. "Oh- headache sorry guys." he said opening his eyes back up. I raised an eyebrow. "Does that happen often?" I asked. "Yea maybe three times a week its probably just an age thing." He said. Before I had any time to think further on it, he looked at Leo. "Ready?"
Leo clapped. "Hell yea! Let's see what I can do."
Orion turned to him. "Your ability is physical. You need to focus on shifting at will, not just when instincts take over." He pointed to a tree across the clearing. "Transform into an animal that can reach the top of that tree."
Leo frowned. "What if I just turn into a tiger again?"
"Then you climb," Orion said simply.
Leo rolled his eyes but stepped forward. He took a deep breath, and I saw the way his body tensed as he focused. His form blurred, his outline shifting. For a moment, I thought he would turn into the tiger again, but instead, his shape condensed, ur sprouted along his arms, his face sharpened, and in seconds, he had turned into a black panther.
He blinked, clearly surprised by his success.
Orion grinned. "Good. Now go."
Leo crouched and growled, then leaped, claws digging into the tree bark as he climbed with surprising ease. Within seconds, he reached the top, perching on a branch like he'd done it a hundred times before. On top, he shifted into a lion and then roared, loudly!
I laughed. "That's insane!" Completely forgetting about Orion's headache
Leo let out what sounded like a proud huff before shifting back into human form. Though it wasn't as smooth as before. He barely had time to register his change before gravity took over.
"Leo!" I gasped. As he fell from the tree. I could tell he was trying to shift into a bird but clearly, he found his weakness… he couldn't shift while he was off balance.
Before he hit the ground, Orion raised a hand. A slab of earth jutted up from the ground, catching him just in time.
Leo groaned from his spot on the rock. "Ow."
Orion shook his head. "Control, Leo. You can shift, but keeping your form stable and transitioning smoothly is the next step."
Leo sat up, rubbing his head. "Great. Can't wait."
Orion smirked. "You'll get used to it. But for now, that's enough for today."
As Leo stood, I couldn't help but grin. We had a long way to go, but for the first time, I felt like we stood a chance against everyone who was after us.
Leo, Orion, and I all decided to call it a day and head inside. "Leo! Don't play it off as you meant to fall that was obviously an accident!" He laughed. "It was purposeful! I was just testing Orion's abilities." He said nodding. "I bet you were Leo, I bet you were." Orion replied chuckling. We got inside the house and continued to talk. Orion looked around curiously. I noticed. "What's wrong?" I asked. Eventually, his eyes widened. "GET DOWN!" he screamed when the windows broke, and people came flying in.