Chapter 18. Arrival at camp.
Over the following two weeks, they made plans to take a five-day camping trip north of the city. Erza knew of a great spot that was seldom booked. Gavin's shoulder was just about fully recovered, he had very little discomfort or stiffness when moving it or using his right arm. Lyla was just about fully recovered. She had the boot off her leg and was only walking around with a small brace around her ankle from the injury being thrown out the window of the second story. She was able to mostly walk around without any assistance. She was thankful, she hated having that heavy boot on her leg or having to use the dang crutches all the time. Her arms hurt from resting on the crutches.
Gavin woke up early on Friday morning. They were supposed to get packed and head out to the camp site today. Aria and Lyla were planning on meeting Erza and him out there later in the morning. He was so excited all night that he could barely get any sleep. He rose and threw the blankets off as he walked around his room. He pulled out a duffle bag from his closet and set it on the bed. He reached over to his dresser and pulled out a few pairs of jeans, some shorts, pajama pants. He folded them up and put them at the bottom of his duffle bag. He opened another drawer and pulled out some socks and underwear. Lastly, he grabbed a few shirts, swim trunks, and a couple of hooded sweatshirts. He had no idea what kind of training Erza had planned, so he wanted to make sure he was set and good.
He didn't really have anything else he could think of packing, so he grabbed a pillow and blanket and his bag and left his room, heading downstairs. As he got downstairs, he set his bag and bedding down on the couch and walked into the kitchen to see his dad was still there. He sat in the kitchen. His father had a cup of coffee down next to him as he read the paper. He glanced up as Gavin entered with a yawn.
"Morning son," Mr. Johnson said as Gavin walked in and grabbed a cup to make him some coffee. Gavin sat down at the table across from him as he spoke.
"Morning dad, how come you are home, shouldn't you be at work?" Gavin asked in confusion as he sipped on the cold coffee.
"I have a meeting in about an hour and nothing pressing beforehand, so I'll just go into the office later for the meeting and do things afterward." His father replied as he looked at his son.
"Ah, it makes sense then I suppose."
Mr. Johnson looked down at his son. He felt so much love and pride about how he had turned out. "You know Gavin, I am proud of the man you have become. A lot of crap has been thrown at you these past few weeks. You not only refuse to let them drag you down, but you made a plan to rise up and push forward," he told Gavin.
Gavin smiled and felt warm all over at the praise. "I'm only doing what you raised me to do, dad. You raised a fighter, not a quitter," he replied to his father. He always wanted to make his parents proud. Even after learning that his parents weren't his real parents. That didn't matter to him. They were the ones that showed him love, unconditional love. They taught him right from wrong and raised him as their own.
Mr. Johnson grinned at him. "Just wanted to say, I was proud and you get all mushy on me," he replied to Gavin. The front door opened then and was soon heard shutting. Quickly walking into the kitchen was Erza, dressed with a black shirt on and blue jeans.
"Heya Johnsons," she said in greeting as she stole a drink of Gavin's coffee.
"Morning Erza," they both said at her approach.
Erza beamed excitedly at Gavin as she sat down next to him. "You all packed?" She asked.
Gavin nodded as he grinned with enthusiasm. "Hell yeah." "This is going to be so awesome and fun," he replied.
Erza nodded to him. She loved seeing his enthusiasm. This trip wasn't going to just be all fun and games. They were going to a secluded park and training him how to shift at will and not lose himself to the wolf. Then, if there was time, work on studying and practicing magic. "You know this isn't just a lazy, fun week, right?" She asked him. She wanted to have fun, but he needed to understand this trip was going to be alot of hard work.
Gavin nodded. His excitement and energy quieted down as his face grew serious. "Yes, I know baby. You are going to put me through hell," he said grimly. He sounded like he was complaining. But she could see the determination in his beautiful blue eyes.
"Good, so long as you don't forget the goal here," Erza said softly. She reached out to squeeze Gavin's hand as she smiled. "We are going to put you through one heck of a crash course, my love," she told him confidently.
Mr. Johnson smiled as he watched the two of them. They were such a perfect fit together. All these years as friends really gave them a strong foundation for their growing relationship. He had high hopes for their future. "Make sure he comes back home in one piece, Erza," Mr. Johnson said with amusement in his tone.
Erza turned to grin at him. "That all depends on if he's going to be a weak baby, or grow strength to man up," she said teasingly.
Gavin bristled under her light teasing. "Hey! "I'm not a weak baby as it is," he said defensively. He wasn't weak by any means. He could shift into a powerful werewolf. He just had no current control when he did so. Details right. Semantics. After they packed up Erza's SUV, Gavin and Erza headed north of the city. The campsite, she had told him, was only a few hours' drive away. Not a bad price to pay for safety and seclusion.
So they chatted away mindlessly for a while, then Gavin dosed off until he felt the SUV leave the highway and started traveling on a gravel road. He swallowed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes and Erza drove them, tires crunching on the gravel.
"Damn, how long was I out?" He asked her sleepily.
Erza gave him a soft chuckle. "Long enough sleepy head." She replied.
Gavin looked out the window and noticed the gravel road leading into a forest-like area. The trees were thick and green foliage filled the area. All the different colored flowers covered the ground. The light from the sun's rays broke through the forest canopy in sporadic sections, giving it the appearance of angelic rays choosing a man for God.
The beauty of the scenery they passed almost took Gavin's breath away. They weren't even at the campsite yet, and he was already impressed with the beauty of the area.
"Damn, this is so beautiful," Gavin said softly.
Her soft, rich laughter filled the SUV as she agreed with him. "I love coming up here. I don't get to as much anymore, but it's my favorite spot to get away from everything for a weekend." She said as she continued making her way through the winding road and into the forest.
Eventually, they came to a dead-end parking lot covered with gravel and dirt. Two other vehicles were already there. A dark blue, four-door sedan and a red four-door pick-up.
"Looks like Aria and Lyla got here first," she commented as she parked the SUV next to the truck. Gavin noticed that Aria was carrying gear from the truck over to a wooden picnic table. The wood was old and weather-worn, definitely showing it's age from the weather exposure.
Gavin got out of the SUV and looked around. It was a wide open clearing for camping. It contained several picnic tables scattered around, a few open fire pits, and a couple of spots for electrical hook-ups.
The grass looked like it was freshly cut recently and low to the ground. Someone even went to the trouble of picking up the clippings. Over to one side was a small building that Gavin assumed housed the bathroom and showers. He could hear the sounds of running water and looked over to see a small river running along the edge of the camp site. The sound was peaceful and lulling to his ears.
His heart immediately calmed and slowed as he inhaled the fresh crisp air of the forest. It seemed to melt all his worries, fear and stress. The place was that peaceful and comforting to him. All the anxieties, doubts and even fear seemed to be an issue of the past as Gavin stood there looking at the camp.
Lyla walked over, her blonde hair down around her shoulders as she smiled at them. "About time you guys got here," she chastised them.
"Hey, don't look at me. She was the driver," Gavin said, throwing Erza under the bus.
Lyla laughed good natured. "Yeah she can be a slow poke sometimes," she said as she walked over to her car and grabbed a bundle of her sleeping gear. Gavin walked over and helped her pull the bedding and tent bag out of her trunk. "Thanks Gavin," she said as she led the way to the picnic table to set the stuff down.
Gavin was surprised to see Tessa helping Aria set up a tent nearby as he said, "Hey Tessa, wasn't expecting you to be joining us."
Tessa looked up, her long brown hair pulled back into a simple braid as she smiled at him. "Erza asked after we were talking about magic, if I wanted to try learning as well, and said why not. So here I am," she said with a laugh. She had never been camping before and was probably more excited about that than learning magic.
Gavin looked over to see Erza digging in the back of her SUV, and pulled out a few totes and a cooler and sat them on the ground next to the SUV. "Hey come give me a hand," she called out to him.
"Coming," he responded as he went over and grabbed the heavy cooler to pull it over to the picnic table. The sound of ice sloshing back and forth over drinks and food filled his ears.
"We can run into the nearby towns when we need more ice or food. But this should be enough to get us started," Erza said as she sat a black tote down on the ground. She popped the lid open to reveal the three-person camping tent she kept.
"So, before we get all unpacked, I'm going to try teaching you shifting," she told Gavin as she took his hand. She guided him over to where a couple of tree stumps stood upright near the river and a short distance away from everyone else.
"Alright, now what?" Gavin asked her softly as he sat down across from her.
She smiled warmly at him. "First you need to close your eyes. Inhale, hold, then slowly exhale. Calm your mind and relax your body, baby," she instructed, and waited for him to do so.
Gavin made sure he was comfortable on the large stump. Then he closed his eyes, put his hands in his lap and took a deep inhale. He held it for a few moments, then exhaled. He repeated this a few more times and felt his shoulders begin relaxing, the tension leaving his body.
Erza nodded as she watched. "Good, feel the fresh air filling your lungs, filling your body. Feel the tension leave and your spirit lighten as a response," she commented as she followed the same exercise.
Gavin nodded as he felt the breathing technique working and his body relaxing through the process.
"Now with your eyes closed, focus your energy and thoughts inside. Feel your mana flowing through your body. Deep inside you is the spirit of a wolf. Large, powerful, feral and beautiful. Your manaflow is the connection to the animal within. It will guide your path to shifting," she said as she watched him closely.
Gavin had his eyes closed. Through the breathing techniques, he felt his consciousness follow the flow of his mana inwardly. He felt a presence there. Something inside him. It was strong. Powerful. With an iron will that terrified him. The wolf had already claimed life before and it demanded more. The ferocity spread through Gavin's senses until it was all-consuming.
Gavin wanted blood. He wanted violence. His body shook all over from the overpowering weight of the wolf's anger and rage.
Erza let out a sharp gasp. The waves of power and ferocity that emanated from Gavin were terrifying. His mana was being forced outward as a visible aura. Even Aria and Lyla stopped what they were doing to watch on in concern.
The amount of power and aura on display was beyond that normally seen. It sent their animal senses on full alert as they recognized the bloodlust coming from Gavin. From his wolf.
Just how strong would he be fully shifted? Should they even teach him this power?