“You look good,” Edda complimented.
“Thanks. I feel good, actually.”
Edda grinned, serving up a big plate with three eggs, an enormous steak, mushrooms, beans and tomatoes next to a separate plate stacked high with homemade wholemeal toast. “Didn't believe me, huh?”
Jaz munched on a slice of toast, dipping it into the beans. “No, not with how I felt last night. What exactly... happened?”
Edda smiled at her; Jaz could see Edda was pleased she was finally asking questions. “Your body was training itself. The first time is always the hardest but not necessarily the worst.”
“Training how?”
“Eat up, I'll tell you.”
Jaz stuffed her mouth full of steak and munched away whilst Edda spoke.
“During the Phase or Change, your body goes through a huge amount of strain and displacement. This was like a trial run. You'll have a fair few before your body thinks you're ready to fully Change. Your bones need to break and dislocate to become used to the process.”
“How come I healed if my bones broke?”
“Well, our bodies are meant for this strain. We heal very quickly, though don't be fooled in believing we heal just as quickly with any other injury, or that we're invincible, 'cos we're not, but compared to a human, we heal pretty quick.
“Our bones break during the Change but they go into healing overdrive -which would account for the exhaustion- and then they break and move again to turn back into human form and re-heal. Mainly though, there is more dislocating and alterations than actual breaks. The worst break is in the back legs. The kneecaps are bent back to form hind legs. That is very painful. So is the reshaping of the spine and neck.”
Jaz winced. “How are they... reshaped?”
“The spine becomes much straighter. The neck also has to be altered, so that the skull can sit horizontally rather than vertically. It becomes like the body of a four-legged animal, such as a dog, wolf or big cat.”
“Do we have tails?”
“Yes, but there is no bone in the tail. And it's not like anything you'll have ever seen before. Maybe something resembling a bullwhip with lots of strands. Underneath our skin -which you are still developing, and you'll sometimes feel tingle as they grow- are long, thin fibres a bit like the tines of a feather. They push out through the skin forming a coat of 'fur'. It isn't like ordinary fur: the hair is much finer, and looks odd. At least it will to you.”
“I doubt that will be the oddest thing I'll find about a Were.”
Edda smiled wryly. “I'll bet.”
“What colour is the hair?”
Edda took a sip of tea. “It depends. Most of the time the colours match your hair colour, or your status, so it can change too, for example, if you become a Pack Leader.”
“It changes? Like a chameleon?”
“It can, but not like a chameleon. Unfortunately, we don't have a camouflage. We get what we're given. Apart from becoming a Pack Leader, the only time the colour may deepen or go darker is when we're angry, which is similar to when our human face reddens when we're angry or embarrassed. Or when we're hot. And of course when we get wet.”
Jaz took a few mouthfuls of food, giving her time to absorb all the new information before she asked another question. “What did you mean about the status of a Were and their colour?”
“Usually, the Pack Leader is a dark colour, mainly black, which is normally down to their bloodline and genes. So a Pack Leader isn't always necessarily black or dark-haired.
“Those who are born with light hair, may only become a few shades darker as soon as they're given Pack Leader status. I remember someone who used to be a blond-haired Were and then turned a sandy colour when he became Pack Leader. It certainly came as a surprise to a few superstitious people who argued that he should have at least turned dark brown. It caused a bit of a fuss. But he proved them wrong.
“Anyway, there are other ways to tell,” she concluded, wafting her hand as if wiping that bothersome memory away.
Jaz wondered what she meant but Edda was already speaking again.
“And it's not always the bloodline that discerns who is and isn't in line for Pack Leader. It can be anyone- within reason. Anyway I'll tell you more about that another time, unless Nik decides to fill you in.”
Jaz thought about that for a moment and then decided that she actually wouldn't mind him talking about it with her. In fact she'd really like that. But they weren't exactly buddies at the moment, so perhaps it would be a long time before they had that conversation.
“So, Driv-Nik... is what colour?”
Edda smiled. “I'll guess you'll have to see for yourself.”
Jaz blanched.
Edda grinned.
Jaz eyed her as she chewed on another piece of steak. “So I would most likely be brown-haired?”
“Auburn, you mean?”
Jaz rolled her eyes but didn't bother arguing. Her hair was brown, and yes maybe had a little bit of red in it, but it was still brown. Edda was just being picky.
“Or perhaps... well...” Edda trailed off.
“What?” Jaz perked up.