Flames and Starlight

10🌘

Ruben

I paced back and forth in my room, gazing out the window, the need to get out of this house overwhelming. I desperately wanted to get out of this room and feel the air on my face for a little bit despite the late hour and the fact that I had to get up for school in a few hours.

I winced and rolled my shoulder; my body was still sore and recovering from the car accident at the gym. I was fortunately fine given how bad it was, but I still had a lot of aches and pains that were the reason I was being kept up all night. Shapeshifting was helping the healing process and it seemed like the best option right now.

I opened the window, closed my eyes, and focused on shifting into a hawk, my favorite bird to change into. A second later, I opened my eyes and found myself several feet shorter and staring up at the window sill. Perfect.

I flew up to the window sill and perched on top of it, peering out at the forest looming ahead of me, calling my name. My wings itched to fly, to soar over the treetops, to feel the wind beneath my wings, to feel free.

I glanced back at my room, making sure I didn't wake up my parents. When I didn't hear footsteps heading to my door, I hopped out of the room, flapped my wings, and flew into the air.

I flew over the forest that took up residence behind our house, gazing down at the nocturnal animals milling about on the forest ground below.

I flew for who knew how long, just flying around in circles in the air, reveling in the feeling of freedom that only shapeshifting gave me.

I'd finally gotten tired when the sun started to rise. I sighed and started to turn back. I'd have to get up in thirty minutes anyway so there was no point in trying to go to bed now. Skipping school wasn't an option given how much I missed last year and my grades were slipping. My parents didn't care either way, but I did since I wanted to get into a good college that would take me far, far away from here.

I started to fly back to my house when something below caught my attention. I paused, my wings still flapping in the air, my heart hammering in my chest.

I flew down to the spot and perched myself on a nearby tree branch, gazing down at the mutilated deer bodies in disgust.

The deer bodies were nearly turned inside out, almost unrecognizable except for the heads, which were somehow left untouched, the lifeless eyes peering sightlessly at their surroundings. The rest of the bodies were completely split open, blood soaking the ground, pink skin shredded into ribbons, organs spread out over the ground. It was like something out of a horror movie.

The horror increased tenfold when I noticed the faint glowing aura that hovered over the bodies.

Shapeshifters. How the hell did this -?

"Ruben. . ."

My name carried in the air, reaching my ears, belonging to a deep, raspy voice. I snapped my gaze around and noticed a tall, dark figure standing near one of the nearby trees. I'd somehow missed him. It was the man I saw before my car accident.

I leaped down from the tree and shifted into a wolf, growling, my hackles raised, my teeth bared, preparing to fight back. I knew he was somehow responsible for this.

But he was gone. In the brief moment it took for me to shift, he'd taken off. I scanned the area, trying to see where he'd gone. It was like he hadn't even been standing there. I raised my muzzle, trying to see if I could catch any scents in the air, but the only smell that would come from me was the stench of decay coming from the dead shapeshifters.

The smell was so overwhelming I had to shift back into a hawk, gagging at the smell, on the verge of puking everywhere.

I looked around the area, making note of where I was, then flew into the air, needing to tell the authorities as soon as I could. After so many shapeshifters falling dead, it was no coincidence. Something - no, someone was killing shapeshifters. 

EDITED: 7/10/21