The Origin of the Shifters

Chapter 1: Brotherly Rivalry:

As the sun rose on a cold, winter morning, Jay Takeshi awoke with a grin. He loved winter. His breath was visible as the cold temperature gave him goosebumps. But that wasn't the only thing that gave him goosebumps. His mother was going to show him around the territory for the first time. He tip-toed out of his parents' den swiftly and silently. As he made it to the opening, he ran into the woods with excitement in his stride.

As he walked into a clearing, he was mesmerized by how the green leaves were replaced with the white, icy softness of snow. The birdsong echoed in the trees as Jay smiled as the forest came to life in the early morning as the sun rays shone down between the branches. He spotted a patch of deep snow on the forest floor. He then ran over to it and put it in a large pile in front of him.

Counting down from 3 under his breath, he ran towards the pile and jumped into it, the snow flying up as he landed in the pile, laughing with joy. But as he came out from the pile, a golden fox the size of a wolf came out of the pile. It was Jay. He yipped and giggled as he ran around having fun.

But as he came back to the den back in his human form, his mother stood with her older brother. Jay's older brother, Arthur, stood with a smug look on his face with his arms folded.

"And where have you been, young kit?" His mother had a stern look on her face, but her tone of voice was worrying. "Arthur said you ran away."

Jay looked at his brother with a shake of his head. "Mum, I didn't run away," Jay replied with a slightly stern tone. "Arthur's making things up. I was in my area in the clearing playing in the snow. You know I love Winter."

His mother sighed in relief and let him go back into the den to see his father. As Jay skipped back into the den, his mother, Aspen, put her gaze very closely to Arthur's.

"Arthur, you need to listen to me. You need to stop trying to get your brother in trouble for no reason. Do you want to go through your father again? Because he said that he could do it a million times over."

Arthur sighed. A few minutes later, Jay once again sat in the clearing, but this time, he was in his Golden Fox form as the breeze blew through his fur. The wonderful sounds of the birds singing filled his ears with a harmonious surrounding.

But the harmony was ruined by the sound of his brother's laughter. Then another voice. As Jay went to turn his head, a fist sent him flying into a tree. As he looked up, he saw his brother and another boy. They both had menacing expressions on their faces.

"W-what are you doing here? Didn't Mum tell you to leave me alone?" Jay asked his brother with a fearful but curious voice.

Arthur smirked at his brother immaturely, cackling to himself as he looked at the boy next to him and nodded, as both of them gazed at Jay, moving closer and closer to him. He started to tremble with fear. But before they could even touch him, he yelped. "L-LEAVE ME ALONE!"

But as he did shout, he turned to his form, flattening his ears and widening his eyes. But as he did turn, he backed away into the tree as his brother and the boy came closer. But something in him snapped. Instead of cowering, he stood up and bared his teeth. From the sunlight, his eyes looked like they were glowing. And so was his fur. The golden patches glowed in the sunlight. Arthur then turned to his form. He was also a Golden Fox. They started baring their teeth at each other, circling as their claws were unsheathed.

Arthur pinned down his brother, but Jay didn't let his brother stop him. He fought through his brother's strength and sent him flying into the very tree that he had cowered into. But as Jay was about to be proud of himself for standing up to his brother, Arthur's friend had pounced at him. His form was a stray pit bull. Jay trembled with fear as he was pinned strongly. But as he thought he was done for, a young, brown lion came out of the bushes with an almighty growl. Jay wriggled and strained, but Arthur's friend's grip was too much for him to handle.

The lion walked up to the pit bull, picked him up by the scruff and pinned him to the ground.

"Why are you hurting the alpha's son? Do you think it's funny?" The lion spoke with a growl. "Well, my claws ripping out your jaw certainly won't be."

Jay backed away a little and flattened his ears as he watched the lion scare his brother's friend. Arthur's friend, Rhys, nodded nervously at the lion's words and ran away whimpering. Arthur looked at Jay, then the lion, and stormed off. As the lion approached Jay, he was hesitant. But then the lion changed into a boy. He had blackish-brown hair and green eyes. He had a friendly aura about him that Jay sensed deeply.

"I'm Jake. Need a little help?" He spoke as he held out a friendly hand to Jay.

He nodded as Jake pulled him up.

Dazed and exhausted, Jay leant against a tree to catch his breath, as Jake did the same.

Meanwhile, as Arthur and Rhys came from the direction of Jay's play area, Alexander, Jay and Arthur's father, had noticed and approached them. He had fury and disappointment written all over his face.

"Arthur," He spoke with a stern and furious tone. "What did your mother say about what would happen if you intimidated your brother again?"

Arthur widened his eyes. He realised his doings and fell to his knees. "Father, you wouldn't. You wouldn't-"

But as Arthur begged for mercy, he was thrust powerfully into the den's exterior walls. Arthur trembled in fear at his father's ice-blue eyes as they stared at him with a piercing and ferocious glare. Unsheathing his claws and baring his teeth, Alexander pounced at his son as he proceeded to raise his left forepaw, his claws shining in the sunlight, the gleam shimmering across them like an unsheathed blade.

But just as he was about to strike, a blur jumped in the way. Alexander looked in horror to see Jay's chest dripping with blood, his eyes sharing the same fury as his.

"Leave him alone!" Jay yelled at his father with anger and shock. "You said that a bear attacked him! You're a liar! He may hurt me, but there's no need to punish him with something even worse!"

Alexander stared at his youngest son, who was noticeably, heavily breathing. From yelling at his father, he had used his remaining strength. Lightheaded and weak, he passed out, changing back from his form as he collapsed in front of his father, Arthur staring in horror.

"Don't you see!?" Alexander yelled at Arthur. "You intimidate your brother so much to try and break him, but he still tries to get his own brother's love. I don't even know why I chose you to be next in line."

Alexander picked up Jay by the scruff and carried him inside the den, as Arthur stormed off to see Rhys. As Arthur did walk off, his mother walked in front of him with a tut and the shake of her head. "I told you, didn't I?"

The next day, Jay laid in the den in mild agony, not able to stand up. He looked at his chest to see a large leaf with honey covering his chest. The honey felt soothing on his torso. The leaf felt like he was wearing an armour chest plate.

He then saw Arthur walk in and slump in the corner. Then he approached Jay.

"This is all your fault!" Arthur yelled. "If you weren't born, then maybe I wouldn't have been abused by my own father who looks down on me!"

"Arthur I'm sorry, I-" Arthur then interrupted Jay's words.

"I would have handled that all by myself, but no! My stupid 12-year-old brother had to jump in the way and hurt himself out of stupidity!" Arthur ranted, Jay feeling ashamed, yet proud of himself a little for standing up to his brother as he giggled to himself as Arthur left the den.