Become the Night

Brothers Grimm this isn't Part 1

"A very long time ago, when the gods and goddesses roamed free over the Earth, when there were so many more than there are now, there was one goddess that absolutely loved all of the animals and creatures that lived on the Earth. She would spend many days and nights making sketches of the wildlife she saw; she was very gifted in the ways of art.

"Her father had created the animal that would eventually evolve into humans, her favorite of all the animals on the planet. She watched as her favorite animal evolved over millions of years into the humans. She watched the humans take over the Earth and force the gods into hiding. The humans were meant to worship the gods, yet many turned their backs on the gods. They no longer believed in them; this caused the gods' powers to wane. Her father's creations upset the goddess so much she created new species out of the humans.

"These other creatures were made by the goddess to combat these new usurpers. Fairies, trolls, vampires, and many more were created out of humans to keep the humans in check. She chose to use humans as the base of her new creatures specifically to anger her father. It worked; her father was pissed off at the audacity she showed by making these animalistic creatures using the humans. The human race was beaten back into submission, and nature was once again allowed to flourish.

"Her father was not happy about that. He loved his new human creations. So, he gave a few chosen humans the ability to be born with the same magicks he and his daughter held. Humans that had been born with unique the ability to use and wield magicks were called witches. One incredibly powerful witch knew of the gods and loved the god that gave humans a chance. He wasn't happy with the goddess for creating creatures that could overpower the humans. In retaliation, he got to work splicing the goddess's beloved animals with her father's humans to create an even more superior race of supernatural creatures than the ones she created.

"He succeeded, but not how he planned to. This is where the changelings came from. See, by fusing the DNA of humans with that of animals, in this case wolves, he created an unstable shifting ability. The venom they create to change other humans is a byproduct of the magicks. He tried repeatedly. Failing over and over before he was able to finally create the creature he wanted to, the first shifter."

"What happened to the ones that failed?" I ask, my attention fully engrossed in the story that Joshua was weaving.

"That's a sad tale. Many of them couldn't survive the process and perished. The ones that did survive, weren't wanted so the witch attempted to destroy them."

"Destroy? You mean kill?"

He nods, "Yeah. Well, the ones that he could catch anyway. Many had gotten out and spread throughout the country."

"Country?"

"Europe. France to be specific. But it didn't take long for the changelings to spread to other countries as well."

"When did all this happen?"

"Long, long time ago. I don't think the exact date or even year is known. That's how long ago it was. Anyway, where was I?"

"He was destroying the changelings." I helpfully prompt him.

"Yes, he attempted to destroy his own creations because the changes were unstable. It has been said that the reason the changelings' shifting abilities are tied to the moon is because he used the power of the moon to make the magick work."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Okay, please continue."

"Yeah, so, when he found out how to make the shifting ability voluntary, he began to experiment on other animals than just wolves. He chose animals that were known for their power, be it speed, or strength, or fierceness, or indestructibility. These animals consisted of lions, tigers, panthers, eagles-Golden and Bald, Red-tailed hawks, jaguars, bears-polar and grizzly, and even dragons."

"Dragons? No shit?" I say, temporarily forgetting I am talking to my science teacher.

"No shit." He smiles. "Dragons are real. They still exist to this day. Each species of animal/human hybrid created its own faction. Each faction then has a king and/or queen. Including the changelings. The vampires also have a king and/or queen. So do the fairies. The rest are kind of left to their own devices. The leader of each faction takes on the responsibility of keeping the peace between its people and those of the other factions.

"Unfortunately, this doesn't always work out. The vampires hated the changelings with a seething passion. To them, the changelings were nothing more than rabid dogs to be put down or used for their own gain. The vampire faction began to round up the changelings and use them as slaves. See, even in human form, the changelings had incredible senses. They could see better, hear better, and were much stronger than regular humans. They also had one advantage that the vampires didn't. Can you think of what that might be, Cal?"

I think hard about that, but I keep coming up blank. I shake my head, no.

"Think about the movies, TV shows, and books you've read or seen."

I think again. Okay, so what are the characteristics of vampires? Pale, cold, drinks blood, fangs, can't go out in sunlight. Sunlight?! That's it!

"The vampires can't go out in sunlight. That's why they needed the changelings."

"Very good. Yes, that was the biggest thing the vampires needed the changelings for. They were to guard them as they slept during the day and make sure no one attacked during the daytime. Of course, as with all slavery stories, the changelings rebelled. They attacked their masters. Many were killed on both sides, but that one act of rebellion sparked many millennia of war. They have been at war since."

"So how does it all work? I mean, you said there's a king and queen for the factions, right? What happened with them? Why didn't any of the other creatures..."

"Paranormals or para for short." Joshua interrupted me.

"Para. Okay. Why didn't the other paras intervene?"

"The fairies, trolls, shifters and others didn't want any part of the vampire/changeling war. They had nothing to do with the enslavement to begin with."