Amaris Lupus

      Humans think they know everything. They think that their science has discovered everything in the known universe. They’ve determined what’s real and what isn’t. What’s a myth and what’s real.

      They’re always shocked when they realize that we’ve been coexisting with them since their beginning.

      What are we? We’re unknown to all of mankind. No one knows about us. The one who do discover us are never believed by another human soul. They’re declared crazy and shunned by all. It’s been that way for years.

      The reason so little know about us is this: we can look and act just like you. Everyone thinks we are humans.

      There’s also a darker reason. We aren’t exactly best friends with humans. Most who discover us die within the hour.

      We didn’t want to hide from humans and be their secret enemy. We were the same as them at one point. Animals began to evolve into humans, and some obtained the ability to change back into that animal at will. From right then, we weren’t like others. We came from animals like crows, horses and wolves.

      For a long time, we hid ourselves from the humans. At one point in history, we wanted to live freely without hiding. We showed ourselves to the humans. They were terrified. These humans, the Ancient Greeks, thought we were bloodthirsty monsters. They created the myths of the Minotaur and the sphinx. We knew that to them, we’d always be monsters. They’d always hate and hunt us.

      Many years later, in the nineteenth century, things changed. The Salem Witch trials began when humans spotted us shape shifting. They thought it was witchcraft, and killed many of our kind. This brought up two different paths. Some of us decided to show the humans we meant them no harm. We tried to explain that we weren’t witches. They didn’t believe us. Those of us who passed the drowning tests― the otters and swans― were burnt. The other path was one most of us took. Enraged by them persecuting innocent daughters, sisters and mothers, we did the same to them. My kind especially. Thus, the myth of the werewolf was born. We killed their loved ones and accused random people of being monsters.

      A huge fight became of this. Certain animals sided while others disagreed. We stopped attacking the humans, and they stopped attacking us. We still have our sides of whom we like and who we dislike.

      We’ve remained hidden ever since. Sometimes showing up in the human world to see movies, make friends and experience what humans do. Most of the time, however, we’re in our animal forms. I don’t know about the other animal species, but we wolves can eat anything with meat. From humans to hamburgers.

      We’re alive in media. People are still hung over the werewolf myth. Then there’s something more related to all shape shifters. Some people call them “spirit animals” and that all people have them. People have quizzes about it all over.

      The different species of shape shifters stay separated for most of it. We’re very different and argue constantly. We only meet up occasionally to talk about issues, like if the humans are going hunting for us again. Some species, like crows and wolves, travel in packs. Others nurture their young, and then go on their own.

      Being a wolf, I’ve been with my pack my entire life. I’m only expected to live seven human years, or forty-nine years to us. I age by wolf years, not those of the humans. I’m a third into my lifetime. Every two human months, I age a year. I’m only three human years old. In wolf years, eighteen.

      I don’t look like it. In human form, I have short, choppy dirty blonde hair. My skin is fair, and I have blue eyes. I’m nearly six feet tall and have a slender, muscly build. In my wolf form, I’m about three feet tall. My eyes are still blue, and I’m still very fast and strong. I do have larger canine teeth. I have cream colored fur over my stomach and more of an orange-brown-gold on my back, and, like all the wolves, a tail.

      When we change shapes, it’s very quick. Not like in the movies, when it only happens on a full moon. Fur doesn’t slowly grow as the features change. In reality, it happens in a single bound. Arms change into front legs, legs bend into hind legs. Tails grow as fur quickly emerges from the skin. I can get a running start, dive forward and touch the ground as a wolf. We can also change into human form instantly. If there are hunters, we’re human. Other times, we’re the hunters.

      We don’t go around trying to kill humans. We only do if they’re hunters. We usually only fight for revenge. Not because we want to. A few months ago, they killed my sister, Tala. We went on a hunting spree after that. We had to leave, because they were calling in reinforcements to try and get rid of us. They think we’re dead.

      As if we would be. Killing us is a very hard thing to do. We heal quickly and can tolerate many wounds. The only way to kill a shape shifter is an immediate death. Like a bullet through the skull or a broken neck. Or the way they killed Tala. Bullet after bullet.

      We howled that night. The same night thirteen people in the town were bite time and time again. I remember the look in the hunter’s eyes when I walked in. I was first in my human form. Just to torture him. He was eighteen and in town for college. It’s one night I remember nearly every detail of.

      He was in an apartment in the cheaper, more dangerous part of town. I knew no one would do anything if they heard him screaming. I wasn’t going to kill him quickly. I didn’t have plans like that. I didn’t plan on bursting the door down, either. I knocked on the door. He answered within ten seconds.

      “Hey.” He had said, opening the door. “Mari, right?” Mari. My human name. My wolf name is too unusual for the humans.

      “Yeah.” I had told him. Of course he would know the name of the fastest and strongest girl in town, second only to her older brother. “Do you mind if I come in?”

      “Uh, sure.” He had said. That was his mistake. The rumor is that you have to let evil come in. He did. He walked over to his couch while I walked a few steps in. “So, what’s up?”

      “I was wondering if you had seen my sister.” I had said. Tala looked like she was nineteen to the humans. This boy was loved by my sister. She’d yack about his tousled brown hair and green eyes. She actually fell in love with a human, and he loved her back. She had golden hair and deep blue eyes. She was gorgeous. He wouldn’t have shot her if he knew who she was. Or would he have? Been like all the others and called us monsters?

      “I haven’t. Why? Is she missing?” He had asked. I hated hearing the worry in his voice. He didn’t realize he killed someone he loved.

      “She has been all day. We were wondering if you had anything to do with it.” I accused. I had acted like the little sister who distrusted her older sister’s lovers. I did distrust him. From the second I first saw animals mounted on his wall.

      “I didn’t kidnap her, Mari. I wouldn’t do anything like that. You know I care about her. I want to help find her.” He had said as he started standing up.

      “I don’t believe you.” I had hissed.

      “I wouldn’t ever hurt her. I’m not a monster.” He had said. Deny. He just denied the truth. He lied to me.

      “Do you believe in monsters?” I had asked.

      “In bad people. Not in like, ghosts and stuff.” He had said. I smiled.

      “You should.” I had said. I couldn’t wait any longer. I leaped at him and turned. His eyes went wide the same time he opened his mouth wide to scream. Before his scream could pierce the thick air full of his unmistakable smell, I plunged my teeth into his throat.

      I didn’t kill him right them. I morphed human and left him to bleed to death.

      That’s why we’re leaving that town. We’re moving to another one, where we’ll try to stay for a while. My older brother, Santino, is turning five soon. Five wolf years. To humans, he’s thirty. He looks like he’s in his mid-twenties, though. He only has two human years left. That isn’t much.

      We’re hoping to find a place where my brother can live happily until he dies.