"Mother? Please tell me. Why do hide in these caves every day? Live our lives out here in the back woods of the world?" Asked the young child, her eyes following her mother that scurried around their 'house'.
"Dear child, I have told you that I would tell you when you are ready. And Im just not too sure if that time has come." She said quietly, casting a glance to her daughter before going back to work.
"Oh Mother, please. After all the things we've been through, you would think that we are ready to take on anything."
That made the human stop for a moment, as though frozen in time, she didn't move for a good few minutes before straightening and facing her daughter. "Very well, my dear. Get ready for a story. A long story at that."
Excitedly, the child said not a word before sitting straight up, her back against the cave wall, her eyes glued to her mother.
The mother chuckled quietly before sitting herself down across the cave from her child, staying silent for a few moments to gather her thoughts before continuing. "Well dear child...we shall start from the beginning." And so she did.
"You see, years ago. And I mean, before my great grand parents were born, there was a horrible illness that began to sweep throughout the world, quickly becoming a pandemic. You see, this was no virus that any scientist had ever seen, heard of, or even studied. Everyone was frantic, trying to come up with a cure for it as it took only a week after the first symptom being spotted until you were dead...Well, they began intensive studies on this airborne virus, hoping by the time it came to their country they'd have found the cure and vaccine and been able to give it to everyone around. It took five years for it to arrive here, and it took them four years to find a vaccine that would have a chance at working. Though, they needed some to test the vaccine, who would be willing to go out in the sick populations and see if it worked." She stopped to gather her thoughts and breath before continuing. "Well, it did. Though, by the time they figured it out, it was too late. Almost everyone here had died from the disease which they called 'The Flare'. It would effect the brain, making one go crazy. So it was a danger to be out in the populations, where the "Gone" would live...anyway, they had only managed to give out twenty vaccines to people. Those twenty, and a few stragglers who did eventually die, were the only ones to survive the Flare. Though, the virus is still out there...still killing away. Well, because they survived the incurable virus, they though the vaccine was amazing. A hundred percent perfect. Though, as they say, nothing is perfect. The vaccine had one side affect...a very, very large one at that. It took years to figure this out, but those who were vaccinated were...Well, I will get there in a second." She stopped, the smallest of smiles on her face. She then cast a glance towards her daughter, who had wide eyes, staring at her mother for more of the story, so she continued.
"Well, we have also found that the decedents of the original group that was vaccinated contain the vaccine in their blood. And another gene...One that made scientists do a double take. Any guesses?" she asked her child, raising her eyebrows with slight curiosity.
The girl shook her head slowly, her eyebrow furrowed, her forehead creased.
The mother smiled, then drew a deep breath and said,"It was a shape shifting gene. Each person can shift into one animal at will, only one animal. Those who have the gene don't choose the animal; the animal chooses them. And the reason for this, they have found, is that that animal is their spirit resemblance. It represents the ways they act and react to certain situations. The way those live and eat and so on, matches that animal." She stopped to look at her daughter again, waiting for her to pipe up, which she did.
"So, mother, if this is going the way I think it is.. if you are one which Im guessing you are..." she said slowly, becoming confused at her own words before continuing, "And if we are immune to this virus thing, why can't we live like normal people?"
Her mother sighed, and rubbed her temples, closing her eyes and resting her head on the wall before speaking, still facing the young one. "Yes, dearest. I am a shifter. You are a shifter. I am the grizzly bear. The largest bear there is, and one that is very protective over her cubs." she said with a soft chuckle, a small smile appearing on her face. Though the second question replaced her smile with a frown, her eyes hardening, "The virus still lives in the world. People who aren't like us do too. And they will catch the Flare. There is no hiding form it if you are not immune like us... And once the Flare has taken over one's mind, you don't want to be near them. They are deadly, killing machines who are not right in their mind, dear... we stay here for our own safety. And..." she stopped, a look of pain flashing across her face which her daughter noticed immediately.
"And what? What's wrong?" she asked, panic filling her little voice.
Silence. And more silence. It was silent for minutes before her mother spoke up, and when she did so, her voice was tight. She shifted so her eyes could stare at her daughter straight in the eye, and she said, "They call us Munnies dear...and they really, really hate us.."
