Shifting the future

They say that the first of my kind was a woman named Alsdair, a human who lived in the forest and was raised by the wild animals who lived there. She learned to communicate with those animals and was gifted with the ability to change forms and become an animal. No one knows for sure which animal that was her second form but I like to think that she was a fox, like me.

The myth is one of the stories we Animas hear as children. But it says nothing of the reality or the hard lessons that we are taught later or of the hatred we are taught to feal.

Almost before a child of my kind learns to shift and take her second form she is taught to fear and to hate. She learns of death, hunters and how evil and untrustworthy humans are. Even though we appear human except for one thing that our animal marks us with (tails, wings, scales, etc.) she learns to fear the plain face of a human. She is taught that there is nothing more frightening and evil as a pure blooded human with a weapon. She learns that they murderd her family and loved ones. She is taught that these enemies will either kill her or capture her at the first chance that they have. That is all she learns.

All I've know my entire life is fear, hatred and blood shed. I just wish it could all end, that we could befriend the humans and come out of hiding so my children never have to know this way of life. But that is a fool's dream, I know better than to believe it, but yet I still do no matter how many times one of my own is killed. No matter how many times my loved ones are found dead.

My mother and father were the leaders of our pack that consists of what is left of our kind. They died recently defending us and now it's my turn to take the thrown. But first I need to choose a life partner and wait until I become of age. When I found out about my parents death I promised myself that I would end this if it's the last thing I do.

Luna Alsdair, heir to the Animas throne.