Two Worlds Apart

Selene

I sat at the kitchen table with coffee in my hands, the aroma was not that all appealing but the caffeine was a welcome treat. The house was unusually quiet even though it was late afternoon. 

The boys were sitting opposite me, staring at me as if I was going to change back into the wolf at any second. Dad was sitting in the armchair, staring at a point above the fireplace but wasn’t speaking. His hand was bandaged and there was a purplish mark by his cheek and lower jaw, but it was already fading to the original fair skin. I leant back in my chair, thinking back to how this all started ignoring the pain of the injuries that rocked my body. 

Although most of my wounds kept paining, they were healing since last night’s beating. Thankfully, Dad let us stay at home from school, calling us both in sick and tended to our wounds as well as his own.  

I went through yesterdays' events, thinking deeply about what happened. After I was knocked against the tree and was about to have my throat pulled out by that girl, Miut intervened. She turned into a freaking huge black leopard and attacked the other wolf, nearly killing her. But then Dad shot her with tranqs, stopping her.

Not that he should of, that girl deserved to be in pain. Something inside me growled, flexing its claws and despite my surprise, I didn't disagree with it.

“So, am I going to change into a wolf too?” Ethan joked, the first one to speak since dad asked us to meet him in the living room. 

“Yes. You all are.” Dad answered after a silence, his expression exhausted. 

“How is this possible Dad? Are we genetically modified or something?” Eric chipped, his eyes burning with curiosity. 

  “Does that mean we all will be wolves? Or can we also become a black panther like Miut?” Ethan grinned excitedly. 

“She’s actually a black Jaguar.” Blain put in.  

“This is what he meant by you not telling us.” I remembered the conversation Finn had with Dad and the boys shut up immediately. I glared at dad, furious that he never told us this. “You told us no secrets and yet you’re keeping the biggest one of them all. We’re fricken werewolves?!” 

“Not werewolves. We are Shifters.” Dad rolled his eyes as if we were all little children.

“Werewolves. Shifters. They’re the same!” 

  “No, we’re not. Werewolves are feral creatures who are controlled by the lunar cycle. Shifters are capable of controlling themselves.” Dad looked around at us and his eyes rested on me, pride and disappointment mingled in his expression. Something paced inside me restlessly, a feeling nagging me that I need to be somewhere. “Werewolves are savage beasts. They have no humanity when they are in that state making them a threat. Shifters are still human despite the ability to change into wolves.”  

“Why do they want Miut?” Blain asked softly and caused the attention to fall on him. He swallowed and pushed his glasses up a bit, looking uncomfortable. 

  “Because, Miut is a special sort of Shifter.” Dad poured himself a glass of whisky and sipped it before continuing. “We are canines and she is a feline. Cats and dogs never could get along much.” A ghost of a smile pulled one corner of his lip up.  

“That makes no sense dad. Why do they want to take her away, she didn’t do anything wrong! She’s a shifter, just like me.” I frowned, keeping my temper down as best as I could.

“I’m not like your kind.” Miut answered and came to inside the room, a guilty expression on her face. She was wearing one of my oversized top and an old pair of jogging pants.  

“Good to see you awake, Miut.” Dad lifted his glass to her as she came in and sat on the couch next to me. Inside, I felt an uncomfortable shift, knowing that Miut felt it too.  

“That still doesn’t explain why they want you.” I argued, frowning at her for taking my dad’s side.

“When I shifted, I don’t feel completely human. I feel powerful.” She looked up and I was shocked at how her eyes was sort of glowing, radiating the power that was hidden inside.  

“That’s why the Council wants her.” Dad took another sip of his whisky before continuing, “Feline Shifters don’t feel the pain that we do when they shift, they only feel the power of the animal they shift into. Making them ruthless and nearly werewolf like. But there is always a price to pay from shifting. For us, its pain. For them…” 

“We lose a certain part of our humanity.” Miut whispered, her eyes reflecting shame. “That is why Council want to hunt you down. They plan on exterminating the felines to stop them from overpowering us and taking over.” Dad watched Miut carefully, his frown deepening. 

“That’s discrimination, dad.” Blain’s arms folded. 

“Miut isn’t like them.” I defended Miut loyally.

  “When I was the Jaguar, I felt completely in control.” Miut started softly, her eyes zoned in on her hands. “I knew how much power I had and I used it to my advantage. I liked it. A lot. To think that I was only playing with that wolf was something to revel in. its intoxicating.” She took a breath and I saw her eyes glow at what she was probably remembering from the shift. 

“It’s like being addicted to something after your first taste,” She swallowed and then clenched her hand. A shiver ran down my spine. “What I think is that Council wants to prevent that taste of that power so that they wouldn’t abuse it. But I do believe that killing us is the wrong thing to do.”

“I know, Miut. That’s why I left.” Dad said softly.