Shapeshifters

8

IT WAS ABOUT mid-sun when Sunny took me into a den that smelled good. Sunny told me it was a barbecue place.

"Cooked prey," She had said. "That's pretty much what it is."

We took a step in and I stopped. It smelled so delicious, better than any prey I'd ever eaten. Sunny told the up-walker taking our "order" what we would have. Then once we had our deliciousness, we found a spot to sit. 

"We are sitting at a table," Sunny told me. "We are sitting in chairs. Every day, or sun as you know it, I will tell you a little more about the human, or up-walker as you know it, world."

"Sounds good," I said. "This cooked prey is amazing! What is this den called?"

"This particular place is called BBQ Palace," Sunny replied, emphasizing the word place. "My den is called a house. Usually when a human is talking about a den, we just say place." I took another bite and nodded in understanding. "A sun is a day and a moon is a night. We say midday when taking about mid-sun. Is this making sense? Your so young so I don't expect you to understand it all right now."

I swallowed before saying, "I'm understanding perfectly. I may be young, but I'm smart." Sunny laughed. "The more you give me, the more I'm likely to remember them. For some strange reason, that's how I work."

Sunny nodded and as we ate, continued to tell me differences between my world and the up-walker, human, world. When we finished, Sunny took care of everything and we walked out of BBQ Palace.  

"Let's go back to my place," Sunny said. "We got everything that you'll need for now."

I nodded and we walked to Sunny's house. As we walked I asked, "Sunny, how do you know all this?"

Sunny waited a few moments before answering. "I was once like you," She eventually said. "Young and smart, but that all changes overnight. I'll tell you about it some time." 

I nodded, but didn't ask anything else for she seemed to be reliving a bad time of her life again. Maybe she is a missing pup. I told myself. Like I soon will be. Do they already know I'm missing? Or are they to busy to notice? With these thoughts rushing through my mind, we arrived at Sunny's place.

"Come on," She said. "We'll get you situated."

Sunny led me down a small hallway to a door at the end. She opened the door and invited me in. 

"You'll find the bed," She said pointing to the big thing in the middle of the room. "More comfortable than the floor. Let's get you unpacked."

"Unpacked?" I asked scared. "As in, I won't have a pack anymore. I'll have to live as a human the rest of my life!" 

"No," Sunny said, shaking her head and chuckling lightly. "As in, we are going to get you ready to live as a human for a little bit. Just until we figure out how to get you home. It's like playing with fire with you. I have to be careful."

I nodded and attempted to help unpack myself. I couldn't wait to figure out how to get home. The sooner the better. Sunny told me to sit on the bed while she finished unpacking me. I started wondering about how the pack was doing. If they were trying to find me or not. Sunny and I hung out in the kitchen, as Sunny called it, and talked until it was time for, what Sunny called, dinner.

"I don't think I'll ever understand humans," I told her as we were eating. "They are so weird."

"You don't have to understand them," She responded. "You only have to try and act like them."
I nodded and felt like I had a reliable friend.