Crow

Chapter 1

Katie first found out what she was when the big black wolf in the backyard shifted into the form of her mother. She had been ten at the time and terrified at the thought of her pet "dog" being her parent.

All those times she had snuck out of the house at unknown hours to give the wolf food and play with it was all for nothing now knowing how enraged her mother would be.

After that, Katie was invited to a special boarding school for weres in the heart of an evergreen forest. There she became enamoured by the secret society of werewolves. From their hierarchy to skills, Katie yearned for the day that she could join hunting class and be a proper werewolf. One day, she would shift into a majestic beast like her mother. She couldn't wait.

When she was thirteen, an alarm rang throughout the school building. All the children, commonly referred to as pups, were ushered into the school gym. It had no windows and was located in the basement of the school far from prying eyes. 

The sound of snarls and growls joined the alarms and curiosity piqued Katie. Her mom never fought in wolf form and hunting class normally revolved around survival skills like tracking. Katie wanted to know what a wolf fight looked like. So when other pups hid in the basement, Katie headed toward a corner by the stairs. 

She gasped as a giant wolf hit the pillar across from her. It's brown fur was splotched with blood and it's eyes were luminescent yellow. It's crazy glint sent shivers down Katie's back. It was terrifying. Maybe she made a mistake in coming here. A yelp escaped her lips, causing the wolf turned it's massive head toward her, bright eyes stared at her and the wolf took a step forward, muzzle turning into a snarl. 

Katie whimpered, tears stinging her eyes and took a step backward, hitting the wall. Her heart pounded in her chest. She wanted the wolf to turn around. But it didn't, it stalked toward her, snarling, intent at ripping her to pieces. Just then, a large white wolf barreled into its side. Katie breathed a sigh of relief as the two fought.

The white wolf roared, tearing into the jugular of the brown rogue. Katie shrieked, covering her eyes as the sound of spurting blood filled the air. A second later, a wet warm nose touched her wrist. Katie squealed and the wolf whined. 

Slowly, Katie let her hands down to stare up at the giant white wolf. The wolf's eyes were kind and comforting and seeing Katie's terrified expression, the wolf licked up her cheek. She gasped as the warm wet tongue touched her skin. A giggle escaped her lips and the wolf sent her a sort of grin with its tongue hanging out of its mouth.

All Katie's fear disappeared and awe replaced it. The wolves were protecting the pups. They were the fearless leaders that made sure everyone was safe. And Katie was utterly useless without any wolf.

That was the day that Katie decided that she would do whatever it took to learn how to shift.

***

Four more summers later, Katie was still in denial that she wasn't a wolf. She had made it her duty to read and watch every werewolf story in history. She knew all the facts of their society and had the highest grades in government, math and science.

Perhaps that is why she had no friends.

After six years at the boarding school for weres, Katie's loneliness dictated her life. She knew everyone but at the same time didn't know any of them. Students preferred to stay away from the wolf girl who had no wolf. The only person who didn't care was her friend from the forest. He understood what it was like to be an outcast and talked to her like she was a wolf. Once she graduated, she would join him in his work. Just this one year and she would be free from the constraints of highschool.