Accept Me

2: "Am I a monster?"

My body heats up quickly, hotter than it normally is for someone like me, nearly boiling me alive.

That's the first sign.

The second is when my entire body begins to ache. I stretch out my jaw as the soreness sets in along my gums, my tongue sliding against them as if to soothe the pain. I bend my elbows and knees to try and stretch them out, but the ache doesn't go away. Instead, it becomes worse, and I let my body relax on the grass as much as it can.

Third, bones start snapping.

The first ones to go are my arms, followed by my legs. It happens quickly, but not painlessly. I try to muffle my cry by biting into my shoulder, but it slips past my lips and echoes through the trees. Hopefully we're far enough that no one will hear and come investigate, I'm not ready for that yet.

I arch my back as my spine begins to reassign itself, curling onto my side and clawing at the grass. My ankles and wrists break, causing me to bite into the grass. I ignore the foul taste of dirt in my mouth and scream, the ground muffling the sound. I breathe heavily before grunting when it comes on quicker, my body shaking as it enlarges and grows out fur, my beast getting excited and pushing out faster than I would've liked it to. 

I close my eyes and lay there for what feels like forever, panting heavily as my body begins to acclimate to its new form.

Finally, I stretch out my legs and try standing, my mind momentarily confused before it finally catches up with what happened. I get on all fours, feeling proud for a second before I sway and my knees buckle from under me. I hear huffing from beside me and turn my head to see my father in wolf form basically laughing at me, his eyes shining proudly.

Momma stands beside him, the top of her head reaching Poppa's shoulders. Her eyes shine as she looks at me, looking as happy as her furry face allows her to. Poppa moves forward and bumps my shoulder with his, and I take the hint as I try standing again. I manage to get on my feet again and lean on him for support, staring as I meet his eyes. I strengthen my legs and stretch them as I get used to the feeling of being on all fours, my paws digging into the ground.

Finally, I stand on my own, my own legs carrying my weight. I turn and look at my parents, their eyes wide as they look up at me.

Wait.

Poppa is looking up at me?

I stare back with wide eyes as I notice I'm a few inches taller than Poppa in wolf form, even though as a human he towers over me.

How is this possible? I ask myself as I turn my head side to side and eye the parts of my body I can see.

Poppa and Momma move forward and rub their bodies against mine, scent marking me. They lick at my face, huffing and snorting as they see the unimpressed look on my face. After a minute, they stand still in front of me, their eyes on mine as they look on curiously.

I look at Poppa, staring deep into his eyes as I sit on my haunches, clearing my mind from everything else but him. His eyes brighten as he stares right back, his eyes changing color and seeming to glow. Suddenly, a path opens up and surrounds me in waves of colors, voices drifting in and out as I keep my focus on Poppa. In my peripherals, I see glowing cords going in different directions, links to the others, at least that's what I've been told anyway.

As soon as it came it went away, the unchanging forest back in my sights. My parents are still standing in front of me, their gazes curious. If I focus, I can see the link between us, the cord very faintly glowing as it connects me to my parents and vice versa.

'Can you hear me?' I ask them both, the link vibrating like I imagine my vocal cords would.

'Loud and clear.' Poppa says, while Momma simply nods her head at me.