The Shifters: Katrina

Once I finally shook off Alisa and Luke, I went on my merry way to the inconspicuous hill. Something had been in the trees, snapping branches as they snuck through them. Rowan and I had both abandoned the spot for our own safety, but I couldn't help but wonder what was in the woods. It also gave me something to do. Leaves hit my face as I pushed my way into the forest, scanning the ground for broken sticks. Everything was silent, the lack of noise eerie in a place where small critters lived. I kept an eye on the woods around me, a small flame hovering in the air and lighting up the darker spots. I also froze the bugs I came across, since some of them, specifically millipedes and centipedes, gave me the creeps.

They've got too many legs, man.

As I surveyed the forest, squinting through the afternoon sunlight, I noticed how still everything seemed. Almost frozen. There were bushes to my left that were awkwardly pushed aside, leaves and berries scattered along the ground as if something had forced its way through. With no better lead, I began walking that way, leaving the eerie silence behind. The second I passed those bushes, I could hear a low crunching noise. A shudder went down my spine, the flame returning to my palm, its heat comforting. I followed the noise, carefully poking my head out from behind a large tree.

On the other side was nothing other than a gigantic, but not fat, panda bear.

Is it a shapeshifter?

"Hello..?"

Do they even attack people? They're vegetarians, right? I don't look like bamboo.

"Are you a shifter..?"

The bear paused in its chewing, craning its neck to look at me. As it twisted, I caught a glimpse of whatever it was eating. A bowl of salad, one that you got at fast-food restaurants that had a plastic lid.

One that Sonya constantly ate. Soft, gentle Sonya with white hair.

"You got your form?!"

The panda's butt wiggled, and I assumed that Sonya didn't have a grasp on the whole telepathy thing. She maneuvered herself forward and onto her feet, happily trotting toward me. She wasn't particularly fast, and I wondered what she could do as a panda that would be helpful.

It thundered toward me, footsteps loud and heavy. I nearly snorted, lifting my hands when the panda started nuzzling my legs. I rubbed Sonya's head, her fur short and soft, ignoring the fact that I was literally petting my friend's head.

"Wow, panda really suits you, Sonya."

She snorted, a booger flying from her nose. I laughed, ignoring her even as she swatted at my legs. With a thump, she sat back on the ground, dark eyes meeting mine.

"How long have you been stuck like this?"

It can't be her. Unless this is her second time and she didn't tell us.

She used one paw to clumsily write in the dirt.

Three hours.

Considering she was stuck as a bear, I pegged the answer as a guess. "First time?"

She shook her head. My eyebrow raised.

Yesterday.

I frowned. Still not her.

I brushed the subject off. No one had attacked us that night, meaning I could at least focus on Sonya before running off to chase something that went bump in the night.

"You want some company?"

What she did next was probably a shrug, not that I could tell. I walked around her, admiring her black and white fur. She was like a live-sized teddy bear, and I felt comfortable just being near her.

Huh. Maybe this is the use of laid-back animals. They play supportive roles.

I found myself hugging Sonya, her large body warm and soft. She snorted, though it was likely that that was her attempt at a laugh. Her paw rested on my back, and for the first time in a while, I found myself shocked at my own life.

"Hey, Sonya?"

A small noise rumbled in the back of her throat in response.

"Can I rant? Or just talk out my thoughts?"

She nodded, her black nose wriggling as she sniffed the air. I sighed, leaning back into her warmth. Sonya was one of my calmer friends, acting like a mature motherly figure for most of us.

"I think I've been putting off thinking for a while," I sighed, "I miss my family, but I don't want to go back to them if things with the hunters are bad. I froze my adoptive sister into a closet, which is a long story. I'm also afraid, I think I'm afraid of people being afraid of me. What if I suck at control or make a bad decision? All of us have enough power that we could get someone killed.

"I think... I think I'm sad. Tired. Just a little. I love you guys, the guards, everyone else. This place is so much better than my home... But I had a true home filled with support back in Greenhill. I miss that. It's hard to be here knowing it hurt them, and that it'll take me a long time to actually become the person Coraline wants me to be and that they need me to be."

Suddenly, the warmth underneath me shifted and I barely caught myself. The panda's body morphed, shrinking as bones cracked and fur retracted until a kind hearted teenage girl stood in its place.

"Your words are scattered, but the intent is spot-on," she teased, offering me a hand. Sonya pulled me to my feet, staring at me with the gaze of a concerned friend. "Don't panic too much, Katrina. We're here for you. And there may be a way for you to see your family."

"Really? Without endangering them?"

Sonya nodded. "I'll talk to Coraline before getting your hopes up. Why were you out here, by the way?"

We started walking, feet aimlessly tredding toward the town once again.

"Heard something in the forest a few nights ago, and it was a little startling. I figured I could check it out."

She pursed her lips, nodding.

"Outside each compound... There's hunters everywhere. Doesn't hurt to be too careful."

I wonder what else is out there. What else could hurt us shifters. Besides each other, I thought grimly, picturing my grotesque nightmare.

I knew, deep down, I never wanted to live through that. Not if I could help it. The frozen picture of Nathan's face contorted in pure agony made bile rise in my throat as Sonya and I broke through the trees, heading for the busy streets of Iluita. The panda shifter walked with a slow, even pace, each step silent.

"You know," Sonya began quietly as we reached the roads, "it's been interesting since you arrived. There's been something refreshing, classes aren't so long and boring anymore."

I smiled. "Thanks, Sonya. That's reassuring."

The girl grinned, bumping shoulders with me. "Gotta give pep talks to keep you going. Everyone knows you've got a lot of work ahead of you. Especially if you're going to defeat the hunters."

I nodded, eyes glued to the shops we walked past. Each time I hung around town, the efficiency of the compound amazed me. It was its own civilization, hidden under the noses of regular humans. Hidden from the people I'd once been associated with.

No one is going to call me normal again, I realized eventually. Back in Greenhill, I was one of the few middle-class kids. I thought I knew what being on the outside was back then. Now, I live hidden from everything I grew up with. My own stupid abilities even took it a step forward with dual casting and my form.

Yet, I'm not on the outside.

Not yet, at least.