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Prologue-

"The spirit of the wolf."

I've heard it ring throughout my head thousands of times. I never really understood what it meant; I just knew it was there. I mean, I've always loved wolves; they reminded me of myself, but even that, had no reason behind it, at least not one that I knew. The only thing that I really did know was, when I heard the phrase "the spirit of the wolf," it set something off inside of me.

Ever since I was a young child people have told me that I was destined for something great. I never understood what they saw. I was not great; in fact, I was the complete opposite. I did horrible in my classes, had no motivation, and to top it all off, I was a social outcast. I never understood how that could lead to greatness. There was no such thing as a story book hero, so I could only be great scholastically, which I wasn't.

Either way, whether I was destined for something great or to fail in life, I was going to take pleasure in it. I never understood why people tried so hard to get further in the world if they couldn't enjoy life. My mother always told me that this desire set me apart from most people. She said I walked to the beat of my own drum. That was another thing that I never understood. I had always thought people lived according to the path that they set out for themselves. How could I be that different from anyone else?

All these words ran through my head as if they were trying to escape. Fate, destiny, the beat of my own drum; they all seemed to circle around "the spirit of the wolf". They revolved around it as if they were creating some barrier; one that seemed to seal off anything from getting to close too it. Whatever the phrase meant it was my goal to find it out.

Chapter 1-

When I finally noticed the time there was twenty-three minutes till school began. It was the first day of my last year of high school, and I was thrilled. I got to pick out my own classes, and every class that appealed to me I got. Most by now knew what they wanted, but I was stuck between writing and science, so my day consisted of those subjects. It was the perfect schedule. I had all my favorite teachers and all the classrooms were close to my locker, so I didn't have to carry many books.

I quickly got dressed. I didn't care what it was; I was never one to be concerned with the common fashions of the human culture. After that I slipped a ring over my finger. I don't know why, but I always wore this ring; it somehow made me feel better. When I was young, an old man said, that if I wore this ring every day I could have it for free. I of course said yes, thinking that I would just lie. Till this day I kept my promise; when I don't wear it I feel naked.

Instantly after, I ran down stairs. I was so excited; it was my first year driving to school. All the other kids could drive last year, but I held out for my driver's license. I grabbed my keys and hopped into the car. It was early and slightly cold out so my windows quickly fogged up. I drove anyways and parked in my parking space.

My first school day went by fast, mainly because it was only a half-day. After my classes were over the freshmen came in for the second half of the day. My friends and I always joked about how we would participate in Freshman Kill Day, but we never did. We just did the same thing we had always done since we ourselves were freshman. Quickly we packed ourselves into our cars and drove to my house. We ate food, watched TV, and told each other about our classes.

The rest of my week was pretty much the same. I went to school, did my class work, and went home to relax. The best thing about my classes was that all the work had to be done in class, so we didn't have any homework. This always made my day a little better. The main reason why I didn't do well in school was because, I had always hated homework.

Months passed and my life seemed to stay the same. I was enjoying school. My science classes were full of kids who seemed to struggle with others like I had, while my English courses had most of my friends in them. I wish the day was longer so I could spend more time doing what I loved. It was sad that the school day was only eight hours; home never really brought me pleasure.

The last day, before Thanksgiving break, started out strangely. My alarm clock went off like it normally did, but instead of music it played a strange series of words. It said, "To-the-day cat's you in will the grow cradle a and tail the which silver will spoon change little your boy-life blue. A you the are man the on guardian." I ignored it and laughed slightly, thinking that I was just tired. I must have heard it wrong.

I did everything like I normally would. I got dressed and put on my ring. The ring itself seemed to be glowing, as small rays of light were shining into my eyes, but I guessed that some light just happened to hit the metal. I ignored it and went on with my day, which was pretty normal, for the most part. This day was almost over; I only had my creative writing class left.

The class started out like normal. All the students went to their seats and waited for instructions. The bell rang, but the teacher never showed up. Five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen. The teacher still didn't show. A few students began to do work, most were playing games. I sat and observed the behaviors of my classmates. After another ten minutes passed, a knock came at the door. An old man, who looked very close to the one I saw many, years ago, walked into the room. It couldn't be him; he looked far too young, yet at the same time, he was very close to the one I had met.

"Sorry I'm late class," he said to us. Only thirty minutes of class were left, and then we were free for the extended weekend. For once I couldn't wait. This was such a weird day. The substitute-teacher walked over to the teacher's desk and read some notes. "Okay," he announced. Everyone became quiet. He began to write on the board. "Today we'll use three things within our writing. One: Personification. Two: Elements of nature. And three:" He paused for a second and looked at me. "Your teacher wants you to use the phrase, "The spirit of the wolf."' My heart began to race. Everyone else began to write. I was frozen.

The ending bell rang before I even knew it. Why now? Why today of all days? I had not heard that phrase said in over three years. Why on such a strange day? The teacher looked over to me and said, "Haru." I looked up to him. The shock began to fade slightly. "Can you stay after class please," he asked, but I could tell that I was not going to be given a choice. I just nodded and remained seated. All the students left. It was only me and the teacher left in the room. The door was closed, and I was nervous.

He began to unpack his bag. He pulled out a few strange items. The first was a box, which had crystal clear walls, the second was a ring that had a crescent moon shaped stone, and the third was a red pen. I could only sit there and watch. I felt every beat of my heart. The anticipation was killing me. What was he doing? Was this just my imagination? The thoughts raced through my head, spreading to every corner of my mind. I was paranoid.

"So, Haru," the teacher said, resting his head on his fists. "I see you were having trouble writing." He looked at me with his eyes squinted. "I was instructed to keep anyone after class that didn't finish their work." He stood up and began to erase the board. "So which part were you having trouble with? I'm assuming it was the phrase, "the spirit of the wolf", right?" He watched my expressions. I was frozen in fear.

"No sir, I've just got writer's block," I lied. The ring was starting to bug my finger, as sweat was getting underneath it. I took it off, and put it inside of my pocket. Instantly I started to feel different. Something inside me was awakened; I could feel it. All my senses began to fade; it started with my hearing and went to my sight. After what felt like a few minutes I no longer felt anything.

In my mind I could see a pair of golden eyes and hear a low growl. The eyes were surrounded by darkness. They looked straight through me as if they could see everything about me. I have never seen these eyes before, yet they seemed familiar to me, as if I had known them my entire life. They scared me and at the same time they brought be comfort.

I looked at these eyes for what felt like hours. When I finally awoke I was lying on my bed. I had a splitting headache and my body felt as if every bone had been broken. My mouth ached as if every tooth had been yanked out and replaced. The weirdest thing was that my pants seemed smaller. They were tight against my waist, no matter what position I rolled into.

I fell back asleep and woke up the next morning as if nothing happened. Was it just all a dream? I don't remember going home, but it was possible. Could I have just dreamt up the pain? There was no way that it faded within one day. The only thing that remained the same was the tightness of my jeans.

I stood up and began to stretch. My bones began to crack. Against my leg I felt a soft fur, as if a dog was rubbing its body against me. I was getting annoyed; I had to find out what was causing such a discomfort. I yanked down my denims and yelped loudly. I was in shock; something white swung by my leg.

Instantly I ran over to a mirror and looked into it. I began to scream at the top of my lungs. I had a tail. What the hell was I going to do? I mean, I've always wanted a tail, as I had always thought it would look nice but, I never thought that it would happen. How would I explain this to my parents? How would I keep everyone in school from finding out? I needed to find out what was going on.

I tucked my tail between my legs. I was able to move it; up, down side to side, and even in a circle. This was one of the strangest sensations I had ever felt. It frightened me and yet at the same time I felt excited, like I had truly become different from everyone else. I could feel my heart racing, every beat felt like a drum vibrating in my chest.

It was not possible. I mean, I have read plenty about phantom shifting and how it was possible to believe you had something like a tail when you really did not. The only thing I did not understand was how could I feel the tail and its movements. My mind could not make me feel something that it has never experienced, so I did not understand how I could feel it when I have never experienced having a tail. Was it real? Could I just be insane?

My door slammed open. My mother was standing in the doorway, staring straight at my tail. It instantly dropped and tucked between my legs. When she looked at me, she didn't seem to be in shock. Didn't her son having a tail surprise her? "What's wrong?" she asked me. I looked at her and remained silent. How could she miss it? It was right in front of her face. There is no way that she couldn't see it if it actually existed. It had to just be my imagination.

I began to flick my tail in the air; she had to notice now. She still had no reaction. "Um, nothing, I guess." I tried to act as if nothing happened. "I just stepped on something sharp," I explained to her. She shrugged and walked out of the room. I inhaled deeply and sighed loudly. Did she really not notice or was the shock to much for her to handle?

I pulled on the fur. I had to see if it caused any pain. I felt a shiver go up my spine; it hurt. Either way, I had to get dressed. My family was never the type to get dressed up to see each other, so I didn't have to cut a tail-hole in my new slacks. I grabbed the largest pair of jeans and scissors. I cut a hole in the back, trying to keep it small enough for no one to notice, while also keeping it large enough to fit my tail through.

I still had not adjusted to the fact that I had a tail, but I had to act like normal. I put my legs through the holes and then slowly slipped my tail through the extra opening. It was strange wearing jeans with a tail. The pants fit different, as if they were stuck to my butt. After putting on my jeans I put on a shirt; the back was resting on my tail.

Afterward I walked into the bathroom and grabbed my toothbrush. When I opened my mouth I found that my teeth had changed and looked like a canine's. I was freaking out. Why was this happening to me? I mean this should not have been possible. At the same time I was curious. What else might have changed on me? I began to look over my body as I brushed. Nothing else seemed to be different.

We left not long after. It was unusual sitting down in a car; I had to move my tail in multiple positions. No one seemed to notice it. The car ride for me was quiet. I didn't hear the conversations my family was having; I was too concerned with my own problems. I was starting to get used to the idea of having a tail, but I was afraid that if I were to be caught I was going to be taken away to some testing site. Even still I had a few problems that suck in my head. Why could no one see it? And why was this happening to me?

~ ~

Before I even realized it I was at my aunt's house. We went inside and were instantly greeted. Everyone hugged each other, said hello, and caught up about what has been happening in life. I always had felt like an outcast in my family, today was even worse. I acted as if nothing happened. No one made any comments; they did not react differently when they looked at me. The only thing I could think of was that they did not see it. At the same time I feared that they did and were trying to cover it.

After we caught up we went into their living room and turned on the TV. My family had always been big on football. It had always been one of our traditions to watch the football game before our Thanksgiving dinner. I sat down on the couch, wrapping my tail around my waist. The men began to scream loudly as a touchdown was scored. I rolled my eyes.

I stood up and began to walk up stairs. I wanted to see how my younger cousin's were doing. I looked at them and saw that they were playing with toy cars. I sat down next to them, and grabbed a car with a smile. My youngest cousin looked at me. I smiled. He was barely four years old, and I saw a lot of myself in him.

I placed my car on the track and grabbed a remote control. I looked to my other cousin and grinned as I took off. She was close behind me. As I was about to beat her, I felt a tug on my tail; my eyes went wide and I dropped the controller. She won, and I saw my younger cousin grabbing my tail. He instantly dropped it and looked up at me.

He could see it; he could touch it. Could everyone see it? Were they just ignoring it or was it only him? Maybe it's because he's young? Whatever the reason it was scaring me. I might be caught, and embarrassed in front of my entire family. I did not want to be a freak; I had enough trouble fitting in with society. I in no way wanted to be more of a public outcast.

I shook my head and picked up the controller again. I pulled the younger one in front of me and placed the controller in his hand. He squeezed the button and the car took off. I watched and laughed. I had to hide the truth of my extra appendage from both of them. I quickly said, "Hey Nick, Sara, what would you like to do next." I would do anything to keep them from finding out. I was getting even more paranoid. What would I do if everyone could see it?

"Let's watch TV," suggested Sara. I stood up, keeping my tail tucked between my legs. I turned on the TV and then we sat on the couch. An hour passed, and they continued to watch television. I didn't really pay attention to what was going on, I was more concerned that Nick could see my tail. Even if everyone else could ignore it, they still could not hide their initial reactions.

I began to wonder why this was happening. What happened when I fell asleep during that class? How did I get home? Who was that teacher? It can't just be my imagination; Nick was able to grab it. Even if that teacher had brought me home, how would my car have been back at the house? So many things didn't make since about this situation. I also knew that it wasn't a dream, as I was able to feel pain.

I stood up and walked downstairs. The children were distracted by the TV and I was free to sit among the adults. The men were still watching television and the women were in the kitchen, preparing for tonight's dinner and talking about life. I was not interested in sports and at the same time I didn't understand what the women were talking about. I was stuck between two worlds and I didn't enjoy either.

I walked outside and began to look at the river, which was in the very back of their yard. The wind began to blow; it felt nice against my fur. I had always loved to watch the water move. It was so peaceful. Whenever something was in its way it just moved around it, nothing could stop its path. I closed my eyes. I felt everything around me. I had always wondered why humans couldn't be more like the nature around them.

The door opened. My aunt stuck her head out and said, "Haru it's time to eat; come inside." I nodded and followed her to the table. It was not the largest place to eat, so we all crammed into each other. I sat down on the corner of the dining table. I let my tail hang out of the back of the chair. It felt nice to let it swing freely instead of being twisted around my waist.

My uncle raised his glass in the air. Everyone at the table became quiet. They then put their hands together and closed their eyes, as my uncle said, "Thank you God for giving us this feast. We thank you for all the good things that happened to us this year. We also ask you to watch over Great grandma, who had just passed. Amen." I growled in my mind. I hated the idea of religion. They only force their ideas on you and started wars.

We began to pass around the food. I had always been a picky eater, so I rarely ate anything. Today I wanted turkey and nothing else, which was strange for me as I disliked turkey. I grabbed a large piece of turkey and sunk my teeth into it. It was a lot easier to eat meat as my fangs just ripped through the flesh. Within ten minutes I finished off the first helping. I was full. Eating had become different. I no longer had my back teeth to grind up anything; my mouth was made to rip through meat.

After the dinner the men went back to the couch to watch the next football game. The women and I began to clean up the table. It was difficult trying to keep food from getting into my fur. I grabbed a rag and slowly began to wipe down the table. We were all happy to help out. It would have been very rude to make the host clean up the entire kitchen by herself.

After we were done we joined the men on the couch. The kids were playing on the floor with the new puppy, which they had recently got, and the adults were screaming as their team grew close to getting a touchdown. The house exploded in noise. They scored. I grew used to having my family around me. I was afraid about what would happen if they found out I had changed like this.

After the game we went downstairs. My uncle grabbed his guitar and began to play. We gathered around him, laughing and joking. We sounded horrible. Either way it was fun; these were the times where I felt I actually fit in with my family. My uncle began to play "Bye Bye Miss American Pie". Everyone began to sing.

My tail was wagging. Song after song was played. I forgot about all my problems. We did this for another few hours before we went outside. My dad grabbed some wood and placed it in the fire pit. After about ten minutes the fire was roaring. It was cold out and the fire kept me warm, but I did not want to get to close in fear of my fur starting on fire.

My aunt turned to me and smiled. "How's school going?" she asked.

"Oh, great! I love all my classes," I replied, looking down on my tail. I was trying to keep dirt and leaves away from the white fur.

"Oh? What do you like about them?"

"Well, my writing classes are helping me perfect my writing style." I paused for a second before saying, "Hey Aunt Britney, do you see anything different about me?" I stood up and began to circle around. I flicked my tail in the air as I turned.

"Well, yeah," she said. My heart began to race. It was true; they could see it. She was silent and I was terrified. "You got your hair cut right?" I sighed softly. I got worked up for nothing.

"Anything else?" I asked in fear.

"No, nothing that I can see."

Nick walked up to me and pulled on my tail lightly. He realized that it would hurt if he pulled to hard. "Mommy, what about his tail," he stated. I was frozen. I can't believe he said that. Would they believe him or would they just think he was making stuff up? My heart raced faster than it ever had. How was everyone going to react?

"Honey, Haru doesn't have a tail. I think it's time for you to go to bed," she said. I was relieved. They couldn't see it, but I still didn't understand why Nick could. I sat and gazed into the fire. These questions needed to be answered somehow. I needed to find who that substitute-teacher was. It was the only possible link to my transformation, and chances were he knew why this was happening to me.

I looked to my aunt and smiled. "I'll put him to bed for you," I proposed. She nodded, and I walked Nick to his bedroom. I put him into his bed and tucked him under the covers with a smile. I wanted to get him as far as I could away from the family. I didn't need him telling them more about my tail.

"Haru," he said, rubbing his eyes with his hand.

"Yes?" I looked back at him as I was leaving the room. I needed to get away.

"Do you have a tail?" he closed his eyes, but he was not asleep.

"No. I'm sorry Nick, but I think you're just tired," I said to him. I would try anything to get him from talking to his parents about my tail. I didn't really want to tell him the truth, so I did my best at keeping a straight face. I quickly pulled the covers over him.

"Okay." He instantly fell asleep. I gradually creped out of the room and softly closed the door. I slowly walked back outside. I wished my body was completely covered by fur. I would be so much warmer.

The family was laughing loudly as they all joked about the government's actions. I walked back down to them and smiled softly. "He fell asleep instantly. I closed the door for him." I sat back down and kept my tail in my hand. I laughed some, "I can't believe he thought I had a tail. Well what else would you expect from a kid's imagination." I tried to cover up the fact that he was right.

The night passed by and I grew tired. I walked inside and then I arrange myself on the couch so that I was comfortable. I fell asleep almost instantly. Again I started to see those eyes. They became clearer to me, as if their presence grew in power. In the back of my mind I heard that phrase said over and over.

After a few hours I was woken up by my mother. I rubbed my eyes and looked to my tail. It was still there; it was not a dream. We said our goodbyes to the family, though we would be seeing them soon. I felt a tug on my tail. The dog was biting it. Two things could see it; this dog and Nick. I didn't understand how only these two could see it. Was there something about them that allowed them to see it? Either way it proved that it existed and I was not insane.

We left not long after. The car ride was short and when I got home I instantly fell asleep in my bed. It was different sleeping with a tail. The covers always seemed to cause my tail to become twisted and hurt. After falling asleep and waking up periodically I finally found a position that was comfortable. I fell asleep.