by Lewis, D. C.
Feeling incredibly confined, Kiera bounded out of the bed as soon as her mother left and threw on some old clothes and headed outside. It was here that she felt the true extent of her heightened senses. It was as if she had been viewing the world through a plastic bag and now the bag had been removed. Hearing a rustle in the bushes, she quickly turned her head to realize that the rustle was coming from over a quarter mile away. Wanting to investigate the source of the noise, she started to run, hoping to catch whatever it was unawares. Kiera was not prepared for the speed at which she ran. She had never experienced anything like it before. Her peripheral vision blurred as she picked up speed, the wind blowing through her hair, her legs pumping faster than they ever had before. Before she knew it, not only had she run to the spot where she wanted to go, she had passed it by at least a hundred feet! Laughing with delight and not the least bit winded, she fell down and rolled in the summer grass, staining her clothes with its green secretions and inhaling the smell of the world around her. Pressing her ear to the ground, she could hear the manual labor of the insects and other animals beneath the earth, their tiny machinations revealed to the super-heightened senses of this new Lycoan.
Kiera spent the rest of the day exploring her new self. She found that running wasn’t the only thing improved. Jumping, swimming, lifting, all physical activities she could engage in were increased three-fold. She was having such a good time that she failed to feel Katrina approach.
“I see you have been testing your new self,” she said in a stern voice.
Slightly abashed, Kiera looked at the ground, afraid to make eye contact. “Yes mother,”
she responded.
“Kiera, look at me.”
Lifting her head to look in her mother's eyes, this is the only time Kiera remembered seeing her mother smile.
“Looks like the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, I did the same thing at your age,” Katrina confessed. “I left you alone to give you a chance to discover your changes for yourself. Some things I just couldn’t explain and you would have continued to ask me questions all day till you found out for yourself. Since you now realize just how different you are, we really need to finish talking. There is more you need to know. When was the last time you ate?”
Kiera had been so caught up in her activities that she had completely forgotten about eating. Katrina’s question brought her attention to her stomach and she realized she was ravenous. Katrina was looking directly at Kiera when this realization came over her and needed no verbal confirmation.
“These are the things are you going to have to start paying attention to. Your life is going to be vastly different now, you can’t afford to make these mistakes, they could cost you dearly. Now come back inside and we can finish talking over dinner.”
Trailing behind her mother, Kiera had wished she could just spend a little more time outside having fun. The day had been so wonderful and she couldn’t wait till she could be outside again. The sun was slowly setting as they finally made their way back to the house, signaling the end of the first day of the rest of this new Lycoan’s life. The crickets had begun their endless music, strumming their miniature violins, as Katrina and Kiera entered their house.Sitting down at the dinner table, Kiera was slightly taken back when Katrina entered with a large raw steak on a plate and set it in front of Kiera. Unsure what to do, Kiera looked imploringly at her mother.
“Eat up,” was all Katrina said.
“Aren’t you going to cook it first?” Kiera asked in an incredulous tone, shocked at her mother’s command.
“We are Lycoans Kiera, we don’t need to cook our food, that is what humans do. It is unnecessary for us and a waste of time. I have only cooked these past 12 years because you wouldn’t have understood until now and it was just easier for you to live as a human. Now you can embrace who and what you are.” Reaching over and grabbing the fresh slab of meat lying on Kiera’s plate, Katrina took a bite, her incisors and canines ripping the soft flesh, and put it back in front of Kiera. A trickle of blood had seeped from the corner of her mouth, giving her a vicious appearance.
Kiera was repulsed and had to force herself not to gag. Had her stomach been full, she was quite sure it would have emptied itself. Her stomach growled, reminding her once again that it had been quite a while since she had eaten anything. Katrina was staring directly at her and Kiera knew that she had heard her stomach as well. With her hands trembling, from either hunger or repulsion, Kiera reached down to grab the mass of flesh in front of her. Bringing it to her lips, she held her breath, not wanting to inhale the raw smell. Closing her eyes, she took a bite. The texture was unlike anything she had experienced before, very soft and chewy with a hint of iron from the blood. Her stomach rolled as she chewed the lump of uncooked meat, not trusting herself to swallow but not wanting to keep it in her mouth. With a large gulp, her throat muscles constricted to push the masticated mass down to her stomach. She didn’t know whether it was the relief of being done with her first bite or the fact that she had finally gotten something of substance in her stomach after fasting for so long, but she had instantly felt better. Taking another bite, it didn’t seem as bad, in fact it actually didn’t taste bad at all. Katrina looked on with approval on her face, her dark eyes seeming almost soft and tender. She spoke not a word as Kiera finished her gruesome meal, only watched.
After the last bite was finished, Kiera felt full of energy, as if she had just woken up from the best sleep she had ever had. She felt alive in a way that she couldn’t describe. Pushing her plate away, she stood and stretched, bending at the waist to rest her palms of the floor, her hair falling down to frame her face with yellow curtains. She was intrigued when she could pick out the individual fibers of the wood making up the hardwood floor, staring at amazement, her reverie broken by Katrina’s voice.
“I gave you your time today so that you could explore for yourself the changes your body has gone through. Up until now, you have lived with the limitations of a human. With the onset of puberty, not only have you come into womanhood, but Lycoanhood. A human will be no match for you physically anymore. You are stronger, faster, and more conditioned than any Homo sapiens. All your senses are improved, sight, smell, hearing, taste, everything. In almost every aspect of your life, you will be vastly superior and this is what we must discuss. Regardless of the circumstances, you must never reveal this to anyone. We Lycoans have spent the past few centuries attempting to blend in to the human world and have managed to do so quite successfully. Humans can not know that we exist, or the work that has been done for the past 300 years will be destroyed in the blink of an eye. I tell you this Kiera because there will be times that you will be tempted, and that temptation must be resisted. You will find yourself in a situation where you want to let go, to show what you are a capable of, whether that be a competition or an effort to protect yourself. You must not allow yourself to cross that barrier."
The tone in which Katrina spoke scared Kiera to her core. She could see how every day this could be a struggle. Kiera loved being competitive, and having to limit herself would be something that would be incredibly difficult. She couldn’t comprehend not giving a hundred percent in her favorite sports, not giving everything she had for her team. All of a sudden, today wasn’t as bright and full of promise as it had been. It was like Christmas Day but not being able to open your presents and show your friends what you got. A thousand questions were forming in her mind, many of them beginning with the words “What if.”
“Kiera, you must heed what I say,” Katrina intoned, “It is important that we remain invisible. To blend in with humanity. We cannot risk you exposing us. Do you understand?”
“Yes mother I understand,” Kiera replied reluctantly. “ I won’t do anything to expose us.”
“Good. It will be difficult at first but with time, it will become easier.”
It was something in Katrina’s tone that made Kiera very suspicious. “You aren’t telling me everything are you?” she ask
ed.
Kiera couldn’t tell if it were amusement or annoyance that flickered across her mother’s face at the accusation but at this point, she didn’t care. The day that had started out so well had gotten progressively worse and her mother’s annoyance was the least of her worries.
“No, there is more. There is something else you have yet to experience which is the most important part of being a Lycoan. You will now have the ability to ‘change,’ to transform into a full-fledged Lycoan with even greater abilities than what you possess now.”
Kiera was confused. What did her mother mean by “change?" Change how? Into what? The confusion must have been evident on her face as she tried to process this new information and Katrina went into further detail.
“When you choose, you can make the physical transformation into a Lycoan. Your physical appearance will change, your senses will become even more heightened, but you will retain your intelligence and ability to reason. You will become a super predator, top of the food chain, and practically unstoppable."
Confusion still marred Kiera’s face. Taking one look at her daughter, Katrina knew that verbal explanation would not be sufficient and that in order for her daughter to fully understand, she must take a more direct means.
“I am going so show you what I am taking about.” Katrina explained. “Do not be frightened, you will not be harmed.”
Kiera’s mother started to disrobe. Kiera could feel her cheeks flush red as Katrina so casually took off her clothes. Completely embarrassed, Kiera stared at the floor, once again looking at the grain in the wood, counting the different patterns she saw in an attempt to focus her mind on something other than the events unfolding right before her. It seemed like hours had passed when her mother’s voice broke the silence.
“Kiera, look at me, you need to see the entire process,” Katrina stated with a note of authority in her voice.
Slowly raising her head, Kiera was very uncomfortable with the thought of gazing at her mother nude. In twelve years she had never seen her mother in anything less than jeans and a t-shirt and she felt that this new openness was highly inappropriate. She was not prepared for what she saw.
Katrina showed no sign of insecurity as she stood naked in front of her daughter. Her body looked like it had been carved out of marble. Very lean and very defined, her shoulders were broad like a swimmer’s but with muscle definition in her arms and legs that Kiera had never noticed before. Katrina’s muscled mid-section slowly contracted and relaxed as she forced air in and out of her diaphragm. Her white skin seemed almost luminescent, and contrasted sharply against her shoulder-length black hair. With her improved eyesight, Kiera could clearly see the tiny pulsation of Katrina’s arteries as her heart pumped the blood through the minuscule highways, enriching her muscles with fresh oxygen. Most men would have found Katrina’s figure very pleasant, some would have found it intimidating. Kiera's embarrassment had fled and she stood in awe looking at her mother, seemingly for the first time. Katrina’s face betrayed no hint of emotion. The change started so slowly that Kiera thought she might have been imagining it.
Dark hair started to thicken and spread over the entirety of Katrina’s body. Her limbs started to lengthen, her height increasing by at least 5 inches. The legs looking capable of launching this bipedal creature to amazing speeds. Feet and hands grew in order to accommodate the change, ending in sharp claws, glistening metallically like daggers. Katrina's head started to elongate, becoming distinctly lupine - her round ears growing to points, reaching towards the heavens. Her face narrowing, her mouth protruding from her face, the nose flattening. The front of Katrina's muzzle protruded as her teeth lengthened into fangs, the tips sticking out slightly from her lip. Kiera noticed how white and shiny they were, able to reflect so much light that she could see a miniature version of herself.
And then, it was done. The being that stood in front of Kiera barely resembled her mother, the only constant being her eyes, her very human and all-knowing eyes. Kiera knew that she should be more scared than she was. Even though this was her mother, this was also a creature of fantasy and nightmares, yet there was an overwhelming sense of peace infusing her body, as if a previously unheard voice were now speaking in her head, telling her to remain calm and that she was in no danger. Kiera had not realized just how much her body had tensed until she felt it relax, the tension being released instantaneously and almost causing her to fall to the floor.
The creature in front of Kiera stood impossibly still, a dark statute covered in dark fur, the dark hair beginning to sway as the air conditioner clicked back to combat the 85 degree temperature outside. Kiera resisted the urge to stand up and walk towards her mother. She wanted to run her fingers through the fur, to prove to herself that this wasn't a dream and in fact for real. Her mother just looked at her, not blinking, not moving, barely even breathing. While the untrained eye would not be able to differentiate Lycoan sexes while they were "changed." Kiera could see subtle feminine qualities in the Lycoan before her. A softness around the face and lean frame. The word beautiful popped into Kiera's mind, if that adjective could be used to describe what was in front of her.
And just as it had begun, the process reversed. Limbs shortening, head rounding, fur disappearing. It looked like someone had hit the reverse button on a DVD player. In a couple of seconds, the naked human form of Katrina stood before her daughter. Kiera was glad when her mother immediately turned around to head to the direction of her bedroom. Not only was she still uncomfortable in the nude presence of her mother, she also wanted some time to process the events that had unfolded for her this evening. Heightened senses, advanced metabolism, and now metamorphosis. It was almost more than the mind of a 12-year-old could take. But Kiera knew just how incredibly important this was, and how equally important it was to keep her promise to her mother.
The soft patter of bare feet announced Katrina's return.
Wearing a long silk white robe, secured by a belt of the same material, Katrina seemed to glow as she entered the room, a look of satisfaction on her face.
"And now you know who you really are," Katrina stated, "and why it is so important for us to remain hidden in society." Slowly nodding her head in agreement, Kiera didn't trust herself to speak, the thousands of questions threatening to come out all at once. Given the circumstances, she wanted to sound as mature as possible, not a babbling soon-to-be teenager.
Opening her mouth to speak, Kiera was cut off by her mother.
"I still have not told you all Kiera." There was an anticipation in her voice that Kiera couldn't recall having ever heard. "I hold a very special role in our society, one that I have held now for over 200 years. I am the Alpha Female."
Alpha Female? Kiera didn't even understand what that meant. Relief swept her body when Katrina started talking again.
"The Alpha Female is the leader of the pack and the strongest. She keeps order, making sure everyone follows the rules agreed upon by our ancestors. She punishes those who fall out of line. Had not the male Lycoans disappeared 500 years ago, she would be mated with the Alpha Male in order to produce offspring and continue the line. To be Alpha Female is the highest honor in our society, but the one that carries the most responsibility. The one that I inherited from your grandmother and have been carrying for all these years."
The realization of everything nearly crushed Kiera's fragile mind. Her mother was hundreds of years old, yet appeared to be no more than in her early forties. Sitting in silence, Kiera sorted all this information. What had started out as such a good day continued to progressively get worse. Then it hit her. Staring up to look at her mother, they locked eyes as Kiera's unspoken question teetered on the tip of her tongue. Taking a deep breath to stall for time as much as calm herself, she closed her eyes as her lips began to move.
"Does that mean...?"
"Yes it does. You, my daughter, will become the next Alpha Female and rule this pack."
For the third time this evening, Kiera was speechless.
The words "Alpha Female" reverberating in her heard over and over. "I will be an Alpha Female and rule other Lycoans?" she thought to herself. The thought of not having a choice began to ruffle her pre-teenage feathers. A wave of stubbornness started to set in.
"What if I don't want to be Alpha Female?"
Apparently Katrina had not anticipated this question and a flicker of shock registered on her face.
"Don't want to be Alpha Female?" she replied sternly. "Kiera, there is no choice in the matter! Let me explain to you how the Lycoan hierarchy works. The Alpha Female is of course at the top, but though the position is hereditary, other members of the pack can challenge the Alpha for control. Once a challenge has been issued, it cannot be withdrawn till the participants engage in a physical fight to prove who is fit to be the Alpha. These contests typically end in the loser being a slave until she finally dies. When a new Alpha is established, she has the right to go and kill all the offspring of the previous Alpha or to have them suffer the fate of enslavement as well. I am getting tired and my hold on the pack grows weak. There is a portion of the pack that wants to challenge my authority and establish a new Alpha. I know not if I will be able to be victorious if it comes to a physical encounter. My only hope is to pass my leadership on to you so that you can retain the position our family has held for over 400 years.
Now do you understand the severity of this issue? Enslavement or death. Neither appealing choices. I have waited too long for you to end up with either fate. You WILL be Alpha Female and fulfill your duty to your family and your pack."
And in that final sentence, Katrina sealed her fate and strengthened Kiera's resolve.
"NEVER!" Kiera shouted defiantly. "I will never be Alpha Female, I will never take your place, I will never change into a MONSTER".
"Oh yes you will!" Katrina fired back. "You will accept your responsibility and you WILL 'change', whether you want to or not, you 'changing' will happen. It would be better for you to do it voluntarily. Your Lycoan side will only be suppressed for so long until it starts taking steps, steps that will make your decision for you."