Family of the Fox, #1

by F. M. Isaacs

I was attempting to be brave, but I'm sure Allen saw right through it. My mother's warning to be careful in the woods had a whole new meaning to me now. Nevertheless, I let Allen lead me deep into the clearing where he had first transformed.

  The burned area that I had fixed shimmered like a fairyland in the moonlight, and a proud shiver ran down my spine. I really had done that! Somehow, I had willed the scorched ground into a restored, breathtaking landscape.

  Allen flapped to the ground and retook his human form. He sported a tuxedo, which made him look extremely dashing – to the point that my stomach was doing a little dance.

  “Why are you wearing that?” I exclaimed. I acted amused, but I was actually gawking at him in complete adulation.

  I don’t know if he noticed or not. “Come a little past here,” he answered, grabbing my hand.

  He led me to the edge of the clearing, still holding me tightly. Stepping into a sandy area, he focused on the ground, and a low rumble filled my ears. Yanking free of his grip, I yelped and backed into the woods as the soil hardened and leveled beneath me.

  “What are you doing?” I cried in alarm.

  Smiling, he held up his hand, signaling me to wait. The ground was turning crystalline, taking on a brilliant greenish hue. “There we go,” he said, and he ambled over to me, holding his hand out to mine once more.

  Quietly, I allowed him to draw me onto the smooth, newly-created floor. “Let's fix this now. Hold still,” he warned, pointing to my shirt.

  “What are you doing? Changing me?” I asked nervously.

  “Not yet.”

  My clothes flashed right on my body. Before I could protest, I now wore a ball gown as brilliant a green as the dance floor we stood upon. I stared back and forth between the sensational dress and the gem-like surface that had been grass and dirt seconds before.

  “Emeralds for Miss Greene.” From his pocket, Allen pulled out a chandelier necklace, much more impressive than the little pendant Bella had given me. “You can use it with the ring I made you. I never see you wear it.”

  The ring he made me? So he'd created it himself. He'd created everything by transformation. What had the ring once been? A crumb? A speck of dust?

  So Allen wasn't rich. Well, he could have anything he wanted, so he kind of was...

  Unable to find words, I smoothed the satiny dress as Allen attached the necklace around my neck. He stood back and examined his handiwork. “Beautiful,” he commented. Then he took me in his arms and began to sweep me across the floor.

  The whole scene was something right out of a fairy tale. All we needed was an orchestra playing off in the scrub.

  “Where did you learn to waltz, Allen?”

  “Fred Astaire taught me a lot. That man can dance.”

  “You met him? Did Daniel take you–”

  He laughed. “No, although that might be fun. I watched so many of his movies, it made my head spin. Then I went on to Gene Kelly.” He picked up a stray leaf and it became an umbrella, which he twirled around theatrically. “'I'm singing in the rain...'”

  Perhaps it was because he pronounced the last “g” in “singing” when normally it was dropped, but I couldn’t keep myself from giggling. A man from centuries ago was flipping around an umbrella and belting out songs from MGM musicals – with a strong remnant of an ancient Hungarian accent.

  I felt such a pull to him. I wanted him to kiss me.

  The umbrella shrank back to its original form, and we continued to dance. Our faces were so close, and I could see that yearning in his eyes once more. I think I loved this beautiful, perfect man. This wonderful being, capable of doing anything, could give me whatever I dreamed of. He would protect me forever with his incredible power...

  “Why are you doing this, Allen?” I whispered.

  Wavering momentarily, he stopped. “I care for you so much, Corinne. I just don't know if it's appropriate...” He hesitated, then focused on the ground, and it went back to its original dirt-and-grass state. I nearly tripped as the earth shifted once more.

  “Oh,” I stuttered, a bit let down. “We’re done?”

  “We’ve only just begun! I wanted a nice start to our night. I needed to calm you down, so you'll trust me, and allow me to sculpt your form.”

  I swished my dress to the side coyly. “You sound like an artist.”

  Come to think of it, he really was. The necklace hanging from my neck was splendid, and I knew it had probably been a stick or dead leaf in its previous life.

  He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Are you ready?”

  Sighing, I held out the necklace. “What happens to all this?”

  “I transform it with you. Then I can bring it back when I change you back.”

  Sure. I had no idea how that worked from a scientific perspective, but there was no use asking for a better explanation.

  “So,” he began to circle me. “Let's begin with an animal that's not too exotic, but close to your size. Fox? Wolf? What do you think?”

  “Why don't you do a mountain lion again?”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Like Daniel?”

  “I guess...”

  I hadn't realized that I was trembling until he took my hand. “Corinne, Corinne, don't be scared! Ask your brother – it's amazing!”

  “It doesn't hurt? What's it like?”

  “Well, you feel yourself almost, well, melting. You're becoming pure energy, which is truly staggering. Soon you're just...power.”

  Power? The power to do what he could do had to be phenomenal – he was pushing mass and energy back and forth. I didn't need him or even Uncle Jonas to tell me that this kind of strength was on a level with atomic energy and nuclear bombs – perhaps even greater. But I resolved to go ahead.

  “Do it. Change me.”

  “Mountain lion?”

  “You'll be one too?”

  “Of course! We'll run through the night. It'll be wonderful! Come, stand here.”

  I shuffled before him, my hands clasped tightly into fists. “Can you do it fast?”

  “Sure.”

  And then the light was surrounding me, engulfing me, making me part of it. I experienced a pleasant, calming warmth as my figure melted away. Soon I was limbless and weightless, and Allen gathered me into his hand as a brilliant ball of light. Somehow I was still there, and I could sense him smiling at me.

  “It's like seeing God,” he murmured. Then he coaxed me back down to the ground.

  I wasn’t the least bit scared as he guided me back into a solid form. First I was a floating mass, and then I was suddenly on all fours, becoming flesh, blood – and fur.

  Allen looked down at me with a happy grin. “You're beautiful, Corinne! Absolutely beautiful!”

  I stood still, trying to get accustomed to my new form, which felt so alien to me. I was much shorter, but my body radiated with strength. My vision had altered drastically; everything seemed so crisp, and I could see perfectly in the dark!

  “Yes, you have cat eyes now!”

  You hear me?

  “Yes, in my mind. The changer thing, remember?”

  Allen watched me with amusement as I exercised the different parts of my body. Twitching my furry ears, I could make out every sound in the wood – every bug, every animal. I sniffed at the air. It was full of intriguing scents, and I could smell a raccoon nearby.

  “Well?”

  Wow! I replied. Just...it's beyond imagination! And I – Ooo! I have a tail! I checked out the long, furry appendage, waving it like a proud flag in the air. How weird it felt!

  “Nice. You got the hang of that already! Now try to take a step.”

  My arms and legs were now all just legs. I gingerly put a front paw forward, then tried a back one, and ended up falling over my own feet. Who would have thought you’d need lessons to learn to maneuver on all fours?

  “Don’t drag your tail on the ground.”

  I was so busy attempting to walk that I'd been ignoring my tail, which now had leaves and dirt dan
gling from it. Allen came over and brushed it off for me. Then he petted me. And he was right – it felt very nice.

  “Your fur is beautiful.” He gazed at me as I lay there, tangled in my own legs. Then he poked a finger at one of my paw pads. “Get up, and I'll help you out.”

  Like lightning, he shot into cougar form and he nudged me up with his snout. One after the other. Copy me.

  He kept by my side, urging me on as I tried to follow his steps. After all, I was sure he was a master at a quadrupedal gait. How many different animals had this man been in his life? Eventually I got the hang of using my four legs, and soon we were pouncing at each other, playing like we were children. Well, cougar children.

  Why do I feel so full of energy like this? I queried, biting playfully at his ear. I just want to run and jump!

  His laughter echoed through my head. We're like young teenagers in cougar years, and this is what they do. You'll find the longer you're in animal form, the more you'll gain their instincts and feelings.

  But I'm still me, right?

  Yes, but your body is cougar, and it will push you to do and feel cougar things.

  This idea worried me a bit, but I was enjoying myself too much to care. The moon was waning, and the imminent dawn hardly mattered to me. I needed to run, and play, and be a mountain lion.

  We scampered through the underbrush, snapping at each other, scaring rodents, and howling at the moon. We were king and queen of the forest, and we were pure animal. I loved how I felt, all mighty, muscular, and full of life, and I never wanted to return home.

  As the dawn made its appearance, Allen and I settled down to rest in a small hollow beside some rocks. Tired, Corinne? he asked, snuggling his handsome, feline face against mine.

  Tired, but so...invigorated! I cried. I don't ever want to go back! Can we stay like this forever?

  He smiled, his eyes dancing. You sound just like Daniel. We could, but there's an infinite number of things to be out there. Wouldn't you like to try some other forms? He knocked at one of the rocks beside us. When you're ready, we'll get into some inanimate stuff. That's so relaxing. Nothing to worry about. Don't even have to breathe.

  I stared at him. So you've been rocks and stuff?

  I've been everything. I found out about my ability right after my mother died. I was fifteen. Then I went out and figured out how to turn into anything that moves, and many things that don't.

  Isn't it scary to be solid?

  Not if you want a little rest. Want to try it?

  I rubbed my paw against the rock's surface. Um...not quite yet. Being unable to move sounded frightening, or at the least uncomfortable, despite what he said about it.

  I like being able to run through the night with you. I swatted my tail at him friskily.

  Stick with me and there will be plenty more adventures! Allen’s stomach growled. Oh, almost time for breakfast, he reminded me. We're going to have to get you back soon, I'm sorry to say, but perhaps we'll meet again tomorrow?

  Yes! Right after school!

  It's a deal. Suddenly his ears perked up and he sniffed at the air.

  What's wrong?

  Without replying, he jumped up, licking his lips. His stomach gurgled again, and he crouched down, stalking off deeper into the woods.

  Allen? Allen, come back! Slowly, like the cat I was, I pursued him, trying to understand what was going on. Then I realized. A group of deer grazed several yards away.

  My first reaction was, “Oh, how nice!” but then something stirred in me. My mouth watered, and my own stomach growled, and I knew intuitively just what Allen was about to do.

  Fighting the cougar instincts, I shouted in my mind, Stop, Allen! Don't kill them! Change, and we'll go get food!

  But Allen failed to answer, and suddenly the handsome male cougar leaped at the deer with a frightful screech. I rushed at him, hoping to scare off the other animals with the commotion. Allen's paw met with a doe, and I yanked him away with a growl. He swiped at me angrily, and the doe ran off.

  What are you doing, Corinne? he protested, incensed. I was getting us one!

  No, Allen! You can't kill them! Please!

  I need to eat!

  Allen, you're a person! Not a mountain lion! You don't need to hurt them!

  I’m a mountain lion! But his eyes softened, and he turned himself human once more. He changed me back too. And I was crying.

  He touched my cheek, patting my back with his other hand. “I'm sorry, Corinne. So sorry. You don't need to see that.”

  “You don't need to kill! Go eat a salad or something!” Once again I wore the green gown, and I flapped it to the side indignantly.

  “Um, I'm not a vegetarian.”

  “Don't kill a deer.”

  “You eat meat. It gets killed.”

  “But...but...”

  He placed one arm around me. “Sorry. First, I come from a time when our meat wasn't butchered and placed into nice, clean packages for us. We got our own. And second, again, I was not a man a moment ago. I was a cougar. A hungry predator. And the urge for fresh meat is very overwhelming. Didn't you feel it at all?”

  “Yes...yes,” I admitted, playing with the necklace. “But I couldn't kill the deer.”

  He responded with an awkward embrace. “No, you couldn't.” There was some wistful pity in his voice.

  We walked all the way back to my house, stopping on the edge of the woods. I wanted to keep the gown, but I had to hope that no one would wake up and see me entering the house wearing it.

  “I'm going to be so exhausted today,” I lamented as we paused.

  “Was it worth it?”

  “Oh, God, yes. Thanks for the dress, and the necklace, and...well, everything. Will I see you in school too, or just after?”

  “Well, I'm done observing, but you never know. Maybe another fly will come and visit you in band.” He winked, changed into a seagull, and flew up into the clouds.

  I watched him disappear into the distance, starstruck.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Despite the fact that I was a senior in high school, I always woke up with my alarm clock. Today, however, I was roused by my mother attempting to pull me out of bed.

  “Corinne, this isn't like you. You're going to be late.”

  Groggily, I made an effort to sit up. But my tired body wanted no part of it. “Oh, I feel awful,” I groaned, and lay back down.

  “Corinne, I have to leave for work right now. Hurry up. Don't make your father drive you!”

  I nodded, and Mom went downstairs. I heard an “I'm leaving, Julian!” and the door closed.

  There was no way I could function like this. I had to get some sleep.

  Dad walked past. “Corinne! School! Hurry up! I have to get to work! I can't drive you – I'm already late.”

  Late? A time traveler?

  Finally, I forced myself to sit up and remain that way. “Can't you just...go back a few minutes so you're not late?”

  An uncomfortable expression washed over his face. “Well, yes, but I try not to play around with things like that too casually.”

  “A tiny change like that? Come on.”

  He settled down on my bed. “Not to sound like an old annoying parent, but you don't understand what great power you're dealing with.” He smiled a little bit to himself. “Time travel isn’t something to play around with. Respect it, follow its rules, or you could end up dying.” He cleared his throat, noting my pout. “Are you okay?”

  “I feel awful. I need more sleep.”

  “Why? What time did you go to bed last night?”

  I wanted to share with him just why I was so tired. How could I keep secret how extraordinary my night had been? I had run through the forest as a cougar! I’d been an animal! Yet I saw the tension in Dad's forehead, and I held my tongue. If I told my parents about what I'd done with Allen they'd warn me to keep away. They'd say he was dangerous, and maybe they wouldn't believe that he turned us into cougars. Even though Allen said that my fami
ly knew of him, I wasn’t sure if they were all aware that he could transform things.

  In any case, I was pretty convinced they'd want me to avoid Allen. The way he talked about my family, I figured I'd keep those two worlds separate for just a while longer.

  My father was blinking at me, and I forgot what he'd asked. “Dad, how bad is it to just let me sleep, then take me back in time to the beginning of the school day?”

  He stood up, wrestling with my request. “Look, I've always wanted to share traveling with you. But if I'm going to do that, let's do something less damaging. Let's take you back in time now to rest, then bring you back to this very moment. That way we aren’t altering events.”

  It sounded so matter-of-fact when he spoke of it, when the whole idea was incredible to me. “Where would we go?” I breathed, while secretly basking in my triumph.

  “Anywhere. We’ll find a hotel.”

  “No, let's go somewhere awesome!”

  “Corinne, it's a school day. Let's not make this a big deal. And honestly, I almost always do my time traveling with your mother–”

  “That's fine. But first let's do a quick one. I get to choose where!”

  Dad frowned. “Where do you have in mind?”

  I wracked my brains, trying to pick out the perfect place. “The Old West?” I finally blurted out.

  Dad was flabbergasted. “What?”

  “Somewhere on the frontier! I could wear a long dress, and there'll be people riding in carriages. I want to see that!”

  “You could do that anywhere!” Dad retorted. “Why would you want to go take a nap in the Old West? You want to see a showdown at the OK Corral or something? It usually wasn't like that, and if there's shooting, you won't be sleeping much.”

  “I'll sleep. I promise.”

  DAD STROLLED BESIDE me sporting an old-fashioned suit and hat, and he looked quite handsome. He probably seemed like a rich out-of-towner to the locals as he was so polished and clean. He even had a shiny gold watch dangling from a chain that he tossed into his pocket – it was one of his favorite possessions, he told me, having carried it along on many of his adventures here in the nineteenth century.

  I shuffled beside him in one of my mother's “travel dresses”. My parents had tons of “costumes” hanging in our attic. Now I knew they weren't simply costumes.