We Become the Night

Brothers Grimm this isn’t

“A very long time ago, when the gods and goddesses roamed free over the Earth, when there were so many more than there are now, there was one goddess that absolutely loved all of the animals and creatures that lived on the Earth. She would spend many days and nights making sketches of the wildlife she saw; she was very gifted in the ways of art.

“Her father had created the animal that would eventually evolve into humans, her favorite of all the animals on the planet. She watched as her favorite animal evolved over millions of years into the humans. She watched the humans take over the Earth and force the gods into hiding. The humans were meant to worship the gods, yet many turned their backs on the gods. They no longer believed in them; this caused the gods’ powers to wane. Her father’s creations upset the goddess so much she created new species out of the humans.

“These other creatures were made by the goddess to combat these new usurpers. Fairies, trolls, vampires, and many more were created out of humans to keep the humans in check. She chose to use humans as the base of her new creatures specifically to anger her father. It worked; her father was pissed off at the audacity she showed by making these animalistic creatures using the humans. The human race was beaten back into submission, and nature was once again allowed to flourish.

“Her father was not happy about that. He loved his new human creations. So, he gave a few chosen humans the ability to be born with the same magicks he and his daughter held.”

“There seems to be a lot of this one-up type of thing.”

“Oh, yeah,” he says with exaggeration. “The gods can be just as petty as humans, where do you think humans learned that trait?” He laughs.

“Any who, back to the story. Humans that had been born with unique the ability to use and wield magicks were called witches. One incredibly powerful witch knew of the gods and loved the god that gave humans a chance. He wasn’t happy with the goddess for creating creatures that could overpower the humans. In retaliation, he got to work splicing the goddess’s beloved animals with her father’s humans to create an even more superior race of supernatural creatures than the ones she created.

“He succeeded, but not how he planned to. This is where the changelings came from. See, by fusing the DNA of humans with that of animals, in this case wolves, he created an unstable shifting ability. The venom they create to change other humans is a byproduct of the magicks. He tried repeatedly. Failing over and over before he was able to finally create the creature he wanted to, the first shifter.”

“What happened to the ones that failed?” I ask, my attention fully engrossed in the story that Joshua was weaving.

“That’s a sad tale. Many of them couldn’t survive the process and perished. The ones that did survive, weren’t wanted so the witch attempted to destroy them.”

“Destroy? You mean kill?”

He nods, “Yeah. Well, the ones that he could catch anyway. Many had gotten out and spread throughout the country.”

“Country?”

“Europe. France to be specific. But it didn’t take long for the changelings to spread to other countries as well.”

“When did all this happen?”

“Long, long time ago. I don’t think the exact date or even year is known. That’s how long ago it was. Anyway, where was I?”

“He was destroying the changelings.” I helpfully prompt him.

“Yes, he attempted to destroy his own creations because the changes were unstable. It has been said that the reason the changelings’ shifting abilities are tied to the moon is because he used the power of the moon to make the magick work.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Okay, please continue.”

“Yeah, so, when he found out how to make the shifting ability voluntary, he began to experiment on other animals than just wolves. He chose animals that were known for their power, be it speed, or strength, or fierceness, or indestructibility. These animals consisted of lions, tigers, panthers, eagles-Golden and Bald, Red-tailed hawks, jaguars, bears-polar and grizzly, and even dragons.”

“Dragons? No shit?” I say, temporarily forgetting I am talking to my science teacher.

“No shit.” He smiles. “Dragons are real. They still exist to this day. Each species of animal/human hybrid created its own faction. Each faction then has a king and/or queen. Including the changelings. The vampires also have a king and/or queen. So do the fairies. The rest are kind of left to their own devices. The leader of each faction takes on the responsibility of keeping the peace between its people and those of the other factions.

“Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work out. The vampires hated the changelings with a seething passion. To them, the changelings were nothing more than rabid dogs to be put down or used for their own gain. The vampire faction began to round up the changelings and use them as slaves. See, even in human form, the changelings had incredible senses. They could see better, hear better, and were much stronger than regular humans. They also had one advantage that the vampires didn’t. Can you think of what that might be, Cal?”

I think hard about that, but I keep coming up blank. I shake my head, no.

“Think about the movies, TV shows, and books you’ve read or seen.”

I think again. Okay, so what are the characteristics of vampires? Pale, cold, drinks blood, fangs, can’t go out in sunlight. Sunlight?! That’s it!

“The vampires can’t go out in sunlight. That’s why they needed the changelings.”

“Very good. Yes, that was the biggest thing the vampires needed the changelings for. They were to guard them as they slept during the day and make sure no one attacked during the daytime. Of course, as with all slavery stories, the changelings rebelled. They attacked their masters. Many were killed on both sides, but that one act of rebellion sparked many millennia of war. They have been at war since.”

“So how does it all work? I mean, you said there’s a king and queen for the factions, right? What happened with them? Why didn’t any of the other creatures...”

“Paranormals or para for short.” Joshua interrupted me.

“Para. Okay. Why didn’t the other paras intervene?”

“The fairies, trolls, shifters, and others didn’t want any part of the vampire/changeling war. They had nothing to do with the enslavement to begin with.”

“Fair enough. Please continue.” He gives a droll stare, shakes his head, and continues.

“Anyway,” he says with emphasis, “the king of the changelings and the king of the vampires got together after many, many years of fighting. They hashed out their differences and came to a very tentative truce. It’s held but been shaky at best. There’s still the occasional skirmish, but nothing compared to those early years.”

“So, my kind and the vampires hate each other?”

“Pretty much.”

“Uh huh,” I respond, processing the information. “So, what about the other paras?”

“Well, that’s something else I wanted to tell you. The shifters are cousins of the changelings, but still haven’t gotten along any better than the vampires.”

“What the hell?” I seem to keep forgetting who I’m talking to, but Joshua doesn’t say or do anything in response to my language. “Does everyone hate on the changelings?”

“Sad to say, but yeah. Many paras consider the changelings to be abominations. After all, they are the only para that can create more by being bitten rather than being born.”

“Even vampires? I thought someone had to be bitten by a vampire to become one.”

He shakes his head. “No, that’s one of those stupid Hollywood lies. Just like being born a changeling, that doesn’t happen. That doesn’t mean that changelings can’t have children because they can. They just don’t pass on the gene for transformation. Children of changelings will have heightened senses, though nowhere near what a bitten changeling has. I’m getting off track. I’ll tell you all I can about changelings, but there’s something else I want to tell you first.”

“Right, you started saying something about shifters.”

“Yeah, so shifters are considered cousins of changelings because they were created using the same magick. Unlike changelings, however, they can have children that pass on the transformation gene. Each shifter species has a king and/or queen, just like the other paranormal factions. Each faction of paras has its own distinguishing mark. Most are difficult to see, like the vampires’ and the changelings’ but the shifters mark is out there for anyone to see.” He lightly runs his fingertips over the paw and claw mark on his shoulder. My jaw drops.

“You mean, you’re a shifter?” I can’t believe that this whole time my teacher, my roommate, has been a shifter. That he’s been a part of this hidden paranormal world that no one knows exists. He nods.

“Mmhmmm. Yep. I’m a grizzly shifter. The bear paw is the giveaway. Each of the animal factions have an identifier that symbolizes the animal they shift into. So, the wolves have a wolf paw, the eagles and hawks have a talon, and so on. The claw marks are different for the ranks within the faction.”

“How? Like how high in the ranking? Like a general or something?”

“Kind of. It’s a little more basic than that. Those with marks are in the king’s court. Those without are not.”

“You have marks. Does that mean you’re in the king’s court?”

“Yeah. The king is my father.”

“Father? You mean you’re the prince?”

“One of, yeah. I have several brothers as well as several sisters. There’s fourteen of us, nine boys and five girls. I’m second to youngest. The youngest is my little sister. She lives with her mate in Washington. My father and mother live at court in Wyoming.

“Most species tend to have a lot of children. It’s part of the animal instinct. It helps that we live significantly longer than humans. The average lifespan of a shifter is about five hundred years. I’m only two hundred years old, so I’m still considered a child. My little sister just turned one hundred and fifty last month.”

This is a lot to take in. It’s one thing to learn that I’m a werewolf, I mean, changeling. It’s a whole other ballgame to learn that my favorite teacher, my friend if I’m being honest, is a shifter that can change at will and that he’ll live for another three hundred years at least.

“You okay, Cal?” I nod, slowly, trying to take it all in. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” he says while studying my face.

“I do, but I don’t even know where to start. Uh, I guess the first question I need to know is, what happens to me now? The second question I need to know is, what happened to my parents and what killed them? Where is my brother? And how does he fit into all this?”

“That’s a lot of questions, and unfortunately, I don’t have the answers to all of them. As far as what happens to you now though. I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to stay in this area anymore. I know a place that you can go that would be safe for you. There are other paras there, so you wouldn’t have to hide who you are.

“Regarding what happened to your parents and brother, I really don’t know. Obviously, a changeling attacked you guys, but I don’t know who or why. I do know one thing about you, Cal. I thought it was just a rumor, but apparently, the royal line of changelings can recall what happens when they transform. They can’t control the transformation, not like shifters, but they remember everything as though in a dream.

“Apparently, the rumors are true. It seems, Cal, that you are descended from the very first changelings. That’s the only way to be part of the royal line.

“I’m descended from the first grizzly shifters. That’s why my father is king. You must be descended from the first changeling.”

“But how? I thought that changelings couldn’t pass on the transformation gene.”

“They can’t, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t pass on their lineage. If a member of the royal line of changelings is bitten, then that member automatically takes over as king or queen of the faction. I’m not totally sure how it works, but one thing is for sure. That bite you got last month unlocked your birthright.”

“Birthright? You mean, I’m the king of the changelings?”

“Yeah, I’m fairly sure. There is a way to find out, but I can’t do it. There are other paras that have that ability.”

“The place you mentioned earlier?”

“Yeah. Hang on,” he pulls his cell phone out of his pocket and dials a number. “Garrett, hey. I got a situation over here.” He listens to the voice on the other end, occasionally nodding or making affirmation sounds. “Yeah. That sounds good. Tonight is fine. Okay. Thanks, Garrett. We’ll see you tonight then.”

“Tonight?” I ask. I have no idea what’s going on, but apparently something is happening tonight.

“Yeah.” He looks at the clock over the stove. “For now, I think we should get ready for your brother’s memorial service. We need to be there in forty-five minutes.”

“Oh, geez, I completely forgot about that.”

“I understand that. Cal, you need to listen carefully. You cannot tell anyone about what you’ve learned this morning. It’s incredibly important that no one knows that you’re a changeling. It’s especially important that no one knows that you might be king of the changelings. Do you understand?”

I nod. “I understand, Joshua.”

“I mean no one. Not even Max”

I nod again. I’m not happy about keeping secrets from Max; I never have before. “I won’t say anything. I promise. But I’ve never lied to Max in my life. He’s gonna know something’s up.”

“We’ll deal with that later. For now, just pretend that everything is normal.”