Changers: A Family Novel

Changers is a novel about a family of shapeshifters. Each family member has developed a character and written chapters through that charaters' eyes. The chapters are written in first person.

The hardest part has been coordination! We all write our own stories following the basic novel outline. Intermingling chapters and specific happenings has been challenging, but fun.

The basic plot involves a government agency that wants to capture Changers for study (and, of course, possible military use!). Changer gatherings are attacked, people are killed or taken prisoner. One group of Changers, however (the Thurstons) begin to put together the whole picture and descide to take action.

This takes the form of attacking an instillation and freeing the Changer prisoners.

The novel explores each of the characters' first experiences with Changing, the development of the ability and the growing Changer subculture. Spiritual issues concerning Changing are also touched on.

Presented here will be one of my chapters and one of my sister's. Keep watching as this site (and the novel) takes form!

I'd been preparing for this contest since last year's conclave. Now I perched on the tree limb, carefully arranging my feathers, listening to the moderator read off each contestant and the applause that followed each demonstration of shape changing skill.

Finally he read my name, or the name I was going by at this gathering.

I caught the wind with my wings and rose, higher and higher. I circled the glen twice then dove into it, coming out just before I crashed into the ground with a hawk challenge.

I stalked around listening to them clap, squawk and howl for me. Then I flew up to a perch and waited for the rest of them to come in.

I didn't win, but I did get an honorable mention. Then the next category started; Mythical Creatures. There was a minotaur and Pan and a sphinx. Then I saw the one who would win.

She was a perfect unicorn. All the work and research we'd done had really paid off. Even looking for flaws, I found none. Her mane was exactly the right length, her tail hung just above her hocks. I swelled with pride.

After striding around the clearing she rose up on her hind legs, pawed the air and neighed.

I joined my own hawk cry with the other appreciative sounds.

I knew she'd win, and she did, the belt of roses draped across her shoulders.

Just as she was beginning her winning lap they attacked.

No one expected it. One minute we were all hooting for Kaye,the next the glen exploded with gun fire, blood, shrieks of pain.

I saw the minotaur go down, half of his proud bull head gone, a white siberian tiger lay withering in pain, biting at its side and Pan's pipes lay on the ground, hand and part of an arm still attached to them.

I took flight, grabbing for the safety of the sky, and then I saw helicopter gun ships. I whirled back away from them, looked down into the clearing as I passed over it.

I saw Kaye fall, blood running from so many places on her body...but I didn't stop, I didn't go back.

Something hit one of my wings and I began to flutter to the forest.

It hurt! But I got control of myself, grabbed the air again. I shortened my wings a little, streamlined my body, built up speed,leaving the screams and curses behind me.

North. North. West Virginia and Papa.

Norms had been giving us a hard time for years, trying to identify us, sometimes harassing us, but to openly attack us-to slaughter us!

I winged north and realized two things. First the attackers had worn army uniforms and the helicopters were marked the same. Second, I was hurt worse than I'd thought. What ever had hit me had broken a few of my wing tip bones and gone in my side. Something was wrong inside my chest.

The sounds were far behind now but I flew and flew, trying to ignore the pain and the black thoughts that followed me. Again and again I saw the white unicorn that was Kaye on the ground, blood pooling around her...

Time and land sped away around me. I pushed on until exhaustion forced me to land.

Flying takes fine tuned balance and the pain was now more than I could take and still maintain velocity. I came down, made a bad landing on rubbery legs. Something inside stabbed me with bright pain.

I was scared. They might know who I was, even though none of us knew each other outside the conclave. There might be a list. They could be looking for me right now. Would they track down the rest of my family? Would it be safe at Papa's? Would they get my sister and her family? My brother, wherever he was?

I lay on the ground, exhausted. I'd managed to come a long way, really, but more miles lay ahead.

I began the Change. I used a favorite of mine, a big buff colored mutt dog. Blocking out the pain as best I could I concentrated on my body.

Goose bumps appeared on my skin as I felt the bones slowly elongate inside. My muscles lengthened, filled out and the feathers were slowly replaced with hair. I shivered as the hair started to grow. I suppressed a sneeze as my nose became the snout of a dog. I stretched first one leg, then the other to help resituated muscle groups and bones.

Finally I arched my back and pushed myself off the ground. Now I was a medium sized buff colored dog.

This form seemed to alleviate some of my discomfort. But there was still something inside, I felt it, it was out of place. My broken wing was easier to manage as a broken paw, since I had three others.

The after glow of changing slowly wore off, leaving me very tired and again in pain.

I started limping, keeping to the side of the road in the dark, moving off it when cars came.

I walked. And walked. Days merged into weeks, it seemed, although I knew I had come down close to were I needed to be. The sun was hot, the nights cold. It began to rain. The three legs I was using became tired from favoring my broken paw. Muscles that were new to me became sore, stiff. Cramps came and went, my stomach had shrank from lack of food.

I became aware again when I was on the long twisting dirt road back to his house. My fur was matted with mud and old blood. Every once in a while new red blood would ooze from my side with pale green mucus. I could smell the infection that had set in.

I'd gotten used to seeing double, but I couldn't seem to walk straight anymore on my shaking legs. Finally I lay on my belly and began to crawl.

I saw the smoke from his chimney. I would die looking at it. I could barely move, and crawling on my belly had aggravated what ever was wrong inside and I coughed blood.

The column of smoke inched closer.

He wouldn't know who I was, I didn't have the energy to change again. He'd find my body on the road. But I knew him. He'd bury me, just as he would any dead stray he found on his road.

I circled around, eyes on the murderer, the betrayer. But Papa was between me and my enemy; wouldn't let me get a clear shot at him.

I jumped at Papa, intending to push him out of the way. He shoved me as I went past and I fell against the wall. I was up immediatly, however, snarling. If I had to, I'd take them both.

Then Papa dropped to his knees. I'd never seen anyone Change so fast. One minute he was Papa, the next he was a great shaggy wolf.

I growled at him; he returned the challenge. I flew at him, trying to sink my fangs into his neck then rip out his stomach with my back claws.

He was ready for me and twisted at the last minute, grabbing me by the back of the neck as I sailed past and picking me up as if I were a puppy. With a toss of his huge head I was flung backward into a table that burst apart.

I lunged and this time he did not move and I hit him full force. He didn't budge, just took me by the throat and held me down, teeth drawing blood. He positioned his back claws on my belly.

The breath whistled in my throat as I looked into his brown eyes of death...

The Truth About Wild Dogs Our children and loved ones are kidnapped. We go in and get back our people!

I had never seen my brother like this. I knew he was on the edge, sometimes even crazy.

Seeing the children's bodies must have snapped something deep inside him. I saw him killing people, grabbing them with his half formed paws and ripping throats out, crunching through bone and splitting their bellies with his strong hind legs when his bullets ran out...

The Truth About Panthers Niki teaches me what it really means to become another animal instead of just taking the form of one.

I shuddered as I felt my pelt grow and my muscles lengthen. The Changing glow enveloped me and I felt the tingling start, centering in my belly and loins. At a distance I heard Niki growl as her Change was completed.

She was always a little faster than I was, so when I'd finally finished and began stretching my newly formed muscles she sat waiting.

She was truely beautiful in this form. She was licking her huge paw and wiping her face. Her powerful body lay relaxed, at ease. Her gaze finally met mine. Her eyes never changed, they were still the clear blue of a cloudles sky. They stood out vividly from the surrounding black fur of her panther head.

She slowly stretched, first her back legs, one, then the other, then her back, lowering her front body. She blinked at me and I nodded my wolf's head.

The Truth About Foxes My Father and Mother were Changers before there was much danger. My Father wrote this chapter, describing how it was then.

Moving through the woods, I picked up her scent easily. Of course, she was making it easy for me.

Then the scent disappeared. Not too easy, then. I backtracted, picked up a similar, but different scent. She had Changed again! VERY sneaky, indeed.

I followed the new, more faint smell. No matter what form she was in--and we had experimented with MANY forms--I would always know her scent. Even now it made my head swim as I anticipated the chase to come...