I woke up, and remembered something. “James!!” I shouted. “James! Wake up!” he turned over, grumbling. “Seriously! This is important!” I shouted. But he just slept. I ran to where the object  was. I had almost forgotten it. I picked it up, and ran to Ebaele’s hut. “Dude! Wake up, this is important!” I shouted. “What?” he said sleepily. “What does this say?” I asked, holding up the object. He looked at the writing, and said, “it says, Cladwyd Cylart celfydda, Ymlauneau, Efionyd, Parod i’w, Gynydda, Parai’r dymn, y’r helai Hyd. It’s Vinaya, the Annumreale language, and it’s an old hymn. It’s about the Son and stuff. Why?” “But why isn’t it it mentioned in the book of Yivyne?” “Because it says that the Son is Cylart, which means he’s a Lupius.  They, the Truists, old and new, left it out because they believe that humans are the greatest and favorite race. And they think, no offense, that Lupine are demons created by Imbroloth to, you know, kill livestock and rape virgins, that kinda thing.”  “But why?” I asked, beginning to be offended by what was once my own race. “Because in their creation story, Lupius are never mentioned being created. So therefore, Imbroloth must have made them while he was still on earth, or at least that’s their logic.”

“Wait, Cylart? But at my village,” my heart burned, “that was always sung to bring rest to the spirits!”  “Because your village must have never heard of Annumreale outside of religious books. To the isolated who only live off what they see and what they are told by religion, we are perfect, which we are,” he smiled, wiping sleep out of his eye, “and we are messengers for your Gods. Actually, we respect the existence of your Gods, but we have another religion entirely. The reason it evoked the spirits is because of the holiness of Vinaya. It, in an isolated town like yours, must have had a religious impact on their souls. But why did you bring me this?”  “Just say what it says one more time, slowly, OK? Trust me.”  “OK, fine.

 

                     Cladwyd Cylart celfydda,

                     Ymlauneau Efionyd,

                     Parod i’w Gynydda,

                    Parai’r dymn y’r helai Hyd

 

  Is that good enough?” he said. But it was drowned of by the slow clicking of wheels. Gears turned, slowly, and the locks on the lid opened. A little. “Dude!” I said in shock. “Wow. Go back to bed.” “Aren’t you excited?!” I asked. “Nope. It says that on the cover. It’s set on a timer, and it’ll go off when it’s supposed to. Me saying that did absolutely nothing. Go back to bed.” My ears fell back and I looked down. My face really animated with my mood. “Oh..” I said. “But where did you find this?” he asked me. “Uh, at Lernalaban. In Ecruheim. Why?” He shot up, fully awake. His eyes were serious as they shone, blue and green. “Really? You are sure?” “Yes I’m sure. Why?” I asked. “Because. Where did you find it? What was around it?” he asked.  “Well, a big picture of a man, with red hair...” “That was your father.” “What?!” I asked. “He was your father, in a sense.” “How do you mean?” I asked. “Well, that represents your father, but he did not look like that.” “How do you mean?” “Your father... your father was born a Lupius. Do you know what that means?” he asked. “No. What? He was born like this. So was I!” “No. You were born with the genetic traits of a lupius. You had the gene to make you one. But when someone is born a Lupius, in the wolf thingie form, like you are know, they... are like that permanently.” “Like, he couldn’t change back?” “No. Your Gods thought it best if the savior of the people of Falacia was an outcaste, like most Lupius are.” “Why are they outcastes?” I asked. “Because while most Lupius are born Lupius, sometimes, humans, like you once were, are born with that gene. The gene that would change them. Once you are a Lupius, even if you were born human and can change back at will, you are still considered a Lupius.” “And that’s a problem?” “Yes, with overly-religious humans. As I told you, you are a demon now.  Join the club. Only a handful of humans have ever seen the Lupius homeland in Dashona.” “What is it called?” “Well, there are different places. The wood of Red Bear is one, very hospitable, culturally advanced, the wood of Blue Fish, which is a large port on the coast of Dashona, the wood of Silver Bird, a religious center for cleansing, which is the only area of the Lupius that allows humans, and the wood of Black Elk. I cannot tell you of that area, because only Lupius are allowed there. Even close friends of Lupius, such as Mah’rhi or any Iennile, are not allowed there. you would be, though.” “Because I’m a Lupius?” “Yep.”  “Well, I’ve decided.” “What?” he said. “I wanna change back. No way am I gonna be tied up, wherever we’re goin’, and especieally if we’re goin’, uh, where are we goin?” “You are going to Mortha Daileth, to Greyhathen. You need to speak to Neideven, the Elloqe Lord.” and Elloqe was an offshoot race of Nullroth, who thrived in the cold. They were first banished there because the Nullroth were highly industrial, and the Elloqe believed that this would be an affront to Remogliath, the high Forbaith (a type of dragon that thrived in Norchemina, and was highly mysterious and believed to be Gods by many races) lord and God of the forge, and their highest God. They believed that while technological ingenuity was important, it must be restrained at times, to keep old ways alive. As it was, a religious leader was chosen millions of years ago, and strangely, the same one ruled today. How? A wildly blasphemous (at least according to Truists) act known as cloning, that recreated the same person over and over, genetic makeup and all.  The Nullroth were, of course, not happy with them for their accustation of technology, so they were sent to Mortha Daileth to wither and die, forgotten in the enormous, dangerous realm. But because the Nullroth thrived in cold climates, as all their birthing facilities were on top of mountains (a leftover religious tradition that had survived when the Elwren faith was altered at the invention of electricity, although the dragons had invented it before they had) Which was perfect, because Mortha Daileth was the coldest realm in Falacia. It’s face was covered with tall, craggy mountains and harsh, inhospitable, snow covered plains, with strange and vicious creatures that had evolved in he cold. Any other race would only survive a couple of weeks. Which was, of course, the reason we were going.

“I’m just gonna change.” “Uh, you know it’s gonna be really cold without fur up there...”  “I don’t care. I will not be restrained, no matter how cold it is. And besides, I’m gonna have to learn how to change back and forth at will sometime, but I just don’t wanna be cold while learning it. And it won’t be cold until we actually reach Mortha Daileth, right?” I asked. “Well, actually, it’s winter as we speak, and since the ocean around Pathis Glend has no salt...” “It’s gonna SNOW?!” I shouted. “Uggh, well, whatever. I like snow.” so I left, as it was still early in the morning, and put the object back under my bed.

Since Luminusae kept the weather the same all year long, I decided to go to the shore and watch the snow. When I reached the beach, the sand was cold, and damp. The sky was a deep grey, and I liked it like that. It made me feel, I don’t know, safe. And it wasn’t the Lupius part of me, either. I watched the waves, the ocean, covered with snow, I enjoyed it. I had never seen the ocean up close before. I sat down on a sand dune, and watched the snow fall. In the edge of Luminusae, regular trees, pines and such, were scattered along the coast. Only a little of Pathis Glend was in Luminusae, the rest was heavily vegetated fores. I realized that I longed to see animals, birds, deer, anything. The woods were calm, and the beach was quiet. Not a single bird or animal moved. I, didn’t mean to, it just seemed to happen, sniffed the air. And with that, my mind exploded. “AARGGH!!!” I writhed on the ground screaming and (literally) howling in, well, not exactly pain, but an indescribable confusion. You know that aching, insanely annoying feeling that runs up your spine and goes crazy in your head when you scratch a chalkboard with your fingernail? That feeling that you just wanna tear the board apart to make it stop? Yeah. I felt that. Times about thirty. I screamed and pounded the grounds, clawing at the damp sand, pulling up fistfuls and hurling the at nothing. My fingers curled into claws, my jaws grinding together. I put handfuls of sand in my mouth and held my nose shut to stop the insane onslaught of smells and primal instincts that ravaged my head. I ran blindly, one hand trailing along the stone wall for some way to find my way back. When I saw the light of Luminusae, I ran to the hut and coughed out the sand. “Acck!!” I hissed, clearing my throat. James was sitting up in his bed, chewing on a piece of toast, and cradling his other arm, the one with the cast.. He looked at me once, still eating, and said, 

“Told ya they were gonna drive ya nuts,” with a mouthful of bread in his mouth. He licked his fingers and wiped his hand on his bed. “So, you gonna get tied up or change back?” he asked. “I think I’m gonna change...” I said, breathing hard. “Yeah, I figured. You know how I coped with it?” he said. “How?” I asked. “I just went out and tried to ignore it. It’s tough, but it works.” “How can you ignore it?! It feels like, like-”  “-something crawled up your nose, into your head and died? More that once?” “Yeah, pretty much.”  And so, I decided to change. And let me tell you this, if the change to a Lupius was a transformation, an addition of parts, the change back was a purge of them. I focused, and focused. And then, the blinding flash of white, the release of the hormones, and then, pain. Simple, indescribable, pain. The nerves in my snout began to wither, to fade. And then, the were whipped back into the base of my head.  Then, by cruel, unfeeling hands, it was ripped and pulled viciously, this way and that, until it fell to the ground and hissed as it crumbled to dust. My ears did the same. The flesh around my mouth, what was left of it, a toothless hole, began to grow and snake. tiny muscles, like hideous, unstoppable worms, crawled over my jaw, and formed a jaw. A cold liquid filled in the area that made up my mouth and teeth. Hideous, think snakes wormed their  way in between the muscles, and a rubbery, clammy substance followed. My skin. It was horridly cold, and soon the thick worms filled it with an unnatural warmth, but it was still cold. Like raw meat. Every aching moment stung and burned, and my head wrenched with each movement. Then, as if torn out follicle by follicle, the hair was ripped out of me. The rest of the purge I will not describe to you, as it hurts me to simply  remember it. But all of the spare or unneeded parts fell off me and turned to ash. My legs were pummeled and beaten by an unseen hammer until the bone and marrow was a fine, pulpy dust, and my legs were easily shaped back to my human feet. I sat there, shaking, scared, and alone with my pain. I was face down in the blackened ash of what  was once my face, and shivering. Everything hurt. It hurt to move, to breathe, to think. My mind was in a thick fog, and I could only barely attain the deep understanding it had when I was a Lupius. I got up, shivering and scared, scared that the pain would come back. I fell several times back into the ash before I could successfully stand. And when I did, I felt like my legs were jelly. I realize that you have all heard that phrase used before, I am sure you have never heard it used literally. Until now. They did feel like liquid, my feet felt un-sturdy and unfeeling. And the worst part, was the cold. I was so unbelievably cold. James helped me up, and I limped over to a nearby tree. I stared into the blue icy sheen of the treetrunk, and saw me. I looked the same. My hair was darker, darker even than the brown that I had when I was a Lupius, and it was still just as long. But beneath the layer of hair that covered my face, were two shining, silvery eyes. It was not white, and it was not grey, that color. It was the kind of color you saw when you looked up on a snowy day, or a day before a storm struck. A shining, silvery, pale grey with a slightly metallic luster, is the only way I can describe them to you. And they shone. They did not just reflect the blue light, they shone. It wore off over the course of a few hours, but the shine it had when I first changed back, that was possibly the brightest light I had ever seen produced naturally, besides the suns. They stayed that same color, though. And as I stared at the pale, cold, afraid face with these bright eyes looking back at me, I almost fainted.

 

But that was before I was consumed by the relief of not having a tail anymore.