Change (Kitsune)

by Melissa Stevens

  "Thanks, I'll remember that." I said, we walked together toward the kitchen where we sat down and visited while we drank coffee.

  It was just before noon and I’d already dusted all the rooms and emptied the already almost empty trash in the whole place just for something to keep me busy, when something finally happened. A teenage boy brought in his younger brother, another teenager, with a compound fracture in his left arm. He was obviously in pain, but he was surprisingly silent.

  "Nickie, I'm going to need you to come help me if you can," Alexis said, calmly maneuvering the two boys into the closest exam room. I followed her with Caden close behind but he stayed outside the room, "We need to set his arm first," She instructed.

  "I have no clue how, so tell me what you want and I'll do everything I can to help." I said, moving close so I could help her.

  "It's the humerus that's broken, that's better than it could be, only one bone to set rather than two," She said, "I need you to get behind Jason here, and wrap your arms around him, pin his upper arm against his body, I'll pull down and set the break. Do you understand?"

  "Yeah, I can do that." I said, turning to Jason, "I'm just going to hold you and your arm still so we can get in back in place, okay?" I waited for an answer, and when he nodded I stepped behind him and carefully moved my arms around him, holding him tightly so that neither he nor his arm moved as Alexis pulled the lower half of his arm into place.

  I could feel the tug of Alexis pulling and not knowing where else to look I watched the brother who had brought Jason in, he was standing calmly across the room watching me just as I watched him. Caden stood quietly just outside the room, not interfering with what was going on, but making sure nothing happened to Alexis while she worked. I felt the pop and heard an audible snap as the two pieces of bone lined up against each other.

  "Good, you can let go now," Alexis said, "I need a basin of water and some gauze out of that cabinet there," She pointed her bloody gloved hand at a cabinet and I moved to get what she needed.

  Working together we cleaned up the wound, making sure there were no bone chips left and that no blood vessels had been cut or nicked, but we didn't bandage the wound.

  "Lay your hands on top of mine, close your eyes and try to feel the energy, see if you can get a sense of what I'm doing. I'm going to call his wolf. It'll help stop the bleeding, and at least mostly close the wound as well as start the bone healing." Alexis instructed me.

  I silently did as she had said; standing close beside her so that I could reach both hands as I gently laid my hands on top of hers where they were hovering slightly above the shoulders of the injured boy. I closed my eyes and felt for the power. I could feel her power reach deep inside the boy and softly pet the wolf inside. She used the energy to coax the wolf to the surface. I opened my eyes again and for a moment it seemed like the air around the boy shimmered, blurring him from our view for just a moment. When the shimmering blur faded, there was a gray wolf lying calmly on the exam table in his place.

  "There." She said, peeling off her bloody gloves before gently rubbing the top of his head, "We'll let you rest for a few minutes and then we'll see if you can shift back on your own or if I need to help you with that." Alexis turned and motioned for me to follow her out of the room, leaving the wolf and his brother alone in the room. Once we stepped out in to the hallway she pulled the door closed before asking me, "Did you feel it?"

  "Yeah, it was surreal. It was like you reached your power inside him and petted the wolf and then convinced it to come to the surface."

  "That's exactly what it's like. If the wolf is resisting for some reason you can also grab a hold of the wolf and drag it out. But that's usually either reserved for punishment or emergencies, as it can be shocking and very painful."

  "All right" I said, paying close attention to her words.

  "Calling the human form is similar, the main difference is that you are coaxing or pushing the wolf back inside, instead of pulling it forward."

  "So, what you're saying is it all revolves around the wolf. You don't call a human form; you either call, or push back the wolf."

  "Yes, exactly. That’s why we call it restricting someone’s wolf. Only it's not just the wolf, it's the same with any animal form. Once you learn to call one, you should be able to call any animal form you can sense, be it wolf, cougar, whatever."

  "I guess that makes sense." I said.

  "Now, I'm gonna go make a sandwich for him to eat once he shifts back. Why don't you two keep an ear out, in case they need anything, while I'm gone?"

  I agreed and turned back to Caden, who was still standing next to the door where he had watched the procedure.

  "Do you have anything to add?" I asked him.

  "Not really. I don't have any of the Talents for healing. I'm here partly because I tend to sense violence before it starts, and as a talent, it's one that's well suited to protecting our Harmonia."

  "I can see how it would be a benefit," I said, "Do you mind if I go back in?"

  "Go for it. I'll be able to hear if there's trouble from here."

  "Thanks." I said with a smile. I knocked on the door and waited for and answer. Once I heard a voice call out that it was open, I carefully opened the door and stepped inside before closing it softly behind me again. I took a seat in the room as I considered what I had just learned. I watched the wolf lying relaxed on the exam table as I thought about what we had just done. He seemed content to lay there a while, as though exhausted, but I could also see that there was far less pain in his eyes than there had been when he came in.

  "How are you feeling?" I asked him. The older boy looked back and forth from me to his brother, still in wolf form, looking at me as though I had lost my mind.

  He opened his eyes and looked at me; I opened a small window in my shields so that I could hear if he tried respond.

  *I can't talk. How does she expect me to answer her?* I heard him think to himself.

  "I can hear you just fine. You just have to think your answer at me and I'll hear it."

  *How handy is that for a doctor?*

  "I'm sure it would be very handy, but I'm not a doctor. I'm just here to learn to be able to call animal forms and helping out where I can while I'm at it. But you didn't answer me, how are you feeling?" I asked again.

  *Much better, but tired* He responded.

  "I'm glad you're not hurting, at least as much as you were."

  *Thanks for your help.*

  "You're welcome, I'm just glad to be of help, I hate seeing people in pain, especially if there’s something that can be done." I sat quietly after that, watching the two boys while we waited for Alexis to return.

  A moment later we heard a soft knock on the door and I got up and opened it. Alexis came back into the room carrying a plate with a sandwich on it; my nose told me it was a ham and cheese. She set the plate down on the counter and turned back to the wolf on the table.

  "Well then," She said to Jason, "Are you feeling better?" He lifted his head from the table and nodded once. "Good, do you think you can shift on your own?" Again, he nodded his assent. We waited there for just a moment and the shimmering blur returned fading again after just a moment to reveal the blond teenager that he had started out to be. He was still sitting on the exam table as he had started out, only now his clothes were just shredded bits of cloth lying on the exam table under him. They had been hidden under his fur when he was in wolf form.

  Alexis pulled a set of gray sweats out of the cabinet next to the sink and handed them to him.

  "Here you are, we'll step outside until you're dressed." And she turned and followed me out of the room, closing the door behind us once again.

  "You did well. You're getting better; you turn away, or even blush when you realized he had shifted out of his clothes." She complemented me.

  "I'm trying, but sometimes it's hard."

  "You're doing well; it's only been two weeks since you learned what you are. You've made a lot of progress i
n a short amount of time."

  "Thanks, sometimes I feel so lost. I can't tell my family or friends and I feel like I'm drifting away from some of my closest friends."

  "I'm sorry but if it means anything, I think you are doing exceptionally well."

  "You're doing really well for someone who has only known of us for two weeks" Caden put in.

  "Thanks, it helps some to know I'm adjusting well."

  Chapter 12

  That evening I walked through the courtyard, headed for the stairs that lead to my apartment when I caught the scent of Kindred. I stopped in my tracks and looked around me, trying to figure out where the scent was coming from.

  There was only one other person in sight, he had his back to me and a large box in his arms, but there was something somehow familiar about the tall, broad shouldered man. I continued to watch him, trying to figure out why he seemed so familiar. He set the box down at his feet and turned and looked around, almost as though he had felt someone watching him. The moment I saw his face I recognized him, through the unfamiliar shagginess of his dirty blond hair I could see the angular jaw and distinctive set of his mouth. The once familiar nose had been broken and healed crookedly since the last time I had seen him, but I knew he was someone I hadn't seen in years. I froze for a split second, disbelieving my eyes.

  "Devon Wilson!" I shouted across the length of the complex courtyard.

  He spotted me as I called out his name and it took a moment before I saw the recognition in his face when he realized who I was. He'd been in Payson's class in school, they were few years ahead of me, but they’d hung out in the same circle and her crowd had spent enough time at our house that we were friendly despite the age difference.

  "Daniels? Nickie Daniels! How're you doing?" He answered, a smile spreading across his face. I changed direction and headed toward him, walking across the courtyard to where he had been carrying the box into an apartment there.

  "I'm good, you? I heard you ran away and joined the Army. I haven't seen you in years." I said as soon as I got close enough I wouldn't have to yell to be heard. When I got close enough I caught the smoky scent of his skin under the sweat he’d obviously worked up hauling boxes like the one he’d set down when he’d looked around.

  "I did. I was with them for almost ten years before I broke my leg on a training exercise and they gave me a medical discharge."

  "They discharged you over a broken leg?" I asked, my disbelief evident in my voice.

  "Well, maybe broken's not the right word, shattered would be more accurate. It's been almost a year since the accident and I still have trouble more often than not."

  "Oh, wow. But wait a minute. You're Kindred, how is it possible that you haven't healed in a year?"

  I saw surprise flash across his face for just an instant before he carefully wiped it cleared it. "What do you mean?" He asked, his face carefully blank.

  I panicked for just a second, worried I’d screwed up. I had to be careful here, I didn't want make him suspicious if I was wrong, but I knew I wasn't. I was certain he knew what I was talking about. But this wasn't the place for this discussion, where anyone could walk by and we might be overheard.

  "You look like you've had a full day's work, why don't you come on up to my place, and we can catch up," I invited, "I'll fix us something for dinner, and we can talk, without standing out here all night."

  "Um…okay, I guess. Let me just lock up my place and I'll be right behind you. Which unit are you in?"

  "315, but I didn't know you live here."

  "I haven't been, but I do now. I'm moving in today. I've only been back to the area for a little while, and I've spent the last couple of weeks crashing at my parents until I could find a place of my own."

  "No wonder I haven't seen you around here before," I said, nodding, "I'm going to head on up and fire up the grill, I'll thaw a couple of steaks and we can toss those on. You come on up when you're ready, and then we'll catch up." I said, turning and starting back across the courtyard and up the stairs to my apartment. As soon as I got inside I pulled my PCD out of my purse and dialed Bill.

  “Nickie, what’s up?” Bill answered the call.

  "Devon Wilson. Payson's age. Why does he smell like Kindred, and why did he pretend not to know what I was talking about when I asked him?" I asked quickly, not wasting time once he picked up.

  "Ah, I knew he was back in town but I didn't realize you knew him."

  "He was part of Payson's crowd in school; they spent a lot of time hanging around the house, so we were friendly." I explained, giving basics but keeping it short, I was kind of in a hurry.

  "I didn't realize that… Anyway, Devon is Kindred, yes, but he doesn't shift. I'm sure he smells more strongly of Kindred because he's living with his parents right now, and while he's Kindred, he probably doesn't think of himself as one of us.

  "He probably has no clue that you shift, or that you now know about us. Remember the last he knew of you was when he left town, and then, you had no clue of what you are and neither did anyone else. While you've known about us for a couple of weeks, not many in the pack know you yet." He reminded me, I went to the freezer while I listened and pulled out a couple of steaks.

  "I guess that explains it," I said, "And he's not living with his parents anymore, he's got an apartment in my complex. That's where I ran into him. Thanks for the info, but I've gotta go. He's supposed to come up and have dinner with me and I don't want him to catch me on the phone."

  "All right. Have a good evening,"

  "Thanks again. Bye,"

  "Bye," I hit the end button and laid the device on the table as I popped the steaks into a bowl of hot water to thaw. I stepped out on to my balcony and lit on the grill to let it start heating. I was changing out the now cold water in the bowl thawing the steaks when I heard the knock on my door.

  "Just a second!" I shouted, turning off the water and grabbing a towel of the counter. I carried it with me, drying my hands as I walked through the living room to open the door. Devon was standing patiently on the doorstep. He'd pulled his hair back away from his face into a ponytail low on his neck and I noticed that he’d pierced his ears since the last time I'd seen him ten years earlier, he now wore a single small gold hoop in each ear.

  "Come on in, have a seat, the steaks are almost ready to toss on the grill," I motioned him inside, and closed the door. "Can I get you something to drink? I have soda, tea, milk, water, possibly some juice, and I think I even have a couple of beer in the fridge, if that would interest you…"

  "Tea's fine," He said, looking around the living room of my small apartment, still standing.

  "Let me get that real quick, make yourself at home," I invited, heading into the kitchen to fix his drink. I heard him following me so I continued, "I'm sorry about blurting out about Kindred down there, it just surprised me, I didn't know that you're Kitsune, and it surprised me."

  "That's what I thought you said but I wasn't sure. I mean, you're not Kindred so how can you know about them?"

  "Actually, I am Kindred. Though it is a fairly new discovery for me and I'm still learning my way around. I've only met a few of the pack so far, so I'm not surprised you hadn't heard." I said, filling a glass with ice and tea and handing it to him as he took a seat at the dining room table.

  "Really?" He asked "How? I knew you and your family for years. How can you suddenly discover that you are Kindred when none of your family is?"

  "Well, you know that Raine, Pace, 'Low and I are adopted right?" I asked pulling out two baking potatoes from the basket of them I kept in a deep drawer and washing them.

  "Well, yeah. It's kinda hard to miss."

  I laughed, I couldn't help myself, he was right. Looking at all of us you would never guess we were all siblings.

  "Well, apparently, at least one of my birth parents was Kitsune, and so I am. From what I've learned, Bill, the Anikitos, has known I had Kindred blood since I was a baby, but he never said anything." I stabbed the potatoes
several times with a fork before sticking them in the microwave and starting them cooking.

  "So one day you just shifted and had no clue what was going on?" He asked.

  "Pretty much. I was out hiking with a friend a couple of weeks ago and I tripped. I didn't see the snake until it was too late and I ended up bit, and I panicked. From what Bill told me, my panic in turn sent my wolf into a panic and I shifted. Luckily, the friend I was with is Kindred and he was able to keep me from going totally ape-shit when it happened. We made the hike back to the car and he talked me through shifting again, this time on purpose. Then he took me to see Bill. I've spent the last couple of weeks trying to get use to it all, the enhanced senses, and my new strength. I had a hard time with some of it at first, but it's getting easier with practice. I spent today with Alexis, trying to learn to use one of my Talents."

  "I see..."

  "I'm sorry about the outburst in the courtyard; it just kind of surprised me. I mean I had no clue for all those years you were hanging around the house."

  "I understand. But you need to understand that I'm not a shifter."

  "I know, before you got here I called Bill and asked. I was afraid that I'd blown it big time. No one's told me yet exactly what the punishment is for letting people in on the secret without permission but it's been hinted to be pretty bad, and I didn't want to risk it. He said that you don't shift. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up what might be a sore subject." I opened the refrigerator and pulling out the makings for a salad.

  "It's not a big deal. I came to terms with who and what I am a long time ago. I mean, yeah, it would be nice to be able to shift and to not be an outsider in my own family, but I've come to accept my life as it is and to be happy with it."

  "I'm just starting to realize how difficult it is to hide something this big thing from my family. To not be able to talk about it with them. We've always talked about everything."

  "How long have you known?"

  "I first shifted two weeks ago today…"

  "Wow, that's about when I got back into town. No wonder you don't know many of the Kindred yet."