Family of the Fox, #1

by F. M. Isaacs

  “I had to get all those time travelers out of the way, except you,” Allen explained. For some reason, he wore a black top hat, which he tipped at me. “You're a changer too.”

  I considered changing my brother and uncle back, but decided against it. Allen was less likely to harm them in their current form.

  “You lied to me,” I growled.

  “I never lied. I suspected you were a changer, I just needed to find out for sure before I said anything. Why do you think I led you through all those changes? I was trying to ease you into it and help you discover your talents. Of course then you turned on me, so I wasn't able to finish. But even after that, I hoped forcing you into bird form might help you bring out your transformation ability.”

  “You made me a bird to punish and stop me.”

  “Then why did I let you fly off? I could have kept you locked up.”

  I squirmed, wondering that myself. But he was twisting everything around, and I knew I couldn't trust anything he said. “I think you just enjoyed keeping me as a pet. And by the way, we didn't turn on you. We're trying to help you. Believe me, it's best for you and for history! I know all about you.”

  “Best for me? How arrogant of you to decide that unilaterally! And as for history, we can change it. Daniel said so himself.”

  I groaned. I'd said all of this to him before, and he still couldn't accept it. It disturbed me that leaving him here would be followed by his cruelty to Hannah and Andrew. But I wasn't going to play God with the past if I could help it.

  “You should’ve told me that I might be a changer right away,” I said, switching back to the earlier line of our conversation.

  “Why get your hopes up?”

  “You're still a liar. All that time I was with you, having a great time, Daniel was stuck as a tree!”

  “He was hardly stuck. I never hurt him, and he loved it! You know that!”

  “You kept him a prisoner, even if he enjoyed it. And what about Owen?”

  Allen's face contorted, and he scratched at his dark hair in disgust. “Oh, you found him, did you? Well, he threatened to shoot me. What would you have done?”

  “But you turned him into a log, you stole his house, used his car–”

  “I 'stole' his shack and converted it into a usable house which he could rent and make money off of when I left!”

  “Were you ever going to change him back?”

  “I hadn't thought that far ahead,” he chuckled, tapping his hat.

  I took a moment to look around us. The two new blueberry bushes swayed lazily in the wind, just like the surrounding trees. No other humans were present.

  I felt a tightening in the pit of my stomach. Something else was wrong.

  “Who else have you hurt, Allen?” I whispered.

  He was taken aback. “Hurt? I haven't hurt anyone!”

  “Who else have you changed?”

  “No one! Only people who get in my way–” He cut himself off.

  I desperately tried to keep from shrieking. Instead, I stared right into his eyes. “Where's my father, Allen?”

  Allen paused, looking right back. Slowly a smile played across his lips, and he traced a finger across the rim of his hat. He framed his reply in a bouncy, singsong voice: “On my head!”

  Beyond horrified, I merely stared at the nondescript hat. How could anyone do this to my father? I'd finally discovered how remarkable he really was, and now he'd been reduced to this? There was only a slight glow; no hint of Julian Greene's consciousness emanated from the fabric.

  “Do you like him? I can get pretty creative with changing people,” Allen laughed.

  I cringed. Jonas had made that same observation. “How could you? That's my father!”

  The laughs grew louder and more grating. He lowered the hat toward me, dipping into a very exaggerated bow. Then he straightened up, tossed the hat in the air, and let it fall back onto his head. “He makes a nice hat. I wish I could have turned my own father into one. I mean, that's so much fun – reducing a loved one to headgear!”

  I lunged at him, hissing, “Give him to me!”

  He jumped back, eyes sparkling. “Easy, Corinne.”

  “Do it or I'll change him back on your head!” My eyes were watering, but I couldn't let him see any weakness.

  But he only lapsed back into yet more laughter. “I do love you, Corinne. Why don't you stay here with me?”

  “Here?”

  “Yes, do you have a problem with my century?” His eyes narrowed. “If it's so bad, why leave me here?”

  “You belong here!”

  “If you stay with me, I'll leave the rest of your family alone. Even 'Hat' here.”

  “That would change history!”

  “Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be – your staying back here with me! Ever think of that? In fact, why don't you check? Go to the future and see.”

  “You are not in my future,” I retorted, which was the wrong thing to say.

  He winked. “You know, I can always use another bird statue.”

  “I'll change myself back!”

  “Not if I change you completely!”

  An enormous gust blew through, knocking Allen and me off our feet and wrenching the hat from his hands. I felt resolve and reassurance all around me, and I knew the wind was actually my mother. She was protecting her family.

  The hat fell to the ground, but the wind swiftly scooped it up and carried it away. Allen ran toward it, and an odd spectacle ensued. He fought an invisible force, endeavoring to wrestle the hat back from the breeze.

  “That's mine!” he shouted angrily. “I made him!”

  In a burst of rage, he focused on the wind and, in probably the strangest phenomenon I'd seen yet, it formed into a cow.

  “No! No!” I ran forward. “You can't!”

  The mild animal whipped its tail back and forth, bending down to chew some grass.

  Allen grinned nastily at me, then turned back to his victim. “Now, hello, who were you?” he asked, addressing the bovine. “A wind so intent on grabbing a hat that I was able to transform it quite easily. A changer usually can't be transformed against her will that quickly unless she isn't paying attention. I did suspect there was another changer among your family, Corinne. That owl that attacked me seemed too smart to be just a bird. She must have closed her mind off so that I couldn't tell.”

  I covered my eyes to avoid giving him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. “You can't do that to my mother!”

  The cow looked up, uninterested, and then resumed her meal.

  “I can use her on my farm here,” Allen commented, patting her haunch.

  “Don't you touch her!” I screamed, focusing my anger at him. I wanted to hurt him, to change him...

  I reflected on the ending to The Sad Little Peahen. Aldous had changed into a rock to sleep safely, but the prince's brother pulverized him and scattered him throughout the land.

  I'd make him into a rock and crush him with my bare hands!

  The glow started to gather around him, and thoughts of making him a weak, soft stone fueled my soul. Okay, I couldn't actually kill him, but it would feel good to reduce him to a pebble.

  But suddenly I felt the light and warmth surrounding me, and I wasn't the one generating it. “No!” I gasped. “Leave me alone! Stop it!” I'd fight him! I'd never let him change me again! But I was having trouble pushing him to transform while keeping him from changing me.

  “Back off, Corinne,” he warned. “I've been doing this a lot longer than you. I'm a bit older than I look, as you know.”

  “You even lied about your age,” I spat, batting valiantly against him.

  “Oh, not by much. You saw my true appearance. I'm only about six or seven years older than you. I didn't want to scare you away by being too old.” His face hardened. “Now let go, or I'll change you into something you'll regret. Well, your family would regret, if they ever found you.”

  Knowing he was right, I turned away, letting the light
fizzle out, and he left me alone. I heard him walk over to the cow and smack it on the side. I winced.

  “You have to admit,” he called back to me in a self-satisfied, taunting voice, “your mother really does make a nice milk cow.”

  I twisted back around, my eyes blazing, only to see that he had picked up the hat again.

  “And that's my dad!” I screeched. I reached out with my mind, somehow pulling the hat to myself through the air and catching it.

  Both of us paused a moment. Had I done that? Had I really just moved something with my mind alone?

  “That's an impressive feat, Corinne. I think they call that telekinesis, if I'm remembering my research right.”

  Choking back my astonishment, I stared at the object in my hands. The fact that it was my father left my mind as I could only think about how I'd obtained it. Now I had telekinesis? What next? But it didn't matter; right now I had to focus on helping Mom, especially because I had no idea where Grandpa Brian was.

  Trying to avoid Allen’s attention, I concentrated on bringing my mother's mind back while leaving her in animal form. I hoped Allen wouldn't pick up the fact that she had regained awareness.

  What happened?

  I heard her welcome voice in my thoughts, and I let out the breath I was holding in. Mom! Allen changed you into a cow! I'm so, so sorry!

  Then I remembered why I was holding a hat. This is Dad! I held it up, not caring how silly I sounded.

  Shh! Don't communicate! Close your mind to him!

  “Oh, Corinne, you don't think I hear you and your cow-mother? I'm a changer too! Now, maybe she would like a friend–”

  A rush of fire erupted from behind Allen, cutting him off. It took a slightly more corporeal form as a reddish-orange fireball, growing darker and more colorful as it expanded toward us. This was no natural phenomenon.

  Allen burst into light, escaped into the sky, and, while ascending, became a bat. Lingering at cloud's edge, he tried to discern where the fire had emanated from. Who's doing that? he cried.

  I heard him, even from such a great distance, but I didn't answer. I was watching the fireball turn into another dragon.

  It blasted into the air, its words echoing through the sky. “How dare you change Patricia into a cow?” it thundered. “Of all things, a cow?!” This bright, new dragon was far larger then Allen had been. And its voice was unmistakable. It was Grandpa Brian's.

  Allen darted off, and the dragon followed in fast pursuit.

  Another changer? How many of you are there?

  Enough of us! The dragon answered him, punctuating his words with more fire.

  You took my favorite shape! Allen retorted. But I can do better!

  As Allen summoned up his strength to change, another wave of flames singed his delicate wings.

  “Oh, no you don't, you little bastard!” Yes, that was most definitely Grandpa Brian, no matter what form he was in.

  The bat tumbled down through the air. “You...can't...do...this! I'm very...powerful!” the animal squeaked weakly, a faint glow appearing and then waning around its struggling figure.

  “And I'm extremely powerful!” One more fiery rush from my grandfather left Allen dropping toward the ground like a dead weight.

  “Dad! You can't kill him!” my mother yelled up to Grandpa Brian. She had reverted to human form once again. “You know that!”

  Something inside me pushed me to check on Allen. Guilt? Worry? Almost dazed, I moved toward where he was falling, but my mother gently held me back.

  “Corinne,” she met my eyes, “leave him.”

  I knew she was right, and I slowly turned away.

  The dragon came back to us, shrinking down to our size. “I don't know what I did to that son-of-a-bitch,” he began. “He's probably nearly dead. If I did kill him, we'll have to use one of 'Mr. Hat's' time travel tricks to get him back.” He took the hat that was my father in his claws, but I didn't flinch. I was too busy staring at the dragon standing eye-to-eye with me.

  Yes, Grandpa Brian had returned to his usual five-feet ten-ish height, but he retained his dragon body. I inspected his brilliant green scales, secretly amused that my grumpy grandfather had chosen to make himself so imposing and fairy-tale-like. His golden eyes revealed a strange mixture of humanity and savagery, and I wasn't really sure which way he was leaning.

  As he conversed with Mom, he swished his thick tail back and forth agitatedly, crushing the grass and pushing dead leaves side to side like a rake. In upsurges of anger, his leathery wings lifted up and flapped as he made a point.

  He caught my gaze and chortled, emitting small bursts of flame, which he put out with his black claws. “Dragons aren't real, right? So what? I can be anything I want. I put my body in that form, real or not. Ever been a centaur, Patricia?”

  Mom rolled her eyes in response. Which was probably the best answer. I really didn't want to know if my mother had ever been half-woman, half-horse.

  “You like me like this, huh, Corinne? Ever think I had it in me?”

  Backing away, I gulped. I was kind of scared that he'd set me on fire unintentionally.

  “You can do it too if you want. Try it!”

  Me as a ferocious dragon? “Um, no. I’ve had enough of dragons for now. Grandpa, what are we going to do about...” I motioned to the general vicinity where Allen had fallen.

  “We'll take care of him.” He twirled the hat on his taloned hand, snickering. “And I have to admit, I love Julian like this. Quiet and not annoying. You should change him into clothing more often, Patricia. He seems very wearable.” He plopped the hat on his head and tipped it.

  “Dad, that's my husband! Cut it out!” Mom grabbed the hat, cradling it gently. “I'll change you back, Julian. We have to figure out what to do with Allen–”

  Suddenly fire lit the sky once more. I looked up to see another dragon erupting from the woods. This one was even larger than Grandpa Brian had been.

  “Ha, ha, ha! Bet you didn't see me turn to stone when I fell!” it boomed at us, firing more flames. “I'm stronger than you think! No one stops Aldous the Changer!”

  The trees all around us were now ablaze, and my mother gave a cry.

  “Sounds like a goddamn spoiled child,” Grandpa Brian spat. He grew back to his enormous size and flew after Allen, while Mom raised her hands into the air.

  “Mom, what are you–”

  A torrential downpour put out every tree. But we remained dry.

  “You control the weather?” I gasped.

  “No, but I can conjure things. This time I conjured water!” She tossed the hat to me, and, a bit hurt, I caught it. How could she throw her husband around like that? But then again, he probably couldn't get too injured as material – and he wouldn't know, anyway.

  “Aldous will hurt you now, he's angry. You've got to get out of the way.” She glanced around us, her attention falling on a stone outcropping under a thick area of trees. “Get over there. Blend into the rocks. Turn yourself to stone!” she demanded, her voice wavering very slightly.

  “Why? What do I do with Dad?”

  “Change him too! Just do it!”

  Before I could protest, my mother exploded into a mass of light, and I shielded my gaze from her brightness. When I uncovered my eyes, a much darker green dragon stood in her place. This new mythical creature was not as showy as Grandpa Brian, but just as extraordinary.

  “Holy...freaking...hell...” I breathed.

  The dragoness flipped its tail nervously. “Now do what I said. Protect yourself! Change! Keep out of the way!”

  “Should I change Dad back first?”

  “No, he's safer like this.”

  “He can help you! I can help you!”

  Mom glared at me through her creepy yellow eyes. “Aldous is after you. And Julian's not a changer. He won't be able to defend himself. Take care of him, and keep an eye on us in case we need help. Now go. I have to help my father!” In a burst of wings, my mother launched into the sky. I watched
her rise, her flapping making the treetops rustle.

  I understood that Mom wanted me to be safe, but the recollection of my brief stint as a jade statue sickened me. And would I really be protected? How hot was the fire they breathed? Even stone could melt at a high enough temperature.

  Change! Now! I heard Mom's voice as she flew overhead.

  I dashed over to the large rocks and ran my hand over the rough surface with dread. Somehow, the idea of blending into a rock formation so I couldn't be identified bothered me far more than becoming an animal. Yet I looked down at the hat I clutched, and Dad's sheer helplessness hit me with a deep twinge. I had to do this for both of us.

  I slid into a tight crevice, crushing my father slightly to fit him in.

  “Sorry, Dad,” I whispered, tucking him under my arm.

  Now how was I to go about performing such an unusual transformation? Could I fill in the space? Should I just be a rock inside it?

  Then Mom's words came back to me. I honestly wasn't sure if I was remembering them, or she was sending them into my head from above: “Aldous is after you. And Julian's not a changer. He won't be able to defend himself!”

  I rubbed the hat lovingly. “Dad, not that you can hear me, but I'm changing us. Mom wants me to keep us safe.” I let the warmth creep over my body, allowing myself to flow and fill in every crack and cranny. I let the energy consume Dad as well, and was strangely comforted that he was in some way becoming a part of me.

  As I hardened into stone, I realized it was actually rather nice when it was controllable. Now, for once, I was under my own power, and I knew I could escape the immobility at any point. And as scary as my situation should have been, a different feeling overcame me. I was part of something bigger and grander. I was mortar holding together one of nature's wonders.

  Oh, God. I was part of nature.

  Allen, Allen... How? Why?

  A cool wind swished against the part of my surface that was exposed. But how did stone feel anything? I could hear the screeching dragons above, and I could see them. With what eyes or ears? Stone was...stone! I was at present merely inorganic, non-breathing, and devoid of a brain. Jonas' soul/consciousness discourse came to mind, but even so, I still didn't really understand how I was capable of remaining aware while being solid rock.