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Field trips were my favorite part of junior high school. Didn't matter if it was 10 minutes or 2 hours away, it was a chance to get out of doing work. Sure there was some work to be done once we got back, but this particular field trip was an over night stay. My mom was a little iffy on it though. She was really over protective. She wouldn't let me go unless I had everything I needed: Sleeping bag, my own tent, bug repellent, sun block, the works. My backpack was probably the biggest one there. I know that she only cares about me, but she is takes it to the next level. The worst part is that I can't make my own decisions. She never lets me pick movies, food, what to do, what to buy, etc. I'm in 8th grade, and my mother still gives me no choices. Could be worse I guess, some kids I know have parents who are more like dictators than parents. Still, the fact that she signed the permission slip was a miracle.

So there I was, on a bus headed to a nature reserve to observe habitats and all that stuff. Not my ideal location, but it got me away from the everyday. 2 days over night in the woods was better then eating my mother's veggie burgers for the fifth night in a row. The bus smelled of old leather and gym socks; the track team probably used this same bus just yesterday. My whole class was piled into the bus as well as a second class. Ms. Dane was carefully scanning over the bus for troublemakers, while Mr. Kale was casually napping in the front row. Really though, in a 7th and 8th grade class it was hard to tell who wasn't flinging papers and spit balls. The wind from the window in front of me was messing up my light brown hair while the dry June wind stung my hazel eyes.

"Hey, put the window up!" I yelled at the kid in front of me.

He spun around and gave me a dirty look before answering, "Its 34 degrees out, you couldn't make me put it up."

I was surprised that some 7th grader would talk to me like that, but I shrugged it off. I looked around, trying to find another empty seat, but they were all taken up. Down two seats and to my right was my friend Derrick; that was a plausible seat, and the window in front of him wasn't open either. I got up and started moving towards it when Ms. Dane called me out.

"Mike," she yelled from her front seat, "Sit back down!"

"I was just moving to another seat Ms. Dane," I retorted.

"Let the boy sit where he wants Carrel," said Mr. Kale.

Ms. Dane gave him a dirty look that Mr. Kale returned with a smug smile. I took this opportunity to move to my desired seat. Derrick was sitting by himself. I had known Derrick since Kindergarten, he was a shy kid, but after a bit he warmed up to me and we have been friends ever since. He looked a bit stressed, he was a little pale and he was biting his fingernails, a telltale sign something was bothering him.

"Hey, you OK?" I asked as I sat down.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," he replied.

"That's bull and you know it."

"Ok, so maybe I am not much of an outdoors person, sue me."

"If so, then why did you even go in the first place?"

He stopped biting his nails and replied, "Mike, your always the same, asking so many questions. My parents are making me go because they think I spend too much time around the house."

"Really? I practically had to beg my mom just to let me go. You know how she is."

He chuckled a bit then replied, "Yeah. No offence but as much of nature lovers as my parents are, I would take them over your mom in a heartbeat."

I gave him a slug to the shoulder and we both laughed a bit. I always knew how to make him feel better. Pretty soon we were talking about stuff and he stopped fidgeting and he relaxed a bit. In no time at all the bus stopped and we all got up and out. Ms. Dane was trying to get the kids to form a single file line while Mr. Kale was taking in a lung full of fresh air. No one got in any line; we were practically crawling over each other to get out of the smelly bus. I looked around and was fascinated. I mean, I had been in the woods before, but I spent most of my time in the big city, not much clear sky's or fresh air, or foliage for that matter. A glimmer in the corner of my eye drew me towards a sign at the gate of the reserve. The sign read: "Nature Reserve. No uninvited patrons or unauthorized personnel. Trespassers will be prosecuted." I was a little unsure of whether or not I was exactly welcome. I expected I path board, maybe some pamphlets, or something besides a gate and a sign. I walked over to Mr. Kale and asked him about it.

"What, that old sign? Hah! That thing's been sitting there since I was your age," he explained.

"But it said that any-"

"Any unauthorized personnel, I know the whole shebang," I was cut off, "Don't worry, I have been going to this site for longer then you were born. Not only did I get special permission, but those environmental troopers never come around here anyway. Look down, do you see a tire track at all besides the ones from the bus?"

Mr. Kale didn't strike me as the kind of person to ask for permission, but I let it go. Not only was it useless arguing with him, but he did had a point. No tire tracks means no troopers. Plus this could be fun. Breaking the rules was ok once in a while, no matter what my mother told me. I followed the class to the site where we were setting up. The teachers had provided a few extra large tents, two for each gender, and one for each of themselves. I of course, had my own medium size tent that I had all to myself. I started setting up my tent, it was a little tricky, but I eventually got it near perfect. As I was finishing with the tarp, one of the boy's tents started to rustle and Derrick landed out on the tents doorway. Then his book bag and extra bag soon was thrown out. Seeing my classmates treat him like that was really upsetting. That's the way he was treated most of the time anyway. I walked over to him to help him with his stuff.

"Hey Derrick, you ok?" I asked.

"Not really," he replied, "They kicked me out of the tent, and I have a feeling the other tent will do the same."

"Well you could always bunk up with me. I have a medium sized one, I think it will hold."

"Sure, if it isn't any trouble."

"Not at all man."

I brought his stuff over to the tent and we put it inside. We each emptied our bags onto the floor. Derrick had packed a few comic books, some handheld videogames, and all the other necessities. I emptied out mine to find mostly toiletries, but I did find my handheld stashed away. We had just finished when Ms. Dane called us out of our tents. Mr. Kale was in the process of building a fire, and I could see the sun setting and turning brilliant red and orange colors in the sky. Everyone got out of their tents and gathered around.

"Alright children," she yelled, "It is getting late and we have a lot planned for tomorrow. So it is a quick dinner then off to your sleeping bags."

"Aw go soak your feet Dane," said Mr. Kale, "It wouldn't be an outdoor experience without an authentic fire and scary stories."

"Are you insane Kale?! The foliage is too dense, we could start a forest fire!"

"Quit your worrying. The only forest fires started are by careless people, and I highly doubt an ex Scout like me and an ex Petty officer like yourself would be that careless."

She gave one more frustrated look and yelled back. "Fine, do whatever you want! But I am putting this on record!"

She took out her little red book with the red pen and started scribbling. Way to ruin it Ms. Dane. Never the less, as she was scribbling away, the kids were enjoying a dinner of chips, fire cooked hot dogs, and mash mellows, we sat around the camp fire telling stories. Mr. Kale was really good at it; he had the camp transfixed the whole time.

"... And that is why the Chateau de France was considered the most haunted place this side of the continent," he finished his story with a ghostly moan.

"That was great," I said, "Do you have any more?"

"Yeah, but I think that some of these young minds can come up with something ten times as better."

He waited a moment, and when no ones hands went up he said, "No one willing to volunteer? Of over 50 students and no one can come up with something? Fine, I will just have to pick. Lets see hear. Ah, how about you Derrick?"

Derricks head shot up and he replied. "What, me?"

"Correct me if I am wrong, but you are the only Derrick here are you not?" said Ms. Dane. That woman seriously had it in for Derrick and me. Sometimes she could be as cruel as the class.

"Actually my name is also Derrick," a seventh grade voice piped up in a voice that was barely a whisper.

I didn't know that kid, but being corrected was enough to drive the usually taut Ms. Dane into a fit of rage. I could hear her cursing under her breath as she retreated angrily to her tent for the night.

"Well, now that the spoilsport is retreated to her cave, why not share that story?"

Derrick, my friend, looked around and like a bird in a cage finally gave up and started telling the story.

"This is a native legend around this area. The legend goes that a boy once journeyed out here a long time ago; looking for his spirit. In this tribe it was believed that every person had a spirit or a soul in the shape of an animal, that would he or she would search for to become an adult. Now this particular boy was very fond of animals, but at the same time, he was very fond of himself. When he finally found his spirit, it was in the shape of a wolf. But you see, the wolf told him that he could return to the tribe as a wolf, and either be hunted or praised for his power, and the next day he would become chief. Or, he could go back to the tribe as a man, and be safe, but no one would believe him and he would just be another member, and nothing more. The boy was caught between too choices, the chance of death as a wolf or to be safe and forgotten as a human. The boy could not decide. After a while the wolf got impatient and said to the boy that if he would not make the decision, then the decision would be made for him. The boy didn't choose. The boy then began to change; he grew paws, a tail, fur, a muzzle, long ears, and claws. The boy thought it was wonderful; he would go back to the tribe and be a hero. But then the change stopped mid way; he was neither man nor wolf, but something in between. Feeling ashamed and frightened, he vanished into the woods. He eventually became what we now know as a werewolf, for as he stayed in that state, his loathing and hunger for human flesh grew. And on nights like these you can still hear his howl of sorrow and hate drifting on the wind."

Just then a howl was heard off in the distance. Everyone froze for a moment, but then Mr. Kale started laughing and clapping.

"Oh my," he laughed, "That was a really good one! You would make a good writer Derrick, oh man that was good." Then applause erupted around the fire. "Well, I think that is enough heart stopping horror for one night. To your tents kiddies!"

With that all of the kids left the fire and retreated to the tents and sleeping bags. Derrick followed me to our tent and we started getting ready for bed. As we prepared I asked him about the story he told.

"So how did you come up with that story?" I asked.

"Easy," he replied, "I took one of the stories in the Native history text book and edited the hell out of it."

"I don't remember reading a story like that."

"Well that's one difference between us, I read ahead and you nap in class."

"Ok, you got me there."

"Anyway, just go to sleep. We need a lot of energy in the morning."

With that we both fell sound asleep. I was having trouble sleeping though, nightmares and the fact that my mother packed the itchy sleeping bag made it hard to even close my eyes. I dreamt I was that native boy only instead of even choosing, my mom showed up in the dream and dragged me away, and I couldn't make a decision. So I was cursed and the wolf gave me pointed ears, a tail, and a moustache, and all the kids in school laughed at me. I woke up from that nightmare to just see Derrick leaving the tent. It kind of weird cause I knew that only 2 hours ago it was dusk. I got up and put on my boots and followed him. Just as I exited the tent, I saw him go into thick woods. Again I followed him, and eventually he came to a clearing. He was not wearing the clothes he was wearing before. This was more like a tribal outfit. Derrick knelt down in the clearing, and I saw something happen to him. He was shaking, grabbing at his sides and hissing. It seemed like he was in a lot of pain. Then I saw him in the moonlight and what was happening to him.

Grey fur started to cover his body, creeping along his skin in different places. His hands were changing, sprouting the same silvery grey fur and growing claws where his fingernails were. Black pads formed on his hands and fingers, but his hands otherwise remained human with 4 fingers and a thumb. A tail sprouted at the base of his spine and grew as it was coated in the same fur. It stopped at a point where it would have reached the middle of his calf. Next came the drastic change in his feet. One of his toes disappeared and just like on his hand, claws and pads sprouted on them and eventually his feet looked like paws. His face then elongated into a canine muzzle and his ears became pointed and traveled up his head until they were sitting on the top of his head poking out of his hair. Besides his human hair his whole head was more canine than human. As his transformation finished he threw back his head in a long howl.

As he stood up, I noticed something about him. I remembered how would sometimes catch an old horror flick on TV. The movies that portrayed werewolves usually had them look twisted and hideous. But as I looked at the thing that Derrick had become, I noticed that there was nothing hideous about him. His coat seemed to shine brightly in the moonlight and he was not frothing at the mouth. In fact, for a moment he just stood there motionless. I was surprised that he could still stand on two legs, but that's beside the point. He looked peaceful, like he was deep in thought. Then he ran forward deeper into the woods. I was still dumbstruck and finding it hard to believe what just happened. I mean, my best friend just turned into a werewolf for crying out loud. Still, I decided to follow him. I don't know why, but I just did.

I followed him for a while, even though he was now much faster then me, I had to stay quite a ways behind him. I didn't know if he still had anything human left in him so I didn't want to take the chance of something bad happening. I nearly lost him a few times, but I kept on his tail so to speak, and eventually he came to another clearing. I had to wait a while, but eventually I crept up to the edge of the clearing, and what I saw shocked me. I had come across a sort of Aboriginal tribe! Only, most of them were not human. There must have been over 50, maybe 100 of them there, some human and some half human half animal. There were so many different species; dogs, cats, wolves, reptiles, birds, rats, even stuff that was not native to this continent like Kangaroos, Iguanas and other such things! They were all wearing some sort of Tribal native wear, like cloths that hung over the lower body, tan buckskin jackets, and jewellery that consisted of feathers, bones, stones, etc... I was also kind of shocked that although the humans were outnumbered, the hybrids were chatting with them back and fourth like they knew each other and met up at a café. I tried to scan for the wolf-like Derrick but I couldn't see him.

Something grabbed one of my arms and before I could react something else grabbed me by my other arm. They were both strong grips, and they both didn't feel human. One was fuzzy with pads digging into my bicep; the other was smooth and scaly. I was no match for their force; no matter how much I fought back in panic they were much stronger than me. They lead me around the clearing and kept a scaly hand on my mouth so as not to disturb the others. When they got to one of the bigger tents, they lead me in through a flap and tossed me onto the ground.

"Looks like we got ourselves a trespasser," said a low voice with a bit of a growl. I looked behind me and saw it was a half man half bear. To my other side was a snake woman; her entire lower half was one long snake tail. I was surprised that they could even speak with the types of muzzles snouts and whatnot they had.

"Indeed you have," said another loud voice.

When I looked up I realized I was at the feet, or perhaps paws, of a very large Coyote hybrid. He wore a large headdress and in his hand he held a large wooden staff that was decorated with many small bones, stones, and other things that made little noises as they clattered together. It was clear that this guy was the big cheese. Fright had taken over at that time. I was outmatched, out numbered, and completely at their mercy. Not that I wanted to harm them or anything, but if there were a way out, I would take it. Unfortunately there was no way out. I don't know if it was fright or my own stupidity, but the next words that came out of my mouth were ones that I wish I had never said.

"Please just don't eat me," I said.

All three of them along with a few others in the tent, burst out laughing. "Eat you, my boy? Hah! Where did you get that idea?" said the coyote shaman with his arm around his side.

I noticed a younger wolf hybrid peeking around the shaman. "Wait, Mike?!" said the wolf. It was at that moment I realized that he was Derrick.

"Derrick, is that you?"

"You know this young lad?" asked the Chief.

"Yes," The wolf Derrick replied, "he is a friend of mine from school. Please, let him go."

"You know very well that we cannot just let him go back and let your whole school know. As unbelievable as it might seem we don't need the risk of exposure."

"Then at least let me talk to him, calm him down, in the mean time you and your council can make a decision on what to do. I think it is only fair."

The coyote scratched his chin for a moment, then said, "Alright, I suppose I can allow it."

Immediately Derrick reached out his human like paw and offered to help me up. You can't really blame me for being nervous, I mean it's a lot to take in. I just kind of looked at him, then his hand, then him again. Finally I took it and he helped me up. He was a lot stronger now. He led me to a secluded part of the tent and started asking me questions and stuff. Making sure I didn't break for it by keeping an arm around my torso.

"What the hell are you doing here, Mike?" He asked, a concerned look on his face.

"I followed you here from the camp site," I replied.

"You didn't give a second thought that maybe I was going to the bathroom or something?"

"Well, it's an interesting get up you left with just for that."

"Didn't you listen to my story? Weren't you scared that I might, you know, try to rip you apart, or something?"

"Actually that did cross my mind, but that's not the point. How about how you didn't tell me about all of this, about you?"

"Would you have believed me if I told you?"

I was about to reply, but after looking him in the eyes, I just didn't say anything. I shouldn't have been so hard on him, I am the one that decided to spy on him. I just dropped my head in defeat and said that he was right. He moved the arm he had around my torso to let it hang on my shoulder.

"Hey, its fine. I just didn't want to see you get hurt. Although your lucky I came when I did. They weren't going to eat you, maybe keep you overnight or something but we don't do that kind of stuff."

"Yeah, I guess it was a pretty stupid thing to say huh?"

"Yep. Lucky for you we all have a good sense of humor."

The coyote chieftain appeared before us, with a look of seriousness on his face. A few others were with him including a human woman with golden brown skin and a Tiger man. Derrick started biting at his claws. Guess his behavior really didn't stick to any one form. It was really intimidating, what with all eyes on me, and three adults deciding my fate. Good thing that Derrick was there beside me, even if he was just as nervous as I was.

"We have decided a fair way to deal with you, Mike is it?" said the tiger.

"Yes sir," I replied.

"We have consulted and have decided that you have two options," said the shaman.

"You must know that once you make your choice, that there is no going back," said the dark skinned woman.

"The first choice is that we let you go back to your camp, and everything becomes a dream to you. You go back to your camp, and you forget everything that has transpired tonight."

"Or," the tiger hybrid continued, "You become one of us, a shape shifter. You will be able to become human or hybrid when you need to, and you can know what it is like to be different. We still have rules that are quite simple really, and we will give you all the instruction you need."

"Either way, you must choose wisely, and you must make your decision now."

I was shocked. They actually gave me a choice; I was allowed to make a decision that could change my life. Either I could stay human and stay normal, remembering this only as a dream. Or, I could join them, as one of them, a hybrid. I thought for a second what my mom would think of these options. Then it clicked in my head, why am I worrying about what mom would think? I keep on telling myself it's my life and not hers. Any decision I make should be made for me, not to make her feel better. This was my chance to make my first decision for my life and I was going to spend time worrying about what my mother would think? As if.

"With your permission sir," I said to the coyote, "I would like to join your group."

Derrick stopped biting at his claws and looked at me, pure astonishment on his face. And I could tell from the fact that his tail kept hitting my leg that there was a hint of excitement mixed in. The shaman walked closer towards me, a serious look plastered across his face like a mask. I thought for a second that I must have upset him some how. But then he put a paw on my shoulder and smiled.

"Good to hear my boy!"

I wiped my forehead just before saying, "You had me worried there for a second. I thought I had said something I shouldn't have."

"Nah! Your going to be the newbie, I'm supposed to make you jump a little. It's all in good fun. Now, It will take us all of tomorrow to prepare, and tomorrow night is a full moon, which is exactly what we need. So I need you to be here as soon as everyone in your camp is asleep. Got it?"

I nodded and he gave me one last pat on the back before sending me out of the front of the tent. I was half expecting to find everyone outside to start staring at the new human, but amazingly enough no one noticed. I was glad for that. Derrick led me back through the forest and we talked about what had just happened.

"So you are really going to go through with this?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied, "I've never been so sure of something in my entire life."

"This coming from the same kid whose mother doesn't let him pick the movie at the rental place."

"I figure this is my first chance to experience new things and actually make my own choices. I am not going to pass this up."

"Glad to hear it."

"So what are these preparations the chief was talking about?"

"Well, you will get the whole picture tomorrow, but basically they have to gather the materials needed and also find out what your species is."

"My species?"

"Yeah. It comes down to more than what your favorite animal is. That entire time you were in the tent the chief was looking at your aura, trying to figure out what animal best suits you. I know that this whole thing with changing a human into a hybrid has not happened in many years. Before I or even my parents were born. It's a very rare occasion, and it is considered a big deal."

"Will you be there?"

"Of course, I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't show up to your ceremony would I?"

I put my arm around his shoulder and laughed. I really couldn't see how people could make such a bad stereotype of werewolves or wolves in general. Derrick was still the same as he was before, friendly and outgoing. That and he didn't look scary at all. I was envious of just how majestic he looked in his hybrid form. And I would be lying if I said the feeling of the fur on my skin wasn't incredibly soft. Once we got to the camp we found our abandoned tent. As I climbed in I realized something and I signaled Derrick to get into the tent quickly. He got in and I zipped everything closed and turned on the flashlight hanging above our heads."

"Shouldn't you have changed back to human before we entered the camp?" I asked the wolf.

"Sure," he replied, "but everyone is asleep. No one would have seen me. Besides, you would not believe how comfortable this form is. Its much warmer and it just feels so much more natural. It's hard to explain, you'll know what I mean by tomorrow. But if you insist, I will change back."

Derrick closed his eyes and I saw him change back to human form. The fur sank back into his skin, his hands and feet lost their padding and nails and calluses replaced claws. His ears and muzzle shrank back into his face and his tail slowly disappeared. The change back seemed a lot less painful then the transformation from human to wolf. As I got into my sleeping bag and he got into his, I wondered if my transformation would be that painful, or as exciting.

The next day went by like a blur. I could only remember a few things. In the morning Mr. Kale pointed out the bizarre paw prints that were in front of our tent. Ms. Dane spared no expense in illustrating how lucky we were that we had hidden our food. Most of the morning kids were just goofing off, but as the day went on Ms. Dane produced worksheets and clipboards with lists of plant species and animal tracks to collect data on, as well as some other forms of work. Mr. Kale eventually got fed up with her and told her off, while we couldn't hear of course. She was so angry she stomped off into her tent again, and we really didn't see her until dinner. The entire time I was more fixated on what was going to happen tonight. I was nervous, but also excited. I really could not even put the feelings into words! The rest of the day passed on and I could not even remember what happened if I tried. Before I knew it I was in my sleeping bag being woken up by Derrick, who had already changed into his tribal outfit and wolf hybrid body. He led me out of the camp and back to the area I had snuck into the previous night.

The snake women and bear man were waiting for me at one of the smaller tents that Derrick led me to. Once inside I noticed it looked much bigger on the inside. The two hybrids were a lot less rough with me than the previous night. I noticed that all around the tent was buckskin, hides, leather, and tan clothing. I also noticed that in possibly the whole camp I was the only one wearing normal clothing. And sure enough the two began taking measurements of my body. When in Rome.

"Sorry we had to be so rough to you last night," the bear hybrid spoke.

"Its alright," I told him, "You were just doing your job."

"Well," said the snake woman, "I am done taking your measurements. Please undress as I hand you your clothes. If you need a screen there is one in in the corner over there."

I decided to take the offer of the screen. Even though they weren't human, it was still a little embarrassing, and that's the last thing I wanted to feel at that moment. I noticed earlier that some of the people when in hybrid form around the camp would wear nothing, but fur or scales covered everything on them anyway. As I was undressing the snake woman tossed me a few things. The fist was a buckskin waistcloth. She told me how to put it on and I found it was actually quite comfortable. The cloth would go underneath the belt and hang over my front and rear down to my calf's. next she handed me a few tan leather straps that went around my forearms, biceps, ankles, and one around my neck. They were all quite loose fitting, and kept falling off, but she told me that that's how they were supposed to be at first. I came out from the screen and the snake woman looked pleased with her work.

"Thank you very much for the new clothes," I said.

"Oh its nothing dear," she replied, "I run a tailor shop in the city. You should come by some time, I give discounts to all the families of the people that come here."

"But now comes the next part," said the bear as he held a bowl of blue paint.

They started painting my skin with lines using their fingers. They didn't really coat anything, just a single line and maybe a band around certain parts of my arms and legs and feet and hands. They drew three triangular shapes on my face, 2 on the cheeks and one on my brow. I asked them what the paint was for, but they had been sworn to secrecy until a later time. When I was done they led me out of the tent.

Before I left I remembered something the bear shifter had said to me, "A small hint for you. Try to relax as much as you can. Fighting change is not a good thing."

I looked around and everyone was sitting in one big circle on the ground. I could see Derrick sitting down just on the other side of the circle from the tent. The coyote chieftain was in the middle, and the two hybrids led me to the middle to stand in front of him. Around me he placed medium sized bones and a few precious stones. Then he took his position in front of me and began to speak.

"Mike, you realize that now there is no turning back. Tonight, you shall be reborn, in body and spirit, as one of us. This is the way of our people, for we all live two lives. A body is merely a vessel, but a spirit is eternal. Are you ready for your journey of rebirth?"

I took in a deep breath and replied, "Yes."

Right after I said that word, drums started beating slowly, slowly increasing their beat. Then I heard them speak and sing in a tongue I had never heard, and the shaman coyote started dance around me. My heart beat in tune with the drums, getting faster and faster. The fire roared and stretched, and yet my mind began to drift, I was relaxing. I closed my eyes and listened to the drums and the singers, and I began to not only hear, but listen. Each word or sound made was telling me something, speaking without speaking. I opened my eyes and I saw it; a white spirit that looked like a raptor. It just stared at me, its eyes looking deep into my soul. The stones and bones around be began to levitate and spin around me, each of them making a blue trail of light as they circled. They too sped up with the beat of the drum and the pace of my heart.

The bones grew larger and attached themselves to my body, each one corresponding to my own limbs, arms to arms and feet to feet and head to head. The one on my head covered mine. They sank into my skin and fused with my own bones, a feeling I can only describe as a single small heartbeat in each bone as they fused. Pain ran through me as my body twisted and jerked. The transformation was happening. I clenched my teeth as each one became pointed and sharp. Claws pierced through my nails and a finger and 2 toes disappeared. Then I remembered what the bear hybrid had said to me. I had to relax, to stop fighting and just let myself go to the changes.

When I did, I felt no more pain; in fact I found the transformation was enjoyable. The claws no longer pierced through, but instead my nails hardened and changed shape. My feet were changing, my toes elongated and eventually became digit grade like a raptors, with a large talon sticking out of one toe on each foot. One of those talons also formed on each of my thumbs. Scales formed over my skin, they were sky blue and shone in the firelight. A tail formed on my backside, a feeling that shocked me intensely. It was like growing a second arm; I could feel it as it moved. My body grew a bit, fitting neatly into the new clothes I had on, until the straps were skintight but not so much that they were constricting. Lastly my whole head began to elongate and fit into the raptor skull. My eyesight was better that I thought, I could see in front of me and my peripheral was a bit better. My hair shrank into my scalp and the raptor skull fused with my newly formed head.

The drums stopped and so did the chanting. I let out a deep breath and began gasping. The change was done, and I felt exhausted. My body ached and my head throbbed. A woman set down a bowl of water in front of me and I drank, or at least tried. The water would escape from my large mouth. When I set the bowl down, I saw my reflection in the water. I was a half-raptor half human boy. I touched the scales on my face, they were real alright. I tried to stand up and although I was a bit wobbly at first, I managed to stand up straight. I wasn't much taller than I was before; I was up to the coyote's shoulders at least. My tail was long enough that it was just about an inch away from the ground, but it was flexible, unlike the raptors I saw in textbooks.

The shaman walked over to me and I stood as straight as I could as he said, "Congratulations Mike. You have been reborn."

"Thank you chief," I said, "I am honored to be one of you."

"But know this, now that you are one of us, you can never again return to the world of mortal humans!"

My heart skipped a beat; this was not in the brochure. Then the coyote laughed and patted me on the shoulder saying, "Hah! I had you good! You should have seen the look on your face. The ceremony is over, and I told you that it's my job to spook the new kid!"

After hearing that I could not help but laugh myself. Everyone got up and returned to what they were doing. Trading, conversing, cubs and children playing. Derrick walked over and patted me on the back. It was good to see that I was accepted as one of them now. And I had seen Derrick change back to human form, so it was pretty gullible of me to believe that whole no returning story. He hurried me over to the front of the big tent where the shaman had gone into. Derrick pulled me aside and handed me a necklace. It was decorated with beads and a few bones and feathers, and in the middle was a small lizard skull.

"This will help you with future transformations and help you to stay in a specific body. Think of it as training wheels to keep you from falling off. Some of us still wear them cause they are kind of cool. I can teach you all I know later, but now the chief wants to see both of us."

I walked into the tent to see the human, tiger, and coyote from before. Derrick was right behind me. They started to converse about our class's camp. Apparently some of the shifters got into the system some time ago and set up wild life preserves as places where more traditional shifters could stay. Many of them went on to live relatively normal lives returning every few weeks to the reserves. The specific spot where we were camped was sacred ground, and as much as it was a relatively harmless stay, they could not risk having even more classes show up and risk exposure of everyone here.

"We cannot come up with a good solution that would be non violent." Said the coyote, " If we just waltz up to the camp, human or not, they wont take us seriously and they could bring the press. And we cannot come across as a violent people, its just not right."

"What if there was a middle ground?" I asked.

All four of them stared at me for a moment, then the tiger said, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you can't risk exposure of everyone here. And we cannot hurt them by any means. So I propose we scare them off."

"But that would still expose us, and give us a bad reputation to boot."

"Don't you see, we have the cover of night. And if we wake them up, then they will be disoriented and they will think they got spooked by some animals or something. And they can't go to the press or anyone else because A, no one would believe them. And B, they would be caught trespassing on government property. If just a few of us, say five, were to go, we could scare them into the buss and they will drive away. Its perfect."

"He is right," the dark woman said, "it all fits together. They cannot see us very well, and humans do have a tendency to thing of the most 'rational' solution first."

The coyote again began to scratch at his chin, then he said, "Alright. Its decided, we scare them off immediately. Mike, since you thought up the plan, you will lead five others with you. Do whatever you can. Rip up tents, howl, scream, make noise. Anything to get them to leave."

"Well, Derrick is going with me, that much I do know."

"Alright then. Get the other four people you need, tell them what's going to happen and that I left you in charge of this task. Then you leave immediately."

With that Derrick followed me out of the tent. Choosing helpers was easy. I chose a bat hybrid, an owl hybrid, the snake woman, and another wolf. The bat hybrid turned out to be a former student of my school, and he asked me if Ms. Dane was at our camp. Turns out he owed Ms. Dane payback for suspending him in 7th grade for a fight that was not his fault. After we all gathered and I went over the plan we ran into the woods towards my classes camp. Once there, I noticed that the fire was still going. That would be perfect. I instructed the bat and the owl to stay behind and jump out of the bush when everyone was outside of the tent. We all made our natural animal noises. Howls, hoots, screams. A few lights came on in the tents and that's when we struck.

I started tearing at my own tent, this way it would give the immediate illusion that me and Derrick got out first. The two wolves and snake woman started rocking and slashing at tents, moving onto others as more kids flooded out of them like the air from a balloon. When they got to Ms. Danes private tent, I started to tear at it and the owl and bat burst from the nearby brush. Ms. Dane stepped out right into the wingspan of the bat hybrid. She screamed and ran in the other direction. I blocked her path and she ran towards the bus. My plan was working perfectly. We scared them onto the bus. They were safe, or at least they thought that way. For a while the bus didn't even start, then I got a great Idea.

Using all my might I jumped onto the roof of the bus. I landed with a clatter as my claws scraped the yellow paint of the bus. I walked slowly across the top, knowing full well that many kids inside were staring at the ceiling, wondering what was up there making that tinkering sound on the roof with each footstep. Once I got to the front, I jumped onto the hood and let out a fierce roar, making sure to bear my teeth. The bus driver turned the key and slammed on the gas. Before it could go too fast for me I jumped up onto the roof again, then rand down and jumped off the end, the bus sped down the road till it was out of sight.

All six of us cheered. I knew that my mom was going to be pissed with the fact that I "left my tent behind" so to speak, but I didn't worry about that too much. Once we got back to the camp, we were greeted by the chief and his council. He congratulated me and gave me a firm pat on the back. He then gave me an eagle feather attached to a metal earring.

"This eagle feather represents the first task. Think of it as a medal in the army. The more things you do for our cause, the more things we make fore you." Another raptor from the group approached me and pierced the skin on the side of my head. It hurt a bit, but it wasn't that bad, especially compared to fighting the transformation. He told me that that area when I changed back would be where my earlobe was. Earrings, another thing my mother would not approve of. Granted she really wouldn't notice unless I had them in.

"Thank you," I said, "but now I have no place to spend the night."

"Hmm," the coyote pondered, "the only available place is in the cub tent. Its big enough I suppose, but they can be a bit noisy until they go to sleep. All the youngsters sleep in there including Derrick."

"It's perfect, thank you again!"

With that I followed Derrick to the tent. He told me that friends of his parents would drive me home tomorrow. The coyote was right. It was filled with playing children of all different species. Humans, mice, dogs, just about every species there was of adults. A small group greeted me by taking a quick sniff of my hand then dog piling me. It was kind of a funny sight to see children clobber me. After playing with them a bit, when one of the adults from another tent called lights out each kid found a pile of straw to sleep on. I found one next to Derrick. The straw was surprisingly comfortable; almost as good as the memory foam mattress I had at home.

I lay there fiddling around with the feather hanging from my ear and the necklace I was given. This was my new life, I realized as my fingers traced the eye sockets of the lizard skull. While I was in this body I was free. I didn't need to worry about the world outside or my mother's opinion or anything. The raptor was fierce, smart, and intelligent. I might not have been very fierce, but it was something I was going to learn eventually. As I lay down in the straw I realized that this would be the first good sleep I would get in almost three days. As soon as my head touched the bed I drifted off into sleep.