Prologue

I still remember the first time it dawned on me that there was something weird about our world...

The frigid cold seeped into my hands and feet, it numbed me to some degree but I ignored it as I leaned onto the snow pile and looked over on the other side.

Father's bushy tail wagged back and forth in excitement as he dug a snow cave with such an intensity that there was a plume of snow behind him.

My heavy clothes resisted as I glanced back with the thought that I might have had a tail but had just forgotten it. Like usual though I found no tail, no claws, no fur, no big pointed ears or sharp fangs.

Father must have noticed my silence as he stopped digging and looked up with an eager canine smile, it showed off rows of pearly white teeth as he panted like a wild dog.

"You OK Vilkas? Are you cold?" Father asked as plumes of white fog wafted from his big muzzle.

I stared at his black nose that contrasted with the gray fur and piercing yellow eyes, it filled my gut with the weirdest sensation as I began to wonder why I was so very different from my own parents.

My mind locked up and I found myself unable to answer father's question as my thoughts kept repeating like a never ending loop.

Father's furry ears folded back and his expression was replaced by a look of sudden worry. He rushed around the snow cave and left big pawprints in the snow as he reached down and picked me up like a feather.

"It's okay Vilkas, let's go inside and mother will make you a warm cup of tea," Father said with a husky but soothing voice.

I just nodded with a sensation of shame and embarrassment at having broken up our fun, I was neither freezing, nor did I want to go inside. Father carried me into the warmth of the house and called for mother, she was by my side within a minute and felt my along my face with her furry hands.

"Vilkas? Are you cold?" Mother asked with a concerned look.

I shook my head but couldn't answer as I found myself looking at her in the same way I had looked at father. Her eyes were yellow and slitted, she had a short muzzle, small nose, and her fur was like that of a tabby cat.

"Did something happen?" Mother asked as she looked over at father with a frown that made her whiskers perk.

"No," Father answered as he brushed snow from his clothes and fur.

I gulped and felt that the situation was getting out of hand, I didn't want them fighting over me.

"I'm okay mom," I whispered.

Mother eased me out of the heavy clothes and led me along the hallway while I glanced back at father.

Father's tail was slack and the look of worry hadn't faded one bit, it wrenched my heart with guilt as my mind raced in wonder of how I was supposed to set things right again.

Mother brought me to the kitchen and set me by the table, she touched my chin with the soft pink pads on her hand as she made a slight smile, "Want some tea?"

I nodded, "Mm... with honey."

Mother let go and began to pour water in the boiler, "Did something happen Vilkas?"

"No," I said with a shake of my head.

"Come now. Was father being clumsy again?" Mother asked.

Father was a big strong wolf and he didn't know his own strength at times, he was kind though, caring, and warm. Mother was much smaller but smart as her claws were sharp and she had a long sleek tail with fur as soft as silk.

All grownups had different forms like this and they called themselves hybrids or used the names of animals. I wasn't the only odd one though as school was full of children just like me, pink skin, flat face, no paws, no tail, no claws.

One thing led to another as I realized that I had never seen a big child, thus, that meant that at some point children became like grownups.

"Am I going to be a wolf like dad... or a cat like you when I grow up mom?" I asked.

Mother poured boiling water in a cup and placed a teaspoon of honey inside it. She then walked over, set the cup on the table, and sat down beside me with a slight smile.

"That's for you to decide dear, you can become anything you want," Mother said.

It was the first time I had heard something like it and it made me think of all the people and animals I had seen in my life.

"Can I become a bear?" I asked.

Mother nodded, "Yes dear, even a bear."

"What if I want to stay like I am?" I asked.

Mother's ears perked and her eyes grew wide with a stunned expression, moments later she calmed and began to smile, "That's fine as well dear. It's a bit odd, but fine."

I grabbed the cup and stared into it, "Are you angry?"

Mother touched my shoulder, "No Vilkas, I'm not. Is this what you were thinking about?"

I nodded, "Yes."

"Do you like bears?" Mother asked.

I shook my head as I thought of the neighbors, they were loud, and rude, "No."

"What do you like?" Mother asked.

My mind was torn but found a solution that I thought was brilliant.

"What if I become a... wolf-cat or a cat-wolf?" I asked.

Mother smirked and chuckled with a bright smile, "I'm sorry dear, but that's not how it works."

"Why not?" I asked.

I felt something along my neck, a massive furred hand far bigger than my shoulder. I glanced up and found myself staring into father's wolfish gray and white furred face.

"The Space Initiative has developed many types of hybrid forms over the years, they allow a lot of customization but you can't pick and choose something like that," Father said.

Some of the words were a mystery to me but I ignored it, "Why not?"

Father pulled out a chair and sat down, "We are free to choose our own future, what kind of job we want, education, who we choose to spend our lives with, like your mother and I."

"Uh huh?" I said in confusion.

Father smiled and motioned in the air with his clawed hands, "Some types of people are better suited for certain tasks. Lizards are good observers, the herbivores are excellent farmers, carnivores like your mother and I have our own special talents."

"What's your talent?" I asked.

Father made a proud smile as his ears perked, "Wolves like me are strong and brave, we work well together in groups and make excellent soldiers, rescue teams and police."

I looked over at mother, "What about you mom?"

Mother made a smile of her own, "Cats are very varied and we have good reflexes, we often find work in the medical profession or as actors, investigators or anything else that requires a finer touch."

"What do I have to become if I want to go to space?" I asked.

Father reached out with his huge hand and patted my head.

"You don't 'have' to become anything Vilkas, as for space... well that's a special one."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The SI requires a sharp mind and exemplary service. It's very difficult."

I frowned in disappointment, "You said I could choose to work with anything I wanted."

Father nodded, "You can, you just have to work very hard."