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Most anthros go through a life altering event that leaves them changed at least once in their lifetime. Most of those anthros would say it was from an accident. I would fit into both of those categories. But most of my old high school friends would have said that it was because my mom died giving birth to me, or that my dad immediately remarried a rabbit and disappeared without a trace. The other teens said it was because I was a jackal, a rarity, even amongst the canines in this fruit salad of a country. It's true, even in this city of New Tail where every animal ever conceived existed, even if it was not in harmony.

But there I was, the only jackal at Claws High standing at five feet six inches with a tan stomach and legs but with a black streak with slivers of silver running down my back and covering my tail. But I was never alone despite being the only one of my species. I mean, I had friends who were canines. Many of them were one year friendships that weren't anything special. But there is one husky who I have depended upon since elementary school. His name is Snow Conchobahr. Well, technically his parents named him Snowflak because he has a snow white spot on the back of his black ear that looks like a snowflake. Other than that he was a normal looking, slender husky but that is not what I truly like about Snow. He has a sense of loyalty and devotion to his friends and loved ones that I envy. He honestly must have fended off a dozen or so lions in middle school for me and he has always been there for me, even when the accident occurred.

It all started on the last day of my senior year of high school and I had made it all the way to my final class, history. But that history class was the best I have ever had because my instructor had fallen ill that morning and a substitute was teaching that day. Professor Who is what we called him. He was a professor at New Tail University at the time and he didn't have a class to teach that day so he came to relieve our usual instructor. But Professor Who was not a professor of history; in fact he could have cared less. Instead, he studied and taught theoretical evolution. He explained to us that he studied the possibility that we came from all the feral animals that exist. He said that we are just a sub-species to the animals that we see every day. He also explained that unlike us anthros, animals had a universal language that could be understood by all of the animals and that this language was lost in the development of our different societies. But he also said that we still retained the instincts that the animals that we supposedly came from have and that the language can be spoken by anthros if we knew what it was. He expressed his hypothesis that he was researching and he believed that the language is inside of us, but we have blocked it out unconsciously and it might not even be recoverable if it is not "remembered" soon.

This was all fascinating stuff you know, but I was a teenager who only had minutes until I was done with high school. I was less than attentive. All I could think about was getting out into the world and buying one of the newest and most expensive inventions, an automobile. I remember at the beginning of the school year that a wise-wolf tinkerer had figured out how to move a metal frame with a steam engine that was small enough to drive on the streets next to the horse carriages. So when the final bell rang for the seniors, I used my smaller size and speed to escape the school as fast as possible. Snow and I met up after school to walk home together.

"Hey man you made it!" Snow said as we high-pawed.

"You kiddin' me? Of course I made it. I wouldn't have come this far not to make it out," I snickered.

"Ya, I know what you mean. 13 years of sitting in a desk, reciting whatever the instructor says is a real drag. But to think that we have to do it all again in college, is not something I am happy about," Snow replied with a sigh as we started home.

"College? Don't talk about college right now. All I want to think of is the next four months of doing whatever I want, whenever I want," I said with thoughts of where to start swirling in my head.

"I know that look. You are going to do something big before the end of summer aren't you? Probably going to go and get one of those new automobiles and take all of the girls around town in it," He said jokingly.

"Damn, you know me too well. How did you know that I wanted one of them specifically?"

"You forget that all of those 13 years I spent in a desk were next to you. I know you better than your step-mom does," he smiled.

As we neared the end of the street we came up to the main road leading through the center of town. As we waited for an opening through the carriages I was searching for some automobiles to see if there were any on the road already. I really wanted to see one before Snow, heck I was addicted to the things.

As we waited, Snow asked, "So, if you got one, what would it look like?"

I didn't get to reply as he then noticed an opening that we could dart through to get to the other side. We stepped on the cobblestoned road and it all went black.

I remember waking up to the sound of two voices. They were high pitched and raspy. They reminded me of what Professor Who sounded like with his drawn out vowels.

"Do you think he is alive?" questioned one.

"I don't know," said the other in a slightly deeper tone.

I stirred and opened my eyes. I was in a bland hospital room with a small table with some instruments on it and a counter in the corner of the room next to the wash basin and a wooden chair. As I looked closer at the instruments, I noticed that there wasn't blood on any of them. So that was a good sign right? But on the counter there were some bandages with blood on them. So, I guessed that I had bled a little. But the one thing I could not find was the source of the voices. Then the pain hit. My head began to throb like someone had hit me in the head with a sledge hammer. I brought my hands up to my head and found a bandage wrapped around it. I groaned a little as the pain continued, that is when I heard the first voice again.

"Oh, I guess that answers my question," it said.

It came from my right, near the window. I looked over and found only two black birds.

"Ugh, the crows came for me," I said in disgust.

"Crows!" said the bird, with the deeper voice, with an offended look, if birds had offended looks, "I am not a crow, I am a raven!"

I was astonished. I think my jaw dropped far enough to fit the bed I laid on in it.

"I think you scared him," said the other.

I finally came to my senses and asked, "Are you really talking? I mean, are you talking about me?"

"Of course we were talking about you, who else in this room would we be talking about?" said the raven with a mocking tone.

"Wait up a minute Raen; I think the dog understands us. Is this true? What did I just say?" said the other bird.

"You just asked if I understand you and I do. Is this a dream? Or am I just delirious?" I replied, not believing anything that was happening.

"Well, what do your senses tell you? Mine tell me that I am alive and that you are talking to me in a perfect feral canine accent," said the still unknown bird.

"Wait what? What did you say about my accent? What language are we speaking? This has to be dream!" I said as I once again grasped my head. Too much was going on at once and it only made the throbbing more intense with the endless stream of thoughts now swirling in my head.

"So it is true," said the raven as he turned towards his companion. "Craw, we must go tell the priestess that the interpreter has been located."

My ears perked up as much as they could to these words and I sat up. "Wait what do you mean the priestess? Who is the interpreter? Wait!" I sat up and yelled in vain as the birds flew off.

That was when I heard thumping. I turned to face the door as it swung open and a cow, presumably the nurse, entered. She wore a very tight, white nurse uniform with the cap balanced upon her head. There was a worried look in her eyes as she asked, "Is everything alright dear?"

"Yes," I said.

"No need to whimper at me hon, I know your head hurts. Now, can you tell me how you are feeling? Are you light headed? How bad is the pain?" she asked in quick sequence.

Wait, whimper? I asked myself. Maybe I just thought I said something. "I am fine, but my head hurts pretty bad. It feels as though it is throbbing," I replied.

"Well," she said with an unimpressed look, her hooved hands on her hips. "You don't need to growl at me. I was just asking some standard questions. I'll go get Dr. Spot and your mother. In the mean time you need to settle down." She stomped off with her tail flicking back and forth under her gown.

What did she mean by growling? "Did something happen to me?" I asked myself. But this time I heard and felt it. I sounded like a feral and my mouth conformed to make those sounds. "Oh no!" I cried with a soft howl. "What if I am stuck? No that cannot be. I just need to concentrate, I cannot become a feral. Snow will laugh at me!" I told myself.

"Wait, I did it. No I am doing it! I am talking again!" I cheered with relief as I heard my old voice back and the words flow from my mouth like they always had before I ended up at the hospital.

As the pain came back and I laid back into the bed, the door opened. My step-mom and a bobcat entered the room followed by the nurse.

"Jazcal Silverback?" the bobcat addressed me.

"Yes?" I said with a hint of sarcasm.

"There is no need to start that canine and feline crap here with me, Jazcal. I am your veterinarian, Dr. Spot. I will have our relationship be one of mutual respect and concern for your wellbeing," replied Dr. Spot immediately, as though he was expecting my reaction.

Before I could resist, my step-mom came forward and wrapped her arms around me in a huge hug. "I am so glad that you are okay! Snow ran to my office and got me. I would have been here sooner, but I had a meeting to attend to," she said with the warm smile she usually gave me when she really wasn't happy about something. But that was my step-mom at her finest, always finishing work or something else instead of taking care of me. We got along, but that was after I had learned to deal with fending for myself when it came to her.

"Thanks, but where is Snow anyways?" I asked.

"Oh, he has been here for three hours. He looked pretty nervous," my step-mom replied.

"Would you like me to go and fetch him for you hon?" asked the nurse.

"No, he will be fine. Besides, I need to talk to Jazcal about some things first anyways," snapped my step-mom. I immediately started to protest, but she simply waved it away. I felt defeated. I hung my head down and dropped my ears. The one person I really wanted to talk to and my step-mom had denied that. I was doomed to getting chewed out for her missing work to come down here to the hospital. However, I noticed that as the nurse made to leave the room, the doctor grabbed her arm and whispered something to her. I still didn't trust him. I had to be ready.