Born to human parents, raised in a human house, and living around humans all her life, Casey thought that she was human. What else could she be?
Casey grew up in northern Michigan, and as the only child to two parents who were desperate for a kid, so it was easy to say that she was spoiled. She got what she wanted, she had much more than she needed, and she was greedy. But her parents gave in to her every demand without a second thought. She wanted a computer--she got a computer. She wanted a new doll--she got a new doll. She wanted more ice cream for dessert--well, her parents did put up some guidelines. Her room was full of toys and games, stuffed animals and coloring books. Though Casey was clearly privileged and spoiled, her parents loved her, and she loved them more than anything else.
In school, Casey had several friends who she would hang out with, many of them staying her friends well into high school. Parties, dances, sleep overs--it was everything Casey had hoped for and more. Considered one of the "popular girls," Casey spent a lot of time hanging out and having fun, enjoying all the attention she was getting. She couldn't have been happier with how her life was going. That was, until she turned into something...less than human.
A few weeks after her seventeenth birthday, Casey woke up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain. Every bone in her body felt like it was breaking, her muscles felt like they were being ripped apart fiber by fiber. When she screamed in pain, desperate for help, burn the sound that came out of her mouth was an animalistic shriek. She screamed again, and the same sound came out. Her parents rushed into her room moments later, her father holding a bat. Her mother screamed, her father just stood there and stared.
That's when she finally noticed it--looking down at herself to try and see where the pain was coming from, Casey saw white fur, followed by a dark snout. Further down her body she saw red fur and canine legs and a long, bushy tail. She wasn't...she wasn't human anymore. She was a...a fox.
Casey can't remember anything after that, probably having gone into shock for a combination of pain and the shock of seeing her own body in the form of an animal. When she woke up again, it was light out, probably midday, and she felt absolutely famished. Her mouth was dry as she sat up in her bed, a raging headache pounding at the back of her skull. Her pajamas must have been somewhere under her covers, because she wasn't wearing them anymore, but she didn't notice. Getting out of bed proved to be more difficult than she had intended--everything was spinning, every part of her was sore--but she managed to get to the door on wobbly legs eventually. Her hand rested in the cool metal of the doorknob and gave it a sharp twist--only for it not to budge. Frowning, she tried it again, but it still seemed stuck. So she tried it again, gripping it tightly, and twisted. There was a popping sound, and then the door opened.
Still groggy and in pain, and so very hungry, Casey went to the kitchen, not noticing that the house looked ransacked on her way there. She consumed nearly everything in the fridge--left overs, fruit, a whole head of lettuce, a jar of peanut butter. She also downed a whole gallon of milk, followed by three cans of pop. Finally, her hunger and thirst had been quenched, and she could--why was the house a mess? Had someone broken in?
"Mom? Dad?"
No answer. Casey ran to their bedroom--they weren't there. Their closets and dresser were wide open and empty, as was the safe in the wall where they kept most of their savings. All important documents were gone. All of the pictures on the walls--gone. Out the front door, their cars were gone. In the back yard, there was a smoking pile of ash in their firepit, which Casey ran to to investigate. Tiny bits of blackened or browned paper remained, along with metal pegs that were...from a photo album? Casey picked up one of the singed pieces of paper to examine it closer in her hands.
'Certification of live bir...”
The paper slipped from between her fingers, back into the firepit. It was her birth certificate. It hadn’t to be. Her parents had burned her birth certificate, likely a along with any other sort of legal documents pertaining to her. They had locked her in her room, grabbed their things, and abandoned her. The memories from the previous night came rushing back to her in a painful flood--screaming, pain, fur, tail, legs, fox--
Casey wasn't human anymore. She was something else.
An abomination.
Casey kind of just...sat outside, naked, by the firepit, for hours. Her whole life was turned upside down in the worst way possible. Her parents had abandoned her, she could turn into a fox, she had no record of who she was. Of course, her town still knew about her, she still had friends, there was no way her parents had erased records of her digitally, but could she stay? Was she safe to be around? Would she turn into a beast at any moment?
That night, after sitting outside well after it had gotten dark, Casey made up her mind.
Casey went inside, ate the rest of the food in the fridge, then packed her bags. She stuffed a duffel bag with as much clothing as she could, dug through her sock drawer until she found an old leather wallet full of cash--containing her birthday and Christmas money, along with some that she might have stolen from her parents, which she in no way regretted now--and filled a backpack with boxes and cans of food from the cupboards. Putting on a baggy outfit, raincoat, and sneakers, Casey walked out of the front door of her childhood home, and never looked back.
The next few months basically consisted of Casey walking, stealing, hiding, and discovering just what she was. A lot of the time she slept outside, even in the cold of winter, incase she changed into a fox in her sleep again. And, actually, she did. But she didn't just turn into a fox--she became a cat, a poodle, a hawk, a squirrel--all while she slept. It took her a while to figure out how she could change while she was awake, and the more she changed while she was awake, the less she did while she was sleeping. It was also far less painful than the first time she had changed. Now it was just uncomfortable, not scream-worthy agony.
Stealing was something she wasn't proud of, but Casey had to eat, and she had to eat a lot. Apparently after her first change, something about her physiology had changed internally as well. She could burn off food as fast as she could eat it, so actually cheap fast food that was high in calories was her savior, even if it got disgusting very quickly. Her thievery usually consisted of her waiting outside a restaurant as a fox or sometimes a hawk, and stealing the bag of grilled meat and fries straight from their hands before running/flying off. Or she would join a group of drunk people late at night and order as part of their group without them noticing. Crafty, right? Maybe she was intended to be a fox. She stole clothes from thrift stores, they were usually big enough to grab a handful of shirts and jeans and run out before anyone noticed. The cash that she had taken with her from her former home was tightly sealed away in a jar, being saved for the right time. And finally, finally that time came nearly two years after she had first turned into a fox.
A couple of months before her nineteenth birthday, there was a used car place that she came across that was having a going-out-of-business sale, and Casey jumped on the chance to get a car. Her jar with nearly three thousand dollars in it--she kept a few hundred in her bag just in case--was handed over for any car of her choosing in the lot. There weren't that many, and even fewer that were actually worth the money she paid, but she found a simple sedan that was ass-ugly and rusty but drove well, had all its windows, and the doors could lock. She drove it off the lot before having the chance to do any paper work, but she didn't care. She finally didn't have to sleep outside anymore! She had a radio and air conditioner and heater that only partially worked but it was good enough for her.
Finally, one year after that, she found a job. At the age of twenty, Casey got hired as a busboy in a small-town bar that didn't ask for the papers she didn't have and only paid her in cash, but you bet your ass that she worked her ass off cleaning the place spotless every damn night. Her boss quickly stopped giving her free meals after seeing how much she ate, paid her cash at the end of each week, and eventually got her a uniform, too. Finally, she didn't have to steal anymore, she had a place to sleep away from the cold, and she knew how to control her abilities. Still, Casey had no idea what she was or where she had come from, and she missed her parents even after they abandoned her, but with a job and a running car, she felt...human again.
Current Life
Now, at twenty-three years old, Casey still works at that same bar, in that same small town, with that same old car. Now as a bartender instead of a busboy, she made more money, money that she finally got as a paycheck with some...possibly forged documents that might have also been used to get her a bank account and an apartment. Her savings is going towards getting a newer car and paying rent, and she feels happy again. Of course, she didn't think anything would ever make her as happy as her childhood, but she tried not to think about that. Her parents left her, and she left that part of her life behind the day she turned into an animal in her bedroom. Done were the dreams of going to school and becoming a doctor, in were the dreams of being able to get enough groceries and afford rent at the same time.
Almost every night or early morning, Casey would run in the woods in one of her animal forms, allowing her to sleep more soundly at night so she wouldn't change. Because there was always the chance that she'd wake up as an animal, she never dated, not even a one night stand. It was far too risky. So she remains single, her only friends being her coworkers, who she never spent time with outside of work. It was easy to say that her life was lonely, because it was, but Casey would rather be alive and lonely than experimented on for what she was.
Other Information
Casey's favorite animal to become is still a fox. She had no idea why that was the first form she had turned into, or why she liked it so much--hell, she never really cared about foxes as a kid--but it's still her favorite. As far as she knows, Casey can turn into any animal she visually knows the body of well enough. She had just see a single image of an animal she's never heard of and suddenly become that animal, she usually has to see that animal in person. Mamals and birds are also the animals she can turn into. Reptiles, amphibians, fish, and insects are a no-go, only giving her a headache whenever she tries. Because apparently when you're a shapeshifting abomination, you still have rules you need to follow.
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Comments
Unbeknownst to Casey, Brian hadn't seen her text at all. That was because he was currently in his car, driving over to her place. He just couldn't shake this nervous feeling that something bad was about to happen. He had to be sure that she was okay. Even if he drove all the way across town to her house and everything was fine, then at least he could sleep well tonight knowing that she was safe.
It was far better to waste some gas to check on her then to do nothing and find out tomorrow that something had happened to her. It was true that he could have simply called her to see if she was okay, but he would be no help to her on the phone if she got hurt. He wasn't even sure why he was jumping to the worst case scenario, that she was going to get robbed, or assaulted or something. All he knew was that his beastly instincts were all fired up, not to mention his gut which was pretty much screaming at him that something was wrong. What else could he do but follow his instincts and see where they led him?
Something was going on. He just wasn't sure what.
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As Casey pulled into the gas station, Miranda quickly pulled over on the street opposite of it and pretended to casually look at her phone. Every now and then, she would glance up from her phone screen to make sure Casey hadn't left the gas station. But when she did, she put the car into drive and began following her once again. Keeping a good and unsuspecting pace behind her.
This was turning out to be quite a tedious chase, but Miranda knew that her next paycheck would be well worth all of this trouble.
Brian read the second text from Casey and was relieved to see that at least she wasn't alone. It would be difficult for her to be in danger if her co-workers were around. But still, he did send her one last text just for good measure.
"Glad to hear it. Please be careful."
And that was it. Brian set his phone aside and then tried to continue watching TV. But he couldn't stop thinking about Casey. He was still worried about her, despite what she had said. She was probably fine, but that didn't stop him from being nervous.
He couldn't place it but something just felt....wrong. He had this horrible feeling that something bad was going to happen tonight. He thought perhaps it was the sixth sense of his animal side trying to warn him that something strange was going on. It wasn't logical. It couldn't be explained. It was simply a gut feeling.
Brian sighed heavily, rubbing his hands over his face as he tried to decide what he was going to do. That's when he looked over at his car keys laying on the kitchen table...
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Because the attempted assault had occured behind the bar (rather than in front of it where Miranda was parked) she had no idea what had transpired. If she had witnessed Casey's strength against her attackers she would have thought that her suspicions had been confirmed and would have had even more reason to follow her to her house. But instead, she simply grow slowly more impatient as she touched up her make up and put on another coat of red lipstick on her lips while looking into the car mirror. Despite the other hunters looking off in the direction of her car, she still hadn't noticed them. And she wouldn't, unless of course they came right up to her. She had her eye on a target and it would take a lot for her to become distracted now.
Finally, she saw a car pass by the front of the bar and the driver was definitely Casey. There was no mistaking that red hair for anyone else. She started the engine of her car and began to follow her home. This was not the first time she had stalked her prey by using a vehicle. She would ensure to keep enough distance from Casey's car so not to cause her any alarm but still close enough to see what direction she was going into until she was home.
Then the real fun would begin.
At his home, Brian was relaxing and watching some late night TV when he heard his phone vibrate in his pocket. He frowned gently as he took it out, wondering who could be texting him at this hour. He was surprised to see that it was a text from Casey. He hadn't heard from her for a bit so it was a nice surprise, but then he read what she actually had to say and felt his heart skip a beat.
The text had been sent to warn and reassure Brian, but its vague and cryptic tone had the opposite effect on him. As Brian's mind raced with questions, his fingers trembled as he texted her back. What did she mean by that? Why would he have to leave town? Thankfully he wasn't changing tonight, but he could only think of one reason as to why she would have sent him a warning like this...she must have run into a hunter. And if she did, this was very bad news for both of them.
"No. I'm not changing tonight.
Why? Is something wrong?
Are you safe? Where are you?"
It was crucial that she at least answer the last two questions of his text. If there was a hunter around, then Casey might not be safe either. Brian at least had some experience with dealing with hunters (having met one before) and could help her if things got dangerous.
He waited with bated breath and a racing heart in anticipation for her reply.
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Meanwhile, Miranda continued to wait in her car for Casey to leave. She was starting to become only slightly impatient when the bar finally closed down. It was only a matter of time now before Casey showed up. She did notice the car with the tinted windows but didn't think anything of it. In any case, she had no idea that she was not the only hunter around here tonight.
Things were about to get far more interesting than even she could have predicted.
[ Ohh I see. Well in any case it's great to have you back ^^ and I totally get it. Sometimes we need a break so we can be re-inspired again. ]
As Casey spoke about the "other" girl who seemed suspicious, Miranda was pretending to listen but was slowly connecting the dots in her mind. As Casey spoke, she watched her body language very carefully. She was looking for signs. Signs that the person she was talking to was less than human. Something she had learned to notice very easily.
Miranda had asked Casey for more information on the assumption that she knew more about the Wolf in the area. That was true. But she listened to her explanation, she began to form a new theory in her mind. One that was unexpected, but came to her all the same.
Miranda was very good at her job. In fact, she would dare to boast that there wasn't anyone in this profession who was better at hunting down supernatural creatures than herself. And she would prove it, by being cunning and telling yet another lie to further draw out the truth. The secret to knowing when others are lying is being an exceptionally good liar yourself.
As Casey stepped away for a moment to tend to other customers, Miranda took another sip of her drink as she began thinking, plotting in her mind as to what her next move would be. When Casey came back, she still had that overly-friendly smile on her face. In fact, it had never left to begin with.
"Well, what a helpful young thing you are. That tip is as good as yours, I'd say. I guess I ought to ask around some more. But I can see you've got a full house tonight so I won't trouble you any futher. I'll just finish off my wings and then I'll be out of your hair. Thank you again, my dear. You've been....more helpful than you know." Miranda said in that smooth and velvety voice. Her last words in particular were almost sultry in tone. Not in a flirtatious manner, but it was as if Casey's words had made Miranda unreasonably happy, for one reason or another. And that was correct. She was delighted.
Because she had zero intentions of "asking around" or following up on anything that Casey said. Because from everything that Casey had said and how she had acted, none of it had escaped Miranda's notice. She had been hunting monsters all her life. She knew how to spot one. She knew all of the tell-tale signs and Casey checked them all off. Unfortunately, Casey's worst fear was now a reality though she did not know it yet but now the suspicion was on her. Now, Miranda had come to the conclusion that Casey was in fact the Werewolf she had been looking for.
She was only slightly wrong of course, as Casey was indeed a shape shifter, but not in the way that Miranda suspected. Shifters and Werewolves share so many common traits with one another, her mistake was understandable but still nonetheless very problematic. Especially for Casey. And how sad it was that in trying to save Brian from getting into trouble, she had put herself in his place and had now become Miranda's prey instead.
When Miranda was done eating her wings, she would leave some cash behind on the bar table and then saunter back out to her car just outside the pub. There, she would sit in the car and wait with exceptional patience for Casey to end her shift and leave for the night. And then, the hunter would begin her real work.
She intended to follow Casey home and then deal with her there.
[ Oh hey! Welcome back! So nice to hear from you again :) Gosh, I hope I didn't make you feel like you had to respond to me right away. But yeah I totally understand. Things have been pretty crazy lately. I'm doing good, just waiting to hear when I can come back to work and then everything will be mostly normal again on my end. Thankfully, I have enough money to get by until then. Thank you for asking. I'm glad to hear you're doing okay-ish though I'm sorry that you don't feel safe at your work. If it helps, you can always talk to me OOC if you're ever feeling stressed out. I'd be happy to lend a sympathetic ear if you need one.
Thanks again for your really prompt response and your reply. I look forward to continuing our thread! ^^ ]
[ Hey friend. No pressure to respond. I just wanted to check in and make sure you're doing okay. ]
(Hello Comrade. No worries about the delay. Things happen in life that are unavoidable. I know this well. Your starter is fine and I can work with it. Trying to get the muse back after everything that has Happen to me so far. I will reply as soon as I can )
[ Ohhh my friend, PLEASE don't worry about it. I was in a creative rut just a few months ago myself. I totally know how you feel. It happens to all of us. I'm not keeping a record of the days since you last replied lol there's no pressure whatsoever. Writing is supposed to be fun, not someting that you force yourself to do. I accept your apology but it really isn't needed. Take all the time you need! And whatever you do respond with, I'm sure it will be great! Don't be too hard on yourself, okay? ]
[ Yes, sleep is very important! lol make sure you get enough of that. Yes, mine were fantastic. It was a nice long break. I really needed it.
I'm so sorry to hear that you've been in pain lately. I hope that it gets better for you. I would never pressure you into replying right away to our thread. You take as much time as you need. I don't judge people for that. Real life comes first, always.
That being said, I am very curious to see where this is going to go and I'm excited to see how your hunter character will play into it. But again, please take your time! ]
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