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.
||Still editing||
Comments
Brian gave Casey one last nod and a casual smile as they began to walk away from one another. "Yeah. Was real nice meeting you too, Casey. See you later." He said before giving her a small wave and then turning to make his way back home. He didn't want to make her late for work in any way so it was probably best to just leave her to it.
Much later in the day, when the bar that Casey worked at would have been at its busiest, a tall, blonde woman walked inside. A couple of heads would have turned, as she was very beautiful. Bright blue eyes scanned her surroundings. Her lips were covered in dark red lipstick, the colour of blood. She wore a white blouse with a black blazer over top. On the bottom, a black pencil skirt and black high heels to match. With a confident strut, she sauntered up to the bar counter and sat down in one of the stools.
Miranda was in the mood for a drink. And a chat with the locals.
She was close. She was very close. She could almost smell it, the Wolf she had been tracking for the last 24 hours. She knew that there had been a Werewolf in this area very recently. While tracking in the woods, she had seen torn, discarded clothes as well as signs that a Wolf had been tearing through the forest, presumbly to try and catch some helpless prey. Of course, she had no idea that the prey in question had been Casey herself. And that was a very good thing, in this case. Miranda was a monster hunter. Vampires, Demons, Witches and yes, even shapeshifters were on her kill list. But Werewolves were the ones she liked to hunt the most. She had a personal bone to pick with them. But as to why that is was a total mystery, even to those who knew her well (which wasn't many.)
As she browsed the menu, Casey would have seen her from where she was. Miranda was rather unassuming, and looked more like a business woman or someone who worked in the fashion industry maybe. She did not at all look like someone who hunted the supernatural. She was very inconspicuous, which is exactly how she liked to appear.
[ Hey! No worries!
Glad you're on board for the idea! Also, now that I've made Miranda an official character on my page, the timing seems right anyhow. And yes maybe sometime afterwards Brian could get more familiar with Casey and chat with her while she's working.
However, I did want to let you know that I won't be able to get to your reply until next week as I will be visiting family until the 11th. Thanks in advance for your patience. Hope you have a good week! ]
(Hope you are doing well. I added some more details on my newest character , Mareth. Let me know what you like to do for the story and who you may like me to use.)
[ If you're still up for this idea, I thought maybe I could introduce my hunter character to this thread while Casey is at work? She could come to the bar and start asking her questions (because she's trying to find Brian) but then she could also start to suspect that Casey isn't human either? And then the day after, Casey could tell Brian about the encounter? What do you think? ]
[ No need to be sorry. I totally get it. Hope you're feeling a bit better. ]
Brian nodded in understanding when Casey told him that she had been called in to work early. Maybe that was for the best. Their conversation had taken a bit of a morbid turn anyway.
"Sure. That's all right. And yeah I have your number so uh...I'll...text you tomorrow, maybe?" He asked, a bit unsure. He too was still slightly awkward around Casey, but he was also hopeful that the more time they spent together, the more relaxed they would feel in each other's presence.
"....yeah. Coffee would be nice." Brian replied with a weak smile. Similarly to Casey's thoughts, Brian realized that not all conversations had to be about what they were. They could just talk about normal things....like most humans do. That would be a nice change of pace.
Brian didn't have many friends. So the prospect of making a new one gave him a lot of hope for the future.
"I guess I'll see you later, then." He said as he slowly stood up from the bench and looked down at Casey. If the two of them had known each other longer, he might have given Casey a hug goodbye. But given how uncomfortable she had been earlier from a simple touch on the shoulder, that probably wasn't a good idea.
But Brian hoped that one day Casey might be comfortable enough to recieve physical affection from him. Nothing sexual, of course. They were just friends after all (and besides, he was already spoken for.) But Brian was a hugger, simply because he found it much easier to express fondness through a physical gesture, rather than words, which he was not very good at using.
"I hope you have a good shift. Take care, all right?" Brian asked, his tone inflecting more concern than he would have liked to reveal. But in the short time they had been together, Brian was surprised even at himself at how much he cared for Casey now. He almost felt as though they should look out for one another. The life of a shifter could be a dangerous one. And who else did they have to trust, besides each other?
Even though Casey didn't finish her initial sentence, Brian seemed to understand what she meant and simply nodded to himself. He wasn't going to ask her about her financial situation. That was a topic that didn't need to be discussed, he could tell. Or rather, one that Casey did not want to discuss. And that was understandable.
As the bird landed near them, Brian did look in its direction but didn't give it much attention otherwise. He knew from expreience that if he imposed himself too much, the bird would fly away. That's what most of them did: run away. They knew he was trouble.
"I know what you mean. Some dogs don't want to leave me alone. Maybe they consider me an alpha or something. I don't know. But I can just tell, they know what's going on just by looking at me. It's a little eerie, to be honest." He explained.
No. Brian wouldn't have known that. While it might have seemed fairly logical to assume that at one time, in the middle ages perhaps, there were many Werewolves. But perhaps not anymore, either due to Hunters, lack of belief in them in general, they have started vanishing. And while Brian believed that was for the best, since Werewolves can't control themselves once they transform, he didn't mean all shifters in general and felt horribly guilty when Casey suggested that her kind would be better off gone as well.
He shook his head with a frown and a sigh. "Oh..no! No no. I'm sorry. I...I didn't mean you-" He started but then stopped when Casey's phone rang. He still felt a heavy twinge of guilt in his stomach and hoped that she could forgive him for saying such a thing. But he hadn't meant her. He had only been referring to himself.
As unbeknownst to her, he had contemplated suicide a couple of times in the past but had been too much of a coward to act on it. At least, that's what he had surmised for himself.
"Is that...your boss?" He asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the call Casey was having too much.
{ Lol}
[ Sorry for the late response! ]
Soon after, Brian could begin to sense Casey's unease at being touched and removed his hand from her shoulder. He hadn't meant to make her uncomfortable, but he knew that personally it often made him feel better if he was physically reassured by another person. He just assumed that Casey felt the same way.
When she began to change her hand, Brian stared down at it in complete awe. It was amazing to him how such a transformation could take place and yet she showed no signs of pain. Even as he heard the familiar sounds of bone's rearranging. Something he knew only too well. A sound that was often followed by pure agony for him. But then again, he supposed that Casey often transformed into something smaller than herself, whereas he would also change into an animal almost double his own size. Of course it was painful. But Brian had never considered that the shape of the thing that one turns into could determine how agonizing it would be. Or maybe...Casey simply had a higher pain tolerance than he did.
"...that's amazing. I...I wish I could control it like you can." Brian said with a wanting look in his eyes. Was he jealous of Casey? Maybe just a little. If only because she had complete autonomy over her transformations. Something that he did not have and likely never would.
"Well, I mean....if I really wanted to, I could eat a ton. But...." Brian chuckled slightly. "Wouldn't do my weight any favours, I'm sure." He added in a small joking way. But in truth, his thoughts were similar to Casey in this moment as he too, wished that he was more "magical" in some ways. At the very least, the ability to control when he changed was something he would dearly like to have.
"You know not a single one of my co-workers suspects anything about me? Not even my boss, even though I always ask for sick days during and after every full moon. I can't believe he hasn't caught onto that yet." Brian said.
"I suppose we're lucky that we're here now...and not back in the dark ages when people still believed in such things. You and I would have been burned at a stake or something..." He added with a slightly severe gaze. It was a frightening thought. Something to be grateful for, anyway.
"....do other animals behave differently around you?" Brian suddenly asked. "It's something I've only noticed recently. Cats always hiss at me. Rabbits and Deer run away. And Dogs, well....they sure know a Wolf when they see one." Brian explained. "I'm just glad they can't talk." Brian added with a small laugh.
"Yeah...enhanced. I know what you mean. I have perfect vision too. And hearing. Oh...and a sense of smell of course. Certain smells bother me sometimes but usually it's not a big deal. All it means is that I know where someone's been or...I can find someone by following their scent. That's it, really. I can smell other Werewolves, of course...but....to tell you the truth, I haven't really met very many others like me. Makes me wonder if....we're dying out or something." Brian paused and sighed a bit in realization.
"But that's probably for the best...isn't it?"
Brian immediately realized his mistake in asking the question about Casey's parents as she began to stammer over her words and shudder. Brian recognized her symptoms as ones he had experienced a thousand times himself, indicative of one thing: an anxiety attack. Regret seized him and he found himself putting a slow and gentle hand on Casey's shoulder, if only to reassure her and stop her from dissasociating further into her own mind.
"I...I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that....I didn't realize how you felt about it...." He said, stammering a little himself but trying to help calm her down if he could. "....that's all right. Probably for the best anyhow. Sounds like you've done just fine without them, anyhow." He said in an assuring tone, trying his best to restore the peace within his new friend as best he could. He knew, probably better than most people, what it was like to be taken over by complete and utter panic. So needless to say, he was quite sympathetic towards Casey's situation. But it was almost a relief now to be talking about himself again. Anything to distract Casey from thoughts of her parents was probably the best way to go, conversation-wise.
"God, no.....I...I can barely handle changing into one animal once a month. I can't even imagine how you do it. Changing into so many at once....you're so strong....you know that, right? You're strong for going through what you did. And for being what you are." Brian said as he glanced down at the ground briefly, finding eye contact to be difficult to maintain. Especially when this had turned out to be such a heart-to-heart. At least in his eyes, it was.
Brian couldn't help but laugh slightly at her other questions. "Eh...no. Well, I can eat a lot, because I'm technically eating for two...myself...and then...the Wolf. Comes in handy sometimes, actually. Like if I'm eating a meal with someone and they can't finish what they're having, down it goes. Less wasteful that way, I suppose." He said, his tone becoming just a bit more light hearted with the subject change. It was certainly a more pleasant topic than the one that proceeded it. "Mm...yeah. I am stronger and faster, actually. But I don't make a point of showing that off to people. You can probably guess why."
Brian sat back a bit on the bench and really thought about her question, having not really considered it before. "No...I...I don't suppose things taste differently. I guess I enjoy meat a little more than I used to. But....that's maybe it. There's one thing you should know about me, Casey. My life really isn't that different when I'm a man. Not really. And that's probably why I've managed to hide what I am for so long. It's....crazy to think....that people can look at the two of us and think we're completely human. And have no idea what's really going on inside." He said but then looked down, thinking again some more.
"Then again...I guess most people don't believe in Werewolves much these days. Or any kind of shifters, really..." He said as he began to absent-mindedly pick away at the threading on his jeans.
"Anyway....what about you? Do you notice anything different? When you're human, I mean."
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