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. 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.
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, 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 red and white fur, followed by a dark snout. Further down her body she saw whiskers and canine legs and a long, bushy tail. She wasn't...she wasn't human anymore. She was...a fox.
Casey can't remember anything after that, she must have passed out. 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 jar of peanut butter. She also downed half a gallon of milk, followed by three cans of pop. Finally, her hunger and thirst had been quenched, and she could--Wait, 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. Her birth certificate. Her parents had burned her birth certificate, likely 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. She stole food from convienient stores and clothes from thrift stores, just enough to keep herself reasonably clean and fed. Sometimes she would actually make a purchase, if there was something she wanted that was too difficult to steal, or she just felt too bad about being a theif. She was already a monster, she didn't want to be a major criminal, too.
Eventually, she didn't much care about stealing anymore.
She didn't much care about anything.
Appearance:
Name: Casey May Evlin
{Face Claim: Luca Hollestelle}
Age: 23
Height: 5 Foot 4 Inches
Sexuality: Bi-Romantic, all sexual encounters have been tramatic up to this point, so she's unsure if she actually wants a sexual relation or not.
Hair Color: Natural Red and Curly (When taken care of, which it usually isn't)
Eye Color: Sea Green
Skin: Heavily Freckled
Clothing: Usually something dirty and ill-fitting, always stolen, rarely cleaned.
Casey's Forms:
Fox:
The form Casey takes most often is the one she turned into first, a red fox. It's warm in the winter, quick to move around in, and nearly everywhere. The form felt...coforting, for some reason, despite the tramatic start to her shiting life.
Cat:
A cat was easy to travel in as well, especially in cities. No one batted an eye at a stray cat, and if she acted cute to the right human, she might even get some food.
Hawk:
Casey was expecting it to be hard to teach herself how to fly, but it was surprisingly simple. Instinct took over immediately, and flying as a bird of prey gave her some sense of strength and freedom.
Mouse:
Tiger:
Crow:
Comments
[Hello, thanks for adding me.]
It wasn't all that surprising when the Fox started to eat the chicken, but Hazel could almost sense a hesitancy coming from the animal. Maybe it had never had raw chicken before? It made sense as she had never seen a chicken in these woods. In either case, it seemed that it liked the fruit better than the protein. "Hm, not a big fan? That's okay, I can save the rest for later. Maybe I'll cook it and we can try again."
Hazel then took the plate of chicken away, wrapped it up, and put it in the fridge. Between that and the servings of fruit today, she figured that was enough food for now. Wild animals were used to only eating a little bit every day, right? She didn't want to gorge the poor thing.
"Now I guess I should eat something," Hazel said with a slight chuckle. She had been so focused on making sure the Fox had enough to eat that she had nearly forgotten to feed herself. What should she eat today? She felt like something slightly fancy.
She took two pieces of toasted bread, spread a little butter on each, and topped them with slices of tomato and avocado. She then sprinkled a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper for seasoning. Once she was done she took her food to the coffee table along with a glass of water. The house was warm now thanks to the fireplace, and so Hazel gave another snap of her fingers, and the flames immediately went out.
"I like this," she said with a small chuckle as she looked at the Fox. "If I had a human guest right now, I'd never be able to use my magic. You'll keep my secret, right? I mean, who are you going to tell? Another fox?" she asked with a cheeky smile before laughing a bit. It felt so nice to use her magic in her own home, and not have to worry about anyone seeing. She just assumed that the Fox had no idea what she was saying. How wrong she was!
Hazel came through the door with a grocery bag on each arm. As she entered the home, Shadow left his bed and walked up to greet her. "Hey Shadow," Hazel said, not having any hands available to pet him yet. She set the groceries down on the kitchen table before walking over to the couch to see how the Fox was doing.
"And how's our guest?" she whispered, peering over the back of the couch. She heard the chirping sound and saw that the Fox looked pretty much the same as when she left. It might have been her imagination, but the animal looked like it was a tiny bit better. Maybe the food and rest had helped. It was always a surefire remedy in most cases.
"Hey there...had a good sleep?" Hazel asked in a gentle voice as she crouch down in front of the Fox. She reached over to give it a couple soothing rubs on the back. What a beautiful creature. A part of her almost wished she could keep it as a pet indefinitely. But deep down she knew how silly that was. Wild animals aren't meant to be kept as pets.
"I got some meat for you and a few other things. I'll start making dinner soon," Hazel said with a smile before standing up and walking over to the kitchen. First things first, it was time for Shadow to have his dinner. The black cat was doing circles around the Witch's legs, showing her how hungry he was.
"Okay, okay!" Hazel said with a fluttery laugh as she reached for the tin of cat food. "Your Majesty's dinner," she added with another chuckle as she scooped out the food into a dish. She then set it down on the floor in the usual spot that Shadow ate from. He dug into it right away.
"Now, let's see..." Hazel said as she began to put the groceries away. She had bought chicken, fish, and some fruits and vegetables that she couldn't otherwise grow. The meat was purely for the Fox, although she might save some of it for herself if there was too much left over. The question was...should she cook it? Or serve it raw? Foxes ate raw meat, right? She was pretty certain of that.
Hazel took the chicken from its packaging and sliced it into small, bite sized pieces. After thoroughly washing her hands she brought the pieces of chicken over to the Fox and laid it down in front of it. "Let's see if you like that," she said, wondering if the animal would go for it.
"I know, honey...I know it hurts. I'm sorry," Hazel said, feeling guilty for causing the animal more pain. She hoped that it would forgive her, or at least realize that this was for the best. Once all the horrible stuff was over with, things in the cottage seemed to calm down considerably. Shadow eventually became uninterested in the Fox and decided to go lay down in his bed.
A little while later, Hazel looked away from her book and saw that the Fox was asleep. That's good, she thought. Nothing like a good nap to help it recover. It must have been exhausted from such a trying day. Realizing that the two saucers were completely empty, Hazel decided to refill them. She slowly and carefully got up from the couch, trying to make as least noise as possible.
She tip-toed into the kitchen and quietly re-filled the saucer with fresh water. She then decided to get a larger bowl to put the food in. The Fox clearly had quite the appetite. Don't foxes usually eat meat? Hazel didn't have any meat in her house. She wasn't vegetarian per say, but preferred to eat only what she could grow and forage.
"This will have to do," she whispered as she filled the bowl with some blackberries and cucumber slices. She hated to admit it, but she'd probably have to make a grocery store trip. The garden was not yielding as much food lately and berries were getting harder to find this time of year. For the sake of her guest, she would do it.
Hazel returned to the couch and placed the food and drink in front of the Fox. "Sleep well, my friend..." she whispered with a smile. The young Witch grabbed her coat and purse before going out the door and locking it behind her. She hoped to be back before the Fox woke up, but there was no telling when that would be.
When Casey came back into the room, Lilith glanced at her phone and saw that she had indeed only taken about 10 minutes at the most. Well, at least the kid was punctual if nothing else.
As the show came to an end, Lilith reached for the remote and turned the TV off. That was probably enough for tonight, anyway. She didn't want to rot her brains out, as one of her foster parents used to say, back in the day.
Lilith snapped out of the memory and looked over at Casey in confusion, wondering why she was sitting down in the corner of the room and not somewhere more comfortable.
"You can sit on the couch, you know," Lilith said as she took out her phone and tapped on her food delivery app. "What kind of pizza do you want?" She asked casually without looking up from her phone as she scrolled through the options on her phone screen.
It seems Lilith was willing to share some of her dinner with Casey tonight, as payment for her hard work today. She'd have more chores to do tomorrow of course, but that's what leftover pizza was for.
Still keeping his distance, Shadow wandered to the opposite end of the couch and stared at the Fox. He could indeed tell that something was different about her, then again he had never been this close to a fox before so he just assumed they all were like this.
About a minute later, Hazel came back into the room with a small medical kit. "Let's see, what do I have in here..." she said as she rummaged through it a bit. "Disinfectant...band-aids...gauze...ah, here we are, I do have some bandages," she said. It was clear that she was either fond of talking to herself, or fond of talking to animals, even if they couldn't understand her.
"Hmm..." Hazel thought to herself as she noticed the cut on the Fox as well as the injured leg. "I'm sorry, this is going to hurt, but only for a moment I promise," she then used a Q-tip to rub some disinfectant into the cut, and she also made sure it was clean and free of any dirt or debris. She knew the Fox would not like that, but hopefully it would hang in there.
Now, to take care of the leg. Hazel wasn't entirely sure if she could do this correctly. She had seen it done before, but she was not confident in setting the bone back properly. What if she messed up and made it worse? She at least had to try. "Okay, here we go..." she said as she placed her fingers very delicately around the injured leg. "I'm so sorry...1...2...3!" she counted down, more for herself than the creature.
With a snap, the bone was brought back into place. It seemed to be correct. Hazel couldn't believe it! "Shh, shh...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." she kept apologizing over and over again as she gently stroked the Fox's fur. It was no doubt in a lot of pain now but the worst was over. Hazel then reached for the bandages and carefully wrapped the injured spot. Now all they could do was wait...wait and hope that it would heal properly.
What now? Hazel thought. She couldn't release it back into the wild now. It would have to wait until its leg was better. "Well...you might not be hungry...but I can at least get you some food and water after all that," she said before standing up and walking over to the kitchen. A couple minutes later she was back with two little saucers. One had water, and the other had some blueberries in it.
Hazel carefully set the saucers down in front of the Fox so it wouldn't have to move to reach them. "There, you should be good for now. Just rest, little one. You're safe now," she said with a small smile. She couldn't help but reach over to stroke the fur once more. It was so nice and soft. Hazel would then sit on the other side of the couch and open one of her books. Every now and then she looked over to see how the Fox was doing.
Of course, Hazel thought this was just a normal fox. Otherwise she would have never exposed her magic to it. It never would have crossed her mind in a million years that this was a shape shifter, and that she would be more than capable of revealing her secret to someone. Hazel was certainly in for a big surprise.
"There there, it's okay," Hazel said, acknowledging the growls coming from the animal. It had every right to be scared and annoyed with her. It didn't trust her, but that was okay. She had a feeling that pretty soon the animal would realize it was safe, and that Hazel coming across it was a very lucky thing. "Such a beautiful red coat. I bet someone has tried to hunt you for it," she said before shaking her head with a sigh, revealing in fact that she was not the hunter, nor would she ever dream of hurting an innocent animal.
She continued to walk through the trees, all the while being mindful of how she was holding the Fox and making sure it didn't slip out of her grasp. Pretty soon they would reach a clearing, and a small, quaint cottage could be seen on the horizon. In front of the cottage was a small vegetable garden and a pile of firewood. The kitchen light was still on, giving it a very homey feel. "Here we are," Hazel said as she approached the front door.
As she walked into the home, Casey would see a very comfortable looking interior. There was a small kitchen, and a living room with a fireplace. There were half-red books along the coffee table. Candles and crystals were scattered throughout the home. At the top of the stairs, a black cat stared down in curiousity. "Hey Shadow," Hazel said as she walked over to the couch. "We have an injured guest, so please be nice."
Shadow did not like dogs, and foxes were a somewhat similar species. However, there seemed to be just enough difference that he was not hissing and backing away like he normally would with a canine. Still, Shadow slowly walked down the stairs and didn't get too close to the 'weird red dog'. He simply watched from the bottom of the stairs as Hazel gently laid the fox down on the couch.
"There we are...just relax," she said, preparing a soft blanket for Casey to rest on. She would then point towards the fireplace, and with a snap of her fingers the flames became lit. "Now, just wait here...let me see if I can find some bandages," she said before standing up and walking over to the kitchen cupboards.
"Tongue-tied...I am bound...to weave my words with thistledown..." came the gentle, feminine singing through the trees. Hazel was going on one of her regular walks as she often did. This area by the river was one she didn't normally go to, but something deep down had told her to explore it today.
Hazel stopped for a moment to take in all the sights and smells of the forest she called home. A deep breath came through her and back out. As she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sounds of nature, there was one in particular that was sharp and alarming. The pained cry rang through the air, and Hazel's lavender hair whipped around as she looked for the source of the noise.
It was definitely an animal, but she wasn't sure what kind by the sound alone. As it rang the second time, Hazel had a pretty good idea of which direction it was coming in. As she made her way through the bushes, she saw the tragic sight before her. "Oh my goodness! Oh no..." Hazel said in shock as she approached the fox. The poor thing was trapped by the branches.
"Hold on...I'm going to get you out of here," Hazel said, her heart beating rapidly for some reason. She always talked to animals like this, regardless of whether or not they understood her. Hazel thought about lifting the branches with strength alone. However, she feared accidentally dropping them back down onto the creature and injuring it further.
There was a way she could lift them without risk, but Hazel looked around first to make sure no one was watching. Once she was confident they were completely alone she began to swirl her hands and fingers. A silky blue energy travelled from her hands to the branches that were pinning the fox. It took a bit of effort, but eventually the branches began to lift. Hazel levitated them into the air and moved them over several feet before gently dropping them to the forest floor.
"Whew..." she said with an exhale. She hadn't needed to levitate anything that large in quite a while. The fox was no longer trapped, but Hazel could see that its leg looked injured. There was bruising for sure, possibly even a fracture. "Oh no, you poor dear..." Hazel said in a gentle voice as she reached down. No doubt the fox was going to freak out when she did this, but hopefully it understood that it was safe with her.
"You're coming with me. I'll take care of you, don't worry," Hazel said with a smile as she carefully scooped the Fox up in her arms, being extra careful not to apply pressure on the injured leg. She then started to walk through the trees, being very cautious the whole way and making sure the Fox was comfortable in her arms.
Lilith gave a small sigh as the washer started up and begin spinning the clothes around inside. As she walked back towards the living room, she saw Casey standing there looking like she had a burning question on her mind. And even before she opened her mouth, the half-demon knew what she wanted to say. She could tell purely by the look in her eyes.
She supposed Casey had done enough today. Whatever she didn't do today, she could do tomorrow. It's not like this kid had anywhere to be. At least, Lilith didn't think so.
At the question of the shower, Lilith frowned a little. She didn't like the idea of a stranger using her shower, but then again, this kid looked like she really needed one. With a reluctant roll of her eyes, she finally answered.
"Fine. But no longer than 10 minutes. Got it?" Lilith asked firmly. Her water bill was expensive and she didn't want Casey to drive up the price any further. Especially as she was still living here rent-free.
Lilith was surprised to see Casey back so soon. There was no way she had done the laundry that fast, and she was right. Lilith looked up at her with a frown and a roll of her eyes.
"What? You're kidding....you don't know how to do it?" Lilith asked in an annoyed tone of voice. Who didn't know how to use a washing machine? It was so easy. (Although, now Lilith found herself wondering why she didn't do it herself, if it was so easy.)
However, as Lilith looked at the shameful look on Casey's face, she soon realized that she really didn't have a clue. Maybe her parents had always done everything for her. Maybe this was her first time on her own.
Lilith sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead before getting up from the couch. "Uh...don't worry about it. I'll just...do it myself." Lilith said as she walked past Casey over to the laundry area. She didn't say this out of spite or passive aggression. She genuinely meant it. She would do it herself. She supposed Casey had done enough for today anyway.
Lilith began to put the rest of the clothes in the washer before pouring in some detergent, closing the door, and putting on the "cold water" setting. She was too lazy to separate the different coloured clothes from each other so she usually just put everything on cold and hoped for the best. Besides, she mostly wore one colour anyways: black.
-
8
-
9
-
10
-
11
-
12
of 32 Next