In the beginning, there was the Sun God and the Moon Goddess. The Sun ruled the light, shining brightly on the flora and fauna. He led with a heated ferocity most plants and animals enjoyed. The Moon Goddess basked in the borrowed light from the Sun God. Glowing where there was darkness, lighting the way when needed.
Over time, their roles changed, mixed, and warped. The people changed as well. The animals they once admired integrated with their souls. Their souls, being tied to the moon, changed once a month when she was at her most robust. Some changed to felines, others canines, then there were reptiles and primates.
No two people were the same. Families of four could have one of each shifting animal. The Sun God became enraged. The people began to solely worship the Moon Goddess, much to her dismay. No matter how many times she spoke with the shifters they didn’t heed her words.
In order to calm his ire, the Moon Goddess selected a special child born from a shifting species. She would be the pride of the Sun God. The shifterless one. Tied not to the moon but to the sun. When she came of age, she would be able to choose either to serve the Sun God with immense powers or regale herself to the moon and choose a shifter form.
After talking it out, the two gods agreed. A pact was formed between them and the shifters. The first child born shifterless was said to be revered. Loved to the point they chose the Sun God. They aided in the advancement of their kin. Who always spoke highly of her. Never a harsh word against her.
As the years wore on, the once revered sun child became ridiculed and mocked. The taunting and torment they faced were things the gods were ashamed of. Even with her guidance, they chose not to stray from their current path. It became so bad the knowledge on the sun child was twisted into a menacing threat amongst the people. Children born shifterless knew nothing of their special fate. Time and time again, they chose the Moon Goddess. Much to both the gods’ dismay. Pretty soon the Sun God’s anger leaked out in the form of scorching weather. The days became longer and hotter. Even the seasons were altered. Winter hardly was cold. The chilling winds were dampened by the rays of the sun. All the changes to their current lives, still unaffected them. Until one day, the sun returned to normal.
Everyone cheered and cursed the Sun God for his petulant behavior. The moon goddess had finally had enough. It was the first time she had meddled in their lives, but something had to be done. The newly appointed elders of the clan received a prophecy. If by the fifth shifterless child, the Sun God was not chosen, life as they knew would begin to crumble.
It began on a moonless night. The elders had convened in a secret meeting. The representative of each shifting clan met in the darkened forest. A tiger alpha perched in a tree awaiting the arrival of the other elders.
**
Crunching of fallen leaves alerted him to the impending approach. His keen eyes narrowed in on the reptile accompanying him was the wolf. He stretched in the tree and yawned. As graceful as the feline he was, he jumped from the tree, landing perfectly on his feet. Finally, the primate swung into focus.
A grin on his lips. “Elder primate, what do you have to smile about?” Alpha Tiger scowled.
Just like the deadly happy-go-lucky chimps, Primate Elder chittered before answering. “Because we have all shifters in our kinsman clan.”
Reptile Elder lazily rested against the tree trunk. “We do not either, but why must we meet under the cover of darkness? It’s too cold!”
Wolf Elder sat next to the reptile elder, lending some of his heat. “You know we are not to be together. We are the elders but we each have alphas of the kinsman clan. We are to aid in council, but never make decisions.”
Reptile coiled closer, accepting the emitting heat. “Then why aren’t we also alphas? Or leaders. It would make more sense.”
Feline Elder finally interjected. Having the honor of being both alpha and elder, it was not a fate he would wish on anyone. “A leader unchecked is a tyrant in the making. Alphas are the leaders. We are the council to ensure they do not overstep the boundaries put in place. We have to discuss the latest birth. As primate and Reptile have said, they have not had a shifterless babe. What say you, wolf?”
Wolf Elder licked the cheek of Reptile elder. “We’ve had a few births, but none have the birthmark of the sun. Why does it matter?”
Alpha Tiger sighed. “Do you not remember the warnings from the previous elders? Gene? Sanchez? What about you, Solomon?”
Solomon lazily lifted his head. Upon hearing his name, he spoke with a hiss. “Sss-sorry Monteliusss. We jussst don’t believe the propheccy.”
Gene adjusts his body, allowing Solomon to rest against him more comfortably. “My elder says we would be the third with a shifterless. Why should there be any rush? We would have two more chances?”
Sanchez nodded his head. “Agreed. let it be someone else’s problem? We’ve only been elders for less than a decade. We have three more until we change hands. What if we don’t get a shifterless child?”
Montelius paced the beaten path. An arm across his chest with an elbow resting against it. His hand was tucked under his chin. “We each are allowed forty years as an elder and you’re right, it’s possible we won’t deal with a shifterless babe, but the three previous elders hadn’t either. If you think rationally, it’s likely the shifterless will be born during our guidance.”
The other three elders rolled their eyes. Gene grunted. “We have several women in our kinsmanship that have yet to give birth. Monty.”
Montelius closed his eyes and nodded. “Our kinsmanship has about a dozen. And multiples have been discovered in at least half of them.”
Solomon hissed. “A ssshame if a shifterless happens to be a twin.”
They each nodded. Monty looked up at the dark sky. Even though the moon was not present, he could feel the goddess more. “Whether or not a shifterless is a multiple, we need to ensure they are treated well. They must choose the Sun God.”
Gene interjected. “I was told she would need to choose the moon goddess.”
Solomon nodded. “Same. I was told moon.”
Sanchez tilted his head. “Hmmm, I think I was told. Sun God.”
With the four of them at odds, the shifterless would be just as confused. Montelius was sure it was the Sun God. There were at least two dozen births on the horizon. If it happened in his kinsmanship, it would be easier to sway them, but if not, it would be that much harder. Pulling himself away from his thoughts, he chided the other elders. “Whether it’s sun or moon, we still have to treat her with respect, love, and care. Do we agree?”
The elders agreed. A funny thing about agreements. Everyone has their own interpretation of what transpired. The brain is a maze of wonderment.
The elders departed, going their separate ways. Alpha Tiger vowed to treat the new shifterless with everything in him. An inkling of dismay marred his heart. The thought tumbled from his lips. “They won’t treat the shifterless with respect.”
Montelius shook his head at the thought. Wolves are prideful, reptiles can go either way depending on the species, and primates are closer to their regular human counterparts than the rest of them. Most humans he came in contact with were selfish and greedy or cruel. He prayed to the Moon Goddess. “Please let her be born in our kinsmanship. For her sake please, Moon Goddess.” He reached his home in time to hear the good news. His mate rushed to him. “Monty! They’re here!” A smile split his face. His sister had just given birth to her litter. “Where is she? Is she presentable, Lavender?” Lavender nodded her head. “Yes. They’re twins. And just as adorable as ever.” She choked up at the thought of them. Monty rushed to his sister’s side. She was his twin. His wombmate and other half. Bursting into the room, she gave him a weak smile. “Montelius.” Her voice was weak. Her hand outstretched for his, she could barely keep it up. He took it and sat next to her side. Kissing the top side
Meanwhile, the Canines were teaming with litters being whelped. The midwives and doctors didn’t have enough staff on hand with the births they were delivering. The alpha of their clan stepped where he could, but many of the women screamed at him to leave. When the Wolf elder came back, he was ushered to the hospital. The panicked alpha rushed up to him. “Gene! We’ve had an influx of women go into labor. What do we do?” He placed his hands on the wide-eyed alpha. His gruff voice soothed even the antsiest member. “We’ll contact the other kinsmanship and ask for their assistance, Braden.” Braden calmed soon as he heard the idea. It was simple that he hadn’t thought of it in his state. “I-I should’ve thought of that, but I tried to help where I could.” “And you were rightly booted from the room. Am I right?” He nodded his head. “I wasn’t going to do anything.” A midwife passed their line of sight. Gene called her. “Inform the other clans. We need assistance with labor and delivery h
Solomon thought the words were sweet, but the reality is a reptile shifter could be deadly. Even if he didn’t think his son would be, others would. It’s uncommon for a baby to display their potential shifting features. He kept those thoughts to himself as Taerin cooed over Hiru. The sky brightened as the sun made its ascension across the sky. The primates were dealing with their own intense labors. Several of the women had gone into premature labor. One woman had been begging for a c-section but was denied. “Miss, you’re not in dire straits. The least you could do is push and we can go from there.” Lina knew they wouldn’t listen to her. The child in her belly was anything but normal. She could feel it. She believed it with her soul. Her child hardly ever moved. It was as if she was carrying around a stone inside her stomach. There were no tender flutters, or random kicks. Just a lump in her belly that siphoned nutrients from her. She couldn’t go to any of the other hospitals, they w
Preschool is a time when all little shifters learn to be friends, care about each other, and keep the bonds strong between clans. It's where they learn more than what they have been taught by their families. Their influences grow. The outside world isn’t as small as it once was. They have people they want to be around. Ari King and Rei Kang have been the yin and yang of the clan from the moment they could walk and talk. Whereas Ari King is the boisterous one, Rei Kang is the quiet one. Their differences were magnified when they went to preschool. Hiru encompasses all the positive qualities of a reptile shifter as a child should. Samuel was a high-energy child. Kataya was the quiet child that all the children enjoyed being around. Each of the children was different in their own ways but none were cruel. They enjoyed being around each other. Hiru couldn’t help but tease Kataya about her gold streak. While the rest of her hair was jet black. It never bothered her. Ari King would try to
Lina wasn’t sure how to answer her. The moon goddess selected all who shifted, and only one was chosen to be shifterless until their coming of age. “We should ask the elder sweetheart. How about that?” Kataya nodded her head. “Ok then.” Lina tried to think back to the day Kataya was born, but she was so drugged up. That day was just a blur. “So, was that why you didn’t tell me how school was?” She shrugged. “No, I was going to tell you, but Hiru said something that just didn’t sit right with me.” Lina frowned. “Is he the one that called you a bastard? Although Kataya, I do not want you to use that kind of language.” She looked down at the counter. “Yeah, but he only heard it because of the other girls. They say I have to be a bastard if I haven’t had any animalistic changes.” “Well, we’re primates. We’re closer to humans than most animals. Did they ever think of that?” “But mom we don’t even look alike.” Lina shrugged. “Genetics are weird.” She sighed. “But mom you look like
Sanchez moved to the floor. His right index knuckle lifted her flesh to see the sun mark. He groaned in annoyance. His kinsmanship had the bastard child of the sun. Something in him snapped. Despite her father being the king, he didn’t want this little brat in his clan. She needed to leave. Suffer so much that she chose the moon goddess. He bellowed. “After school, you will come to the temple. No excuses and no exceptions.” Manuella finally entered the room to see him kneeling on the floor too close for comfort to the young child. “Sir, their parents wish to speak with you.” Sanchez got up and purposely bumped into her. Kataya stumbled over her clothing. Manuella came to help her up. “I’m sorry, little one.” Kataya hurried to dress. The feelings of being exposed for this long and having the elder be rude to her was enough to make tears trickle down her cheek. Her voice held back the tears threatening to fall. “Why are you sorry?” Manuella attempted to make light of the situation.
TRIGGER WARNING: INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR WITH A MINOR He relaxed his grip. “I know, but if she is, we mustn’t let it get out. That could ruin our standing and cause her problems.” “We would have to keep this secret for a decade. Do you think we can?” He shrugged his shoulders, then kissed her hand. “I don’t know, but we need to get the elder here tonight.” He turned to Lina. “Have we ever checked her for the mark?” Lina thought about it. “I don’t remember. We had help the first few years, so I never bathed her and then she was old enough to do it herself. What if she has it?” Melius shook his head. “You call the elder over and we’ll get confirmation. He’ll have to bring someone with him since she’s a girl.” Lina nodded her head. She looked past her husband to their daughter, studiously doing her assignments. The black hair faded to the background against the golden streak in her hair. “Yeah, I call them. You go help Kat.” He started to walk away but stopped. “Whatever happens, w
She opened the door to the stall furthest away from the main door. Kataya sat on the seat, pulling her knees up to her chest. Tears streamed down her face. Hiru wasn’t always like that. There was a time when he was the kindest of them all. They used to play together all the time. Their parents were together a lot when she was a toddler. She couldn’t fathom what had changed and why he acted more like a jerk than before. The bathroom door opened. A group of girls came inside cackling. “Did you see her face?” “Did you see that unsightly ass?” “I can’t believe she even came to school. I wouldn’t have if I knew I was shifterless.” They quieted down. One spoke in a whisper. “Didn’t she run into this bathroom?” One of the girls started pushing the doors in to check each stall. She got to the last one and smirked. “Aw, Kat, feeling ashamed that she showed the entire school her lower half.” The other girls snickered. “Who knew you were such a slut! I’m glad I’m not as easy as you are.” S