A "Winds of Change" Story

By Trey McElveen
 

Sleep did not seem like an option. Not after what Todd had showed us. I remember sitting in the bedroom, looking at his file that he gave me, trying to make intelligible conversation whenever possible.

But there were to many bad memories for me to even think straight. Without even knowing, I slipped Todd's data link into my coat pocket just before I left and calmly walked out of the house, thinking. I was the first to leave, and by the expression on my face, I doubt anyone questioned why.

A non-stop change. "Not to my best friend," I thought, "Anyone but him." I took the small datalink out of my pocket and checked it again. There was a 65 percent chance that Todd wouldn't stop Changing, just like my father did when it first happened. If it wasn't for my mother...

I had to get that out of my head. They were separated, divorced, and that was that. The rest of the walk home was done in silence, both mental and verbal. When I reached my house, the time was well past 10:00. I slid in the door, not knowing if my Dad would be awake or asleep. The house was dark inside, and I didn't hear the TV going, so I assumed that he was in bed. I slid the door to silently, and slinked along into my bedroom.

After shutting the door, I tossed the data link onto the bed and sat at my desk. Reaching up to the bookcase, I opened a small journal that I kept and wrote the days happenings in it, spending way too much time on Todd and his Change.

The feelings I felt were nearly overwhelming, and as I reached for the pad on the bed, I realized that I was crying. I studied the medical report as best I could with my teary eyes, wiping away a stray drop when the need arose.

Somewhere in the night, I stood from my desk and got into bed, still reading the report.
 

A week and a half passed, and still no change. School on Monday was, well, school, except that I met with the principal to discuss the possibility of going ahead with my Change year classes even though I was yet to have a First Sign. He called my father at his work, and he approved a one week grace period before my classes were to change. The bell rang and he dismissed me, and when I walked out of the door, Jim greeted me in the office. We started towards our classes, which were on the same wing of the school, even though we were in different grades.

"What was all that about?" Jim asked.

"Oh, they want to move me into Change year classes. Looks like I'm a late bloomer."

"Really? Jeez, I don't know if that's good or bad."

"Bad. I don't want to sit through a class that may or may not even apply to me. Since I don't know if I'm a predator or prey, I've got to attend BOTH classes! My study halls are GONE."

"Oh, well that IS bad." He sighed and said with some trepidation, "I suppose you've heard about Todd."

I raised an eyebrow, "No. I haven't. What is it? Something wrong?"

Jim shook his head, "No, nothing's wrong. David said that he's got the raccoon's black mask. He's really speeding along in his Change."

"It's too fast," I added without much emotion.

Jim nodded in assent, "It is." We came upon my classroom, and he smiled, "No worries, Mano. Everything'll work out for you! Who knows? You might get your First Sign tonight!"

I smiled and nodded, "Who knows?"

The rest of the school day went slowly, and I was scolded for not paying attention in my Pre-Calc class. My mind was elsewhere. I almost didn't hear the final bell ring, and the guys and I usually met after school to chat a bit. Instead, I just walked to my car, got in, and drove to the beach's "Lookout Peak" to think.

And I did. About the whole Change thing. Why was it taking me so long? Why did some people lose their minds? Why did some take longer than others?

Why was my friend in so much danger?

Before I realized it, it was already dark. I started up the car and drove home as fast as the law would allow.

When I got home I drove into our driveway and stepped into the front door. My Dad was sitting on the couch, his tail wrapped around his paws, watching the evening news. He looked up from the TV and noticed my depressed expression and spoke up, "What's wrong, son? You've been like this for over a week."

"Nothing, Dad. I... I just need some time to think." And before he could protest, I retreated into my room and shut the door. I tossed the data link onto my desk, amidst the scattered calculus homework and Change research. As long as I could remember my father as a fox, I had studied the Change, wondering what was behind it, amassing as much as I could on it and researching the phenomenon to the core.

It was a little over nine years ago that I almost lost my father to the Change. I still remember walking into the bedroom, wondering what the little yelps of fear I kept hearing were, and finding a small red fox curled amongst a heap of clothes on the floor, and what looked like a cross between my mother and a mourning dove huddled over him. When Todd told us about his dilemma, I couldn't get that thought out of my head. The image seemed to burn into my mind, and I laid my head on the desk and fought back the tears I so desperately wanted to shed.

There was a knock on the door. "Dan—Mano? Are you ok?"

I lifted my head from the desk, sniffling, "I'm... I'm fine, Dad. Just leave me alone, ok?"

Of course, my father never listens to me because he knows better. He opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. I don't know why, there was no one else in the house besides us. He frowned and sat next to me on my bed. "Come on, Mano. You can tell me." He hugged me tight, his warm, fuzzy body pressing against mine.

I sighed. That hug always got me. It was the one sure-fire way to make me confess to anything. "It- It's Todd. Here, look at this." I handed him the data link that I "borrowed". He took a look at it and sighed heavily. He was a retired Air Force Master Sergeant, NCO, and he had spent his time in the VA Hospital doing x-ray and ultrasound tech work. He knew his way around the body, and about the Change as well. He could read a medical report easily.

"He's a non-stop. 65 percent failure rate."

"Dad, don't focus on the negative, please." God, I sounded like such a hypocrite. The negative was all I could focus on myself.

"Ok, then," he continued, "35 percent success rate. Son, even that sounds depressing."

"Yeah. I know."

"They're going to put an implant in him, aren't they?" It was all I could do to nod. "I suppose it's for the best," he added with another sigh. My father hugged me again, and that same feeling of security and warmth enveloped me. "Mano..."

"I thought you hated that name, Dad." I said, a bit puzzled as to why he kept using it.

"I was just getting to that. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately..."

"Gee, I hope you didn't hurt yourself." I said, laughing, albeit weakly. Some levity is what I really needed right now.

He chuckled, "Touché, son. But, like I said, I've been thinking and I've decided that it's time you started doing things on your own, deciding what to do with your life."

I was startled, "But, Dad, I- I haven't even started my Change yet!"

"Like that matters? Look at all this work you've done on the Change. That's more than enough to convince me of your responsibility. Mano, I'm letting you take control of your life. You're not a little boy anymore."

I was floored. I never thought I'd hear my own father tell me something like that. He was never one seriousness, more of a court jester, really. I was startled, and all I could manage was a, "T-Th-Thanks, Dad."

He hugged me tight again, this time the bushy tail wrapping around the both of us, "You deserved it." He changed the topic again, back to Todd, "You're scared what happened to me is going to happen to your friend?"

I nodded, "He's one of my best friends. I don't think I'd know what to do if..."

"Then don't think about it, Mano. Everything will be fine." And as if on cue, I felt my toes shrink back into my feet and my ankles ride up higher on my legs. They slipped out of my shoes, now too large for my Changing feet. I broke away from my father's hug and stripped of my socks, staring in amazement at the transformation.

My toes curled in on themselves and became thicker, swallowing up my toenails. My big toe on both feet slid up my foot to just above the paw, forming what looked like a dewclaw. My soles began to balloon, growing large, rubbery, black pads on the bottom of them. A light covering of golden-brown fur spread up both my legs, clear up to my knees. My ankles were now about 4 inches off the ground, and clearly I was digitgrade, whatever I was turning into. The Change seemed to stop, and both Dad and I stared in disbelief at my new.... paws.

And then came the infamous pins-and-needles. "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEOW!" I screamed as my new legs started re-wiring themselves to my nervous system. I stiffened and spread my "toes" wide, and I felt four long claws slide out from their sheaths. The feeling quickly subsided, and I clutched the desk and Dad as tight as I could, exhausted. Sleep was looking better all the time.

"Are.. Are you ok?" He asked. I nodded "Yes" in reply.

"You'd better get some sleep, both of our schedules just changed. There's a busy day ahead tomorrow. I'll call your school and tell them that you're not going to be in. It's the Change Doctor for you."

I felt of my aching paws and nodded, "I already know what I'm becoming, at least."

"What's that?"

I smiled WIDE. "A lion. Stripes is gonna love this."
 

I woke up the next morning to a flurry of activity. The Change hadn't moved since last night, and I was somewhat grateful. I sat up and played with my paws a little, feeling the pads on the bottom of them, extracting my claws and testing their sharpness, which was very good. It was neat running my fingertips between the digits, feeling the soft, tawny fur in between them. I laughed out loud thinking that in a few weeks time, I'd look just like one of my plush toys, and just as fuzzy.

I stood out of bed, wobbling a bit as I got used to my new sense of balance. This was going to be a lot tougher than I thought. The feeling of walking was more like standing on my tip-toes, just without the fatigue.

I strode over to my closet and opened it up, looking for a pair of pants and a shirt to throw on before I left for the doctor. It was then that I realized that I was a full four inches taller from last night, that from being digitgrade now. My jeans weren't going to fit me. I pulled out a TLK shirt, thinking it was appropriate and took a pair of loose fitting shorts. I had a little bit of difficulty getting them on over my ankle, but I hiked them up after a couple of minutes.

I walked out of the room and headed into the den. Dad was there, on the phone with the Change Doctor, and apparently, the conversation had drifted away from making an appointment to something a little more personal.

"Harry?? Harry Chin, is that YOU? Who is THIS? This is your old VA buddy, Matt Jacobson from X-Ray! No, I'm not kidding! I haven't seen you since before the Change! What are you doing at the Change Doc—YOU'RE a morphologist? That's GREAT!"

I stood and listened, smiling and scratching an itch on my legs.

"Why am I calling? Oh, that! Heh, my son's gotten his First Sign and I'm making an appointment for today sometime. You can see him now? Great, we'll be right over!" He laughed, "Yes, I suppose you don't get many appointments. Ok, we'll be there in a few minutes, and it's good to hear from you again, Harry. Mm-hmm, see you soon. Bye!" And he hung up the phone.

"You know Dr. Chin?" I asked as I donned my shirt.

My Dad stood and nodded, "Sure do. He was an ER technician in the VA that I worked. He sent a lot of broken bones up to me for x-ray. We're good friends." The thought for a moment, then added, "I wonder what he's Changed into."

I smiled, "He's a crow."

My father walked over to the front door and opened it, his tail swishing wildly, "Ah. He was one of those before the Change. Who says there isn't order in the Universe?"

We headed out to the car, laughing uproariously.
 

We got to the Doctor's and went in. Dr. Chin greeted us at the door with a warm avian smile, "Hello Mano, Jake." I looked puzzled, and Dr. Chin said, "I called your father Jake at the VA."

"And I hated it, remember?"

Dr. Chin cawed in laughter, "You sure did, Jake!"

I sneered my father, "See? And I don't like Daniel. So there."

The exam went smooth as clockwork. Dr. Chin checked my reflexes, joints and muscles while my father looked on. We went over to to the scanning room and the test only confirmed my previous suspicions. The only test left was the Powers test, and before that Dr. Chin sat us down to give his report.

"Well, looks like you were right, Mano. You are Changing into a lion, and a hiddie by the looks of it, too."

I must've smiled from ear to ear. A lion was one of my top choices, and I was lucky to get it.

Dr. Chin continued, "All your vitals look good, and I recommend getting some extra no-rip sheets and bed covers. Those claws of your will definitely do some damage to cloth."

My father nodded and took notes in his mind. He licked his whiskers idly and asked, "Any estimation on how long the Change will take?"

Dr. Chin suddenly became very serious, "That's where I've got some bad news. Mano looks to be one of those 'Big Surge' Changes. This Change looks to be one surge. It could be any moment that another surge could come up to your waist, and then another. Then again, it could be a long time until the next one hits."

I looked puzzled, "So? What's the problem in that?"

"The problem is that the rest of you could morph in one massive Surge. The Change in your body, both physical and mental aspects could cause you slip away."

My father placed a comforting paw around me. I froze. "Harry, what are the chances of that happening?"

"Unfortunately, it's not uncommon. About 25 percent lose their minds totally, the rest make it through, with varying degrees of difficulty."

I whispered, "Dad, is that what happened to you?"

"Yes son." He answered.

Dr. Chin looked confused, "Matt, what are you talking about?"

"On the day of the initial Change, I morphed in one Surge and couldn't change back. I spent two weeks in a kennel as a norm red fox before my ex-wife was able to use her Inducer Power to bring me back."

Just then, I remembered something that happened a few days ago, "I doubt that would happen anyway."

"Really, Mano?" Dr. Chin said, "Care to explain why?"

"Well, when David had his First Sign, I remember looking into the bathroom and wonder just..." I was blushing from both fear and embarrassment, "Just how 'delicious' he looked."

Dr. Chin smiled, "Ah-ha! A mental First Sign. Maybe this Big Surge change isn't so dangerous after all. If your mind is already getting some leonine instincts, then you should be able to handle any extreme Surges rather well."

My spirits lifted immediately. I smiled and my father looked at me, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

I shrugged, "I dunno. Never crossed my mind, really."

Dr. Chin smiled, "Well, if you're ready, we can start the Powers test."

I nodded emphatically, "Great! But before you do, can I see a pencil and paper?"

Dr. Chin reached into his pocket and brought out a small notepad and a pen, then handed them to me. I scribbled a set of instructions on them and handed them to my Dad, "If I can norm-shift would you do that for me?"

He read the paper and laughed, "Sure thing! This I've got to see!"

Dr. Chin looked at the slip next and chuckled, "I must admit, I'd like to see that, too. Shall we go on with it, then?"

I nodded assent and my father left the room. "Go ahead and undress, Mano. No use in ripping up your clothes." I smiled and did as I was told.

"Now, close your eyes and try to visualize your thoughts. What do you see?"

I did so, and said, "There's a wall in front of me.... Big, long, black."

"Ok, great. Walk up to it, and see what happens when you touch it."

I did. In my mind I walked up to the wall and brushed my hand against it. Suddenly, I felt a warm flash and the next thing I knew I was standing on all fours, the once chilly room now seeming quite comfortable. I opened my eyes and looked up at Dr. Chin, who seemed quite distressed.

"Mano? Mano, are you there?" He asked urgently. I knew I was in norm-form, and I was actively pushing aside the leonine instincts that were trying to overcome my own thought. I understood the doctor and nodded.

"Fantastic!" He said, flapping his wings happily. "You look great!" I peeked into the mirror and saw something that I would never forget.

Staring back at me was an adolescent male lion, with just a hint of a mane showing under his, uh, my muzzle and on the back of my neck. My ears swiveled and seemed to latch on to every sound they could hear, which was quite a bit more than I was used to. My nostrils flared, and I could smell both fear and amazement coming off of Dr. Chin. Every movement I made screamed raw power. I was awestruck.

"Mano, should I let your Dad in?" I nodded, giving a small huff to accentuate. The doctor walked to the door and opened it, motioning for my father to come in. When he did, I padded over to him and rose up on my hind legs, giving him the best hug I could.

"You look great, son!" he said, hugging me back. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the slip of paper, "Should we do this now?"

I nodded frantically, and Dr Chin handed my Dad a small cellular phone he kept in his coat. He dialed a few numbers, and I listened attentively as I heard the other side pick up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Alden? Is David in?"

"Yes sir, he is. Who is calling, may I ask?"

"This is Mr. Jacobson. Could I speak to him, please?"

"Certainly, he's just about to leave for school. One moment..." I waited anxiously, and fidgeted as I heard David's zebra-like voice answer the phone.

"Yessir. Mr. Jacobson?"

"Hello, David. Mano has something he'd like to tell you." My father brought down the phone to my level.

I heard David say on the other end, "Oh, ok... Mano, is that you?"

With all my might, I ROARED into the phone as loud as I could. Dr. Chin and Dad both grimaced as it echoed off the walls. I stopped and heard David shriek and whinny with surprise. Finally, after a few minutes of heavy breathing and panting, David replied.

"I'll get you for that one, Mano."

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