Once upon a time there was a girl, a typical fairy tale.

But hers was different, for she is no princess, she is no damsel, she was special. There was a secret within her, but because of it she often found herself and outcast. One day that would all change, and it would be on a day when she gave up, when she felt small and unloved. It was a cold day in February, there was nothing oddly special of that day, it went by like normal. Thought the day her mind raced, her body longed to run and be free and feel the night air in her other form. As she looked out to the setting sun, she could sense something about this night was calling her, something in her life was going to change. As the golden sun fell behind the deserts mountains she sat up and began into the night. The moon was full, its glow illuminating the world below. As she walked, slowly feeling her blood race, she inhaled the night air. Suddenly she stopped turning to her left, then her right, she felt as if there was someone there with her. She continued forward, her night eyes catching no evidence of anything. In a small clearing she stood beneath a saguaro, its shadow stretching outward. Once again she glanced around herself. The girl reached up, undoing her coat, letting it fall to the earth below. She slipped her shirt over her head and wriggled out of her pants and shoes, kicking them off in a cloud of dust. Her arms extended over her head, her shoulders and back popped. She closed her eyes, tilting her head upward toward the glowing silver moon, and inhaled the night air once more as a human. Bones began to crack; she knelt down to the ground, her form changing. In place of nails, grew claws and padded feet and a tail extended from her spine. Fur covered her body, a brilliant mixture of browns and reds. She shook a chill from her new body, fluffing the fur on her body. Her ears perked up as she spun around herself thrilled to be in this body once more. Her golden eyes gazed out into the night, watching as the herd of javelina passed by, as the rattlesnake coiled ready to strike. She took her first steps of the night as a wolf, a few of her joints cracking, getting used to this form. As she moved through a cluster of creosote, she jumped back. She hid in the shadows, trying to be silent. She moved slightly so she could get another look. Beyond the creosote there stood another wolf. She had never seen it before. As she watched it, it turned slowly to face her, and growled quietly. Her muscles tensed and she emerged from her hiding place. Her fur fluffed and she snarled in return. At best she was half its size. As she lowered her head, her opponents began to rise. She began to observe it, soon to realize that it was in fact a male. His eyes were dark, but still reflected the moons glow, and his fur was a golden brown. As his ears perked up her muscles relaxed, he was no threat to her and would not attack. Instead he approached her, out of instinct she stepped back. He lowered his head, to reassure her that he was no threat and once more she relaxed and found her body moving forward to him. Finally there was another. She was not alone on this night. Playfully and full of excitement she wagged her tail and bounded over him, running into the maze of cactus and wildlife at their feet. Sure enough he followed. He caught up to her quickly, passing her and spinning around on his paws, playfully snapping at her. She jumped avoiding his jaws and snapped back, but he had continued to run on.

As the moon fell in the starry sky, the pair stood panting. The girl could not remember the last time she ran in such a way. She turned looking up at the sky as darkness was starting to give way to light, then she looked back to the other wolf. He bowed his head and turned, simply walking away. Her heart sank, for a reason she did not know, but even still she did the same. Moments before the sun rose, she found her scattered clothes and with each step she became more human. Her pale skin glistened with sweat as the sun came up. Quickly she slid on her pants and jacket, stepping into her shoes. She made way for home. As she climbed through her window she collapsed on her bed, once more kicking her shoes off. She reached out and snatched a pillow and buried her face in it, imagining the male wolf walking away from her. Soon she found sleep. She awoke around two in the afternoon. She did not dream. She stretched her arms and legs in a rather animalistic nature and cracked her knuckles. She sat up, running a hand through her hair with a sigh. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled herself up, shaking out of her dust covered clothes, and replacing them with new ones. She headed for her front door grabbing her keys. The turned her head quickly as she stepped out into the blinding mid-afternoon sun, shielding her eyes. Once her vision adjusted she began to walk, she didnt know her destination just that she needed to walk. As she walked down the road she looked down at her feet, in hopes to avoid the harsh sunlight. She glanced up, hearing a sound in the distance. Her feet stopped moving and she whipped around. Quickly she jumped back, avoiding a cyclist. The young man turned and looked at her as he flew past. She pushed her hair behind her ears and continued to walk. She carefully watched as the cyclist turned a corner and looped around heading back in her direction. She rolled her eyes and tried to ignore him, but he stopped in front of her. He dismounted his bike and took off his baseball hat, wiping the sweat from his brow. He smiled at her, out of breath. Hey there wolf girl.