mitak

* Melissa thinks often of the full moon and the forest.. She feels like she was meant to be in the wild. One evening, her friend Simon takes her to a place in the woods where her life will change forever. *

     Melissa had always been fascinated by the moon. More often than not, she'd sit at her window on the night of a full moon. Tonight was no exception. She sat, stroking her long platinum hair. The full moon cast its milky glow upon her, making her skin white, her crystal blue eyes piercing, and her already shining hair, irridescent. As she gazed out the window at the forest beyond, she wished that she were out there running free amongst the creatures of nature. She often had the urge to bound from place to place to feel the forest's energy on her flesh.
     Tomorrow would be Melissa's 16th birthday. She supposed it to be an important time in her life. Of course, a car would never be in one of the nicely wrapped boxes. Her celebration would be spent with a few acquaintances and her good friend, Simon. She smiled at the thought of her best friend. His semi-long, jet-black hair (sometimes spiked and sometimes parted in the middle) and his jade green eyes stood out in her mind. They had been best friends almost since birth.
     Simon was born a few months earlier, nearly to the day. They were so alike that sometimes they would think the same thought or finish each other's sentences. But of the two, Simon was the comedian. He always knew how to make her laugh. Melissa was the listener and compassionate one. She held her fiery spirit inside. It was only revealed around close friends. Simon knew of her affair with the moon. He even slipped away with her to have moon watches. There was nothing romantic about it, although the thought had crossed their minds. Neither would admit to the feelings that were buried deep inside. The idea of a relationship had been quelched even before the moment it arose in the brain.
     Melissa decided to crawl into bed. She still had a good view of the night sky and quickly fell asleep. She dreamed of hunting in the forest.
     ***The crisp cool air brought a hundred different scents to the young wolf's nose as it ruffled her fur. She had been stalking a rabbit for some time. She had eternal patience and the developing stealth to catch her meal. Sitting in a shallow ditch, the she-wolf carefully timed her pounce. 'On the count of three,' she thought. One...Two...Three! In a flash the cottontail was no more. The shrill cry quickly dissolved into the night air. ***
     The next day at school, Melissa told Simon about her dream.
     "Sounds very interesting, Missy. I had a similar dream, very cool. So how does it feel to be 16?"
     "I don't feel any different, except that dream was so real and..."
     "And what? Come on, you know you can tell me."
     "I know. It's just...there was rabbit fur on my carpet this morning."
     "Like in the dream? Hmm. Oh hey, as a birthday treat, I'm going to take you on a moonlit picnic."
     "Aww. You don't have to," she said as she gave Simon a big hug, "The usual place?"
     "Yep. I found a new spot too. You'll love it."
     "Okay. See you at 11 tonight."
     The rest of the day, all Missy could think about was how she had to hide all that fur in a paper bag and throw it away without anyone finding out. At 10:50, the blonde climbed out her window and down the narrow fire escape. She walked across the dimly lit street and into the park beyond. She scurried until she reached a massive oak. The oak had a few inconspicuous notches and knots that serves as a ladder. When Missy reached the top, her friend was sitting on the usual bough.
     "Right on time. Come on and sit down. Just look at the view." Melissa quickly settled next to Simon. No matter how many times she saw the beautiful moonlit landscape, it still took her breath away. The lunar light cast its glow upon the trees and valleys of the forest. It played shadows on the hillsides, leaving their shape and meaning to the imagination. The two gazed over the canopy of the forest, merely pondering its existence. Each could feel the instinct dwelling deep inside them, although one more so than the other.
     "Ready? Let's go. I want to show you something." Simon said.
     After climbing down the oak, they proceeded through the forest, over streams, and up and down hills. Melissa noticed that Simon was carrying a small basket, presumably for the picnic. One last trek up a shallow ravine and the companions arrived at their destination. A small patch of grass lay at the crest of the hill which contained an even grander view of much of the same scene as at the oak. Simon spread the blanket on the hill and beckoned for Melissa to sit. They sat talking quietly until just before midnight. A charge flowed through the air. Simon turned to Melissa and initiated the common contest of staring. Suddenly, while maintaining his gaze, he said, "You have nothing to fear about your dreams and the fur. It's all meant to happen. You will find out soon enough."
     With that he leaned towards her, until their noses almost touched. The magnetivity in the atmosphere grew. 'He knew what I was thinking. I feel so alive, alert, and strange.' Without another thought, Missy closed the gap.
     A surge of electricity surged down her spine and out to her extremeties. A great fire burned within her, aching to be released. His flesh was soft and warm. His kiss gentle and passionate. He never pressed for more. He let the moment be and she liked it that way. Simon never knew that the kiss he'd have to give in order to induce the change would feel like it did. He never realized how deeply he cared for her, at least not in that way. Simon knew the change had started and he hoped she would choose the path that he had.
     A new feeling started to creep through Missy's veins. Though indescribable, it felt as though the fire was pulsing and now slowly cooling. The chill ebbed down her body, invading every crevice in her person. Every muscle, tissue, bone, and cell in her body slowly shifted. She felt herself shrinking and new muscles developing. Her arms and legs were nearly the same length and her face elongated. Melissa could no longer feel the chill in the night air.
     When they parted, Simon saw that the once beautiful girl had transformed into a stunning she-wolf. Her fur glistened and reflected the color of the moon. Her underside, face, and back were the color of the mist on a lake in the morning. A snow white coat marred by a few tan splotches on the tail and feet. The young wolf's eyes were still the same elegant shade of blue, enhanced especially by the moon.
     'Breathtaking,' was Simon's only thought and it remained just that, a thought.
     As the newly formed wolf gazed at her long time friend, he too, had become a wolf. All black, with a white tuft of fur on his breast, his eyes still shown jade in the night. She had never seen a wolf with that color in its eyes, especially one with such a sparkle.
     "I am Sim," he announced, "and you will no longer have to fear your instincts."
     "But...how?...what happened?" stuttered Melissa.
     "You now have the option to return to a human or remain a wolf. But once one is chosen, you can never go back. WE are still the best of friends, and it's time for fun and exploration. Come on! See if you can catch me!" At the last remark, Simon, now Sim, took off into the trees. Melissa soon followed, bounding off into the forest, much as she had done in her dream. She now let the fiery spirit loose, and for once in her life, felt truly free.
     With great and unexpected speed, the young she-wolf caught up to her counterpart and with great running, pounced. Sim, caught completely off guard, tumbled with her down a gentle-sloping hill. Nipping at each other and laughing immensely, the two wolves wrestled. Finally, at the bottom, Sim pinned Melissa with a triumphant look. Six months of experience had proved fruitful.
     "Come. Now it's time for you to meet the others and to receive your pack member name." With an understanding that ran deep within her being, Melissa followed the male wolf. The pair continued downwards back into the ravine and into a wooded alcove. The center of the alcove contained a rock ledge and beneath that, a den. The rock ledge was covered with grass and small shrubs. Standing on top of it was the alpha male and alpha female.
     "Come forward, Sim and Melissa," he motioned towards the alpha female, "Sakira will give you a proper name." Melissa walked forward and met Sakira at the face of the den. The pack mother stared deeply into her eyes, penetrating Melissa's soul. It was quite invading. She then approached the new wolf and embraced her warmly.
     "Welcome to the pack, Mitak. I hope you will choose a life here. The human world has no place to hold your wild heart."   Mitak, as she was now called, reflected back on her feelings. The pack circled her as she did this. The moon, as well, watched her. A pair of eyes bore through her and she opened them. Sim's eyes shone at her in the moonlight. Hope and longing were what they said. Again, Mitak closed her eyes to introspection. Slowly, she entered an altered state of mind, one that was pure heart and soul. She witnessed trees and other plants growing around here. Night fell and a beautiful silver moon arose. Glancing up at the full moon, with fur glowing, Mitak howled. The howl emerged from the deepest recesses of the she-wolf's being. Even when the trance broke, Mitak howled. This came as a signal to the others to howl in acceptance and great joy.
     The other pack members, including Sim, Sakira, and the alpha male, Raj, hugged Mitak. When the group separated, Mitak noticed three other wolves standing in front of her. Sim and the two others approached. A female and male embraced her and said, "Welcome to the pack."
     Her mother and father were very pleased that she had chosen to stay in the pack. "You must know that you can never go back to man's world. When Sim brought you down, you both entered another world," said Mitak's mother, "and then you made your final choice at the circle tonight. Don't worry, some of your friends are wolves, too."
     In the coming days, Mitak came to know and understand the ways of the pack. Sim told her all about the ordeal he went through six months earlier when he had turned sixteen. Their friendship has a greater closeness now, although neither gave into their emotions. They merely acknowledged them. Neither knew that they were destined to be together, forever.
Epilogue:
On one of their daily walks, Sim and Mitak came upon an area they had never been. It was near a riverbed that flowed quite strangely. In fact, it flowed upstream. The whole area beyond that point seemed to be off. When a bird flew by, it seemed to fly awkwardly, almost backward or upside down. The strange new world was quite enticing, so they decided to explore it.