SHIMMERS OF SHADOW
History
Devin, Rajah and Tearz, his twin brother sat by the fire in Fellreev forest. We had no idea why our mother brought us here. Our mother, Shadow sat quietly for a moment, she raised her head and looked at us. I could  tell there was something wrong, over the last few days  she became weaker and slept a lot. Shadow told her sons, I have something to tell you. You must understand I do not have much time left on this world. Devin and I looked at  each other with great sadness and fear. Shadow went on, I  have taken care of you since the day I found you playing in the sewers of Riversy. On that day I knew you would be my  chosen ones. A long time ago something happened to me and  now I wish to pass this on to you. Shadow looked at the  moon before speaking again; I have two Gods my sons,  Tigress and Kestrel.
One day in this very forest, they came to me. I was afraid, yet I was honored. Who am I, I thought, that they would reveal themselves to me. Tigress spoke with a deep growl, since you have worshipped Kestrel and myself with such devotion, we have decided to give you a gift. Then Kestrel spoke; you have both of us with in you. You are evil yet,  you are good. Your inner spirit is constantly at battle  between good and evil. We have chosen you because you are strong and faithful to both good and evil. Tigress growled,  you will soon go on a long journey through our great land.  You will become creatures that are unknown to you. You will hunt like them and be in their form. In the end of your  journey you will have to choose your true form. Kestrel said,  you are a young human now but at the end of the journey  you will be a shape shifter, we call them Shimmers. Then at  the end of journey, you will only be allowed two forms one  of a human and one as a beast. I kept quiet and nodded as they spoke.
Tigress spoke one last time, you will have to build a Guild, some of the Guild may chose to be pure evil and others may chose to be pure good. I knelt before Tigress and Kestrel, as they stood above me. They told me to look  at them, as I did I felt my body tremble. Kestrel stood to my right and placed his left hand on my shoulder. Tigress stood to my left and placed her right hand on my other houlder.
They told me to close my eyes and I did. I felt my body rise above the ground, I heard their voices chanting. I saw the depths of hell, demons and creatures of the dead rising and falling. I saw goodness the bright light  blinded me, my body felt the warmth of love and all the  beauty that roamed the earth and the heavens. My body  felt the fear of the powers within both Tigress and  Kestrel as I became one with them. Just as they appeared  they suddenly were gone. I wept with joy and evil pulsing  within me. I heard Tigress whisper to me, all you need to  do is pray to us, and touch your chosen ones to enter your  guild, then they to will become like you. I fell into a  deep sleep.
Shadow woke up underneath a Willow tree. She shook her head; drops of  dew fell from her black hair. She walked to the stream.  She put her mouth in the rushing water. It bubbled as  she drank. Shadow looked at her reflection her body  trembled when she saw her face. Staring for long time,  she looked at her reflection. She had fur covering her  face where there once was brown skin. Her black hair was  now black fur. Her brown eyes were now sparkling gold.
Shadow collapsed on the stream's edge. She still was able to think how could  this be, she thought. She tried to remember what had  happened to her but could not. Shadow felt dizzy from the  morning heat. Her mouth began to water it felt as if  someone was ripping out her stomach. Shadow's stomach  tightened and she threw up. There were chunks of raw meat  mixed with blood. When she saw this she threw up again.  She tried to stand and couldn't. She put her muzzle in  the water hoping to soothe the pain in her stomach. She  looked around. Shadow saw snow capped mountains to her  left. There was an eagle soaring above looking for its  prey. Behind her stood an old willow tree. Its long  vines brushed against the ground. There was no evidence  of what she had killed. To her right was a forest filled  with funny looking trees, she did not recognize. They  looked like crippled pine trees.
Shadow stood up on her four legs. They felt heavy as she made her way back  to the willow tree. She walked under the long willow  branches. She felt protected from the sun. The wind blew  softly. Her senses were heightened. She smelt a black  bear a couple of miles away. She heard a rabbit playing  in the brush. Right next to the willow tree, a mouse poked  its head up to see what was by its tree. Shadow started  to dig a hole. She didn't know exactly why she just knew  she should. The earth felt cool against her tired bones.  Once again Shadow fell asleep.
Shadow woke up. The afternoon air was filled with the smell of lilac. Shadow  stood up this time she had only to legs. She was naked.  She peeked out from under the willow branches. She didn't  see anyone around so she walked out between the long  stringy branches of the willow. She looked across the  river. All she could see were enormous rocks. Her lungs  filled with fresh air. Shadow started to run towards the  mountains. She felt the wind blowing her long black hair.  She leaped over rocks that were twice her size. Sometimes  she landed on her hands and feet. Shadow wasn't sure where  she was headed. She just knew she had to run.
The sun was setting as she crossed the long prairie. The crickets were  beginning to sing. Shadow followed the river as far as  she could. She took a drink only when she had too. She  was no longer tired. She felt as though she could run  until she met up with the ocean. To her surprise it was  not to far away. Shadow stopped at the edge of a mountain.  When she looked up all she could see was an enormous flat  wall. She new she couldn't climb it, so she continued her  journey. Shadow could only turn west towards the ocean  she could smell the salt in the air. She started to run  once more.
She stopped to rest on the edge of a small steam. She licked the water it was  salty. It would not be too much longer. Her hunger grew.  It was a hunger within her she did not understand. No  food could fill this hunger. It was emptiness deep within  her. She leaped across the stream. The moon was now full.  Her black hair sparkled in the moonlight. Her heart beat  stronger, as her legs extended. Without realizing it her  body began to change slowly while she ran. Her muscles  became thicker. Her feet, hands changed into paws. Her  arms changed into legs. Her face grew long now replaced  with the face of a wolf. She sensed the ocean was near  she leaped up onto a large boulder. She sat down rest on  its cold surface. She howled at the moon. She saw that  she had changed. It wasn't anything like the movies.  There wasn't any horrible blood or gross oozing liquid.  Her body just plainly changed. She wasn't a monster in  some movie. She was just what she desired to be, a wolf.
Shadow waited a long time. Looking below the water crashed against the  cliff's wall. She decided to move on. She climbed down  the ruff path. She was still far from the water. She  glanced down the current wasn't as violent her so she  jumped. Her body flipped over once then crashed into the  water. The salty water tasted bitter as she sucked into  her mouth and lungs. Instinctively she started to swim.  Shadow was still sinking deep into the salty water. Her  legs pushed the water hard pushing it behind her. Her  eyes adjusted to the dim light. Shadow once more began  to change with each stroke her legs grew shorter. 
Slowly her body twisted she looked at first like a great enormous bullet.  Then she grew fins. Then she grew a large tail. Shadow  was now a large blue whale. Shadow swam east towards  Rogby. Shadow swam slowly looking at everything. Her eyes  adjusted to the darkness. She saw a Killer whale gliding  along the bottom of the ocean. She could hear other whales  singing eerie but beautiful songs to each other. Most  humans can not hear these. Shadow paused for a moment.  How odd, she thought. She still felt human. By now she  realized she was no longer like other humans. 
There was a long strange looking fish hanging around her another she could  feel attached itself to her back. She flipped her tail  downward then upward the fish clung to her back. The only  thing she accomplished was making a huge wave on the surface.  Shadow swam. The temperature dropped a few degrees. She  crossed from Elwyn to Rogby in less than a half an hour.  Shadow came up for air. She took a deep breath once she was  topside. Water and air shot out of her spout. Shadow dove  once more. Shadow dove deep. She saw some Krill and devoured  them. They weren't very big shrimp but they tasted delicious.  When she had her fill of Krill, she swam into the mouth of a  river.
The hunger within her soul grew once more. She dove almost hitting the rocky  bottom. Then she pushed upward pushing off the rocks with  her enormous tail. She felt the water rushing in her mouth.  Her inner hunger grew. Shadow leaped high causing waves to  crash back into the ocean. Her large body flew into the air. 
Shadow felt her body changing again. Shadow's fins turned into long wings. She  soared above the clouds. Then dove toward the ocean. Feathers  pushed out of her thick skin. She grew smaller. Her large  tail was replaced with tail feathers. Her mouth turned into  a hooked beak. She had become a Golden eagle soaring through  the sky. The golden tint of her feathers glistened in the sun.  She flew higher, above the clouds.
Shadow felt a great urgency to continue flying even though her great wings were  tired. She wanted to stop and rest but her heart ached from  the hunger that grew stronger. Her sharp eyes caught a glimpse  of a rabbit below. She hovered above the rabbit for a short  time then dove straight down plunging her deep claws into  the rabbit's ribs. Shadow carried the rabbit to a tall pine  tree. The rabbit lay still but was still breathing. She broke its neck then devoured it by ripping its flesh to shreds. Shadow did not think about what she was doing. She rested after the she was finished eating.
Shadow rested four a couple of hours. She woke up to sounds of gunfire. Her  heart pounded as she felt an arrow brush one of her wings.  The arrow had missed her but she wasn't about to let the  next one hit her. Shadow leaped off the tree branch. The  hunter below took another shot. She soared above the clouds  once more. For now she was out of danger but what would  happen the next time. The hunger deep within her grew even  stronger.
Shadow flew for many hours the evening was growing near. She looked below there  was a large body of water below her. The sun was setting the  safest time was at night. She flew in circles high above the  clouds until the moon shined brightly. The stars were truly  beautiful they seemed so close. She wondered if she flew  higher maybe she could touch them. Shadow looked down once  more before she started to dive. The wind blew between her  feathers as she soared towards the water. Her body once  more began to change.
Shadow hit the water violently waves splashed up onto the muddy  riverbank. She dove deep her body became rigged. Shadow  feathers sunk deep into her flesh fur started to ooze out  of small pores. Her body twisted and turned making small  quakes in the water above her. Her beak melted into a  short beak with an a diamond shaped nose. Her legs  disappeared into her body then four legs pushed their  way out of her short rounded body. Shadows' claws also  seemed to disappear into her body. Then four feet grew  into small fingers with sharp claws. Her eyes closed and  when she opened them they had changed. Now they were very  small brown eyes. Shadow's tail feathers disappeared under  her furry dorsal. Her tail grew wide and flat. The tail  was covered with tuff skin and the end came to a point.  Shadow had whiskers to help her find her way through the  water. Her eyesight was not as keen as before. Shadow was  now a large shrew like animal.
Shadow swam towards the surface. Shadow stuck her nose out of the water so  she could breathe easier. Her sense of smell was acute.  She could smell a bear fishing on the riverbank. Shadow  could hear the crashing of it paws hitting the water.  Shadow skimmed across the water with ease. Shadow could  smell no danger so she climbed on shore. She stood on a  piece of driftwood near the water. She listened to the  sounds surrounding her. There were insects rubbing their  legs together. Other insects flying around the river.  There was a rabbit close to her nibbling on some grass.  Shadow hopped off the log onto the muddy ledge. She dug  a hole and climbed in. Shadow curled up and fell asleep.
Shadow woke up the night was calm and quite. She felt hungry but wasn't  sure what to eat. She dove into the water. Shadow chased  some small minnows. They swam to fast for her. She  decided to eat some plants. Shadow finished eating.  She came up for air then dove back into the water.  Shadow swam faster the urgency of her hunger grew.  The river stopped abruptly. Shadow climbed out of the  water. She could see a thick forest edge about a mile  away. She stayed hidden beneath the huge bushes. 
Shadow felt itchy like little bugs were climbing in her fur. Shadows  stretched out on the muddy ground she rolled around  trying to scratch her itch. It did not help. Her skin  thickened. Her fur grew longer and softer. The color  started to change it was black. Shadow could feel her  bones stretching. It was uncomfortable but not painful.  Her fur and muscles grew at the same rate. Shadow rolled  on the ground once more as her body grew. Her eyes were  large and deep brown. Her nose grew wider. She grew  fangs. She had small round ears. Her tail grew to a  furry stub. She snorted when she realized what she had  become, a bear.
Shadow could see a long suspended bridge extending from a large  mountainside to the forest. She would have to stay well  hidden. She found a cove between two huge boulders. She  scratched at the dead leaves on the ground to make a bed  for herself. There was a large bush in front of the  opening; she was hidden from any intruders. The sun  shined brightly, Shadow awoke naked. She was once again  human. She wondered if this was all just a dream. She  stood under a cliff and walked into the sunlight.
Shadows body once again changed. Her flesh turned to white fur with black  stripes. Shadow hands changed into large paws with huge  claws. Her human teeth became sharp with long fangs in  the front. Shadow licked her paw, she knew she was now  `a tiger. She roared, as her body grew stronger. Shadow  heard a distant roar in reply to her own. Shadow leaped  into the sunlight, she was going home.
Shadow looked into her sons eyes, and said and this is how I became a  shimmer. This forest is my home but across that bridge  hidden within the mountains you will be safer. It is  time for me to go into the spirit world my sons, but  first I have to pass my gift on to you. She embraced her  sons and prayed to Tigress and Kestrel. Devin and Rajah  floated above the ground and saw the things their mother  had seen. Their bodies glimmered with blood red light  then bright yellow as the sun. Shadow Whispered to them  I shall be with you always, when they opened their eyes  they saw their mother in her true form. She lay dead  between them; she was a great white tiger. This was the  form she had chosen. Rajah wept over his mother's body,  Rajah said, I will do as you wish mother. We shall  flourish this great land. Devin and Rajah lifted their  mother's body to the sky. Tigress and Kestrel appeared  to Rajah and Devin. They touched them as they did their  mother. The men prayed to their God and Goddess, as  their mother did before them. Tigress and Kestrel  carried Shadow back into their world. Devin, Tearz and  I walked across the suspended bridge to look for our new home.
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