Ellie yawned and stretched, luxuriating in her smaller, vulpine, form. This was how she was supposed to be. She might have been human more of the time, but this was her real self.
Her nails clicked on the concrete as she trotted down the road, her white fur glowing, in the light of the full moon.
Chris hated this time of month. The pain and exhaustion brought on from the forced turn still wracked his body. He would have liked to just curl up in his new apartment and wait for it to be over but something had drawn him outside under the moonlight - or at least slinking through the shadows.
The air outside was alive with scents, sights and sounds, not just external animal calls, but thoughts flittering through the dark ether, drawing beings together.
Amber eyes flicked about, ears flattened back against his head as he moved. The heightened senses were always so strange, but this was worse than normal. It was overwhelming.
'I was right then?' Ellie wandered up to the other creature
Chris shrunk back from the smaller animal. He shook his head against the echo within his head. 'Wha..?'
''S Ellie, from the cafe.'
"Ell.. Oh. I..." He shook his head again.
She blew a huff down her nose and began to walk away. 'Well, come on then'
'Come on... where?' Chris was so confused and overwhelmed but found himself following her regardless, the moonlight highlighting his mottled fur as he stepped partially out of the shadows.
'The call, I know you hear it. It'll hurt more if you don't'
'Call? What call?'
'That crackle in the air, it's the call. When there's a lot of us about, it manifests'
'Us? Th-there are.. more?'
'Welcome to Haven...properly'
'I... Thanks. I think.' He gave a small shake of his head. 'Feels weird.'
'Stop fighting'
'I'm not.'
'It settles, to a hum almost, give it time'
He huffed, ears flattening slightly. 'I've never... Where are we going?'
Ellie stretched and yawned. 'The park...I still think it should be called the Howl, but not everyone howls so...'
'How... How many are there? Like this, us?'
'Here, you make 328, in the world? Maybe 10 times that. Art knows best'
'Three hundre... Shit. I... I can't.' Chris stopped walking. 'I should just go.'
'Where to? It's a Therian town
'Home.' He shook his head again before slinking back into the shadows as he heard the sound of something approaching.
Ellie let out a sound of gentle joy as a vast black panther padded out of the darkness 'Art.'
The huge cat lowered his head and nuzzled Ellie.
Chris shrunk back, amber eyes glinting disc-like in the moonlight as he watched them. The panther could easily kill them.
'Hmm, perhaps he wasn't the right choice' Arthur Fitzwilliam mused
Ellie snorted a laugh.
'...what?' Chris wasn't sure he could feel anymore confused.
'I choose who we take here, you might well not be strong enough' Art replied
'I don't... I'm not... I don't understand any of this.'
'What's not to understand? You're a Therian, I chose you to be here,' Art's thoughts rumbled through.
'I don't know what that means.' Chris shook his head against the strangeness. 'What do you mean chose me?'
'We're all chosen,' Ellie's voice broke through
'That doesn't really make it clearer.' His attention flicked to Ellie and he edged out of the shadows again. 'As far as I knew I just applied for a job and a flat.'
'You applied for a life, a chance to be a better you,' Art replied.
'We need to do this when we're human, he can barely hack the shift,' Ellie yawned