A teenager's family heritage manifests on the night of the full moon.

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Werewolves exist. Yes, weres exist...but they are not what you think they are. Not by a long shot. They are not the creatures of nightmares, the monsters who run across the movie screens. Instead, they are your neighbor...your classmate...or even your girlfriend.

My name is Darek Ross and I am 16, having just turned so a little over a week earlier. And though my birthday had been exciting, it was nothing compared to that night, to what was coming. It was the real celebration, the real coming of age that both excited and terrified me.

At the moment, I was sitting in my living room, glancing around at my mom and dad, both of whom kept giving me glances, their expressions seeming just as mixed as my own emotions. But then again, that was to be expected considering what that night was.

"The full moon," I whispered, glancing out the window and wondering how much longer before the sun set. My heart nearly crept into my throat as I thought about it.

Weres exist, but they...we are not what people think. I didn't know how it began, nor do I think that anyone really does, though there are dozens of theories that I've heard. Remnants from Atlantis, an ancient curse that has been passed down, the legacy of some long forgotten alien race and even that we always existed, evolving alongside mankind. Of course there are other theories, far too many, but not enough facts.

All throughout human history, there have been stories about weres. Creatures that could shift between human and animal, creatures that were part both. There were stories about strange monsters, werewolves and vampires, all of them inspired from pieces of truth...and larger pieces of misunderstanding.

Forget the legends. Forget Lon Cheney, the Howling and silver bullets. Forget the beasts that howl at the moon, murder innocents and spread their curse with a bite.

The truth is far scarier. The truth is that weres are just people. They look, act, and even think just like every other human. Weres have lived among humans for ages, and still do to this day. There aren't too many of them, though they are far more numerous than people might guess.

And though werewolves are the most famous, they are no more common than any other were. No more likely to be seen than a wererabbit. Every were is different, transforming into a different animal upon the nights of the full moon, retaining the ability to do so on other nights as well.

Being a were is not a curse, but a gift. A birthright. It is not something that can be transferred to another by biting them as the stories suggest. Instead, it is genetic, like any other genetic trait, being passed on by one or both of the parents. And even then, it does not manifest until a person turns sixteen. Or specifically...the first full moon after they turn sixteen.

"Like tonight," I mused, staring nervously out the window again, trying to see how close the sun was to going down.

It was the first full moon after my sixteenth birthday, and I was about to get a present even greater than any car...or at least I hoped. I was going to transform for the very first time, discovering whatever animal it was that I was going to turn into. I just desperately hoped that it wasn't something stupid or embarrassing, which I heard happened to a number of young weres.

For a moment, I wondered what the kids at school would say, what my best friend Brandon would say. However, I knew that I couldn't tell them, even if they would believe it. It was a secret that I'd long since learned had to be kept for the safety of my family...and the other weres.

Though weres tended to be pretty secretive about what they were, for safety sake, they did still tend to keep in contact with each other and even meet at conventions and the like. Not only was it a way to be open and talk about the things that they had in common, it was also a way to meet other weres. It was even at one of those that my folks first met each other.

With that thought, I glanced over at my mom who was walking past, giving me a smile to encourage me that everything would be all right. Dad on the other hand was sitting back and watching the news on TV, pretending that there was nothing unusual going on.

For a moment, I wondered if I might be like my mom, turning into a tiger under the full moon. She always looked unbelievable...and ferocious when she was like that. It would definitely be cool to turn into something like that, though what your parents changed into didn't seem to have any effect on what their kids became.

Then I glanced over at dad, always feeling a stirring of pride at his transformation. My dad was a Mythic. They're rare, even among weres.

A Mythic was a were who turned into something strange...into creatures that weren't known by science, such as dragons, griffins, or in my dad's case...a unicorn. He turned into a huge white unicorn with a sharp looking horn growing right out of his forehead. And though he resembled a horse slightly when he was like that, there was no mistaking that he wasn't...even ignoring the horn.

Letting out a sigh, I knew that it would be extremely unlikely that I'd turn into something cool like either of my folks. I'd probably turn into a weremouse or something instead, though my mom always told me that it was safer that way. She and dad always insisted that anyone who turned into a distinctive animal like that had to stay hidden even harder when they changed, because they'd draw too much attention. And I could certainly see their point, clearly being able to imagine how people would react at seeing a tiger or unicorn running around.

Taking a deep breath, I still couldn't resist hoping, looking out the window again at the large property and treeline that surrounded our house. It was enough room and cover so that a tiger and unicorn could run around at night and not be seen by anyone, not even any nosy neighbors.

Then, I was shaken out of my thoughts as my mom's voice echoed through the house, calling out one of the most important words in existence..."Dinner!" I nearly ran to the table.

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Taking a deep breath, I splashed my face with cold water from the bathroom faucet, turning the water off and then glancing out the bathroom window, seeing the darkness outside. My heart nearly skipped at how close the time was, while my whole body threatened to shake. I'd never been so nervous before in my life, not to mention...excited.

"Can't I put it off," I asked nervously, "Just a little?" However, I knew that there was no pushing back nature, nor was I even sure that I really wanted to.

I tore my eyes from the window and stared at my reflection in the mirror. It was the same as it was a minute earlier, from my sandy blonde hair to the slightly large looking ears. I just had a hard time imagining that it would look different before very long...and not even human at that. Though whether I'd have fur, feathers or scales, I still didn't know, nor would I until it happened.

Suddenly I heard a voice calling out, "Darek," sending a chill down my spine with what followed next, "Hurry up! It's almost time!"

I gulped and then looked upward, quietly muttering, "Please don't let me turn into a snake or something gross."

A minute later, I was on my way to the living room to meet up with my folks. I frowned, glancing around nervously, unsure what was going to happen. Was it going to hurt? Would I still think the same? I knew that I'd already asked my folks those questions before, but the answers seemed to elude me at the moment, nor was I sure that I believed them anymore.

"Cheer up," dad chuckled, "You look like you're going to a funeral."

Mom just hurried over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, "Happy Change Day Darek."

I just tried not to show how afraid I was as I followed my folks out the back door, pausing just a short distance away from the porch. Dad looked around, scratching at his chin for a moment.

"This should do it," dad exclaimed proudly. "Now we'll get to see what your were is. I've been dying to know that for over 16 years." From the look on his face, I wasn't completely sure whether he was joking or not.

Just then, mom announced, "It's time."

I was almost surprised to realize that I didn't need mom to tell me that. I could feel...something. Something strange, a tingling sort of like static electricity. It filled the air, tickling my skin. With a nervous gulp, I looked up at the full moon coming into view, and then back to my folks.

Dad's hair had already turned a sort of golden while his whole body was sprouting white hairs. There was a faint golden gleam coming from his forehead, which only grew more pronounced. And though I'd seen it dozens of times before, I was still in awe to watch my dad slowly turning into a unicorn.

Quickly glancing towards my mom, I saw that she was already covered with the trademark orange fur and stripes of a tiger, looking very muscular and catlike already. Within seconds, she seemed to become more cat than human, dropping the bathrobe that she was wearing to the ground then dropping into a four footed position.

The sight of my parents transforming was so amazing that it took me a minute to realize that the strange sensations that I'd been feeling had grown stronger. I let out a grunt as my muscles all started to cramp up, then dropped to my knees, my whole body feeling extremely strange.

"I feel..." I started, pausing at the creaking in my voice, "Oh shit..."

Just then, the changes seemed to hit me in earnest, attacking every part of my body all at once. It wasn't too painful, just extremely...uncomfortable. I could feel my bones moving around inside of me, my muscles and flesh moving around as well, almost with a will of its own. I was too stunned to do anything but remain frozen, unable to move I think even if I had tried.

Somehow, I managed to let out a gasp as it rushed over me, the light of the moon making every cell of my body feel super charged...even more alive than ever before. But my flesh was still shifting...still changing. The bathrobe that I'd been wearing at my folks suggestion started to push open, then dropped to the ground around me.

I was vaguely aware that a large tiger and a unicorn were both standing to the side, staring at me just as intently as I'd been staring at them moments earlier. However, I barely paid them much attention, focusing instead on the strange sensations that were filling my body.

My chest seemed to swell, stretching out, while at the same time, I felt something tickling my shoulders and back. Then there was a pulling at my crotch and waist, each feeling extremely odd, but almost pleasurable at the same time.

Suddenly the changes seemed to stop, and though I felt extremely different, I couldn't feel my parts moving around anymore. After a few seconds of just remaining frozen where I was, I slowly looked down, startled by the sensations and a little confused that I didn't feel even more different.

"What the..." I started, surprised that I could still talk since I was supposed to be an animal of some sort. However, I didn't feel like I was an animal.

Then, as I saw myself for the first time, my eyes shot wide open and I jumped to my feet, even more shocked to see that I looked nothing like an animal. Or at least what I could see didn't look like an animal, though it was nearly as alien.

The first thing that I noticed was that my skin was green, though the second thing were the two bumps pushing out from my chest. I tried to absorb everything else all at once, though my mind was filled confusion and a million questions.

"Wh...what am I?" I asked, surprised to hear that it was a very feminine voice.

Suddenly, the sound of my voice made me gasp and take another look at the two bumps pushing out from my chest, giving me a little clearer idea of what I'd turned into, but not much. And with a quick look between my legs, seeing nothing there but a patch of dark green hair that looked almost like moss, I gasped.

"I'm a girl..." I choked out, not sure what to think about that.

Gulping nervously, I looked at my hands, seeing that they were the same green as the rest of my body, but also small and feminine looking, with extremely dark green, almost black nails, which looked a bit sharp. They were my hands...but they weren't.

At this point, I finally turned and gave a nervous look at my parents, having a hard time reading any kind of expression into their animal faces. My mom slowly came towards me, nearly making me jump back since a tiger circling you would do to just about anyone. She stopped right next to me, giving me a few cautious sniffs before rubbing up against me.

Nodding faintly, I got the message. That I was going to be all right, that everything was fine and she was there for me. I just wasn't sure that I really believed it, though I reminded myself that I had expected to change...just not quite like that.

Oddly, I wasn't really too scared about what was happening to me, only confused. After all, I was a were now...I just didn't know what kind. There was an odd sense of comfort in that, knowing that as soon as the sun came up I'd be back to normal since that was the way of weres.

I absently patted my mom on the head and then stepped away, looking around me and suddenly freezing, realizing that everything seemed...different. The grass all seemed to be sort of glowing...and the trees.

"The trees..." I whispered, staring at them in amazement, slowly walking towards the nearest one.

Every tree that I saw seemed to be sort of glowing, but not glowing. It was hard to explain, only that I could see different colors in the trees, sort of...feel them. Strange as it sounded, even to me, it was almost as if I was reading their minds. No, not their minds since I couldn't feel any kind of thoughts...their hearts. Their...souls. And I felt sort of drawn to them.

Halfway to the first tree, I stopped, looking down at myself again in confusion, wondering what I was feeling...and why. How come I could see the trees like that, and as I stood there, I realized that I was even hearing things strange. Things all around me, confusing me even more.

"What am I!" I nearly screamed, turning and running straight for the house.

As soon as I was inside, I stopped, looking around in surprise. Everything looked different to me in the house as well. Everything looked...bigger.

With a gulp, I started towards the bathroom, nervously looking around me, seeing that the pictures were higher on the walls, the chairs looked taller and the hallway looked just a little longer. The whole thing made me feel almost like a little kid, which I really didn't like. By the time I got to the bathroom, I wasn't at all surprised that the door handle was higher as well. And from the position, I had to guess that I had lost around a foot or so of height.

"The marks," I whispered, glancing at the pencil marks on the inside door frame, from where my folks had marked my height every year on my birthday.

I stood up against the wall and marked the top of my head with my hand, then stepped back, my eyes going wide as I saw where it was. I was about 4 and a half feet tall, more than a foot shorter than normal.

"I'm tiny," I squeaked out, shaking my head in amazement.

Then I frowned and slowly closed the bathroom door, revealing the large mirror that covered a portion of it. My reflection was immediately shown, making me gasp in surprise and near disbelief.

The image in the mirror was that of a slender woman with green skin. Her...my breasts were definitely there, but they weren't the big round kind, more like the perky firm ones that turned up a little at the nipples, which were sort of a darker green. I might have had the height of a kid, but my body definitely wasn't. It was the shape of a woman, not the teenage boy I was such a short time earlier.

My hair wasn't quite normal either. Not only was it dark green, but it seemed thicker as well, not to mention long enough to reach my waist. And of course there was the fact that it looked like green and brown leaves were mixed in with it, but a gentle tug revealed that they were part of my scalp as well.

"Weird," I whispered, turning my attention to my face.

My face was green as well of course, looking sort of...elven and could have been almost anything from 15 years old to 25. The lips were dark green and just a little pouty, sort of like Angela Jolie's. And my eyes were a little larger than normal, and more expressive. They were a brown and green mix that looked extremely exotic, especially with my arched green eyebrows over then.

Then I turned my attention to my ears in amazement. They were the same green as my skin, not to mention long and pointed. Not the pointed type like a Spock's, but much longer, much higher. And less human looking. They stuck out a bit and the sharp, almost spearlike tips ended above the top of my head, giving me an even more alien appearance than everything else combined, though by no means an ugly one. I just looked very...exotic.

"No wonder I could hear so much outside," I whispered, nervously touching them to make sure that they were real.

I stood there for a moment, examining my body, feeling more curious than anything else at the moment. My whole body looked so strange...felt so strange. However, it wasn't really a bad strange, just different.

After examining myself for a minute, I slowly stepped away from the mirror and made my way out of the house, remembering for the first time since I'd run inside that my folks were both outside waiting for me. I blushed in embarrassment, not even knowing if it was visible in my new skin. What could they be thinking about this?

"What am I?" I asked the moment I stepped out the door, gesturing down at my naked body.

Suddenly I felt a faint tingle inside my head as well as a voice..."A Mythic..."

I nearly jumped back at that in surprise, frantically looking around to hear who'd spoken. Then I noticed my dad standing there, staring at me with a faint glow from his horn.

"D...dad?" I asked hesitantly.

He nodded his head and then I felt his voice inside my head again. "I'm pleased that you can hear me. Most can't."

For a moment, I just stared at him, remembering that he'd once said something about having limited psychic powers as a unicorn, sometimes being able to communicate with other weres when they were both in animal shape. I hadn't quite been sure that I believed him at the time, but now there was no doubt.

Mom slowly moved next to me and rubbed at me with her large head, nearly making me giggle.

Then dad announced, "I...I'm not sure...but I think that you may be a dryad. A wood nymph."

"A wood nymph," I repeated stupidly, glancing down at myself and then the trees that I was still feeling drawn to. "No way."

It wasn't possible, it couldn't be. I stared down at myself in amazed curiosity, not sure what to think about that. I was a little confused, and just a little bit relieved to have some idea of what I'd turned into, though I still wasn't sure that I believed it. After all, I couldn't be a Mythic.

Mythics were the rarest of weres, with maybe a dozen of them...us throughout the entire world. They were the ones who had to keep hidden the most, to keep people from realizing that things like weres existed. And then there was the fact that two Mythics in one family was unheard of.

"A dryad," I whispered, knowing that such creatures weren't supposed to exist, but then again, neither were weres.

One of the things that made Mythics so different, was not only did they turn into mythological animals and things that shouldn't exist, but no one was sure if that was because those creatures had never existed or because those kinds of creatures had gone extinct. Like dinosaurs.

I'd once met an old man at one of the conventions who was a weredinosaur of some sort, though they tended to call him a Mythic since he was pretty rare too. I chuckled at the memory, thinking about how he lived in Scotland and liked playing with people's heads. However, dad had made it clear that he didn't approve of that kind of exhibitionism, saying that it was too dangerous. Too risky.

"Not like I'm gonna do anything like that," I giggled, knowing that I didn't want ANYBODY to see me like that, except maybe other weres who'd understand.

"You're unique among weres," dad's voice said in my head. When I looked at him, wondering what he meant, he finished, "No other were alive can speak in their fully changed form." I could feel his pride, which only made me more embarrassed.

"What about..." I paused, trying to remember her name, "That lady who turns into a parrot?"

I could feel dad chuckling at that, "I guess there is one exception." Then he told me, "Now why don't you go and explore your new shape."

With that, mom and dad turned and started around the corner of the house, leaving me there by myself. I stood there for a moment, not sure what to do, then looking up at the full moon in amazement, wondering if I was supposed to howl or something.

After shaking my head, I looked around, deciding that I might as well follow my dad's advice. I just stared at everything around me, taking in just how different it looked. Or at least how different the plants looked. How alive they all felt to me. I even felt sort of...connected to them.

"What would Brandon say?" I asked myself quietly, wondering how my best friend would react to seeing me like that.

However, I knew that he'd never know. That I could never show him my new shape or reveal the secret of the weres. He'd probably think about all those movies and freak out, coming at me with a silver bullet or something before I could even explain. Dad always said that normal people were funny that way, and after seeing as many movies as I have, I didn't want to risk it.

Then again, I grinned, knowing that silver wasn't really much of a threat. Weres just had minor allergies to the stuff, getting rashes though not dying from touching it. And as I looked down at myself, I suspected that Brandon's reaction to seeing me wouldn't be to go for a gun with silver bullets anyway. It would probably be to hide somewhere and jack off.

I snorted at that, still chuckling inside. "I think that I'd prefer the silver bullet."

Still grinning, I took another look around and slowly started towards the trees that, following the strange urge that I'd been feeling. I was still a little confused about it, but I didn't fight it, instead just going along, wondering what my new instincts were telling me.

As soon as I reached the edge of the trees, I stopped and stared for a moment, amazed at the emotion filled colors, at the things I could feel all around me. It felt so...comforting. Almost as if the trees were welcoming me. Then I went a little further in.

After a few seconds, I stopped beside a large tree, feeling the age that emanated from it. The calm acceptance and unlimited patience. The feelings made me suddenly think of Gandhi, realizing that trees were the ultimate in the passive resistance that he preached.

Then, on a sudden impulse, I scrambled up the bare trunk of the tree, climbing just as fast as any squirrel, and as easily. There weren't even any marks left in the bark from where my nails had dug in.

Once I was nestled in the branches, I settled down into a comfortable position, closing my eyes and soaking up the new sensations that flooded my senses. The feelings that came from the trees all around me, and the sounds that tickled in my ears. Then I couldn't help chuckling, realizing that I was more amazed at what I could feel than with the fact that I was now a short green chick.

"Weird," I mused, slowly opening my senses further.

I wasn't sure how long I remained where I was, nearly one with the trees that surrounded me. Time ceased to have much meaning as I sat there, listening and feeling to every little thing around me.

The sounds of insects filled my ears and I could feel the small animals that climbed among the tree branches. The owl who perched the next tree over, waiting for its meal. And then I could feel the tiger that was slowly creeping through the trees, trying to be sneaky about it. I gave a faint smile at that, realizing that my mom was just being nosy again, trying to see what I was up to. However, I remained where I was and gave no indication of my presence, pleased when she passed by and eventually gave up in a growl of tigerly frustration.

With a self-satisfied smile, I opened my eyes and looked around, then down at myself. At the moment, my skin seemed to have changed color a little, matching the bark and leaves of the tree I was hiding in, giving me perfect camouflage. It only took a thought though and my skin returned to its previous green, though I returned to the camouflaged pattern a moment later.

"Cool," I whispered, realizing something else at the same time. I was sitting up in a tree, completely naked in the middle of the night, but not feeling either unbalanced or chilled in the slightest. Instead, I felt perfectly comfortable as I was, even where I was. "Very cool."

A few minutes later, I let myself slowly get lost in my senses once again. I was so comfortable, both physically and emotionally, that I even drifted off to sleep.

The next think that I was truly aware of was suddenly waking up in a tree, my body tingling from the change. And at that very instant of realizing that I was back to normal, I lost my balance and nearly fell right out of the tree, barely managing to catch myself in time.

"Oh shit!" I gasped from the branches, clutching the trunk tightly and gulping nervously. I was back to being a guy, but I was completely naked and stuck up in a tree with the sun coming up. "Fuck," I snarled, taking a deep breath and slowly climbing down, finding that the trip down was a hell of a lot harder without the dryad abilities from the night before.

It didn't take me too long before I went back into the house, a bit chilled from the morning cold and with a few scrapes from the tree, but feeling amazingly good. Memories of the night before...of my transformation seemed so unbelievable...so amazing.

Almost as soon as I stepped in the door, I was confronted by my folks, both of them wearing their bathrobes again and grinning...just as they did every morning after the full moon. However, neither of them said a word as dad handed me my own robe, though mom did turn her back for a brief minute, giving me enough time to put it on.

A minute later, I was sitting down at the table, both of my folks watching me with curious expressions. Dad looked proud, probably at having his son being a Mythic too, though there were a few slightly odd looks as well, most likely because of what type of Mythic I turned into. Mom on the other hand seemed mixed with pride...and amusement.

"Congratulations dear," mom told me, being the first to speak as she handed me a bowl of cereal for breakfast.

I just nodded, knowing that I was blushing some at the same time. Then I just hunched over and ate my breakfast in silence, unable to stop thinking about what it was like being a dryad. About how amazing it had felt. How different everything around me seemed...especially the trees. Somehow, I knew that I could NEVER think of trees in the same way again.

Finally, I finished with my cereal and pushed my bowl away, then slid my chair backwards a little while holding my hands out at the same time. I stared at them silently, almost in amazement, though they were the same hands that I always had. However, even as I stared at them, I knew that they weren't. Sure, they looked exactly like before, but I couldn't help seeing the feminine green fingers in my mind’s eye.

"A dryad..." I whispered, saying the first thing since coming into the house.

I wiggled my fingers and looked down at my flat chest, half expecting to see those perky breasts again. And I could feel it just beneath my skin, the full alive feeling that the full moon had given me the night before. It was dormant at the moment, but not gone in the least. It tickled at my thoughts...at my senses, reminding me that she wasn't gone in the least.

Then, I slowly began to smile, knowing that the dryad was still there...just waiting. Waiting for another full moon. Waiting for me to bring her back that very night. The dryad was a part of me now...and would be for the rest of my life. And at that very moment, I knew with absolute certainty that I wouldn't have it any other way. It was good to be a were.

THE END?