Slave: The Fight to Save a Species

“I have to do what?”

Adrian sighed, “All you have to do is lay on your back in a bed while I read your lines.”

“No, you left out one important part! My wolf’s wearing a nightgown! I am not – in any form – wearing an old woman’s night dress!” I argued back as we were standing in the main room. Right from the moment that I woke up Adrian and Lily dragged me down to show me what to do for her play.

Adrian looked exasperated, “Look, wolf, you said you would help.”

I narrowed my eyes, “Wrong, you volunteered me.”

“Then do it for Lily.”

I looked at the little girl as she colored a picture, trying her hardest to stay in the lines.

“Fine.” I sighed

Adrian nodded, “Good, now go shift, we need to practice.”

I walked out as Adrian went to Lily. Entering the bathroom I closed the door, undressed, and then reentered the room as a wolf.

“Alright, I need you to lie on the floor as if it was the bed.”

Getting into position I let my front feet fold over my fore arms, belly exposed.

“Good, now, Lily, I want you to say your lines.”

Lily walked up to me, "Grandmother! Your voice sounds so odd. Is something the matter?" she asked.

Continuing to stay on my back I listened as Adrian read the next line.

"Oh, I just have touch of a cold," Adrian gave a little cough to demonstrate.

"But Grandmother! What big ears you have!" Cried Lily

"The better to hear you with, my dear," replied the Adrian.

"But Grandmother! What big eyes you have!"

"The better to see you with, my dear!"

"But Grandmother! What big teeth you have," said Lily her voice quivering slightly.

"The better to eat you with, my dear," Adrian looked at me and whispered, “This is where you chase her.”

Following what he said, I got up and slowly chased Lily.

She ran across the room and through the door, shouting, "Help! Wolf!" as loudly as she could.

“Okay, good. Now here is where the woodsman comes, makes you spit out grandma, an carries you away, got it?”

I nodded my head, and then pounced on him, only to run off chasing Lily around the house. For the rest of the evening Lily, my wolf, and Adrian’s leopard chased each other through the rooms, having a great time.

Lying back down on the floor, I caught my breath. Without thinking, I asked Lily a question while I was still in wolf form, ”Why aren’t you at school?

“Oh, because the kids who are in a play that day get the day off so that we can be practiced and relaxed for the show!” Lily answered

Adrian’s leopard tilted his head in confusion just as I realized what I did. I have this special ability where I can place my mind into other people’s heads and talk to them. It’s abnormal, and I’m the only shifter who can do it. Since I didn’t forward the question into Adrian’s mind as well, Lily talking out of the blue about her school caused him to wonder.

That’s not good.

Running into the bathroom, I shifted again and walked back out fully clothed. I hope nobody learns my secret, only bad things come from my abilities.

~*~

The theater darkened, a quiet command for the audience to become silent as a small boy walked across the stage and sat on a stool. Opening his book he began to read as the stage lit up, bringing the story to life.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a village near the forest. Whenever she went out, the little girl wore a red riding cloak, so everyone in the village called her Little Red Riding Hood.

One morning, Little Red Riding Hood asked her mother if she could go to visit her grandmother as it had been awhile since they'd seen each other.

"That's a good idea," her mother said. So they packed a nice basket for Little Red Riding Hood to take to her grandmother

When the basket was ready, the little girl put on her red cloak and kissed her mother goodbye.

"Remember, go straight to Grandma's house," her mother cautioned. "Don't dawdle along the way and please don't talk to strangers! The woods are dangerous."

"Don't worry, mommy," said Little Red Riding Hood, "I'll be careful."

But when Little Red Riding Hood noticed some lovely flowers in the woods, she forgot her promise to her mother. She picked a few, watched the butterflies flit about for awhile, listened to the frogs croaking and then picked a few more.

Little Red Riding Hood was enjoying the warm summer day so much, that she didn't notice a dark shadow approaching out of the forest behind her...

Suddenly, the wolf appeared beside her.

"What are you doing out here, little girl?" the wolf asked in a voice as friendly as he could muster.

"I'm on my way to see my Grandma who lives through the forest, near the brook," Little Red Riding Hood replied.

Then she realized how late she was and quickly excused herself, rushing down the path to her Grandma's house.

The wolf, in the meantime, took a shortcut...

The wolf, a little out of breath from running, arrived at Grandma's and knocked lightly at the door.

"Oh thank goodness dear! Come in, come in! I was worried sick that something had happened to you in the forest," said Grandma thinking that the knock was her granddaughter.

The wolf let himself in. Poor Granny did not have time to say another word, before the wolf gobbled her up!

The wolf let out a satisfied burp, and then poked through Granny's wardrobe to find a nightgown that he liked. He added a frilly sleeping cap, and for good measure, dabbed some of Granny's perfume behind his pointy ears.

A few minutes later, Red Riding Hood knocked on the door. The wolf jumped into bed and pulled the covers over his nose. "Who is it?" he called in a cackly voice.

"It's me, Little Red Riding Hood."

"Oh how lovely! Do come in, my dear," croaked the wolf.

When Little Red Riding Hood entered the little cottage, she could scarcely recognize her Grandmother.

"Grandmother! Your voice sounds so odd. Is something the matter?" she asked.

"Oh, I just have touch of a cold," squeaked the wolf adding a cough at the end to prove the point.

"But Grandmother! What big ears you have," said Little Red Riding Hood as she edged closer to the bed.

"The better to hear you with, my dear," replied the wolf.

"But Grandmother! What big eyes you have," said Little Red Riding Hood.

"The better to see you with, my dear," replied the wolf.

"But Grandmother! What big teeth you have," said Little Red Riding Hood her voice quivering slightly.

"The better to eat you with, my dear," roared the wolf and he leapt out of the bed and began to chase the little girl.

Almost too late, Little Red Riding Hood realized that the person in the bed was not her Grandmother, but a hungry wolf.

She ran across the room and through the door, shouting, "Help! Wolf!" as loudly as she could.

A woodsman who was chopping logs nearby heard her cry and ran towards the cottage as fast as he could.

He grabbed the wolf and made him spit out the poor Grandmother who was a bit frazzled by the whole experience, but still in one piece.

"Oh Grandma, I was so scared!" sobbed Little Red Riding Hood, "I'll never speak to strangers or dawdle in the forest again."

"There, there, child. You've learned an important lesson. Thank goodness you shouted loud enough for this kind woodsman to hear you!"

The woodsman knocked out the wolf and carried him deep into the forest where he wouldn't bother people any longer.

Little Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother had a nice lunch and a long chat. The End

The crowd clapped, parents and friends stood as the cast of children and one wolf bowed.

The curtain fell, bringing an end to another great show.

~*~

“Daddy! Did you see me?!”

Lily ran up to her father, jumping into his arms. We where outside of the school where parents were congratulating their kids. I was still in wolf form, not wanting to change just yet. Kids and parents alike would walk up to me as I sat by Adrian and his family, wanting to tell me how grateful they were to me for filling in and getting the chance to touch a wolf for he first time.

“Daddy? Can I go to the bathroom?” Lily asked.

Landers looked at me, “As long as you stay by Carmella.”

I escorted the kid to the ladies room, opting to stand guard by the door. When she was done, I escorted her back, but before we could make it to safety, a man jerked Lily back, covering her scream with a cloth. As I was preparing to attack, something slammed into my head, knocking me out.

But before I passed out completely, I let put a shrill howl.