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 Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:23 pm
Oho, so you want to know more about the freaky fish gal? the one who's always so gung ho about fighting? well then lets have some fun!
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:24 pm
“GET BACK HERE YOU SNOTTY LITTLE BRATS!”
A huge bull-man, almost twice the size of a small man, rampaged through the streets of a very mixed up city. And this bull-man was very, very angry. Ironically, he ran a store that specialized in fine pottery he made himself, but because of these kids he got distracted and knocked over a shelf. He decided that some “punishment” was in order.
“I SAID COME BACK!” Another loud boom and the kids ran faster. There were 5 kids in all, running for their lives at that moment. The smallest was a little girl who was lagging behind the rest, but that was soon rectified. One of the taller boys stopped to pick her up, surprisingly able to run and hold her at the same time.
“Quick! If we go down the alleyway, we’ll be sure to lose him!” Another boy suggested, and the group made a beeline to the right, and disappeared. This didn’t deter the bull-man who just plowed right after them, smashing up dustbins and scaring cats out of the way.
Finally the group ended up on the other side, running out into the middle of the street. The paused to see if they were being followed, but all they saw was an empty alleyway.
“That showed him!” another girl shouted out, huffing and puffing from all the running. Everyone started laughing and talking about how ugly he was and the stench of his breath. This turned out to be a very bad idea; the kids hadn’t looked far enough for their pursuer. A stamp of his cloven foot, and all eyes went wide.
“Sooo…my breath stinks, does it?” he glared at them, eyes almost red with rage. “You’re all gonna pay for what you made me do to my precious wares!”
“Oh yeah?!” the boy from before spoke up, stepping in front of the smaller girl and holding up his fists. The other girl flanked his side, and the rest of the group fell back, looking very intimidated at the sheer size of this guy. The boy spoke up again; “I’d like to see you try!”
A whistle stopped the argument from progressing. The local guards, all human, ran towards the group shouting different words. They ignored the kids who now scattered, and went right after the bull-man who now turned his aggression onto the approaching guards. He was able to knock a few down, but the sheer number was proving harder to get rid of.
On the side-walk, a funny-looking man with a beak squawked, and ran to the bull’s aid. This caused a chain effect with different people running into the fight in order to help out their respective race.
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This was just another day in the life of this city. The war had devastated any familiar bonds to people and animals, and on any given day one was known to start a fight with the other. It didn’t matter who was right or what the argument was, it was all about trying to beat down the other person.
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:26 pm
After the eventful escape, the group snuck away towards their secret hideout. Most kids had a secret hideout, and they were no different. Their chosen location was on the edge of the city; an abandoned shop that was hidden among fallen debris from other buildings that had long been demolished. No one came there because of the barbed wire that surrounded the building and the “KEEP OUT” Signs plastered all over. It was the perfect place to plan out their adventures. Right now they weren’t so much as planning as…arguing
“Well that worked well” a sarcastic remark from one of the boys that sat on a wooden crate. “I don’t think I’ve ever ran so fast in my life”. The boy’s dirty blonde hair was disheveled in his usual style, although it seemed a bit more disheveled today. Probably from all the running he did.
“Well, you shouldn’t have called him a fathead” Another boy with short black hair said. “Or said his pottery looked like turds.”
“But they do!” He defended his statement. “And he shouldn’t have been picking on Ema”
“Well she did cause him to knock his vases over” replied the boy sourly, casting a glare at the small girl in the corner.
“I’m sorry…” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to knock them over…” Her light brown hair kept most of her face hidden from view as she tried to hide from the incriminating stare.
“Only because he couldn’t see where his stupid feet were going, and ended up tripping over her!” another girl jumped to Ema’s defense, her hair a darker shade of brown then ema’s, but just as long.
“And he wouldn’t have tripped over if you hadn’t have kicked him in the shin” the boy said.
“Okay okay, let’s calm down guys” An older boy, his hair a dark red, had remained silent thus far. He stood up to put an end to the verbal fight. He hadn’t accompanied them on their little outing, but by now he had some idea of what the others had gotten into. “It’s over now, and we’re all here. We’ll just have to remember to stay clear from his shop from now on.”
“But now we’ll have to find a new route through the city…” A girl with dark brown hair that came to her shoulders objected, shifting her position on the crate she sat on. “It was the only other place that didn’t have any cats or dogs on it.” By cats or dogs, she meant the feline and canine children who tended to band up in their own little groups, and pick fights with each other. And when they picked fights, it meant trouble for anyone else who was around.
“It’s okay, if we have to go through those streets, I’ll just beat them all up before they can hurt anyone!” the girl from before jumped to her feet and held up her fists in the air to emphasize her point. The older boy laughed at her enthusiasm, while the other boy just groaned in agitation. The third boy jumped up as well to give her a hive five.
“Well then, we’ll have to spend today figuring out some new routes, so we don’t have to end up in a fist fight every time we want to go somewhere. I don’t want to take on so many people at once.” He laughed some more. “But, I’m sure we'll be able to face anything that stands in our way, so long as we stick together. Right guys?”
“Yeah!” the rest shouted, except the black haired boy who only grunted in response.
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:26 pm
The gang consisted of 6 people, ranging from ages 8 to 14. The oldest being the boy called Ken. He was the leader of the group, being the most mature one there. He helped to settle arguments and was the one who kept them together by telling them what to do and encouraging them in times of need. The next oldest was Avian; a scrawny guy who was sour most of the time due to the amount of times he had been beaten up by bullies. Even so, he was good at escaping, so he was the one who came up with the escape plans. Next was Lina, who was happy to listen to any problem you had, and come up with an appropriate solution. She was the one who assisted Ken in explaining their numerous ideas.
The next two were poke, and Varn. Like two peas in a pod, they were the ones who would protect the rest of the group by fighting off anyone that challenged them. The last of the group was called Ema; she wasn’t able to help the group much, but she did try her best, and everyone was happy to have her along.
The group spent their time playing on the beach, hanging around the shops in hopes of a free snack, or fighting with the other groups of kids. The fighting part was rare. Namely they liked to defend anyone who seemed to be picked on, pretending to be heroes when they were able to drive the bullies off. Well, poke and Varn did at any rate.
They were fun times.
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Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 7:32 pm
Things started to change, when Ken was the first to get “sick”.
This wasn’t a regular type of sickness. It started out normal enough, with him complaining of a few aches and pains and feeling generally unwell. Then one day he suddenly collapsed in the hideout. Everyone was quick to take him home to his mother, whom put him to bed and called the doctor. The next few days they waited for him to get better. They tried to visit him, but when any of them approached the house, they were shooed away by his mother.
“I wonder why we’re not allowed to see him…” Lina thought out loud on the 7th day of Ken’s confinement as she walked to his house with the others.
“He must be really sick if he’s been in bed for a whole week” Varn made a comment while standing on the doorstep, knocking lightly on the door. In a few short moments the door opened to reveal a woman’s head peaking through the g ap.
“Oh…it’s you again...” she sounded very tired.
“Please let us see ken today, we want to wish him well” poke asked her.
“I…don’t know…he’s fairly sick…” She mumbled. She seemed very uneasy at their presence, which was odd in itself. Ken’s mother usually didn’t mind the children coming over to visit him.
“I brought flowers to make him feel better!” Ema held up a few purple flowers she had managed to find on the way to his house.
“Well…I suppose…” The door was finally opened, and the children shuffled in and towards Ken’s room, guided by his mother. Once they entered his room they went to his bedside. His form was covered complete by blankets.
“Oy, ken, are you going to wake up today or what?” Varn started to poke and proud the sleeping form until he was stopped by lina, who shot him a stern look.
Avian stood beside his bed, watching the still form for any signs of him waking up. Suddenly the form shifted, coming up in a sitting position, and kens face appeared from the blankets, although the rest of him was still covered. He didn’t say anything though, keeping his eyes trained on the bed in front of him. “So you’re awake now?” Avian asked, but ken gave no response.
“Ken? What’s wrong?” Lina asked with concern, putting a hand to his forehead. “Are you still felling unwell?”
“It’s….not that” His voice was barely a whisper. He kept the blankets securely around his form, and still did not meet anyone’s eye.
“Then what is it?” She pressed.
Ken sat there for a few minutes, looking very self conscious and unsure of what he should do. Then, eventually, he let the blanket down. Everyone gasped in shock.
Ken looked at his friends with an uncertain gaze, unsure of what they would think of him now. For his human ears were gone, and had been replaced by small, reddish ears the same color as his hair. And behind him he sported a rather fluffy red tail with a white tip.
“What…the hell… ?!” Poke’s eyes couldn’t go any larger than they were now, and neither could her jaw go any closer to the ground.
“I…don’t know. At first I felt sick, and I started aching all over. I slept a lot, and then when I woke up…- GAH!” Ken went topping backwards as Ema had suddenly jumped on top of him.
“Wow! Your ears are so fluffy! Can I pet them??” Ema was squeezing and petting his now fluffy ears, giggling like mad. “And your tail looks so cute….” She gave him a big hug, squeeing her delight.
“AH! Careful please, they’re really sensitive! Ow, ow ow! Don’t talk so loud either!” The poor boy tried to keep the smaller girl at bay while she tried to pet his ears over and over again. Lina had to struggle with pulling the child off him, while poke and varn had met with the floor and could not move from laughing so hard.
“Oh my god, this is amazing! C-c-can I pet your fuzzy ears too?” varn managed to stammer out before he rolled to the side in a fit of laughter.
“They make you look so adorable and cuddly, can I hug you too?” poke chimed in to while trying to maintain breathing.
“Quit it guys!” Ken had now resorted to blushing.
Then all of a sudden, the mood shifted. “Enough already!” an aggravated voice called out, and Avian was on his feet and moving away from the scene. All eyes now looked to him.
“Am I the only one who is thinking clearly? Do you not see what has just happened?” He pointed his finger towards Ken. “Our leader’s just turned into a fox!!”
“I think we already gathered that much, Avian.” Varn got up from the floor to sit on the bed again.
“Don’t you find this the least bit, ‘odd’?” he looked at ken, who kept his eyes downcast. “People don’t just turn into animals.”
“Maybe it was a magic spell?” Ema piped up.
“I seriously doubt it.”
“I’m at a loss myself” Ken said, not taking his eyes off the floor. “I’ve asked my mother countless times, but she won’t say a thing. I wonder…if this has something to do with my father…”
The group became silent. They all knew that ken did not have a father, and if he did, then his mother was keeping very quiet about it. She never spoke about him to anyone.
“Does it really matter?” Poke stood up now, slightly annoyed at where the conversation was going. “Who cares if ken is a fox guy now? He’s still ken, and he’s still our friend. Why should we need to make a huge fuss over this?”
“Pokes right; It’s not going to change how we think of him. We have no reason to treat him any differently than we did before.” Lina sat next to ken on the other side, putting a reassuring hand on his back.
“I swear, if anyone tries to lay a hand on you ken, I’m gonna kick their sorry butt all over town!” Varn was quick to join in
It was a minute or so before ken responded, but when he did, his face was filled with warmth and relief. “T...thank you guys…you have no idea how much this means to me…” Ken then looked slightly worried. “I’m not sure how this will go down… I’m worried about how people will treat me now; you know how others act around animal people. In fact… it may even be dangerous to be around me.”
Varn merely shrugged. “Since when did that stop us before? It’s not like we don’t get into trouble all the time.”
“Everyone picks on everyone else here, it’s not going to make a difference” Lina reassured her friend.
Avian however, didn’t looked convinced. “This isn’t going to end well…” he muttered. He then leaned against the wall and stretched his back. He had been having a persistent backache for a few days now that refused to go away…
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:42 pm
The next few months could only described as one thing; bizarre.
The first week had been hard for their leader, with all stares they were getting from people passing by. There were also people that had known him before; those where the hardest to deal with. Some were quite surprised, but many looked at him with fear or anger, not understanding what was going on. Everyone did their best to support him, to protect him from people who wanted to do him harm.
Things got even more complicated when Avian and Lina started to feel sick.
At first, they thought Lina had a cold. She coughed and sneezed for a while, until one day she just didn’t turn up. Upon visiting her house, they realized it was something more serious than that. When they saw her, she had ears similar to Ken’s, but a darker brown. Her tail was also smaller and slimmer, but with shaggier hair. Ema wasn’t concerned with the differences; she tried to pet her in much the same fashion as she did ken, with the same hilarious results.
Avian wasn’t so lucky. The back aches he had been experiencing grew to such intensity, he could hardly move. Everyone was worried about whether he would be alright, until they were told that he was starting to feel better. Even so, when they tried to visit him he kept his door shut and allowed no one to enter. It was another week and a half before they were able to see him. They quickly realized the source of his horrendous back aches, when they saw the brown and white wings that jutted from his back.
“Woww! You’re a birdy!” Ema was about to jump him but the glare that she received frightened her enough to hide behind Lina.
“Don’t even think about it” Avian snarled, leaving everyone silent.
“Uhh…” Varn scratched the back of his head. “At least…you can…fly, now?”
His question was met with another glare. “That doesn’t mean anything. It just means I have something else people will single me out for. Dammit…” he cursed under his breath.
“It doesn’t matter Avian what others say about you. They’re just ignorant people who don’t understand…” Ken tried to say.
“Oh please, spare me with your pep talk. I don’t want to hear it.” With that, Avian pushed past them all and exited his room.
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Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2010 9:09 pm
A few weeks later, poke found herself sitting near the edge of a cliff face, her gaze directed at the ocean reflecting a brilliant blue sky. The birds overhead seemed to be floating on the wind without heed of the forces of gravity. It was a peaceful sight, and she was thankful for the moment.
“Thought I might find you here…” A voice from behind signaled her friends approach. He sat next to her, saying nothing and just watching the scenery.
“So, poke. What’s on your mind?” he asked her after some time.
“Just wondering how things got so wacked all of a sudden.” She replied.
“Could ya tell me if you figure it out? Cause I’d love to know” Varn sighed and picked up a blade of grass to fiddle with. “We have three people that have suddenly turned into animal hybrids, and we spend half of our time running away from everyone because they don’t like them.
“Not to mention that Avian has become more of a p***k than ever.”
“Yup. I don’t see what’s so wrong with having bird wings either, although now he thinks he’s a freak.”
“Yeah, though you can’t really blame him. Everyone who takes a look at our group starts laughing or shouting cruel things. It’s getting on my nerves….” Poke stared out at the ocean some more her mind ticking over, before her thoughts were interrupted again.
“Do you think it could happen to us?”
“What?”
“You know…” Varn looked at poke. “Us change into hybrids as well. Cause if three people out of our group have changed…”
“Then maybe all of us will end up changing…” she finished his sentence. “Though, I don’t see how you or I could be anything else. I mean…what could I be?”
“Well, isn’t your father part of the Fin tribe?” Varn pointed out.
“He is, but I’m pretty sure I’m not a fin tribe hybrid. I mean, I don’t have any gills or fins, and I’m only an average swimmer”
“You have a point there, especially since I always beat you in a swimming race.” He smirked at the annoyed look poke gave him. “Although, I can’t think of what I would turn into either. But it would be kinda fun to be part animal, because we could become much faster, or stronger even.”
“You have a point there.” Poke thought about how much faster Ken and lina could run now, while Avian was beginning to learn how to use his wings properly to fly. Soon he’d be soaring overhead, or perching on a building and sulking for whatever stupid reason.
“Still, I’m slightly worried Varn…” poke focused on the ocean again, looking slightly gloomy.
“About what?”
“We’re getting a lot of attention from everyone, even the guards in the city. I hear that sometimes, the guards like to take children away if they think they will be a nuisance, or if you’re a hybrid. They really hate anyone with animal blood… and, if it comes to a fight, I’m not sure if I can keep them away from everyone…”
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she look up to see Varn was smiling at her.
“Don’t sweat it poke, I’ve got your back.” He got to his feet. “If you’re going into a fight, then I’ll be right beside you. No one can take us on! We’ll protect our friends from anyone and anything.”
The declaration brought a smile to her face, and she stood up to face Varn. “You’re right; we’ll make sure no one gets past us. We’ll defeat the bad guys, and protect everyone from harm’s way.”
“Exactly!” Varn held up his hand, and poke met it in a high five action. She felt a lot better now, knowing that she wasn’t about to face any threat by herself. Hey varn?
“Yes?”
“Thanks, man”
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Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2010 9:10 pm
“WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY’RE GONE?!”
“That’s what I said.”
Avian leaned against a wall in the hideout with his arms folded, regarding poke coldly as she shouted her surprise. “Ken and lina have disappeared.”
Poke was at a loss for words. “But…but…how?? Who?? Why??”
“I don’t know, nor do I really care at the moment.” His wings shuffled. “The only thing I know is I went to their houses, and their parents said they were gone”.
“That doesn’t may any sense!” she objected. “I only saw them yesterday! How could they disappear so quickly?!”
“Again, I don’t know, and I don’t care. So stop asking me questions you already know the answer to.”
As he watched poke make a beeline for the door he added. “And don’t go running off in an attempt to go looking for them, because I know you have no idea where they are either.”
“Then what should I be doing then?!” she looked back angrily at Avian who hadn’t moved from his position. “Just standing around here and twiddling my thumbs? They could be in trouble! I gotta go find them!”
“You’d be wasting your time.”
“You’re not helping!” Frustrated, poke paced around the hideout in an attempt to get her mind to figure out what to do. It was clear the bird hybrid wasn’t going to assist her, so she’d have to do this herself. Suddenly she stopped, as something just occurred to her. “Wait, What about the others?”
“Ema is at her home, and Varn is at his. However I don’t think Varn will be coming in today. He seems to be…. “Unwell”, so to speak”
Again, the bird hybrid was forced to put up with pokes yelling as she shouted her exclamation, and watch as the girl ran out of the hideout in order to check on her friend. He sighed wearily; that girl wore at his patience all too often.
Poke had ran as fast as she possibly could towards Varns house, located on the other side of the city. She received weird glances and a few hisses/snarls from passersby, but she didn’t care. The only thing that was going through her mind was confirming what Avian said was true or not. She didn’t want to think about Ken or lina at the moment…
Once she reached the small cottage, she knocked on the door fervently. “Open up, please! Varn? Anyone? Open up!”
“Is that you poke?” a voice from inside. It sounded like his mother. “What’s the matter?”
“Yes, it’s me, just open up. I want to see Varn!!”
“I just put him to bed, he’s pretty ill…I think it would be better if you come tomorrow when he’s feeling better”
“Please!” poke begged her. For a few moments there was no response, until the door opened and poke was allowed to rush in. She made a beeline for his room, in which she burst through the door to his room and was at his bedside.
“Varn!” she managed to keep her voice a bit lower, but not that much. “Dammit, speak to me!” She looked over the sheets and watched as the boy lazily rolled over and…was still asleep.
“For crying out loud…. He doesn’t look that sick either…” she began to poke and proud him until he finally began to stir.
“Ehhhh…oh, hey poke, how ya going?” he said groggily before poke grabbed his shoulders and almost shook him.
“Ken and Lina have disappeared!” poke shouted.
This woke him up. “WHAT?!?!” Varn’s voice rivaled hers in intensity. “Since when?!”
“Since yesterday, Avian just told me!” she shook him again. “And he said that you’re sick too! Don’t tell me you’re about to grow horns or something!”
“Huh? What the hell is that guy on, I’ve only got a cold…” he grabbed pokes hands so she’d stop shaking him.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes”
“Your mom said you were really sick”
“My mom’s just overreacting” He let go of her hands once he was sure she wasn’t going shake him anymore. “But never mind my health; we need to go find Ken and Lina!”
“I know, but I don’t know where they are…or how we’ll find them for that matter.”
“Doesn’t matter, we’ll just get going and-“ before he could finish his sentence, Varn had covered his mouth and was coughing. It started out as a few small coughs before they became louder and more congested.
Poke sat there and watched as her friend recovered from his coughing fit. “I…think we better wait until tomorrow, so you can recover. There’s no point in going if you’re not well, right?”
‘Cough’ “I guess your right…” He laid down on the bed, holding his head and feeling annoyed at himself for even being sick. Poke helped put the blankets over him again, and then sat on the end of the bed, leaning against the wall.
Varn watched, and then realized she didn’t look like she was leaving anytime soon. He smirked. “Are you going to guard me while I sleep?” Varn asked. And to his surprised, she nodded. “What, all night?”
“I don’t want to leave…” poke mumbled, looking at the sheets. “...Is that okay?” she looked up at him.
Varn nodded, still smiling. “Of course…”
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 7:18 am
The next day poke awoke to the sun shining in her eyes, and a surrounding she did not immediately recognize until she remembered the events of yesterday. She sat up, noticing that she had been moved to the floor and now had her own set of blankets. Varn’s mother must have set them up for her…
She got up to check on her friend. As she did she felt a sudden sense of dizziness hit her, and she had to grab the edge of the bed to prevent her from falling over. Then just as quickly as it came, it disappeared.
That was weird… She thought. Steadying herself she looked at her friend, and then frowned; his face looked flushed, and he was breathing more deeply. So much for him getting better…
As she stood over his bedside wondering what to do, she heard a knocking, and then a door opening. However, the next set of noises had her concerned.
“Excuse me, who are you people?”
“We’re from the city guard force. We’re here to have a chat to your son…We’re afraid he may be involved in something that may be dangerous to himself and to you, so we would like to remove him from this city for a period of time, until we deem it safe for him to return.
“What minute, I don’t understand, what are you talking about?”
A few more exchange of words, and the door opened to reveal two men who were much larger then poke or Varn was. She was quick to jump in front of his bed, holding out her fists and glaring at the strangers.
“You stay away from him!” she shouted.
They stopped at the girls shouting, but did not look impressed. “Out of our way, kid” one said, aiming to push her to the side. Instead he was met with a tackle as the girl tried to fight him. Instead, he just grabbed the back of her shirt and held her away from him, watching her kick and punch the air.
“Varn!” she shouted. “Wake up, you got to run!”
By now He had woken up, but before he could realize what was going on, the other man had scooped him up and swun him over his back. He tried to fight him off, but he appeared to be even weaker then he was yesterday. The two children were carried outside, where a small carriage was waiting. As much as they struggled, neither of them could get out of the men’s strong grasps. Before pokes eyes, her friend was chucked into the caged carriage, and she was unable to stop them.
“LET….ME…GO!” poke screamed, and managed to grab hold of the guys arm before biting down as hard as she could.
“UGH, YOU LITTLE –“ she was dropped onto the ground, leaving her stunned for a minute before she scrambled to her feet.
But it was too late. The carriage had set off.
It didn’t stop her. Poke ran after the carriage, calling out her friend’s name. She ran as fast as she possible could, trying to catch up to the carriage in order to rescue him. She could still see his face inside, hands on the bars as he watched her with a somewhat stunned look on his face. He reached out to take hold of pokes hand with his own. She out, trying to grab him. She was so close now; she could almost reach him. If she could just grab his hand…
It wasn’t so. The carriage put on a sudden burst of speed, putting some distance between herself and Varn. She tried to keep on running but her body was starting to give out. Her lungs burned with the lack of oxygen, and her legs ran from trying to run for so long. She doubled over on the ground trying to breathe but finding it increasingly hard to. It felt like she was trying to breathe in water instead of air. In a few short moments her vision began to blur and fade away into darkness, and she passed out.
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 7:19 am
A few days later…
A local doctor came to a small house having been contacted by two parents who were concerned for the health of their child. He was told the girl had a constant fever, and complained of a painful headache, accompanied by lower back pains. Before he would have thought it a case of the flu, and given the girl something to bring the fever down. But when he examined her more closely, he could see this wasn’t a simple case of the flu.
Turning around, he eyed the two people that stood behind him. One appeared to be a normal woman, with brown hair that was tied in a braid as well as a cream colored apron covering her front. The other was…definitely not normal. His ears resembled a fish’s fins, and his neck contained two sets of slits which he assumed to be gills. His hands were webbed, ending in pointed claws instead of nails, and to complete the appearance he had a furred otter’s tail protruding from his lower back. He wondered if the man was more fish, or more mammal.
“Can...You tell us what is wrong with her?” the man suddenly asked, ending the doctor’s examination of the girls, “parents”.
“Hmm…that’s a good question…” He turned back to his patient, bending down to examining her once again. “So you’re telling me that only a few days ago, she was “human?” He twisted her sideways; noticing the girl now had a brown tail which resembled her fathers, but instead of a dark brown it seemed to be slightly reddish. He quickly realized the red was blood.
“Yes, that’s what I said before.” The girl’s mother spoke up. “I mean… I knew she had fin tribe blood in her, but…I didn’t expect this to happen.
“Neither did I” added the father. “I don’t believe I have ever heard of this.”
The doctor looked at her for a few more minutes, taking her temperature and checking her breathing was alright in the process. “Well then, I believe I have come to a conclusion.”
“You have?” Both parents questioned.
“It seems to me your daughter is “developing”, so to speak.”
“….”A silence followed the doctor’s words. The two looked at each other and then back at the doctor as they tried to make sense of his explanation.
“I’m...not quite sure I understand.” The father spoke again.
“It’s a rare occurrence, but I am sure this is what has happened to her. I have seen this in other children before, and the situations have been similar. The child has fallen ill, usually displaying a high fever that last’s a few days up to a week. During this time they will experience pain in different parts of the body. Usually this means their bodies have under gown a rapid growth of some sort. In this case, she’s grown a tail, and her ears have developed into a protective membrane. I’d also imagine some of her organs have changed slightly to compensate these chances. Any questions?”
They appeared to listen to his explanation, nodding every so often to show they were following. But he still assumed they would ask him more questions.
“Why did this happen now?” the mother asked. “Why wasn’t she born like this before?”
“I’m not completely sure to be honest.” The doctor said. “It may be a recessive trait, or it may be an adaptive response. Hybrids are considered a disgrace by some, and if discovered, they may be hunted down and killed. Perhaps her animalistic traits have been repressed up until a point she may be better able to defend herself or escape pursuit. Or, it could be a complete fluke.” He shrugged.
“…What about her fever…” the father asked, watching his daughter with concern. “Is she actually sick?”
“The fever should reside in a few hours. It’s her body’s reaction to the sudden growth she has experienced. As you can see, it’s a very sudden and dramatic growth spurt” He indicated to the sheets where she had been sleeping, which had been stained with blood in some areas from her tail.
“Well then, if you have no other questions, then I will give you some medicine to help bring the fever down quicker and take my leave. I would also suggest giving her a bath, as her skin seems to be drying out rather quickly.
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