Grandma's Grave, Part 2 (Were-TF)

My name is Jenna Summers. And this is my story.

I can still remember that day, when I found out what I really was. Life-changing events like that tend to have a way of sticking to your brain. But this event was in a class of its own in terms of how much it affected me. In fact, I get the feeling it will never release its hold on my memory. It will keep clinging, even when I have grown too old to remember anything else.

I guess I should start at the beginning. I was just your average thirteen-year-old girl, living with my mother and my older sister, Veronica. Our parents were divorced, so me and Veronica only had our mother to look after us. I could hardly remember what my father looked like, as he had left us when I was only a very young child. I never knew why he left us, and neither did Veronica. Whenever I asked my mother, she would give a rather vague answer, like that he simply got tired of living with us and wanted something more from life, then quickly change the subject. Clearly, it was not a subject she was interested in discussing.

Anyway, it was late July, and we were outside, sitting around a bonfire. We were doing one of our annual family traditions, where we would spend the evening sitting around a bonfire and telling each other stories. This was a tradition that came from when we were both children, and our mom would tell us bedtime stories that she came up. Now that we were older, Mom said that we could start making up stories, too. We tried to make up stories, but they just weren't as good as Mom’s were. Veronica’s stories were especially bad, mostly due to her lack of imagination. She took after her father in that aspect, according to Mom.

So that’s where we were that night. Me and Veronica had just finished telling our stories, and we were getting ready to hear Mom tell her story. For me, it was the highlight of the night. The only reason I even went along with this tradition was so that I could listen to whatever story Mom had come up with. I wasn't sure what Veronica saw in them, though. She never seemed interested in our stories, and I got the feeling that she went only went along with them to avoid hurting our feelings.

“Gather around, my children” my mom said. She was using the soft, haunting voice that she always used when she told us stories. “My story tonight will be called ‘The Origin of the Werewolf’.”

“Another werewolf story?” Veronica groaned. “Couldn't you think of something else to tell us about for once?”

I shot Veronica a look. I always enjoyed listening to Mom’s werewolf stories, even if they did get kind of old at times. I didn't want to let Veronica spoil it for me, especially since this one sounded like it was going to be one of her more interesting stories. I was always curious about how these creatures came into our world, and I was excited that I was finally going to find out.

“Once upon a time, in a small town many, many years ago, there lived a young boy” my mom said. “However, this boy was not like other boys in the town. He had a special gift: he was able to form special connections with the animals living outside the town. While other boys his age were working, he would often be outside with these animals. Often, he would play with them, hunt with them, and help them find shelter. Because of this, he managed to impress most of the members of the village with his skills.”

“However, there was one person in the village who was not so impressed. That person was the boy’s father. You see, this boy’s father was disappointed by his son, because he spent more time outside the village with the animals than he did doing work at home. The boy’s father hated this habit of his son’s, and would often beat his son if he caught him outside the village. He would also beat his son to get him to do the work that he was always avoiding. The boy’s father frightened him, so he tried to get away from the house as much as possible.”

“One night, after a particularly brutal beating, the boy decided that enough was enough. So, after his father was in bed, the boy decided he would leave the house for good. So, after making sure that his father was asleep, he snuck out of the house and ran all the way to the woods outside the village. Once he got there, he met up with one of his best friends: a wolf by the name of Artemis. He had encountered Artemis during one of his first visits to the woods, and at first, her fierce demeanor had scared the boy. But when he saw the calmness in her eyes, as if to say ‘Do not be afraid. I am not going to hurt you’, he was able to approach the wolf and develop a close bond with it. Since then, he always went to Artemis whenever he was feeling alone or troubled, and tonight was most definitely one of those nights.”

“The boy went up to Artemis, and told his plan to her. He would try to run to the nearest village and spend the night there. Then he would run to the next village, and the next, and the next. He was convinced that if he kept on running, his father would never catch up to him. Of course, this would mean that he would never see Artemis again. He had come to say one final goodbye to Artemis, hoping that she would forgive him for leaving her like this. As he said this, Artemis gave him a kind look, her eyes appearing to say, ‘Don’t worry. I forgive you. You did what you had to.’”

“The boy kneeled down to in front of Artemis and hugged her, her warm fur pressed up against his body. ‘I’m going to miss you, Artemis’ he said, as he embraced her. Suddenly, there was a loud BANG, and Artemis’s eyes seemed to widen. Then, they slowly closed, and she slumped to the ground, dead.”

“Horrified, the boy looked up. Standing in front of him was his father. And he was holding a gun.”

“The boy’s father had woken up just in time to hear his son sneak out the door. Knowing that his son would probably be heading to the woods, the father decided to follow him. When he found his son, he was talking to a wolf, telling her his plan to escape. So the father decided to shoot the wolf, to teach the boy a lesson.”

“The boy stood up, burning with hatred for his father, the full moon shining overhead. As he stood up, though, something strange began to happen. The boy began to grow, right before the father’s eyes. He grew until he was much taller than his father. Not only that, but gray fur was sprouting all over his body and claws were growing from his hands, which, along with his feet, were swelling into huge paws. However, the most startling changes were the ones happening to his face. His face was pushing out, his teeth were growing longer and sharper, and his ears were becoming long and pointy. Soon, the figure in front of the father was no longer that of his son, but of a very large, very angry werewolf.”

“The werewolf looked down at his father, his face showing an unimaginable amount of rage. The father dropped his gun in shock and quickly tried to run away, but it was too late. Immediately, the werewolf lept on his father and tore him to pieces.”

“However, it wasn’t long before the boy came to his senses. He found himself standing over his father, blood all over his furred hands. He looked down at his torn-apart father, horrified at what he had done. Suddenly, his greatly improved hearing alerted him to people talking from the village. They had heard his father’s screams and were coming out to investigate. The boy, knowing that he would be killed if he was found like this, quickly fled through the woods, never to be seen by the people of the village again.”

“After a few hours of of running using his new body, the boy made it to the next village. Fortunately, news of the attack had not yet reached this place, but the boy knew that he still could not enter. After all, who knew what the people would do if they saw a creature like him in their village? But as soon as the thought entered his head, he felt himself begin to shrink. The fur began to disappear from his body, replaced by normal, human skin, and the rest of his body returned to normal as well. Soon, he was just a normal human boy, nothing more. The boy looked over himself and grinned. Now he would be able to enter the village unnoticed, assuming he could find something to clothe himself with first. He planned to go into the village, find a family that was willing to take him in, and create a new life for himself.”  

“And so, after quickly weaving together some leaves to conceal his private areas, the boy went into the village, determined to start his life anew. Luckily, he was able to find a family that took him in. The boy spent the rest of his life in the village, even marrying and having kids. However, when the moon was full, the boy would sometimes find himself transforming back into the werewolf, and would have to leave the village until it wore off, to avoid getting caught. When he grew up, he also discovered that this curse had been passed on to his children. However, the curse was different for each of them. They would transform occasionally, but under different conditions, and into different creatures. The curse continued to thrive, spreading to all of his descendants, even to this very day…”

My mom looked at us. “And that,” she said, “Is where my story ends.”

Veronica yawned. “Great story, Mom” she said, but I could tell she didn't really mean it. “Well, I should probably turn in.” With that, she stood up  and walked back into the house.

Mom stood up as well. “I guess I should go in, too” she said. “Jenna, please take care of putting out the fire.”

I stood up, excited. I had never been allowed to put out the fire before, and I was glad that I was finally old enough to do it. “Thanks, Mom!” I said, before going back to our garage to get a bucket. Because I had seen my mother and sister do it numerous times, I knew exactly what to do. I took the bucket outside around to the side of the house and used the hose to fill it with water. But as I was doing this, I noticed something just inches away from me on the lawn.

It was a flower. A beautiful, white flower. It shouldn't have been anything special; in fact, I shouldn't have even noticed it. However, there was just something about it that made it impossible to look away from. I started moving toward it out of curiosity, not once taking my eyes off of it. Before I knew what I was doing, I had picked the flower. I put it behind my ear without really thinking about it and continued filling the bucket with water. Once it was full, I put away the hose and carried the bucket to the backyard.

When I got to the backyard, I carried the water to the fire and poured it on, making sure everything was wet. After making sure that the fire was completely out, I turned around and began to walk back into the house. “Good job, Jenna” said my mother, who had stayed outside to watch me. “Now, how about we head inside and…” She stopped, having suddenly noticed the flower behind my ear. “Where did you get that flower?”

“You mean this?” I asked, pointing at the flower. “I just picked it while I was filling the bucket and decided to keep it.” 

Mom stared at me, an odd look crossing her face “What made you decide to do that?” she asked. 

I shrugged. “I don’t know, actually” I said. “Hey, do you think I could stay out here for a few minutes?”

The look on Mom's face quickly vanished. “It’s okay with me” she said with a smile. “Just don’t stay out too long, okay?” With that, she turned around and began walking back inside the house.

After she was gone, I laid down on my back and looked up at the night sky. I could never remember being afraid of the dark, not even once in my life. In fact, I had always loved the dark. I always felt secure in the dark, like nothing could harm me. I felt the same way tonight, lying down and looking up. As I looked at the stars, I happened to notice the moon, which was completely full. “Just like in Mom’s stories” I said to myself, looking at the pure white orb.

However, as I looked at the moon, I began to feel odd. It’s hard to describe, but I felt something… unnerving wash over me. Not only that, but the area around my stomach began to itch. “Freaking bugs..” I muttered, lifting my shirt slightly so that I could see. But instead of bug bites, I was met with a line of white fur. “Wait….WHAT?” I cried, jumping up. The fur began to spread all over my stomach area, eventually reaching my back. But instead of white fur, the fur on my back was orange, with black stripes. “Are those… tiger stripes?” I wondered, running my hand over my back. As I was doing this, I noticed that my legs were also growing this orange and black fur. They also appeared to be growing more muscular. I noticed that I was beginning to feel more powerful, like I could destroy anything with a single kick. Of course, this didn't stop me from freaking out over these changes.

Looking down, I happened to notice that my feet were also changing. They appeared to be growing longer, stretching into what appeared to be paws, as my toes merged together and my toenails grew into claws. Just then, my stance shifted, causing me to lose my balance and almost fall over. I quickly tried to regain my balance by standing on the balls of my feet. Finding that I could stand comfortably this way, I remained in that position.

The changes weren’t over, though. Now my arms were beginning to grow fur, the same kind that my legs and back had. Like my legs, my arms were also becoming more muscular and powerful. My hands were also growing this fur, and my fingernails were growing out and becoming claws. As this was happening, I heard a sound from behind me, like something ripping. Looking behind me, I saw that a narrow, orange-and-black tail had grown from my bottom. I watched it swish behind me, hardly able to believe that it was mine.

As I watched, though, I felt something happening to my mouth. Using my tongue, I could feel my teeth growing longer and sharper. In fact, my entire face was changing. I could feel my face pushing out into a feline muzzle, my nose shrinking, and the same orange and black fur covering my face. My ears were also changing; they were shrinking and moving further up my head. As this happened, I noticed something falling out of the corner of my eye. I quickly reached out hand to catch it, noticing how well my reflexes had improved. I brought my hand in front of my face and saw that it was the flower: the very same flower that I had put behind my ear when I was getting the water. For some reason, though, it had lost the alluring nature it had when I had first picked it. It now looked like an ordinary flower, nothing more.

But the flower was the least of my worries. At this point, I was a bit more concerned with what had just happened to me. Looking over myself, I could see that grown fur all over my body. It was mostly orange and black fur, with some white on my torso area. My arms and legs had also grown larger and more muscular, and for the first time I could clearly feel how much more powerful I had become. I also noticed that my senses had improved. In fact, I could make out distant houses and other trees quite clearly, despite the fact that it was still very dark out. I looked at my hands, which did look a bit like paws, except I could still move my fingers like I could before. I was still standing on strange, paw-like feet, and my tail was still moving behind me. Carefully, I ran one of my new hands over my tail. I quickly realized that I could move and feel through this new appendage. I swallowed, still in disbelief. How was it that something like this could happen to me? Why did it happen? Was I going to stay this way forever? The thought was almost too much for me to handle. I could picture myself having to leave, living the rest of my life in the shadows, desperately trying not to be seen by others. Just like the boy in mom’s story. I was scared; scared of myself, scared of what I had become, scared of what would happen if I was seen.

“Jenna! Jenna! Are you alright?”

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a voice from behind me. Slowly I turned around… and saw my mom running right for me.

I backed away, still apprehensive of what she might do if she saw me like this. However, to my surprise, she ran right up to me, a huge smile on her face. “How are you feeling? Do you feel okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

I just stared at her, dumbfounded. What was she talking about? Never mind that, why was she so… happy? She should have been freaking out, but instead she was smiling and looking over me like I had just tried on the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. “You look wonderful!” she continued. “I was wondering when it might happen, you know. I was actually beginning to worry that it might not happen at all. Thank God that…”

“Stop. Stop talking” I said. “Do not say another word. First, you need to tell me what the hell is going on right now and why I just turned into a FREAKING WERETIGER-”

I stopped short. “Oh my God. That’s what I am, isn’t it? A weretiger. Just like in your stories…” I looked at my mom, who was still smiling. It didn’t take long for me to put two and two together. “Did… did you know that this was going to happen? Did you PLAN this?

Mom shook her head “Actually, no. I had no idea what was going to happen until you brought back that water. When you told me about that flower you found…Well… let’s just say that I could get a pretty good idea of what was going to happen.”

I sat down, still trying to wrap my head around what was happening. “Wait… if you knew that this would happen, why didn’t you tell me?”

Still smiling, Mom sat down next to me. “You would have thought I was crazy. Besides, I figured it would be better for you to find out on your own.”

I was still confused. “But… what does a flower have to do with me turning into a weretiger? It doesn’t make sense…”

Mom sighed. “It seems I have a bit of explaining to do. Alright then, how about I start with the story I told earlier tonight?”

“Now, remember that it wasn’t just the boy who transformed under the full moon. He also passed this condition onto some of his children, who passed it on to some of their own children. This continued until… well, until today. Today the next chapter of the story begins with you, the boy’s latest descendant. At least, the latest one to discover her hidden potential.”

“Now, what you must understand is that this ability is something that lies dormant in those who possess it. It is unlocked through certain objects, known as ‘triggers’. The flower you found is one such object. I don’t know why, but these objects seem to cause the person who finds them to transform into their were-form whenever the full moon arrives. Once the dawn comes again, the person will return to normal.”

I was still confused. “Wait… If it’s hereditary, that wouldn’t that mean you’re a werecreature, too? So why are you still human?”

“I’m getting to that” Mom said. “You see, if a person has had enough practice, they can control when they shift between their human and werecreature forms. They can even control it to the point where they can prevent themselves from changing during a full moon.”

I thought about this. “So… if I were to practice enough, I could potentially be able to change into this whenever I want?”

Mom nodded. “Of course, it is a difficult skill to master. But if you want, I could teach you. Would you like that?”

“Well…” I smiled. “...yes. I would like that. It’s strange, but… I actually kind of like this form. I just… I feel so much more powerful, like… like I can do more than I ever could before.” I stood up, still smiling. “I’d love it if you could help me control this.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that” said Mom, getting up. “I’m also glad that you’re willing to accept this. There are some people who may not be so… enthralled with this kind of thing.” For a moment, her eyes seemed to be far away, like she was recalling something from her past… something she would rather forget about. Then she blinked, snapping back into reality. “Anyway” she said, looking back at me, “Feel free to stay out if you want. If you decide to go somewhere else, just make sure you come back before dawn. I don’t want to have to come out here looking for you when I wake up tomorrow-”

Just then, a voice came from the around the side of the house. “Mom!” the voice called. “Mom! Where are you?”

Out of nowhere, Veronica came around the corner. “There you are!” she said, noticing Mom first. “Do you know where my-”

Then she saw me. And she screamed.

“What is that?” she cried, pointing at me. “What is it? Why is in our backyard?”

“Veronica!” yelled Mom, running toward her. “It’s okay! It’s only Jenna!”

I began walking over to Veronica. “It’s okay, Veronica” I said, approaching her. "It’s just me. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Stay away from me!” yelled Veronica. Just then, her expression changed. “J-Jenna?” she stammered. “Is that… you? What… happened?”

I looked at her. She was clearly still afraid of me, as she was still trembling and her eyes were showing trace amounts of fear. “It’s a long story” I said, sitting down. “I guess I should do my best to explain it to you….”

After me and Mom had taken the time to explain what had happened, Veronica stood up. “So” she said, “What you’re telling me is that you found a flower that turned you into a weretiger because you were under a full moon? Not only that, but you’re going to turn every time that a full moon comes? And all of this is eventually going to happen to me, too?”

“That pretty much sums it up” I said. “It’s actually not as bad as you might think, though. I mean, I’m already pretty used to this body, and I’ve only been in it for-”

“Not as bad? NOT AS BAD? How can you possibly say that?” I was a bit startled by this response. Veronica didn’t normally lose her cool like this, so it was startling when she did. “You tell me that I’m going to turn into some kind of monster every time there’s a full moon, destroying my hope for a normal life, and then you tell me it’s NOT THAT BAD? What is WRONG with you?”

“Veronica” I said, standing up. “listen to me. It’s not like that. It’s just-”

“Stay away from me, Jenna” said Veronica, backing away from me. “I don’t care what you say. Whatever this is, I don’t want any part of it.” The look on her face was one of betrayal, showing both rage and hurt. “You’re a monster. That’s what you are.” She looked at Mom. “And so are you. You and your stupid stories. I should have known there was something up with them.”

“Veronica, please listen” Mom said. “We’re only trying to help you.”

“I don’t want your help! I don’t want anything to do with it!” Veronica turned around. Just before she did, though, I thought I noticed tears in her eyes.  “I don’t want to be like you. I just want to be normal…” With that, she took off back around the house.

“Wait! Come back!” I yelled, starting to run after her.

“Jenna, stop!” I turned around to see Mom walking over to me. “She needs some time to adjust” she said. “She’s probably real torn up about this.” She looked up at the full moon. “She’ll eventually have to face it, though. She can’t run from who she is.”

I looked back at the house. By now, Veronica was probably inside, crying out of frustration. “I just wish I could help” I said. “You know, show her that it’s not as bad as she thinks it is…”

“She wouldn’t understand. No one who hasn’t gone through it can understand what it’s like.” She looked back at me. “Well, I really should be heading inside. You can stay out here if you want. Just remember to come back before dark.” She turned back to where Veronica had been. “I’ll see if I can comfort her. Don’t worry about it for now. Just go.” Before she left, I noticed a look of… sadness on her face. Or was it regret? Whatever it was, it quickly vanished as she turned around to go back inside.

At that point, though, I realized that I didn’t really feel like going off running. All of my previous enthusiasm had left me, a wave of sadness replacing it. I sat down, thinking about all of the things Veronica had said to me. I could understand her being upset, but that didn’t give her the right to say all of those things to me… and Mom. I raised one of my hands to my face. One of my orange-and-black, clawed, paw-like hands. Veronica had called me a monster. Was that what I was? Was I really just a freak, trying to make the best out of a bad situation?

I stood up. What Veronica had said wasn’t important. I didn’t need to think about what she had said to me, because none of it mattered. It didn’t matter whether or not I was a monster, or a freak. All that mattered was what I knew I was. And at that moment, all I knew was that I was a weretiger, and I  wanted to see what kind of benefits that came with.

Smiling to myself, I began running, eager to test out my new body. Say what you want, Veronica, I thought to myself. But I won’t let you put a damper on my spirit!

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

“And that” finished Aunt Jenna, “Is my story.

Me and Erica looked at each other. That story seemed just like one of Grandma’s stories, only it had actually happened.  Unless…

“Wait” said Erica. “Does this mean that all of Grandma’s stories were… actually true?”

Aunt Jenna laughed. “Not all of them, I don’t think. Although they were all based off of things that actually happened.”

I looked down at myself. “I still can’t believe that this is actually happening” I said, examining my new body. “It’s… It’s like I’m actually living out one of Grandma’s stories.”

“Well, you basically are” replied Jenna. “Anyway, I’m glad to see you reacting well to this. I still remember when Veronica first turned. She completely lost it. It took forever for your Grandma to calm her down.”

“Did she eventually accept it?” asked Erica.

Aunt Jenna looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yes, I think she did” she finally said. “She was even able to control it eventually, like I was. After that, I think she just decided to put the whole thing behind her. She left the house, got married, and had two kids. Namely, the two of you.”

“Of course” I said. This explained why my mom never seemed to approve of Grandma’s stories. Whenever Grandma was telling one of her stories, Mom always seemed to be off in the corner, a kind of pained expression on her face. She looked like she was trying to forget something, but I could never tell what. Until now, of course.

“Hold on” said Erica. “That flower that turned you… I think I’ve seen it before. Wasn’t it one of those artifacts that Grandma had in her attic?”

Jenna noded. “Yes, it was. You see, your grandmother was a collector of sorts. But what she collected was something rather unique: triggers. If she found someone who had just been turned for the first time, she would take whatever turned them and store it in her attic. Naturally, she did the same thing with my flower. That rock that turned the two of you was actually the first thing in her collection. In fact, it was the very same rock that first turned her.”

A look of recollection crossed Jenna’s face. She turned away for a moment, then looked up at the moon. “Before she died, your grandmother asked me to do something. She asked me to take that stone and put it next to her grave this very night. She said that when she died, the stone’s power would be restored, and it could be used to turn someone else. She wanted that to be you two.” She looked down at the ground. “I still remember it clearly. It was one of the last things she ever said to me…”

She quickly turned around. “But enough about that. Right now, I want to show you some of the things I’ve learned. Would you like me to do that?”

Erica grinned. “I would love that” she said. She turned to look at me. “Hey, are you coming?”

“Yeah” I said. “Just give me a second, okay? I’ll be right with you.”

As I watched Erica and Jenna run off, I looked back up at the sky. The moon was still hanging high over my head, shining its light down at me. Mark my words, I thought. I will make myself known. Now, I can show the world what I am truly capable of. As I readied myself to run after the others, I shared one final thought with the moon. Call me Robert. Robert Dayson.