"It's funny how the word 'Therian' causes mass panic in unsuspecting sheep- I use the metaphor metaphorically, as they were all human- but I did not expect the treat I received."
Munakata Reisi smiled at his report and leaned back. Therians were the spice of life; he never had a boring day when one or two or five of them awakened at once. His task force for dealing with Therians, ironically, consisted almost entirely of awakened Therians. SCEPTER 4, he called it- a resurrection of the glory it had been in the time of its last true king.
Therians, of course, were people with animal aspects. No one knew when or how or why the gene managed to find its way into humans, but what they did know if that it was incredibly troublesome. Therians were treated as being below humans, awakened Therians had the hardest times finding legal jobs (though the black market loved to hire beefy theriotypes such as oxen and gorillas) and were more likely to be accused and tried for a crime they didn't commit. Therians didn't always have their aspects showing, in fact, most Therians look perfect human until they have to call on the power of their theriotype to deal with something. At these points, it would become obvious what they were- revealing earls, tails, claws, wings, even entire body parts such as legs and arms. Therians were split into three classes: Domestic, Wild, and King.
Domestic Therians are the most common and most stable, often considered tenacious but harmless by humans. Their theriotypes always consist of animals who have been domesticated by humans: Dogs, house cats, chickens, cows, and so-on. They are not particularly loyal to humans either way, but they are the least likely to snap and attack someone, so they are the most likely to be treated well by the common human public as a result.
Wild Therians are separated into 'prey' and 'predator' subclasses. Both are equally unstable and sometimes aggressive, but predators are, obviously, more capable of damage. Prey consist of animals often hunted for food in the wild: Doves, mice, sparrows, iguanas, hummingbirds, deer, garden snakes, monkeys, and so many more. Predators, of course, are the obligate carnivores and those who eat at the top of the food chain: Hawks, venomous snakes, ocelots, leopards, dingos, dolphins, apes, and many others. Some theriotypes spend a long time in limbo of whether they are prey or predator. It often makes little difference, and they are outcasted, regardless.
The last class, King Therians, are the rarest, most unstable, and usually shot or otherwise killed ('put down') upon awakening. They consist of those animals with the most absolute presence. The kings of the mammals who walk on land are the wolves, lions, tigers, and stags. The kings of the cold-blooded are the crocodiles, cobras, gila monsters, and komodo dragons. The kings of the sea are the whales, great white sharks, giant squid, and the leopard seal. The kings of the air are eagles, owls, cranes, and ravens. Very few lived and claimed they were King theriotypes, very few were able to hide it. The living kings were leaders of gangs or leaders of countries where anything could be covered up. Very few were awakened at any given time, and even fewer were alive to tell the tale.
Reisi was human, but his task force adored him as a leader despite being almost entirely Therian. The day had been an eventful one for him. He was going to catch hell later; from whom, he wasn't sure, but it was bound to happen. He printed the typed report and handed it to his lieutenant, Awashima Seri (a Borzoi Therian). She had stood there for some indeterminate amount of time as he mused to himself whether this report was enough. Reisi was fond of her as a lieutenant and a Therian. She was strong-willed and insightful, often proving to be invaluable when hunting Wild class Therians. She seemed to be able to see right through other Therians, into their core, and could predict their choices with ease. Awashima bowed politely to him and left with the report.
The report entailed something that made Reisi uneasy.
Suoh Mikoto, a man whom he had known in high school, had awakened that day. It had turned out he was a King class Therian. A lion. More guiltily, Munakata's team had failed in putting him down. In fact, he'd escaped without taking a single injury from the experienced task force. Suoh was a well-known gang leader who often picked fights with those gangs that were lead by King Therians, he rarely lost, but rarely won, either. The man was a master of drawing even. Humans and Therians alike enjoyed his leadership and claimed bonds that crossed bloodlines.
That was not the most unnerving part of the report, however.
Suoh Mikoto had awakened because of the murder of a Totsuka Tatara- a Domestic class Therian of unknown species. Grief was the strongest form of awakening next to near-death situations. Witness reports claimed the presence of a Predator class Therian as Totsuka's mruderer- a white fox. Reisi did not notice himself biting a nail as he thought this over. Foxes were uncommon and usually appeared as common red fox theriotypes. The murderer was not described as an arctic fox, but rather, having the bearing of something profound and mystical like a kitsune.
It was no surprise that Reisi and his men were hesitant to 'secure' Suoh Mikoto. A grief-awoken King class was not something so simple as to just 'put down' as you would a feral hawk or leopard.
They had failed triumphantly. The protocol was followed and the plaza was destroyed. None of Reisi's men were mortally injured, but they all agreed there was no way they were putting down Suoh Mikoto with five humans, seven Domestic classes, and five Wild classes. Reisi made sure to include in the report that Saurhiko Fushimi, a Wild class Japanese Macaque Therian, had been pivotal in protecting the lives of the squad due to quick deduction and mobilization of forces to get them out of immediate danger. The man was lazy, but he could think on his feet. Suoh escaped without harming any civilians, and SCEPTER 4 knew very well where he was going (as his gang, HOMRA, had its own bar as a base of operations) but none of them were inclined to follow.
Reisi pulled out a box of cigarettes from his desk that he had saved for a rainy day, and, though the sun shone outside, rain was definitely coming soon.
Suoh Mikoto sat on his couch in the bar and stared at his hand. There had been claws there only a few hours before. Claws and a thin layer of fur. His head felt stuffed full of cotton after experiencing a heightened sense of sight, hearing, and smell from his physical shift into his theriotype. Even now, he could feel phantom vestiges of his ears and tail. When he focused particularly hard, there were claws again, but they would disappear in seconds.
The others seemed excited ('Our leader, a King class?!' 'How cool! Gang _ will think twice before picking a fight with us.' 'HOMRA's making a comeback!), but under the hushed whispers was an inherent denial of grief. Drinks flowed heavier this evening. Tears were backed up. No one knew if it was safe to cry or to celebrate.
The small girl, Anna, a Wild class Mourning Dove theriotype (renowned for being one of the youngest awakened Therians in the world), was the only one who dared to sit near Mikoto. Everyone knew she could see the theriotypes of others, sometimes before they were awakened, but she rarely disclosed. There was a bright sense of knowing in her childlike eyes. She seemed sorrowful- for the death of her clansmen or for not telling Mikoto sooner, no one would know- but she was the quiet staying place Mikoto needed at this point. She could see right through when he was thinking too hard.
"Don't push yourself." Her voice was soft and only heard to Mikoto's ears. He looked down at her before turning his gaze up to the stifling and confused atmosphere of the bar. The thick mixture of grief and celebration could be sliced with a knife. He had nothing to say. "It comes in time. Some never learn to manifest their theriotype manually- only accidentally." He knew that, but she was the reinforcement he needed to remember. Sometimes when grieving and in shock, one forgot everything they knew. He realized that, by pushing himself like this, he could hurt himself and others. Mikoto knew he could lose his mind.
Mikoto was a wanted man now. SCEPTER 4 had given up their execution earlier, but a team of highly trained humans and Therians was little to be trifled with. They would strike at him when he was weak. Of course, all he wanted was the throat of the white fox, but those police dogs would be there every step of the way to stop him. He knew their leader, Munakata Reisi, did not take failure on the chin. '
Author's note: Thanks for chewing through this lengthy exposition. Chapter 2 will see some more exposition, but also hopefully some more action and characters! As always, don't forget to review!