This just a random oneshot idea. Leo, Wyatt and Chris spend some time together and he tells them an interesting story about a shapeshifter.
Please read and review :)
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Wyatt and Chris were sitting with their Dad, Leo, as he told them a story. Wyatt, seven, and Chris, five, loved hearing a story before they went to sleep and so Leo often sat on the edge of Wyatt's bed and told them things he had heard of while being a whitelighter.
The boys shared a room which made things much easier. Piper had already got them ready for bed and kissed them goodnight and the two boys had stayed awake to wait for their Dad to come and tell them a story.
Leo came in and turned off the light before sitting on the bed and beginning his story as his two sons lay listening.
"This is a story of a young shapeshifter whose name went down in the magic books and a tale that interests all young shapeshifters," Leo began. "As you know, shapeshifters can change their appearance whenever they want and to whatever or whoever they want, though they do have their own identity and could easily be mistaken as a mortal."
They nodded and Leo started his tale. Leo remembered back, repeating the story as he had heard it from the Elders.
"There was once a young shapeshifter whose parents were shapeshifters and had been vanquished. She grew up without her real parents, but some mortals had found her and she was adopted by them as a baby, having no idea of her powers.
She lived a normal life, knowing nothing of who she was and where she truly came from, but one day something happened.
The girl, named as Holly by her mortal parents, had always had an interest in magic and when given a book by a friend she read it. This led to her concentrating hard, though she just planned to levitate, what happened next shocked her."
Leo looked at his two sons who were listening intensely. "What happened next?" Wyatt asked.
"She didn't manage to levitate and, in her anger, threw the book against the wall, not realising that while concentrating she had in fact managed something else," Leo replied. "She stood up and just happened to be facing a mirror."
"What did she see?" Chris asked.
"She saw the face of an eagle. This of course surprised her and she lifted her hands to her face, finding that she no longer had her face. Looking down she saw that it was only her face that had changed. She closed her eyes and opened them again, hoping to now see that she was human. However, she found herself too low to see the mirror. It wasn't long before she realised she was now an eagle and could even fly."
"Cool! What did she do next?" Wyatt asked, clearly liking the story.
"She wondered if she could change just by focusing her mind so she closed her eyes again. She was right. She became human again." Leo laughed slightly at the happy look on his sons faces before continuing his story. "It was a while before she tried it again and when she did it was because she wanted an escape. She wasn't sure if what had happened was real and didn't mention it to anyone. It wasn't until she thought it was her only escape that she tried again and, luckily for her, she managed to change."
"What was she escaping from?" Wyatt asked.
"What did she change to? Was it a giant dinosaur? Or…or an elephant…or a big lion to scare people away?" Chris questioned excitedly, though frowning when Leo shook his head.
"It was after school and some boys from her class were chasing her. They were bullies and Holly didn't want them to hurt her."
"That's bad," Wyatt said and his Dad nodded.
"Yes, that is why she ran and ran as fast as she could. They were faster than her though and began to catch up," Leo told them.
"Did they get her?" Chris asked, clearly hoping they hadn't.
"No," Leo answered and Chris sighed in relief. "She ran round a corner and stopped. She closed her eyes and imaged herself as a fox. She opened her eyes just as the boys ran round the corner."
"Was she a fox? Were they scared?" Wyatt wanted to know and his Dad nodded, causing a small cheer from both boys.
"Yes and when the boys saw the fox and not the girl they just left, allowing Holly to get home safely."
"I wish I was a fox!" Chris said, acting like one by prowling around his bed. His brother laughed at him and did, what he said, was a better impression. Chris stuck his tongue out and crawled under his covers, going from one end of the bed and crawling up to his pillow. After they had both got back in to bed properly Leo continued the story.
"The girl made it home safely and became human again. She never mentioned anything to anyone. She made her way straight to her room and stayed in there, practising her new found power. Her parents wondered why she spent so much time alone, but she refused to tell them. Even her best friend didn't know and, as she usually told her everything, her parents were worried. They left her alone though as that is what she wanted. She soon got used to changing, deciding she liked be a fox most. When the bullies next chased her she became the fox again, this time though she attacked one of the bullies and almost killed him."
"Did she get in trouble?" Wyatt asked.
"No. No one knew it was her. This however just made her do it again when a few weeks later the bullies came after her again. This boy wasn't so lucky though as the attack was much worse."
"Did the boy die?" Chris asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.
"Yes, but as no one knew it was Holly she got away with it."
"Holly is bad," Wyatt said and Chris nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. She hated the bullies though and didn't see it as wrong. The bullies seemed afraid now though and with the attacks most children were picked up from school. Holly wanted to keep shapeshifting but with no bullies she had no reason to. She decided to go out as a fox anyway though. She found she could go where she wanted and no one would bother her and so one night she slipped out and became a fox again."
"Where did she go?" Chris asked in curiosity.
"She walked around the town and then headed for the forest," Leo said, trying to get Wyatt to lay back down as he kept sitting up, often kicking Leo when he did. "She decided she liked the forest. It was peaceful and she could be free and do what she wanted."
"Did she go and live in the forest?" Wyatt asked, sitting up yet again. Leo sighed as he made him lay down again, refusing to carry on the story if he didn't. Moaning slightly, Wyatt did as he was told and persuaded his Dad to carry on.
"Well she stayed there all night and when the sun began to rise she went home. Her parents didn't know she had even gone. Over the next two weeks everything was as normal and Holly didn't shapeshift at all. One night though she couldn't sleep…"
"Did she go out again?" Wyatt interrupted.
"She did go out and once again she was a fox until morning. Over the next few nights the same happened and soon she was going out every night."
"Did anyone find out?"
"Keep listening Wyatt and you'll know," Leo smiled and Chris laughed as his brother sulked. Wyatt soon began smiling again though when Leo carried on his story.
"During the day she was human and lived a normal life and during the night she was the fox. As the fox attacks hadn't happened in a while people forgot about it and it wasn't long before one bully came after Holly again. Another attack was reported, assumed to be a fox, though there had been no witnesses. Out of the bullies there was now only one left and he had kept to himself since the attacks had started."
"Is Holly going to get him soon?" Chris wondered and Leo, seeing the look on Chris's face, shook his head.
"No, she didn't attack anyone else. After that attack she made her way to the forest and she stayed there for a while."
"Why?" they both asked together.
"She couldn't change back straight away. This didn't stop her going out as a fox every night though. She didn't care that it was taking her longer and longer to change back and that she was becoming more and more tempted to stay a fox. One night though she went out and when she came back her Dad caught her in the garden. He was surprised when the fox he saw turned out to be his daughter. Both her parents found out and tried to keep her inside. Holly didn't like this though."
"What did she do? She didn't hurt her parents did she?" Wyatt questioned, his voice rising in excitement.
"No, she changed in to a fox and escaped, making her way in to the forest. She planned to go back home, but later found out she couldn't change back."
"Oh no," Chris said.
"Oh no indeed. Holly had to stay in the forest as a fox. Thing is what she didn't know was that shapeshifters have to be careful. If they keep shapeshifting in to the same thing it can be hard to change back and sometimes the animal can take over, which is what happened to her."
"Wow," Wyatt grinned. "What happened to the fox?"
"Always full of questions you two are, eh?" Leo laughed. "Well, her parents realised what must have happened and went looking for her. They found her, though she was clearly a true fox now. Holly lived happily as a fox and some say she is still in the forest today."
"Great story! Tell us another!" Chris shouted and Leo put his finger to his lips to tell him to be quieter.
"I'll tell you one tomorrow," he promised, standing up and kissing Wyatt and then Chris goodnight. Leo went out the room, closing the door behind him and the boys both fell straight to sleep.
Meanwhile, deep in a forest, a fox had just woken up and crept out from its den, four cubs following her out. The cubs started to play with each other just outside the den while the mother went off as she did every night.
Unlike other foxes, she made her way in to town and to a certain house where she sat watching…remembering…before making her way back to the forest to hunt and check on the cubs.