Chapter 1—Call Me Diego

As the doors of Briar Ridge Boarding School closed behind him for the last time, Manny Dorn was eager to get away. Curtailing his excitement, he walked swiftly beside his best friend, Sid Klein, towards the oldest of Sid's three sisters, Lizelle. Close after them was Sid's youngest sister, Tally.

"Manny!" a voice cried out, a voice that Manny knew well. He turned towards the sound, and caught his girlfriend, Ellie Sparks, in his arms. Playfully, he kissed the end of her nose. While he may have taught Ellie that she, too, was a Therianthrope, she had finished the work Sid had started in teaching him to love again after his parents and his brother had died.

"Ellie, Manny, if you're coming, get in! Ellie, where are your brothers?" Lizee called towards the pair.

"We're coming, Lizee!" Carson, called Crash because of his fondness for running into things (so much so that his nose was permanently squashed—it was the only way Manny could tell the difference between him and his brother, even though they really were fraternal twins), yelled after them. His twin brother, Eddie, followed close behind him. They piled into the third row of the green van that Lizee was driving, nearly flattening Manny and Ellie in their rush to take seats next to Tally.

Manny knew that Lizee hated driving the van, but it was the only vehicle they had that could carry all of them. Of course, Crash and Eddie could just Shift and then they would all fit nicely, but that would be awkward if they ever got pulled over and the Human police found two opossums in their car. So the van was the only logical choice.

"So what has Mum in such an uproar?" Sid asked his sister. He had taken the front seat beside her. Their Mother was known for her dramatic flair, something that the middle sister, Brynn, had inherited.

"The Princess is returning," Lizee said simply.

The Princess, Shira Emrys, had been overseas for the last ten years, ever since her powers had developed. She was rumored to have one of the most powerful forms on record, even more powerful than her Mother and Father. That was why she had been sent away, to train with the monarchy of England. But rumor had it that the Princess had gone a bit rogue.

Manny remembered her from when they were younger. Shira was kept apart from then other Therianthrope, but she had been a bit wild even then. He could only imagine what she'd be like now, seventeen years old and of age. Manny, Ellie, and Sid themselves had come of age the year previous.

Manny snapped out of his reverie when Lizee continued, "And that means that we must all be on our best behaviour. As you are very close to the Princess in age, you will make up her court and her closest advisors. Manny, Ellie, you both hold the titles of Ramon and Ramoness of your respective families. Sid, Crash, Eddie, as the oldest sons of your families, you hold the title Ramoni, and I am Ramonessa. Tally, as the youngest, you are a Ramonessette. You will all be addressed as such tonight.

"You will also be meeting the Ramon and Ramoness Kestrel, and their sons, the Ramoni Soto and Diego," as she talked, Lizee pulled into the driveway of the Klein house.

"Does this mean we have to call everyone by their full names and titles?" Ellie asked. It was well known that she hated using her full name. Manny didn't really like using his fully name, either. Why couldn't his parents have named him something normal, like Sheldon, or Tim? Well, maybe not Sheldon. But at least it was better than Rudy.

Lizee smiled at her through the rear-view mirror, "Apologies, Ellie, but yes."

The group piled out of the van, into the bright afternoon sun. Sid nearly tripped over his middle sister, Brynn, as she lay on the grass of the front lawn.

"Brynn, what are you doing!? You're supposed to be getting ready!"

Brynn didn't even raise her head, "When was the last time you stopped to look at the clouds, sister mine? Look, that one looks just like you!"

Manny followed her finger. To him, the cloud she was pointing at looked a bit like a drowning hippopotamus, but he wasn't about to tell Lizee that.

"Come on, Brynn. I'll let you do my hair," Ellie extended her hand towards the grass-covered girl. That got Brynn up, as Ellie never let anyone touch her knee-length caramel waves and Brynn loved hair.

Lizee ushered them into the house and up the stairs. Inside, Sid's Mother, Rendell, was waiting for them. Her hair was piled on top of her head in curlers, and she wore a satin dressing gown. She took the girls and pulled them into her dressing room, and herded Manny and the boys down the hall to her bedroom, where they were met by Sid's Father, Stanton, and Crash and Eddie's Father, Hermes. Manny assumed that Crash and Eddie's Mother, Annette, would be waiting for the girls.

They could hear a flurry of activity going on down the hall, but in the bedroom, everyone was already ready. Finally, after an hour and a half, the girls were ready.

As the owners of the house, Stanton and Rendell descended the stairs first. They looked like movie stars, Stanton in his coal black tuxedo with a midnight blue tie and Rendell in a matching midnight dress that was offset by the ribbons woven artfully into her brown hair. Sid took Lizee's arm and led her down the stairs. Much like Manny himself and Stanton, Sid looked sophisticated in his charcoal grey suit. Lizee wore a full-length, off-the-shoulder dark green dress. Cloth vines wrapped around one of her arms. Next down the stairs were Brynn and Tally, in yellow and pink floor-length dresses, respectively.

Manny stopped looking at the other girls when Ellie came out. Her hair was artfully styled half up and half down, much like a layered curtain. The pendant he had given her for her last birthday rested on her throat, and the one-shouldered dress she wore was breathtaking. The neckline plunged under her right arm, wrapping around her back and looping up to rejoin the shoulder. It was made of a shiny silver material Manny couldn't name, overlaying an underskirt of purple. She looked like a Queen.

Vaguely, Manny was aware of Hermes and Annette linking arms and coming down behind them, but nothing mattered to him anymore, other than the beautiful girl on his arm.

The Klein's butler, Nigel, held the door open for Manny and Ellie as they followed Brynn and Tally to the first of two limousines. Manny nodded his thanks.

Containing excitement was not one of Tally's strong points. By the time the limo had left the neighbourhood, she was practically vibrating. Rendell placed a hand on her daughter's arm, "Tallisa, sweetheart, calm. You will Shift if you get too excited."

"But, Mum, we get to meet the Princess!" Tally had only been four when Princess Shira had left and thus had not met her. Rendell sighed and gave up. There was no reasoning with Tally when she got like this, but she had very good control.

"Hush, Tallisa," Stanton said softly, and Tally sat their trembling silently.

It was not a long car ride, and soon the twin limos were pulling up in front of the Palace. It wasn't really a Palace, but instead a high-end hotel. The King and Queen owned the entire thing, and only humans who knew about the world of Shifters were ever allowed to stay. Mostly the rooms were used by the royal family or visiting diplomats.

Manny led Ellie towards the ballroom, waiting as those in front of him were announced.

Two servants opened the massive ballroom doors for them, and a standard bearer proclaimed, "Ramon Stanton and Ramoness Rendell Klein, Ramoni Sidney Klein, Ramonessa Lizelle and Brynn Klein, Ramonessette Tallisa Klein," the Kleins passed into the ballroom, "Ramon Manfred Dorn and Ramoness Ellinor Sparks. Ramon Hermes and Ramoness Annette Troy. Ramoni Carson and Edward Troy."

The atmosphere of the party was tense. The air itself seemed charged with electricity, Manny noted. A waltz started, and Ellie pulled Manny out onto the dance floor. She loved to dance, and the waltz was her favourite. Manny didn't really care for dancing, but he loved dancing with her.

"When do you think the Princess will show up?" Ellie asked him.

"Well, you know the King and Queen. They like to make an entrance. I'd say they'll be here in an hour, tops. Don't want everyone too drunk to give them a proper welcome."

Ellie giggled, and Manny spun her into a dip. They held that position a moment longer than was entirely polite, until the music abruptly cut off. Ellie used Manny to lever herself upright, "This is it."

But Manny was sceptical, "I don't think it's the King and Queen."

As it turned out, he was right. The great doors opened, but the standard bearer did not announce the King and Queen, "Ramon Kenna Kestrel and Ramoness Aleksandria Kestrel. Ramoni Soto and Diego Kestrel."

Sid, Lizee, Brynn, and Tally made their way towards Manny and Ellie. Manny didn't even need to look up to know that Crash and Eddie had joined them as well.

"So that's Diego," Manny muttered.

"And that's Soto," Sid whispered, "Well, let's go make friends!" And he was off before any of them could pull him back, leaving them no choice but to follow.

Diego Kestrel was rather small, compared to the rest of them. He towered over Crash and Eddie, but everyone was taller than the twins. His hair was tawny—there was really no other word for it, and his eyes were a violent, luminous green. There was something predatory about his gaze, and Manny couldn't believe Sid was leading them towards him and his brother.

It seemed like no one had moved—except for them—since the Kestrels had entered.

"Hiyah!" Sid exclaimed, "Welcome to Court! I'm Sid—"Lizee shot him a look and cleared her throat, "Apologies, I'm Ramoni Sidney Klein, and these are my sisters, Ramonessa Lizelle, Brynn, and Tallisa. Over there are my cousins, Ramoni Carson and Edward Troy. And these are Ramon Manfred Dorn and Ramoness Ellinor Sparks. It is a pleasure to make you acquaintance."

"The pleasure is ours," Soto's voice was deeper than Manny thought it would be, and smooth as silk. He took Ellie's hand and kissed the back of it, "I am Soto, and this is my brother, Diego." It was not lost on any of them that Soto had delivered a subtle insult by not introducing himself by his full name and title.

"You have spent time on the Island," Lizee stepped in before the situation could devolve, "Tell us, Ramoni Soto, Ramoni Diego, what it is like there?"

The Island was the primary location of Court, but it was really only used for large gatherings of their people. The Kestrels had been tasked as the caretakers of the Island, one of the most important roles in Therianthrope society.

Soto smirked, "It is the most wondrous place, Lizelle."

Lizee's smile faded, "I'd thank you to cease insulting me. I am Ramonessa Lizelle."

"Apologies for my brother, Ramonessa Lizelle," Diego spoke for the first time, his green eyes bright, "We have been away from Court for many years. He forgets himself."

"Accepted with pleasure, Ramoni Diego."

Manny cast his gaze towards the balcony overlying the ballroom. There were two people standing there, a boy and a girl. The girl nodded to him, and the boy beckoned.

"It's time," Manny whispered, "Zeke and Rachel are already up there. Join us, if you will, Ramoni Soto, Ramoni Diego."

"We will," Soto said for both him and his brother.

Manny ascended the stairs, with Ellie on his right and Sid on his left.

"It's so annoying that we have to use titles, even when no one else can hear us," Sid muttered.

"It's just how our society works. Now, would you shut up, please? I don't trust the Ramoni as far as I could throw them."

"Not even half the distance?"

Manny shook his head, "Nowhere near."

"You know you could throw them pretty far, Ramon Manfred," Sid seemed to be choking on Manny's name, "What with your—"

"Sid, shut up!" Manny hissed, breaking protocol for once as he was cognisant of Diego behind him. Sid shut up.

"Where are we going?" Diego asked. It seemed he was not superglued to Soto.

"Upstairs," Manny said shortly.

"Yes, I got that much. Considering we are climbing the stairs."

"The adults are supposed to meet the King and Queen first," Tally piped up, "Then we come down after a few minutes and meet the Princess. But in the meantime, you can meet Ramoni Zeke and Ramoni Lenny and Ramoni Oscar and Ramonessa Rachel and Ramonessa Jennifer and—"

"Ramonessette Tallisa, please take a breath," Brynn teased her sister, "You will not get to meet Princess Shira if you are unconscious."

"Who's unconscious?" Like Eddie and Crash, Rachel and Jennifer were twins, but they were identical (not that anyone could really tell that Eddie and Crash were fraternal). Jennifer had the twin's natural blonde hair, but Rachel had dyed hers a rather violent shade of purple.

"No one. Ramonessa Rachel and Jennifer Keladry, these are the Ramoni Soto and Diego Kestrel," said Brynn, "Come inside and meet everyone."

Manny personally took Soto and Diego around the room, introducing them to the Ramoni Leonard, Zeke, Oscar, Scrat, Rudolph, Flynn and Buckminster and the Ramonessa Scratte, Sylvia, Razell, Steffany, Katrynna, and Scarlett. Soto seemed to hit it off with the very eccentric Scrat, his girlfriend Scratte, and his younger sister Scarlett. Scrat dragged the group of them off to meet his parents, Simon and Salancya. And perhaps find a dish of nuts. Scrat and Scratte both went nutty for nuts, so much so that Manny was sure Scrat would leave Court if ever offered a place in 'Nut Heaven.'

Manny and his herd of friends integrated into the crowd, chatting easily with the people they had known since birth. Apparently, Oscar and Katrynna had gotten engaged, and were planning on announcing it later that night. Razell had fallen off her horse the day before and now sported a wrist brace that she had decorated with a silver ribbon to match the silver trim on her black dress. Ellie moved off to talk to Steffany and Sylvia while Manny and Sid went to break up the ensuing fight between Rudy and Buck.

After about half an hour of socializing, Sid wandered over to Manny, "Diego looks a little off. Do you think we should go and talk to him?"

Manny looked to where Sid gestured to. Diego did indeed look off. There was a shimmer radiating from his skin, giving it a green glow. His eyes were dark with shadows, and he held onto his glass with a ferocity that was threatening to shatter the crystal. It became clear to Manny then that Diego was more than a little off.

Marching straight up to him, and dragging Sid along, Manny clamped a massive hand down on Diego's muscular shoulder. Muttering an apology to Diego's partner, Zeke, he steered Diego out of the room, down the hall, and into one of the two rooms on that floor of the Palace.

As soon as they were inside, Sid bolted the door and Diego shook away from Manny's hold.

"What are you doing?" Diego snapped.

"You were losing it," Manny sat down heavily in an armchair and loosened his tie, "I could see it in your eyes. This is the first time you've been to a party, isn't it?"

Diego nodded slightly, "So you pulled me out, why? Out of the goodness of your heart? I know you don't trust me."

"I pulled you out because the King and Queen are on their way. Of course I don't trust you, I've only known you for forty-five minutes! Anyways, if you need to Shift, go ahead. If you're already this worked up after half an hour of talking, I don't even want to know what you'll do when the Princess arrives."

"I can handle it!" Diego huffed indignantly. A growl built up, deep in his chest. Carnivore, Manny decided.

"No, you can't, or Sid and I wouldn't have had to have pulled you out of that small of a gathering. You were green, Diego."

"I don't remember giving you permission to drop my title," Diego hissed.

"Your title is Ramoni. I am the Ramon of the Dorn family," It seemed to Manny that Diego's canines were lengthening. He was losing control in his indignation, and all three of them knew it, "Sid, go back to the party. Reassure everyone that Diego and I are fine, and we will be along shortly. Tell them that I took Diego to find Soto, and we got talking to someone." If he didn't tell Sid exactly what he needed to tell everyone else, Sid would let something incriminating slip, and then everyone would be all over him and Diego. By now, Diego was shaking where he stood, desperately trying to hold back the change.

Sid slipped out the door, and Diego dropped to his knees, his head in his hands. He looked up at Manny, peeking under long lashes with feverish eyes, "If I am to Shift, then you will too. You will not be able to hold it back."

"You will know my animal, and I will know yours. We will be even." Even as he spoke, Manny felt the hormone surge of a controlled change. Diego, however, was in for a rough ride, for even a controlled change was painful.

Diego pulled his tie over his head, panting heavily for breath. Manny calmly removed his own tie and suit jacket, piling them neatly on the bed. The Shift was coming quickly for Diego, almost as quick as it did for Manny. That meant that whatever his form was, it was strong.

When Diego once again threw a look at Manny, it was with the silted pupils of a cat. Manny gazed back at him, his eyes the warm brown of his mammoth form. Diego collapsed completely to the carpeted ground, crying out as his bones and organs shifted. Manny rode the waves of pain as he had many times before. It was nothing new to him, but he knew how painful an uncontrolled Shift was.

Diego's back arched as golden fur began to sprout all over his body. His nails lengthened into claws that tore trenches in the carpet of the room. Manny could hear the cracking of his bones as they reformed, and then Manny hit the ground himself as he pushed further into his own Shift.

In total, the two teenagers only took about two minutes to Shift, but to them it felt like much longer.

Manny struggled to his feet, immediately adjusting to the four legs the diameter of tree trunks, and the long, flexible trunk hanging down from his face in the place of his nose. He focused on the pile of golden limbs in front of him.

Diego groaned and rolled from his side. He stretched every limb to its maximum, as any cat would do.

He didn't make it past Manny's knees, but what he lacked in height he made up for in muscle and teeth. Diego was a sabre-toothed cat, complete with razor-sharp claws and nine-inch canines. His forelimbs were huge, rippling with sinewy muscle, and his hind limbs had the muscles of a jumper. Both he and Manny knew that he was no match for the mammoth in the room, but that did not stop Diego from glaring up at Manny defiantly.

"So, a sabre, huh?" Manny asked.

"So, a mammoth, huh?" Diego echoed.

"Your brother, is he—"

"Another extinct animal? No. He's a black panther," Diego paused, "Don't tell him I said that. What about your friends?"

"Only Ellie, Sid, Crash, and Eddie."

Someone pounded on the door, "Manny! The King and Queen are here! You have two minutes!" It was Lizee, and she did not sound impressed. That was understandable, as it had been a very long time since anyone had needed to be pulled out of a party because of an anxiety-induced Shift.

"Change back?"

"Change back."

As Manny and Diego exited the room almost two minutes later, back in their human forms and dressed to receive the monarchs, Diego whispered, "Thank you, Ramon Manfred. You were right."

Manny slowed and raised an eyebrow, "It's hard for you to admit when you are wrong, is it not?"

"It's hard for you to stop being paranoid about others, is it not?"

"That is true. But I believe we have come to an understanding." And they had. To know someone else's animal was to have power over them, if one chose to use it. Manny and Diego were trusting each other not to use that power.

"We have," Diego said.

"In that case, please, when we are not at a party, drop my title. Call me Manny."

Diego took the hand that Manny offered and shook it, "Call me Diego."