Savannah raced home as quickly as she could, desperate to find out what had happened to her. She stuck to back alleys and expanses of empty lots, knowing if she were to be seen it would not end well. Fear and emotional turmoil kept her moving, even as she grew tired from forcing herself forward in a body she was unaccustomed to. Her eyesight was nearly ten times sharper than before, and the longer she ran the more she was able to gain control of her heightened senses. She slowly blocked all the things that were not near her immediate person...er, wolf...and found that once that had been accomplished she felt much more comfortable.

It wasn't long before she picked up on the scent of her parents, or more specifically her mother, who was apparently outside. She picked up her pace, hoping to get home before she went inside since, without opposable thumbs, it would be next to impossible to get into the house. She rounded the last corner, letting out a sharp bark to get her mother's attention. Marissa turned, nearly dropping the mail she had been retrieving when she caught sight of the large black wolf loping toward her. It wasn't so much that it was a wolf, more that she knew there were no wolves around Bailey City, so that meant it had to be her daughter, as her husband was a cinnamon brown in his wolf form, plus this wolf was decidedly feminine.

"Savannah?" she whispered, watching as the wolf's ears pricked at the name. "Good God, it is you."

She sank onto the front steps of the house, shocked and afraid but also slightly excited that her child had been able to shift.

"Mom!" Savannah barked, going to stand in front of her. Her wolf was so large that even though her mother was sitting on the second to the top step she could look her directly in the eye. "What's going on? What happened to me? What am I?"

She still couldn't get used to the fact that while she was a wolf she couldn't speak, but she also didn't know that other Shifters could understand each other even if one was in human form. Her mother sighed, her eyes closing briefly before opening, the blue pools, so similar to her own, reflecting immense sorrow and regret. The woman flashed a grim smile before reaching out and running a hand over Savannah's head.

"Come on, sweetheart," she said, standing. "Your father will be home in just a little while and then we'll tell you what's going on."

'Oh thank God,' Savannah thought, relieved that she at least wasn't alone in whatever was going on. She happily followed her mother into the house, tripping a little over the stairs, still not entirely used to her new body.

To say Ethan was exhausted would be an understatement. He was a lawyer to Bailey City's biggest firm, and lately, for whatever reason, there had been an unusually large influx of cases, ranging from restraining orders to criminal felonies. He had been putting in longer and longer hours for the past month, even missing Savannah's fifteenth birthday. He had hoped as the insanity from New Years died down so would the caseload, yet it was doing anything but. That was why, as he trudged into his house much later than he should have, the sight of a large black wolf playing tug-of-war with his wife with a dish towel nearly gave him a heart attack.

He dropped his briefcase with a thump, the sound drawing the pair's attention. They froze in place, his wife looking decidedly guilty though no less amused. The wolf gave a happy yip and bounded over to him, knocking him down as it jumped up on it's hind legs, thus making him the shorter of the two.

"What the-?! Marissa, is this?" he stuttered, struggling to get the oversized canine off of him.

"Yes, she came home from school like that."

He froze, every muscle in his body tensing, and his eyes widening. The shock and stress was nearly enough to force him into his own wolf form, but he held back, just barely refraining from changing.

"Savannah, honey, listen to me. We'll explain everything but first you need to shift back." She cocked her head, and he distinctly understood that the look she was giving him translated into 'Are you kidding me I don't even know how I got this way in the first place'. He sighed, forgetting how hard it was to be a fresh Shifter. "Focus on yourself, your human shape. Think of it and feel it, and you'll become human."

He watched as her blue eyes slipped closed, and for a few tense minutes both he and Marissa watched with baited breath as their daughter attempted to shift back. Finally, she began to fold in on herself, until it was human Savannah sitting on the floor. They sighed in tandem, the air palpitating with relief. Savannah opened her eyes at the noise, slightly disoriented not only from the shift but from regaining her normal senses. Her parents each took an arm and helped her up and to the couch, readying themselves to deliver not only their history, but to break the biggest lie they had ever told.

They sat her on the couch, one on either side of her. She was confused, exhausted, scared, and disoriented, and all she wanted was answers.

"Mom, Dad, what am I? One minute I felt really sick and then I was...this….this...wolf!" She idly noted that now that she was once again in human form she felt a hundred times better, though she was still tired. She also noticed the way her parents flinched when she mentioned her other form. Her eyes narrowed, and though she couldn't see it, seemed to glow with something animalistic. "What happened?" she growled, her voice echoing with the wolf she had just become.

Her father sighed, running a hand over his head and disheveling his hair.

"Savannah, honey, I'll tell you everything, but you have to promise not to interrupt until I'm finished, okay?"

"But Dad-"

"Just, just trust me. Please?" She nodded and he took a steadying breath, releasing it in a sigh. "Savannah, we are not human." Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth, but before she could speak he continued. "We are part of an ancient race known as Shapeshifters, or Shifters for short. We become wolves, as I'm sure you now know.

Many centuries ago, our race and another, beings you know as Vampires, lived together peacefully. That is, until one of them killed one of our own, draining his blood. The Vampire admitted what he had done, which sent our two races into fury and, eventually, war. Many lives were lost before a truce was called. It was agreed upon that the two races would never again interact, and for eons afterward if a Vampire came upon a Shifter they killed them, the same if the situation was reversed.

Over time, as human society progressed we as a race began to interact with them in hope of protecting them from the blood suckers. But, as they discovered what we truly were, they became afraid, and tried to kill us. We were forced to withdraw from human society, returning to the woods and unpopulated areas. We thought that was the end of it, but we were wrong. A genetic flaw, one that had been becoming more prominent but was dismissed, began attacking the various packs. Male children were being born, only males. A female birth was incredibly rare, and with the overabundance of males to females we were forced to return to the humans and breed with them.

This is where things truly get confusing," he said, locking eyes with Savannah, "so try to follow as closely as you can. Humans, for centuries, had told tales of soul mates, which I know you have heard." She nodded, encouraging him to continue. "We, as Shifters, had never been affected by this before, but as the years passed and we had children with humans, we began to become susceptible to the soul mate phenomena. Children were born who spoke of an emptiness in their souls." Here, Savannah's head snapped up. Could this be why she always felt so alone and empty inside? "This in and of itself was odd, and many never found their 'soulmate', but those that did spoke of happiness and contentment beyond human or other imagination.

This continued for several generations, and many of our race accepted it and continued on with life, simply glad they were able to continue our race. But then, about a thousand years ago, yet another oddity came to light. There were still children being born with soul mates, but there were also children being born with a deeper longing. It wasn't just an emptiness in their souls, it was a restlessness, a longing that could never be filled. For the longest time no one knew what it was and it was assumed to be a deeper level of having a soul mate.

What made it even more peculiar was that these children, the ones with the deeper longing, were far and few, and so for several centuries nothing was discovered about them. Until one fateful day, a young boy was out hunting and came across a young maid in the woods. They instantly connected, though he had no emotional feelings for her. That was the first clue that this deeper longing was not that of a soul mate. He was fiercely protective of the girl, even after she had wed and borne children. He protected her and stood by her side as a friend until the day she died, and after this case there were a few others throughout the following years. Occasionally it was two males destined to be linked, and even rarer still two females, as I've already said female births were rare.

These births seemed to come in bursts, groups if you will, and were scattered across the world, occurring once every century or so. They came to be known as the Precon Guard, for they were born with a certain being to protect. There are only a few certainties about members of the Precon Guard. One, they are born close together. Two, they spend their entire lives searching for the person they are meant to protect, which we call their Intended. Three, the Intended are never, and will never be, a Vampire."

Ethan grew silent, eyes fixed to the floor. Savannah's head was reeling. She wasn't human? She could potentially have a soul mate? She technically was a small miracle just because she was a girl? Eyes wide and flashing with thoughts and emotions she looked from her father to her mother, unsure whether to be excited for the answers she now had, or angry that they had kept it from her and left her to undergo her first shift alone. She settled on angry, electric blue orbs meeting her father's forest green.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't I grow up knowing all of this?"

Her dreams now made more sense. It had been the battle she had dreamed of, not to mention running through the forests of old as a wolf.

"Because even though we may seem powerful and invincible the humans wouldn't hesitate to kill us should they find out our secret. Not to mention any rogue Vampires that still share the hate of our ancestors," Marissa answered, drawing her daughter's attention for the first time since the discussion began.

"Wait, hate of our ancestors? Does that mean that Vampires and Shifters don't hate each other anymore?" Savannah questioned, looking to both her parents for an answer.

"Well, no, most don't, though we still aren't fond of one another," her mother answered, trying to give an unbiased answer. "Though there are still some, such as your father, that would kill a Vampire as soon as see one."

"That's because they ruthlessly kill humans for their own survival!" he yelled. "They are horrible, disgusting creatures who don't deserve to walk the face of the earth!"

His eyes flickered with his own wolf, leading the girl to another question.

"Can I see your wolf forms?" she asked, breaking her father out of his rant.

"Well, you see sweetheart," he began, only to be cut off by his wife.

"I don't have a wolf form."

"What? Why not?" Savannah asked. "Is it because you're human?"

"No sweetheart, I'm very much a Shifter. But remember how we said female births were incredibly rare? Well, sometimes when a girl is born there is defect that doesn't allow her to change her form. I have this defect, and that's also part of the reason we held off on telling you about your true nature. We didn't want to tell you only for you to discover that you couldn't shift."

"Oh."

"But, if you would like, I can show you my wolf," her father said.

"I'd like that," Savannah grinned.

Ethan smiled back before standing and crossing to the other side of the room, where he shifted flawlessly and quickly into his wolf form. Before them stood a large cinnamon brown wolf, about a half a foot taller than Savannah and a few inches longer. Piercing green eyes stared at both women before he shifted back.

"That is so cool. How'd you shift so easy?" the brunette asked, amazed that it didn't seem to hurt her father.

"Years of practice, which reminds me; what made you change for the first time?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean were you overly excited, or angry, or afraid? Or did you feel sick? Or did you just shift?"

"I felt really sick. A-Mrs. Jeepers said she thought I had the flu, but then I shifted and when I changed back I felt better," she replied, noting the way her father tensed when she mentioned the other woman.

"Ah, then it was a natural shift, not a forced one." At her confused look he elaborated. "A shift can be forced and brought about by extreme emotion, such as anger or fear. I'm glad to know that wasn't the case, as those are often far more painful to new wolves."

"Oh, so will I eventually be able to control it?"

"Eventually, though not for a long while."

It grew silent, Savannah digesting this new information before posing her next question.

"Dad, what you said earlier, about the Precon Guard? I-I think I might...be one," she mumbled. "Is that possible?"

Ethan and Marissa looked at each other. Was it possible? Yes. Was it terribly likely? No, not at all.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"Well, you know how you said they were born feeling out of place, restless, and lonely?"

"Yes," Ethan said slowly, wary of the whole situation.

"The anxiety pills I used to take forever ago in third grade? That was because I finally found someone to curb the loneliness and the emptiness." She exhaled, knowing that his next question would be who it was that caused those feelings. "It was Mrs. Jeepers," she said, quietly, closing her eyes.

"WHAT?!" Ethan exploded, anger vibrating through the air in waves.

Savannah cringed, having expected the reaction. She knew her father hated her teacher, though she didn't know why. It wasn't as if the woman had done some incredible wrong against him or anything.

"Dad, please calm down. She made me-makes me-feel safe, and I really like her. She treats me like a person, not another number that she's responsible for throughout the day."

Ethan breathed heavily, too enraged to form intelligible words. Marissa noticed and unconsciously placed her hand on his arm.

"Sweetheart, just because you feel comfortable around her doesn't mean she's your Intended. Precon Guards are extremely rare, and it's rarer still to find one's Intended. Perhaps you like her for another reason?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

She had long suspected that her daughter was more interested in women than men, and if she were being honest the redheaded teacher was very beautiful. Not that she approved of the choice, she'd much rather her daughter find a nice boy, but she was curious as to the reaction she was going to get. Her daughter blushed, confirming her suspicion.

"No Mom, I feel it. Every time I talk to her the emptiness inside me fades, and it's just…" She trailed off, frustrated that she was unable to put her thoughts into words. "You just...you have have to trust me."

She gazed at them, her mother especially, with utmost seriousness and slight panic. She knew that if they didn't believe her then she would never be able to be happy. Marissa gave the girl a hard look before letting a small smile slip across her face. She knew how much this meant to her, who was she to take away the happiness she held? It didn't truly matter that she didn't think her teacher was her Intended.

"Savannah, we do trust you. We just want you to understand that, though you may believe with every fiber of your being that she's your Intended, she may not be. She may just be someone that you're destined to get along well with. Do you understand?"

Savannah felt tears prick her eyes as her mother shot her down. She understood, really she did, but somehow she just knew. Instead of continuing to press the matter as she so desired, she held her head up and her tears in, forcing a smile on her face.

"Okay Mom. Thanks for this, all of it. At least now I know what's going on. I'm, um, I'm gonna go to bed. Night."

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Marissa said, smiling, though it was pained as she knew she had hurt her. She watched the girl go upstairs, her hand tightening on her husband's arm as she felt him getting ready to protest. "Don't," she hissed.

They remained silent until they heard her door shut.

"But that creature has bewitched her!" Ethan exploded.

"No she hasn't!" Marissa snapped. "For god's sake we don't even know she's a Vampire! So until we have proof calm down and be happy for your daughter. Not only is she a Shifter she's a part of the Precon Guard, and you know how respected they are."

"That's true."

"Not to mention she's most likely overwhelmed. Let her sleep on it before you try to do anything."

"All right. I'm sorry I reacted the way I did, but it was such a shock."

"I know, but let her be happy."

Savannah's thoughts swirled, none connected and all confused. Was she supposed to be excited now that her life had been upended? What about the Precon Guard? How was she supposed to fill her role in that? What about Adri, who seemed to hate her?

So many questions still remained, and even though it was getting late she knew she was going to get very little sleep. First things first-confront her teacher and find out just what the hell her reaction was about. Secondly, find out if she really was her Intended as she suspected. Thirdly, figure out just how she felt about being a Shifter.

She rolled over, burying her head in her pillow. Just when she thought her life was looking up it all went to hell. Well wasn't that just typical?