What happened to the forest after man came? It is clear that the predators have dwindled away, but where have they gone? Well, magic has a way of protecting the world’s most valuable creatures. Literally, there is a portal in the hollow of the oldest tree in the deepest part of the forest. This portal leads to another world—my world—and this is my story.

Everything changed for me on my twelfth birthday, but before I get to that, let me explain my world to you. I live in a land of shapeshifters, or colloquially, shifters. On a shifter’s twelfth birthday, he finally gains the ability to change forms. A person will either be a wolf, crow, bear, cougar, fox, weasel, or lion since those are the predators that entered the portal centuries ago and became part human. And, the more a person shifts, the more he will take on the likeness of whatever creature he has the power of. Your shift is passed down by genetics. If your parents were wolves, you will most likely be a wolf. If your parents are mixed, such as a bear and a cougar shifter, then you could be either or.

I had been looking forward to my twelfth birthday for years—not that I had much else to anticipate. My parents never let me play outside or go anywhere, even to school. I still remember the first day of school when I was six. My older siblings, Farlo and Kate, got to go to real school while I had to stay home with mom and be homeschooled. I threw a massive fit because it didn’t seem fair! I was upset until I looked into my mother’s eyes. There was a look of deep pain and sorrow that filled my mother’s eyes. “I’m doing this for your own good,” she murmured softly. After quickly drying my tears, I silently followed her into our “classroom“ (the dining room). I acted out a few more times, but every time, I saw that same expression on my mother’s face and stopped. As I grew older, I understood that there was something she knew that I didn’t. At least not yet.

I awoke on the day of my twelfth birthday bursting with excitement! I couldn’t wait to shift into a wolf for the first time, just like my parents and siblings! I leapt out of bed and raced down the stairs; but when I opened the door to the living room, I saw Mother and Father sitting on the couch with very serious expressions. “Lila,” Mother said, her wolf ears twitching nervously, “there is something we need to tell you, dear.”