Kane & Evette

01) KANE

"Devika! Devika, stop!"

My sister stalled by the cabin door, but her entire form was tense. The muscles in her upper back bunched under her burgundy tank top. She was dressed unusually warm for the weather outside, but wearing minimum clothes was normal for our kind.

Finally, she spun to face me, blonde box spring curls flying haphazardly. "I can't stay in this house another minute!"

I sighed, my frustration seeping through. I was supposed to be the level headed one between me and my twin. I was supposed to keep our family safe and I already failed once. I wasn't about to do it again.

"We have to stay in the cabin, D. You know that. Stop acting like a brat!" I clenched my fists and took a menacing step towards my irrational sister.

"I'm a brat? You're fucking kidding!" Devika snarled, baring her teeth. "Mom and Dad have been gone for days, Kane. Days! And what have we done? Sat on our asses and twiddled our thumbs!"

"I called the Council. There's nothing more we can do."

Devika laughed and grabbed the door handle, knowing it would piss me off. "Actually we're not defenseless idiots. Even though you like to forget that."

She swung the door open and stormed into the early stages of a blizzard. A growl slipped past my parted lips. You've got to be kidding me!

My sister has been a handful since we were kids. She never agreed with how our kind lived. We were forced to stay in the shadows, a secret from the human world, and never be a part of it. We've never even seen a human city. We live in the Rocky Mountains, our cabin tucked into the mountainside and with how much it snowed, it was almost impossible to spot our home unless you were deliberately looking.

It's not like anyone came looking though. This part of the mountains was notorious for bears.

I grabbed my jacket off the hook, even though it was all for show. My sister and I, along with our entire family, didn't require clothes to keep us warm. Our bodies did it for us. Coats were just a precaution in case we stumbled across humans. A precaution Devika boldly ignored.

We weren't supposed to leave the cabin unless absolutely necessary. My father was the only one who left regularly to get supplies from the Council. They would meet him at the bottom of the mountains.

"Devika!" She had gotten far in a short span of time and I was having trouble tracking her. Living secluded in the cabin kept us from using our unique gifts as much as we should to hone them.

The snow started to fall heavier and my stomach sank. What if she goes missing like our mother and father?

I didn't want to think the worst, but something bad had happened to my parents a few nights ago. They had gone on a stroll, claiming they needed some air from being holed up in the cabin for so long. We weren't supposed to leave unless absolutely necessary, but my family had been getting sloppy lately. My mom was having regular picnics with us and Devika enjoyed playing with the small animals in the woods. We thought the council was being overzealous insisting we stay inside at all times.

Now their regulations made sense. At least to me. The same couldn't be said for Devika. She didn't want to wait around while the council found our parents.

"Devika!" I was starting to really worry and my tracking was proving ineffective.

I could barely see in front of me the snow was so thick. It fell in clumps and coated my hair. Panic was setting in. Without Devika, I was all alone.

"Devika, I'm serious! Devika, please!"

I stumbled on an exposed root and fell. I hissed when I saw how bad my injury really was. My foot was twisted at an odd angle and I definitely couldn't walk on it. I knew I could heal, but not like this. I would have to change.

I looked around, hoping Devika would emerge from the snowstorm and reassure me everything would be okay. I rubbed my ankle, coming to the conclusion that Devika wasn't turning up anytime soon.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. It had been a while since I changed. Almost a month. I reached inside myself. It was like grasping for strings. Then I felt the familiar warmth spread in my chest and extend outwards. It curled around my muscles but didn't tighten. It never hurt to change. It felt like the most natural thing in the world, like I was supposed to always be in this form.

Fur replaced skin and four legs replaced two. I had shifted into a bear.

I stood proudly and reared back on my hind legs. I roared for my baby sister, hoping she would hear me and respond. I didn't hold back the hurt undertone in my roar either. I wanted her to know how much I loved her and prayed to our god she was safe out there in the blizzard.

I settled back on four legs and downcast my snout, ready to track Devika the proper way, but stopped short. A girl bundled in a red puffer jacket stood in front of me, her mouth covered by a scarf. She stumbled away from me and fell flat on her ass.

Oh shit.