Summer

“Come on. We’re going to be late for breakfast, and then they’ll shut down the cafeteria.” AJ says at full sprint. She shifts wolf.

“If I ran at full speed I’d get there before you.” I remind her playfully. Me and AJ have been best friends since our freshman year of college were we got paired up as roommates. We’ve been practically inseparable since. Now we’re so close to graduation. Were a mini-pack. We stumble inside just as the doors shut. AJ holds out her hand. I high five her.

“Come on I want to get the good stuff before it goes.” She says, and we walk together to the line. People carefully stay out of her way as she passes. The good stuff is sausage, bacon, ham, and pork. I’m vegan so I get anything but. No milk, cheese, or eggs ether. Just some OJ, and some fruit salad. We sit down at our normal table. The shifters at the table next to us gives AJ nervous glances. AJ is as sweet as peppermint. She can also kill you. That doesn’t mean she will of course. She’s still down with killing your job, social life, or reputation. She’s from the Dark Moon pack. So legally she could kill someone. The Dark Moon pack believes it’s their right to kill for revenge, or in a duel if agreed to. It’s not a right she uses often though. The Dark Moon pack believes in working well with the others. So although the school is a neutral territory, and therefore everyone follows their own packs laws she doesn’t wish to have the other pack speak poorly of her for being unnecessarily violent. So she’s never killed someone at least on campus as far as I know. Not above threatening, and freaking people out though. I think that’s why she wanted to be friends with me. I wasn’t intimidated by her, and I could use a friend that was intimidating. I’m very small for my age. Four foot, seven. I’m also a bunny shifter so no sharp fangs on me. I’ve been told I seem unthreading, and that’s exactly how I want to appear, but I still wish people wouldn’t mess with me. Nobody messes with AJ. Therefore, nobody messes with me much anymore, especially not when she’s around. We work well together. Balance each other out. I hold her back, and keep her in check. She makes sure I don’t get torn to pieces.

“Look at this video of a puppy and bunny making friends.” I send it to her, and patiently and impatiently wait for her to watch it.

“Cute.” She says. When breakfast is over she’s flanked by Xena, a coyote shifter, Finley, a fox shifter, and Midnight, a wolf shifter. Wolf shifters are on the rare side. The Dark Moon pack currently only has ten wolves, one coyote shifter, and two humans. Those humans being AJ’s step mom, and younger step sister, Lyra. AJ’s very protective of her. Because the pack’s used to be separated across the continents, oceans apart most of them tend to be mostly made of of one group. Of course sometimes people choose to switch to a pack that fits them more, or chooses to marry into one like AJ’s step mother. Most though stick with the pack there born into so that their traditions live on. For example my pack, the Bloom pack entirely made up of bunny shifters. Of course my pack is huge. Two dozen of us, and we’re the smallest of the three packs in our continent. There’s the Bloom pack the Fluffle pack and the Borrow pack. On AJ‘s continent there’s many more. There’s the Crescent Moon pack, the Warning Moon pack, the Waxing Moon pack, the Half Moon pack, and the Dark Moon pack. There’s the continent filled with mostly rabbit shifter’s (not the same as bunnies) Sunflower pack, Lavender pack, Bluebell pack, Poppy pack, and Lantern pack. The continent filled with mostly hare shifters has the Burgundy pack, the Chestnut pack, the Bronze pack, the Russet pack, and the Tawny pack. Coyotes have the Maple Leaf pack, Oak Leaf pack, Elm Leaf pack, Pine Needle pack, and Spindle pack. Mostly butterflies have the Monarch pack, Royal pack, Crown pack, and Throne pack. Continent with mostly fish is actually mostly ocean and a series of islands. One of those islands have mostly beta fish shifters. For most of them their in the Tsunami pack, Tidal Wave pack, and Hurricane pack. Snakes and spiders have actually moved to be together on the same continent. The spiders having left their own land. So there is the Venom pack, Poison pack, and the Web pack.

Mostly foxes has the Birchwood pack, Adler Wood pack, Cedar Wood pack, Ash Wood pack, Rosewood pack, Spruce Wood pack, Hemlock Wood pack, and Redwood pack. In a mountainous continent lives, mostly bird shifters. Including Murder pack, Umber pack, Shadow pack, and Shade pack. The mostly lion shifter filled continent has the Desert pack, the Prairie pack, Brush pack, and Brushfire pack. Then there’s plenty of human cities all across the continent. Humans had built boats long before us. We were content in our homeland for far longer before deciding to explore. We all get along rather well. Of course, every school has bully. Mine is Red. A red fox shifter.

“Hey Summer.” Ainsley, a rabbit shifter, and a dear friend of mine calls. “Want to walk to class together?” I nod knowing she doesn’t like being alone. Like me she’s small in stature. She also can’t defend herself well. So she’s a prime target for Red. Got him suspended a few times of course. Somehow he always manages to weasel out of getting expelled. He won’t for long though. He thinks because I’m small I’m weak. He’ll learn better soon enough.