Excerpt: Guardian's Quest

This is my first chapter, and nothing more. Don't expect it to be a window into my entire story, its just the beginning. I hope you like it!

I walk down the street, holding my daughters hand firmly in my own. I’m not really paying attention, there’s no need. I know this street as well as my own life. I’ve walked it every day since I moved here when I was fifteen. The year my parents died.
I still miss them sometimes, but not that often. I know how to take care of myself. I have since I was six. They weren’t the best parents; they just didn’t care. They didn’t give hugs and kisses, they never helped when I struggled with my homework, and after I turned eight, I got tired of T.V. dinners and began to cook for myself. But they were there, and they paid for my schooling, and they always made sure there was food in the house for me to cook.
In some ways, I loved having parents who didn’t care. They never set curfews, and they didn’t yell at me if I got a bad grade. But I didn’t get bad grades often and I usually didn’t stay out past eleven. I was smart, and I put more effort into my school work than running the streets.
But their lack of parenting did have its repercussions. Mom, the ultra- concerned parent that she was never had the sex talk with me. I hit puberty when I was thirteen, and my hormones soon had me lusting after every boy who would look at me. I never thought about having sex, and it never crossed my mind that you could get pregnant the first time. I’m not stupid, I did know where babies came from, it just wasn’t a thought in that night. The night I turned fifteen.
A month later, I went to the store to buy the test. I’ll never forget the dirty look the store clerk gave me when I checked out. Then I walked home, not meeting anybodies eyes. I wasn’t worried about my parents finding out, and I doubted if they would even care. I took the test, and waited the three minutes. +. I didn’t freak out, I wasn’t even worried about being pregnant. I didn’t realize how challenging it would be to raise a child by myself.
I never told the father, for we moved the next month. I also never told my parents, although they probably suspected. But it didn’t matter, they died two months before she was born. When they died, I fought the courts to stay out of the system. I did not want to be in foster care, no one would want to foster a pregnant fifteen year old. I was capable of taking care of my self.
Eventually, I was legally emancipated, and I acquired the rest of my parents money. I put most of it in the bank, and I used it to pay the rent on the apartment. I also got a job at the local daycare after school, so that I could continue to afford the rent, and they also agreed to give me free child care. It was a great arrangement, and I was proud of myself.
When the little girl was born, the emotions that coursed through me were completely new. I loved her. This was my first experience with love. I had never felt it for my parents, or even for the boys. Love felt wonderful. I named her Ashlyn, and she was the cutest baby in the world.
This year, when she turned three, I enrolled her in preschool. I dropped her off in the morning, and then, after I got out of school, I took her to the daycare with me while I worked. It was the perfect solution for me, and it allowed me to complete high school with honors. It was summer now, and a cool breeze ruffled our hair as As.hlyn and I walked down the street.
, “How was school, Ashlyn?” I ask her.
“It was great mommy! We played with paints, and then had gym and then we practiced our A.B.C.’s. Wanna here?”
“Of course ,Princess,” I tighten my grip on her hand to show her I’m exited.
“A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,M,N,L,O,P,R,Q,S,T,U,V,W,Y,X,Z,” She giggles and claps her hands, proud of herself.
“Very good,” I bend down and kiss her on the forehead.
Just then, I hear hurried footsteps behind us. I pick Ashlyn up and hold her close, not sure who is coming up behind us. I turn to meet them just as the call for me.
“Aluna!” he calls as he nears us.
“Shhh,” I call back. “Not in public, Raj. Your new to this, but you must remember about our names.” Raj thinks for a moment, and then becomes apologetic.
“Alana, right. I’m sorry…”
“ What are you doing, following us?” I interrupt him.
“ I came to ask you if you are calling a meeting tonight,” he says, flustered.
“There will be a meeting tonight, yes Raj, but not until about nine, I need to spend some time with Ashlyn, and she needs to eat before we come. Can you go tell the rest of the pack? We’ll meet at Wolf’s peak. Tonight is an important meeting.”
“Yeah, Of course I’ll go call the pack. See you later Alu…Alana” he corrects himself.
“Bye Raj. Remember the rules.” I jump as the clock tolls eight, and the streetlights flicker to life above me.
Still holding Ashlyn, I hurry the rest of the way home, and enter my apartment. I set Ashlyn down, and lock the door behind us. We don’t exactly live on a safe block. Ashlyn busies herself with blocks while I turn on the television and start our dinner. I’m tired, but the day is not over yet. We eat our chicken while Ashlyn describes more about her day, then I wash the dishes, and give Ashlyn her bath. I don’t put her in her pajama’s though, instead, I put her in a new set of clothes. Tonight, she would become a wolf.
There had been a first time for all of us, but no one had been there to explain it to us. We were trapped in a new body and we had no idea why. No one ever heard of the transformation until it happened to them. As far as I could tell, the only trigger was stress, but after the first time, the person could change at will.
I first changed the night my parents died. I wasn’t sad they were dead, it didn’t really matter to me. I didn’t cry over them. But I was stressed; I did not want to go into foster care. The change was so sudden, I didn’t realize anything had happened. I knew I was on the ground, but I thought I’d just fainted. I had been talking to my assigned case worker, and I just phased. The phone clattered to the floor beside me. I looked at it curiously, and then I reached to pick it up. I froze; I wasn’t my hand that reached for the phone. Instead, a furry white paw extended from my body.
I jumped back, and then I remembered that the phone was still on. The social worker was calling my name, but I was done talking to her. I was freaking out. I didn’t know what was happening to me, but I wasn’t going to discuss it with her. I advanced on the phone, and extending one sharp claw, I clicked the phone off.
I left the phone on the floor and I sprinted to the bathroom. I knew I had four legs, but I was terrified to look at myself. I entered the bathroom and pushed the door shut, to look at myself in the full length mirror on the back of the door. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Looking back at me out of the mirror was a large, long furred, pure white wolf. Well, not pure white, Its ears and tail were tipped with black. My ears and tail.
I tried to speak, but all that came out was a strangled growl. I didn’t know what to do. I was apparently trapped in this body and I didn’t want to be. I was human, and I wanted to be Human! Not some wolf. I couldn’t even process how this had happen. I had read books on shapes-shifters and werewolves, but the people who transformed had always been bitten by another, or it was part of their genetic makeup. And I had always thought the stories to be fiction. I thought it must be a really creative dream. After all, what need would there be for a werewolf or a shape-shifter or whatever I was in the middle of Chicago.
I turned off the bathroom light and howled. Then I regretted it, I had very nosy neighbors, and I was sure to have just awoken their curiosity. I waited silently, and when I didn’t here anything I hurried to the front door to lock it. I reached up, but my new paws did not have the dexterity to turn the lock. I sat down and whined at my own helplessness. My paws were too big and clumsy, and I had no control over them. I began to cry, and resorted to pushing a bookcase in front of the door to keep people out.
My wolf instincts wanted me go and explore the city at night, but my human personality was still in control, and I began trying to prove my transformation was all a horrible nightmare. I tried biting down on my own paw until I could taste blood, but it did no good, I didn’t wake up. I found a lit candle, and I stuck my wet nose in to the flame. Far from waking me up however, my nose fur caught fire. I yelped in pain, and dragged my nose across the rug to put the fire out. With my nose blistered and bleeding and my paw throbbing, I gave up in my quest to wake myself up and decided to sleep it off instead. I limped into my bedroom and jumped onto my bed. I curled up in the blankets and quickly fell asleep. I hoped everything would be normal again in the morning.
And it was, almost. I woke up human, but I still had a huge burn on my face, and puncture marks on my hand, like I had been bitten by a dog. I got up washed my face, careful not to re-injure my nose. Then I bandaged my hand and took some pills for my splitting head-ache. I walked into the living room, where the phone was still on the floor. I hooked it back on the receiver and proceeded to push the book case away from the door. Soon, the memories from that night faded from my mind and I was happy, again living normal in society. Until it happened again. That’s when I knew it was real.
Ashlyn tugs on my hand and I come back to the present. This would be an important night for her.
“Where are we going mamma?” she was curious at the change in routine.
I smile and take up her hand. “We’re going on an adventure, and you better hold on tight!” I exclaim.
I crouch down and she squeals as she struggles to climb onto my shoulders. I sink even lower and she crawls into place. She has never seen me as a wolf, so this will be a first for both of us. I head out of the apartment, ducking to keep her head from hitting the lintel.