Chapter 8: Shape-shifter

Rachel first thought that the badge meant that he was wanted. But she changed her mind when Rachel saw a paper in his hand. Rachel could only see a few words since the man's hand was covering most of it. Rachel caught the words; 'Rachel McGanoff', 'supernatural', 'freak of nature is a threat to the world', 'dead or alive, preferably alive', 'bounty is 5000 dollars'. 

"Now, we can do this the hard way, or the easy way. Call your stupid mutt off, come with me willingly. That's the easy way." The man spat.

Rachel locked eyes with Izzie and mumbled, "Iz, he can kill me in a flash. Later." Izzie walked backwards slowly, never taking her eyes off of the man's deadly weapon. "Rachel, what about me?" Faber peeped so softly, that Rachel only heard him because his head was near her ear.

"Jump to a tree when I clamp my hand into a fist. I'll distract him, then you try to point his gun in a different direction in any way you can." Rachel whispered.

"What? You have something to say to me? I'll move closer now, since I lost some of my hearing when I was bounty hunting once. Now easy way, or hard way?" The man stepped closer, until he was cautiously about 2 yards away.

"What's the hard way?" Rachel stepped to the left and made a fist. Faber gracefully flew to the nearest tree to the right. She decided that the only way the man didn't see Faber was because his attention was focused on her and Izzie, and Faber was on her right shoulder. Izzie was to Rachel's left. 'Where is Iz? She was just here!' Rachel thought.

She thought she saw movement behind the man. Could it be? Yes it was, Izzie ready to pounce on the man, about to give a killer bite to his neck.

At that moment, chaos broke loose. Faber jumped from the trees and was going to scratch the man, but turned back into the safety of the tree when she saw what was behind the man. While that was happening, 2 more men with the same clothes, gun, and badge appeared through the evergreen needles. At the same time, Izzie growled and The man spun around, pointed his gun at Izzie, and motioned with his other hand to the other men. "Lucas, Rodney, a wild and feral dog here. Kill it!" They surrounded Izzie and were about to shoot.

Rachel screamed, "Izzie, NO!" Faber glided from a tree and went straight for the man called Lucas. Faber landed on Lucas's head and started biting and scratching his scalp. Lucas turned around and ran away, yelling, shouting, screaming, and cursing the whole way there. Rodney pointed his rifle at Rachel. The other man kept his gun on Izzie. Rachel made a decision and ran towards Rodney. In a split second, Rachel thought about what she wanted. She wanted to save Izzie and Faber, get out of that situation alive, eat, then finally sleep! 

Rachel took off her duffel bag threw it on the ground, and felt a change. Her muscles and legs and chest and head rippled and changed like liquid. She grew 4 legs, paws, and just as Rodney shot his gun at her head, her head shrank vertically and elongated horizontally into a muzzle. She was a wolf!

Rachel threw herself and rammed Rodney in the chest. Her unexpected weight made him topple over. His gun dropped and clattered away. The other man turned his gun away from Izzie and turned towards Rachel. Izzie next bit at his calves, thighs, and ankles. The man lost balance and slammed his face into the dirt. The man quickly turned over so he was lying on his back, and Izzie jumped onto his chest. She clamped her jaws around the man's neck loosely while growling at the same time. Izzie's drool landed on his shirt.

Rachel snarled and growled and gnashed her teeth at Rodney's face. Saliva moved downwards at the corner of Rachel's mouth. Her sharp teeth was inches away from Rodney's nose. "Go away! Don't come after me again. Run, before I change my mind and eat you instead!" Rachel knew that Rodney couldn't understand her, but he probably got the message. Rachel gingerly stepped off the man and nipped at his heels as he stood, running away in the same direction as Lucas did. 

Rachel pranced elegantly toward Izzie and the other man. "Iz, don't kill him. I'll deal with him." Izzie bowed her head respectfully and stepped off his shirt. Rachel stepped on. Even though Rachel didn't like pain or blood or anything, she had to put up this pretend, strong act. She put her sharp front claws at his throat and snarled viciously. The man scrambled to his feet when Rachel got off him, and he ran screaming.

Faber suddenly flew onto Rachel's back. Rachel picked up her duffel bag with her teeth and dragged it. Faber flew off of Rachel and onto Izzie's back instead. Izzie helped Rachel drag it and they reached a small pond. "Iz, Faber, I'm a shapeshifter! Isn't that so cool?" Rachel barked in awe. But Izzie and Faber didn't answer. They were busy drinking from the pond thirstily. Rachel too sighed and started lapping up the water as well. As she did, she caught sight of her reflection. Rachel's soft fur was the same color as her dark auburn hair, except a lot darker to be a black, more on the brown side. Her underside was still a very dark brown, reddish color, like her chin, belly, and legs. But her eyes were breathtaking in wolf form. They were bright green with flecks of gold. 

Rachel suddenly felt drowsiness overtake her. She managed to stumble a bit towards a big, evergreen, bush. She dug swiftly under the bush, making kind of a tunnel downwards, then a bigger hole at the end to make a den. She crawled through the tunnel, and made the hole a lot bigger, to fit her and Izzie and Faber, since she wasn't thinking straight and didn't think that kites went and slept in a tree. Rachel curled up into a tight ball, her head resting on her front paws, her muzzle and eyes pointed towards the entrance. Her bushy tail landed on her muzzle. The last thing that Rachel saw before she slept for the first time since she left home was the duffel bag sliding down the tunnel and into the den, then Izzie coming in after it.