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Description
It was hard for a young man in Ravenoak to find work. Just about everything was done by robots, machines, and over-seas workers. Not to mention the impossible demands; what kind of fast food restaurant needs a dishwasher with a college education!?

Ah, but Cody did have one thing going for him, at least. Even though he couldn't find work and thus afford basic necessaties, at the least he could shift into a dog if he needed to dig through a dumpster for food, and a bird if he needed to rest in a tree for the sake of safety. It was this half of being a Them that was a blessing. Unfortunately, the other was a curse.

One autumn evening as he gulped down mouthfuls of chicken from a dumpster next to a KFC, a disgruntled man approached him from the parking lot behind him. By the clothing and unkempt appearance, Cody correctly supposed him to be homeless.

"Hey! You mutt, how'd you get in there!?" he cried ignorantly. "This is mine. You hear me? Git!"

Cody, being a hungry Them, found himself conflicted. He didn't want to cause trouble; but this food was good and fresh, at least by his standards, and as any could tell by looking on his miserable, bony body, he was in desperate need of a decent meal. His stomach took over, baring his teeth and growling for him.

"You wanna fight?" The man sneered and stepped forward menacingly, Cody just noticing the plank of wood in his hand. Still, he stood his ground adamantly. He didn't want to attack this man, but still crinkled his nose and growled more and more ferociously as he approached, hoping to scare him away. Although the man showed no signs of backing down and was now within range to hit him, Cody's greed and gluttony made him stupidly steadfast.

But as the man began fearlessly bludgeoning him, Cody suddenly snapped out of it and realized what he was doing; keeping a homeless man from his only food supply. Whimpering apologetically, he hurried off, heading for the road.

The man chuckled victoriously as he watched the dog scramble away, though somewhere inside he, too, felt sorry for what he had done. Suddenly, he gaped.

Did that animal just look twice before crossing the street?

***

Swiftly he made his way to the opposing sidewalk. With a sigh he dropped his head and closed his eyes, hunger-pains now all the more evident as the taste of fried chicken lingered on his lips. How much more did he notice the frigid winds. Turning his eyes once more longingly to the dumpster, an awful hopelessness punched his diaphragm as he watched the homeless man eat, as the streetlights and the car lights and the flashing McDonald's advertisement drowned out most of the stars.

Overcome with a sudden restlessness, he jogged off, farther down the road, to the side of town he was unfamiliar with. Not a safe decision, but he needed to get away, to see something different.

***

Farther and farther he went, the shops growing scarcer, the automobiles more numerous. At last he turned and ran up a less-dense segment of road, and passed into a section of town he had never been in before. Here there were many shops he had either never heard of or did not know were so nearby, and next to the shopping area there were more houses. He kept running for a while, the pain dissolving from his chest, 'til at last his curiosity got the better of him.

It was late now. Usually Cody would've found some kind of shelter. This exhaustion paired with a sense of adventure caused his tired muscles to tremble. He almost felt like a child again.

Deciding it would be easier to roam these places as a human, he searched around for a suitable area to hide and change back. On spotting a dumpster, he hurried over--

AAAHHHH!

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Cody swung his head around to see a man banging on a closed car window.

***

Most of the world hated Thems. And Randy Davis was one of their most vehement persecutors.

Head of The Hotline, a D-list online news source, he spread his hate through not only his own website, but every bit of living social media he could, even getting occassional articles in the local paper. Claiming to ferociously investigate the Them community to bravely report his "shocking" and "revealing" findings, his intentionally skewed and misrepresented studies were accoladed by hundreds of fans.

Tonight, he pulled into a cheap little liquor store, having not realized earlier that his fridge was depleted of that most vital of beverages, beer.

After a short drive from his little apartment near the traintracks, the grey SUV had pulled into the parking lot of the liquor store. The driver's door swung open, and from within, one of Ravenoak's most beloved local celebrities-- Randy Davis-- emerged, grunting as he forced his overweight body through the exit.

"You sure you don't wanna come in?" he asked, leaning in and looking to the backseat.

"Yeah." Of course Kendle didn't want to go into that booze shop full of low-lives. How she wished she had realized his alchohol-defeciency and suggested he go earlier; at least then there wouldn't be so many grimy creeps everywhere. Of course, there were plenty outside. But Kendle figured it'd be safer in the car, behind locked doors.

Without another word, he went on in. She watched him get farther and farther away, then disappear behind the door, heart pounding as the pungent smell of his cologne faded away. She pulled out the DS she had brought with her, hoping it would be a distraction.

And it almost was. But just when it started to work, her fears were substantiated. A tall man in dirty clothes knocked on the driver's window, causing her to leap off her seat as her heart exploded with cold fear. For a moment she tried to ignore him, staring down at her handheld, her subconscience telling her that would work somehow.

It didn't. "Hey!" He knocked on the window again.

"My dad's inside," she said, then turned to her console again.

"Ah, all right. But look, I just need some change. Is there any in there you could give me?"

Of course there was. She had a feeling he probably noticed the cupholder full of coins. Still, she didn't want to open that window. The horrible scenarios all shot through her head at once.

"Could you just, wait for my dad?" she pleaded, reaching into her pocket. No-- she forgot the phone again!

"Calm down, I ain't gonna hurt you or nothin'. I just want some change."

"Look, if you don't leave me alone, I'm gonna call the cops!" she cried, praying he would believe the bluff.

At this, he frowned, backing away. At first she thought he took the threat, but then suddenly she heard a hard bang on the window.

***

Cody charged over, shifting into a wolf-- it was the largest animal he could change into quickly in this form, and it would only take about a second to get to him from here. The shift was complete in just one leap. Nose crinkled all the way up to his forehead, he began barking and snarling as viciously as he could.

The man quickly took notice and bolted. Cody followed him a good way off, snapping at his heels, 'til at last he leapt over a fence. Even then, he stood on his hind legs, barking and slobbering.

Once he was sure the man was out of range, he backed off, and returned to the car.

His sensitive ears picked up the conversation before he turned the corner.

The girl still sounded shaken up. "...started banging on the window-- like he was trying to break it-- but then, this big dog--"

"Where did he go?"

"Um, he went around the back of the store--"

"All right, here's my phone, you call the police. I'll have the owner send someone out to watch you."

"Wha-- why? What're--"

"I'm going after him."

Again her heart exploded with fear. "No! You can't! What if--"

"I always bring my gun with me, Kendle, you know that. Don't worry. I pro'lly won't find him anyway."

He went back in. Cody looked down. He knew just where the guy had gone. That would be vital information. Still, what if they didn't believe him? It wasn't like he could just say, "I'm a Them," even if he'd saved the girl's life. With a sigh, he shifted back into his natural form, and approached the car just as Randy rounded the corner.

"Hey," he called. The guard and the girl snapped their eyes over to him. "I saw where he went."

"What? Where did you... What d'you mean? I didn't see you," Kendle stammered.

"I was behind the store when I heard you scream," he said quickly, "and I tried running over, but then I saw that huge dog chasin' him."

She stared at him for a moment, but apparently decided she had no better choice than to trust this stranger.

***

His part played, Cody quickly decided it would be a good idea to head after Kendle's father. If this guy was part of a gang or something, he did not want this girl's dad going after him alone. (Of course, he didn't recognize the man, not being so up-to-date on local affairs, but even if he had he likely would've taken similar action.)

Quickly shifting behind the store once more, he followed after the heavy trail of cologne. It wound all through the alleyway and into the correct block, but then it veered off in the opposite direction. Still, Cody followed it, just in case.

***

Just as he caught up to Randy, his blood ran cold.

"What're you talkin' about, man?" demanded the criminal's voice.

"She said he was wearing a red hat. You're in the part of town he ran to. You're him."

This wasn't good. The encounter continued to heat up, Cody wondering how he could prevent a potential shoot-out.

At last, the only thing he could think of was approaching them himself. Quickly ducking between two houses and taking his human form, he hurried over. "Hey!"

Both whipped around to glare at him. "I know you; you're that guy that was tryin' to break into that girl's car," he shot, pointing.

The criminal shrank back a little. Randy refocused his attention on him.

Eyes darting between them, the criminal tried to save himself. "Wh-what are you talking about? I didn't see yo--"

Now the father's rage flared. "Didn't see him? How could you say he wasn't there if you weren't there yourself?" A typhoon of profanities gushed from his mouth as he grabbed his handgun.

"Wait! The cops're on their way! If you shoot him--"

"I don't care," he spat. Approaching the criminal slowly, he asked, "Tell me, friend, just why were you trying to break that window? Huh?"

A few seconds later he pulled the gun out. Finally, like a leaf flaking from a bare tree branch, the man bolted. Cody was about to pursue him, but was stopped in his tracks as ear-piercing gunshots exploded through the neighborhood.

As dogs started barking and lights burst from the windows, Cody recovered and launched himself as a cougar after them.

'Wait!' he called out telepathically to the father, 'Don't follow him! He's pro'lly got friends!'

While Randy was a little confused-- he didn't see the young man from earlier next to him, though he heard his voice-- he was unperturbed, determined to enact judgment on this credent.

But Cody soon caught up with them, shocking Randy so much as he strode past that the man tripped and fell. 'Sorry,' he said, quickly looking back to the criminal.

It took Randy a moment to make sense of what just happened.

Suddenly, it hit him.

...but then, this big dog...

That kid was a Them.

***

Soon the criminal leapt over the same fence from a different direction; this time Cody followed right after him, practically leaping over it entirely.

Wait am I doing? I'm gonna get shot.

Still, it only took a moment before he tackled the man to the ground. It seemed they were in the yard of a disheveled house.

The man was horrified. He struggled and screamed bloody murder, but had no chance of overcoming Cody's animal strength.

Cody winced for a bit, 'til he realized nobody was coming to the man's aid. He sighed in relief.

Now, just to wait for the cops.

***

What had he done to deserve this? First a wolf almost got him, then a gunman somehow figured out where he was, now he had a cougar on his back... It wasn't like he was going to hurt the girl. He sold stolen cars for a living. That was all he was going to do; throw her out, and take off. Still... All this insanity could not have been a coincidence.

"O GOD... O Jesus... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... Look, if You save me now, I swear, I-I'll never do that again-- I'll change! I swear!"

***

"Dad!" Kendle rushed out of the car and embraced her father. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

"That wasn't a dog you saw," he responded in a distant voice.

"Wha..." she pulled away slightly, looking into his face. "What? What're you talking about?"

"It was a Them."

Kendle gasped. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I saw him go after that guy. He followed me."

His face was distant and contemplative; Kendle understood why. She hated Thems too. They were freaks of nature. They were dangerous and secretive. Or at least, they were supposed to be.

"Then you mean..."

"That Them saved your life."

***

As the sounds of police sirens got near, the animal's paws lifted from his back.

The criminal eased his eyes open, and looked around. Once he was sure the cougar was gone, he sat up, shaking.

Soon, the cops approached him, guns drawn.

"Put your hands up!"

He happily complied with their demands.

***

Later, Kendle and her father searched diligently for the Them that had helped them, but all of the known local Thems were of no assisstance.

Some were scared off as soon as they recognized Kendle's dad. The Thems at school were also mostly frightened and wary of Kendle herself, often practically running away from her. Some held understandable contempt for them and brushed them off, or else cussed them out. Those that did speak to them claimed not to know who they were talking about.

Still, despite searching for two years with no results, the family drastically turned their lives around. Kendle determined to be kinder and friendlier with the Thems at school. Randy shut down his old accounts and disbanded his business, starting an advocacy group instead.

"What're you gonna call it?" Kendle asked with a smile.

He pondered it for a moment.

"Hm... How about... 'Change'?"

Description
It was hard for a young man in Ravenoak to find work. Just about everything was done by robots, machines, and over-seas workers. Not to mention the impossible demands; what kind of fast food restaurant needs a dishwasher with a college education!?

Ah, but Cody did have one thing going for him, at least. Even though he couldn't find work and thus afford basic necessaties, at the least he could shift into a dog if he needed to dig through a dumpster for food, and a bird if he needed to rest in a tree for the sake of safety. It was this half of being a Them that was a blessing. Unfortunately, the other was a curse.

One autumn evening as he gulped down mouthfuls of chicken from a dumpster next to a KFC, a disgruntled man approached him from the parking lot behind him. By the clothing and unkempt appearance, Cody correctly supposed him to be homeless.

"Hey! You mutt, how'd you get in there!?" he cried ignorantly. "This is mine. You hear me? Git!"

Cody, being a hungry Them, found himself conflicted. He didn't want to cause trouble; but this food was good and fresh, at least by his standards, and as any could tell by looking on his miserable, bony body, he was in desperate need of a decent meal. His stomach took over, baring his teeth and growling for him.

"You wanna fight?" The man sneered and stepped forward menacingly, Cody just noticing the plank of wood in his hand. Still, he stood his ground adamantly. He didn't want to attack this man, but still crinkled his nose and growled more and more ferociously as he approached, hoping to scare him away. Although the man showed no signs of backing down and was now within range to hit him, Cody's greed and gluttony made him stupidly steadfast.

But as the man began fearlessly bludgeoning him, Cody suddenly snapped out of it and realized what he was doing; keeping a homeless man from his only food supply. Whimpering apologetically, he hurried off, heading for the road.

The man chuckled victoriously as he watched the dog scramble away, though somewhere inside he, too, felt sorry for what he had done. Suddenly, he gaped.

Did that animal just look twice before crossing the street?

***

Swiftly he made his way to the opposing sidewalk. With a sigh he dropped his head and closed his eyes, hunger-pains now all the more evident as the taste of fried chicken lingered on his lips. How much more did he notice the frigid winds. Turning his eyes once more longingly to the dumpster, an awful hopelessness punched his diaphragm as he watched the homeless man eat, as the streetlights and the car lights and the flashing McDonald's advertisement drowned out most of the stars.

Overcome with a sudden restlessness, he jogged off, farther down the road, to the side of town he was unfamiliar with. Not a safe decision, but he needed to get away, to see something different.

***

Farther and farther he went, the shops growing scarcer, the automobiles more numerous. At last he turned and ran up a less-dense segment of road, and passed into a section of town he had never been in before. Here there were many shops he had either never heard of or did not know were so nearby, and next to the shopping area there were more houses. He kept running for a while, the pain dissolving from his chest, 'til at last his curiosity got the better of him.

It was late now. Usually Cody would've found some kind of shelter. This exhaustion paired with a sense of adventure caused his tired muscles to tremble. He almost felt like a child again.

Deciding it would be easier to roam these places as a human, he searched around for a suitable area to hide and change back. On spotting a dumpster, he hurried over--

AAAHHHH!

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Cody swung his head around to see a man banging on a closed car window.

***

Most of the world hated Thems. And Randy Davis was one of their most vehement persecutors.

Head of The Hotline, a D-list online news source, he spread his hate through not only his own website, but every bit of living social media he could, even getting occassional articles in the local paper. Claiming to ferociously investigate the Them community to bravely report his "shocking" and "revealing" findings, his intentionally skewed and misrepresented studies were accoladed by hundreds of fans.

Tonight, he pulled into a cheap little liquor store, having not realized earlier that his fridge was depleted of that most vital of beverages, beer.

After a short drive from his little apartment near the traintracks, the grey SUV had pulled into the parking lot of the liquor store. The driver's door swung open, and from within, one of Ravenoak's most beloved local celebrities-- Randy Davis-- emerged, grunting as he forced his overweight body through the exit.

"You sure you don't wanna come in?" he asked, leaning in and looking to the backseat.

"Yeah." Of course Kendle didn't want to go into that booze shop full of low-lives. How she wished she had realized his alchohol-defeciency and suggested he go earlier; at least then there wouldn't be so many grimy creeps everywhere. Of course, there were plenty outside. But Kendle figured it'd be safer in the car, behind locked doors.

Without another word, he went on in. She watched him get farther and farther away, then disappear behind the door, heart pounding as the pungent smell of his cologne faded away. She pulled out the DS she had brought with her, hoping it would be a distraction.

And it almost was. But just when it started to work, her fears were substantiated. A tall man in dirty clothes knocked on the driver's window, causing her to leap off her seat as her heart exploded with cold fear. For a moment she tried to ignore him, staring down at her handheld, her subconscience telling her that would work somehow.

It didn't. "Hey!" He knocked on the window again.

"My dad's inside," she said, then turned to her console again.

"Ah, all right. But look, I just need some change. Is there any in there you could give me?"

Of course there was. She had a feeling he probably noticed the cupholder full of coins. Still, she didn't want to open that window. The horrible scenarios all shot through her head at once.

"Could you just, wait for my dad?" she pleaded, reaching into her pocket. No-- she forgot the phone again!

"Calm down, I ain't gonna hurt you or nothin'. I just want some change."

"Look, if you don't leave me alone, I'm gonna call the cops!" she cried, praying he would believe the bluff.

At this, he frowned, backing away. At first she thought he took the threat, but then suddenly she heard a hard bang on the window.

***

Cody charged over, shifting into a wolf-- it was the largest animal he could change into quickly in this form, and it would only take about a second to get to him from here. The shift was complete in just one leap. Nose crinkled all the way up to his forehead, he began barking and snarling as viciously as he could.

The man quickly took notice and bolted. Cody followed him a good way off, snapping at his heels, 'til at last he leapt over a fence. Even then, he stood on his hind legs, barking and slobbering.

Once he was sure the man was out of range, he backed off, and returned to the car.

His sensitive ears picked up the conversation before he turned the corner.

The girl still sounded shaken up. "...started banging on the window-- like he was trying to break it-- but then, this big dog--"

"Where did he go?"

"Um, he went around the back of the store--"

"All right, here's my phone, you call the police. I'll have the owner send someone out to watch you."

"Wha-- why? What're--"

"I'm going after him."

Again her heart exploded with fear. "No! You can't! What if--"

"I always bring my gun with me, Kendle, you know that. Don't worry. I pro'lly won't find him anyway."

He went back in. Cody looked down. He knew just where the guy had gone. That would be vital information. Still, what if they didn't believe him? It wasn't like he could just say, "I'm a Them," even if he'd saved the girl's life. With a sigh, he shifted back into his natural form, and approached the car just as Randy rounded the corner.

"Hey," he called. The guard and the girl snapped their eyes over to him. "I saw where he went."

"What? Where did you... What d'you mean? I didn't see you," Kendle stammered.

"I was behind the store when I heard you scream," he said quickly, "and I tried running over, but then I saw that huge dog chasin' him."

She stared at him for a moment, but apparently decided she had no better choice than to trust this stranger.

***

His part played, Cody quickly decided it would be a good idea to head after Kendle's father. If this guy was part of a gang or something, he did not want this girl's dad going after him alone. (Of course, he didn't recognize the man, not being so up-to-date on local affairs, but even if he had he likely would've taken similar action.)

Quickly shifting behind the store once more, he followed after the heavy trail of cologne. It wound all through the alleyway and into the correct block, but then it veered off in the opposite direction. Still, Cody followed it, just in case.

***

Just as he caught up to Randy, his blood ran cold.

"What're you talkin' about, man?" demanded the criminal's voice.

"She said he was wearing a red hat. You're in the part of town he ran to. You're him."

This wasn't good. The encounter continued to heat up, Cody wondering how he could prevent a potential shoot-out.

At last, the only thing he could think of was approaching them himself. Quickly ducking between two houses and taking his human form, he hurried over. "Hey!"

Both whipped around to glare at him. "I know you; you're that guy that was tryin' to break into that girl's car," he shot, pointing.

The criminal shrank back a little. Randy refocused his attention on him.

Eyes darting between them, the criminal tried to save himself. "Wh-what are you talking about? I didn't see yo--"

Now the father's rage flared. "Didn't see him? How could you say he wasn't there if you weren't there yourself?" A typhoon of profanities gushed from his mouth as he grabbed his handgun.

"Wait! The cops're on their way! If you shoot him--"

"I don't care," he spat. Approaching the criminal slowly, he asked, "Tell me, friend, just why were you trying to break that window? Huh?"

A few seconds later he pulled the gun out. Finally, like a leaf flaking from a bare tree branch, the man bolted. Cody was about to pursue him, but was stopped in his tracks as ear-piercing gunshots exploded through the neighborhood.

As dogs started barking and lights burst from the windows, Cody recovered and launched himself as a cougar after them.

'Wait!' he called out telepathically to the father, 'Don't follow him! He's pro'lly got friends!'

While Randy was a little confused-- he didn't see the young man from earlier next to him, though he heard his voice-- he was unperturbed, determined to enact judgment on this credent.

But Cody soon caught up with them, shocking Randy so much as he strode past that the man tripped and fell. 'Sorry,' he said, quickly looking back to the criminal.

It took Randy a moment to make sense of what just happened.

Suddenly, it hit him.

...but then, this big dog...

That kid was a Them.

***

Soon the criminal leapt over the same fence from a different direction; this time Cody followed right after him, practically leaping over it entirely.

Wait am I doing? I'm gonna get shot.

Still, it only took a moment before he tackled the man to the ground. It seemed they were in the yard of a disheveled house.

The man was horrified. He struggled and screamed bloody murder, but had no chance of overcoming Cody's animal strength.

Cody winced for a bit, 'til he realized nobody was coming to the man's aid. He sighed in relief.

Now, just to wait for the cops.

***

What had he done to deserve this? First a wolf almost got him, then a gunman somehow figured out where he was, now he had a cougar on his back... It wasn't like he was going to hurt the girl. He sold stolen cars for a living. That was all he was going to do; throw her out, and take off. Still... All this insanity could not have been a coincidence.

"O GOD... O Jesus... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... Look, if You save me now, I swear, I-I'll never do that again-- I'll change! I swear!"

***

"Dad!" Kendle rushed out of the car and embraced her father. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

"That wasn't a dog you saw," he responded in a distant voice.

"Wha..." she pulled away slightly, looking into his face. "What? What're you talking about?"

"It was a Them."

Kendle gasped. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I saw him go after that guy. He followed me."

His face was distant and contemplative; Kendle understood why. She hated Thems too. They were freaks of nature. They were dangerous and secretive. Or at least, they were supposed to be.

"Then you mean..."

"That Them saved your life."

***

As the sounds of police sirens got near, the animal's paws lifted from his back.

The criminal eased his eyes open, and looked around. Once he was sure the cougar was gone, he sat up, shaking.

Soon, the cops approached him, guns drawn.

"Put your hands up!"

He happily complied with their demands.

***

Later, Kendle and her father searched diligently for the Them that had helped them, but all of the known local Thems were of no assisstance.

Some were scared off as soon as they recognized Kendle's dad. The Thems at school were also mostly frightened and wary of Kendle herself, often practically running away from her. Some held understandable contempt for them and brushed them off, or else cussed them out. Those that did speak to them claimed not to know who they were talking about.

Still, despite searching for two years with no results, the family drastically turned their lives around. Kendle determined to be kinder and friendlier with the Thems at school. Randy shut down his old accounts and disbanded his business, starting an advocacy group instead.

"What're you gonna call it?" Kendle asked with a smile.

He pondered it for a moment.

"Hm... How about... 'Change'?"