Ravyn pokes me in the shoulder, “Who was that?”

            I open one eye just a bit and look at her, “A very powerful, very old friend.” I say simply. She seems to take that as her cue to drop it.

            I sit silently, smoking my cigarette and listening to the rain. A sigh escapes my lips as my head spins with jumbled, incoherent mental questions. “Why is he here? What does he want? What do I do?” That annoying mental voice just wouldn’t shut up. Finally I mutter out loud, “Well shit.”

            Ravyn nods her head, sensing my confusion or annoyance, “I understand” she says quietly.

            With yet another sigh I stuff myself into a plush sweatshirt and leave the warmth of the car.  A biting wind tears its way right down to my bones and a fine tremble runs through my muscles. I slam the door to the Buick and start trudging across the water-logged parking pharmacy parking lot.  Quietly cursing under my breath, I slip around the corner into complete, velvet darkness. Rain drops leave gentle kisses on my cheeks and I close my eyes, dropping my sweatshirt and all my mental barriers. The world seems to exhale and a smile tugs at my lips.

            Warmth envelopes my body, as if the rain had turned to drops of sunlight.  Bones, joints and muscles all shift.  A delicate snout flourishes from my face as pointed ears sprout from the top of my head. I drop to my hands and knees and concentrate on breathing as a tail extends from my spine. Fur flows from my skin and my vision dims as my hands transform into paws, nails springing from my fingertips. Quivering, I cough and shake myself so the silver guardian bell at my throat rings sweetly.  I open my now toffee colored eyes, relishing in the feel of my true form and the clarity of the darkness around me.

            Where a slim adolescent girl had stood a full grown red fox now sits.

      I am a less dangerous being, an empath and a shifter. But unlike Ravyn, I was born this way and I’m a very peaceful creature. Be thankful that we have boundless amounts of control. But back to our story.

     Have you ever stopped in your daily scurrying and looked around? You’ll be amazed with what you see of you try it. Start analyzing human nature and you’ll realize how wrapped up in our own lives we are. Ravyn was the one to open my eyes to the selfish motives of the human race. She’s quite a beauty, my sister in crime. You would never guess the mind she has hidden behind that pretty exterior. Skin the color of coffee that has the perfect amount of cream, dark chocolate eyes and midnight hair that shines with its own inner light. All of this is held together with a come hither smile and wits so sharp they’ll make you bleed.

      I’m brought out of my daze by Ravyn’s sharp elbow finding its way to my ribs. The rain has picked up and it’s pinging off the hood of our car.

      “Lydia!” Ravyn hisses, nudging me again.

      I smack her arm away, “What? I’m up! What do you want?”

      “Look! Who is that?” She points across the parking lot and I follow her gaze.

      My eyes wander across the soaked blacktop, covered with a myriad of colors, caused by oil that’s built up over the dry weeks. They rest on the dark figure moving across the nearly deserted lot with feline stealth. He pauses under a street lamp and I gasp silently. Beneath the yellow light stands a pale young man with a shock of dark hair. His presence pulses across the parking lot, sinking to my very core. Bending his head to light a cigarette, he radiates strength and control. A shiver rolls through my body.

      “Not possible”, I think to myself.

      Ravyn is snapping her nimble fingers in front of my face, “Hello? Lydia?” More snaps, “Anyone in there?”

      I realize I’ve been holding my breath and I inhale deeply. The man starts moving again, melting into the darkness behind the pharmacy.

  My life is defined by a series of bleak moments. Sitting in the pharmacy parking lot in the damp, idling car. We’re scarfing down cheap, grease dipped fast food without tasting a thing, listening to the static of the radio and watching the endless rain. We’re waiting, Ravyn and I. For what, we don’t know. The dark sky continues to roll above the desolate town, pouring down more moisture that this dehydrated desert so desperately needs. Something is coming.
       The crumple of wrappers and the snick of a lighter pulls me from my considerations. I glance over at my dark companion as she pulls at yet another of her cigarettes, causing me to crave a fix of nicotine. You have so many vices when you’ve isolated yourself from society. When you’re a drifter, as so many people have called us, you rely on the person next to you and no one else. But how we got to this point is another story.

     Let me introduce myself. My given name is Lydia Canidae, better known as Vixen, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance. My best friend and partner in mischief and chaos is the lovely Ravyn Corvus. I will not beg for your sympathy with tales of how we are unfortunate, misunderstood souls. We are not and we pity the lost children who would like you to believe that miserable sob story.