Think Again, Werewolf (The Moonshade Saga)

Chapter 1

The werecake was baking in the oven. I smelled it. It smelled like raindrops, warm cinnamon, magic, and a cool night breeze. Everybody gets a werecake, but nobody's smells the same. Let me explain. A werecake is made on the night of a person's sixteenth birthday, because when they blow out that sixteenth candle, they shift into their feline or or canine counterpart for the first time. Only the person who it is made for can smell it. Eventually, everybody in the town of Moonshadow will get one, because they all also need it to do their first shift.

"Ava!" My mom, Natalie Sparr, called, her voice ringing through the quiet house.

"COMING!" I yelled. I loped up the steps, searching for her, and found her in the master bedroom.

"Ava, I'm so happy for you!" She breathed, her eyes glowing. Suddenly, she looked a whole lot less content. "Tomorrow, your father will move back to East Moonshadow and I will head back west. We are required by law because all of our offspring will have turned into their new form. I hope you can be a werecat with me, because I'll only get to see your brother and your father in Moonshadow Terrace on Thursdays."

"How come?" I asked.

"You know they are werewolves. Werecats are their enemies. There is a truce every Thursday that we shall meet in peace."

The oven beeped. My heart flew to my throat. I flew like a Tazmanian Devil down the steps into the kitchen.

My dad, Nathan Sparr, took out the werecake and placed it atop the table. "Be careful; it's hot," he warned me, holding up one finger to block me from touching it.

I gazed at the small cake. This might sound insane, but every time I looked at it, I swear I heard an ancient, raspy whisper. Maybe I was going crazy, but the voice sounded like a tombstone being dragged across a rutted floor.

"Dad, why's it whispering?" I asked, nerves jangling.

"Listen to it. It will tell you your future for after you shift."

I leaned closer, which proved to be a mistake. I can still remember the exact words...

You will meet your mate where you don't belong,
You will hear his voice when the hour is wrong.
If you're unlucky, somebody will find,
Will have to choose his kin or his kind
In darkness you'll suffer, don't choke or cry.
If you do, you'll probably die!

I sat at the table, unblinking, shocked into a trance. Subconsciously, I repeated those same words. My parents listened, shocked to the core.

"Wow," my mom whispered. "Mine was...nothing like that."

"Same here," my dad agreed. "However, mine did say that my eldest will make a life-cha--OW! Hey, what was that for?" He glared at my mom.

"Not now," she murmured, shaking her head wearily. "Honey, now is a good time to blow out the candles. Remember, it doesn't matter if you become a werewolf or a werecat, because we will both always love you. Right, Nathan?" She nudged my dad, who was rubbing his sore shoulder.

"Right," he confirmed hastily. "Both you and Dylan know that we are so proud of what the two of you have become."

Dylan is my brother. He is twenty-three and lives with the other werewolves in East Moonshadow. I don't know why he couldn't come to my birthday celebration, but I hope to see him soon. He hasn't visited us in a really long time.

"That reminds me... why couldn't Dylan make it today?" I asked.

My mom shrugged, avoiding my gaze. "He has been... very busy. I'm sure he'll visit when he can."

"Ok. I guess I'll blow the candles now." I blew out the very first candle, heart thumping like a giants footsteps.

I blew out the first candle. Nothing happened, not even the slightest tingle. I blew out the second, then the third, and the rest of them, till there was only one left.

I took a deep breath. This was the moment that I had been waiting for and praying about my entire life. The flickering flame danced, taunting me.

I blew. Hard. At first, there was an agonizing moment when nothing happened. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything happened.

Hey readers! Hope you like! Please vote and comment. I know this chapter was super short, but that's all the space I needed to set up the 'stuff'. I even managed a cliffhanger.
What did Ava turn into?

Thanks for reading! YOLO!

-Vexwolf