The moon was shrouded behind a thin veil of clouds. A pale glow fell on the land below,,tinging everything in a silvery haze.. Layla could hear the strange sounds that came from the forest that surrounded their area. She lay on the bed,staring at the ceiling. She wanted to go out,into the night. Something was pulling her out there. Every fibre in her body felt the pull. It had been always like this,ever since she turned sixteen. From childhood ,she had been considered a freak, someone who was different. Her pale gold hair and light brown eyes made her an odd one among the dark haired and brown skinned people amongst whom she lived. Her parents loved her. Her father was a forest ranger, and they lived in a bungalow just at the edge of the forests in kumaon in Uttarakhand. They were her adoptive parents,but they love her more than their lives. They had been childless and then one day Mr Burman ,hee father had found her in the forest. She had heard the story many times and had always wondered why her biological parents had left her in the forest. The people had remarked, whispered about her looks and she herself realized that she was different from others at the age of six. She had been at the primary school then. Some boys were bullying a girl in her class. They had cornered her and harassing her, taunting her because her mother had abandoned her. Layla had gone and asked the boys to back off. They had turned on her viciously, taunting her looks ,calling her an abandoned child whom the Burmans had taken in. One of the boys,the tallest one came forward and punched her on the chest " what are you going to do huh? Report us tp the class teacher? Sure go ahead, you witch!" Layla staggered back at the punch and suddenly a blind rage filled her, consumed her whole body. Her nostrils flared and her eyes turned almost golden . "ARRGH! " she pushed the boy backward and he fell down on his back. Even before he could get up, she had pounced on him beating him ,punching him until he bled. The sight of the blood had somehow given her a satisfaction, which she could not understand. Ever since that, no one messed with her. They were polite,friendly but always maintaining a distance. Now, she was in her 12th standard, about to graduate from school. She felt these strange stirrings in her body,about which she could not talk to anyone. Why did she feel like running out in the wild,especially on nights like this? She opened the window and gazed out. The moon looked pale and beautiful. Layla felt restless. She stiffened and sniffed. All the scents of night came to her even more strongly. Her whole body seemed to be taut with an unknown sensitivity. Why did she feel as if her place belonged out there, not inside the room,barred and secured. As Layla turned back from the window, her eyes fell on the mirror. She stared at herself in disbelief. Her eyes were glowing and it had turned golden, almost like glowing coals. She drew in a shaky breath. It looked like an animal's,not human. She lifted her hands to her face and cried out in horror. Her nails! What was happening? Oh God ,she prayed save me! Her nails had elongated, and furs were covering them. Her whole body twisted ,and she cried out in pain as her bones broke and she fell down on her fours. No ! She screamed," Please help me" . Then she heard a voice in her head. "It's okay Layla. It's time for us to meet" Layla tried to speak,but her voice seemed to have changed into a low gruttal sound. " who are you?" She whispered. " I am Devi, your wolf"
" My what"? Layla shouted. " you can't be. I don't have a wolf. I am a human being". There was desperation in her voice. Devi let out a growl, " look at yourself in the mirror. You can see for yourself" Layla stood up slowly , dreading what she would see. She looked into the mirror, and there stood she, a pale brown colored wolf, with golden eyes. Devi growled" Am I not beautiful? I have been waiting for you to shift and finally you are meand I am you" Layla was sobbing. " I don't want you. This is some nightmare that I am having" she whispered desperately. " No you are not. You are a Werewolf." " Werewolf"? Layla shot back angrily. "Spare me that. All that myth crap. " " And how do you explain my existence" Devi shot back. " You don't exist. I am having a dream, a bad dream. Just go away" Layla said angrily. Just then a knock sounded. " Layla, dear , Are you alright?" Her mother's voice came through. Layla wanted to answer,but couldn't. Devi whined. Ma! " No you can't call her that" Layla said." Your mother is my mother" Devi said and whined again. " Layla" her mother's voice was more insistent now and the banging grew louder.' Open the door child. Or we will have break in" Devi went to the door and scratched it. " Layla, I am braking the lock" this time ,it was her father and after a few pushes, the lock gave way and they stumbled into the room. Mrs Burman let out a scream and fell down. Mr Burman took a step backward. Devi stood there, watching them, and whined, her tail wagging. She went forward and Mrs Burman let out another scream and fainted. Devi knelt down infront of her. Mr Burman stepped back and turned and left. Devi stayed there, gently licking Mrs Burman's face. Layla said tearfully " Ma" and then angrily to Devi " Just look at what you did" " She wil be fine" Devi said ,still licking Mrs Burman's face. Suddenly Mr Burman appeared ,holding a rifle. He was going to shoot ,but the sight of Drvi gently carressing Mrs Burman stopped him. He looked at the strange sight in amazement. Then a thought struck him and he looked around" Layla. Where are you?" He murmured. Devi slowly and gracefully got up and went towards him. This time he didn't back off. Devi lowered herself at his feet. Mr Burman knelt down. He stretched his hand" Layla?" Devi muzzled against his hand whining softly. " What's happening here? Where is Layla"
Chapter 2 The truth
Devi whined. Mr Burman stared, his face carved into a figure of disbelief and horror. " Layla" he called softly . Devi looked at him ,her eyes blinking. " No, it can't be. It is impossible" he said hoarsely. " I am going to kill this beast. You killed my Layla" . He raised his rifle, taking aim. Devi whimpered, and bowed her head on her paws. Mrs Burman stirred. . " Don't! " she said her voice trembling. " She is our Layla" . "Are you mad? This is a beast, a wild beast. How can you say it's Layla. Ridiculous" Mr Burman said ,trying to shut out the truth that was in front of him. Layla whispered, "Devi please let me out. I can't bear to see them like this" " Okay. But you can't deny my existence. I am you. I have always been here. It's only now that I have manifested myself" Devi growled back. " I don't know what's happening. Why I have wolf in me. All I want is to get back my original form, not some kind of weird wolf girl" Layla said crying softly. Slowly she began shifting. It was agonizing. Every bone ,muscle in her body broke and tore ,reshaping it in its human form. Layla screamed in pain, as she writhed on the floor, twisting and rolling. Mr and Mrs Burman watched in horrified stupefication as they watched the wolf slowly disappear and in its place lay Layla, wounded and bloodied, whimpering in pain, naked. Mrs Burman rushed over and threw a rug from the bed on Layla's body. Layla lay there ,her body a mass of aches and pains. She couldn't tell where it began and where it stopped. Tears ran down her cheeks ,her voice muffled with sobs. "Ma" she called Mrs Burman knelt beside her and took her head on her lap. She wiped the tears rolling down Layla's cheeks gently. " it's okay baby. You are with us. Whatever happens we'll be with you". She whispered,trying to comfort. " Ma, I am a monster, not human. I want to die. Tell Papa to kill me" Layla said ,her voice tremulous. " You need rest now" Mr Burman spoke from the door way. " we won't talk about this now" and turning to his wife. " Dress her wounds. I'll get the medicine box". After Mr Burman left, Mrs Burman helped Layla up and laid her on the bed. " You don't need to wear anything now, your whole body has tears and wounds. Let me just treat them and cover you. I will give you a tranquilizer to help you to calm your nerves. Don't think about anything today. We will go through this as a family" she said gently, wiping Layla's body with a soft damp cloth. Layla looked at her mother gratefully. " Thank you Ma" she said ,putting her arms around her mother's waist, she hugged and let the warmth of her love gently seep through her body. Her father entered the room with the medicine box and stood beside the bed quietly. Layla opened her eyes and looked at her father. She stretched her hand " Papa" she called softly. Mr Burman knelt down and kissed her hand. "Don't worry Princess. Papa will take care of you" he said ,stroking her head. Layla sighed contentedly. Thank God! Her parents were still with her. She felt exhausted by all that had happened and the medicine that her mother gave her already made her drowsy. By the time her mother had finished dressing her wounds ,she was half asleep." Goodnight dear. " Mrs Burman placed a kiss on her forehead. " God night Ma" Layla answered sleepily.
Mr and Mrs Burman were sitting in their bedroom,looking at each other in silence. " What's happening to my child?" Mrs Birmansaid brokenly. " she is what? A half human? A beast? I am scared". Mr Burman ran a hand through his hair. " I don't know. Nothing makes sense. How can a human change literally into a beast? It's impossible, yet I saw it with my own eyes,happening right in front of me" he said his confusion evident. They remained silent, a fear growing in their hearts. How long will it be before the world came to know about it? How could they hide their daughter? And that wolf? What if it completely took over Layla? " No,no, we have to find out the truth. Is Layla under some kind of spell?" Mrs Burman said despair ringing in her voice. " Wait a moment, remember when we took Layla to that Ashram Uttar Kashi. That hermit ,he took.one look at Layla and said we should abandon her!" Mr Burman said,his eyes keen. Mrs Burman looked at him.slowly and nodded her head. " yes. Layla had been just six months old and she looked like a one year old baby. She could already crawl and sit, which is incredible in a normal.child" she said in a distant voice. " He had said that she will bring us trouble. Is this what he had meant?" Mr Burman shook his head " I have no idea. But I think he might be able to help us. Perhaps we should visit him once more."
" Yes, maybe we can get some lead and help Layla"
The next morning when Layla opened her eyes,the sun was streaming brightly through the open window. The events of the previous night seemed like a dream. A horrible dream, except for the pain in her body to remind her that it was real. Layla sat up gingerly. Strangely her wounds had healed, there was not even a scratch that would reveal the tear in her muscles. Her joints still ached and she groaned as she put her foot on the floor. She hastened to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her face didn't look ant different ,nor did her body except the colour of her eyes. It had turned into molten gold color, almost like glowing embers. She shrunk back and shit her eyes, ad if willing it to disappear. But they remained the same. Her hair too seemed to have turned into a deeper shade of brown. " Devi" she murmured. The response came almost immediately, " Yes dear, that's me. Had to leave some signs of me on you" she chuckled. Layla ignored her. She freshened up and went to the dining room a little warily. " There you are, take this and serve it to your father " Mrs Burman called from the kitchen. Her voice was perfectly normal, like any other day. Layla took the plate and went to the table. Mr Burman was reading the papers as usual. " Layla, good morning. This weekend let's visit Uttar Kashi." He said casually. Layla looked at him in surprise. " Uttar Kashi? Why?" She asked her eyes on her father. Her father looked up and their eyes met " Because we need to find some answers. Don't you think so?" He said quietly. Layla bit her lips nervously. " How can we find the answers there? " she asked. Her father sighed. " I don't know if we can ,but we might get a lead" he said. " we had visited an Ashram when you were an infant. There were had met this hermit who had said something about you at that time. Your mother and I had waved aside thinking it as something insignificant. But now we feel, ge might know something about.." He paused and cleared his throat " about your condition " " About my being a Werewolf" Layla said flatly. Her father's eyes widened " You know about Werewolves?" He asked. " Not much, just that they are not of the human world like Vampires and witches. They are mythical creatures or so I thought". Her father nodded. " So did I, and that is exactly why I had brushed off those words of the Guruji as rubbish". Layla looked astounded. She pulled up a chair and sat down. " You mean to say the Guruji knew something. He had already told you that I might be a Werewolf" her voice cracking over the world. " well, not exactly , but he did say you were different" her father replied. " And yet you and Ma still kept me" Layla said her eues clouded with tears. Her mother came up from behind and hugged her. " You were our baby. How could we let you go? " she said planting a kiss on her head " and as your father said we thought he was talking nonsense ". Layla remained silent for a moment and turned and hugged her mother. " Thank you Ma." She whispered. " Hush. Do you know how much joy you have brought into our lives?" She said. " we owe you our happiness". She moved away and sat down at the table. " Come on let's finish our breakfast". " Oh and by the way, there's a letter for you on that shelf. It came last evening,but I forgot to tell you". Layla nodded and got up to take the letter. She looked at the envelope and realized it was from one of the reputed colleges in Dehradun. Had it been earlier ,she would have been over the moon with joy, but now looking at the letter, she felt scared to open. She didn't know what her future held. Whether she would be able to go to college at all , after all it was a college for humans and she? She wasn't a human. " who is it from?" Her mother asked. " one of the colleges I had applied for admission in Dehra. " she shrugged " one of Doon group of colleges" Her mother's face showed her curiosity " so go ahead and check it out" she said. " I know. I have been selected . They have already mailed me ,this is just the formal acceptance letter" Layla murmured, taking a bite of the aloo paratha that her mother had made. " You knew? And you didn't tell me?" Her mother's sounded hurt. " I was going to tell you,but everything went haywire after last night" Layla replied keeping her head down. " when is tue admission" ? Her father asked. " Next week" Layla replied. " Good. We shall go and het you admitted there" her father said firmly. "But Papa.." Layla started to speak. " No more arguments. We will do what is needed to be done, and as for what happened yesterday, there won't be any discussions on it until we learn more about it" he said, his voice firm.
That weekend, tye Burman family travelled to Uttar Kashi. The Ahsram was located in an open space, a meadow full.of flowers and a stram.flowing by. Layla gazed at the tranquil scene,her turbulent heart finding a calmn ,that she had not felt in the last few days. A man came forward to greet them with folded hands, tall ,fair with black hair neatly tied into a top knot, wearing saffron robes. " Namaste, Guruji awaits your presence. Please follow me" he said bowing his head. Mr and Mrs,Burman returned the greeting bowing their heads, Layla too followed their lead. They followed the man, walking silently. The sprawling grounds covered several acres, Tall deodar and oak trees shaded the lawns, Layla looked around curiously. She could see many men sitting and reading, there were women too doing some work,like making pickles or lentils flat cake. They were all wearing the sane saffron colored robes. They reached a small cottage at end of a long walk. Layla stared, her heart beating rapidly, her body tense. She searched in her mind for Devi,but she seemed to be quite. " Devi, are you here?" Layla whispered in her mind, a second passed, then a voice whispered back." I am here" Layla asked " Are you scared ?" Devi remained quiet and then answered , " Not scared,but not at ease either" Layla nodded imperceptibly. She felt the same way, as if something was going to unravel that would change her life. " pranam Guruji, they are here" the man said from the doorway. A voice answered, " Let them enter" . Layla and her parents slowly entered the room. It was cool inside. On a grass mat, satba man in a lotus position. You could not tell his age, but his eyes had a wisdom that told of untold stories. His face was gaunt and his body wiry. He looked at them with keen eyes, " I have been expecting you" he said his voice soft. " Pranam Guruji" they bowed in unison. "Rise" he said. " so she has turned 18" it was more of a statement than a question. His eyes looked at Layla keenly. " Come here child. " Layla hesitated and looked at her mother. She nodded assuringly. Layla moved dorward ,still on her knees. " You have found out your other self" he said looking into her eyes. Layla blinked. " Yes" her throat was parched as she said the word. " You were born of them" he murmured looking at her. " you have your mother's hair and your father's eyes" he said . " who were they?" This time her voice was a little louder. " They had come from foreign lands. A pack, who were half human half beasts. People hunted them, because they thought they were monsters" Guruji sighed. " I met your parents in the deep forest of Kumaon. They were fleeing a group of hunters, cruel men who wanted to sell them as exotic beasts. Your mother was pregnant with you. They sought shelter. I gave them,not knowing who they were. They left after a couple of days. I didn't know what happened to them until your parents found you and brought you here. I looked at you and knew that you were their child and by that time I had also come to learn who they were." Guruji stopped speaking. " You don't belong here my child. You have to go back to your kind. Or else they will hunt you down. Your parents won't be able to protect you" Guruji looked at her with compassion. " My parents, they were killed. " Layla asked ,her voice choked with tears. Guruji nodded, " I assume so" " And the others? Where did they go?" Layla asked. " I don't know. I heard your parents mention a clan , maybe that's a pack. They had become separated from the group, when they were being hunted. Whether the group is still in this country or whether they have gone back.to their own land I have know idea." He said in a quiet voice. " I can only tell you this much, Child. You have to search for them yourself. But I can tell you this, that you will find them. " Layla blinked, even Devi perked up. " I will?" She asked incredulously. " of Course. Because they are searching for you as well. You belong to their kind, and they will find you" he said gently. " You may not be human, but you have a kind heart. You fight for justice, just keep yourself in control. Never reveal your other self to others. Or else the men, wicked , evil men will hunt you down". Mr and Mrs Burman listened to all this in silence. Mrs Burman came forward and bowed her head in obeisance " Guruji guide us so that we can save our child. If she has to find her people, where will she look for them" her voice breaking into a muffled sob. Guruji looked at her calmly and then took a deep breath. " Give me a few days. If I find anything newsworthy I will let you know." He said . They bowed once more and turned to leave. " Don't worry. Be strong. You will find answers if you search for them" he said in parting.
They returned home,burdened with knowledge ,but with fresh problems. Kayla wondered how she would find out her pack. She was from foreign lands, Guruji had said,her looks testified that. But which country? In whole wide world ,where could she find her own kind,to whom she belonged. Where she was not weird or a freak,but one of the same kind? She had absolutely no idea.