Usually you don't do these at the front, but this is an unconventional book, and it deserves some background, mainly because I posted this for a few specific people. This isn't to say I don't mean it to be read by a general audience, but it is... niche? I don't think niche even covers it. This book is my brainchild. I came up with the characters in ninth grade (I'm now in eleventh grade, so they're well over two years old), when I was first bridging the gap between more general fiction and animal fantasy. Of course, this book skews stranger and more niche than most animal fantasies anyways, and I don't even know if there *is* an audience for it, but I did want to put it up here as I wrote it so people could follow along if they wished.

If you have a hard time following who is narrating, please inform me and I will tell you. There are various "cues" in the text, and I tried to mention who was speaking fairly early in each chapter (notable exceptions are done that way for a reason), but I can understand that having this many protagonists still may be exceptionally confusing. It is why I didn't write this story for two years, but I am just doing this as a kind of exercise, but also perhaps because these characters refuse to leave. The hope is that by the end of the book, not only will it be clear who is narrating, but you will feel you know these characters well as I do. It might take a little while to get over the hump, however.

As  a final note, there will be certain themes in this book that are not appropriate for younger viewers. Here are some things that will be discussed/mentioned in this book:

-sexual themes (the sex is very very tame but it's there)

-abusive relationships

-gore

-body horror

-depression

-thoughts of suicide, at least two instances that would technically count as an attempt

-self-harm

This seems like a very long list but this story is fundamentally about twelve characters who are on the cusp of human coming to terms with their relationship with their own identities, abilities, both the presence of their humanity and the lack thereof. I am not censoring or neutering this story in any way, unlike my other stories, where I have deliberately tried to draw back from more graphic portrayals of this issue. This is not to say I'm an expert on any of these things, and you are free to call me out if you think something is being objectively poorly handled, but this book, like my others, is a learning experience. 

Your patience is always appreciated. 

-Chrona