Zachariah
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When Jay made his startling announcement that he wasn't going to exact revenge upon the entity who basically ruined his life, you can imagine I was pretty shocked. But stories later, we were dealing with a fire.

I could smell this one was different almost immediately. Instead stead of a distinct smoky flavor, this one had a apparent metallic overhang that sent me out of whack. I even began to feel a little dizzy.

When I saw it what was actually going on, I stopped flying. Just hovering in mid-air while staring in complete horror at what lay before me.

There were humans. They had set the fire.

And even worse, I recognized them.

"Zach?" Asked Zara after pulling Jay back to see what was wrong.

"I... I... This must be a mistake." I didn't say anything, all I could stare at were the humans.

All of them were my dad's friends. They had come over to our house for dinner parties and work meetings. I remembered them.

"Are those humans?" Zara gasped, following my gaze.

"They smell like them, come on let's do something, scare them off, anything!" Jay started to dive but I yanked him back by back of his neck.

"No you can't hurt them!" I shrieked.

He whipped around and faced me. Fangs gnashing and battle ready. "Why not?"

"Because, because," I glanced at Zara for help but she didn't get what was going on yet.

"If you don't give me answer, so help me-"

Okay, time to spill the beans.

"Because I know them. They're my father's friends, I have no idea why they-"

I stopped and the air was knocked out of me and I found myself spinning through the air.

"What!" Screamed Jay. "Why did you even come near them? it's forbidden in every claw tribe-" he trailed off suddenly, and I winced.

"You're not a true claw, are you? You used to be a human, yo used to be one of them!" He growled, lunging for me but missing.

"Yes, it's true, and thanks to some ghost I'm probably going to be stuck this way forever!" I yelled back, unsheathing my claw, a move meant that felt so natural these days.

Before we started fighting, Zara was between the two of us.

"Stop it you bird brains! Can't you see we have bigger problems on our wings right now? Jay, Zach has helped us from the start, there is nothing to suggest he will turn on us now. Zach, you forget, you're a claw now, we may not be able to reverse it, but this is where you're loyalty lies."

The three of us hovered there. Thinking about her words. I felt an empty hold in my chest. She knew all along I would never be normal. I would probably never see my normal life again.

"Fine." Spat Jay.

I nodded, swallowing my hurt. But it nearly came spilling back out again, the world below me was in chaos. Things burning and screaming for mercy, and at the front, leading all this misery, was my father.

"No!" I yelled, diving for him.

Jay and Zara yelled for me to stop but I ignored them. A gaping wound had opened up where my heart was, he betrayed me. He was involved in this more than I thought and it all made sense know.

I landed on the ground roughly, right in front of the man I thought he was.

"What are you doing?" I nearly screamed.

He looked down at me, and his sweaty face twisted into disgust. I jumped out of the way when he lunged at me.

"Dad, please! Stop this!" Even though he couldn't hear me I had to try.

Suddenly I was surrounded by metal bars, someone had thrown a cage over me. I tried to push it off, but yelped when my paws came away burning and red. And my father walked away.

"Stop!" I yelled at his disappearing form.

But who would listen to the mewling of a cat?

My fur was still sizzling, and there wasn't enough space to move around. I was stuck for good this time. And I was getting dizzier and dizzier. I think my pads were bleeding. Without notice, my vision suddenly faded into white.

The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by Ice-claws made of stars. They circled me, their glistening coats of silver flashing light in all directions. My jaw dropped to the floor and back, I was dead, I had to be. This was Glamora.

I heard a chuckle from behind me and turned around to see a huge white tiger with white wings so bright her wings seemed to be made out of twin suns. Her blue eye bore into mine, and I suddenly had the urge to bow, this claw was clearly a goddess.

"No need for formalities, our time is little." She said as I stood again, awing at how her voice seemed to vibrate the air.

"You go under the name Zach now, right?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak in the presence of this deity.

"You face yourself with a choice, it's what you've alway wanted, to become human again." She said.

"You can do that?" I gasped. I could stop my father now. I wanted to say yes, but as her expression darkened I stopped.

"But a human you will stay, forever. You may be able to stop the invasion, but you will never step foot in Coniurantum again."

"What? Why?" I pouted, this didn't seem fair.

"A human can only endure so much change before they become Magyk themselves, you can't keep a foot in both worlds." She hung her head gravely and I felt like there was a stone lodged in my stomach.

"But if I stay a claw, the forest will burn and all my friends will die."

She nodded. "That may very well happen."

I rubbed my head with a paw. I knew what the right thing do was, as much as I wanted the human life, I had grown to love the Ice-claws so much. It would break my heart to give them up.

"I... I choose to be human." I managed to choke out.

She had a knowing and wise smile on her face. A twinkle in her eye showed something had just occurred.

"A hero's choice, Good luck Zachariah."

And then all a sudden, I opened my eyes. Only, everything seemed drained of color, and I felt like my ears were stuffed with cotton. Even smells didn't come as naturally. Darn human senses. I cursed.

It was so strange, I felt awkward and clumsy. My legs were long and my arms were to short. And when I tried to walk, i nearly fell over, tail were very handy for balance.

My hands stung and there were red and raw marks on them. It was painful to move them, I just sucked it up and moved on. At least I was wearing clothes, the tiger goddess had given me a plain white t-shirt and shorts, no shoes.

And them I was off, stumbling through the forest like a drunken walrus. How did I ever manage to live like this? I thought bitterly, especially since I was stuck like this forever.

It was harder than I thought to find them. The tree cover was thick and I couldn't just fly up and look for smoke like I used to able to. I winced at every loud sound I made, all the animals I accidentally scared.

And then I was at a clearing, a clearing filled with ash and half burnt trees. Some where screaming, even twisting in their death throes. All while men in jumpsuits and breathing masks walked forward with the flame thrower and torches.

The smoke was so thick I could just see through it, and the more I inhaled it, the weaker I became. I was stumbling around half-blind looking for my father in this mess, but I feared I might pass out before that time.

Just as I was begging to sway, I was caught up in strong arms, and I turned to look through the face mask and into the eyes of my father.

At first nobody moved, then his eyes widened, and I was enveloped in a hug. But something on his suit had iron in it, and it was burning my skin. I gave a sharp scream, and pushed him off me.

"Stop this!" I yelled, wondering why the iron still burned me if I was human again.

"Zach, what? What are you doing here? Where have you been for the last week?" He asked me.

I growled. "Why do you care? You threw me in a cage!" I showed him my bleeding and blistering hands

He got a confused look on his face. "What? no, I don't no what you're-"

And then it clicked.

"How? You're with the mangy flea bitten cats!" The look of betrayal on his face made me trip, but I kept on going.

"And you're with the destructive, murdering humans, what are you hoping to accomplish from all this?" I all but screamed, falling into another coughing fit, the smoke burned my eyes and tears started to well up.

"They're monsters," He said.

"If these creatures are truly monsters, then I'm one too, I am of monsters and men."

He clenched his fists. "You don't get it, this is what I've been trying to prove my entire life! I'm a ridicule scientist-"

"And a lying father," I spat.

His face started to go red inside his mask. I didn't see much more, because the world had started to swim before my eyes. If there was one thing I remember it was childhood asthma attacks. This wasn't the healthiest place to be right now, I couldn't seem to get enough air into my lungs.

"Fine! I wasn't your father anyway!" He screamed.

"What?" I wheezed, my turn to be shocked. What did he just say?

"I'm not your biological father," said Jack.