Okay okay so about that werebear thing, bears are being reintroduced to Britain for the first time for a millennia, along with wolves... ergo it's possible we'd have bear shapeshifters and werewolves again!! I just love the idea of them returning, feeling the old magics stirring again, returning here to somewhere changed and being /welcomed/, given space to live, reconnecting with family maybe, making new family... just the concept of rewilding coming with magic is v v good 💚💚💚
“Any special requirements?”the maternity ward’s nurse asked with the cheerful confidence the young parentsbefore him were clearly still lacking.
“Um, a shape-shiftingscryer?” the mother smiled nervously, one hand on her round belly.
“Oh exciting!” The nurselooked from her to the other parent. “Is that from one side of the family, or?”
“Both,” they replied, withas much attention as they could spare from their wife. “Fox and deer.”
“Nice and traditional,” thenurse nodded approvingly. “Let’s get you two set up in your room then and I’llmake sure our scryer stops by later.”
*
Luckily it wasn’t adifficult birth. The doctor was wearing a protective jacket anyway, just incase. Shifters with a predator spirit had an embarrassing tendency to bite whenin pain. It wasn’t necessary this time, to everyone’s relief.
The scryer arrived rightafter the weighing and measuring, clad in the clearly identifiable uniform ofthe hospital’s magic specialists.
“Well, what have wehere?” she cooed at the baby after introducing herself to the tired but proudparents. “Let’s have a look.”
Both parents watched witheager curiosity. It was always exciting to find out a new shapeshifer’s animalform. They had told each other to be prepared for the possibility theirchild might not be a shifter, but considering both their families that wasn’tvery likely and it was so hard not to speculate.
Their little girl clearlytook it seriously too, she was very quiet while the scryer rolled her runes.
“There we go!” she said,quickly counting the symbols. “Your- oh, ehm-”
“What’s wrong?” the parentasked urgently, feeling the sudden anxious squeeze their wife gave their hand.
“Um- Nothing at all!” Thescryer looked up from her stones with a mix of embarrassment and excitement onher face. “I just thought I had made a mistake, but I’m quite sure… Your babyis going to be a bear.”
“A bear??”
For once the medical stafflooked every bit as shocked as the new parents.
“But how?” the mothergaped. “Where did she find the spirit? There haven’t been bears in the UK for ages.”
***
Miles away, in aflourishing highland nature reserve, a team of conservationists glowed withpride as they watched the pair of brown bears they just released lumbercuriously into the woods.
“Now that’s what I call asight worth getting out of bed for.”
“Yeah… Magical.”