Dream Come True
In a dæmon AU like the Golden Compass/Northern Lights, where every human has a dæmon which manifests itself as an animal. The dæmon is outside its human though it is actually an integral part of that person. A Child’s dæmon has no fixed form and it may change into another animal’s shape. The dæmon’s shape will settle into one form as the personality settled during puberty and when puberty is complete the dæmon’s shape is settled and will not change.
It was definitely a discrimination, even could be called a crime, that Disneyland rejected a six year old boy to take a cruise to the wonderland just because he had a large-size dæmon that “could be a potential danger to other kids”. It was not the said little boy’s fault that his dæmon was an adult male lion and could not shift to a smaller or a younger shape animal. All the other kids were happily boarded the ship Happy Cruise, with their cute little dæmons like bunnies or kittens or fawns, one even deliberately had his dæmon shifted from a tiger to a sparrow, leaving the poor little boy behind on the station. The boy turned around to his dæmon and buried his face in the lion’s golden mane to hide his tears. Then he heard some kids laughed at him because he could not get on the ship, he turned to face those kids and they soon shut up at the glare of the boy as well as the roar of the lion. Some even trembled like leaves in autumn. But that did not ease the pain of the boy.
The Disneyland story was not the best memory of Hunter’s childhood and he dreamed that one day Clarence, his dæmon, could shift its shape, just like the other kids’ dæmons did. However, this dream had never come true in his childhood. Even during his puberty and his classmates had begun to have their dæmons settled into one shape one by one, Hunter still hoped that Clarence could shift its shape, even just for once. Hunter felt some parts of his childhood was missing if Clarence had only one shape ever. As his puberty completed and all his peers had their dæmons’ shapes fixed, Hunter finally gave up his childhood dream and accepted that Clarence would be a lion forever.
Hunter actually did not felt challenged when he moved to Dalton with a full scholarship. The first warbler meeting proved this again. He had tamed a pack of wolves, jackals and hyenas in his military academy and led it to a regionals victory with presidential honors, he was sure that he could handle a bunch of grass-eaters, some less aggressive wolves and tigers, and an owl. However, there was only one small disappointment in the meeting; the former captain of the warblers, Sebastian Smythe, did not show up. Easy, he could just kick that loser out of the warblers if he could not prove himself an asset to the team. Hunter dismissed the warblers after their first practice and stayed in the common room, sorting ways to deal with Sebastian Smythe.
“Sorry, I’m late. Lacrosse practice.” The voice did not sound like sorry at all. Hunter turned his swivel chair to face the door and saw the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen in his whole 17 year life. A stunning snow leopard with glowing fur walked into the room slowly, like he walked into his own kingdom. Then a tall slender boy, just as beautiful as his dæmon, appeared at the door and walked into the room, like he walked onto his own yacht. Hunter did not realized that he had stood up at the view.
Hunter had not decided yet whether he like the taller boy’s arrogant attitude with his annoying smirk when he felt something darted out from his back. Then he saw that smirk turned into a genuine smile and those pale green eyes sparkled like a child under a Christmas tree in the Christmas morning. “If I knew the new captain was such a cutie, I would totally skip my lacrosse practice.”
Hunter had lost his ability to speak as he witnessed his childhood dream turned into a living nightmare: Clarence shifted its shape. To a cat. Not even a big one, but a little kitten. A small white ball of fur. When Hunter was struggling about the options of jumping out of the window or digging a hole at where he stood, Clarence had already run, or rolled, to Sebastian and rubbed himself at the foot of the taller boy. Hunter felt he had already dead because of embarrassment.
Sebastian gently lifted Clarence up to his eyes’ level height and took a good look of the kitten, then he looked at Hunter while that smile turned to a mischievous smirk again as He kissed the kitten. “Clarence!” Clarence must felt Hunter’s rage in his voice and the new captain was obviously at the edge so the kitten jumped to the floor and shifted to the lion.
“Damn, aren’t you full of surprise, cutie.” Sebastian was more amazed than surprised or startled as he saw Clarence shifted its shape, “I’ve never known someone could still has their dæmon shift shape post puberty.” The smirk did not disappear.
As the smirk that saying between “I’m gonna ruin your life” and “I’m gonna rock your world” getting closer and closer, Hunter finally found his voice back, “I am Hunter Clarington. I am the new captain of the Warblers, and I’m not even remotely bi-curious.” Hunter regretted his words already as he sensed what Clarence was doing but he refused to break the eye contact with the former captain.
The smirk widened to a grin. Sebastian finally stopped in front of Hunter, only a few inches way, then put some long fingers at the jaw of Hunter and lightly squeezed it to guide it to the direction of the lion and the snow leopard, “That really isn’t the wisest thing to say, my captain, considering your dæmon is literally molesting mine right now.” The brunette boy whispered to the ear of the dark blond.
Note: I had this idea when I did the Crossover theme, also this piece and the post for Crossover theme are inspired by thezol’s works.
http://thezol.tumblr.com/post/76667747736/im-posting-this-one-so-the-other-doesnt-feel
http://thezol.tumblr.com/post/76667493756/this-is-what-happens-when-im-sugar-high-u
A dæmon as a shape shifter, still counts for the current theme, right? Kind of sort of, I hope. Thank you for reading.