Opening her eyes, Ella slowly lifted herself from the bed and listened for anyone that might still be awake.

But the house was still silent. Sliding out of bed in nothing but her nightgown, she made her way to the window and pulled back the thick wooden shutters.

It was late in the night, and the forest outside was dark, almost too dark. Ella thought to herself.

Tonight is the perfect night to be free.

Making her way out of her room, she walked through the house and peered into her parent's room. Both were still in a deep sleep.

Grabbing her father's favorite dark green wool jacket from its peg by the front door, she threw it over herself.

The coat was far too big and dragged whenever she moved, but it was warm, dark in color, and completely covering her making her body hard to see. It was just what she needed.

Returning to her room, she lifted herself out the window and lowered one foot after the other onto the ground below.

Closing the shutters to a crack behind her, she scanned her surroundings one last time. She was still in the clear.

Lifting the fringes of the Jacket, she started walking down the hard-packed dirt that surrounded her home. Arriving at the forest edge, she could see very little of her path ahead.

Ella's eyes were better than most she knew when it came to seeing in the day. Her night focused eyes gave her enough forewarning for the path ahead.

The dirt was cold and moist on her bare feet, which felt great on any other night, but tonight after walking so long, they turned numb. Many a night before, Ella would sneak out at night to relax in peace.

This night, she was going much further than she would any other. But after waiting for more than a month, she knew she could not wait any longer.

Many were scared of the dark and the potential dangers it hid. But for Ella, there was no fear. She was the one that was on the hunt for prey.

Stopping, Ella had found where she could not see any sign of human interference. She had scouted the woods for this location just the day before in preparation for this night.

It was a small clearing in the forest floor bedded with soft green moss, fallen leaves, and an old oak standing alone in its center. Needing a rest, Ella made her way to the tree and sat down at its trunk.

Taking a long breath, she closed her eyes and laid back. After walking so long in her forest walk, her legs ached, and her feet were freezing. Walking the perimeter of the tree, she found an old foxhole under the root system.

Reach deep into the hole, Ella found it empty. She was in luck. She shrugged her father's Jacket off on the oak's lowest branch, then proceeded to pull her nightgown over her head, folded them together, she tucked them in the hole where it was dry.

Ella figure was still very much a girl, meek and boyish despite already being in her late teens. Naked, the cold air made her whole body prickle, and her hands became as numb as her feet.

Closing her eyes, Ella let go of all thought of being human. She brought herself to her knees and cleared her mind of how it felt to walk on two feet. It started slowly as her heart became like a drum shaking her body with every thrum.

Breathing became labored as her heart could not keep up with the lungs. Falling entirely to the ground, Ella gasped for air as her heart boomed louder, racing faster in her chest.

Thick hair sprouted over her bare flesh, turning a coat of fur. Her frame turned from a meek girl's body to tight lean muscle.

Bones began to shift in inhuman ways, forcing her to stand poised on four legs ending in paws accompanied by sharp claws.

Her face turned long into a powerful snout ending in the black nose for picking up faint smells at a great distance. Inside her new mouth, there were sharp teeth for cutting meat and fangs for tearing flesh. 

Her Tailbone grew long and thin and wrapped its self in bushy fur. Tall triangular ears replaced small human ears.

Ella had taken on the form of a wolf.