by Amanda Bergloff

“You’re not my family!”

“We are now, Zuri, and when you call us, we will always answer.”

Zuri paced the floor, remembering their last words to him. Words that bound him to them.

Words that condemned him.

You’re not my family, Zuri thought when the pain drove him to his knees…his mouth fixed in a soundless scream as his bones realigned and shaped into something no longer human.

The howl that finally broke loose from him was answered by the ones in the distance, understanding his longing to join them in his new form.

Understanding his need to come home.

Amanda Bergloff

Amanda Bergloff is a speculative fiction writer who has had short stories included in anthologies published by World Weaver Press, Darkhouse Books, and Transmundane Press, among others. She lives in Denver, Colorado, and collects vintage toys and books.