I have this kind of obsession with animals and people (no, not THAT! Gross!) Think Animorphs. Think werewolves. There's something about a human with animal abilities that really appeals to me. For example: my story of Riyu, where a girl gets taken away from her family and cursed with black magic. She gets these cat-like abilities of strength and agility; hearing and smell, and involuntarily becomes a cat-human (think Neko only more fur, less cute). My favorite werewolf (and other otherwordly creatures) series is by Kelley Armstrong, and she writes the epitome of what a werewolf should be. A person with extra senses and abilities, who can change into a wolf at will. And one particular character, Clay, even has to contend with his animalistic instincts. The real reason I like Twilight so much? Edward. The part where they are in the woods, and he talks about how he can smell her. How he can't stay away. Something clicked. Twilight was my dip into the vampire/werewolf pool, and I never wanted to get back out. And when I discovered Kelley Armstrong's werewolves, I wanted to write my own version of this. Humans having to contend with animal instincts. This is how my trilogy, Feral, came along. I love this story. I'd love to get it published one day. I don't think that day will ever come, but I'm okay with that too. Feral, (and it's subsequent stories, Vigilante and Extreme) is about an alternate reality in which the world is overrun by a disease known as Feralism. No one knows what it is, or how to stop it. But when people get it, their brain begins to degrade, in essence, sending them back primitively and relying more on instinct than logic. With the degradation comes enhanced smell and hearing and strength. But within months, these people can no longer communicate verbally. They can't think logically. They are basically animals. The story follows a girl with this disease, but the progression stops and she's stuck in between being normal human and a wild animal. The Government takes interest in her - she's the only one that is resistant to it. And to find the cure is to possibly kill her. It's also a love story. How could it not be? lol
Here is an excerpt:
“Mr. Brown, please have a seat,” Dr. Vaughn
finally said after she calmed down. He did so, and then she sat, folding her
arms on her desk and leaning forward slightly.
“Let me try and explain something to you. Erin
knows you by smell. Do you understand what that means?”
“Her sense of smell has been heightened by the
disease, yes,” He responded, sounding a tad confused.
“You're single, aren’t you?” Angela stated, although it
wasn’t exactly a question. She had noticed his bare ring finger earlier.
“Why?”
“Mr. Brown,” Angela leaned back in her chair,
trying to think of the best way to approach this, “Animals use their sense of
smell to find more than just food,” She finished, letting him figure out the
rest. It didn’t take him long to get her meaning.
“She wants to… to…”
“Yes.” Angela answered before he tried to word
his question.
He remained silent, realizing the implications
in his head.
“I think it will be fine if you continue to
work here and deliver her food. However, it must stay as it has been: delivering her meals when she is out in the yard.”
“She’s allowed to have visitors though,
correct?” He asked after a moment.
“Supervised. What are you getting at, Mr.
Brown?”
“I can visit her after I clock out,” He
finished. Angela bristled. Why was he so interested in Erin? Why would he even
consider visiting her after what just happened?
Angela's face must have shown disbelief,
because the man smiled at her.
"You probably think I'm crazy, but I don't
care. I'm not going to avoid her because she's got a condition that she can't
control. Besides, she seemed pretty normal to me."
"What? You thought that scene back
there... -"
"I'm not talking about that. You didn't
see her before that, or yesterday. She was perfectly normal, if a little
quiet."
Dr. Vaughn sat up straight in her seat. Erin
had behaved herself with him in the room? After how she'd acted to his scent on
her bed, Angela was shocked. Maybe there was something more to this man that
she wasn't seeing, personally. She told herself to get Dr. Sorenson in there
after they were done with this conversation.
"You seem surprised. Shocked that she can
act like a human being when you're not poking and prodding her?" He
questioned seriously, almost mockingly.
"A little, actually. I might be calling on
you again, Mr. Brown. For now, you can go."
She saw him roll his eyes before he quickly got
up and walked out.
Angela immediately got on the phone and called
Zoey.
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