L.J. DeLeon's Blog, page 4

Surprise! You're a Felix

Hi, Steve again. LJ talked about how we Weres shift from human to our animal side. For the record, we call it phasing. But before I get into my surprise, I first need to explain a few terms and how were-cats are different from most were-animals, and especially werewolves.

Lions have prides. Were-cats have leaps.

The leader of each leap is called a felix and yes, he's an alpha.

Now here's where it gets tricky with the terminology. THE Felix is the strongest were-cat on Earth and controls all the leaps. Every other felix bows down before him, once he's won the title. How do I know this? My father is THE Felix.

When they first phase, were-cats are like all the other weres. They have problems phasing their entire body at one time. Try it some time. Puberty, hormones, and your body deciding, wake-up, it's time to let your inner animal free—as a juvenile, not full-grown. And some still look as if they are cubs. This picture is of my sister.

Below are two photos from my first phase.

          

For THE Felix it's different. Between age 12 and 14, he will have his first phase. In my case, I was a full leopard with the heft of an adult and my teenage know-it-all attitude only complicated matters. I was also bigger than my father. Knowing Dad would knock some sense into me is the only reason I'm still alive. He never hesitated to knock me on my ass when I got out of line.

Now, twenty-plus years later, I'm praying Dad doesn't want to step down any time soon. Between being part of Deva's team—I've taken care of her since she was twelve—and the fuc—frigging war with the Abyss, I don't have time.

Something tells me Dad has other plans.

Signing-off for now. Talk to you later.

Oh, if you have time, go to LJ's website and read the free short story, Deva's Promise. Once you do, you'll understand why she hates Harpies and her take-no-prisoners attitude.

Hungry Mouse and Complacent Leopard

I received this in an email. After a fruitless search for the originator, I decided to share it with you. There are three pictures so scroll on down and enjoy.

The extraordinary scene was captured by photography student Casey Gutteridge at the Santago Rare Leopard Project in Hertfordshire.

The 19-year-old, from Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, who was photographing the leopard for a course project, was astounded by the mouse's behavior.

He said: 'I have no idea where the mouse came from – he just appeared in the enclosure after the keeper had dropped in the meat for the leopard.

'He didn't take any notice of the leopard, just went straight over to the meat and started feeding himself.

'But the leopard was pretty surprised – she bent down and sniffed the mouse and flinched a bit like she was scared.

'In the meantime the mouse just carried on eating like nothing had happened…

…but even a gentle shove does not deter the little creature from getting his fill…

"It was amazing, even the keeper who had thrown the meat into the enclosure was shocked – he said he'd never seen anything like it before."

Project owner Jackie James added: "It was so funny to see—Sheena batted the mouse a couple of times to try to get it away from her food.

"But the determined little thing took no notice and just carried on."

Sheena was brought in to the Santago Rare Leopard Project from a UK zoo when she was just four months old. She is one of 14 big cats in the private collection started by Jackie 's late husband Peter in 1989.

The African Leopard can be found in the continent's forests, grasslands, savannas, and rainforests.

…so the mouse continued to eat the leopard's lunch and show the leopard who was the boss. Just proves no one can push you around without your permission.

My parents are wereleopards

Major Steve Taylor of the Supernatural Special Forces demanded I allow him to explain how he learned his family wasn't human. He claims I can't do the story justice.

Hi, my name is Steve. Understand, it's only with thirty plus years I can look back on this event without cringing. LJ thinks it's funny and howls everytime she hears it. Whereas, only now can I chuckle about the experience. You'll see why.

My parents own a ranch in the mountains of Wyoming. My first memory of them was that they weren't normal. That's putting it mildly. I was about three. One night, they put to bed earlier than normal. Curious, I sneaked down the stairs. Actually, I slid down the banister, which is why they didn't hear me. The fourth step from the bottom squeaks. I later figured out they kept it like that so they'd hear me or my siblings sneaking out at night or someone breaking in.

Once downstairs, I hid in my dad's office just off the living room, stretched out on the floor, and peeked out the door. My folks came out of the kitchen, checked around, then laughed and suddenly shimmered. One second I was looking at my parents, the next I was facing two leopards.

I screamed and wet myself.

At my scream, two leopards turned and stared at the door, teeth bared. I charged up the stairs to my bedroom and locked the door. After all, my parents were monsters. By the time they'd changed back, all that was left of my visit was a puddle of cooling pee and a series of small damp footprints on the stairs.

They had a key to my door and unlocked it. Thankfully, they looked like Mom and Dad and were both dressed. That was when they told me what we were: wereleopards. We changed by magic. We didn't have to get down on all fours and grunt like in the movies. We could change whenever we wanted.

That was my introduction into how my family is different from most. In my defense, I was three and the folks hadn't thought I needed to know. Now, I ask you, is this the type of thing you keep a secret? They should have known better. My dad isn't just the Felix of our Leap, but of every werecat leap on Earth. I was their oldest, so they learned with me. When my sisters came along, the folks were wiser and didn't shield them.

A group of us have talked LJ into letting a few of us tell our stories. We can do it better than she can. After all, they are ours to tell.

 
 

Steve's parents playing

 

Are Werewolves Real?

Do you really believe were-animals are real? If so, why don't we know about them? I get these questions a lot. Why? Because I write fantasy and paranormal romance.

So, let's start with how I portray the Weres in the Warriors For Light (WFL) series. They are human. Born human, live as humans and die as humans. They just have a little extra in their DNA—okay, a lot extra. If they mate with a human, their children will take after the stronger DNA—Were.

All Weres pass as norms. In early life, they can't change forms. My term is phasing. They don't phase until puberty. That just  proves Mother Nature has a sense of humor. Imagine, acne, growth spurts and suddenly nature throws in the shift. Yup, it just has to happen at the same time.

Is it a smooth event for the poor teen? Not a chance. That's why I said Mother Nature has a sense of humor. Except for the Alpha born, who phase into their animal form correctly the first time. For the average Were, it can be only one part of their body that phases. Such as the legs, or both legs and arms, but the rest looks human. Image being fourteen and losing control of who and what you are. One minute you are human, the next your head and body are a wolf or leopard but you have human legs and arms. Homeschooling comes to the rescue until the poor teen learns control. Then it is onto the varsity football team.

So how does the phase happen once a Were has gained control of his or her animal side? It happens in a nano-second. One minute he is human, the next a wolf or leopard or bear or badger. No rending of clothes, no pain, just poof, in the blink of an eye he changes.

In the world I have created, the clothing and weapons disappear to but return unharmed when a Were phases/shifts back to human. Their clothing looks same as before the change. Fae talk about having an In-between Space where they store stuff, including their many weapons. It's possible the Weres' different forms are in a were-in-between space. Who knows?

The predator species have three forms: human, animal and Warrior-Beast. I think some novelist or filmmaker spotted one of the Weres in warrior-beast form, because the movie creations are closest to that. The face—while clearly wolf—will retain some human characteristics. The eyes never change. Fur covers the body, but the warrior-beast stands upright, going, say, from a sold five foot ten to almost six foot eight. The legs are shorter than the body and have the look of a wolf/dog being held upright. However, the warrior-beast is super fast and strong in that form; make that deadly.

You will find them in the military, as firefighters, forest rangers; police officers, school teachers, your Boy Scout leader, and an Eagle Scout may really be an eagle.

In warrior-beast form, a Were is enough to make a meth head go straight. Unfortunately, it doesn't frighten demons. Why? Surely a Were in warrior-beast form could tear apart a demon. True, they could. However, Weres are tasty and much sought after treats. Once eaten, the demon's magick absorbs the poor Were's magick.

 So are were-animals real? Can they be found outside of fiction? I think so.