Cursed Forever

     Aelar was a taller elf, spending most of his time studying the wilds and their inhabitants. While the rest of his classmates saw animals simply as another food source, Aelar saw them as the key to life itself. He was no vegetarian. He understood the need for sustenance from meat. But he also understood the many other roles that animals could play in the lives of not only the elves, but all humanoids. He saw that they could help all races reach the pinnacle. It was this fascination that led Aelar to Druidism. He had long been taken in by the mystical workings of magic, but struggled to find it's place within the natural world. Where had it come from? What created it? Then he realized. It came from nature itself. It came from the life force of all the plants and animals around him. It came to him, as a gift from mother nature, so he could help to protect her.

     Aelar was 68 when he first shifted. He didn't do it on purpose. He was simply meditating in the forest, simply trying to commune with nature. That was when he heard the loud crack of an axe hitting bark. Normally it wouldn't bother him, but he could swear that he heard that tree scream in a pain. In an instant Aelar was on top of the would be murderer, but he felt different. The look on his fellow elf's face wasn't that of familiarity. It was one of fear. Like he was being mauled by a beast. That's when Aelar looked down and saw what should have been his hands. They were replaced, unbeknownst to him, with the claws of a bear. He sat back on his hind legs and continued to look himself over. It would have appeared that Aelar had gained the greatest gift of all. The gift of shifting. He had finally earned natures true blessing.

    He never did learn what had become of the lumberjack. He had simply become to infatuated with his new found powers. He quickly taught himself to control the shift, and could now do so at will. He truly was given the greatest gift of all. The elves of his town did not seem to appreciate his gift as much as he did though. They began to look down on him, to avoid him, and eventually shunned him from almost all social events. Aelar realized that they did not see him as an elf anymore. He was something else, and to them it was an abomination. Soon Aelar gathered himself a small satchel of necessities and left the village behind. His whole life was gone now. They didn't want him, so he no longer wanted them.

     So that was it. For 50 years he wandered the forests alone, trying to avoid settlements unless he had no other choice. Then, one night, while he was passing through a small village he overheard rumors of a clan of shifters nearby. Shifters! They would take him in for sure! He quickly learned as much as he could, then set off to their last known location. It was a 3 days hike away, but Aelar was determined. On the third day he made it their, and was quickly met with the ferocious eyes of natures true chosen people. He had never seen a shifter before, and knew of them only through myth and legend.

     Aelar quickly learned how much dislike the shifters had for other races, and when he showed them that he was a shifter like they were, they became disgusted. Why had he been simply given this gift? He was not a true shifter, he was simply a magician using tricks. He began to persist, but the leader cut him off.

Never will I ever allow one of YOUR kind to live among us

The truly chosen of the forest

We are nature incarnate. We are the first.

None shall known of this abomination you have become!

For you shall never again be allowed to shift!

     The head of the clan pulled a wand from his coat and pointed it towards Aelar. A huge burst of green energy shot from the tip and hit Aelar directly in the forehead. He felt himself changing, transforming into something else. The pain was immense and gradually became too much for Aelar to control, forcing him to black out.

     When he came to, Aelar found himself laying beside a tree in the midst of the woods. He looked down at his hands, but something was off. He was in bear form. He had shifted? But... the shifters had removed his abilities, had they not? He quickly tried to change back into an elf. Nothing. He tried again, and still nothing. Then it dawned on him. He had been forced to remain in his wild shape for the rest of his days. He let out a loud scream, but all that came out was the roar of a bear. Aelar was no more. Now he was simply a bear. Another wild being, destined to roam the forest and fend for himself.