Chapter 2 of the Shepard Series. I was going to include more but it was getting long as is. So the next part will have to be Chapter 3.

Three days.

That is how long it has been since Garret’s life changed forever. Since becoming a Shepard he has been a prisoner of his apartment. Before he could do anything, he had to complete what was called the Tutorial. The training for all new Shepherds’ consisted of several steps before one could officially sent on missions for the Magical Alliance. The first night was the hardest. Trying to do all the same things he used to do when he was human was an impossible task. Gorillas need not do things like take showers, brush their teeth, or sleep in a regular bed. To say the least, Garret was not happy the next morning when he woke up. His fur was a tangled mess and looked like he jumped head first into a car wash. The first thing he noticed was a large pile of books sitting on his desk. He walked over and found a note resting on the top book. It explained all the things he had to do over the next few days to complete the Tutorial. This included reading every one of the books, taking several online tests, watching videos, reading webpages that pertained to the Shepherds. Groaning loudly, Garret got to work.

It was a difficult task for several reasons. First, he was never good at reading or focusing on a specific subject. As he read, he found his focus and thoughts drifting away. Being a gorilla made it even harder. His brain was not made for reading or retaining information from books. Even if he was not a normal gorilla he still fell prey to the animal’s quirks. He was constantly hungry. A little research online told him that an adult gorilla ate roughly 40 pounds of food a day. They mostly ate fruit but also plants and bugs. Garret decided immediately he rather submit himself to a government lab that second then eat termites or leaves. Luckily he would not half too. His hunger finally won out. He strolled into the kitchen, trying his hardest to walk upright. Sitting in the middle of the floor was a large cardboard box. Curious, Garret opened it up and was amazed at what he found inside. The box was filled with a variety of fruits. Bananas, mangos, and some fruits that he did not recognize. Fifty pounds of fruit.

As the days progressed, Garret learned more about what it meant to be a Shepard. Apparently, Shepherds did not get paid with money. Their payment consisted of food, supplies, shelter, and utilities. No paycheck for him. Being a Shepard also meant having your life erased. His Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages were erased. His mail stopped showing up and even his cellphone plan was canceled. He already assumed he was fired from his job but there was no record of him on the site. He wondered about his parents. Would they remember him? The answer was yes, records and data could be erased but not memories. Although it was not like anyone would recognize him if he walked up and said “Hello.”

By the fourth day, Garret had completed all the books and tests he was assigned. He was relieved to finally be done. He did a lot of research on gorillas. Apparently, they had little energy due to the foods they ate. Fruit was healthy but did not supply a lot of energy. He found himself unable to move around and even drifting to sleep while reading. Each day, a new box of fruit would appear in his kitchen. By the end of each day, he would eat the entire thing. He finally got the hang of walking and his usual human activities. He read that the longer he stayed an animal the more he would adjust and adapt.

The fifth day, he awoke to find someone sitting in his living room. Grey was reading an especially large book and when Garret got a closer look he discovered that it was written in a language he had never seen. It was filled with squiggles and something that resembled Greek letters. Garret wanted to ask what it was or why Grey was in his living room but did not get the chance.

Grey closed the book and looked up. “Congratulations on completely the first part of the Tutorial. I see you have gotten the hang of standing straight. That is good. Usually it takes a lot longer for therians to relearn how to walk.”

“What are you doing here?” Garret asked crossing his hairy arms against his chest.

“I’m your handler. It is my job to check up on you.”

“My handler. What does that mean?”

“You should have read all about it in the books I gave you,” Grey said standing up and crossing the room.

Garret thought back. He read so much over the last few days. Remembering one detail was like finding a needle in a sewer. After a few minutes he remembered. Handlers were a class of “human” Shepherds. They were a higher class and watched over and reigned in the therians. They would judge the progress and competence. If necessary, revoke a therian’s title as a Shepard and send them to a haven.

“You’re here to check up on me? Check my progress?”

“Not exactly. I know how you have been doing from the tests you took,” he said while examining Garret bookcase. It was filled with his old textbooks from college along with old magazines and the occasional novel. “You should consider reading some classic literature. A Shepard is well verse in several subjects.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. You still haven’t told me why you are here.”

Grey turned around and faced Garret. Despite Garret’s massive size, he felt small compared to the overwhelming presence Grey gave off. “I am here to give you this.” He pulled out something from his pocket and tossed it. Garret caught it in midair and examined the small item. It was a set of car keys.

“Those are for your new company car.”

“I get my own car?” Garret asked suddenly very interested in this conversation. Then something clicked in the back of mind. “What happened to my old car?” He drove a ten-year-old Toyota Camry he got from his parents when he got his license. Even then it was used. He loved that car.”

“We totaled it.”

Garret’s mouth dropped open. “You totaled my car?”

“We had to. It was part of the process for you to become a Shepard. Everything from your life before has to be erased. No one can get curious about where you are or what you are doing. It is better for you to have a clean start.”

Garret took a deep breath and gathered the courage to ask the one question he had been dreading to ask since his transformation. “What about my parents? They must realize or will realize something has happened to me.”

“That is up to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“In cases where the therian is underage we contact the parents and alert them to the situation. Many cases they are transferred to a classified location for their protection. You are in a strange area. You are not a child but still young. You can authorize your parents to know what happened to you. Let me tell you from experience that is not an easy conversation to have.”

Garret knew that. How could he tell his parents he was a gorilla? Even if he showed up in person to tell them, how would they react? They would not be happy, that’s for sure."

“What happens if I tell them?”

“Nothing exactly. All you can tell them is that you changed into a gorilla. You cannot tell them about the Magical Alliance or the Shepherds. Even telling them that you are an animal is difficult. Parents react in different ways. Some can be supportive but others disown their children or pretend they just died.”

Seeing Garret’s expression, Grey continued, “Usually, we give them an excuse to your absence or create a fake death certificate.”

“I don’t want them to think I’m dead!” Garret shouted horrified. “Just tell them I’m off somewhere. I’ll tell them one day. First I have to get used to it before I bring them into it.”

“That’s is what I thought you would say. Now back to the matter at hand. I gave you those keys so you can complete the second stage of the Tutorial.”

“What is that?”

Grey smiled. “You need to get dressed because you are going to take a field trip to the zoo.”