The sun slowly peaked over the horizon and lit up the freshly snowed city, causing the snow to sparkle and shine like diamonds. That same sunlight peeked through curtains of the small studio apartment bedroom owned by Diamond and the small beam of light hitting a slumbering Diamond.

  Diamond was ying on her belly on a king size bed and she had wrapped herself up in bnkets. She let out a low grumble as the light hit her exposed head and opened one eye to look at her arm clock that rested on the side table beside her bed. Seeing the time Diamond let out a sigh as she started to move out of her bnket cocoon, revealing she had only worn a pair of bck panties to bed st night.

  Each movement Diamond made there was a loud click, cracking, and popping sound came from her bones and once she was sitting at the foot of her bed she stood up. She let out another loud sigh as she rotated her head making more loud pop and cracking, “Every morning.” She muttered and paused as she caught her reflection in the full length mirror.

  Her bedroom was pin and simple, a bed, nightstand with clock, full length mirror and tall dresser for all her clothing. She shifted to face the mirror and her fingers resting on top of the cw scars on her stomach. Her mind started to drift before snapping back when there was a knocking at her front door and Diamond turned on her heel to head out of her bedroom to the main part of the studio apartment.

  The main part of the studio was just as simple as her bedroom, it had a living room area, a kitchen that doubled as a dining room and another door to a bathroom. The only thing out of pce was on the rge cork board on wheels in the living room and it was covered with pictures and strings.

  Diamond walked to the front door and opened it without care or fear of being seen topless. The person standing there was Ophelia and she was in a dark blue winter coat. “Good morning, hope I didn’t wake you.” Ophelia said and pulled out a cell phone. “I am only stopping by to drop this off, don’t break it this time.”

  “I didn’t break it st time,” Diamond said as she took the cell phone. “I was sucker punched by a coyote while on the phone with you.” Diamond paused when she turned on the screen and saw the wallpaper was of Diamond and her little sister, Tullia.

  “I already set up how you like it and copied all your old files to it.” Ophelia said and Diamond nodded as she put in her pin code to unlock the phone. “I also added Chris’ number to it too.”

  “Alright,” Diamond said in a dismissive manner as she turned around to put the phone on the counter and Ophelia let out a loud sigh making Diamond turn around to look at her. “What?”

  “Chris Quinn, the moonflower officer you worked with st two weeks ago on two cases.” Ophelia stated while rubbing her temple with one hand. “What did you thin-oh my god, you thought he had died, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.” Diamond said and Ophelia narrowed her eyes as she crossed her arms. “Normally those moonflower officers assigned to me, bug me with every case and try to get me to deal with normal human cases.”

  “And you thought him not bugging you meant he was dead?” Ophei asked and Diamond just shrugged. “Well he’s not dead and working on cases didn’t need you. Anyways, want to get some breakfast with me?”

  “No, I think I’ll go wash up and head up to the Sanctuary to visit my little sister.” Diamond said and Ophelia nodded.

  “Alright, see you around, Diamond.” Ophelia said as she grabbed the door handle. “Tell little Tullia I say hello.” Diamond nodded before the door closed and Diamond locked the door before heading to the bathroom.

  Diamond was standing in a bus stop shelter with a soft smile on her face after spending most of her day with her little sister at the Sanctuary. The sun was setting over the city as Diamond started to close her eyes before her ear twitched and heard a commotion from an alleyway a few feet away from the bus. She let out a sigh as she walked towards the alleyway but turned into a sprint when she heard a scream from a woman.

  What Diamond saw was a man forcefully grabbing a woman by the wrist and throat. The man must have grabbed the woman’s throat when she screamed and Diamond rear back her fist, aiming for the man’s liver. Diamond was hit by the man’s scent of being a hyena werebeast and made her not hold back her fist hitting the man in the side. When the punch connected the man's eyes widened to look to see Diamond before he crumbled to one knee and coughing up blood.

  Diamond quickly moved behind the man and grabbed the back of his neck with a vice-like grip. The man had let go of the woman and Diamond took this chance to grab one of the man’s wrist and twist it behind his own back. “Try anything and I will crush your spine.” Diamond whispered into the man’s ear with a low growl.

  “Understood.” The man managed to say through the blood coming out of his mouth. Diamond couldn’t see the man’s face but she could see other features now that had little more time to process everything. The man had messy bck curly hair, his skin was darker from a suntan, and she noticed a werebeast gang tattoo just peeking out from under her hand. He was wearing a pair of worn out blue jeans, a bck light jacket, off white t-shirt, and a pair of bck running shoes.

  Diamond’s attention moved to the dy and could see how she was fairing but she was slightly startled from the woman’s appearance. The dy had short bck hair, she looked to be around five feet and six inches tall and had very bright orange eyes with a tattoo under her left eye of Eye of Horus. Her skin was desaturated grayish brown, which Diamond thought made the dy look sickly and it would be hard to tell by the human eyes but for Diamond eyes could see that the dy’s cheeks were slightly sunken in. She wore a pair of brown runners, baggy bck jeans and puffy blue jacket that Diamond theorized was hiding a thin sickly figure.

  Diamond snapped back to reality, “Miss, are you alright.” Diamond asked and the dy jumped slightly before nodding quietly. “Good, left jacket pocket is my phone.” The dy nodded and walked to Diamond's left side and took out Diamond’s cell phone. “885542, call Chris Quinn and put on speakerphone.”

  The dy did as she was told and the phone dial tone went off once before being picked up, “Hello?” Chris’ voice said over the cell phone.

  “Hello, Chris, I’ve got a code 10-TA in an alleyway between 13th and 14th street, I need a wagon and bring Chip and Dale.” Diamond said loudly and tightened her grip when she felt the man try to shift his position. “Also come in an unmarked car when you come get me and…”

  The pause became awkward silence with Diamond staring at the dy, “Oh, Aziza, Aziza Smith.” The dy said and Diamond nodded.

  “Alright, we will be there shortly,” Chris said as Diamond heard him getting out of his chair. “Keep that 10-TA under control until then.” Diamond dug in nails into the man’s neck and he made a small yelp sound.

  There was no problem in bringing in the man and putting him in a cell to hold werebeast. Chris, Diamond, and Aziza were now sitting in the police station conference room and Chris was about to get Aziza’s statement. “So you have no knowledge or connection to the ‘Sons of Sand’ gang?” Chris asked as twirling his pen.

  “No, I don’t know anything about any gangs.” Aziza sighed and shifted in her seat. She had taken off her jacket and under it she was wearing a baggy cream color sweater. Diamond eyes never left Aziza as she was right about Aziza having thinner than normal body by seeing how thin her wrists are. “I just finished csses at Trinity College and I was going to the bus stop on 14th street, then out of nowhere that man grabbed me.”

  “Did he say anything to you while he dragged you into the alleyway?” Chris asked and Aziza shook her head as she rubbed her wrist that was grabbed. “Alright, than we w-”

  “We will put you up in a safe house until we know if this was an individual action or the whole gang is involved.” Diamond said and Chris turned to look at Diamond with a bit of confused look. “So Officer Quinn will take you to your apartment to gather some clothes and anything else you need.”

  “Yes, uh, though I would like to ask Diamond something first, outside.” Chris said and motioned his head to point to the door. Diamond nodded and headed towards the door to the bullpen before Chris looked towards Aziza, “I’ll be right back, Miss. Smith.”

  “O-Oh okay,” Aziza said and was about to say something but held her tongue. Chris got up head out to the bullpen and closed the door behind him to see Diamond waiting.

  “Safehouse? I was thinking of having one of our female officers to follow her.” Chris said. “I don’t even know if one of the safe houses are op-”

  “My apartment is a special safehouse.” Diamond said and Chris raised his brows. “It’s only open to cases I’m working on and it’s off the books. Also many werebeast don’t come sniffing around my territory if they know better.”

  “Alright, I’m sold, so while I’m with Aziza getting her things, you are going to get your apartment ready for a guest.” Chris said and Diamond nodded while pulling out her phone. “Sounds like a pn and now let’s py it.” Chris's phone ding and he looked to see a text from Diamond.

  “My apartment address and while she is in my apartment, you look closer into ‘Sons of Sand’.” Diamond said and Chris nodded before turning around to the conference room while Diamond turned to head to the elevator.

  Diamond got to her apartment after running back to it from the police station, kicked off her shoes and hung up her coat. She would have rode the bus back on a normal day but she needed to get back to her apartment faster than the bus.

  The first thing she did was rolled the corkboard into her room and covered it with bck cloth. The next thing Diamond did was move the couch cushions to pull out the bed from it and made the bed with bedding she kept in a towel closet in the bathroom.

  There was a knock at the door once Diamond finished making the bed and she walked over to the front door. She opened the door to see Chris and Aziza standing there and Aziza had a duffle bag in her hands. “Welcome to my apartment.” Diamond said and moved out of the way for the two to enter.

  “Wow…it's a lot cleaner than I thought it would be.” Chris remarked and Diamond narrowed her eyes at him. “I thought the dining room would be covered in takeout wrappers at least.”

  “Aziza, your bed's over there.” Diamond said and pointed to the pull out bed. Aziza nodded and walked to the bed to put her bag on it. “And you, come back in morning,” Diamond put a hand on Chris’ stomach and pushed.

  Chris let out a loud grunt as he stumbled backwards, “Yep, got it, have nice night dies.” Chris said as he rubbed his stomach. “I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth.” Chris muttered under his breath as he left.

  Diamond closed the door after Chris left and locked the door. “Okay this door is to the bathroom, and that one close to the foot of your bed is my bedroom.” Diamond said as she pointed out to the doors. “Stay away from windows and…” Diamond walked to a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out a piece of paper, “This is the wifi password.”

  Aziza’s eyes flickered, “I will need that for my csses.” She said and went to take the password. “I’ll put it back once I get my ptop connected.” Aziza went back to the bed and sat down then pulled out ptop from her duffle bag.

  Diamond sat down on a bar stool in front of the kitchen counter and started to dial a number before looking over her shoulder to see Aziza was focused with her ptop.

  Diamond turned to look forward as she put the phone to her ear and the phone dial tone went off before the phone picked up, “You’ve called Sheep Burger, what can I get you.” The voice on the other end of the phone.

  “Dinner is here,” Diamond called out as she closed the door to the delivery guy after paying him and getting a big paper bag of food.

  Diamond put the bag on the small dining room table and looked to Aziza, who was deep in thought while looking at her ptop on the bed. Diamond let out a loud whistle making Aziza jump and look to Diamond, “Come get it while it’s hot.”

  “Right, food.” Aziza said as closed her ptop and got up from the bed. She walked over to the dining room to sit down and Diamond slid a tinfoil wrapped burger to Aziza. Aziza paused in looking at the burger and Diamond raised a brow.

  “Something wrong?” Diamond asked as she pulled out a burger for herself. Aziza shook her head to a no as Diamond sat down and Aziza slowly unwrapped the burger slowly.

  “This will be my first meat burger.” Aziza said and Diamond unwrapped her own burger. “My parents were ultra hippy vegetarians and and…” Aziza paused before starting to devour the burger and seconds was finished the triple burger. “Uh-” She was cut off when Diamond pulled out another burger and slid it to Aziza then ripped open the bag to show there was plenty left.

  “I’ll order more if you’re still hungry after this.” Diamond said and Aziza tore into the burger she was given. “I think Chinese food next if you wish.” Diamond smirked when Aziza didn’t say anything as Aziza was having foodgasm from eating the burger.

  Early in the morning Chris walked up stairs to the floor that Diamond’s apartment was on and stopped in front of Diamond’s door. “Hope it’s not too early for her.” Chris said to himself before knocking on the door. He could hear movement heading towards and Diamond’s voice saying something before the door opened. Chris paused in seeing Diamond only in a pair of bck panties but he snapped back, “Got some information on our girl.”

  “Come in,” Diamond said as moved out of the way and Chris entered the apartment. Chris looked around but stopped in seeing the dining table just covered in take out wrappers and containers and Chris looked at Diamond. “I only had five burgers, one box of Chinese sesame chicken, and some noodles.” Chris pointed to bed, where he assumed Aziza was, and quietly mouthed Aziza’s name and Diamond nodded.

  “That would prove my theory that she was a werebeast.” Chris said and gave him a big ‘no duh’ face to Chris. “But you already knew that, was it your sniffer that clue you in?”

  “Nope, I’ve seen my fair share of starvation and malnutrition in werebeast,” Diamond said and walked to the garbage can to remove the lid. “Once you’ve seen it once, you never forget.” Chris walked over to help Diamond slide the wrappers in garbage. “The tattoo under her eye is something people from the Sahara Cn from Egypt do.” Diamond put the trash can back once all wrappers were in it and walked over to the coffee machine. “She’s also adopted into an ultra hippy vegetarian human family, the reason why she was more malnourished than starving.”

  “They wouldn’t have known that werebeasts are hypercarnivores,” Chris said as he sat down at the table. “Normally werebeasts orphans are adopted by a werebeast family but in this case Aziza was dropped off at police station with no moonflower officers and treated like any human baby left with them.”

  Diamond put a mug of coffee in front of Chris, “Unfortunately that is more common than most think.” Diamond said and put a gss bowl of sugar down next. “Now the next question is did that gang member attack her because she was in a weakened state or grudge against her birth parents.”

  “No, the next is figuring out how to tell Aziza she’s a werebeast.” Chris said as he put three spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee while Diamond poured her own coffee. “We also don’t know what type of animal she is.”

  “That’s going to be easier than you think on both points.” Diamond said and Chris was about to say something but stopped when he heard the door behind him close. He turned to see the bathroom door had been closed, “She just sleepy walked into the bathroom, now we wait.” Diamond sat down and took a sip from her mug of coffee.

  Chris turned around back to his coffee and waited just like Diamond said, in a minute he could hear panic shuffling in the bathroom before hearing the door open.

  “What happened to me?!” Aziza asked in a panicked voice to make Chris turn in his seat to see Aziza’s face in a state of panic and confusion, but he was more stunned by her rejuvenated look.

  Her skin tone was richer brown, her eyes shone a bright orange, and her once sickly stick body shape changed to health looking pear shape. She was wearing a big sleep shirt but due to her new wide hips made the shirt not cover her lower half and showing the tight gym shorts.

  “I think you should have a seat, Miss. Smith.” Chris said and gestured to the seat across from him. Diamond was leaning on the kitchen counter and sipping her coffee as Aziza was towards the seat. “What I’m about to tell you may sound crazy but you have to believe me that it is true. Aziza you are…” Chris paused, seeing Aziza was wide-eyed and her mouth slightly open while looking at Diamond and Chris looked to Diamond to see she had shifted into her arms. “Really?”

  Diamond just held out her free hand towards Aziza and Aziza hesitated for a moment before gently touching Diamond’s fur covered hand. “Seeing is believing.” Diamond said before sipping more of her coffee.

  “It’s coarse but under it so soft and warm.” Aziza muttered and gently touched the cws. Diamond turned her hand over and Aziza’s eyes sparkled seeing Diamond’s toe beans. She started touching and pying with them, “They're so soft.” Aziza happily gasped and kept pying with Diamond’s toe beans until Chris cleared his throat.

  “As I was saying, Aziza you are a therianthrope.” Chris said, causing Aziza to tilt her head at the word ‘therianthrope’. “Therianthrope is a more scientific umbrel term for werebeast.” Aziza nodded and started to think. “Werebeasts are born, they are not infected, or a curse. So no, the hyena that attacked you did not turn you into one.”

  “Also werebeasts are hypercarnivores,” Diamond said as she shifted back to her human form and Aziza’s eyes widened again. “Yes, you ate three to four times your original weight in meat. No, you don’t have to worry about refeeding syndrome.”

  “That’s due to werebeast’s brain being set up differently than humans and having a healing factor also helps.” Chris said and sipped his coffee a bit before continuing. “When a werebeast is starved their healing factor is turned off but once given a proper meal the healing factor turns on and heals from the inside out.”

  “Allowing the werebeast to turn to tip top shape after getting food coma.” Diamond said and Aziza nodded understanding why she looked so much different. “Any more questions?”

  “What’s going to happen to me now?” Aziza asked and gnced towards Diamond then back to Chris.

  “You’re my responsibility since I was the one that found you.” Diamond said and down the st of her coffee. “So I will teach you about your new life and new rules to it. While Chris will work the case why a member of 'Sons of Sand’ attacked you.” Diamond went over to Chris and took away his mug. “And first Aziza will shower as you will be meeting Ophelia and she’s going to want to get you a whole new wardrobe…which you will need now.”

  “That is my cue leave and you two have fun.” Chris said as he stood up and Diamond waved him off then crossed her arms. “Goodbye to you too Miss. Silvervine.” Chris left the apartment and Diamond locked the door behind him.

  “So what’s for breakfast?” Aziza asked with a slight blush and Diamond smirked in hearing her stomach growling.

  Aziza and Diamond were sitting at a diner booth that belonged to a diner called ‘Moon Meals’ and both of them were polishing off their fifth meat lover skillet. Aziza was wearing a blue sweater that she filled out better than before and a pair of stretchy yoga pants. “Is it normal to feel so warm that I don’t need a coat?” Aziza asked in a whisper and leaning into Diamond.

  “After going through a food coma to heal up, yes it’s normal.” Diamond said in normal volume. “You will return to normal after a day or two. Also this diner is werebeast runned so you don’t have to whisper.”

  “Though you should be careful what you say still,” Ophelia said, making Aziza jump and sit up straight from being startled. “Normal people still come in and order food.” Ophelia slid in seat beside Diamond and removed her winter coat.

  “Aziza, this is Ophelia Ashwood, she’s my handler.” Diamond said as she looked at the menu. “Ophelia, this is Aziza Smith, she’s my ward. Still hungry?”

  “Diamond says handler and I say I’m her boss.” Ophelia said as she held out her hand to Aziza to shake and Aziza shook it. “Do you have a part-time job?” Diamond raised a brow and Aziza let go of Ohpelia’s hand.

  “No to both questions but I am looking into finding a part time position somewhere like cashier for a shop,” Aziza said, making Ophelia smile and pulling out a business card to hand to Aziza. “Nightshade Incorporated, occult shop.”

  Diamond’s eyes narrowed to Ophelia, “I’ve been looking into hiring a part time cashier,” Ophelia said, making Diamond rex. “Maybe when you get more comfortable in your new abilities you can come work for me.”

  “I have a question,” Aziza said and Ophelia tilted her head out of curiosity. “Why doesn’t Diamond drive? I tried asking her but she only grumbled about people being idiots.”

  Diamond narrowed her eyes at Ophelia and leaned into her face a bit as Ophelia stifled her ughter at the question, “Let’s just say Diamond doesn’t have great luck with driving, but let’s leave it at that.” Ophelia said as she looked away from Diamond while covering her mouth to not ugh.

  “That’s enough, move your fat ass, I need to pay the bill before we go shopping.” Diamond said to Ophelia and Ophelia moved out of the booth to allow Diamond out. “After shopping we will start your shifting training.” Diamond walked towards the counter and Ophelia looked to Aziza.

  “I will pray for you and your body.” Ophelia said and Aziza started to feel very nervous from Ophelia’s words.