Mandy could barely breathe as the footage replayed in slow motion. The woman's transformation was unmistakable, even with the shaky camera work. The newscaster's voice finally penetrated her daze:
"This extraordinary footage was captured yesterday afternoon in Yellowstone National Park by tourist James Chen. Wildlife experts are baffled by what appears to show..."
"Mom? Are you still there?" Sabrina's voice pulled Mandy back to the present.
"I'm here," Mandy managed to say. "I'm just... processing."
The world had just changed irrevocably. Magic wasn't hidden anymore - at least this small piece of it had been exposed.
Mandy's gaze was fixed on the TV screen as the footage replayed yet again. The transformation seemed impossible - yet she'd seen impossible things herself these past few days. The Djinn, yes, but even so…
"It has to be fake," she whispered. "CGI or something..."
"No, Mom!" Sabrina's excitement bubbled through the line. "There are like a dozen videos of this! A whole group was on some bridge taking pictures when it happened. They all caught it from different angles."
The news switched to another shaky video, this one showing the scene from higher up. The quality was better, the woman's transformation into a fox even clearer. Mandy leaned forward, studying every detail.
"Look, they're showing another one!" Sabrina's voice rose with excitement. "See how clear that one is? You can actually see her clothes kind of... dissolve or something as she changes!"
Mandy's breath caught as the footage played in slow motion. The woman's form seemed to blur around the edges before shifting, her clothing seeming to melt away as fur sprouted and her shape altered. The fox that emerged moved with fluid grace, its russet coat gleaming in the sunlight.
"No," Mandy told her daughter. "No, the clothing's there, but it happens fast. Next time they play that section, see how the fox comes out of the clothing?"
"Okay, I"ll look. And they're saying there are more videos coming in," Sabrina continued. "People are uploading them all over social media. It's completely real, Mom. A shapeshifter! An actual shapeshifter!"
Mandy watched another clip begin. This one showed more of the aftermath - the fox leading the bear away from the open meadow, its smaller form darting into the trees with practiced ease.
"The hiker she saved is being interviewed right now on Channel 7!" Sabrina's voice crackled with static as she presumably changed channels. "Quick, switch over!"
Mandy fumbled with the remote, disturbing Mozart who gave an irritated meow. The hiker's pale face filled the screen, his hands gesturing animatedly as he recounted his experience.
"I thought I was dead," he was saying, his voice still shaky. "That bear was right behind me, I had no chance, and I knew my life was over. And then this woman just... she just turned into a fox! Right in front of me! She attacked that bear, to let me get away. She saved my life!"
The camera panned to a woman clutching a little girl's hand. Her face was still pale with remembered fear as she spoke into the microphone.
"We were just picking wildflowers," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Sarah loves the yellow ones." She pulled the small girl closer against her side. "Then we heard shouting, and this man came running out of the trees with the bear right behind him."
The little girl buried her face in her mother's jacket as the woman continued. "I grabbed Sarah and froze for just a minute - I couldn't even scream. And then we started running, and the bear was so huge, and we were right there in its path, along with the man. The ground was rough, though, and we fell." Her free hand pressed against her chest as if her heart was still racing. "I thought... I really thought that was it for us."
"But then this woman appeared out of nowhere," the mother continued. "She was yelling at us to run. And she just... changed." She shook her head in amazement. "One second she was a woman, the next she was this beautiful red fox."
The little girl peeked out from where she'd hidden her face against her mother's jacket. "The fox was pretty," she whispered loud enough for the microphone to catch.
"I don't care what she is," the mother said firmly, pulling her daughter close again. "Woman, fox, whatever. She saved us. That's all that matters to me. I just... I just want to thank her, whoever she is. And if you're out there listening," she said, looking directly into the camera, "thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. From the bottom of my heart. You saved our lives - my daughter's life."
The phone was silent as Mandy and Sabrina watched the impossible footage playing across their TV screens. The silence stretched between them, punctuated only by the newscaster's voice providing updates.
"I..." Sabrina's voice cracked slightly. "Mom, I don't even have words. This changes everything, doesn't it?"
"It certainly seems that way," Mandy replied carefully, conscious of her own recent magical encounters. If only Sabrina knew about the Djinn prince who'd been sitting in this very living room just yesterday.
"But how is this possible?" Sabrina's voice held a note of desperation. "People don't turn into animals!"
Mandy smiled, as Mozart left the window seat to jump up on the sofa. "Apparently some do," she said mildly, as he flopped down against her leg, nudging her arm in a play for attention.
"You sound awfully calm," Sabrina observed, puzzlement creeping into her voice.
"Well..." Mandy paused, choosing her words carefully. "I write paranormal romance, honey. I've spent years imagining these possibilities. Maybe that makes it easier to accept?"
