This story has followed me around since I read it: Gladys begins life as a wolf, but turns into a human in a fantastic, melancholy and thoughtful use of metaphor:

Gladys was approaching her first heat when she shed her fur and lost her tail. The transformation was unintentional, and unwanted. When she awoke in her new form, smelling of skin and sweat, she wailed for her pack in a voice that scraped her throat raw.