The Island

[WonderBubbles]

The mare rolled onto her stomach and Stripe stood up, taking several paces backward, away from her. Struggling mightily, she got to all four hooves, after snatching a large leaf from the other woman's hands. The repulsed expression she had held on her face was almost comical, and the tigress would have giggled in any other situation. The horse threw her head toward the girl and the two males huddled on the ground, seeming to tell them to help her instead. The lioness went over to them, and Stripe stayed where she was. There was little doubt in her mind that the mare, who she now knew as Roko, was going to her herd.

 

She glanced over at the small group, which Sauda had now joined, just in time to see the young adolescent grin and wave in her direction. Stripe blinked and silently raised a had in greeting, a small smile curving her own mouth. Cubs, even ones Jace's age, held a soft spot in her heart. Her fingers curled around the leaves that the lioness had left her for the mare and her gaze wandered over to the tree-line, which was quickly fading from sight. Mel's pale skin stood out, a patch of white, with another, slightly darker, patch beside it. Was that another of the group she had left behind? Perhaps. But they could care for themselves, while Roko could not. Stripe would follow the mare to her destination.

[hazeh]

The black mare paused, her mocha eyes watching as Sauda left to help the children. Good; they needed more help and protection than Roko did. Roo was an adult, after all, and knew how to survive. And if she didn't, then oh well. At least she tried.

With a soft grunt, the mare turned and started towards the trees on the opposite side of the plains. Her step was shaky and more than once she stumbled, grazing her knees on the earth before pushing herself back up to stand. She glanced behind her once and noted the Stripe hadn't gone over with the lioness; whatever the tiger-shifter intended to do wasn't Roko's business, and so the horse returned to staring wearily at the slowly approaching tree line. Darkness had grown thick at this point. When she reached the trees, she stopped and leaned her dirty flank against the bark to rest. She was weak, and it disgusted her, but the only thing she was capable of doing at that point was to continue until she reached her adoptive family.

Her tired eyes lifted up to the sky for a moment. Slivers of the starry sky shone through the canopy overhead and the mare sighed. She wasn't sure where the others might have gone. If they were frightened enough, they could have been clear on the other side of the island by now. Giving her head a small shake, the mare picked herself back up and started through the trees. Tired, so tired... her muzzle slumped towards the ground and her pace became shuffled, as if she were falling asleep on her hooves as she walked. Every once in a while the horse gave a soft, quiet nicker in half-slumber, and she seemed quite oblivious to anything else around her.

 

The trees around Roko started to thin, but she didn't notice. However, when a low whinny sounded, the mare's ears pricked and her head lifted. Roo's eyes scanned the dark undergrowth and widened in surprise when she found herself at the edge of a moderately-sized clearing.

On the other side of the clearing, a group of equine-shaped shadows had gathered. One of the broke off from the group and trotted towards her, and after a moment, she recognized one of the stallions from her herd. Despite not liking the males at all, she gave a relieved nicker at his approach and even allowed him to touch his maw to her shoulder. With the stallion at her side, she limped across to the other horses and promptly sank into the ground when she reached them.

Although it took the remainder of her energy, the black mare's fur began to retract and her large frame shrunk and withered. The tail disappeared and the legs reconstructed into human-esque limbs, and the muzzle sank into the woman's sleeping face. Roko curled into a ball, mindful of the leaves still sticking to her bare stomach, and drifted immediately off to sleep as the other mares settled beside her to offer their warmth.

 

 

(Okidoke, Roko's out for the night )

 

Grey was watching Jace's face for a long time, waiting for Talio to do whatever it was he was going to do. The poppyseeds tasted strange in her mouth and she desperately longed for some tart berries or an egg or a juicy cricket... however, with the pain throbbing at her side, she doubted she could slink away to go find one. The young girl gave a whimper and shivered against the cold that descended with the night, but, instead of looking sleepy as she had earlier, her eyes became bright and alert. The civet's natural nocturnal nature had awoken with the fall of dusk, and now her urge to flea and return to her old burrow burned in her blood like an instinct.

Her cinnamon-colored eyes snapped up to the woman that approach. Immediately her throat seized; danger, danger! her mind told her. She'd seen the woman earlier in the day, and although she understood that she was acquainted with her new friend, the woman's intimidating features still struck uncertainty into Grey's heart. She rolled onto her side, her back facing Sauda, and focused sharply on Jace's hands. A second later, dusty-colored fur rose from her skin like a wave. Her mouth elongated and her arms and legs shortened. The pain, however, of her ribcage momentarily stopped the transformation as she gasped. But, as it started to fade away, she clenched her teeth and concentrated again. The change came again, this time without interruption, despite the terrible pain she felt as her bruised sides were shifted around.

Once the small civet was complete, it stood uneasily to its paws and crawled into Jace's lap, her snout buried under his arm to prevent her from seeing Sauda close by.

[crypticsoul]

"You scare her, Sauda." Jace said, stroking Grey's soft first with a gentle hand, mindful not to aggravate her injuries. He looked up at Sauda, then back down at Grey. "I dunno why. You must just be scary looking."

 

"I guess so." Sauda replied, watching the way Jace comforted the smaller animal. He was so sweet, sometimes, when he wanted to be. He would grow up to be a good person, Sauda was certain. "Will she let me help her?"

 

"I dunno. Maybe. Let me ask her." Jace said and lowered his head so he could talk to Grey but still keep her face hidden. Sauda waited patiently, crouched down with her elbows resting on her knees. Jace spoke in hushed tones to the dusty-colored civet, still stroking her back with his small hand. She must have approved whatever Jace was saying to her because he lifted his head and nodded at her. "Kay, come over but, since you're scary to look at, you just gotta stay around to this side."

 

"Alright." Sauda answered and walked over, kneeling again beside Jace. She reached out and brushed his hair from his face. Jace smiled at her. "Do you want to do it?" she asked him, rubbing the aloe onto the larger leaves. "She might be more comfortable that way."

 

"Yeah, good idea." Jace said and nodded, taking the leaf from her. He carefully wrapped it around Grey's civet body, laughing a bit. "It almost wraps all the way around her. She's bigger than me, though, well, when I shift. I'm gonna be bigger than her when we grow up, though!" he said enthusiastically, carefully plastering the leaves onto Grey.

[Darkshadow]

Talio looked on while Grey was cared for by the stranger boy and some other intimidating woman, and then knew his work was done there. He stood up, and the shifting began. His face elongated into a snout, his tattoo disappeared as antlers shot up from his skull, and his backbone reassembled itself. His hands shrank into hooves, and when it was all done, a black stag stood there. His herd was resting for the night somewhere safe, he knew it to be so. Talio started trotting towards the trees, but something pure white caught his eye. That woman, her skin was so pale! She looked at him, and he almost stumbled to see that her eyes were a livid red color. Strange. Was she some sort of cave-dweller, which would explain her skin's tone? If so, what was she doing near the lake? These questions unanswered, Talio continued on, until the dark trees swallowed her from sight. His herd was close, but he was tired from the day's events. He had to find them before the night predators could prey on him.

~

Mel watched as the boy turned into a black stag and moved past her, looking startled. Really now, was she that weird-looking? "It is too late now to gather herbssssss, yessssssss." she said out loud, tucking her basket under her arm and starting to move into the trees. Stripe was on her own now. Mel would again visit the village when day arrived; she did not like the night when she stood out so much, even in the dark. Soon, again she had arrived at her favorite tree. Easily climbing it, Mel placed the basket carefully in a nook of the branches and let herself fall back to her snake form. Her bones seemed to elongate and shrink at the same time as her form became smaller. Soon, the albino redtail boa curled itself around a branch, and a film covered it's eyes. Mel was resting for the night.

[WonderBubbles]

Darkness fell and Stripe followed the slowly moving mare toward the tree-line; she was a few meters to the side, but fairly level with her, not wanting to get too close to the anti-social shifter. She carried the wide leaves in one hand, and the aloe in the other, keeping her eyes mainly on the uneven ground in front of them. They paused at the trees for several minutes, while Roko regained her strength, before continuing through the trees. Stripe began to glance at the horse, whose muzzle had drifted to the ground and her steps seemed to grow slightly careless. What if she fell, what could the tiger do about it? The horse would have been many times heavier than she; she couldn't stop her from hitting the ground.

 

They reached a clearing, and a quiet whinny broke the eerie silence. The tigress' head snapped up; they had found the herd! Stripe halted at the edge, and Roko continued to the group of equines, dropping down within their confines. As she shifted back into a human, Stripe was changing into her animal form. Her bones ground and cracked as they reformed, and sleek, orange fur erupted like a wave of fire across her skin. She fell onto four paws, her clothing on the ground beside her. She lay down, her eyes on the horses. Softer, and much lighter hoof-steps came from behind the tiger and she swivelled her head to look. A pair of gazelles, each a different species, walked through the trees to stand beside her. Stripe huffed a greeting and returned her attention to the herd they would be watching that night. Soon after, her large head was on her paws and she was fast asleep, with the leaves still clutched beneath her forelegs.

[dracoon]

Michael stalked them to the herd, watching in hunger as the gazelles approached them. He was well-hidden behind some trees, stripes offering some camoflage to these unsuspecting herbivores. Stripe had fallen asleep in her tigress form, along with Roko. He hardly felt tired- hunger clouded his vision and sleep took a back seat. Sniffing the ground, he followed the scent to a rabbit hole. He covered the openings with large paws and listened as the squealing of suffocating rabbits subsided. Shooting a careful paw into one, he dragged out a dead rabit and ate greedily. He then stuffed a few more into his bag. The meal for the nexxt day was settled, he thought to himself. Scaling a tree, he held the pipe tightly in his mouth as he moved.

 

Nobody heard the sound of a pipe being crammed into a hole, they were all asleep. He placed his head down on the branch, mind still wandering towards Willow's daughter. Life was mysterious, especially towrds fate. With that, he drifted off to an uneasy sleep.

[Ramoth]

((I hope no one minds if I start the morning sequence.))

 

For the two eagles high in their tree top nest, the night passed peacefully. They dreamed eagle dreams of catching fish and joyful flight. It seemed all too soon when the sun peeked over the edge of the horizon and the songbirds started their greeting to the dawn. Including a cardinal making its hard little peep noise. Right. In. Feather's. Ear. Her eyelids slid open and she turned her head to glare at the little red bird. It chose flight as the better part of valor and fled. Feather stepped up to the edge of the nest and stretched her wings, rolling her shoulders, and then shook the sleep out of herself. Behind her, her sister woke more slowly and then joined her. They eagle-talked to each other companionably and tipped forward over the edge of the nest with wings spread wide. They soared to the ocean and separated, hunting for their breakfast. Feather returned to the nest first with a good-sized salmon. She tore it apart and was about halfway through before Breeze returned with a largish tuna, highly proud of herself for catching and then carrying the big fish. Feather chuckled and went back to finishing her meal.

 

Once the salmon was a tasty memory and a sad skeleton, Feather tossed the bones out of the nest to fall to the forest floor and be scavenged by the various critters that had learned the eagles' nest was a decent food source. Then the bald eagle closed her magnificent yellow eyes and went still. Feathers melted into the tattoos on the shortening arms, and disappeared entirely on the rest of the young woman's body. Feather opened her yellow eyes again and reached over for her clothes and got dressed and armed. She turned back to her younger and only now smaller sister. "There was a group of shifters displaced by that fire yesterday. I offered the backcaves to them. I'm going to be leading them there. Once you're finished with that tuna, could you fly over to Father's cave and see if he's there? If he is, tell him what I'm doing, and if he isn't, let me know when I get there." The Steller's sea eagle nodded and Windfeather made her way down the tree's trunk to the forest floor. She disturbed the critters already foraging on her salmon's remains, but not for long. Feather reached the village and stood near the treeline, looking for the alpha, Carnarl.

[hazeh]

Grey's rounded ears twitched as she listened to Jace and Sauda talk. Even something about the woman's voice was off-putting; so mysterious and powerful, and for some reason she was reminded of her own mother. As bizarre as it was, it didn't make her feel any better- in fact, she was only haunted by the thoughts of her deceased family, and involuntarily let out a small whimper.

As the leaves were wrapped around her throbbing torso, the civet wiggled and squirmed, although not enough to pester Jace's attempts at helping. When at last she found herself wrapped up like a baby, the civet cautiously peeked out from under the boy's arm to inspect his handy work. How in the world it was supposed to help her bruised rib didn't make all that much sense to her- after all, wasn't this stuff for flesh wounds? The Rhino-woman hadn't broken any skin, thankfully, but Grey wasn't all that sure how the medicine was supposed to help her internal injuries. But, since Jace was trying so hard to help her, she supposed she could humor him a little longer before she took off. After all, she didn't want what happened to her family to happen to her new friend and his very-strong-looking mother. Or, mother-like person. Perhaps she could stay the rest of the night. Maybe by morning, if they were still asleep, she could slip away. If they were early risers, she'd just have to prolong her departure until the next evening.

Fluttering her eyes to mimic drowsiness, the civet slumped slowly into the boy's lap and yawned.

 

 

[morning...? x3]

 

 

Sunlight shone full in her face by the time she realized she had been dead asleep until late morning. With a yawn, the woman stretched out- and immediately regretted it. The scab that had formed over her bare abdomen cracked with the movement and she winced, but slowly she managed to lengthen herself out with minimal pain. She sat up and blinked, lifting her hands to rub at her eyes. However, she noticed how dirtier they were, and the scabs that had formed around her wrists. She scowled and sighed, but a small smile was tugging at her mouth.

For some reason, she felt quite elated today.

 

The horses were already awake and searching the small, burnt clearing for some food. Only parts of this side of the forest was charred, which left some vegetation for them to graze. Roko was grateful for that, since she'd have to lead them far away to find other food to sustain them.

She gave another yawn as she stood up and tussled her long hair. Some of the colts trotted over to greet her- she recognized one of them as the one she'd saved from the fire. Smiling, she held out her hand to him and let him nibble on her fingers before pushing on his muzzle and patting his strong neck. As they left to go frolick, she spotted the lake through the trees and picked her way towards it quietly.

 

When she reached the water's edge again, she waded up to her wait befor stopping and sloshing the water up her body. It stung her stomach and her other burns, but she gritted her teeth against the pain and continued with her washing. Once the grim and dust was rinsed from both her skin and hair, the tall woman cupped water up to her lips and drank from her palms. She didn't realize how thirsty she was until it ran down her dry throat; she tipped back several handfuls before letting the rest fall back into the lake. Satisfied, Roko strode to the banks again and stood in the moist sand, grateful that she was replenished from her heavy sleep.

[WonderBubbles]

((Da, morning~.))

 

The dawn light had woken the tigress and she looked around herself, blinking blearily. Where am I? she wondered, yawning wildly.

Her stripes rippled as she stood up and stretched, taking in her surroundings properly. Some of the horses were already awake and cropping at the grass, as were the pair of gazelles that had watched them through the night. She glanced up to see the bird shifter, wheeling lazily above them. How come she was the last to awake? With a huff, she stalked in the direction of the lake. Stripe crouched at the bank and spent several long minutes drinking, replenishing the moisture she had lost the day before. Her stomach growled and she painfully remembered her last meal; a small, furry mammal the morning before.

 

The tiger stalked off into the trees, sniffing about for the scent of anything edible. Cats couldn't track with scent, but she would be able to tell if there were anything in the immediate area. She got lucky as the sun climbed slowly, chancing upon the smell of rabbit blood. With a delighted flick of her tail, she sought out the warren with a hungry ferocity. Trotting here and there, pawing dirt out of possible holes, Stripe searched for a furry little morsel. It seemed to take a long time, but the shifter spotted a twitching nose and a pair of long ears through some long grass. She hit the deck and belly-crawled around behind the bunny. After a pounce and hurried devouring, the cat was satisfied and cleaning her whiskers and paws. She could have eaten more, but decided it was time to check back on Roko and the herd.

 

Stripe padded back to where the clearing was and discovered the woman had disappeared. A swift investigation in the surrounding trees revealed the equine shifter was on the lake's shore. She huffed lightly to announce her arrival, advancing slowly from the tree-line.

[dracoon]

Michael slipped off the tree, slithering towards but still hidden from the tigress. She seemed to take interest to Roko who was resting near a lake. His eyes narrowed into thin slits, squinting to see what was ensuing. Nothing seemed to be happening, besides Stripe huffing to announce her arrival. Michael rubbed his eyes- old age was affecting his eyesight, reducing it. Maybe those strange pieces of glass could help, since when he perched them on his nose he saw more clearly than before. He kicked the soil, slightly annoyed.

[crypticsoul]

Jace had fallen asleep right where he'd been sitting, one arm curled under his head and the other wrapped around Grey, the small civet pulled against him. However, the moment the morning sunlight hit his face, his eyes snapped open. Jace was a morning person. He rolled over and stretched his arms out, careful not to smack Grey in the head, before sitting up. After brushing his messy hair from his face, he looked around for Sauda. The auburn-haired woman was curled up beside a tree just across the way, arms curled under her head and knees drawn up against her stomach.

 

"Sauda...." he whispered, just so he could say he'd called for her if she caught him later, before leaping to his feet. He squatted and patted Grey's head. "I'll go get us some breakfast." he told her before undoing his pack. He pulled out his shorts and yanked them on, followed by his prized boots. He hooked his small knife to his belt before he was off, disappearing past the tree line. What would Grey like to eat, he wondered to himself, looking around for something appetizing. Of course, it was Sauda that normally got all the food (like that tasty, little deer creature they'd ate last week) but Jace was certain he could do this on his own. With that in mind, he spent the next few minutes collecting berries (only the ones Sauda had told him were edible), leaves and twigs (just in case that's what Grey wanted), and even some small bugs (that were really hard to catch). When his pack was full, Jace sat it on the ground and shifted, picking up the pack in his mouth before trotting off. He had to find him some breakfast, after all. He sniffed the air and stood really still, just like Sauda would, before finally catching the scent of something. Smelled good though! He took off, wiggling under logs and jumping over the knotted roots, until he stopped suddenly. There! A rabbit! He set his pack down quickly and wiggled into it, getting it on his back, before he was off after the rabbit. He gave a mighty, squeaky yowl, skidding a bit when he hit the moist sand of the lake.

 

He let out a surprised squeak when he smacked into something hard, falling back on his rump. He shook his head, ears flapping back and forth, before looking up to what he'd hit. He blinked. She was big, like Sauda, but her fur was orange, covered in black stripes, and Jace was certain he'd never seen something like her before. He looked down. He must've ran right into her back leg, her paws nearly doubled the size of his. He yowled at her, curious as to who she was. Maybe she'd seen the rabbit he'd been chasing!

[dracoon]

Michael shifted consciously when the cub hit Stripe. The tiger slipped out from the trees, standing behind the civet and casting his shadow over him. The intimidation tactic worked all the time towards smaller creatures and today was to be no different. At least, he hoped that Stripe wouldn't chide him for trying to freak some small little kid out. He kicked the soil, poking the civet with a long claw.

 

((Sorry, in school. It did weigh on my mind after a while.))

Edited March 3, 2011 by dracoon

[hazeh]

(Uh, Jace is a lion cub and he hit Stripe, not Roko Grey is the civet.)

[WonderBubbles]

((I've PM'd her about it. c:))

 

A yowl echoed in the trees behind her and she glanced back curiously; what was that? It sounded a lot like a... cub. Who had just ran into her hind leg. Stripe let out a 'whuff' of surprise and lifted up the leg slightly as it stung. She looked down at the tiny baby lion, curiosity in her gaze, and he yowled up at her. The tigress rumbled gently back at him, and then glanced up as another someone walked out of the trees. He was much smaller than she was, and canine. He stood in front of the cub, his shadow falling over the lion, as if he were trying to intimidate the young feline. Stripe would not stand by and let this go; she stepped forward, one foreleg either side of the cub, and growled menacingly at the Tasmanian Tiger.

[dracoon]

The Tasmanian Tiger grinned, showing a set of well-sharpened teeth. He backed away calmly, knowing her nature. Females, always the first to spring towards cute and cuddly creatures in trouble. He dragged out his bag and offered a rabbit as an apology. "Thought it was edible," he scratched on the ground. A blatent lie, yes, but he supposed the tigress would not attack a senior. If she did, however, he would chuck out his pipe and fight. Never, did he enjoyed giving in.

[hazeh]

The sunlight that bore down was shielded from view with her hand, her dark eyes squinting in the bright daylight. Somewhere behind her, she heard a soft huffing noise, and turned to see the tigress emerging from the undergrowth. A slight smile formed over Roko's mouth as she met Stripe's gaze and she nodded toward the tigress in acknowledgment. Roo inhaled deeply and yawned again before lacing her fingers together and bending them outwards until a satisfying crackling noise announced the release of stiff joints.

 

A familiar yowl met Roko's ears and she turned to catch a glimpse of a young lion cub standing at Stripe's hind legs. Amusement quirked at the corner of the equine-shifter's lips, but instead of interfering, she simply watched the interaction between the grown tiger and the young lion. The cub... Jace, wasn't it? The boy of the woman Roko had met the day prior- Sauda. At the memory of the lioness, Roo subconsciously looked towards the burned plains, where she had left the other woman and the injured young girl. She hoped Grey was alright; such a young, skinny girl would certainly be suffering after a vicious kick from the intruder. She also faintly wondered where Sauda might have been, since Jace appeared to be alone.

 

Other sounds brought Roko's attention back to the felines. There was another figure there that she didn't quite pick out, but after a moment recognition stung her eyes and her enjoyable expression darkened with a silent growl. While the tasmanian tiger dragged out his possessions, Roko strolled over to Stripe and Jace and crouched beside the lion cub. Shooting a glare towards Michael, she reached between Stripe's forelegs and scooped the cub into her arms and held him aloft, out of the male's reach. While she was certain she could have simply pummeled the senior into the ground with her hooves, Roko's spirits were lifted too high to bother much with shifting. If he presented any more threat, though, she would not hesitate to defend Sauda's young. It was a mare's nature, after all.

 

Roko glanced down at Stripe and held Jace close to her chest. He smelled like earth and a little like the grass from the plains, but Roo supposed that could have been from spending the night on the ground. He was also incredibly soft, and she gently ran her fingers against his side fur while she eyed the older male.

 

(Can they write as animals...? >>; )

[crypticsoul]

Jace actually purred, quite loudly, overjoyed at the attention he was getting, and he nuzzled his head against Roko's neck. He decided he liked this woman and the "orange and black Sauda-sized big cat" on the ground very much. He couldn't wait to tell Sauda about the two females and their now undeniable friendship. He shot a smug look to the strange creature that had loomed over him a moment before and "roared" at him, very openly expressing his superiority to the creature. Ha! Even if the creature had admittedly startled him when he'd first appeared, Jace wasn't at all frightened of him now! He returned his attention to the woman holding him, as his interest was lost in the male creature on the ground, and rubbed his head against her neck again.

[WonderBubbles]

((D'awwwwwhhhhh. x3))

 

Roko ducked down beside her and scooped up the cub, from beneath Stripe. The canine had pulled out a dead rabbit from his pack, probably apologising to them. Her tail flicked in agitation; he didn't seem the type to mean it when he said sorry. She dragged it toward her anyway, intending on giving it to the cub when she could. A squeaky yowl, a young feline's imitation of a roar, and Stripe glanced up. Her white whiskers twitched as she smiled at the little lion and she sat down lazily. Her yellow eyes returned to the male Tasmanian Tiger and seemed to harden. There was no love in her heart for the stranger.

[dracoon]

He shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth wide and the young cub, showing the endless rows of well-kept teeth inside. It was a yawn he had not meant to keep in but hey, he wasn't caring. If he cared a damn about how much people liked him he would never be a loner. Only losers needed a pack to go around, as furry shields when things took a nasty turn for the worse. He snorted comtempously at the trio and turned away. Then, he jumped forward and snarled at the cub. One last scare did the trick.

[Ramoth]

When Feather arrived at the village, the Tribe hadn't yet awakened. The young shifter didn't feel comfortable poking her head into random burned huts looking for Carnarl, and didn't particularly want to wake him up, either. So she turned and wandered away to explore a bit. She would return later when the Tribe would hopefully have greeted the sun. She hadn't gone far before she thought of the equine-shifter and her herd. The area around the lake was burned, so they would have had to go elsewhere for grazing. If she recalled correctly, and she usually did, there was another clearing not too far away. Feather nodded to herself and started off through the trees.

 

Seeing a familiar orange and black-striped form, Feather grinned and picked up her pace while still moving silently. She broke through the trees in time to see the horse-lady pick up a small lion cub while Stripe faced off another predator. He had a bag of belongings, so he was likely a shifter rather than a feral animal. And she noticed the pipe in his mouth, so could it be the shifter-man from last night that seemed to remember her mother? Anyway, she watched as he menaced the little cub then turned back to the tree-line. Towards her. She looked him over, then snorted before passing him to talk to Stripe. Perhaps she was beginning to understand why her mother hadn't talked about him at all.

[WonderBubbles]

The Tasmanian Tiger turned to leave, then jumped back around and rumbled a snarl. It was pitiful compared to Stripe's reply; it was a snarl only a big cat could do. The tiger had leapt up between Roko and Michael, her short mane bristling with fury. The long, striped tail was whipping side to side even after the canine had left. A snort alerted her of another's presence; Stripe's head snapped in the direction to glare at the newcomer. Her expression softened slightly when she realised it was Feather. The eagle shifter was stepping toward the three shifters purposefully. The relatively small tigress huffed in greeting, still agitated from the dog-creature.

[hazeh]

Roko wasn't friendly. She wasn't even affectionate; well, to those outside her herd. So why in the hell was she enjoying the cub's cuddliness? It brought confusion on her and Roo momentarily frowned, her naturally-menacing features reverting to their scowling, unfriendly expression. However, with Jace's purring and nuzzling, they soon melted back into a small smile, and she slowly rubbed her cheek against the lion cub's golden forehead. Upon seeing Stripe drag a dead rabbit towards them, Roko knelt down to set the cub on the ground so that he could feast. She wasn't a meat eater, but the sight and smell didn't seem to faze her. She'd seen enough death and decay in her life to be impervious to its daunting feel.

 

Movement by the trees caught Roko's attention and she looked up, noting a young woman approaching them. Her intentions seemed to lie with Stripe, and so Roo stepped backward so that the newest addition could reach the tigress. Glancing back down at Jace, the equine-shifter smiled again before noticing the small patches above his eyes. They reminded her of Sauda, his mother (or so Roko thought). Realization dawned on her and surprise flitted through the raven-haired woman's expression. Sauda was a lioness?

 

The thoughts had distracted her a moment from the outside world. From the corner of her eye she had observed Michael moving away, but sudden movement snapped her back to reality. He was lunging- or seeming to- towards Jace, a snarl twisted at his muzzle. Without even thinking, Roko jumped up, the ripple of transformation seizing her toned body in a second's time. As her limbs and structure morphed and contorted, and shrill neigh broke the peaceful morning air, and a moment later the black mare thundered her hooves at the earth a mere foot from where the Tasmanian Tiger was standing. The horse's ears were buried in her thick mane and her lip was curled back to flash gleaming teeth and pink gums- she could deliver a threat of her own, and hers weren't for pleasurable purposes. She meant business, and it shone like a cold light in her coffee-colored eyes.

 

The mare's long tail flicked irritatedly at her hind quarters, the long tassels brushing up against the cub's ears. Now that her recuperation was complete (despite still having her burns, they seemed to be scabbed enough over as to not cause her too much difficulty), Roko's fighting spirit had returned full-throttle, and like the previous day, she would not hesitate to throw herself in the way of danger when innocents were present. That was how she had first officially met Stripe, anyway; the herd would never understand why she protected their predators.

 

(Edit: Ack, you must've posted while I was writing, Bubs. We'll just pretend there weren't any discrepancies, yes? >>; )

Edited March 4, 2011 by Shiny Hazard Sign

[dracoon]

Michael's muzzle twisted upwards in a sly grin. He leapt, jumping on Roko's head and sliding off her back, into the water. They were silly creatures, to burden themselves with a wriggling mass of uselessness. As for him, he simply lost interest in such idiocry and rather wade in the water than to watch on. Some nerve, to irk him! They seem to not realise that they were quite a distance away from the tribe and if he did call in reinforcements, they were toast. He noticed how the girl snort at him in comtempt but did not react to it- she was a friend and he did promise his mother not to touch 3 generations of her children. Or else, the girl would find herself on the forest ground with a bloody neck. Yet, he was hurt by her attitude. When he turned back while swimming you could see clearly that it did sting.

[Ramoth]

Feather watched, blinking, as the shifter-man jumped onto the horse-lady's head, then slid down her back into the water of the lake and swam away. From what she'd seen in flight, the horse-lady was very grumpy, especially around males. She shook her head slightly. Strange creature. Anyway, she turned back to the tigress. "Hey, Stripe," she greeted the tiger-lady. "I stopped by the Tribe, but they didn't seem to be awake yet, and I didn't want to just stick my head into random huts looking for Carnarl." Feather paused. "I'm not sure I'd want to wake him up by intruding on his space for that matter." Her eyes slid over to the little lion cub, curious as to who he might be. And stifling an urge to scratch him behind the ears. Some of the smaller cats she'd come across had let her do that, and young felines were just so terribly cute.

[hazeh]

The mare's teeth snapped dangerously close to the canine-creature's underbelly as he jumped up. She had not been expecting him to land on her head and jerked backwards a little with a vigorous shake of her head. However, he was already on her back and sliding down. As her muscles prepared her to launch her hind hooves out and kick him the rest of the way to his destination, she realized the Jace was directly behind her and would more than likely receive a clip of her hoof, or worse. Gnashing her jaws together, the mare snapped at the tiger's tail just as he disappeared off her back and into the lake. She was suddenly reminded of Leo, the vicious shark-girl who was capable of half-changing. The mare snorted and turned around to watch Michael retreat, her eyes narrowed, but a smirk and wound its way into her equine facade. If Roo was lucky, the shark-girl would make Michael a nice morning snack.

 

The mare gave her head and neck a good shake, irritated with the feel of the tasmanian tiger's nails pattering across her spine. Her skin rippled and her lip curled back again with disgust, but as she glanced down to the lion cub, her obvious annoyance soon dissipated. The black horse nickered softly and lowered her muzzle to lip playfully at the cub's forehead and was careful not to catch his cute round ears between her teeth.

 

After a moment, once Michael was swimming far enough away to her satisfaction, the mare's black fur twitched and suddenly began to drain of its glossy ebony color. The tail shrunk inwards and the mane gathered up at the top of her skull. The mare's muzzle pulled in and twisted into the tanned features of Roko's human face, and her limbs contracted and morphed until she was standing before the others as she had been earlier. Because Roko's "clothing" was so scarce, it easily made the change- thin strings of tattered leather covered the most obscene areas of her body, with the rest open to the gentle island wind.

 

She glanced over at Stripe and the girl, only half-listening to what the newcomer was saying. Something about Carnal; Roo knew him from years ago, when he'd stumbled upon her herd and she just about mauled him for trespassing. He was probably one of the few- if only- males she could tolerate being around, since she realized he was sensible and respectable. It hardly changed her opinion of the opposite gender, but at least she was capable of some acceptance. Young boys- children- seemed to be exempt from her disliking, for Roko bent down and stroked Jace's head and back with a small smile.