The Island

[crypticsoul]

When Sauda had first woken up, the knowledge that Jace wasn't in her immediate line of vision didn't startle her. He had done this to her many times before, wandering off before she woke up, so it didn't alarm her that he'd done the same thing here. She stood and stretched, enjoying the pull of her muscles, before walking over to where the civet still lay resting. Jace would return in a few moments, she told herself, he always did.

 

However, after a few minutes of sitting with Grey, Jace didn't show up. About ten minutes passed and he still hadn't returned. By now, Sauda was up and pacing, her auburn even more wild than usual from where she'd been running her fingers through it. Something was wrong. Where was Jace? Why hadn't he returned? A thousand questions blew through her mind and she knew she had to go look for him. She needed to go look for him, find him, and tether him to her side so he would never get lost again. But...one look down at the civet and she hesitated. The poor girl...

 

"I'll sit with her, if you'd like." a male voice offered from behind her and she turned, staring at the tall, brunette man that had spoken to her. She didn't recognize him, for she was certain she would remember that face, and she was naturally wary of him. "I'm Hale."

 

"Sauda." she said briskly, the need to find Jace making her a bit snippy. What would be the harm in letting this man sit with the civet? He didn't seem dangerous, from what she could tell, and he seemed reliable enough to leave with Jace's friend. She nodded at him before racing off, shifting just after she disappeared through the trees. Hale sat down a few feet from the civet, studying her curiously. Even she was bigger than his shifted form.

--

 

Jace purred once more under Roko's touch, eating away on his breakfast now that the canine-like creature was gone. The second time the creature had launched itself at him had frightened him, but, when the tigress and the equine had protected him, Jace had only felt his affections for them grow. He really hoped he could introduce them to Sauda-Jace looked up suddenly, his whole body going stiff, amber eyes wide. He squealed and dashed around Roko and hid behind her leg. He poked his head around to stare at the lioness that had appeared among the tree line.

 

Sauda had been relieved to find that Jace hadn't gone far and that he was in good hands. Roko, a tigress, and a woman she didn't recognize. None seemed to be any threat to him so she walked over slowly, her large paws squishing in the damp sand. Jace yowled at her from behind Roko's legs and Sauda rumbled a gentle growl at him in reply. She walked over, her muscles rippling under her golden fur, and lay on the cool ground just a few feet from them. This obviously delighted Jace, for her ran over and rubbed his head against Sauda's, making a serious of loud, happy noises. Sauda rumbled a soft reply, giving him a loving lick to the side of the head. Jace yowled at that and shook his head, embarrassed that she would do that in front of his new friends. A laugh rumbled from Sauda's large body and Jace, taking offense to this, batted at her with his paws before racing back over to Roko. He wiggled between her legs and watched Sauda, letting out a playful yowl.

[WonderBubbles]

The mare had leapt at the male the same time she did, snapping her blunt teeth together with a click and barely missing him with her large hooves. The Tiger leapt up over Roko's head; she snapped up at him, but her was already skittering over her back to leap into the lake. Stripe bared her fangs at him and stepped forward until she was up to her elbows, while he swam away. After he was far enough, the tiger walked out from the water to sit on the beach. Feather strode up to her and spoke.

 

Stripe flicked her spotted ears back and tilted her head; she rumbled softly and gave a quick nod. She'd have to take the eagle shifter to see Carnarl when the business here was finished; Michael would still have been too close for comfort. She followed the woman's gaze to the cub; Stripe also noticed that Roko had shifted back. Her lined tail twitched, as did her whiskers, at the adorable young feline. Then he went stiff and seemed to see something beyond them. Stripe glanced behind her; it was the irritating canine again, was it? Luckily, it was a lioness instead of the Tassie Tiger. Her ears pressed back and her claws were pushed out, just in case the lion was a threat; however, she lay down and the cub gambolled up to her playfully. She licked his crown and he yowled loudly, shaking his little head.

 

Stripe huffed lightly, laughing at the cub's antics. He had ran back over to Roko and yowled at his - mother, was it? - from between the woman's shins. Noisy little feline Jace was, and playful like he should be. Stripe could remember when she felt that way; though, there weren't any other cubs around for her to play with. She was just a young toddler, surrounded by teens and adults, all too busy being terrified to want to play. Stripe's eyes unfocused as she remembered her childhood, wondering what it could have been like if she were in the second generation of shifters. It would have been preferable, that's for sure.

[hazeh]

Grey had woken up when Jace moved- she was highly sensitive to changes in her environment, especially since she was generally a loner. She watched him get up and leave, and although her cinnamon-colored irises never wavered from his figure, she remained lying in the injured grass. The leaf was still wrapped around her furry torso, and as she arched her neck around to sniff at it, she realized that her fur had gotten sticky and gooey from the weird plant stuff that Jace and the scary woman had put all over her 'bandage'. She snorted softly, but rested her head again on her forepaws. Her back was turned to Sauda- if she couldn't see the woman, Grey felt alright- but when the lioness had drawn closer, the civet naturally tensed. Her muzzle tilted slightly so she could survey the woman out of the corner of her eye, and upon seeing that she was drawing closer, the mongoose-like animal pressed herself deeper into the soil.

Sauda appeared to get anxious about something after a while. Grey observed her, still extremely cautious, and didn't move or say anything for the duration of the woman's nervous pacing. However, out of no where, a masculine voice broke the tension and the civet's head twisted around so she could see whom had approached. It was a man she had never seen before and she beheld him with wide, curious eyes. As he sat on the ground, somewhat close by, the civet waited until the amber-haired woman had disappeared before jumping to her feet (with a small squeak of pain at her stiff sides) and jumping for the man's open lap. Excited chattering spilled from the civet's mouth as she grinned up at him, round ears swiveling towards him in delight.

 

 

 

Roko's slender brow quirked as the cub hind behind her leg. She glanced up and followed his line of sight and noticed the golden lioness strolling calmly towards them. She immediately knew who it was, since she had figured out Sauda's animal form moments ago- the equine-shifter smiled slightly and looked back down at Jace. He was a very playful creature, and he reminded her a lot of the young colts in her herd.

She watched his interaction with Sauda, the shadow of a smile still at her lips. Her arms had folded across her chest and her hip cocked to the side with her shifted weight. She didn't really have anything to do right then; she was cleaned up and satisfied, although she still felt slight hunger pains in the bottom of her stomach. While the thought of food interested her, she didn't really feel like going and searching for any amongst the burnt ashes.

Roko's thoughts were brought back to the present as she felt something squeeze between her ankles. Naturally she opened her stance a little wider to allow Jace a little more wiggle room, but in spite of herself, let out a small laugh. He was very, very cute.

Suddenly, an idea formed in Roko's mind. She wasn't all that sure if it would work or not- they weren't little kittens, after all (well, Jace could have been an exception)- but she had remembered something that her foster family- the human ones- had told her about cats a long time ago. Turning slightly to look back to the trees, where her herd would be grazing contentedly- Roko placed two fingers on her lips and between her teeth. A moment later, a sharp, melodic whistle rang out from her mouth and echoed through the tree trunks. A long pause carried afterwards, but Roo's brown eyes held steady on the trees. After a while, a dark figure appeared in the shadows and approached at a leisurely stride. The outline of a horse materialized as the trees thinned, and as the mare broke from the vegetation, Roko could see that her whip dangled from the red equine's maw.

Roko smiled. She had given her whip to her friend before she had engaged in a fight with the monkey-boy. She was glad that the horse had kept it in her possession after the fire started, for it was extremely difficult to fashion such a sturdy weapon out of new materials. As the horse drew closer, it noticed the large felines gathered around Roko and came to a dead stop. Its rust-colored ears pressed forwards and the older mare gave an uncertain snort. Tilting her head gently to the side, Roo held out an open palm and made a soft, encouraging nicker-sound. The mare's ear flickered, but there was obvious trust between the two. After another uneasy moment, the horse walked closer, her eyes flickering between Roko and the cats with growing tension.

When the mare reached Roko, she dropped the whip into Roo's hand and blew against the woman's tan and scarred arm. With her other hand, Roko stroked the mare's face and pushed the long forelock from her forehead to reveal a small patch of white. She kissed the star sweetly before pushing the horse's head and watching as the mare eagerly trotted away.

Roko's warm eyes flickered back over to the lioness and the tigress. With the whip in her hand, she coiled it a few times so that only a few feet was left to dangle to the ground. The tip fell towards her feet, in front of Jace's face, before jerking playfully before the cub like a toy.

[crypticsoul]

Hale looked down in surprise, blinking at the chittering creature that now sat in his lap. He lifted a hand and scratched her head, laughing in amusement. "Well, good morning." he greeted, smiling at her. Lively little thing, he thought, wondering what had happened to her, curious as to the leaf wrapped around her middle. He reached for it and pulled it up, so he could see under, and found a strange, sticky substance. "What's all this about?" he asked, casually just chatting with the little creature, despite how he knew she couldn't answer in this form. "Were you hurt?" he continued to examine her, though, he found no outward sign of injury. Deciding to just leave it for now, he leaned back on one hand, using the other to continue stroking the civet's head, still smiling slightly.

--

 

Jace seemed utterly perplexed by this, tipping his head at the strange thing that was bouncing around in front of his face. He went cross-eyed a few times, shaking his head to right himself, before batting cautiously at it with his paw. When it did him no harm, Jace grew more confident and swung at it again, snapping at it a few times. When it disappeared, he looked all around, finally realizing that he needed to look up. He craned his head back, blinking at Roko, only to find the toy dangling there from her hand. He batted at it with both paws, balancing himself on his back legs, determined to catch the wild thing.

 

Sauda watched with in amusement, finding Jace completely hilarious. He was such a crazy thing sometimes, batting at Roko's whip like it were a toy. Still, she noticed, he seemed to have already captured the two females, as Jace was so naturally good at doing. He was just a people person, the exact opposite of herself. She lay her head down on her paws, content to watch him, but her gaze wandered over the tigress and the unknown woman a few times. Curious, but not wanting to be rude, Sauda turned her gaze back to Jace, looking into to see him flop right over on his back, Roko's whip caught between his forepaws.

[WonderBubbles]

The loud, piercing sound caused the tigress to look around sharply; she'd only heard it several times before, so it was unusual and alarming. She realised that Roko was making the sound, so she relaxed her stiff limbs and wondered how the shifter had created the whistle with her fingers and mouth alone. Her long tail tapped against the sand in the silence that followed and she licked the back of her paw lazily. Soft thuds alerted her to another horse's presence nearby; it hit the tiger that this was the purpose of the call.

 

There was a tension in the air, since the chestnut horse didn't trust her and the lioness, so she made herself as still as possible. The mare appeared to really trust the equine shifter; why else would she chance the small distance from two predators?

Jace played with the whip's end, providing them with adorable entertainment. He made Stripe want cubs of her own; the tigress glanced over to the lioness who may have been the mother. She must have carried out the term of pregnancy mainly in human form; there only seemed to be one child.

[dracoon]

As Michael waded in the neck-deep water, he watched for fish. Suddenly, there was a sudden ripple of water. Micheal paddled forward quickly, swiftly approaching the offending water. Dipping his head, he seized one and promptly swallowed him. Mmm.thought the tiger to himself. Still not satiated by the morsel, he continued his forage for food. The pipe was slung across his back, a weapon in need. Stories had been flying about a shark-girl who had the ability to control what she wanted to change, and Michael was more than eager to meet her. He could keep the jaws as a souvenir. Or use the dorsal fin to scare some kid-shifters. The prospect seemed to be in his favour, so he tried to look as obvious as he could. Maybe if he shouted that he was supper it would attract more attention. Nevertheless, he liked thinking of a good brawl.

[Darkshadow]

Leo felt some land creature enter the water, probably unaware of her presence. Unless it was one of the land shifters she had seen yesterday, this person was indeed an idiot. Deciding to go for a swim in her territory, they had picked a fight with her. Everyone knew not to fight a shark in her own element. The prey's scent had been picked up, and Leo started her hunt. She had been in half-form, but she changed, turning back into her regular, lethal form. Leo was sleek, long, and wicked fast, in all rigth the predator of the sea. Her body shot forward as if propelled by a cannon, and the dorsal fin crested the top of the smooth, calm lake. The prey was there, waiting for her. Leo recognized it as a shifter she had seen on the beach yesterday. Strange, but she did not halt. The dorsal fin began circling the shifter, waiting for a chance to strike.

[hazeh]

The civet chattered, as if answering his question with her own speech. When he pulled the edge of the leaf up in his hands, she suddenly turned and rolled until it had been unraveled from her body. Of course, now this left her in Hale's lap all sticky from the aloe, but Grey didn't seem particularly bothered by that. Instead, the spotted and striped creature bent and licked vigorously at her fur, making faces all the while from the horribly bitter taste.

Once it seemed her fur had been cleaned, the soft stretching sound began as the civet's limbs elongated and lost their fuzzy gray texture. When the dark-haired girl remained in his lap, she giggled and brought her hands to her mouth. "Someone kicked me," she said softly, blinking innocently from behind her fingers. "She wasn't very nice." Grey didn't know how the leaf would have helped her, since she only had a bruise, but she decided Jace knew what he was doing and trusted that it had helped make her better.

Despite being naked, Grey crawled off his lap and stood, tilting her nose into the air as if she were seeking something by scent. She was obviously trying as she inhaled deeply; of course, being human, Grey's sense of smell would be greatly diluted, but she appeared to have found whatever it was she was looking for, since a bright smile crossed her expression.

"This way!" She sang, loping towards the trees. There was a faint limp to her step and she stumbled slightly, having been caught off guard by the stiff pain that throbbed at her side while she ran. Her brow pinched together with concentration as she tried to change her pace, but the pain didn't fade all that much. Deciding to ignore it, Grey continued on, running down the plains parallel to the edge of the forest.

 

 

 

The whip pulled in her hands as the cub caught hold of the tip and nearly yanked it from her grip. With a smile, she held tight and playfully jerked it in his paws, as if it were a small animal struggling to be freed. Not that Roko liked to imitate prey, but he was so darn cute... The tall, dark-haired woman crouched and scratched the cub's soft belly as he played with the whip, although her hold was still firm.

The rustle of branches and leaves caused Roko to lift her gaze to the trees. The mare had returned, although kept back in the shadows and away from the lioness and tigress. A soft, concerned huffing noise rose from the horse's nostrils, followed by a short nicker. Roko frowned and stood. Glancing down, she told Jace gently, "You can play with that until I get back, alright?" It felt a little odd, being so nice to something male and strange to her, but she was able to overlook that since he was so young.

Glancing once towards Sauda and Stripe, Roko turned and jogged into the trees. The rust-colored mare had already turned around and was heading back towards the clearing where the rest of the other horses were, but at the sound of Roko's approach, began to pick of speed.

The urgency of her friend's motions quickly registered in Roko's mind. Without pausing, she pushed herself into a sprint and caught up to the mare's hind quarters. As easily as she might have mounted a motionless wooden log, Roo vaulted gracefully onto the back of her comrade and leaned against the mare's neck as they raced back into the foliage. As she rode, she wondered what might have caused her friend to come and retrieve her- but the answer lay in the scene that unfolded before her as they broke from the trees and neared the herd of equines.

Although the majority of them were standing in a circle, Roko could see a slender form laying on the ground in the midst of them. Worry spiked in her blood and she urged her friend to a faster gallop; as the others heard them approaching, a break formed through the group and she sped straight through. The horse on the ground did not move when the roan mare and Roko skidded to a half beside it, although its chest was rising and lowering faintly with breath.

Roko slid and jumped from her friend's back swiftly and knelt beside the fallen creature. With one hand, she stroked the horse's neck as a comfort. The other rose and brushed away its forelock to reveal yellowed and cloudy eyes. Worry was replaced with despair, and Roko sat back a little, although her hand was still laying against the horse's flank. It was an old mare, one that Roko had known since her childhood. A darkly colored bay, and although she was a little on the skinny side, she was still as healthly as Roo could remember. But the coarse breaths that panted from the mare's lungs only revealed that the smoke had entered the horse's chest cavity and done its damage, and that the poison had already worked its way through the other organs in her body.

While tears welled in the corners of her eyes, they did not fall down her cheeks. She blinked rapidly until they had vanished and inhaled in attempt to steady her emotions. As lead mare, Roko wouldn't let the others catch on to her weakness. Instead, she would be strong for the others who were grieving- some of the other horses were whinnying sadly and licking the dying mare's shoulders and back as if she were their own child. Others were hanging their heads and snorting softly into the grass, ears flattened downwards and tails hanging unenthusiastically.

 

 

(Just thought I'd throw in some drama. Apparently I'm good at that. >> )

[crypticsoul]

Intrigued, Hale stood and followed her, since he was doing little good here. Besides, she was such a small thing and someone should be there to look out for her. She was quick and smaller than him, giving her a bit of speed on him. He managed to catch up and glanced curiously down at her, wondering what she was running toward. What she had smelled. Hale didn't smell anything particularly strange, since everything smelled that way here, but it must have been something to catch the girl's attention. Hale shifted suddenly, the fennec fox running easily beside her, ears perked and listening. He didn't like approaching unknown things in his human form. For one, it was a bigger target and two, it made him feel more vulnerable. He yipped loudly at her, curious as to where they were going and what the girl's purpose was.

--

 

Jace rolled over and sat up, his paws over Roko's whip, watching her disappear with the horse. His ears flattened and he mewled quietly, saddened that she had left. She'd left her toy, though, so he took upon himself to believe she would be back. That in mind, he returned to chewing on the end of her whip, holding it securely between his paws. When Sauda stood, though, he looked over at her. He tipped his head and she walked over, rubbing her head against him. Jace yowled happily and Sauda licked his head. She looked to Stripe, wondering if the tigress had any idea of what was going on. Something was wrong, she could guess, given Roko's sudden exit with the mare. She shifted, finding a few swatches of fabric that would cover her well enough, and walked over to the tigress. Jace followed, happily dragging the whip, tail wagging.

 

"Should we follow her?" she asked Stripe, squatting so she could looking the tigress in the eye. Sauda wasn't scared of her, not that she should be, the tigress had done nothing to either of them. "Something's wrong." she added, absently stroking Jace's head. She had a feeling the tigress was better acquainted with Roko, where Sauda had only met her yesterday, so she felt it wasn't her place to just chase after the equine shifter. Perhaps the tigress would wish to go herself. Jace, unaware of all of this, butted his head right against Stripes shoulder, the whip still clutched in his jaws. Sauda pushed him playfully, shaking her head. Pouting, he curled up right beside Stripe and went about trying to gnaw through Roko's whip. Sauda waited on the tigress' answer.

[dracoon]

Michael watched, stopping as the fin began to circle him. She came after all. The nerve for a youngster to challenge a man with more experience than the hairs on her head. He waited patiently, almost eager for the girl to make the first move. As he paddled, he rippled the water while raising the hackles on his back. It was something he couldn't resist, an outright challenge to the shark.

[WonderBubbles]

((Seven sentences, Drac.))

 

Her circular ears swivelled toward Roko as she began to leave, and her whiskers twitched curiously. It grew all the stranger when she heard the woman break into a jog, as well as the rapid hoof-beats speeding up as an accompaniment. Her large head tilted and her tail tapped the sand; what had happened, she wondered. The horse hadn't ventured further than a short distance away from the tree-line, and seemed to have called to the equine shifter.

 

The tigress returned the lioness's gaze, having about as much knowledge about the other woman's actions as she did. Stripe averted her yellow eyes as Sauda shifted, giving her at least some privacy to perform the change. She heard the sand crunching lightly beneath bare feet and decided it was time to look back at the other shifter. Even softer paw-steps shifted the sands as well, and Stripe saw the cub was following his mother, dragging the whip from his small jaws.

 

Sauda crouched in front of her, bringing her down to just above the feline's eye level and asked if they should follow the fleeing woman. The cat blinked and frowned, wondering if it could be the right thing to do. She was curious, of course, but as Carnarl had told her many times, curiosity killed the cat. The lion cub butted his head against her shoulder, and Stripe rumbled affectionately at him, as his mother pushed him away. He lay down and gnawed at the leather of the whip; she didn't think Roko would be too happy if the cub chewed right through it.

 

Stripe returned her attention to his mother and nodded. The tiger stood in a fluid motion, stretching out her legs lazily. With a flick of her tail, she invited the two to follow her as Stripe stepped into the jungle. They would have to keep close, because the feline blended well with her environment.

 

~

 

The skunk waddled along the river, staring disdainfully at the char around her and avoiding getting still-warm ash on her little paws. Her plume of a tail was held low, since she wasn't being threatened or threatening at that moment. She blinked her beady eyes, trying to see past the few meters she could see, without it blurring horribly. Her broad, white back was a brilliant, clean shade and her black fur gleamed with health. Her nose twitched and all Zorillo could smell was ash and death.

 

She followed the curve of the river, skirting around immense trees and flexible saplings and ducking beneath low ferns. A bird screeched down to her and she glanced up, curious to see if she knew the creature. It twittered in a friendly way and she chattered happily in response. Wings whirred and a colourful parrot landed on a low branch close to her head. Zo sat down and chirruped up to the other shifter, realising she knew him well.

 

((Finally got my intro for little skunk. =o))

[Darkshadow]

The male creature was kicking the water and bristling; a clear challenge. Leo's fin disappeared beneath the surface as she dived, and started circling slowly underneath the male. Sure, the blood was roused within her, and Leo was ready for a fight, but she had not encountered his species before, and the human part in her reckoned that he had 'something up his sleeve'. Why else would the idiot jump in a lake, fully knowing she, Leo, was here waiting for him? She might not be that smart, but instincts were acting up again, urging her to start snapping at the male's legs. Leo started rising slowly, still circling, and letting the water currents caused by her movement caress around the male creature's legs. Let him feel fear.

[dracoon]

Oh, so she wanted to intimidate him. Michael had enough of such nonsense. He knew very well the girl would probably seize him if he dived, so he continued paddling in the heart of the lake. Once she was fully surfaced he would grab her. A fish out of water was lunch, and this shifter was no different. Whoever crossed his path and had no relation to him usually died under his pipe. The two ladies from before(along with that morsel of a baby shifter) were spared simply because of their friendship with Willow's daughter. For others, he would not hesitate. He shook his fur, waiting patiently.

[crypticsoul]

Sauda followed quickly, keen eyes trained on the tigress in front of her. She shouldn't have any problem keeping up, Sauda knew her way through a jungle and had stalked plenty of prey. The problem, however, was having to keep an eye on the feline and on Jace. He was falling behind, dragging Roko's whip, which kept getting caught on things. Jace yowled, trotted after them, got stuck again, yowled...

 

"Oh, come here, you," she finally said, scooping the cub up and carrying him. Jace purred happily at her and batted at her face with his paw, tail swishing, whip between his jaws. "Do not chew a hole through that." she mumbled to him, knowing that was Jace's intent, tapping his nose as a warning. She caught quickly back up to the tigress, realizing she blended in more than Sauda had originally thought, but her trained eyes followed her. It was dense here, darker, among the underbrush and the lush plants and Sauda's eyes wondered toward the sky. She couldn't see the sun, gauge the time, and it through her off a bit. She liked seeing the sun, knowing where it was on the sky, but she figured the tigress must know where she was going. This was her territory, after all, more than Sauda's. Jace yowled suddenly, apparently not pleased with their progress, startling her and she looked down at him. "Hush, you." she chided, shaking her head at him. She looked up at the tigress. She'd stopped. Sauda took a knee beside her, setting Jace down but keeping a hand on his head. She peered through the bushes at the gathering of horses. She looked at Stripe, frowned, then turned her gaze back to the horses. What had happened?

[Darkshadow]

The male didn't seem intimidated at all with her circling, but instead shook his fur, waiting. Leo snorted, sending a small stream of bubbles to the surface. Did he not know he was in water, and that shaking his fur was pointless? He wouldn't get dry that way, no matter how much he shook. But indeed, it was time for her to feed, because Leo was getting hungry. She was wasting time here, circling underneath the male creature, when she could be catching food. The male was much too scrawny to make a decent meal, anyway. Leo swam closer, passing right underneath the male's legs. She would attack those first, and hopefully drag him under. After five minutes, every land creature would drown, even the largest of them all. Leo swam straight up towards the male's legs, a few inches from latching on to one with her sharp teeth.

~

Mel gave a long, drawn out hiss as she walked in the forest, swaying from side to side. Yesterday's events had been..... interesting, but now she was bored again, and in need of some company. This forest was her home, her territory, and she fit in as perfectly as a snake could, despite being albino. Mel skirted around the patches of sun, which were small and very few. A small bird hopped out into the path ahead of her, completely oblivious to the presence of a predator. She started salivating, and ran her tongue over her canines, which she had sharpened to points. Mel was hungry, and here was some food. The bird had become aware of her presence, and it froze, tense, a spider clutched in it's beak. It dropped the spider and started to fly away, but it was too late. Mel's hand shot out and cleanly broke the bird's neck, killing it instantly. She grabbed the prey, eager to begin eating.

[WonderBubbles]

She'd reached the edge of the trees, and cast a glance toward the two behind her. Sauda was hushing the cub, who had been complaining quite loudly about his situation. Stripe settled down into a comfortable crouch, not unlike when she was hunting prey, and the other shifter knelt beside her. They exchanged a glance, and returned their attention to the gathering simultaneously.

 

A horse lay on the ground and the rest of the herd circled around her; some nuzzling the fallen equine, while others stood with their heads hanging low. Roko knelt beside the faintly breathing bay and seemed to be trying not to weep. The tigress tilted her head; this mare must have meant a lot to the equine shifter, yet she wouldn't let herself cry around a group of animals. Stripe sighed softly and looked to the lioness; this was a solemn event, and obviously not meant for outsiders.

[dracoon]

Michael saw the bubbles rise, before feeling a brush against his legs. Scaly and slippery, they seemed to warn him that he was playing with fire. Still, he attempted to paddle to somewhere he could manipulate the area to his advantage. He carefully drew his pipe, holding it in his mouth and diving. It would act as a breathing device for him. At last- something he looked forward to. The girl was dim enough to believe that he was off the hook. Now, she would suffer.

 

((edited, sorry.))

Edited April 2, 2011 by dracoon

[hazeh]

The muscles along her shoulders were tense and taut, and her jaw clenched as she watched the old mare's body shiver and shudder as the last few breaths of life heaved in her collapsing lungs. The mare's skin twitched in places and a rattling, sickly sound wheezed from her throat. The other horses stood silently now, watching, as the mare slipped from life. When finally the horse's ribs ceased to expand and shake, Roko leaned forwards and lightly kissed the dead mare's shoulder. She remained there for a long moment, and then straightened up and gazed at the others in the herd. The period of mourning for them would then begin, as they started to whinny and nicker with grief thick in their voices.

Roo's expression, however, was hard and emotionless. She silently pulled and pushed the corpse until it was laying on its stomach, legs folded naturally beneath it. Although the head drooped with lifelessness, Roko carefully positioned the muzzle to keep it aloft, as if the mare had simply fallen asleep. Once her work was done, Roko stood and stared. No tears had fallen, and her jaw had relaxed. The roan mare that had lead her there walked sorrowfully up to her friend and butted her muzzle against Roo's shoulder, but the woman simply pulled away and turned from the deceased. She did not see the others gathered in the shadows and made instead for the glimmer of water that signified the lake. Although the emotions in her heart and mind were boiling and floundering like a drowning infant, there was only her rigid and unusually quick pace to allow for an outsider to get a glimpse of what she might have actually been feeling.

 

 

 

Grey continued to run, ignoring the slight limp that hindered her speed. She knew this terrain well and thus didn't actually need a scent to follow to lead her to her destination, although she liked to humor herself with such. Her eager face grew brighter the closer she drew to her treasure, and was not interrupted when the small fox appeared by her feet. "Home home home!" She sang, dashing through the stiff and dried grass of the meadow. Where the soil became dusty and sand-like, the young teen started to slow. She knew this area better than she knew the spots of her coat- her eyes alighted soon enough on the burrow in the ground, and with a yip she fell onto all fours and commenced a hurried change. The rapidness of her shift was more painful than it should have been, although her excitement lessened it somewhat and she soon forgot it. In a moment, the civet crawled into the wide hole and circled several times in the layer of sand that made her bed. With her short claws, she dug under it and soon surfaced from the den with dirt-covered clothing clutched in her snout.

She bobbed eagerly around the fox as if she had just found a treasure, but didn't seem to have the idea of shifting back to put the articles on.

Edited April 3, 2011 by Shiny Hazard Sign

[Darkshadow]

So, the male creature had some strange device that allowed him to breathe underwater. How strange. This male was resourceful, after all. But still, it seemed to Leo that he could only go down as far as this breathing device allowed. So, then....Leo dived deeper, out of reach of the male, and flipped over, revealing her scaly underbelly, clearly taunting him. Then she started circling again, her movements agile and fast, quickly darting from area to area around the place where the male creature was swimming. Even if he could breathe underwater now, he was still no match for her. It was her home territory, and she could do anything in here. Even beating the land shifters who couldn't swim at all, nor breathe underwater. She could breathe both the air and in the water, in her respective forms.

[dracoon]

What- she taunting him? Michael was almost outraged but kept his temper down. These cocky fish-shifters thought they had the upper hand, but they had met the wrong Tazzy Tiger today. Besides, he was already in a bad mood over his spate with the two other lady-shifters who knew Willow's daughter. For Willow, he had to keep his head down. At least, for now. He let his back legs paddle while he squeezed his button nose into the hole, so that his mouth was free to snap whenever required. Now, where was those two strange transparent things that fit on his face? Those that helped him see better on land. The water got into his eyes and he knew it was time. The tiger lunged out of the water, surging into the air before diving once more. No one took a chunk out of him, with or without permission.

[RheaZen]

Despite the events of the previous day, this day had started out like a typical one. She'd woken up, stretched, eaten a bit of the leftovers from yesterday's scavenging, and gone out to patrol her small patch of jungle territory. Rin always did her patrolling in animal form, as she felt that the kick and peck of her avian body was much more dangerous and effective than her human body's swing, even with the weight of the pipe behind it. Seeing that nothing was amiss, and that her patch of land was unaffected by the fire from yesterday the hulking black bird relaxed slightly and began foraging for food, checking the various fruitful trees she'd scouted out and heading in the general direction of the late; she was thirsty, and wanted to wash up as well.

 

A few acidic ants - mm, bite! - and a few licks of a sap outflow from a damaged tree branch merely whetted Rin's appetite, so she plodded faster, thinking that she would do some gathering around the lake's shore. She could hear some splashing, but didn't think much of it until she caught sight of the lake. Hidden by undergrowth, she stared and squinted, attempting to focus the scene before her. A fight? She knew there were others on the island, she just didn't care much for them. Still, curiosity gripped her, so she continued staring. She was a bit far away - the opposite side of the lake, really - but she could make out flashes of reddish tan in the blue water.

 

As Rin continued observing the scene before her, she got a better look at the devastation the fire had done the day before. She had a niggling suspicion that the fire might've had to do with the large machines that now patrolled the island, but there wasn't any evidence - and she certainly wasn't going to go looking for any. Still, it was hard to restrain herself as she looked around, seeing that her patch was one of the few areas unaffected, other areas ringing the lake being turned to blackened soot and cinders. What luck, she thought somewhat sarcastically. With the other areas devoid of resources, she'd probably end up encountering other people as they ventured into her area in search of food.

 

((FIREWAT?!?!? Edited, bleh.))

Edited April 6, 2011 by RheaZen

[WonderBubbles]

The tigress watched the woman walk stiffly away, back toward the lake, and felt relieved that she had not seen the three of them peering out at her from the underbrush. Her striped tail twitched and she glanced at her human companion with her struggling feline son. Stripe tilted her head in the direction Roko had went, suggesting they follow her.

 

~

 

The skunk waddled along, the parrot flitting from branch to branch behind her, while other avian beings in the canopy screeched and the apes hooted. Her small, round ears didn't twitch at the racket they were making, since she was used to it. Puffs of grey and black ash rose with each footfall and made her little nose itch. Zo sneezed violently and the parrot shifter chattered a laugh at her. She replied with an angry squeak, before continuing huffily, with her tail slightly lifted in warning. The intelligent shifter wisely flew ahead of the small mammal, heeding her wordless threat.

 

She reached the clearing of the tribe and glanced around. Carnarl took a moment to give her a welcoming wave, and then turned back to organising his people. Zo wondered what he was doing; if she wanted to know, she would have to shift into her other form. The large skunk made her way into one of the remaining huts, the one that she had left her scant clothing in, and made the change.

 

The six foot three adolescent stretched, reaching up to press her palms against the roof of the crudely built hut, and then relaxed. The bird followed her inside and landed on the floor, twittering up at her. The shifter smiled at him and shrugged the coat over her shoulders. As he grew and his body twisted and reformed, she turned away to pull on her pants. Zo was pulling her hair out of the back of her coat, Tail slung an arm around her waist, and grinned cheekily up at her. He was a few inches shorter than she was; the hooded skunk smirked down at the nude teen.

"What do you want, shorty?" she taunted, twirling away from him. "Put some clothes on. I'm talking to Carnarl."

 

She strode away, leaving him to call out his response to her back. It was something about her being freakishly tall and being a stripe-dog. The smug expression was shown to all in front of her, but Tail didn't catch it, and soon quietened. Zo stood beside the elephant shifter silently, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence. It took him a moment, but he turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"What's going on?" she asked, gesturing toward the flurry of activity.

 

"The tribe's going to the caves by the ocean. Some are staying, most are leaving. You're going with them," he told her, turning back to watch the events. He nodded to one and waved to move ahead to another before she managed to reply.

"What? Why am I leaving? I don't want to!" Zorillo growled, glaring at the man. She was almost eye-level with him, he being the taller of them both.

"You're leaving because I told you to. Get Tail and help the others, now."

That was the end of the discussion and the young, impudent shifter strode angrily away, to find her friend.

 

~

 

Carnarl, ignoring the huffiness of Zo, wondered where the eagle was. She needed to be here, to lead them to the caves. Many were ready to leave, and others were close. Where was Feather?

[crypticsoul]

Sauda nodded, agreeing they should follow. She let Stripe lead, since Jace was proving to be a handful, and kept the tigress in sight. Oh Roko, how awful, to lose a companion. Sauda knew what it was like to lose family and she could only imagine how Roko must feel. Jace yowled loudly suddenly and Sauda looked down at him.

 

"Hush, Jace." she hissed, frowning sternly at him. "You're not very good at being sneaky." she added in a quiet voice, tapping his nose with the pad of her finger. Good lord, he was crazy! Could he be any louder? Jace wiggled in her arms, whip forgotten, and was now trying to escape her hold. "Jace. Jace, please, we're trying to-" and he was gone before she finished her sentance. Jace's young paws carried him right after Roko, tail swishing happily behind him, his nose following her scent. Though his legs were shorter, he was too quick for Sauda to catch. "Jace!" she hissed, looking down at the tigress briefly before she was after the cub.

 

Jace yowled when he spotted Roko, excited to see her and wondering why she had left. He didn't understand, of course, the grief she must be feeling but he knew he wanted to see her. He purred and padded right up to her, playfully running between her legs and getting in front of her.

--

 

Hale tipped his head, large ears flopping over to the side. Clothes? She'd brought him out here to show him her clothes? Well, that was confusing. He sniffed the clothes. It was her scent. He looked back at her, dark eyes curious.

[WonderBubbles]

((Guess I may as well repost this as a bump.))

 

There was a loud yowl from behind her; the tiger stopped and turned her head to look back at the pair. The cub's mother was telling him off, but he didn't seem to care. He squirmed in her grasp, dropping the whip in his haste to get free. Her round ears twitched when it hit the soil with a dull thud and she growled quietly. The cub hit the ground running, after freeing himself from the lioness' grip, and ran off through the undergrowth. Sauda hissed his name, and, with one last glance at Stripe, bolted off after him.

 

The tigress groaned in dismay, shaking her head slowly. Cubs, she thought, exasperated, as she gingerly picked up the whip in her strong jaws. She padded after the pair, following the obvious tracks the woman had made. Gouges in the soil, some deeper than others, had been created in her rush to catch her son. Stripe lazily followed them, hoping that she would catch the cub before he reached Roko and alerted her of the trio following her.

[Darkshadow]

Leo was getting tired of this game of 'keep-away'. She was hungry, bored, and now, irritated. However, she didn't want to swim away, because that would make her seem like a coward. This male did not seem very tasty, and he reeked as well. Leo kept circling and swimming, her eyes open for any kind of attack. A fish darted past her, and her jaws flashed as she snapped off half of it's body. Any trespassers would be killed. That was her rule in this lake. Leo munched on the body, as the blood in the water made her brain excited. Now she was ready. Swallowing the rest of the fish, Leo began circling faster. The blood had gone to her nostrils, and she was ready to hunt. She darted faster and faster around the male, until she was ready. Opening her jaws, Leo streaked towards the torso of the male, ready to attach herself with her fangs.