The Island

[hazeh]

Roko was running hard, barely able to keep in her mind that she was pulling along another being behind her. She generally wasn't a person who grew afraid of anything, but the strange flying beasts coupled with the fire that ravaged her home was enough to trickle hot fear through her veins. Panic swelled in the back of her throat painfully, and it didn't help that it was raw and chapped from the smoke that entered and burned her lungs. Gasping for air, the tall woman stumbled and slowed until she had herself propped up against a tree with her shoulder. She absentmindedly dropped Stripe's arm to regain her composure, but the moment she felt the overwhelming weariness begin to creep back into her muscles, Roko took off back through the trees. She did glance back, though, to see if the tiger shifter had continued after her.

With her long hair whipping in her face and jumbled thoughts bouncing through her mind, she was only able to recognize the lake moments before she raced into it. Skidding to a halt, Roko stared blankly at the moist sand beneath her burned feet. Only a moment had passed before she sank to her knees and coughed, thankful that the cold mud offered to soothe her aching and pain-seared limbs. Her chest hurt with each inhale and her discomfort was clearly expressed on her face, but at least the worst of it was over; or at least, so she thought. On one of the other sides of the lake, Roko could see the ends of the plains and the intense orange glow that was swarming towards the banks. However, tiny figures dotted the shores of the water, and with delight she recognized the equine shaped submerged in the shallows. If she had the strength to revert back into a horse, Roko would have gladly neighed her encouragement, but she was exhausted and could only smile with relief. It was quickly replaced, however, as the familiar and unwelcomed thrum of helicopter blades rose above the commotion around her. Tilting her head up, Roko's chocolate eyes pinned fiercely on the sleek creature that lifted high from the flaming canopy and watched as it drifted through the sky and around the group of humanoids that had reached the edge of the forest.

Edited January 16, 2011 by Shiny Hazard Sign

[WonderBubbles]

They slowed to a stop, panting and gasping. Stripe put a hand against a trunk of a tree and dropped her head, leaning toward the tree. The other woman had dropped her arm and the rush of blood made her hand tingle strangely. Rapid footsteps alerted her than the woman had taken off once more and the shifter quickly followed. Stripe was better at long distance running, not long distance sprints through vaguely familiar territory.

 

She noticed with slight surprise that the equine shifter glanced back, probably checking to see if Stripe were following. Or it could have been to check if the fire was roaring at their heels yet. The shifter slowed as they reached the lake, recognising the soil and seeing the glimmer through the last of the trees. The horse shifter must not have seen it, for she had to stop suddenly. Stripe stood beside her as she dropped to her knees and watched, as worried as she could be through the terror, as the woman coughed. When it had subsided, the tiger shifter glanced around them. Most of the clan was waist-high into the lake, carrying the few children; she recognised the two boys that had been chasing her through the jungle with an intense wave of relief. Over the other side of the lake, Stripe noticed the herd of horses and was glad; the animals seemed to be the equine shifter's family.

 

Something chopped the air above them and several shifter shrieked in terror. Stripe snapped her head back and glared at the helicopter above them. She hissed at it, crouching down (as if it would help). The beast circled the area briefly, hovering over the area with the shifters and scaring them further. The tigress could see the evil guns, hanging down from the belly of the beast. Oddly enough, an arrow protruded from it's side.

[dracoon]

"Stay here," William could hear the metal beast again and this time it was nearer to his hole. He grabbed a metal pipe lying on the wall and charged outside. William was usually timid but he saw no fear in the creature most took to their heels on. His friend, a cougar-shifter, had effortlessly duelled the beast alone and died with it, and the strange humans that steered it. He slid down to the river and saw the duo again, this time with the metal beast hovering over it. Jumping into the trees, he climbed dexeterously and jumped from his percho, grabbing the beast by the back behind the blades.

[crypticsoul]

Had Avery not grabbed hold of him and pulled him along, Hale would still be standing stock-still at the mouth of the cave. He would've probably been shot by now, or captured, or whatever the strange creatures wanted. The sharp tug Avery gave him snapped him from his thoughts, his shocked immobilization, and now he was running after her. They stomped out the fire, making sure every ember was dead, before retreating further back into the cave.

 

He knew those strange, flying creatures. He'd seen them before. No, they meant death, pain and suffering. Why were they here? They didn't belong here! Not in the forest, not so close to him and Avery. Once they were in the rear of the cave, Hale sat beside her, glancing at her occassionally through the darkness. "You alright?" he asked, frowning a bit. Hadn't she meant yelling about helping the others just before he'd zoned out on her? Where they going to help? Had something changed her mind?

 

He thought of the Shifters down in the field, the helicopter circling above them. How scared they must be...some would be old enough to remember. That tiger shifter, the one he saw a few times in the woods, she would remember. How would any of them forget? Still, he couldn't just sit here and let them alone down there, how many of them would die? But, even if they did go help, what would they do? No, they'd go after the helicopter was gone, scout for survivors, offer help where it was needed. That was his plan, anyway. "It won't find us in here." he told her, noticing she hadn't spoken in a while.

[Diamondeyes]

Avery watched the fire burn out, gazing off into space. Where the others ok? Did they make it to the tree line? Even though she knew she was safe here, her heart was beating a mile a minute. "I'm fine, I just hope the others are." Leaning against the wall, she sat down. Her eyes glanced at the ceiling, then to the opening. The moon was just rising over the horizon, making it easier for her human eyes to see.

 

She moved silently along the side of the cave, her lithe body looking like a cat stalking her prey. She walked likely, no sound to the act of her walking. When she reached the edge she peeked out, watching the helicopter. It was at the end of the meadow, farther from the cave. She couldn't see the shifters in the night, but she knew they where there. Why else would the helicopter be at the tree line?

 

 

Avery began to run to the back of the cave."I don't think it will be coming after us, but we should stay back here until we're sure its gone"

[crypticsoul]

Hale nodded. He hadn't had any intentions of leaving, anyway. He watched her, wondering if she were really alright, or if she were just saying so. She was so pig-headed when it came to that, he thought. The moon offered him enough light to just make out the walls of the cave, just see Avery moving around. He absently wondered if it'd be better to be in his fox form, ready to run, in case they were found.

 

"We'll go after it's gone." he said, watching her now. He wished he'd brought his pouch of berries. "See who is left and if they need help. If you want, of course."

[mapleleaves288]

((I'm not really familiar with the geography of this place, so edits will be made when needed. The female is Roko, the horses are the horses she was thinking about. Also, refer to lungfish for the mud puddle. I had to find some way to introduce him quickly.))

 

A lake.

A pond.

A puddle.

Fire everywhere, destroying, destroying, destroying.

No water.

Can't breathe.

 

A puddle of mud exploded into a frenzy of motion as a almost dog-sized fish burst out of his quickly hardening prison. As the fire raged all around, all it could think of was one thing.

 

Water!

 

The sleek, dark purple fish painstakingly dragged itself across the field. It was a slow and almost painful looking progress, but its large fins made the journey anything but impossible. Smoke obscured everything, but large streaks of bioluminesence broke through the murky blackness to reveal the fish as it began to wriggle through mud and soil more enthusiastically as it felt its gills moistening. As it finally slid into a deep pool of water, the fish stopped to appreciate the wonderful sensation of rehydration.

 

Then the world exploded. Again.

 

The fish was beaten and batted around again and again by hard, stiff objects. And it hurt. It instinctively tried to swim away, only to be kicked back by another object. Trying to find the source of its pain, the fish swam back to its original location, and saw the object coming to kick it again. Finding itself blocked by other rod-like obstructions, it did the only thing it could do. It braced itself, and clamped down.

 

Meanwhile, a group of distressed horses whinnied as they felt something moving in the water. As they knocked this thing around, a high-pitched squeal from one of their number alerted them to danger. When bitten horse dropped, they began to rear and stomp their hooves into the water and mud. Hard.

 

Impact! The fish, feeling beaten, confused, and not at all that happy, swam out of the 'comfort' of the water. As it dragged itself along the mud, it gained a noticeable boost in acceleration. Indeed, as the fish sped up, it almost seemed as if it was running on its fins. The fins widened, thickened, and webbing retracted as the skeletal propulsion systems shifted into slightly less skeletal hands. As the fish 'ran' on, its newfound hands seemed to enlongate, as the rest of its body stretched out and writhed. Scales melted into flesh, and fins retracted into bone. His tail finally split in two, and the creature started to run on all fours.

 

The facial structure of the fish was where the most change occurred. The incredibly large mouth shrunk as thin needle teeth retracted into gums. The large fish face thinned and stretched vertically, while hair extended from the angler's forehead, covering the head and drawing attention away from the retracting lantern. Ears appeared from large holes behind the eyes, and they blinked out muddy water from the pond. The newly shifted boy blinked glassy eyes, and ran towards the trees.

 

However, the fire was still raging. Without the cold mud beneath his feet, the boy began to feel his flesh heating. The moisture on his feet, however, worked both for and against him, preventing his feet from burning but also making the ground slippery. Hearing the sound of helicopter blades beating his ears, he turned around and lost his balance. Running, running, running... falling?

 

He tripped and fell onto a safe cushion of... burning grass. There was nothing to grab onto. His vest had been soaked in water, but it was thrown out like a cape as he spun down onto the smoldering pile. He screamed in pain as he felt the flesh on his back cooking, a sensation that reminded him of being torn into. Clenching his teeth as tight as he could, he rolled away from the horrible sensation and zipped his vest up to try to get as much water in contact with his skin as possible. He stumbled and tripped through the trees. As soon as he felt mud under his feet, he threw himself down onto the sweet embrace of the cool soothing substance, hardly noticing the female beside him.

Edited January 17, 2011 by mapleleaves288

[hazeh]

The stinging sensation had subsided in her wrists and ankles, although whenever she moved the burn across her bare abdomen would scream with pain. Because of the mud that she slathered over her charred skin, the wounds only throbbed and ached and allowed the shifter a moment to recollect herself. Energy for Roko was sparce- it was amazing she had any left, after everything she'd gone through that afternoon. First there was chasing the tiger away, and then having to protect the damned female from a stupid lizard. After that, she was subjected to a highly annoying and stubborn male whom infuriated her and made her want to pulverize his spleen (and he was lucky she didn't have the chance to), and without pause the fire erupted and Roko attacked the flames right back. Not only was she burnt, but the effort of the run from the fire and to see to her family's safety had all but drained the woman of every last drop of life she had left to spare. She knelt on the lake beach, her breaths pained and shuddering, but the piercing glare of her darkly colored eyes never wavered from the metal contraption hovering above their heads. There was still fight left in Roko, despite being completely physically exhausted.

A wince pinched at her eyebrows as she pushed herself shakily to her feet. Rage shook at her muscular shoulders as she stood, barring her body in front of the crouching tigress-shifter with her front exposed directly to the mechanical beast. The night breeze whipped at her long hair, pushing it in all directions around her back and sides, but nothing would break her concentration.

Except the frightened and sharp whinnies of her dear friends. Roko's attention snapped from the helicopter as her gaze flitted over towards the horse herd. They were too far away to make out what might have been bothering them- the grasses were too far away, even burning, to present a threat to the equines in the water. And yet, they were stomping like mad around in the shallows, splashing up water and flinging their powerful legs around. She was startled by their behavior and frightened that something else might've taken advantage of the fire's ability to isolate large mammals in a restricted area, but after a moment, realization dawned on her. Something in the water was obviously provoking their surprise, and she cursed herself for having been on the opposite side of the bank and of no use to them where she was.

Reaching back, Roko steadied herself on the shoulder of the woman Stripe as darkness swarmed the edges of her vision. A raspy breath was forcefully exhaled before the dark-haired woman gave herself a shake and repositioned herself in front of the other shifter, like a protective mare might in front of her foal. Despite having vacant affections towards her human brethren, there was no mistaking that Roko's instincts to protect were quite strong.

Something came bursting out of the trees and collapsed only a few feet away from where Roko stood. Her muscles quivered in anticipation, but under the moonlight she was able to make out the features of a young and lanky boy. Momentarily a scowl lifted in her expression, but she had bigger issues to deal with, and promptly turned away from him.

Edited January 17, 2011 by Shiny Hazard Sign

[WonderBubbles]

Stripe could hear sobbing close by; she glanced in the direction of the sound and saw a half-formed giraffe lying in the shallows. Pity softened her expression; she knew the pain the poor cub was going through. A change in breathing alerted the tiger-shifter of the woman's movement. She reluctantly turned back to the injured shifter, who had struggled to her feet. Stripe frowned and took a step closer; the horse shouldn't be moving about. She especially shouldn't be putting herself in front of the tigress, in an attempt to protect her!

 

The smaller woman huffed and reluctantly allowed it. There wasn't much she could do, other than physically shoving the burned woman to the ground and pinning her there. The equine-shifter seemed too pig-headed to just lay down and let another person protect her, even if she were the injured one. Frightened whinnies and neighs drew Stripe's attention across the lake, where the herd of horses were thrashing about in the shallows. Was there a crocodile attacking them? The woman frowned; she couldn't see large, snapping jaws or a swishing tail. What could it have been, then?

 

She was distracted from her focus, yet again, by the equine shifter. The other woman had reached back, obviously needing something from Stripe. The tiger shifter stepped forward and the hand settled on her shoulder. Her own hands reached for the woman's stomach, ready if she started to collapse. The woman appeared to be struggling to remain conscious and upright, but with a swift shake, she resumed her stance. Something ran out of the bushed along the tree-line and Stripe whirled to face it. It was a young man, with smoke wafting from his body and severe burns. He face-planted the mud beside them, and Stripe briefly wondered how he was breathing, before a particularly loud whir from the helicopter caught her attention. It was hovering closer and she could see faint shapes through the glass. Stripe bared her blunt, human teeth and scowled at them. It did nothing helpful, but she could see the figures were moving about.

[dracoon]

William scowled as the metal beast moved, making him skid off and leaving 3 deep scars on the beast's shell. He let go, diving into the water and surfacing on shore. When he came onto shore, he noticed the duo yet again, this time with the mare clearly standing in front of the tigress. William could also see a burning man coming towards them, and he was almost scared out of his scaly skin. That was not the best sight to behold, especially after almost slaying a metal beast. He crawled towards a cave, looking for clues.

[LordTorch18]

Ronan fell asleep in the cave that the man(william) had left him in from exhaustion. He dreamed of all the different shifters he met. The cat, the horse-woman, all of them. He saw everything burning. The trees, grass, everything was burning endlessly, and it made him scream in his sleep in fear. He was afraid to see others die. What started a dream, turned into a nightmare.

[hazeh]

The horses on the other bank seemed to have quieted in their panic. Roko's own fear vanished with it, but now she only felt the tolling affects of her injuries and smoke inhalation. Although she was sill upset with the helicopter's presence, Roo's body had finally had it. With a soft exhalation, the tall equine-shifter collapsed in the mud, turning only slightly to take the blunt of the fall on her shoulder and side. The moment she hit the earth, though, Roko was unconscious.

Her breathing was slow and even, as if she were merely sleeping. However, every once in a while her body would convulse with violent coughing fits, as the smoke was still irritating her lungs. Heat rose on her head and neck and flushed her cheeks, but she remained motionless in the sand beside the tiger shifter.

 

 

(Eh... Wonder, some helicopter action, mebbe? )

[WonderBubbles]

A soft sigh drew her eyes to the injured woman in front of her; she appeared unsteady on her burnt feet. The shifter collapsed, angling herself to fall onto her side instead of her face. Stripe dropped to her knees beside her and felt for her breathing. Luckily, it came quietly. Though, the violent coughing fits that wracked the woman's body were worrying. Smoke inhalation was a serious matter that the tigress didn't know how to treat. Now she had two seemingly unconscious shifters close to her, both burned and unmoving.

 

The roar of the metal beasts doubled in volume and Stripe glanced up. A second black thing was advancing and a third was not far behind. They carried large pouches of something, attached to the bars at the belly of it. The tigress glared at them as they zoomed overhead, towards the column of smoke and wall of flames. She stood up, wondering what they were doing; fanning the flames, perhaps? But no, they hovered above the burning canopy and the pouches seem to split open. Water dropped down onto the flames; Stripe could hear the hiss as they were put out. Her eyebrows arched and her eyes widened in surprise. The creatures were helping them? But to what purpose? She watched as the helicopters roared back to where the lake was and hovered close to the surface of the water.

 

They dropped a long tube into the rippling water; a few of the people hung over the edge, after a hole formed in the side, and fiddled with the pouch. After they swung back inside the shiny beast, the fabric was whole once more. As they hovered, the force of the air created waves in the lake, which crashed onto the mucky sand at the shore. The shifters in the water were moved about; some followed the upward swells of the water, while other ducked beneath them. The lighter of the shifters were thrown toward the shore, then pulled back by relatives and friends. The empty bag beneath the whirring black creature slowly filled with water, swelling and filling out, until it was as full as it had previously been. The other helicopter did the same, and then they were lifting up away from the lake and zooming toward the fire once more.

The first helicopter had flown away, towards the volcano, where Stripe could see it hovering around the peak. The tigress settled into a crouch again, hovering over the woman, after she had realised the black things didn't mean danger... this time, at least.

 

((How's that for action? ^^))

[Ramoth]

High above the treetops, a bald eagle soared towards the commotion. The large bird carried a bundle in one talon, but otherwise, couldn't be told from one of her truly wild kindred. Windfeather had noticed the column of smoke from her camp not too long ago, and had, of course, come to investigate. It wasn't often that there were fires on the Island. And this one was eating the plains around her fishing lake. She beat her wings once, and then entered the thermal rising from the flames. The toasty current of air caressed her feathers and she spread her brown wings wide. There was a helicopter hovering at a lower altitude, but hopefully Feather would escape their notice if she didn't make a sudden dive and generally stayed where she was and retained her height advantage.

 

Feather's fierce yellow eyes swiveled to scan the ground below. She recognized the equine shifter from the horse herd, and the tiger shifter from the forest. Her eyes fixed on the large lizard as it fell from the helicopter. She made a mental note of where it went to ground, since she'd most certainly want to return later to examine it more closely. Then she was distracted by the sight of a burning man running and then falling into mud and rolling over. Windfeather would have dove down to land and try to help the people, but both of her parents had made it very clear to their daughter that she was not to draw the notice of a helicopter. That helicopters had a nasty habit of bearing guns that would do her light bird form irreparable damage. So the bald eagle shifter stayed where she was, soaring high in the wildfire spawned thermal.

 

Windfeather continued to watch as several more helicopters joined the first and began a dance around the fire and the lake, puzzled at first. Shortly she figured out that they were putting out the flame and that she would lose her thermal. Feather took a gamble, hoping the helicopters were too busy to notice much beyond their dance, and spiraled down and away from the thermal, towards the two shifters by the lake shore. She landed a few yards away, setting the bundle down before approaching the tiger shifter. The bald eagle walked over as tall as she could stretch her three and a half foot height with wings slightly unfurled for balance. Her expression was as curious as a bird of prey's can be, and she made an inquisitive little chuckle-call.

Edited January 31, 2011 by Ramoth

[dracoon]

William cautiously approached the newcomer, yellow slitted eyes shifting uncomfortably. Was the new bird an enemy or a friend? He was not going to take any chances after the lesson with the horse-lady. He crept slowly, eyes fixed on the trio. Avoiding the two he had interected with, he shifted and stood solidly in front of the eagle. "What do you want?" he asked, trying to sound as brave as he could. Still, his voice cracked slightly and he bemoaned himself inside.

[Ramoth]

Distracted again, Feather's keen eyes caught the movement of the large lizard. Her thoughts ran along the lines of, Oh cool! The new thing. She noted the constant flicker of its tongue as it tasted the air nervously, and also the several curves and strands of drool leaking from its mouth. The scaled hide flowed smoothly over powerful muscles, and the thing's talons were impressively long. For caution's sake, Feather angled her body away from it, although her eyes remained locked on. If it threatened her and she had to fly, she wanted to fly away from it, not toward it. She watched him shift into human form and kept looking up and up as he stood to his full height. He asked, "What do you want?" his voice cracking slightly. The eagle, still looking up at him, cocked her head to one side, floofed up her feathers and gave one of her gentlest giggle-like calls. Overall, she was not remotely threatening.

 

However, Feather sighed inwardly, and glanced over at the helicopters. She was in a group of other shifters, so it was less likely that she would be picked out to be shot at. She would probably have to shift anyway, to try to help the two women. Those fierce golden eyes closed and the feathers slicked back down. When she opened her eyes again a few moments later, she was human. She reached down to pick up the bundle, quickly dressed, and began slipping knives into their sheaths and the hatchet into her belt. She smiled at the man who had been the large lizard. "I'm just curious. I saw the smoke, and came over to see what had happened. What's your animal form called, anyway? I've never seen a lizard that big. Do you know how the fire started?"

Edited February 1, 2011 by Ramoth

[WonderBubbles]

((They don't shift with clothes. c; Thought I'd mention that.))

 

The soft beating of large wings alerted her to the eagle's arrival. Stripe cast a curious eye onto the bird, realising she was another shifter. A normal bird wouldn't dare venture so close. The eagle gave a chirrup, which brought a smile to the tiger's face. With a head that fierce, one would not expect that type of chuckling call from it. The small woman stared at the bird, before a rustle in the bushes distracted her. The lizard that had attacked her sauntered out, with eyes only for the eagle.

 

The reptile seemed cautious and his eyes were flicking oddly. He shifted in front of the newcomer and stood at his full height, which was greater than Stripe's. He asked the eagle what it wanted, his voice cracking nervously. Her eyebrows arched at him; the jungle was burning, and he was afraid of an overgrown chicken? It was almost laughable, but she kept her expression calm. A soft giggle-like call brought a reluctant smile to her face; it was just too cute. The eagle had fluffed herself up, looking like a ball of brown feathers. Stripe averted her eyes as the eagle shifted into her human form and got dressed. After a few moments, the shifter glanced the new woman over curiously; she was lithe and dark, with knives and an odd-looking thing with a sharp blade at the top. The questions were for the lizard man, so she turned her attention back to the unconscious equine shifter, giving her a light poke.

[hazeh]

There was a deep humming that echoed in the back of Roko's mind. She couldn't tell where she was- only that the lingering scent of smoke and dirt filled each of her inhales, and if it hadn't been for the moisture in the air, she would have certainly gagged. Her breathing grew more rugged as consciousness fought to surface in her mind, but for a few moments, the struggle was futile and she remained in darkness.

Her body felt stiff and heavy, and aching burns and bruises littered her body. Sounds were muddled in her ears and she wanted to open her eyes and investigate, make sure her family was safe, but her body continued to be unresponsive. As infuriating as this was, Roko fought back her irritation and simply listened to the sounds. The whirl of the metal beast was loud, and she could distinctly make it out from everything else, although it was a constant drum above everything else. There was the froth and sigh of the waves as the water was disturbed, the sloshing of people in the lake, and even the dull thumping of footsteps across the sand. Then, suddenly, she was surprised to hear the low whisper of voices, and tuned her ears to their conversation. Someone was talking- it was a male, that much Roo could tell from the tone- and the answer was not from a voice that she recognized. Deciding that the speech was of no interest to her, the equine-shifter withdrew her attention from those around her and focused on waking up.

Unfortunately, that was rudely interrupted by something prodding her side. An explosive sensation violently twitched at her side and Roko jerked into consciousness with a gasp. Her vision was blurred as she gazed around, but slowly she came to focus on the tiger shifter's face hovering close by. A long moment passed before realization dawned on her, and a scowl darkened her already unfriendly features. "Don't do that," she snapped. The ticklish spot had most definitely brought her back to her senses, but also back to her always-prevailing foul mood.

It was then that she noticed the other female somewhat close by. She recognized the boy almost immediately, but this time with a clench of her fist and grit of her teeth. "This was your fault," she growled, attempting to stand but growing dizzy and nearly toppling back over. She caught herself on her hands, but her piercing, mocha-colored eyes never left the dragon-shifter.

[Darkshadow]

In the middle of the lake, a smooth, jagged fin broke the surface of the water for a moment, then disappeared back under. Leo prowled through her territory, a place she had sectioned off from the rest of the lake with sharp, pointed stones just under the surface of the water. It served as a warning to the other water-dwellers and shifters: Trespassing means death, be it fellow shifter or animal. Leo felt shaken, though. The black metal beasts she had observed from under the surface of the water had come down close, so very close to her lake, and had sucked some water from it to kill a hot, reddish-orange flower that had blossomed all over the land-dwellers trees and devoured them, turning them black and charred. This red flower had been killed by the water for some reason, and then the black flying beasts had left, but left the lake in chaos. Up ahead was a dazed fish, probably one who had been shoved onshore. "This is mine territory!" she snapped, ramming the fish shifter with her elongated head. The shifter, upon recognizing her Ganges shark form, swam away quickly, and Leo let him escape. She could've just as quickly attacked him, but she could always forgive them enough if the black flying beast was involved. How she longed to attack it, to bring it down with her jaws! However, she could only dwell in her powerful form in water; she was helpless as the tiniest rosella shark (a tiny type of fish, about two inches long), and easy prey for whatever was lurking there on land. Indeed, Leo had heard about the monstrous "bear", which could scoop even the slipperiest fish out of the water with it's paws, and the birds were a ever-present danger as well. Normal birds, at least. Leo knew that shifters would not eat other shifters, or at least, that is what she thought. She would not do that. Eating another would be disgusting, nothing better than savagery. Then again, Leo was known for being the most savage, but that was probably the shark in her. As she neared the place where the water became shallow and the beach formed, she noticed something. There were shifters here, on the beach! Did they not see the pointed rocks under the water? Wait, they were land-dwelling shifters, people who were clumsy and deadweights in the water compared to her..except for one of them. Perhaps that girl was a bird shifter? Leo did not know, she simply drifted there, letting the small waves move her slightly. What to do, what to do... She believed that the shore was a part of her territory, yet there were so many of those shifters, and they were in human form as well.

 

Drifting back out again, Leo shifted back into human form. Thanks to her gills, she would not drown, unlike the rest of those shifters, and her eyes were specialy adapted to the water. Of course, her bracelets and anklets of crocodile teeth, along with her clothes and knife, were back at her lair: a simple air pocket in the rock that she had hollowed out enough that she could be half-submerged in water and still see the sky. The hole that provided air could be covered with a rock she had found that purpose, risking her neck and venturing into the forest to find one. It had been worth it, though. For a few moments, Leo kept drifting, her face halfway out of the water, watching, calculating the risk of attacking. Were they mocking her like this, with their numbers? Wait, one of them seemed to be injured, by the way the female was unsteady and bruised all over. Plus, she also seemed to be angry. An internal conflict? Hmm...likely, with the way she growled something at a male nearby. Pitiful, just pitiful. This is why Leo had no comrades. Shifters not of the same species of animal never got along, and since she was the lone shark in the lake, she would never partner up....unless someone proved themselves to be worthy in terms of strength and tactics. Then, she would consider a partnership. Leo stared down the shifters, as silent as the shifting water around her. She was the predator, they were the prey, intruders upon her territory. Leo gave a small smile, revealing a full set of shark teeth in place of normal ones. It would be so easy, so simple, to gnaw off one of their legs.... After all, a shark's powerful bite was backed by the strong jaw muscles and the razor sharp teeth. But for now, she would watch...and wait.

[LordTorch18]

Ronan finally awoke a while later with a huge headache. His muscles ached from being over-worked. "I need to find some water, a nice cool stream. Anything to relax in, loosen up my muscles." He groaned with his sores as he got up and onto his feet. Using his staff to support his weight, he walked out of the cave he was left in and journeyed to find water. It didn't take terribly long for him to find his way to a source of water, but an issue occured. There was the woman he had encountered earlier, apparently ticked, but it was directed at someone else. As the wind blew, his sense of smell picked up an odd scent. He sat near the water, sniffing that strange scent. It smelled.....fishy, literally. What is that? Smells like a big fish. Question is, is it a prey fish or a predator fish? This took on his curiosity. He'd probably be in view of that fish(thats your shark).

[WonderBubbles]

The woman gasped for breath and awoke, gazing around herself blearily. The gaze focused on the tiger shifter's face, which was split into a grin. After a moment, the woman's usual scowl marred her features and she snapped at Stripe. It didn't deter the relieved grin, but intensified it. She was glad the woman had awoken, but then frowned as she tried to stand. The equine shifter wobbled and fell onto her hands, glaring at the lizard-shifter hatefully. Stripe put a gentle, cautioning hand on the woman's arm, her expression switching to one of concern.

 

Suddenly, the hairs at the back of her neck stood up and a shiver rippled through her body. She had the feeling she was being watched. Without thinking, she glanced around; her gaze scanned the tree-line, the shore, and then the water of the lake. It focused upon a pale flash of colour, which Stripe realised was half a face sticking out of the surface. The weird eyes, with large pupils, were staring directly at her with a predatory gleam. Stripe frowned, staring straight back at the odd shifter.

[dracoon]

William turned darkly and stared blankly at the horse-lady. "It's always you. Stuck-up, arrogent shifters who think everything can be solved by violence. That's why the metal beasts came. They took my friend's life! I saw him fall from them, his body crashing into the ground and blood splattering in all directions. I started the fire- I was selfish. Selfish enough not to let your stupidity cost you your filthy life! That brawl with the monkey came with terrible consequences- they would come and take you two away. You...don't understand how it feels to...lose a friend..."

 

He fell to his knees, shivering. Tears began to flow from his face as he thought of his ill-fated friend. That gaze had awoken memories he had tried so hard to supress and she just had to rub it in. The shifter curled up into a small ball, shuddering in inner turmoil.

[Ramoth]

Feather's eyes went wide in shock. The lizard-man had started the fire? To stop a fight between the horse-lady and a monkey shifter? She couldn't follow the logic. It didn't make sense. She started to back away, but when he mentioned the grief of losing a friend, she stopped. Feather knew that she'd had a different upbringing than most of the shifters: she was a second generation and her mother and father had both helped raise her. A few years ago, her mother, who shifted into an elk cow, had been killed by a wild predator, probably a wolf. Her father had retreated to his orca form in the sea. Feather touched her pouch, then walked over and crouched next to the curled up lizard-man. She touched his shoulder gently, offering solace and if not true understanding of his actions, at least understanding of his pain.

[dracoon]

William saw the shoulder, and raised a shaky hand to pet it slightly. "I...I need some time alone," he said, shifting into his reptillian form and stalking back into the forest. Fire was a wieldable weapon, when used it could do good or the exact opposite. The anger rose in him at the horse-lady's arrogence but it was quickly replaced by the fear of the inevitable. His friend was just a simple cougar, and didn't fancy too much in life. They only wanted to be alone, but why? He had only loved once, and was mortally wounded when that was also ripped forcefully from him. Just when he was showing some signs of regaining a sense of normalcy, he was back to square one. The reptile entered his hole, touching the claw necklace that hung on the ceiling. Her claws, painstakingly removed and hung up as a memory. A mere memory.

 

They didn't understand. They never would.

[Darkshadow]

Leo narrowed her eyes as the female shifter locked eyes with her, and how that male shifter was prowling along in the shallows, probably trying to figure out her scent. Well, wasn't this a pleasurable surprise. She reviewed her options, but halted her thoughts as one of the males had some kind of emotional breakdown and fell to his knees, tears pouring out of his eyes. What were those? Was water coming out of his eyes? Strange, very strange. That other male shifter, however, was in her range. If she sped up now, she could easily clamp her jaws around his legs, but Leo sensed that the present was not the right time to do it. As the other female shifter, the one she suspected being a type of bird, came over to the male and patted his shoulder, Leo turned her attention back on the female who was gazing directly at her. No wonder, she must've recognized Leo's killing intent. How amusing. The male had reverted back to his animal form, which took the shape of a giant lizard of some sort. What was it? Leo had never seen it before. Quickly, she glided closer, her widened eyes focusing in. Hmmm.... perhaps it was a forest-dweller species Leo had never encountered before. Maybe it was afraid of the water as well? Another advantage for her, if the lizard was indeed scared. But for now, Leo was content to wait a bit longer. For hunting, she could have the patience of a rock. She rose a little out of the water, flashing the smart female shifter a grin, flashing all of her sharp teeth. "I will be back, female prey." she called, her voice harsh from being in a shark form for so long. Leo gave a small leap and transformed in mid-air. In her place was about a seven foot long shark, with a graceful yet powerful body, which was a dark brown. The fin coursed through the top of the water at a very high speed, and then vanished.