Story..that I haven't named yet.

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kalicokitty
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Story..that I haven't named yet.

Post by kalicokitty »

Ok, so, I'm gonna try to post my story on here and type more of it every chance I get. I have two chapters done so far. gonna try to add to it chapter by chapter. I would love for feedback and title suggestions. Thanks!
"There is nothing more melodic, than the purring of a cat."
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kalicokitty
Posts: 71
Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:41 am
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Location: Indiana
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Chapter 1

Post by kalicokitty »

Chapter 1
It started with a dream. Most everything does. Although, for me just having the dream was abnormal, I didn’t normally have dreams, but when I do, they are prophetic. I knew when my father would disappear, I was three and I dreamt that we went for a walk, I was scared, and then, he was gone. My father disappeared a few weeks later on a police raid of an old warehouse; everyone thought he was part of the gang they’d raided, until he was ransomed a few months later. But his ransom went bad, and he was shot. He died before they could even get him into an ambulance.
My dream was scarier than usual, in my dream I was a Shifter. Shifters are a new species; they have a special ability. They can Shift into an animal, only one, which they refer to as their Other Form. There was supposed to be a Shifter out there with the capability to Shift into any animal in the world, this Shifter was supposedly called a Pan-were; most Shifters were Pagans and worshipped a Goddess, represented by the moon. Two common signs that someone is a Shifter is their hair and nails. When a person Turns, their metabolism speeds up and their hair and nails grow almost three times faster than the normal rate. The hair of a Shifter will also be the color of the Shifter’s other Form. The majority of Shifters let their hair and nails grow long, and don’t even bother cutting them. This makes their claws sharper in their other Form.
Anyways, in the dream, I was a Shifter, and I was fighting in a battle. I remember it so well, what scared me the most was the feeling of exhilaration I felt while maiming people. I was a serious hippie, I didn’t do war. Just as I began to Shift, my alarm clock went off.
I jerked awake, mentally thanked my alarm clock for trying to give me a heart attack, and rolled out of bed. Mom called from down the hall, “Hailee! Breakfast! Hurry up or you’ll be late!” I groaned, and got off the floor (you thought I meant rolled figuratively didn’t you?). I got into my school uniform and went to the kitchen,
“Hailee, you know you can’t wear those to school.” My mother said
“What?” I asked. “Mom I’m not wearing anything but my uniform.”
“Hailee, don’t play games with me, you have your Halloween contacts in and you can’t wear them!”
I’d gotten some contacts last year for Halloween; they were a pair of cat eyes in my favorite color, green. I absolutely adored cats, especially their eyes.
“Ok mom, I’ll go take them out after breakfast,” I said. It was far easier to agree with her and shut up than to spend twenty minutes arguing. I finished breakfast and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I looked up into the mirror and nearly jumped out of my skin. My eyes, which were usually a plain, ordinary blue, were a vibrant emerald green, but weirder still; the pupils were slitted, like a cat’s.

I rushed into my room and picked up my jewelry box. I unfastened it and took out my contacts case. I opened it to find both contacts sitting in their respectful areas. “Hailee! Get moving or you’ll be late!” My mother called. I grabbed my keys, got into my Prius and drove away. As I drove down the little country road leading to my house, I realized that there was no way I could go to school today. I called in sick, and started driving to my favorite park.
I’ve always loved nature, especially parks; I could spend all day hiking my favorite trail. This trail is absolutely gorgeous, it has a waterfall, and a drop off, and a creek that you cross over several times. Anyways, I always have a change of clothes in my car and I changed into something more appropriate for hiking. As I walked I thought about my new eyes, don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind them, but there were too many problems with having cat’s eyes. As my hike wore down I decided on what I had to do next, even if it was only a short-term solution. I rinsed myself off in the waterfall near the end of the trail, and climbed into my car. I changed back into my uniform and drove away.


On my way to my next stop of the day, I called my boyfriend. “Hey babe, where were you today?” he answered. “Gee, hi to you too,” I teased. “I needed a mental health day, so I cut.” “Aww, why didn’t you tell me? We could have spent it together.” He said. “Sorry, I didn’t know you liked hiking.” I said. “Hey I wanna see you later today.” He stated. (This is an ‘Oh Shit!’ moment) I calmly said “You know, today is a bad day, mom is having an OCD attack, and I gotta go home and clean.” “Then, maybe tomorrow?” It wasn’t a question, not really. “Sure, maybe we’ll go see a movie or something?” “Cool it’s a date.”

I pulled into the local mall, a place I normally considered unholy grounds, but today, I need something I can’t find anywhere else: contacts, normal ones. I rush to the place where I got my Halloween contacts, go inside and find the aisle marked: NORMAL. I scan the rows of contacts for a minute panicking that they have run out, before I finally spot the pair I want. As I check out the cashier gives me funny looks and finally I say, “What? Do you need something?” She looks guiltily up and says, “Actually, I was wondering why you’d get such a plain pair of contacts after you got such an awesome pair.” “I have brown eyes, and I’ve got a formal thing in a couple of days, can’t wear these, but I want blue eyes.” I explained. To anyone other than this gullible cashier, it was obviously a lie, but she believed it.

As I pulled into my driveway, wearing my new contacts, my mother stomped out of the house.”Where have you been?” “I had to see how much a movie would cost.” “So you drove all the way to the mall? You could have called or used a computer!” “Sorry. I had to was really stressed today and I needed the alone time it gave me.” “Well you better have been alone, if I find out you were with that boyfriend,you’ll be in huge trouble!” “Well we weren’t together! We will be tomorrow!” Instantly my mom looked relieved. Then she got fired up again, as if she had to argue with me, “Well God forbid you spend any time with me!” I groaned, “GOODNIGHT MOM!” and went to bed.

I woke up, got ready for my date, and sat down to wait on my boyfriend. He pulled in ten minutes later and looked, as usual, amazing. His light brown hair was combed neatly and his gray eyes shined with happiness. I hopped in his car and we drove off.

I got home at 12:30 p.m. I wished that I hadn’t gone out at all, I felt horrible. I went into my room, took out my blue contacts, and fell into bed.

3a.m. I wake up to my mother’s shriek, damn, she turned on the light, it’s too bright now. “Oh my God! Get out of my house you filthy Demon! Take the shell of my daughter’s body with you! I don’t want to find you near my home again! Get out, get out GET OUT!” I get out of bed, she is more afraid now, she runs out of my room with a scream, giving me enough time to gather my essentials, it’s already mostly together, it’s not the first time my mom has kicked me out, although she’s never called me a demon before. I grab my car keys and rush out of my house. As I drive away, I wonder how long it will take my mother to report me as a ‘runaway’ again.
As I drive down my road, a streetlight illuminates my rearview mirror, but I see my reflection first. I nearly drive off the road. My eyes are still green, but now my hair is a deep, onyx black. I try to calm myself down, ‘This changes nothing.’ I mentally decide, then I put the car back into gear and begin to drive again. I head for my boyfriend’s house, knock on his window, and climb through, also not a first. “She kick you out?” “Yeah, she totally lost it, I’m not even sure what I did this time.” ”I’m sorry,” he said, “ come over here and sleep.” “Okay, goodnight baby, I love you.” “I love you too.” I fell asleep curled up next to him.

6 a.m., more shrieks, damn, what do I have to do to keep people quiet for a little while? Another voice joins the shrieks, this one is slightly deeper. I open my eyes, the shrieks crescendo. Oh, right, I have black hair, and green cat’s eyes. I don’t look much like I did yesterday. Crap. I get up and try to explain that it’s me, and that it’s okay. “Get out of my house you FREAK!” My boyfriend (well let’s face if former boyfriend) screams over his mom. Quickly realizing they were not going to believe me, I run out to my car. I get in, gun the engine, and peel out of their driveway, heartbroken. I head toward the one place that has never failed me: the forest.
Once there, I get out and start my walk, not really caring where I’m going so long as it’s away from where I am. After an hour or so, I sit down to rest for a minute, and then it hits me like a landslide. The last twenty-four hours catch up to me and I begin to cry hysterically. Within a relatively short time I’ve lost what was left of my family, as well as my home. I’d even managed to scare my boyfriend off. As all of these emotions began to crush me, exhaustion crept up on me. I fell into a dead sleep.


Yet again, I awoke to a shriek. I suppose this is now the norm for me. At least this one was far more masculine than the last few that have woke me up. I open my eyes just a little and decide it’s safe. I open them the rest of the way to find a pair of deep hazel eyes staring back at me. My turn to shriek. The eyes back up and I can see their owner. He is beautiful. He looks to be about my age, has tawny hair, and his skin is a light brown. I remember my freak show eyes and look away. I look, instead, at my nails. “HOLY SHIT!” ”What’s wrong?” Even his voice is beautiful. “My nails, they’re, well, grossly long. I know that’s kinda petty, but they weren’t like that a little while ago!”
”You mean you don’t know?”
“Don’t know what?”
“You’re a Shifter.”
“No I’m not, I’m a normal teenage girl, you know the blond-haired, blue-eyed kind?”
“Well your hair, which is not blond, and your long nails tell me you’re a Shifter.”
“I thought Shifters Turned at, like, twelve.”
“It’s actually anywhere between twelve and nineteen.” “Oh.”
“How long have you been out here?”
“I don’t know; what time is it?”
“Almost four.”
“In the afternoon?”
“No, in the morning.”
“Please tell me you’re kidding!” I said as I jumped up. “Nope, why?”
“My…” I almost finish my sentence with ‘mom’s gonna kill me,’ then I remembered.
“Your what?”
“Never mind.”
“Do you have someone who’s going to be worried about you?”
“No. When my mom saw my hair, which was only down to my chin yesterday,” (it’s now down to my elbows) “she freaked and kicked me out.”
“No friends?” “Just a bo—well, ex-boyfriend, but he won’t care either.” I started to tear up, again. Then I realize something, “Wait a minute, what are you doing on a hiking trail at almost four in the morning?”
“Taking a pleasant walk,” he answered, “how about you?” “I came out here at a reasonable hour to have a mental breakdown in peace, and fell asleep.” “Next time bring coffee, I almost tripped over you.” He said teasingly. “Maybe I like causing mayhem.” I teased back.
“Listen,” he said, “since you’ve recently Turned, and you don’t have anywhere to go, you can crash at my place.” He offered. Oh, how badly I wanted to take him up on it. “Sorry, no offense, but I don’t just go to random people’s houses—homeless or otherwise.” “At least you’re smart. That’s good; I won’t have to worry about you too much.” HE WOULD WORRY ABOUT ME?! “You would worry about me?” I inquired nonchalantly. “Of course, a newly Turned Shifter, homeless and alone? This is a pretty scary world.”
“Hey, this is not the first time I’ve been alone in this ‘scary world’ I’ll be fine.”
“Your parents rough on you?”
“Just my mom, my dad was killed when I was little.” Why was I telling him this? I didn’t even know his name.
“Well,” I said, “seeing as I’ve stayed quite a bit longer than I’d intended, I’d better get going. I’ll see you around?”
“Yeah,” he said, “I’m Todd by the way.” I turned to leave. “Hey, I didn’t quite catch your name.” This was a problem. I couldn’t be Hailee anymore; I’d stopped being Hailee the minute I’d walked out of my ex-boyfriend’s house. So I took the easy way out and said, “I didn’t give it.” Smiling mysteriously, I jogged back the way I’d come.
Walking back to the car I realized something, and the realization hit me like a ton of bricks: it was nearly four in the morning—well it was probably past four by now, why wasn’t it dark?

"There is nothing more melodic, than the purring of a cat."
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kalicokitty
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Joined: Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:41 am
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Location: Indiana
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Chapter 2

Post by kalicokitty »

Chapter 2
Amazingly, even with night vision, I still managed to trip over every stick in my path. While tripping over the last one I yelled in anger, “Son of a bitch!” “Not exactly but what will that matter to you? You’re about to die.” Well that was nice, I haven’t even looked at this guy yet and he’s already making death threats.
This is when I decide to look up. This guy is about thirty years old, in a suit way too nice for a hiking trail, and definitely has a severe psycho vibe. “Well gee, any particular reason?”
“Only the obvious, you’re a Shifter.” Well, that sucks. He, of course, has night vision goggles, so he can see me quite well (in case you’re wondering, this means I’m totally screwed). I watch as he pulls out a very long, super sharp, extremely badass knife/sword thingy. Super, he’s going to stab me! Now, I try to run. I’m completely screwed anyways, but the instinct for survival takes over and I’m up… and promptly back down.
Damn branches! While I’m mentally cursing every tree in the vicinity, my future assassin has crept forward. He lunges toward me with the knife/sword and I do just what he expects me to do… I try to dodge him. This proves even more fatal. “Now just stop struggling dear.” He says in a pleasant tone. This is when he finally pins me down and cuts a long slash in my chest.
Okay, that hurt. A lot. That’s ok though, I’m blacking out now, so it won’t hurt for much longer. I’m almost out when I hear a roar, uh oh… I didn’t think big cats were native here… hopefully it will wait until after I’ve passed out before it starts eating me. Then the ass that cut me shrieks. Man, these people and shrieking while I’m trying to sleep. Then someone is shaking me.
“Hey take it easy, you cut me, I’m going to sleep now; wait ‘til I’m out then you can finish killing me.” “Listen to me,” Oh… its Todd, “don’t go to sleep. If you do, you might never wake up!” “Sounds good to me.” “Let’s go, come on, get up. We need to move.” “You go ahead, I’ll catch up.”

‘Oh geez, I wish I was still asleep. My entire body feels like I’ve been dragged by a train for a couple hundred miles.’ Then someone pokes my face. I open my eyes in time to see a hand quickly retreating.
“Jane! I told you to leave her alone! Aren’t you supposed to be keeping Todd out?!” This prompts me to sit up and see if Jane is doing her job properly. I find myself on a cot in a large-ish tent with another person.
She is tall with extremely long white hair and has her back to me. As I look around the tent I see other cots, all empty. “Ah so you’re up now. Good, I was almost ready to give up. Not many people can hang on as long as you did with that much poison in their body.”
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Just a few days. I’m glad Todd found you when he did.” Just as she says this, my rescuer in question walks in. “Todd if you come in here one more time, I swear to the Goddess I will take your fur and use it as a rug!”
“Calm down Penelope, I’ll stop coming in when she wakes up.” Todd promised. “Well she's awake; you've seen that, now leave!” At this point, a child-like wail emanates from somewhere outside the tent. “And that would be Jane, I'll be back.”
As she leaves, she throws Todd a look that says 'I'm not sure how, but I know you're involved.' Todd in turn tries to look as innocent as possible when he’s clearly guilty. After Penelope is gone, Todd comes over to sit by my cot. I immediately stare at my hands.
“So…Penelope said I was in a lot more danger than just being stabbed?” He chuckled for a few seconds, then sobered, “Yeah, thing is, you were attacked by a member of a religious group called the Purgers.”
“Purgers?”
“Yeah, they think Shifters some kind of demon. And they’re trying to ‘purge’ the world of us. Hence the name.” Fan-freaking-tastic. I had a cult of murderous, religious nuts on my case for being able to turn into an animal.
“Well I’m glad you were near enough to rescue me.” I said gratefully. “Yeah, I was almost too late. That guy didn’t cut you very deep, but his knife had a poison on it, and you had quite a large amount of it in your system. You probably shouldn’t have survived the attack.”
I flinch at his last words. “So…does being your rescuer mean I get to know your name?” Well damn, he was persistent! In all the psychosis I’d forgotten that I hadn’t told him my name. I think for a few more minutes and then reply, “Zyra.”
“That’s a pretty name, how come you wouldn’t tell me it last night?”
“I was still deciding what to call me.” I still hadn’t looked at him. Of course, as soon as I think this, he asks, “Why won’t you look at me? Is there something wrong?” “No.” I really didn’t want him to see….. “Then look at me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
When I refused to answer, he took my chin gently in his hand, making it impossible for me to move my head of my own free will, and turned my face toward his. There was no avoiding his shocked expression. “Are those contacts?” He asked in awe. ‘Well, if he rejects me, I’m going to take it with dignity.’ I stare boldly back. “No. I just woke up a few days ago and they were like this.” “I can’t believe it.” He said, still in awe. “Well believe it.” I was done with people seeing me, shrieking, and running me out of their house. He smiles, his smile is so beautiful. “You are the Shifter with more than one Form.”
“Every Shifter has more than one Form.” “Not you, you have as many forms as there are animals.” “That’s impossible, I’m a screw-up I can’t be your ‘Many Formed Shifter.’” “First off, I’m sure you’re not a screw-up, and second, it’s not impossible, if it weren’t possible, you wouldn’t be here right now.” With that, he walked away. What an ass.

A few days later, Penelope declared I was healthy enough to leave the medical tent. Before she leaves me on my own, she gives me a tour of the camp.
I had no idea there were so many Shifters. When I mentioned this, Penelope smiled proudly and assured me, this was not the only camp, there were others all around the world. For now they comunicated in secret, they hoped that one day soon though, that they could become less secretive, and even invite humans into the camp.
First she showed me the Mess Tent. It looked a lot like a circus tent, inside there were several cooks, who worked, almost around the clock, taking turns, cooking and providing for everyone else. Then she showed me her tent, it was separate from the other resdential tents. There was even a weaving tent, (that’s right, these people made their own clothes)!
After that she showed me the training hollow; which was more like a meadow really. Finally she showed me a tent near the center of the residential tents. “This will be your tent, we put the Shifters with seniority towards the outside because they have more experience and can defend the rest of us better in case of an attack.” I nodded and tried to memorize where my tent was located.
Penelope smiled and said, “If you can remember the general area, you can mark the tent in a special way so that it is easier to find later.” I nodded, grabbed some grass and rubbed it into the plain canvas material. Now I had a tent with a green swirl on it. I would work more on that later. After that Penelope led me to the clearing at the center of the camp.
Here, she stopped. “It will be your job to make sure that you contribute to the rest of the camp, if you do not work, you will not eat. However, today you will rest, tomorrow, I will put you into a chore rotation. I am sure that I don’t need to tell you this, but I want to make sure you know how we do things here.
“You will also be trained, both in Shifting and self defense. Todd has eagerly volunteered to be your mentor, if you have questions, go to Todd. Every new Shifter here has a mentor. This assures that everyone gets educated in the ways of the camp and our kind.
“Most of the time Shifters are paired by their Forms. Wolf mentoring a wolf, raven mentoring a raven, etcetera. But, since we are short on choice at the moment, and we don’t know what your form is, I’m just going to let Todd take over.”
She nodded at Todd (who had snuck over to stand next to me) and left. Todd took me to the training meadow. There, he led me to a secluded corner, away from the prying eyes of other Shifters. Fortunately, he seemed to have dropped the argument about my being a Pan-were.
He looked at me with his hazel eyes and I almost missed what he was saying. “Close your eyes and think of your animal, only you know which animal it is. Imagine its face staring back at you. See every detail, the eyes, the nose, the mouth and ears. Now realize that you are actually looking in a mirror. Look at your face, your hands, and your legs. See every single detail of yourself. See…” And I see them, I see every single thing about myself. “Zyra,” he whispers, “open your eyes.”
It was amazing! I was graceful, strong, and powerful. I could crawl through the darkest night with ease, I could climb any tree, and hunt anything that was asked of me. I was a mighty black jaguar (if you didn’t know, a black jaguar is another name for a panther)!
I look up at Todd and he chuckles and Shifts too. I find myself staring back at those hazel eyes, but now they are framed by a different face. This one is just as beautiful as the first. Todd is also a jaguar, but he is the same golden color his hair is in his human Form. His spots even look beautiful. “Well, what do you think?” He asked. I understood the language of the cat as easily as if I’d been speaking it my entire life.
“Why was I born human?! This is amazing!” He flicked his tail in amusement. Then, I thought of something slightly embarassing, “Uh, Todd?” “Yes?” “What happened to our clothes?” He purred in amusement, understanding immediately.
“It’s difficult to explain, except to say that when you Shift back, you human Form will still have them on.” “Oh good.” His tail twitched in amusement again. “Okay, and to change back---” “Why would I change back?” “Trust me, being in your fur has its perks, but there’s a reason we are humans, not animals.”
I sighed and listened to his explanation on how to change back. “Give me one good reason not to stay in my other Form.” I demanded as soon as we’d Shifted back. “There’s a lot of awesome things you can’t do in your fur.” “Like what?” “Like…going to the library, or a movie, or going out to dinner, or this…”
It took me so off guard that I almost didn’t close my eyes. His kiss was amazing, I wished it would never end. When he pulled back he said, “Now is that something you would want to miss out on as a cat?” And with that he walked away. Again! This was getting annoying.

A week flew by, I was busy with chores for the camp. First, I helped cook, when they found out how awful I am at cooking, the head cooks, mockingly told me to leave their sight and never return, after that they sent me to wash dishes.
The next day, I was sent to help weed the garden Penelope had failed to show me on her tour. The day after that, I helped tidy up the camp. It was on this day I realized something, and the question burned the back of my mind.
As soon as I was done with my chore, I ran to find Todd. He was helping with the garden. “Hey Todd, I got a question.” He smirked, “I have an answer.” I rolled my eyes. “If we have Shifters in the camps who are prey, and we have meat in the cooking tents, how do we know that the meat in the cooking tents are not some of the Shifters who are prey?”
Todd looked at me seriously and said, “We don’t.” My eyes widened in horror…then I saw the wicked gleam in Todd’s eyes. “Oh you ass!” I exclaimed with laughter, “That was the worst joke ever!”
He laughed and said, “Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself. The real answer is, we have designated areas to hunt, and the Shifters with prey Forms stay away from them, we also have instructions for Shifters caught in such a situation.”
I was relieved. I’d been sure that we wouldn’t hunt in such a situation unless a solution had been provided, but I was curious as to the solution.
Later that day, Todd decided to teach me how to Shift, just one part of my body. “Focus on one part of your other Form’s shape.” I focused and he laughed. I leaned over to a nearby puddle and looked at my reflection. “I have whiskers…not what I was going for…” I tried again and heard Todd gasp. I smiled, knowing I’d gotten it right. “I sure hope that’s a smile.” Todd said.
I looked again at the puddle. I looked fierce! I had managed to Shift my teeth, and now my smile, looked more like a snarl. I focused again on my teeth, this time imagining them as they were in their human form. When I looked at the puddle again, my reflection was back to normal…well as normal as my reflection could get at this point.

“Alright, today we are going to try something new.” This was supposed to be my rest day, but Todd insisted that we go out and train for at least an hour today. I’d managed to put it off til the late afternoon. “Begin to Shift--- slow down! Okay, now picture…” he took a moment to decide, “picture a scarlet macaw. Now focus on it until you can see every single detail.”
I opened my mouth to tell him how ridiculous this was and that I wanted to go back and finish working on my tent (now halfway covered in green swirls) when he interrupted me. “Interesting.” Without thinking, I flew over to him and landed on a nearby treebranch. “Zy,” he said, “you can Shift back now.”
Shift back? I hadn’t Shifted in the first place, what was he talking about?then, I realized, I had flown onto a tree! I looked over myself. I was a macaw, but I wasn’t scarlet. Instead, my feathers were black, the same color as my hair.
As Todd saw me examining my feathers, he said, “Your eyes are still green too.” I realized what it meant that I’d Shifted into a macaw after learning my other Form was a panther. Still I tried to deny it. I Shifted back only to Shift again, this time to my panther form. As soon as I’d Shifted, I took off into the forest. Almost at once I heard Todd call me back, but I wans’t going back, not yet.
I smelled and heard him chase after me, also in his jaguar form. “Slow down! We can talk!” He promised. Instead of responding, I stopped dead and watched him speed past me. As soon as he was past, I climbed the nearest tree. Once I got as high in the tree as I dared, I Shifted back.
I sat and tried to calm down. After a few minutes I realized I was crying. (Stupid rebellious body!) My anger at my tears only made me cry more. I felt the tree tremble and closed my eyes as Todd climbed up to sit in the branch across from me. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you excited? You are the famed Pan-were. You were born to lead the Shifters into the light. You are destined for greatness.” “No, I’m a screw-up. I was born to entertain Fate. I am destined to remain her laughing stock. I couldn’t possibly be meant to lead anyone.”
“Why would you think you’re a screw-up? You are beautiful, graceful, and honest. Shifting comes naturally to you. Most Shifters take weeks to learn how to Shift only a single part of their body. You managed to learn how in a single day. What could possibly make you believe that you are a screw-up?”
He really thought that much of me? He would be disappointed when he saw me like my mom did. He’d probably run screaming when he realized just how much of a failure I was.
“Even my mom could see it. She always told me I was too stupid to learn anything and that the sooner I dropped out and quit bothering, the better. She’d always remind me of how ugly I was. Clearly you haven’t seen me in action if you think I’m graceful, and and so what if I can Shift better than the average person? Does that automatically mean I’m fit to lead a camp full of frightened people?”
“Obviously you didn’t drop out, so what could your mother telling you you’re stupid mean anything to you? If she thought you were ugly, well, then she was the stupid one. No, that isn’t the only thing thaty makes you qualified to lead us, but it is one thing. It means you’re favored by the Goddess.”
“But you’re missing the main point, I can’t possibly lead anyone. I’m not fit for the job. I mean, I can’t even lead myself.”
“Zyra, many great leaders have started off exactly where you are right now.”
“High in a tree with you? That’s comforting.” I snorted trying to make myself calm down.
He rolled his eyes. “You can do this. And if you need help, you’ll have the Goddess, and me.”
For the first time in the conversation I looked at him. He did not flinch away from my steady gaze. “No, I just can’t. I don’t have enough experience, I haven’t even been at the camp for a week yet. Shouldn’t… Penelope lead us?”
“Penelope does lead us. But she isn’t Chosen. She happens to be the most capable person at the camp right now.”
“And why should I upset that? She actually knows what she’s doing.”
“But she isn’t Chosen. You are.” He seemed to lose his temper at this point in the argument. “What are you afraid of?” He demanded. “I think you are more than capable of leading us.”
His words baited me. “I am not afraid for me if that’s what you’re implying. I’m afraid for the people back at camp. I have no experience, no--- hell, I haven’t even been here for two weeks yet. I can’t, I just can’t. Ok?”
He opened his mouth to reply, but I was done, this argument was going in circles and I was getting dizzy. I jumped out of the tree and changed into a raven in midair. I flew as fast as I could. I heard Todd call after me, but I knew he wouldn’t follow me this time.
I flew until I was exhausted. When I finally landed (not-so-gracefully I might add) I changed back into my human form, then into my panther form. I had no idea where I was; but I smelled a pond, and I was extremely thirsty. So, I padded in the direction of the scent.
When I found the pond, I quenched my thirst, and sniffed again. There was a new scent, very subtle, almost drowned out by the smell of water. It was a small cave. I tracked the scent and found the entrance, once inside, I found comfortable place, curled up, and fell asleep.

I opened my eyes, and found myself in a breathtaking hollow, with four other women. They stood side by side, watching me. Although this may sound creepy, I was not afraid. I knew they would not harm me.
The one to the far left appeared to be the eldest, at least, she was the tallest, almost seven feet, like a great tree. She had long hair, nearly to the ground, that was brown at the roots, and turned a vibrant, bright, grassy green at the tips. I could also see a wide variety of wild flowers growing in it.
That’s right, not woven or braided into her hair, growing in it. Her skin was the color of rich soil, while her eyes were a bright springy green. Her dress was a mixture of woven vines, grass, and bark. Of course, there were a few flowers growing in her skirt as well.
The woman standing left of her, was probably about six and a half feet tall, and she was on fire. No, literally, she was wearing a dress that started out with a black, clinging bodice and ended in long, bright tendrils of flame. Her hair was several shades of yellow, orange, and red and her skin was a warm brown. Her eyes looked like smoldering coals.
The woman in the middle, right, was her exact opposite. She was about five feet tall, and had long blue-green hair. Her eyes were ocean-blue, and had blue tear tattoos in a trail that went all the way down her face, that made it appear that she was always crying. Her dress looked like a waterfall, starting at the shoulders, and ending in the grass, I think I even saw a few fish sillouhettes falling down. Her skin was also a dark brown.
The last woman in the line was just under four feet, her skin was extremely pale. Her eyes were an extremely pale gray, almost colorless. Her white hair was in bob cut and always moved in the wind. Her gown was as white as her hair, and had feather decorations, it made me think of something like a medieval bride.
They all spoke as one, “Welcome little Sister. We are the four Sisters of the Elements, Daughters of the Goddess. We have Called you here to prepare you to speak with our Mother, as well as to induct you into the Divine Family.” The woman on the far left stepped forward, “I am Sister Earth. I am the mother of all the animals of the land. I gave the Shifting gift to your people.”
She stepped back and the woman next to her stepped forward. “I am Sister Fire. I am the mother of every flame, from the tiniest spark, to the greatest blaze. I am the Light in the darkness.”
The woman on her left stepped forth, “I am Sister Water. I am mother of all the ocean creatures. I am the Sea, I give and I take as I please.”
When the last Sister stepped forth, I was sure I knew who she would proclaim herself to be. “I am Sister Wind I am the mother of anything that flies. I shift the clouds to bring rain, and I lift the birds to the sky.”
When Wind stepped back, they all began to speak as one again. “Sister, we shall now prepare you to meet the Mother. Do not fear.”
Earth took me aside and gave me fruit and wine. When I’d finished the fruit, she brought over a basket. In the basket, there were five bowls. Earth took one out and dipped her finger into it. When she brought her finger out, it was covered in a green paste. Earth’s hand was soft and gentle as she drew a leaf on my forehead. Next, she took out a new bowl, this one held a yellow paste. With this, she drew a few swirls on my right cheek.
With the third bowl, (that contained, you guessed it, red paint) she drew a flame on my chin. The second to last bowl contained blue paint, which was used to paint a drop of water on my left cheek. The final bowl contained purple paste, with this, Earth painted circles on my eyelids.
When I saw the final bowl, I realized that there was no Spirit Sister. I asked Earth about her, and Earth replied, “Sister Spirit is in every living thing, she’s so spread out, that she cannot all be contained in a physical form, mortal or otherwise.”
After this, Fire came over and led me to a part of the clearing that was away from the trees. Here, she turned and embraced me. At first it was slightly warm (what should I expect, she’s the Goddess of fire), but steadily, her embrace grew hotter, and hotter, and hotter still. Soon it was unbearable, I tried to break free from her grasp, but she only tightened her arms. Thankfully, the heat dulled and she released me.
As I recovered from Fire’s heat, Sister Water came over and took my hand. She led me to a pool. I climbed inside the pool and began to relax. As I soaked myself, Water made a small whirlpool around me. Then, she handed me a goblet. Without telling me, I knew what she wanted me to do. I dipped the cup into the water and drank deeply. The water was cool, clear, and refreshing.
When I stepped out, Sister Wind made her element swirl around me to dry me off. I soon felt myself lifted off the ground. Fresh air flew gently into my lungs and my body felt truly renewed.
After Wind set me down, the Sisters gathered around me in a loose half-circle. Each had the expression of familial love. Sister Wind spoke first, “You have been renewed. You are now a direct descendant of the Goddess, and fully our Sister. When this life is over, if you choose, you may spend the rest of eternity with us in this hollow.”
Earth declared, “I have renewed your body with fruit and wine.”
“I have burned away the pain of your previous years.” Fire told me.
“I have washed away the scorn you have endured.” Water said.
Wind spoke quietly. “And I have given your spirit its new immortal aura.”
They all spoke as one, “Welcome Sister Zyra, new Mother of the Shifters!”
"There is nothing more melodic, than the purring of a cat."
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whisperingMaiden
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Re: Story..that I haven't named yet.

Post by whisperingMaiden »

This is pretty good!
You should publish books!
The empty void in us,can be filled with a little magic.
AariadaWillow

Post by AariadaWillow »

Wow, really great! Keep writing, I want to know what happens!
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kalicokitty
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Re: Story..that I haven't named yet.

Post by kalicokitty »

:oops: thank you. I am working on chapter three now.
"There is nothing more melodic, than the purring of a cat."
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Re: Story..that I haven't named yet.

Post by kalicokitty »

Okey doke, I can't find a way to edit or delete my posts on here, but I belatedly realized I hadn't really put in a description of Jane. I incorporated it into chapter two, but as mentioned above, I can't figure out how to fix it online. so I'm just going to post her description below:
"This is the first time I actually see Jane. She is my height with golden brown eyes. Her hair is down to her waist and it is silvery-white with black and fox red highlights and a slight curl to it. She has an athletic build, and walks with a grace that tells me her Other Form is a predator."
Sorry I forgot it! :wave:
"There is nothing more melodic, than the purring of a cat."
AariadaWillow

Post by AariadaWillow »

Bump :) waiting for more although I don't want to rush you, just eager :P
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kalicokitty
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Re: Story..that I haven't named yet.

Post by kalicokitty »

I'm sorry this is taking so long. Chapter three is long and I am a student so it's sometimes difficult to find time to work on it. but never fear. it's almost here! :lol:
"There is nothing more melodic, than the purring of a cat."
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Re: Story..that I haven't named yet.

Post by whisperingMaiden »

Don't keep me waiting Kalico,its an awesome story.
The empty void in us,can be filled with a little magic.
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Re: Story..that I haven't named yet.

Post by kalicokitty »

Ok, here it is, the long awaited chapter three! Sorry it took so long.
"There is nothing more melodic, than the purring of a cat."
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Re: Story..that I haven't named yet.

Post by kalicokitty »

Chapter 3

As my new Sisters spoke the words, I felt two things happen; I felt the weight of my new responsibilities fall onto my shoulders and I felt happiness pour into me as I realized that I wasn’t being left to bare this weight alone. “Sister Zyra, Mother Moon wishes to speak to you.” Wind whispered. She took my hand and led me to another hollow; this one was bathed in silvery moonlight. I began to look around. I turned to tell Wind how beautiful I thought this place was to see that she was gone. Another woman was in her place.
This woman had to be Mother Moon. She had skin tinted the rich orange of the harvest moon. Her eyes were radiant silver. Moon’s hair, which grew to her waist, was dark blue with silver streaks in it. Strangely enough the silver in her hair did not make her look old; it actually had quite the opposite effect.
I fell to my knees, trying to conjure up something to say as I stared at my deity. “Please rise.” The Goddess beckoned. I rose, still trying to find my voice. “Daughter, do you now trust and understand that I have Chosen you to guide the Shifters in the mortal realm?” “Yes Mother. I trust and understand that I am Chosen.” The Goddess smiled and opened her mouth to say more, but paused. A look of horror came over Her face. “Zyra, the Shifters are in grave danger. A battle is coming. You must be prepared.” “A battle? When? Where? With whom?” “I cannot say anymore. But know this Daughter, you are never alone.” She said as she put her hand on my collar bone. “If ever you need help, ask the Wind, and she will guide you.” My Goddess dissolved in a shower of silver sparks…and I woke up.


When I woke up, I was in a puddle of moonlight. My collarbone tingled from the Goddess’s touch. I stood (still in my cat form) and padded out of the cave, only to remember I’d forgotten which direction I’d come from. “This way Sister….” The Wind blew gently in one direction. Okay, talk about being direct. I started off in the direction Wind had indicated, and she led me home.

Finally, around dawn, I arrived back at camp. It was quite evident that Todd had told everyone I’d run off. It was also very evident that he hadn’t told anyone I was the Pan-Were. They all gathered around me and scolded me for running in the woods by myself at such dangerous times. Then a path was made and I was told to go see Penelope.
I nodded at them and padded toward Penelope’s lone tent. When I found it, there was a long haired white cat with spring green eyes curled up on her cot. “Penelope, I need to speak with you.” I said in cat. “I do not care.” She replied with a yawn. “Go and see Todd, he looks a mess and acts even worse. Do you know how stressed out he’s been since you left?” I opened my mouth to argue and thought better. I closed my mouth and walked out. I hadn’t meant to make Todd worry, but I’d needed to get away. I hoped he wasn’t too angry with me…
I found Todd in the training hollow. He was in his Other Form and he was pacing like crazy. He turned and saw me, and in an instant I saw a myriad of emotions flicker over his face; relief, concern, happiness, and finally, anger. “Why didn’t you come back?” He demanded.
I took a deep breath and explained, “I was afraid. I didn’t want to come back and have you make me some sort of leader that I’m not ready to be.” “So you just ran—sorry—flew off and decided the night by yourself near Purger territory?!” “Yes! I did! And last I checked it was my decision to make!” As I finished my tirade, he seemed to grow angrier. I couldn’t stand his angry gaze any longer, with a growl, I pounced, and, claws sheathed, swiped his face with my paw. I had the element of surprise, but not for long. Once he recovered, he charged and knocked me over. Then he put a paw on my shoulder and stood over me. I let him think he’d won so that he would let me up. I launched myself from the ground and knocked the wind out of him. I gave the feline equivalent of a smirk, and trotted off, knowing he would follow me.
I Shifted back into my human Form and turned to ask Todd if he was still angry with me for flying off. Only to hear him suck in air in shock. “Zy, do you have a tattoo?” He asked, staring at the space just below my collar bone in fascination. “No,” I replied, “Why?”He stepped closer and gestured toward the spot he was staring at, “You have a silver pentacle, right there.”

Penelope’s wide eyes continued to stare at the Mark on my shoulder, “She has been touched by the Goddess.” Penelope breathed. “But what does that mean for her?” “I am right here you know,” I said to Todd, “Penelope, we need to talk.” “Alright, Todd, you are dismissed.” “What?!” Todd asked. “Go.” Penelope said.
Todd growled, turned and left, grumbling. “Penelope--” “I know what that mark means. I will step down from my position as leader without a fight.” “That’s the thing…I don’t want you to step down…at least not yet.” Penelope raised an eyebrow. “I have no idea what I’d be doing. And I can’t afford to screw this up. I was actually going to ask if you’d…mentor me.” “But, Todd is your mentor.” “Yes, but he doesn’t have the experience to teach me how to be a leader.” “True…” She paused in thought, “Alright Zyra, here’s what we’ll do. Todd will continue to mentor you as far as Shifting goes. It seems only natural since both your Other Forms are the same. However, you will also have to shadow me for part of every day and learn how to be a good leader.” I nodded, and then turned to leave. “Oh, Zyra, one more thing.” I looked back at Penelope. “Jane has been looking for you. I think I last saw her at the Mess Tent.” “Okay.” I acknowledged and left Penelope’s tent.
I found Jane where Penelope said she’d be; outside the Mess Tent. She was in her wolf Form and was giving the cooks on duty the real puppy face. I smiled and Shifted into a Wolf too. This was not really a good idea. No one knew I was a Pan-were, but they all knew my Other form was a panther. Seeing me Shift into a wolf got everyone’s attention. They immediately started to swarm me.
I looked around. “Jane!” I said in wolf. “Let’s get out of here before we get squished!” Jane barked her amusement and we took off, weaving through the people until we’d made it out of the crowd. Then we set off at a sprint into the forest. After a few seconds, I slowed down. Jane did too. She turned to me and asked, “So…where are we goin?” “Ummm, I don’t know. Let’s just work on ‘away’ for now.” “Oooh, I know a perfect place. Follow me!” Jane said in excitement. I let her lead me a small cabin where she Shifted back into her human Form.
“This used to be my parents’.” She told me as I Shifted back to my human Form. “Wait, you own the Shifter camp?” I asked in surprise. “And the two hundred acres surrounding it.” Jane said as she opened the door to the cabin. We walked into the cabin and sat down on the bare wooden floor. The cabin had an old, sturdy look to it. The walls and floor had that brownish green color that can only come from untreated wood exposed to the elements for several years.
As I examined the empty cabin, Jane looked at me. “I thought you were a panther. And what’s with the tattoo on your shoulder?” Instinctively, I reached up and touched the spot that indicated the Goddess’s touch. “…I am the Pan-were…plus I met the Goddess and her Daughter elements in a dream.”
“Cool! You being the Pan-were means we can be pack buddies!” Jane said excitedly. It was comforting to know that even after what I’d just told her, Jane was still going to treat me like a normal person. “So…” Jane said drawing out the word, “what now? If you go back to the camp, you’ll be smothered, paparazzi style; not to mention they won’t let you out of their sight.” “But they’ll eventually find me anyways if I stay here.” “Actually my mom was really paranoid, so she put a glamour on the cabin. Unless you’re with me, your eyes will naturally go right over it without seeing it. Or you’ll see something else, like a hill or a bolder.” “Wow! Hey, how come I haven’t seen your mom or dad around the camp?” Jane’s face fell.
“They were among the first Shifters to be discovered, although you can find evidence of shape shifting people all throughout history. Most Shifters end up marrying a Shifter with the same other Form, but even still, to have a child with the same Other Form as its parents is very rare.
“Both of my parents were wolves and they both had a fair amount of money. So when they got married, they bought this property and built the cabin and their house. This cabin was originally supposed to be my mom’s studio.” “She’s an artist?” “She was a singer, but she never actually used the cabin for its intended purpose.” I was intrigued. Why hadn’t I seen these people around the camp before? Were they feral? Undercover? Had I just missed them?
“Since the Shifters had only been recently ‘discovered’ the Purgers were also fairly new. Mom was extremely worried they’d try to annihilate her pack, and when I was born, that worry doubled. So she put the old cabin to use.” Jane said as she patted the floor. “Mom put the glamour on the cabin and reminded me every chance she got that if anything ever happened, I was to go to the cabin. Of course, nothing would ever happen, but all the same I’d smile and nod.
“Anyways…they must have staked us out for days before trying to attack…It was routine for just the three of us to go on a hike together. You know ‘family time.’ It was my sixth birthday and we went out like usual, and when we were just far enough from the house to make it impossible to run, they attacked. There were about eight Purgers that came out of nowhere. They concentrated on Dad mostly. Mom picked me up and began to run, three of them followed her.
“After a few seconds she tripped and fell. She let go of me and Shifted. She tried to protect me, but she knew it was a losing battle. She got severely injured fighting one of them. She Shifted back and looked at me. ‘Go to the safe place.’ She told me. I refused to leave her. She pushed me a little and told me she’d meet me there later. I still wouldn’t leave. One of the five Purgers that had stayed back to fight Dad caught up and came at me. They cut me.” Jane said matter-of-factly as she pulled down the collar of her shirt.
I looked to where she indicated and saw a long jagged scar running from the right side of her collar bone, all the way down to the sternum. I looked back up at her golden eyes, in surprise and horror. “Mom shoved me and told me to go, growling the whole time. I was scared and hurt. But I ran. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. When I got to the cabin, I ran through the door and slammed it shut.
“I must have waited there for hours. Thankfully the knife the Purger had cut me with didn’t have poison on it. Like I said, the Purgers were fairly new and just figuring things out. I did however, lose a ton of blood. I eventually passed out. I woke up the next evening to Penelope calling out for me. She knew about the cabin and its general location, but she couldn’t find it.
“I crawled out and Penelope picked me up and ran. She ran like we were on fire. She got me to an ambulance that was parked down at the house…or what was left of the house. I begged her to tell me what happened to my parents. She told me they were both dead.
“We had them cremated, so I wouldn’t have to see what the Purgers had done to them. After I was older, I learned that my mother’s body was never recovered, and she is only presumed dead. I always hope that I’ll run into her one day. I miss her so much.” At this point Jane was sobbing and I was feeling like an imbecile. Not only had I thrown salt in a wound, I’d poured a mixer of rubbing alcohol, vinegar, and lemon juice in it as well. I reached over and hugged her. “Oh Jane. I am so sorry. I should have--” “What? Should have known? How would you? It’s alright. You’re not the one who killed them.” “But…trauma…and I just made it all resurface…and…well now I feel terrible!” Jane laughed away some of her tears. “I have to live with what happened every day. Every morning I wake up and they are not there. I was traumatized. Key word being was. I still miss them painfully. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of them. But I am not traumatized anymore.” “Oh. I’m glad you’re not traumatized…” Change the subject Zyra, come on, what can we talk about? “Why is it so rare to have parents with the same Other form and how come my mom’s not a Shifter?”
Just like that, Jane was off with a very interesting explanation. “Well, the ability to Shift is, for the most part, genetic, and the Shifter gene is recessive, so your mom might be a Shifter carrier. Basically she just passed the genes on. Or maybe your dad is a Shifter.” I winced. “Was.” “What?” “Maybe my dad was a Shifter.” “Oh…I’m sorry you lost him.” Great, this cabin is just full of awkward now. “Ok, so let’s say my dad was a Shifter, why is it rare for Shifters to have the same Other form as their parents?” “Because your Other form is a physical manifestation of your spiritual form.” “Ohhh, so, my dad was obsessed with foxes. His Other form was probably a fox.” “Right. Most Shifters who live mainstream collect images and figures of their Other form.” “Mainstream?” “Outside the camp.” Jane clarified. “Once you turn eight-teen, you can leave the camp and live in the human’s society if you want. Most of us choose to stay here. It’s easier and safer. Everyone accepts everyone for what they are.
“Still, there are a few who miss the company of their human companions and return to their old town.” I was ready to change the subject at this point. “So… can you teach me how to make a glamour?” “You mean teach you magyk?” Jane laughed. “I can’t even call most of the elements into a circle properly. When it comes to spells and rituals, I’m a complete dunce Nelly probably can though.” “Aww, Jane, I bet you’re awesome at magyk, you just haven’t got it yet.” She shook her head. “Magyk requires focus. Whenever I think of magyk, I think of my mother. Whenever I think of my mother, I get distracted.” I decided not to press the matter…for now. “Hey, I’m feeling hyper, wanna go for a run?” Just as eager to leave the cabin (now wreaking in awkward) Jane agreed and we walked out of the cabin. We Shifter back into wolves and began to run. We had no destination. No purpose. We were just…running. Bounding through the woods like a couple of crazies.
After a while Jane slowed down to a trot. “Zy. Zy, I don’t know where we are anymore.” “Ok, well, calm down. We’re still on Shifter land right?” “I don’t know.” Jane began to whine and shift her front paws. “It’s ok, we’ll just retrace our ste--” “Well well well, lookee what we have here. Looks like a couple of Shifters lost their way. Think we should help ‘em out guys?”

There were five Purgers. I mentally kicked myself for not having paid more attention to where we were. As they began to walk towards us, I decided a wolf wasn’t going to be much of a match against five Purgers. I thought for a minute then concentrated. “Holy Hell! Did you see that?! That one Shifted from a wolf to a bear!” “Thank you Captain Obvious!” Their leader called out. “Try not to kill that one; I’m sure that the Head Priest will want it for something.”
This is when Jane began to howl. The Purgers knew Jane was sounding some kind of alarm and tried to attack. But I was a Grizzly bear now. I could handle them. I reached out and gently swatted him away with my paw (I was only gentle because a Grizzly’s strength, roughly speaking, is two or three time that of the average human’s.). I watched him stagger away and put my focus back on the other four. It was obvious that the remaining Purgers normally worked in pairs because they charged me two at a time. I swatted them both away and growled. All the while Jane was still howling.
Around the time the last two stumbled back, the entire Shifter camp charged out of the woods, Todd and Penelope on the front lines. Seeing the Purgers sent them into a frenzy. “Zy, Jane, get back! Todd, take them out!” Penelope ordered. “Wait!” I cried. “We can’t kill them! If we do, that means we’re no better than they are.” “Trust me Zyra, I don’t want to kill them either, but if we don’t they will follow us back to camp.” “Then have some Birds stay behind and watch them. If they try to follow us, the birds can warn us and we can run them off. But we can’t kill them.” Penelope was silent for a moment. “Very well, Song, Jessica, stay behind and watch them. If they try to follow us, raise the alarm. If not, come home and immediately report to me.” The girls nodded and flew to a tree. Everyone else began to walk back to the camp. Todd bounded up, “What is wrong with you?!” “I’m sorry, I got us lost.” “So you decided to ask a few Purgers for directions?!” “Don’t be ridiculous, we accidentally ran into them! I didn’t go looking for them or anything!” “And apparently you don’t have to. They seem drawn to you like magnets.” His whiskers twitched in amusement.
“Zyra!” Penelope called. I winced and Shifted into my cat form as I ran to her. “Yes?” I reported warily. “How on earth did you two end up outside our property?” “I don’t know, we were just running around and then we realized we weren’t in the property anymore…” “Zyra, you must be more careful. As the only Pan-were that we know of and a member of our camp, everyone would mourn the loss deeply if we lost you to the Purgers. Not to mention the danger you put my only niece into.”
I felt ashamed. “I’m sorry Penelope; I’ll never let it happen again.” “I know you won’t. You are confined to the camp boundaries for the next several days.” “I understand.” I hung my head and began to trot toward camp when Jane jumped in front of me and we nearly collided.
She looked bright and happy; like she’d just aced a test instead of having just fought five Purgers (well, sort of). She kept making whuffing sounds and gesturing. I Shifted into my human Form. “Jane, I’m too tired to play. Shift back and we’ll talk.” She rolled her golden eyes and Shifted. “I was saying ‘that was fun, we should do it again.’” “Yeah, um no. I’m in enough trouble this time.” She tilted her head, like a confused puppy. “I’m confined to camp.” “Awww, damn.” “So are you young lady. You had as much a hand in this little fiasco as she did.” Penelope declared as she jogged by, in her human form as well. “Well,” Jane began, “at least we’ll be stuck together.” “Don’t count on it!” Penelope called back.

After a few days of confinement, Penelope came to visit my tent. “Zyra, it’s Penelope, may I come in?” Penelope called from outside my tent. “Sure.” I barely looked up as she walked through the door flap and joined me on the floor. I was busy working on drawing the Sacred Hollow where I’d been deified. “What do you have there?” “’The Sacred Hollow’ or at least that’s what I’m going to call if I ever get it done. I can’t get the pond quite right.” “You talk as if you’ve been there.” “I have.” I began to tell her about the dream I’d had while in the cave. When I’d finished Penelope was silent. “Zyra, I think it’s time we go see the Priestess. I would have—I should have taken you sooner, but with the new arrivals and your and Jane’s little escapade, I have not had the time.” “Ummm, ok?” “You will want to Shift. The entrance to her home that is nearest to us is very small. You will also want night eyes.” I Shifted into a domestic cat and we were off.
It took us a while to find the entrance to the cave. Once we found it, I sniffed around. I could smell the old, musty smell of a cave. I could also smell pot. The last thing I could smell was strange. I could tell it was reptilian, but I couldn’t quite place it. Penelope led me through a seemingly endless series of tunnels and caverns. We walked until I was sure were only a few feet from the center of the earth.
Finally, we entered a cavern that looked as though it was set up as living quarters. There were beautiful silk screens and sheets hung and draped everywhere. Most of them were a lavender and gold color. They looked Indian. There were several hanging incense burners as well (Pot smell: check!).
Suddenly, I heard a low growl. “It’s ok Poison. It’s just us.” Penelope soothed. I wondered again at the reptilian scent that I smelled. “Come on Poison. Come out. You know we can’t talk with you like this.” With a sigh, ‘Poison’ came forward. She was amazing.
Poison turned out to be a dragon (that’s right, I said dragon!). She was at least twenty feet long from shoulder to tail with her legs being eight or nine feet tall. Her body was scaled in vibrant purple. I could tell she had wings and wished there was enough room to open them in her cavern. Poison’s head was about the size of a small car. Her eyes were an electric, icy blue with cat-like pupils. She had thorn shaped spines going down her spine and two wicked looking horns growing from her head. Her feet had four toes each; three normal ones, and one on each foot that resembled a thumb. The claws that sprouted from the end of each toe was a deep, ebony-purple, as was her spines and horns. They all appeared to be bones.
Poison looked me over and snorted. I realized my mouth was hanging open. As soon as I found my voice I said, “Sorry…I’ve never seen a real dragon before.” She snorted smugly and Shifted into her human Form. Her eyes were still that bright blue, but the pupils were normal now. Her hair (which was the same color her scales had been) was short, for a Shifter’s. Poison was wearing a long, Gothic style black dress with electric purple on the front seams of the bodice.
“It’s alright,” She began with a laughing gleam in her eye. “It happens all the time.” She spoke with an English accent. I wondered how long she’d been in the States.
“Zyra, this is Poison Violet, the Priestess of the camp. She has lived in these caves for the better of five years now.” “Yeah, before that I lived in London.” Poison added. I grinned at her, “I’d have never guessed.” She laughed. “So…whatcha need Nelly?” “I was hoping you’d help interpret a dream Zyra’s had.” They both turned to me expectantly.
So, for the second time that day, I described my dream. Poison listened raptly. When I was finished, Poison’s face was lit up with excitement. “Dude! They claimed you as their full relative? The Elements have only claimed me as their half-Sister. This is EPIC!”
“So,” Penelope began, drawing out the word, “what does it mean.” “She has a direct link to the Goddess and her immortal Daughters. It also means that the Goddess has shown her wish that Zyra be the next leader of the camp.” Penelope looked a little annoyed, “I figured that Poison, I wanted to know if there was anything deeper in the dream that we didn’t get.”
“Nope, not really. Nice thing about the Goddess is she’s short, sweet, and simple. I’d be extra worried about that attack thing though.” My mouth went dry. “Poison, I didn’t mention that part of the dream.” “Yeah,” Poison confirmed, “I know. I’m kinda psychic sometimes.” “Only sometimes?” “I hafta focus real hard on a person. Most of the time I don’t even mean to do it.”
Penelope was freaking out. “What attack?” Poison spoke up, “I actually also had a dream from the Goddess recently about an attack. From what I understand, it’s months away.” Penelope thought for a moment. “Well, be that as it may, I think we’ll begin to fortify the camp and increase the self defense lessons.” Poison and I nodded. “Ok, well I think that’s about it. We’ll be back to visit later I’m sure.” Poison waved. “Bye, see ya later!”
Later we as we climbed from the caves, Penelope turned to me. “You know, no matter what we talk about, every time I go see Poison, and wave of calm just washes over me.” I tried to stifle my laughter. “What?” “Oh nothing. Nothing at all.” Clearly Penelope didn’t know that the Priestess Poison Violet was a stoner.
As soon as we were clear of the caves, I had to satisfy my curiosity. I closed my eyes and remembered Poison’s Other Form. I mentally changed her scales to black and her eyes to green. “Zyra! What are you doing?!” I looked at myself. I was a dragon! I looked down at Penelope who had Shifted back into her human Form. She rolled her eyes and said, “Hurry up and let’s get back to camp.” I laughed and Shifted back into my human Form and we began the walk back to camp.
"There is nothing more melodic, than the purring of a cat."
AariadaWillow

Re: Story..that I haven't named yet.

Post by AariadaWillow »

Amazing! I can't wait for more!
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kalicokitty
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Re: Story..that I haven't named yet.

Post by kalicokitty »

I'm sorry i haven't posted in a while, i had a bout of writer's block and now my computer is bugging I'm working on getting it fixed though
"There is nothing more melodic, than the purring of a cat."
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