Hunting Grounds (Cat please ^^)

[Anonymous]

Ketra was a bad place to visit. Rei had definitely not liked it, not in the slightest - in fact, it put her in a very bad mood. Rei's bad moods, while hardly world-famous (or infamous), were something to be marvelled at from the other side of a continent, if possible. It wasn't the vast amount of hunters that had particularly annoyed her at first; it had been the shops selling 'unique' animals. The cheetah shapeshifter didn't appreciate seeing animals kept in captivity, no matter what kind of animal it was. Perhaps with her rather savage instincts, she should have seen it as another facet of the survival of the fittest, but she didn't. She saw animals she would love to chase down and kill locked up in cages, treated like showcases for human amusement, and she didn't care if they were hares or antelope. She had tried to convince herself, pacing uneasily through the wooden building, that she was just irritated at some excellant prey being taken by humans for reasons unknown, but the truth was that she felt a strange, unprecedented bond with the captured animals. Sure, she wanted to eat most of them, but she turned into an animal (of sorts) to do it, and they had a good chance to escape. Or... well, not a good chance, but a chance all the same. These had been taken out of the wild, pulled apart from nature and were being used for some stupid human reason. The dogs some of the hunters kept were at least allowed to hunt and roam around, not locked up for humans to wander past and gape at them.

It was twisted, and it wasn't often that Rei perceived something as twisted. Her temper had started to fray, and she had been fully prepared to drag the shopkeeper into the forest to chase him down and show him how those animals were supposed to die, when something deterred her. Looking around at the animal skins people were wearing (not that she minded that, of course; perfectly acceptable, actually) and the hunters, a survival instinct had finally managed to break through to the reckless 'shifter. It happened when she saw, on the floor of a tavern she'd gone to (alcohol would surely take the edge off her anger, after all), a lion skin, complete with head. That wasn't good. It was bad, very bad. So bad that, when what she wanted to do was slaughter half the village, she found herself retreating to the forest, shaking and trembling with nausea. When she felt far enough from the damnable town to 'shift with ease, she returned to her cheetah form, climbing a tree and resting in it as the afternoon sun dipped toward the horizon. After some time, she fell into a light doze - a cat nap. Her dreams were filled with hunters and trappers, big cat pelts used as decoration, half-glimpsed memories of her mother and the idea that perhaps hunters from Ketra had come to find her and that was why Rei had been abandoned. They weren't dreams, really. They were nightmares.

When she awoke, she was bloodthirsty. Dusk had fallen, the sky a vivid shade of violet blue, a few early stars twinkling at her between tree branches. She paid little heed to them. One paw rose as if to wipe the sleep from her eyes, caressing the scar over her left eye. She stood, muscles loosening, and took a vertical leap to the ground, paws thumping down and then padding over the bracken. Her senses had sharpened with her cat form and the oncoming night; her greenish golden eyes darted from side to side, her stomach feeling tight and empty. It was time to hunt. Initially she moved stealthily, making almost no sound, ears pricked for noise of nearby prey. What little light was left dappled over her spotted fur, sinewy body moving fluidly between the trees, her thoughts focused almost entirely on finding dinner. Part of her mind, however, the tiny part that remained in the human world, was vividly missing the grassy plains of her home. Forest hunting was easy, but she couldn't run as fast in woods as she could out in the open-

Crrrack!

A stag, the scent of it strong on the easterly wind, was crossing perhaps fifty metres ahead of her. Abruptly, Rei picked up her pace, limbs spurring into action as she leapt over the miscellanea cushioning the ground. She kept quickening until she was a blur of motion, baring her teeth as she neared the animal. The stag sensed her too late, turning first to run and then realizing it was futile. She sprang, claws extending, feeling vicious and strong and fast, but the distracted part of her, the most human part, prevented her from noticing the sudden change in the stag's posture. Before she had landed, aiming to crush the stag's windpipe from behind, it turned - and a set of antlers hit her in the face. Pain exploded in her skull, and she dropped like a stone, hitting the ground and cursing.

...Cursing?

Damn - she'd 'shifted back into a human before she'd noticed it. Rei wasn't good with keeping her shapeshifting controlled, though she didn't know why (and didn't particularly care). As she climbed to her feet, she tried to shift again, but the stag was running. She took off after it, halting the process so that she was in her halfway form, clothes misting into fur, ears rounding and surging up into cheetah's ears, teeth lengthening and eyes turning slitted and golden. But it was too late; the stag was making enough noise to chase off all prey in the vicinity and she couldn't catch up in human form. She stopped, cursing again, snarling at the distant animal. It looked like it would be a difficult night to hunt after all.

[Anonymous]

OOC: Wow, you write really good, I'm really impressed. How old are you?

IC:

Night. Soon the darkining sky, now a nice shade of indigo, streaked with crimson would be completly picth dark. Night would soon settled over the vast land, almost like a black blanket covering the earth. A few stars sparked to life in the sky and stood gleaming, almost winking at Devin. His heart was pounding slightly hard in his chest after he had just chased down a small stag that had clumsily ran out of the forest and into his clearing where he was hiding. He had layed there for hours, crouched down in the low underbrush, watching with his peircing emerald eyes, his black tail moving back and forth soundlessly. He had considered himself lucky tonight because he had almost not caught the stag, it being in a wild frenzie to escape from something. Blood lingered in the air as he began to tear into the warm flesh. Crimson red liquid spilled from the wound as he bit down on the lucious meat, feeling the taste seep into his long salmon pink tongue. He savored the taste as he bit down more vigorusly, more hungry than he had been before. He hadn't had anything to eat since yetserday morning, and now was the time to eat his fill. As he continued to eath he noticed that his surrondings changed. The sky that had once been streaked with the crimson was now in deep black. The warm tropical weather of the forest was slowly subsiding into the cool night. He could feel the humidity against his fur, like black velvet.

He ate his fill, and then laid down to rest. There was still plenty more meat left upon the animal, but his stomach felt as if it were going to burst. He lay under the stary night sky, upon his stomach, breathing in and out silently. His eyes were closed, and his scence dimmed just a bit, relaxing. Everything was slightly quite, except for the rustle of the brezze through the trees, or the soft songs of the crickets that would play their sweet melody. This was somewhat his daily routin, if he could find something to kill. Every morning he would get up, in his human form, do whatever he wanted for the day, and when he became hungry her would come out into the forest and hunt. His life basically consisted around three things. Food. Sleep. Shelter. He sighed at this thought, it not pleaing him very much. He needed something exciting in his life. He needed a friend! And if not a friend he needed someone to talk to! Would his life just consist of bordemness forever? Killing everday for nothing? He would always go into town in his human form, but he never really liked it there, for all he would see were dead animals. It sickened him and so and many people would stare at him when he would start to gag after looking at an animal pelt, or it would anger him beyond belife to see an animal of his own kind kept behind glass so that the humans could gape at them.

He hated his life. Plain and simple. There was never anything to do around here. He wanted to get out more! See sights, meet new people, have fun! *So why don't I?* He questioned himself as he opened his emerald green eyes and looked up toward the stars. He could still taste the warm irony liquid upon his mouth and he figured that he would find a stream somewhere and wash it away. He liked the taste of blood when he was in his cat form but hated it when he was in his human. When he was in his human it always just tasted so irony and vile that he wanted to throw up. In his cat form it tasted oh so sweet and salty. He couldn't explain why he felt this way in his different forms, for most shapeshifters love the taste of blood, when in human form or not. He got up and streched, feeling his large back arch as he opened his mouth, yawning, a few white teeth stained crimson showing in the very pale moonlight. After he was finished streching he licked at his lips as he strained to hear, to hear any kind of motion of running water. With out hearing so much as a trickle he shrugged his shoulders and started to walk away from the dead caracass and into the deep, thick forest. He would sleep by the stream tonight, and then tomorow.....ah what the hell he didn't have anything to do tomorow!

He heard a small trickle of water, and he turned around east. He could hear it, trickiling and bubbiling down in a steady beat. He could smell the dank air around him, and with quickenen his pace he soon came to a very large waterfall. Why hadn't he heard the water before? Sleep was probably making him drowsy.. that's all.. and with a full stomach it was always hard to keep the eyes open. He bent down where the wonderful water cascaded down into a glittering pull. If you looked very closely you could see that the pool reflected the glinting stars above. He smiled, his canine(sp?) teeth showing just a bit, and then he bent down, his pink salmon tongue reaching into the cold depths, breaking the icy surface. After taking his fill, he lay next to the muddy bank of the pool, and breathed in and out deeply once more, sleep threatning to take him away.

Movement.

Devin's head was up in an instance, his sense becoming fully aware of what he had just heard. Something up ahead was moving so very softly. He quickly got to his feet and slowly ambered over, peering through the thick underbrush. Through it he could see, a human. And by the smell, even though completly dark, he could tell it was female.


OOC: OH MY GOD! I'm like so sorry! This post took forever, but I had to babysit forever, and it turned out really crappy, because babysitting three kids for two days took a lot of work. I'm really sorry. I'll do better next time.. but I really wanted to post to you! LOL..

[Anonymous]

With the loss of the stag, Rei was feeling tense. She wanted to eat, drink, and then sleep again - or rather, those were her instincts. The human part of her, the part that diminished a little more as her sanity gradually surrendered, wanted to eat and then return to town, find a tavern to get drunk in, spend her night terrifying the humans that had driven her away that very day with their savage traditions and practices. But the image of that hideous rug, the complete futility that she had convinced herself she saw in the glass eyes of his head, the meaningless death that had no place in nature - it scared her. And Rei hadn't been scared of anything, not as long as she could remember. Surprised by things, yes, Rei was surprised on a regular basis, and always by humans, but never afraid. Bad things didn't happen to Rei Voro, no sir. Bad things happened to other people and creatures and that was fine by her. Delusional? Well, perhaps. Still, that was how she had always felt, until the skin of what could have been a distant cousin was ripped from his body and lain on the floor for humans to walk over and admire. She couldn't go back there. She would never go back there, not if her life depended on it, not if she wanted a mug of something potently alcoholic so badly she wanted to curl up and die. Someday, she thought, an olive skinned hand caressing the bark of a gnarled oak tree, someday Rei will get so strong she can eat up the whole town. Vengeance... Rei had never thought of vengeance before. It was another one of those things that happened to everyone else. She didn't know the lion in question - in fact, she had never met another big-cat 'shifter before - but that didn't matter, somehow. She also thought him a stupid lion indeed to get caught as he had, to get killed as he had, to get humiliated as he had, but that had no significance either.

What was important was that the streets would run red someday, when she was capable of tearing out the throats of the hunters and collectors and gawking, awed spectators. This completely contradicted her previous intense will to avoid Ketra for the rest of her life, of course, but that was Rei. Being consistent? That also happened to other people. After some time, her hands roaming over the trunk of the tree as if searching for some treasure hidden inside it, she stumbled back, trying to breathe slower, trying to be calm. She didn't dwell on things, even if they were tragic and unsettling. The only reason she could imagine for being so affected by the day's events was that she was in her halfway form, and that screwed with her head after a short while. Steadying herself on her feet, she ran her hands over her arms, as if to ensure that they were still there, and took a deep breath. She was going to finish 'shifting and then keep hunting; her stomach was veritably growling and she couldn't let the image of the stag slip from her mind. Edging forward without meaning to, she began taking a surprisingly clumsy path through the wooded glade, too lost in her fantasy of the chase to concentrate on shapeshifting. She recounted the scene in her mind, trying to catch the stag's scent again, determined not to let it slip away, thinking of the hot blood and sinewy meat... it was so tantalizing that she could almost smell it.

Wait.

She could smell it.

Her mind all but fractured with confusion, forcing her to bite down on her lip, noticing neither the trickle of copper crimson nor the pain. How? Who? Where? Why? She would have heard it if it had been fighting something. Hands clung to her fiery mane of hair, tugging at the roots to try and restore some serenity to her brain. This was why she loathed being confused. Starting forward, she veered on in the direction the stag had gone, dodging trees and their hanging branches, following the scent of cooling blood carried to her on the breeze. No longer was her step awkward and clumsy; without her express intent, she had slipped back into the cheetah form, veritably gliding over the ground, the whole world a cacophany of smells and shades and subtle pressures. She was a blurred streak of dark gold, blotted with darkness, blazing with curiosity and frustration. If she sated her curiosity, she would solve her confusion, and then her world would be back to normal, back to the way she liked it.

The sensitive whiskers and hairs on her face sensed the approaching clearing, feeling the air changing and the trees receding. The stench of blood and torn flesh was stronger than ever, and her sharp eyes picked out the carcass even before she had entered the clearing. Immediately, she stopped, her front paws thudding down simultaneously, hindfeet following a second later. She could stop in a single stride from a flat-out run with ease; it came naturally to her. Now, prowling stealthily around the perimeter of the clearing, she was using every sense and advantage she had to assess what the hell was going on. Scents mixed in the air; the stag's odour and the musk of another animal, a larger one. A predator. For a moment, she stilled, eyes fixed questioningly on the carcass. She wasn't going to scavenge, of course - no cheetah would conceive of eating carrion - but the sight riveted her. Not much had been eaten, and it resembled one of her typical kills almost exactly. She ate only enough to get rid of the hunger - she didn't gorge like some insane demon.

Unnerved, she turned, muzzle raising to check the scents of the air as her eyes darted around suspiciously. She could track the predator by the smell of the stag's blood. Immediately she took off again, nerves jangling, instincts clamouring for her to take more time, to be more cautious, but the confusion and disarray inside her mind drove her on like a woman - well, cheetah - possessed. Before long she skidded to another abrupt halt, hearing a sound she hadn't heard before. Running water in the vicinity. Of course. What would she be doing if she had just fed? Drinking from the nearest body of water she could find. Finally, her instincts won the battle of caution, and she carefully 'shifted back into her human form. It was irritating, but it would stop the predator (correctly) assuming she was hunting in its territory. Cautiously, hands curling into fists, she sank to ground level, creeping forward on her hands and knees. She was certain to be spotted this way, but she would rather take her chances as an intimidating human than a fellow hunter and instant enemy.

Her head aligned almost perfectly to the ground, she narrowed her eyes, peering through the barricade of plants. The first movement she saw was tumbling water, and it matched the dull roaring in her ears to form a complete image. Waterfall. But where was the predator? Where was the thing that had killed her designated prey, and killed it so easily, so familiarly? She couldn't see. Her eyesight was excellant, but she wasn't really made for nocturnal hunting. She preferred dusk and dawn and the thick darkness wasn't helping her hunt this hunter. In fact, she-

She realized, with a shock that seemed to stop her heart beating, that there were a pair of eyes looking at her. They hadn't appeared; they had been looking at her the entire time, surrounded by nothing but darkness. Leaves flickered gently as she stared at them, numbly, the sudden feral scent springing on her. Male, she thought, her human mind trying to establish some kind of order. Cat. Big cat. Black, blends in. Some feeling was surging through her, carrying adrenaline and excitement with it. A panther. She had rarely seen panthers before, and was more acquainted with the more common leopards, but once the idea was in her head, she couldn't remove it. And here was this wonderful, golden opportunity to fight a cat like her.

Leaping to her feet in a burst of frenzied energy, remembering at last to breathe, she crashed noisily and quite madly through the underbrush, flinging nature's obstacles out of her way, trying to find the most direct path to the pool. She burst out, now breathing fast with excitement, and waved madly at the animal. Not many human women did that, and the thought made her laugh wildly, inexplicably. The panther must think her insane, if it thought at all, and perhaps it didn't. What did it matter?

"Rei is so HAPPY!" She cried, hands clinging to her tunic in a sort of ecstasy. "She'll be a cheetah, and she'll fight you! She's never been able to fight a panther! Are you ready? Are you excited?"

Despite her words of... well, madness, she did look happy. Exhilarated at the prospect of fighting an animal so close to her favourite form, when she'd never had the chance before. Excited that perhaps, afterward (when she won, as she never entertained the idea she might not), she could sit in the company of another feline for a little while. Just a while.

She would like that.

||ooc|| Thanks, Cat-san ^^; And your post wasn't bad at all, I loved it! And I'm nineteen, twenty come February ><;

Ooh, and sorry about this post. It's a bit... disjointed and random. I've had sugar >>;; ||

[Anonymous]

Oh... hmm.. no wonder you write so well! You are definetly older than me.. I'm only 14.

He stared at her, his large emerald eyes showing confusion, and well, slight amusement to be in fact. The cheetah shapeshifter, who he had learned to be called Rei, had gone from preadator, to distraught woman, and back to hyper happy woman. It was slightly funny to watch all these emotions play, ethced on the woman's lovely lines. He could feel his lovely, depressing black lips turn into a slight arch as he slowly made his way out of the shadows, his body changing back into his human form, his human form merging with the night. Now he sat in front of the girl, his pale arms between his legs as he sat somewhat crouched in a very odd position for a human. He shook some of his wavy black hair out of his face and straightened himself up, standing up. He was very pale, and what little pale light of the moon, cascading through the thick linage of leaves, hit his skin, made him look very luminecent, almost transparent. He tilted his head to the side, and smile playing at the sides of his mouth, slowly turnig into a smirk. Right now he was bare chested, his black panther shirt around his waist. He put his pale hands to his hips and smiled at her. "You...want to fight... me? You'll never win, so why even try!" he exclaimed, half laughing to himself at the very thought of it. To this day he had never lost a fight with anybody, and he was willing to do anything to keep up his winning streak.

He slowly decended, his human form once again turning back into his black panther form, but not before he said "Besides, you couldn't even catch that stag!" He circled her like a large shark might circle it's prey. On the inside he was exhilierated and happy, on the outside you really couldn't tell, his black velvet face emotionless. After sizing her up, staring her down he slowly ambered over toward the edge of the water once more to take a small drink. He had to admit... that she was a really preety lady and that he wouldn't want to give her up without a try first. So... maybe he would play her little game of mouse and cat, only... more like cat and cat. Actually this could be quite entertaining, seeing her loose with such a boastful mouth. Yes... yes... he would definietly enjoy this! He smirked on the inside, dispensing his shiny, beautiful claws with so much as a boered sound. Now the spark had died and he was quite bored, waiting for her to respond. He walked over to a nearby tree, and just being stupid, he clawed it down, making a deep 'x' in the middle. He flicked back his claws and then stared up at her, with his beatiful large emerald eyes, which glistened in the pale moonlight. Yes yes... this would be a very very find game indeed. And he would be sure, not to loose this. Or... maybe he would... maybe he would let her win, just to make her feel better about herself... that was always a way to swoon the girl.

He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the cold of the night embrace his body, carresse it ever so slightly as a soft brezze played with his black velvet fur. He could hear the soft wind ruffle some leaves on the ground, making them scatter too new destinations. He opened his eyes once more and then stood up, once again transoforming back into his human form. He smirked once more, his emerald eyes glistining with playfulness and curiosity and he somewhat lunged a bit forward, a little to close to her, maybe a little to close for comfort. His body was so close that he could see her beautiful etched lashes above those carved eyes. He coudl accutely hear her soft breathing, rhtymatic with her chest which moved up and down. He could feel the warmth of her body, and he realized that she must feel it too. Maybe he was coming on a little too strong... but it was all in good fun and he always liked to play and mess with his opponents first, especially if they were beautiful woman. (A little powerplaying, can be modified if you want, but more plotage) He moved closer toward her, until she was slightly pinned up against a tree. He wasn't even touching her, but he was so dangerously close too. He put his arm out straight, laying it gently and lazily against the tree.  He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"I'm ready... are you?" He breathed out, his breath upon her delicate skin.

[Anonymous]

Rei kept her eyes trained on the approaching panther, her mind whirring happily. She had to think of how to fight him, of course, as she'd never been able to entice any big cats into a fight back on her home range. His shadowy fur wasn't a problem thanks to her acute eyesight, but his eyesight was just as good - if not better, being more suited to nocturnal fighting. He was much bigger, his claws were sharper and stronger, and so were his teeth. Hm. Perhaps this wasn't going to be as easy as she had assumed... but that just meant it would be all the more exciting. Still, he was a natural stalker, she was a natural chaser - her speed was the only advantage she was going to have over the panth... pan... p....

Human?!

She blinked. She blinked again, disbelievingly, but the image was still the same. Where the panther had been standing just moments before, there was now a human crouched in front of her, looking quite unearthly in the moonlight. Her hand crept to her forehead and cheek, touching the spot where the antlers had crashed into her head and wondering if perhaps she'd been hit harder than she thought. She had to be seeing things. It was a delusion. She'd never hallucinated before, but she'd half-suspected that she was going to, one day. She'd never expected that the hallucination would be like this, of course, and that was the problem. If she was going to turn the final corner of insanity, why imagine a handsome panther? He wasn't even the right species! As the apparition stood, her eyes managed to get even rounder, sudden inspiration sleeting through her mind. A shapeshifter. A big cat, like her. Now that was something worth paying attention to.

"You...want to fight... me? You'll never win, so why even try!"

Fascinated by his tone of amusement, Rei continued to watch him silently, riveted by his confident stance and obvious mastery of the situation. He certainly didn't seem half as surprised to see her as she was to see him, let alone slightly worried by her challenge. Well, his brashness was understandable; in the wild, cheetahs avoided leopards like the plague. But Rei wasn't just a cheetah, and the panther definitely wasn't just a panther. She sought out fights and was skilled enough to win them. She'd decimated a pack of hyenas stupid enough to try and attack her before she'd even grown out of her mane. He was in for a nasty shock when she... when she what? Get behind him, she thought, trying furiously to find a weak spot to exploit. Get behind him, chase him, trip him and bite him. But that only worked when chasing prey. How on earth was a cheetah supposed to get to a panther's back, when any panther was going to be trying to get to the cheetah's back?

"Besides, you couldn't even catch that stag!"

For a few moments, she breathlessly watched him shapeshift, suddenly wondering what she looked like when she changed forms. Then, as his words finally caught up to her, she began to laugh; chuckles at first, before she threw her head back and cackled outright. Since when were cheetahs supposed to catch their first target on the first attempt? Where on earth would be the fun? Her kind was lucky to catch more than half their intended prey. Sure, she could outrun any other animal, but to run too fast for too long would raise her body temperature to a lethal degree. She liked to think of it as the Sixty Second Law: she had one minute in which to run and catch her prey. As soon as she reached that barrier, it was time for a little lie-down in the shade and some tactical plotting. Despite the effort and wasted energy, she never went hungry. Although... this shapeshifter had gone and eaten the prey she'd wanted to hunt. That wasn't very nice, was it?

Eyes narrowing, her expression abruptly turning sinister, she watched the panther prowling around her.

"Rei was going to have that stag for her dinner, yo," she said, darkly accusing. Her lowered brows and sulky pout made her look younger than her twenty three years, like a child whose favourite toy had been stepped on.

She watched him ambling toward the pool for a drink, her mind trying to contend with the sudden influx of new information. She wasn't excited anymore; her mercurial moodswing had taken away all the fun. She'd just remembered how hungry she was, and now she had an irritating male strutting around and acting as though she were useless, right after eating her dinner. Who was he to talk to her like that? She'd probably chased the stag into his path. In fact, here he was, living in woods, so close to those detestable humans. He was a disgrace to his feline form. Of course, the fact that she was temporarily residing in the exact same forest conveniently slipped her mind. Can he roar? The thought was, unsurprisingly, quite random. But she wanted to know. Cheetahs couldn't roar. It was maddening to hear the distant roars of lions and tigers on the plains, reminding her that she couldn't do that. Instead, she could purr while inhaling and exhaling, and no other big cats could do that. What a special gift that was, oh joy of joys, she was blessed. Sarcasm aside, she was still curious, still wondering about what this panther boy could do that she couldn't.

She stayed perfectly still as he engraved an X shape into the bark of a tree, clearly showing off and being as arrogant as a panther could be. It reminded her of something useful, however; that he could climb trees better than she could. No sense trying that one, then, which was a pity. She was still lost in her calculations when he shifted back into his human form, paying little or no attention to him. She needed to think, to understand how she was going to win, and her attention span had grown tired with watching him prancing and preening. Therefore, when he lunged toward her abruptly, she didn't bat an eyelid. While it may have appeared brave, her lack of flinching, she just hadn't really noticed it. What she did notice, after a few seconds, was that he was in her personal space. Frowning slowly, disoriented as though coming out of a dream, she leaned backwards a little, as though to politely hint at her discomfort. When he failed to back away, she stood straight again, eyes boring into his with puzzlement. Er... What's he doing? The idea that he was making use of the human rituals of 'flirting' never occurred to her. No one tried to flirt with Rei; she wasn't the correct species and she wasn't at the correct level of sanity. In short, she was left with no clue as to what was going on.

He moved forward with all the feline grace of his panther form, and given the options of 'get walked into' or 'back away', she chose the latter, easing up and wondering when he was going to stop trying to walk through her. She was, after all, quite solid. Only when she backed right into a tree did he stop, barely inches from her, not appearing the slightest embarassed at his shirtless state. Nor was she, but wandering around in a state of partial nakedness wasn't something that she did on a regular basis, personally, even if she was a bit on the loopy side. She tilted her head, one eyebrow raising, silently conveying her bafflement. It occurred to her, for the first time in years, that she was fully capable of calling someone else insane. He's trying to distract Rei, she thought, with a veritable epiphany. Hah! Nice try!

"I'm ready... are you?"

For a moment, she remained perfectly still, allowing her thoughts to quieten. Then, quite slowly, she raised her face toward his, and grinned.

"Yup!"

And with the cheerful affirmation, she shapeshifted. As her height diminished, she ducked and darted around him, approaching the pool as she finished 'shifting. The moment the last of her human features had melted away, she sprang forward, leaping onto the rocks surrounding the water and letting her instincts guide her. He was bigger than her and almost definitely stronger than her, but that meant nothing if he wasn't fast enough. Her clubbed tail swung from side to side, her claws scratching as she turned around on her rock and used all her senses to pinpoint his position. Then, without warning, she took off, springing off the rock and in the opposite direction. Of course, she could easily outrun him, but she hoped to entice him into following her. Then she could double back and ambush him from behind. The air rushed past her as she ran, paws barely touching the ground, throwing in a few twists and turns for authenticity. Speed was her only advantage.

||ooc|| No way *Awe* I wish I roleplayed like that when I was fourteen >_< Back then, I considered four lines to be uber >>; *Envy* ||

[Anonymous]

With smooth swiftness the beatufiul pale woman standing in front of him suddenly shrunk down into a swiftless feline cat form. He smirked and turned as she somewhat circled him, showing off her taste for speed.  He yawned, watching her move back and forth in front of him... true, she was fast...hmm... this would be a very intresting battle. It was in fact a black panthar with great bruteness and strength, but a cheetah who had medium strength and was greater with speed. Before he shapeshifted he thought it all out, and once he had finally come to a conclusion her smirked, staring at her, his beautiful emerald eyes gleaming in the pale moonlight. The darkness seemed to engulf them both in it's rich velvety essence, but not matter, both each had perfect accute vision and hearing. Yes...yes... this was defeinietly going to be a interesting battle. He shapehisfted, his body slowly transforming into his great panthar form, his pale, pale skin turning into a very deep black. His eyes however remained the same, a glistining emerald. Once he was finished he somewhat circled her, but then, with one quick glance at their surrondings, he quickly stopped and started moving deep into the underbrush. This was no place to fight! They needed more space, more room! And so, that was why he was heading toward the clearing in which the stinking carcass still lay. He hoped she was following.

She should just give up! She would never win to a brute strenght of him. She may be fast, but that also meant that he had another advantage to that. Cheethas. They weren't complex things, and were in fact quite simple. They always always made the same mistake, and that's exactly what he was going to make her do. Make that same mistake over and over again. Cheethas can run, very very fast. But not forever. They only used up an amount of speed necessary to do what task lay ahead of them. That was all he needed to do! Tire her out! Plain and simple. Dodge a few swift blows, maybe add a bite here or there... nothing to it! How could he have thought that this match would be interesting! He already had it all figured and planned out! They reached the clearing, the blood still lingering in the air, almost like a crimson mist or a irony scent. It mixed horribly with the perfumed air and honeysuckle, and it made it almost sickining, and desirable all at the same time. He sniffed, his black nose raising into the air slightly. He lowed his head and then once again looked at his opponent with his emerald eyes. This was going to be so easy! Nothing too it! The plan was simple. Tire her out, strike at the oppurtune moment, maybe knock her out... this would be all simple. All he had to do was block a few blows.

 And this was his own mistake. He became over confident.

Oh oh

As the stars above them streched out th arms Devin became into a fighting mode. He produced his claws from beneath the deep fur of his paws and bared his teeth, somewhat snarlining a bit. He would definietly go easy on her. This was supposed to be a fun battle, but why not have a little fun? Intimidate her...


OOC: Sorry for shortness.. I can't think of what to write. You should start the fight..

[Anonymous]

He was moving all right, but he didn't seem to be chasing her, his speed seeming casual to the reckless cheetah scything through the trees. She did her best to listen as she moved, ears straining and nostrils flaring. He had disappeared into the underbrush, clearly not falling for her trap, and she cursed in the privacy of her mind. Think like a panther, she thought, frustrated at the animalistic part of her that just wanted to bite him until he gave in. She had to come up with a strategy or she might lose, and that would be unforgivable. All right. What did he need that she didn't? What would give him an advantage?

Open ground.

Catching a tendril of his scent on the breeze, she smoothly altered her track, heading both toward the scent and the only open space she'd encountered in the forest; the clearing with the dead stag on the fringes. Her human mind was buzzing, enjoying the simplicity of having a single-minded purpose - to win. It made everything feel so much easier, so exciting, as if danger lurked around every tree trunk and she had nothing but her strength to protect her from it. For most, that wasn't a happy thought, but Rei loved it. How much does he know about cheetahs? She pondered, her paws whistling over the uneven ground. If he knew as much about her kind as she did about his, it was going to be a very... interesting fight. She banished the outlandish idea that she might not win. All that would do was make her hesitant, and her own doubt would lose her the fight.

Screeching to another of those abrupt halts, she paused momentarily between the trees, watching the panther in the clearing. He was looking right at her, and for a moment she felt unaccountably dizzy. His eyes were green, like hers, but where hers were hazy and bottle-green, his were a striking emerald. She stared back, not breaking eye contact, knowing it would be a sign of weakness if she did. When he snarled, she felt the fur on her neck stand on end, bristling with anger and defense. A low, hissing sound rumbled from her throat when she wasn't quite expecting it, but she didn't care. She had more important things to do.

Taking a few steps backward, crushing leaves and twigs without notice, she darted around the tree, fully aware he wouldn't let her reach his back. Still, strong though he was, she was going to move so fast he didn't know what to do. Abruptly, she veered dead into the clearing, gathering her hind legs for a powerful spring. She intended to clap her jaws onto the nearest available piece of panther, but failing that, even getting him to turn around would be enough to dart to his back when she landed.

|ooc| That wasn't short, that was great xD I started the fighting, was very careful not to powerplay. For clarification, she just leapt at him and may or may not bite him somewhere, depending on what he does x3;; Hope it's okay! ||

[Anonymous]

Speed. It was her only advantage wasn't it? This was the only thing she could use to beat him. Speed, and maybe flexiability. She had darted around a tree and then suddenly veered to the right. He felt smooth sharp teeth graze his black skin, yet he neighter flinched nor moved when small specks of blood appeared in the fresh wound even though there was slight pain for an instant. On the inside he was smiling/grimacing. What was she trying to do? The bite felt like a poke of a needle. His skin had become rough and calloused over the months. She bit on hard skin and so he didn't even feel it...much! All he could tell that he had a wound was that the scent of fresh blood,his blood, was in the air. He had to admit that he would be sore in the morning, oh yeah, it wasn't like he was invinciable or something, but he had learned to try and put away as much pain as possible, at least until the fight was over. She was fast, so very fast indeed. Her speed equaled to her velocity and flexiability was a great advantage. But for how long? He moved, his large paws carressing with the soft earth beneath him, being the slighty dead grass flat onto the vast land. His pure emerald eye contact had once again found her eyes. He stared at her, almost as if he was burning a hole right through her very soul. Yes yes, make her feel uncomfortalble. But this wasn't a time for just standing here staring, it was time to take action.

He moved swiftly to the side, knowing any moment that she might just take off running again, afraid of an attack. His large arms graced themselves in the air as he made a large pounce. He landed hopefully right next to her, his claws dispersing from his paw, sleek and white. He brought them up and tried to claw her face, maybe getting the eye. Hopefully this technique could work. It was a small, pathetic technique, but oh did he have more to come as this battle would rage on.She could do a couple of things with this. She could take the blow and maybe counter attack with a swip of her own, probably just swipping in some random direction if he got her eye. She could have easily dodged it, but would regret dodging it later. Or, well he knew she wasn't just going to sit there like a lemon, but she could just stand there and take it. But who would want to do that? He set aside his paw and with great flexibility and agility he moved toward the back of her, going behind her. He turned and stared at her, wondering what she would do next. Wondering if his blow had actually hit. Hopefully he had gotten her eye in which she couldn't see for the time being. That would be an even more intresting fight. Though he could not tell if it had worked for she had her back to him, he was starting at the back of her head.

A slight brezze slowly settled into the night, gracing the land with it's soft precence. It slightly ruffled his black fur as it swept through. He represhed a shiver. the nights were always colder then the early mornings. Another brezze swept through and bend down some grass, pushing tree branches slightly back. He stared up in amusement as if he could see the wind with his prenatural emerald eyes. Then, just as the brezze had come, it had gone, vanishing into the thick linage of the black forest. He sniffed at the air for a moment, smelling the perfumed brezze and his own blood lingering in the air, and that of the dead carcass of the stag. It was really an odd smeel. Not disqusting, no, but quite odd in fact. He turned his attention back to Rei. He bent down once again into a fighting stance. This battle wasn't over. Not by a long shot!

OOC: Okay, once again, he tried to claw at her face, actually trying to get her eye but yeah. And we forgot to go over the rules of the fight! And we should definietly discuss who should win.

Rules:

1 attack per post
2 defenses throughout the whole fight
No powerplaying
No godmoding
No cheating, like turning back into human form

LOL.. okay?

[Anonymous]

Rei watched him with a thrill of satisfaction that she had drawn first blood. His reaction was inscrutable, which was a bad thing, since as a cheetah, the reaction of her opponents gave her hints and what to do next. As a result, instead of following up her attack, she backed off a little, golden green eyes pinned to the lithe figure of the panther, ears pricked for any sign of movement, any knowledge of what was to come. Instead, she realized (with a bit of a start) that he was staring boldly back. Her animal mind was cast into confusion, and the oft-ignored human corner sought to impose order immediately. He was trying to scare her, oh yes. It was either an ill-timed test of dominance or a distraction tactic. After several long heartbeats of silence (although frankly, her heart was racing - and she wasn't complaining) she settled on the latter, and cursed herself when she realized he was already moving. As he slunk to the side, she edged away, semi-retracted claws ready to grip into the soil and propell her in any direction.

Then, after what felt like an eternity of anticipation, he moved. He was faster than she expected, but not fast enough - she darted to the side, turning swiftly to use the chance to go for thr throat, and was caught in the face by a fistful of panther paw. Ow! The right side of her face throbbed momentarily, and was ignored in favour of a brisk dash straight toward the nearest tree, simply to gain distance until her wound could be ignored sufficiently to mount a counter-attack. She dug her claws in and turned, shaking her head a little, her right eye wincing. It took her a few moments to analyse her wound; thankfully, she wasn't blinded - she'd had a fairly close shave with her left eye before, and had the scar to prove it - but she could feel the blood matting her fur. Never mind - it could wait until she had human hands with which to inspect the wound. It would teach her not to underestimate the speed of a fellow feline, at any rate.

Shaking her head again, blinking to clear her vision, she saw the panther exactly where she'd left him, a sharp breeze cutting through the distance between them. Her whiskers twitched, but she strived to stay still. He could launch an attack with barely a flicker of fur, and while she preferred to be fast and furious, silent and stealthy was an option she wouldn't pass up. Her heartbeat increased further still, excitement merging with adrenaline and making her blood flow faster and faster.

This was excellant. When had she last enjoyed a fight this much?

Quietly gathering her muscles up for a sprint, Rei sought for the eye contact that had disturbed her enough to get attacked successfully. Perhaps the same tactic would work on the panther. For a moment, she stayed still, prepared to pounce but savouring the quiet moment in which every sense was heightened. Then, with barely a tremble in her limbs, she took off like a rocket, heading square for the black cat with as much speed as she could muster. Letting out a raspy yowl - she couldn't help it, she could never be as quiet as a stealthy panther, she had to shout! - she lashed out with her paw, trying to return the favour of a facial gash (or five) to the other cat. When her paws both hit the ground, she darted, aiming to keep facing her opponent, even if it meant another scar on her face. Better that than a set of fangs through the neck.

|ooc| The rules are great - and I'm so sorry for the hugely delayed post, Cat-san ;-; All the real-life stuff I ignored decided to drop on me from a very great height - and class started up, so the little net time I got, I spent studying madly to catch up.

I should be back to normal RPing habits, though - here's hoping xD;; And yes. We should discuss who wins. So... discuss it here, or in PM, or an IM...? >>; Once again, I'm sorry! Gomenasai gozaimasu! *Whimper* ||

[Anonymous]

She stared him down. He neither flinched nor quivered as her bottle green eyes stared at his pernatural emerald. She was trying to use the same tatic as he had donw, wasn't she? Well.. he could'nt be sure of that... maybe she was just picking another place to hit him. He stared at her, and then without warning she shot off like a rocket towards him, rasing her claws at his face, both paws. He quickly reacted, dodging off to the side with a counter attack of leaping upon her, his claws trying to graps on to her warm fur/skin. He would dig his claws into her if it work, and even if it would create a little wound, it would still be a wound all the same. If she ektp loosing blod like this than her speed would decrease, and if she kept using this much speed, then she would get tiered. He could go on for hours he realized.. having fed and drank, and having a good night sleep before had really helped. But he noticed that the stag he had eaten had actually been her stag. She must be tiered and hungry. If she wanted he would stop fighting.. I mean.. when you're hungry and you get tiered you really couldn't possible win against a full of energy, well fed panthar. All of this was rushing through his mind as moved away from her. Once again.. he was behind her, staring at the back of her head. He could smell the blood in the air and he had to admit that her blood smelled sweet. He stared at her and whispered "We can stop if you want..." he was really getting bored of this fighting for no reason... usually when he fought it would either be for game, play, or when someone picked a fight with him. This was just boring.

He licked at his paw, cleaning it off of the dried crimson blood that had rested upon it once he had clawed at her face. He turned and licked at his wound, wiping away the taste of blood and cleaning it so it would get infected. He gave a large yawn and the smiled...He would continue fighting if she wanted.. I mean.. it wouldn't be that hard.. he was only thinking of her sake however and he was, entirely getting bored of this. He stood up and paced back and forth, keeping his eyes upon her. She was quite beautiful...he couldn't help noticing.. her pale fur glistining in the newly brought moonlight. His emerald green eyes watched.... and so... he got into another fighting stance.. but with getting into a stance he yawned... could'nt they be done?

Sorry for the extreme shortness, I couldn't think of what to write, plus I'm not that good of a figher.. Um.. I don't care who wins,  but maybe we should stop fighting and get into the plot! WHat is our plot again? I forget... :cry:

[Anonymous]

Just as she hit the ground, feeling cheated of her attack, the shadows reared up at her. Or at least, that was what it looked like, what it felt like. Her instinct was to dart away, but she wasn't fast enough to avoid the feeling of claws grazing her skin as they tried to get purchase through her ruffled fur. She snarled, more out of surprise than anything else, and let her velocity pull her away from the claws that currently felt more like talons than anything else. As she gained distance again and turned back, human thoughts flashed through her mind. She was hungry, and although dusk was an excellant time for fighting, the night was dragging on and in her current form, that meant it was well past her bedtime. For the panther, of course, he'd eaten her prey and he was nocturnal. Had they been fighting in human form, perhaps she would be on equal footing, but she knew she was currently at several disadvantages.

"We can stop if you want..."

The rumbling noise of the panther drew her attention back to the present. He seemed to be making a show of his disinterest; licking his paw, yawning, grinning like only a very large panther could grin... Depending on her mood, it might have annoyed Rei, but she was busy trying to look as though she could keep this up for hours. Damn it! Any other 'shifter and they'd be done by now.

"Rei is fine, thank you," she hissed back. Just as she finished, however, her stomach emitted a rather loud grumbling. The cheetah's eyes narrowed. Well, that had been a bad time for her stupid stomach to voice an opinion. The scent of the stag carcass was driving her mad. It wasn't that it was disgusting, nor delectable; it just reminded her that she'd very much like to catch some dinner before taking another nap. Sure, Rei loved fighting, but the current shape of her body did have priorities. As the panther lowered himself down, she let out a cross between a sigh and snort. So long as he didn't think she was chickening out, she'd take him up on his offer. They could always fight tomorrow, unless he wasn't around tomorrow. For reasons she couldn't remotely understand, the idea that he might be gone by morning rather perturbed her. Possibly because she wouldn't have anyone to fight with, possibly for something both more human and more animal than her fractured mind could comprehend. Then again, possibly not. It was always so hard to tell, with Rei.

The cheetah straightened up from her defensive crouch, and fixed her unnerving gaze on the equally unnerving gaze of her opponent. Without a word, she allowed herself to change, not in the least self-conscious about it. Swiftly, the cat was replaced by the woman, who scratched her head for a moment, needing a second or two to let her animal mind fade away. She kept trying to twitch whiskers she didn't have. Then, shaking her head in a manner reminiscent of her cheetah self, she took a few light steps forward.

"Rei is sorry," she said, not sounding a bit sorry at all. "She needs to eat now, and if she stays a cheetah, she'll have to sleep, too. Maybe... maybe you'd like to fight tomorrow?"

A spark of hope lit up in her eyes, though she didn't realize it.

|ooc| No problem-o! The fun thing with Rei is she's easy to manipulate. Her mind's never made up about anything xD;;

Our plot? Uhm, from what I remember - they both get attacked by hunters, Rei gets hurt and can't shapeshift back into her human form, and they take her off to some kingdom with intent of skinning her. I assume they keep her alive for a reason, but I don't think we thought of one before xD;; ||

[Anonymous]

Devin yawned once again. The cheetah before him changed into that of a beautiful young woman. He tilted his head at her, his emerald green eyes staring up at her with a spark of playfulness. He had knew from the start that she wouldn't be able to finish a fight without something to eat.. and a good night's rest would help advantage her to. He yawned once more, for he was really tiered as well, and his wound upon his face ached(I forgot if it was at the face or back or something). He streched in his feline form and then slowly emerged into that of a man. His skin begame paler and his height became larger until he was standing up, staring right back at her. His wavy, silky black hair fell into his face, covering up his emerald green eyes. He brushed it away inpatiently. "How come you always talk in the third person?" he asked with mere curosity. He didn't go around saying "Devin needs rest" or "Devin is hungry". He tilted his head, just as his panthar side had did and then tilted it right again. This girl was obviously very strange... but there was something about her that made him just want to stare. Stare and get lost in her bottle green eyes. He liked her eyes. They were a beautiful shade of green, even though it would never match up to his own. HIs own prenatural emerald eyes. He let out a long sigh as he flopped on the ground.

"Sure we can fight tomorrow.. but I have some errands to do..."He had to go back into town. He was the caretaker of an old abandoned mansion that was there, and that was basically where he lived most of the time, but most of the time he would stay out. It was a nice routine. He would go in tommorow and water the plants and such... feed his cat. Then he would probably take a shower and then come back here. She could come if she wanted, though he highly doubted it. Unlike her, he thought, he wasn't afraid to admit that he was half human, half panthar. He wasn't ashamed of going to take a shower or go eat some human food. Many shapeshifters he had learned over time, only depended on the animal instinct, which was never really good because it always made there human part fade away even more, and one day they would probably realize they couldn't shapeshift back, or they wouldn't realize the difference between the animal and the human mind. He tried to keep it balanced...once in a while reading a book, or going to do something human like go out to dinner or see a play. He would always keep it balanced because he did have to admit...he did like his human side too...He sighed...she would probably think him mad for being the way he was. But it wasn't his fault! He just liked being a human too!

He turned over onto his back and loooked up at the night sky, the stars peering through the canopy of the trees. They twinkled and blossomed like that of a beautiful flower. He stared up at them with his beautiful emerald eyes and for a moment his eyes seemed to emit their own little spark. It always felt good to sleep under the night sky. Tonight, even though particularly cold, was a good night to sleep out under the stars because it was  clean and clear. He breathed in the cold air, letting it sharpen his lungs with its intense cold. He looked up at her. She must be really hungry and tiered. Would she even be able to catch some prey."If you're really tiered I could catch some prey for you... or we could go back to town and get a bite to eat...you're choice...: Devin always got right to the point. He was pretty straight forward. He picked up a blade of grass and started fiddling with it. It was a beatuiful night and all, but sometimes he did get really bored. There was never anything to do out here on cold nights except to hunt. On warm days he could always go swimming or something, but that was besides the point. In town it was slightly boring as well, for he lived her most of his life and he knew his way around pretty well. Though even the town had it's advantages that the forest did not. Reastraunts, tiny cute shops, sights to see.

He stared up at her once again. She should make a decision now.

Hmm.. no we didn't... we.. they keep her alive bceausemaybe they have a cehetah shapeshifter they want to breed her off with or...*come on brain think!* [/quote]

[Anonymous]

The panther changed back into the pale, startling young man that had Rei had first seen. She still didn't know what to make of him, or if he actually had a name, but as he brushed ebony hair out of his eyes, it occurred to her that she felt content to watch him. She wished she knew why.

"How come you always talk in the third person?"

"Hm?" She asked, looking politely interested and a tad confused. "Rei doesn't understand, yo. She doesn't talk about persons at all."

The term 'third person' was something the majority of people were familiar with, but the majority of people also had some ability to read and write. Rei had none. She was lucky to be able to speak the common language, but literacy was a step too far, something she couldn't even aspire to. Given the amount of time she spent as a cheetah, though, reading and writing weren't terribly necessary for her. She gently touched her cheek as the other shapeshifter plonked to the ground, feeling the thin, damp lines beneath her right eye where he'd scratched her. The blood was drying already, and she wasn't worried about whether or not she would have a scar. She'd stopped counting scars, and never had any vanity to care about them. After all, what did they show other than her bravery?

"Sure we can fight tomorrow.. but I have some errands to do..."

Errands? Why would a panther have errands to do? Rei blinked for a few moments, until the answer obligingly surfaced in her mind. Oh. Errands... as a human. Well, that was unexpected. She'd thought he resided in the woods, which would all but eliminate the need to masquerade as a human - but apparently not. But why? Did he enjoy being a human, or something? That couldn't be right. Animals were unfettered from human troubles, and while she enjoyed the advantages of her second form, she didn't understand that she could live in it, or grasp the appeal of doing so. It occurred to her, as she watched the prone form of the panther shapeshifter, that maybe it was worth trying just once. And on the bright side, he'd agreed to fight tomorrow. She wasn't sure why it was important that she see him again, but she wasn't one to question her own instincts.

"If you're really tiered I could catch some prey for you... or we could go back to town and get a bite to eat...you're choice..."

The woman wasn't at all sure what to make of that. On one paw, it was a kind offer to make; on the other, it somewhat implied that she couldn't hunt her own dinner. Which was a bad implication, obviously. Luckily, her mood was currently very easygoing, and she guessed at the former. At any rate, she didn't want to spend any more time as a cheetah; her animal form was very firm about sleeping during the night, and she wanted to stay awake as long as she was in the panther's company. So, cracking her knuckles absently, she took a few steps toward the sprawled-out boy.

"Rei would like to go back to town," she said, having forgotten all about why she had left Ketra in high dudgeon. "Maybe you know somewhere she could eat..."

She didn't have money to pay for food, but then, she'd never paid for anything in her life. Cheetahs were good at running, after all, and stealing was somehow more respectable than killing the owner of what she wanted. Rei brought a whole new meaning to the phrase "eat and run".

"Who are you?" She asked, her tone friendly but completely blunt.

|ooc| That sounds fine to me ^^; Sorry about the shortness, my brain's gone on a bit of a holiday without me xD;; ||

[Anonymous]

Oh, don't worry it wasn't short, it was just fine... Okay.. tell me whenever your ready to start the plot...but I think he should take her to his home first! That would be fun!

He stared at her, his emerald green eyes showing confuesement. Obviously, as he had thought before, she had let most of her animal mind erase the human part. She talked in third person and seemed to no know much about things such as literature or writing. He smiled... thinking that someday he should teach her. WOAH! Where did that though come from? He scratched the back of his head, smiling at her.."Um...that wasn't what I mean..but that's alright..."He stood up, his powerful arm muscels extending to push himself up. He stood in front of her, very very close. Maybe a little to close for comfort, but he didn't notice. The thing he did notice however was the deep wound he had made on her eye. It was already drying up but he winced looking at it. For some reason it pained him to know that he had hurt her. He didn't know why.. but it did and for some reason his hand reached out and stroked the wound gently. He was sorry. "It's healing but not by much, when we get to town I'll get an herb that will help it.."His hand moved away non chantly as he crossed his arms and huffed out a sigh. Why was all this happening. What was this feeling? He shouldn't feel anything for this woman. He had just met her! JUST MET HER! But for some reason he couldnt' help but feel that he must be near her, but take care of her.

Maybe it was because he hadn't seen a shapeshifter in about a year. He had gone on with his merry life. Switching from forms when ever he pleased, and now she had come and disturbed all of that. She was a ripple in his smooth lake. Though even as he thought of this he couldn't help but smile as he moved closer and put his arm around her neck. "Come on, I know the town pretty well so I'll take you somewhere nice, they've got great steak that you can eat practically raw!" his voiced sounded like that of a meager child who was very excited about something, though his own voice had a much deeper tone. He looked over at her and without any concent he started moving, his arm still around her neck. ( I realize this might be powerplaying and I'm very sorry, can be changed..) He walked her down a well know-well beaten path toward the well lit town. He was going to take her to Leverer's reastraunt. It was this fancy little place that was basically for the high class people. It had ornate walls and ornate rugs. The walls were a rich creme colour and the rugs were usually a deep crimson. with delicates of royal blue rugs or emerald green ones. They had the finest china and there food was deliectable! He smiled just at the thought of it.. He hadn't been there for quite some time for it was quite embarassing to go alone to such a high class place like that. But now he had someone. Now he had Rei.

He looked over at her as they continued to move toward the house. Maybe he should purchase something for her, something that she would cherish.. like that of a dress. But where would she put it? Maybe he could keep it for her... All of these thoughts ran through his head. He couldn't help but feel to want to spoil this young maiden. It had been some time since he had had someone to chat with, or to dine with,and to hunt with. He stared at her and then smiled once more, his prenatural emerald eyes glistining. "You must be really hungry... are you ready for the best meal of you're life!?"

Sorry for the shortness...-_-;;;

[Anonymous]

Rei's eyes widened when the boy reached out, fingers grazing her cut. She gave a little, inexplicable shiver that she put down to the cold night air, and her head tilted again as she scrutinized his expression. All of a sudden, he looked a little odd.

"It's healing but not by much, when we get to town I'll get an herb that will help it.."

"Oh," she said, with the expression of sudden understanding. "Rei's fine, yo. She's had worse!"

It occurred to her then, in a way it had never done before, that she had had worse, as were evident on her face. As the shapeshifter crossed his arms, she frowned, and her eyes darted downward in a futile effort to look at her own cheek. Never before had the presence of the scars bothered her, but now she felt the slightest twinge of self-consciousness; looking from the boy's smooth, pale skin and then her own (or remembering what it looked like, the last time she'd passed a reflective surface) provoked an odd feeling in her that she wasn't sure she liked. For some reason, when he slung his arm around her neck, the feeling lifted a little - and combined with yet more confusion. What was he doing, and why was he doing it? After a moment, the conclusion surfaced. She saw humans walking like this in towns and villages; it seemed to be the human equivalent of grooming each other, a sort of show of affection.

"Come on, I know the town pretty well so I'll take you somewhere nice, they've got great steak that you can eat practically raw!"

As they moved off, he gently guiding her along, Rei worked hard to understand why her attention span was being so accomodating. She wasn't unaware of her tendency to need to run off mid-sentence and chase squirrels, so to be able to pay close attention to her new friend (as he had become in her mind) for this long was frankly astonishing. As they walked in relative silence, she stole (not terribly subtle) glances at his profile, acutely aware of the heat radiating from his body, wondering at the expressive quality of his face and, at one point, the random smile that graced its features. He was an odd creature. She decided, quite simply, that she rather liked him. Eventually returning her gaze to see the town laid out before them, she contemplated dinner. 'Practically raw steak' sounded very, very appealing just then, and on the few occasions she'd had steak, 'rare' was an understatement. After a while, she became aware of a feeling her animal senses recognized a little too well - a watched feeling. She turned her head to see the panther 'shifter was smiling again. She thought that perhaps he smiled a lot. That must be nice.

"You must be really hungry... are you ready for the best meal of you're life!?"

Perhaps it was infectious, because the smile soon spread to her own lips. He seemed somewhat enthusiastic, but he'd just eaten, leaving her with yet another puzzle to ponder over.

"Yes," she answered solemnly, after giving the question serious consideration. "Rei is both really, really hungry, and ready for the best meal of her life."

She considered this statement gravely.

"Twice over."

Just in case pointing out that she was 'really, really hungry' hadn't quite made her point, or anything.

|ooc| That would be fun xD! And your post wasn't short at all - mine are getting progressively shorter, but that's not a bad thing (is it? ;>>) ||

[Anonymous]

He was glad that she seemd excited about the whole idea. For some reason he was a little nervouse for acting so forward toward her, but he had done it anyway and she seemed to be fine with it. He smiled as he kept his arm around her neck. The town layed nestled in the thick linage of the forest.  It stretched out for as far as the eye could see, or as far as the dense forest would let you see. He stared at it, still looking at it with great intrest for at night the town always looked beautiful, with it light up and shinning against the dark cold night. Then a harsh wind blue and sort od dampered his spirits just a bit.  "It's really cold out tonight... Do you have a jacket?" he asked her, but he doubted she did. Most shapeshifters hardly changed their clothes. They stayed in their animal fur. But not him. Oh no.. he liked to be diffrent. He liked to change his clothes and wear jackets and on occasions, ties. He let out a sigh, a slight frown etched in the lines of his face. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the cold wind brush across his face, feeling it's icy fingers lace themselves between his silky black hair. But then he turned back to her, a gleam or a spark in his eye, another smile lit upon his face. Before them came  a very steep hill, the path turning into wide concrete steps. He now he tookd her hand gently, and started to led her down them.

Once at the bottom of the steps he led her out of the alleway and into the main sqaure of the town. People bustled to and for, and the streets were filled to life. Cart vendors sold hot roasted peanuts and sometimes, if you were lucky, popcorn. Most of them always sold hot choclate. He took in a deep breath of the sight before him and then exhaled quickly. "The restraunt should be right over there...."He said, pointing over to the creme-tan coloured building. It stood proud and tall and with flowerbeds overflowing into colorful rivers onto the streets. He wraped his arm around hers and stroud proudly up to the door, where a door attendant opened it for him, though not without a suspicious look. Inside a blast of warm air hit him sqaure in the face, and he let out an relived sigh as the warmth wrapped itself around him. He looked over at Rei and smiled again.."Oh.. that's right... I never did tell you my name.. I guess I should shouldn't I, my name is Devin!" OHH, he was so happy to be here! He hadn't been here for over a month and now he even had a pretty girl with him! He beamed at this thought as a man dressed very classy like came up to him. "Two to a table?" the man asked eying them with a hint of disqust. Devin looked at him in disqust. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a wad of cash. "Yeah, the best one in the house Detrek!" Detrek eyed the cash warily, took it, and quickly stuffed it into his vest pocket. "Right this way..."

Detrek led them to a very nice table, decked with a a lovely pure white cloth and gold instruments. There was soft music playing somewhere off near by and it set the mood to quite and relaxing. Devin stared at Rei wairly. She had probably never been to something this high classy or something this quite. But then he smiled... who cared? He didn't? If she made a mess, fine, if she was loud, all the better! He really liked this girl for some reason... even though he wasn't supposed to...because she was a cheetah and he was a panthar...well.. he liked her. Devin sat down at the table, letting go of Rei's arm. As soon as he did he immedietly ordered the best champaine or wine they could possibly give him. He would treat Rei tonight. It had been so long since he had treated someone and now all he wanted to do was treat all of his mony on someone. It was the oddest feeling ever, but he liked it. He looked up. "Think about what you want to order and I'll get it for you... maybe you want that raw steak I was talking about?" The steak here was teh greatest and even though it cost more than his standards would be, money wasn't an option. His disceased father had left him everything in the will, and his father had been a very rich person. He was rich for he had a nice stock in Brandenburg. He had made millions.

Detrek came back with the wine. He took out two crystal glasses and set them down upon the table.He pourd it with exquisite skill. " Are you two ready to order?" he asked, pulling out his pen and pad.

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