What is happening to me?! [Open]

[WildsFlower]

Maria threw herself at Kirl wrapping her arms around her.  She put her head on her shoulder and told the story that her brothers had told her.
"A long time ago there was a woman in our blood line who turned into a monster and killed people all the time.  The government in Connlaoth killed her for it and sent our family to the border.  We have never been allowed to leave there unless we earned it.  Nothing was ever good enough.  My mommy always told me not everything is black and white but I don't get it"
Maria burred her head into Kirl's shoulder taking in her warmth.

[JackieCat]

Kirl wrapped her arms around the girl and listened as she told her about her ancestor. The girl seemed so afraid, and she should be, her life for the past days had been a jumble of emotions.

"Your mother meant that there are not only two sides of anything." Kirl said, and Oax sat down next to them, leaning against their bodies. There was more than your ancestor simply suddenly becoming an evil out of control beast. killing, and being exiled.  Your ancestor probably wasn't trained in her transforming processes," Kirl said softly. "So when she turned she was completely out of control.  It may not have been her fault.  Her family maybe wasn't supportive of her power and made no effort to help her control it.  They may have been so afraid of what she could become that they would keep her locked up, so when she turned into a beast she wouldn't harm anyone.  But if she was ever let out and then turned into the beast, she would kill people.  Her family was too afraid.  Both of her and what would happen if she was found out.  She was.  You're family was exiled unjustly.  It was not they who killed people, it was an ancestor that lived long ago.  They should have gotten help for you when they found out." Kirl shook her head sadly, still holding the girl tight.

But I'll help you."  She leaned back and put her hands on the girl's shoulders, looking into her blue green eyes. Then her face broke into a smile. "So, where do you want to start?"

[WildsFlower]

Maria gave the girl a smile back, she couldn't help it. 
"I wouldn't know, no one has magic where I am from.  Everyone hates it."
Maria tilted her head to the right and wore a questioning look.
"Do you have magic?"

[JackieCat]

Kirl shook her head. "Not really, not the kind that you have, or the kind mages have.  But I can communicate with Oax and other animals.  They can let me know what they are thinking through a mental link." She smiled. "When I was twelve a little hyena pup stumbled into our backyard.  It was thin and its fur was dirty and thin.  Her parents had been killed when they were stealing sheep from a nearby farmer.  I took the little pup in.  It was Oax, and as soon as I saw her i knew we had a connection.  I was right.  I was kicked out of my village for taking her in, since hyenas are hated in the village I lived in."

She scratched Oax on the top of her head. "Oax is not a regular hyena, I learned a few years after we had met.  She is a Gann Hyena.  They are the same as a regular hyena in every aspect except they are a tad bigger and will live nearly six times as long."

"As for where to start? Hmmm." Kirl frowned and put a finger on her lips. "The nearest city is 25 miles away, and it would take me nine hours to get there from here. . .  Have you ever traveled before-?  Oh, my gosh!  I don't even know your name!  I'm Kirl Moonharber, and you know this is Oax, what's your name?" 

[WildsFlower]

"Maria Haystack."  Maria said with a smile.  She was feeling much better now.  She could still feel the grasshoppers in her stomach fluttering and sometimes kicking her hard enough to make her remember, but it felt good to be with someone again.  She had never really been alone before. 
"I have traveled from my home to here, and that was pretty far I think."  Maria says with a slightly proud smile.  "I know how to hunt and start a fire to!"
"Can you communicate with all animals?" 

[JackieCat]

It's nice to meet you, Maria," Kirl said smiling. "I can communicate with most animals.  I only realized this power when I met Oax, though."

Kirl got to her feet and walked to her pack, which she had set on the ground long before. "You say you've traveled, at least a bit, and you know how to hunt, so we should be at the city by dark tomorrow."  She looked up at the darkening sky. "We should stay here for the night.  WE'll start early tomorrow morning.  And don't worry about the wolves, Oax keeps them away just with her scent."

Kirl took a few dead branches from the forest floor and started to make a fire. "The fire will also help keep them and other animals away."

[WildsFlower]

Maria started to look for wood for the fire as well. 
"How long have you been wandering?"  Maria asked, she wanted to say alone but knew the girl wasn't alone she had Oax.  Thinking of another question right after she asked "do you think I could communicate with you when I was a uhm.." Still not used to the idea she stuttered a little "a lion?"

[JackieCat]

"I've been traveling since I left my town," Kirl said as she knelt next to the pile of wood and stacking it into a teepee. Then at Maria's next question her eyes grew wide. "That's brilliant!" she exclaimed. "If I can communicate with you when you are in your lion form, I will be able to possibly calm you, help you get in control of yourself when you're in you're lion form!"

[WildsFlower]

Maria felt Kirl's excitement radiating off of her, but didn't quite feel it herself.  She still wasn't used to this lion thing. 
"I don't even know how to turn into a lion."  Maria mumbled a bit.  "But it would make me feel safer with you there, I don't think you would let me hurt anyone."  Maria gave her a toothy smile feeling bad that she wasn't as excited by this new theory.

[JackieCat]

Kirl saw the doubt in Maria's face, and softly smiled. "I know that your lion form is new for you, and I know that you, as of now, have no control over it.  But the next time you change, I will, hopefully, be able to calm you down and we can maybe even 'talk'."

Kirl gathered some dry grass and put it onto the wood.  Then, crouching next to it, pulled out a flint and steel.  Bringing them close to the dry grass, she struck.  The sparks flew and the grass started, soon starting the smaller sticks.

Oax came and sat next to Kirl, pushing her nose under her arm.  Kirl laughed and petted the hyena. "I'm sure Oax will be able to help you too," Kirl said. "If you happen to get out of control in your lion form I wouldn't be able to stop you without hurting you.  Oax, on the other hand, is bigger than you will be in your other form and will be able to subdue you without hurting you.  Though I hope that it never comes to that."

Kirl sat back, scratching Oax behind the ears. "If you ever feel yourself start to change, cry out, if you can, then we'll be able to ready ourselves."

[WildsFlower]

Maria wore the fear she felt plainly on her face.  There was no point trying to hide it, she could feel that Oax could tell and Kirl was pretty observant.  If she wanted these two to be her friends and help her there was no need to lie.
"I'm scared."  Maria whispered scooting herself up to Oax.  "And I miss my family."  Once she started the words just came out.  She had been so scared since being chased from her home.  She had been so lonely, her family had always shown her a lot of love and being so little she had never been allowed to go anywhere by herself.
"I am angry at my brother and my father for wanting to hurt me and I am angry at my mommy for only telling me to run and not protecting me like a mommy should."  Maria could feel her voice filling with anger and other emotions that she couldn't quite grasp having never felt this way about anything before.
"Why did this happen to me!"  Maria's eyes welled up again as she felt her insides get angry.  So many emotions she didn't know what to do with.

[JackieCat]

Oax lay down and put her head on Maria's lap, her large eyes looking up at the girl.

"You have the right to be angry," Kirl said softly as the fire grew. "It was wrong of our brother and father to be so mad, but fear has different effects on different people.  To some people it makes them stronger, better people.  Other times it makes them defend themselves in a bad way, by hurting those around them.  Your brother and father were scared and sad, they took out their anger on you, even though deep down they knew that your brother's death was not your fault," Kirl bit her lip, thinking as she talked. "Your mother was protecting you in possibly the only way she knew.  She could have thought that she couldn't stand up to your father and brother and told you to run.  They're your family though, you know more about them than I do."

When Maria asked why all of this happened to her, Kirl's eyes grew sad and Oax whined softly. "That is hard to say.  Often, the best people get great suffering thrown at them, while the worst people get a good life.  But I do not think that that has happened to you completely.  I know that your father and brother scared you away, but someday you may be able to go back to them and make them see that you are not a monster.  You have gained a great power, and once you can control it, I am sure that you will learn.  Then you will go back to your family."