Spirits of the Earth

It was a stormy night, rain pelted the windows, and trees swayed in the wind. Every few minutes, lighting  crackled across the sky, lighting Ephi's small bedroom up for a few seconds. Ephi flinched every time thunder boomed from the east, though she was asleep. She stirred, and rolled over in her sleep. Her hair was tousled from sleep.

Little did she know, there was a stranger lurking in the woods nearby, looking for shelter form the storm...

The character (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=19851.0)

The old man walked at a modest pace through the underbrush. This rain had had come from nowhere, and he absolutely despised being wet. However, there was nothing he could do about it. He was still miles from the next town. Perhaps there was shelter he could find on the way? He was not terribly picky. A small cave or abandoned cottage would do.

Just then, he saw something in the distance. It was just what he hoped for, a small building. He was not familiar with this area. He did not know if anyone lived here, but it could not hurt to find out. Making his way up to the door, he gave a few knocks, and waited for some answer.

"WHAT are you WAITING for?! Break it DOWN! I'm FREEZING out here!" griped a familiar, and unfriendly voice.

The vision of a monstrous cat-like beast appeared beside him. It seemed cold, holding itself with his arms.

"Now, now. That would be rude. I must see if someone lives here."

He seemed to talk to no one, for the monster was visible only to him. The beast grumbled, and disappeared. The man gave a second set of knocks, then continued waiting.

Ephi startled awake at the sound of knocks on her door. Her heart was pounding. No one ever came out here. No one knew she was here. When the sound of knocks came again, she jumped out of bed and opened the door a crack, keeping the chain on her door in place so whoever it was couldn't get in.

The seemingly elderly man was perhaps a little surprised someone had answered. His vision was very good, even in this light. From what he could see, it was a young girl who looked on through the crack of the door. She seemed a bit frightened. She must have not gotten company very often, and for a stranger to appear in the middle of the night like this must have been quite the shock.

"Hello young lady. Sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, and for any worry I may have caused. If it would not be any trouble, may I please come in and spend the night?"

The man spoke in his usual polite tone. His voice was stern, but calm, despite the raging weather all around. He was prepared for rejection, knowing that those who live far from civilization tended to frown on company.

Ephi scanned the man up and down, cautious of letting strange men in her home.

"Who are you?" She asked meekly. Another flash of lighting lit up my face, but turned the old man into a menacing silhouette.

"My apologies, young one."

The man complied, doing what he felt was needed to ease the girl's worrying. Such caution was warranted in the presence of strangers, and this one was requesting entry into her home. He gave a slight polite bow at the waist.

"You may call me Mr. Ikka. I am a traveller, not native to these parts."

Inside his head, another voice buzzed.

"Enough pleasantries. Get in there! You know that meager chain cannot possibly hold us back!"

The man ignored the beastly voice this time, and slowly regained his posture.

Still unsure, but a little more comfortable, Ephi opened the door as far as the chain would allow.

"Where are you from?"

Something inside her gut twisted uncomfortably, sensing something.. off.. about the man.

"Now that is a... difficult question to answer..." he answered honestly.

He hated to do this, but he had to insist on an answer. He feared that if he did not, the young lady would make him stay outside all night, asking question after question. He continued again, as politely as he could.

"Surely, my dear, you would not keep an old man standing in the rain all night... May I come inside? If you prefer it, I can seek shelter elsewhere..."

Ephi rolls the thought around her head, and pushes the growing sense that something's off about the old man in her doorway away. The way the man had pleaded with Ephi had pulled on her heartstrings in just the right way. Ephi nodded and closed the door, undoing the chain before opening the door fully to the man.

"Thank you kindly." said the man, politely lowering his head as he entered. He was glad that she had become comfortable enough to allow him inside. She seemed like a kind young woman.

Mr. Ikka was thoroughly soaked, leaving small puddles where he tread. He looked around. Even with very little light, he was able to see every part of his surroundings. It was a small, quaint little dwelling. He turned to his host, looking at her through his thick shades.

"It is a lovely home you have here. Do you live here alone, miss... ?"

He paused, obviously inquiring for her name. Perhaps the question was a little suspicious, but he was curious. Although young, the girl was definately old enough to live alone. However, this may not have been the case.

Ephi ducked her head, avoiding the question and went into another room. A minute later, she came out bearing a lit candle in one hand, lighting the room a bit, and some lengths of cloth in the other hand. Without a word, she handed him the cloth and went around the room, lighting candles until the room was covered in a warm orange glow.

'How did he find me?' she wondered, sneaking a glance at him from the corner of her eye, skittishly. She felt a stirring deep inside her, and took a few long, slow, deep breaths and after a minute, felt the stirring slow and eventually stop.

His host did not seem terribly talkative. She must have still been cautious. Again, it was understandable him being a stranger and all. The man only hoped he had not guilted the kind young woman into letting him inside.

"Well... Alright... Just "Miss" for now."

Mr. Ikka gratefully accepted the cloth, thanking his host as he did so. It was then that he caught a certain scent. It was faint, but he sensed magic in her. This was interesting. He almost wondered why one so young would hold herself up in a cottage so far away from civilization. She seemed skittish, almost like she was hiding something.

He shrugged it of, and got to drying himself off. Curiously, he did this without removing a single article of clothing.

Ephi gathered blankets from her bedroom and set them on a worn out couch. While doing so, she kept an eye on this Mr. Ikka. She was struggling to decide how she felt about him. He appeared to be just a harmless old man, but she sensed something off about him. She wondered what secret demons he kept inside himself. Were they similar to her own? While lost in her train of thought, she didn't realize she was staring directly at her guest.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mr. Ikka caught the young woman staring at him. She seemed lost in thought. He gave a slight grin, but refrained from eye contact. It must have been difficult, letting a stranger into your home, not knowing anything about them. He did not blame her for being wary, but the silence and the staring was becoming awkward. The man knew he had to say something to relieve the tension.

"I thank you again for your hospitality miss. Not many would open their door to a complete stranger. There is no need for such caution, I mean no harm."

He tried his best to calm his nervous host with his voice. He spoke with a calm sincerity, though he feared she did not believe him.

Startled out of her thoughts, Ephi jumped at the man's voice. She nodded, but still did not speak. Silently, she knelt at the fireplace in front of the couch and threw some kindling onto the still warm coals from the earlier evening, adding some small pieces of wood once the kindling had caught fire. Ephi expertly blew gently onto the coals, encouraging the flames to take hold of the large piece of wood she had placed inside.

As soon as the largest piece of wood caught fire, she felt a stirring again, much stronger this time. Ephi clutched her gut, struggling to keep in control. The effort and exertion from focusing on the stirring caused her eyes to water, and she started panting, as if she had just run a long distance.

The young woman was still not much for conversation, but perhaps she had gotten his meaning. At the humble fireplace, she worked to revive the fire that had once been there. Mr. Ikka felt inclined to help his most gracious host. It was the least he could do after she had shown such kindness. Discretely using his magic, he gave the fire strength. It was slow, so as to not alert the woman. It needed to seem like she was doing the work, which she was. He merely gave the flames a little help.

Once the flames had adequate strength, something changed in his host. She seemed like she was in pain, and short of breath.

"Are you alright, my dear?"

Did she have a condition? Perhaps, but perhaps not. It was clear that the woman lived alone in this house. A house, that had been situated far from civilization. Mr. Ikka sensed magic within her, and came to a sudden realization. There was a reason she separated herself from others. There must have been some curse, or some uncontrollable power that made this one dangerous. Ignoring this possible danger, he knelt down beside her, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tell me what ails you. Perhaps I can help..."

He may not have looked like it, but there were few things this elderly man was unable to handle. Whatever happened here, he was prepared to deal with it.

The hand on Ephi's shoulder breaks her concentration. She jerks away from Mr. Ikka and scrambles to the far wall, panting heavily, and grunting quietly every now and again, as if in pain. Ephi is curled up in a ball, with her eyes tightly closed, arms around her chest as the stirring travels from deep in her gut up to her chest.

Flashbacks of dirty looks from her childhood run through her mind. She could feel stones pelting her back, and hear shouts of horror.

The young woman recoiled from his touch. Now she was having some sort of episode by the far wall. Whatever problem she had, it was much worse than what Mr. Ikka had originally thought. Whatever afflicted her was affecting her mind. He sympathized with his host, for he was no stranger to such torment. The seemingly elderly man had his fair share of inner demons that he had to overcome.

Actually, it was only one. It manifested again. There was a long, evil grin on the cat's face.

"Pathetic. Simply... pathetic." it hissed.

"Be quiet." the old man retorted in a hushed tone.

Mr. Ikka walked over, but kept a fair distance away. It was time to help this young lady, to repay her for the help she had given him. He had a fair amount of knowledge to share with her, to help her through this episode. He spoke stern and loud, in order to penetrate any vision she may have been stuck in.

"Listen to me young one, I will guide you through this! What you see is not real. You are not where you think you are. You are home now! Think of home. See your four walls, your glowing hearth, your warm blankets. The leaves of the trees are green, and the scent of pine is everywhere. You are safe here. There is nothing that can harm you here. You are not alone here, not while I am here!"

He did not really know why he said that last part, but it was not all false. It pained him to see another being in such dire straits. He spoke with the will and conviction to pierce whatever nightmare was affecting the poor lady.

Just before Mr. Ikka spoke, Ephi's nails starting growing longer, curling into small, sharp, black, claws. Somehow, Mr. Ikka's voice pierced through the thoughts racing through her mind...

"What you see is not real.."

'What? It is, I've felt these stones before. I know it's not happening now, but it's as real as the old man.'

"See your four walls, your glowing hearth, your warm blankets..."

He was painting a warm and comforting place for Ephi to retreat to. She did as she asked and gasped, partly in pain, and partly in surprise, as her nails started to return to normal.

"You are safe here. There is nothing that can harm you here. You are not alone here, not while I am here!" The old man was shouting now. Ephi's heart slowly stopped pounding, and returned to normal. Sweat beaded on Ephi's forehead, and she trembled from shock, fear, and exhaustion. She opened her eyes, and slowly looked up at the man that now knew she wasn't human.

Mr. Ikka gave a soft smile. He had done it, his host was back to normal. It was just in time to, for it seemed like she had been slowly changing to some bestial form. That could have been caused by any number of spells or curses. It was settled now, but it may happen again in the future. The man's work was not yet finished, it seemed.

More information was needed, but now was not the time to gather it. Not right after such an ordeal. Instead, he closed the distance, and held out his hand.

"Here, miss. Allow me help you."

His intention was to guide her to the couch situated in the warmth of the fireplace. She needed to sit and rest. Comfort such as this would calm her nerves, and keep the affliction at bay.

At first, Ephi shied away from his hand, confused by this stranger's kindness. After a few seconds, she recalled how he had somehow stopped her from... changing. She weakly lifted her hand and let it fall into his. His hand was cool and soft. Though she didn't speak, she nodded to him gratefully, as a sort of temporary thank you.

He helped the poor lady up, and guided her over to own couch. Glaring at the fireplace, the Mr. Ikka slightly (and discretely) intensified the flame with his magic. Now with the room warmer and brighter, he sat his host down on the worn out couch, and draped one of the blankets over her shoulders.

"Are you alright, my dear? How do you feel?"

Ephi blinked a few times, noticing the fire growing larger seemingly of its own accordance. Assuming her tired mind was imagining things, she made a thoughtful sound, not really a word, but a small noise. Her breathing had returned to normal, but she was still trembling. She turned to Mr. Ikka, sitting beside her, and looking at her in a way, no one had in a long time.

"How?" she asked in a small voice.

There was a small peep from the frightened girl. Finally, she spoke. Had it not been for the questioning at the front door, Mr. Ikka would have assumed that his host was simply not able to speak. She asked how, but that question did not have enough substance for the man to answer. How what? He inquired in his normal calm and kind voice.

"Come again, miss?"

Ephi's voice was small. "How did you stop.... It... So easily?" Ephi wrapped the blanket around her shoulders tighter, shivering despite the fire and blankets.

"Ah... The answer to that is simple."

He looked into the fire, keeping it nice and hot. To answer his host's question, he turned his head and focused on her. He was happy to assist, but he could not take complete credit.

"I did not." he said with a friendly grin.

"You did. I merely showed you the way."

He stood up then. She probably had more questions for him, but now was not the time to answer them. There would be time tomorrow. She needed proper rest. He held out his hand once more, to help her up.

"The hour is late, miss. You need your rest."

Ephi nodded, practically already falling asleep. As she accepted her guest's help, it was with more ease than before, but her body was visibly trembling with exhaustion. With her guest's assistance, she hobbled into her bedroom and fell into her bed, asleep within a few seconds. Her dreams were odd, replaying her thoughts as she herself stopped the change from happening for the first time in her life.

Mr. Ikka rose with dawn's first light. As the rising sun illuminated the room, he rose from his place on the couch. From what he could tell, his host was still asleep. He crept over to the door, and opened it as quietly as he could, so as to not wake her.

Once outside, he closed the door with the same caution. His intention was not to leave. Not yet. The poor girl was suffering here alone. He would not abandon her. There was still more help to give.

He found a nice wooden chair, swept off the residual water droplets from the seat, and sat down. The forest was nice and serene. The sun left a nice glow on the trees. The birds were singing from the branches, and small animals were skittering around in the underbrush. There was even a pleasant scent in the air.

"She definately could not have picked a better spot to settle in." he said quietly, before taking in a deep breath. Even the beast kept quiet, perhaps enjoying this just as much as the man was.

Ephi woke slowly to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. Morning sunlight filtered through her window, illuminating the dust floating past the window. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. For a second, she didn't recall what had happened the previous night, until memories hit her like a tidal wave. She remembered Mr. Ikka and went out into the living room. Blankets were on the couch, but there wasn't a person to go with them.

Ephi wandered from room to room in the cabin, searching for him, and eventually made her way outside. She was startled by the man, peacefully sitting outside.

"Good morning, miss." the old man greeted, just as kindly as always.

The young woman certainly looked better. She must have slept well. This made Mr. Ikka glad, which he showed with his usual smile.

"How are you feeling?"

Ephi shrugged and leaned against the house next to him. Why was he being so kind after what he saw? She kept glancing at her nails, waiting for them to change again, but they stayed the normal human peach color and she felt no stirring.

He noticed his host's obsession with her nails. She was thinking about last night.

"Alright..."

Mr. Ikka rose from the chair with and audible grunt, and offered it to the woman. He wanted her to be comfortable for this next part.

"Perhaps the time has come, my dear... If you can, would you mind telling me more about what happened last night? I apologize if it is painful, but I believe I can help you."

She may have needed more time, and he was not about to force her to reveal painful memories. However, to help her with whatever problem this was, she needed to be willing to open up to him.

Ephi shook her head, and stayed leaning against the building. She thought about whether she should tell this almost complete stranger the one thing she swore to herself that she'd never speak aloud of. But this man did help her to stop the change, something no one's ever even attempted to do, much less succeed.

Ephi recalled the stirring moving to her chest, her nails changing, and that was all that changed last night. Ephi made her decision and hugged herself, rubbing her upper arms while deciding how to start.

"Um.." she muttered, barely audible. She took a deep breath. "Have you heard of... people... ''shifting'' before?"

Ephi warily watched Mr. Ikka's reaction.

The old man continued standing. He found it rude, and a bit awkward, to sit when his host stood. Mr. Ikka grinned at the question. His timid host was beginning to come out of her shell. A few words was a good start. Something like this could not have been easy to talk about, especially to a complete stranger.

"I believe I have seen it, just last night." he gave a slight chuckle. Comedy was not something he used often, but hopefully, it would lift the woman's spirits a bit.

"My dear, I have travelled around this continent more times than can be counted. I have seen many strange things. Believe me, transformation is a relatively common ability."

His smile faded, but his face was far from serious.

"What?" Ephi breathed. It was common? She wasn't the only one? Without another word, ephi brought a dining chair from inside the house and sat on it next to the rocking chair. If she learned anything from her parents before life turned upside down, it was to respect elders, whether you were related to them or not. Ephi looked expectantly at her guest.

"Common?"

It was a bit comedic that she would bring out another chair for herself, instead of sitting in the one that was offered. He sat back down, retaking the chair. He cleared his throat, and continued.

"Relatively..."

He put a special accent on that particular word.

"Relative to the Le'ranna's total population, it is rare. Yet, among magic users and magical beings, there is a fair portion with such abilities. Some are born with it, others learn it in the form of spells. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a curse."

He focused on the girl now.

"If I may, tell me more about your powers."

Ephi shrugged, looking down at her hands as she replied. It was very strange to be encouraged to speak of her shifts, instead of being scolded for not being able to repress them completely.

"Um... I.... shift.." she flinched slightly at the word. "...into a leopard... It comes... randomly.."

"Interesting... Never heard of a were-leopard before..." he said quietly.

It sounded oddly specific. It could have been a curse, but the opposite was still a likely possibility. He needed more information, which his host finally seemed comfortable to give. He had to tread carefully though. There was a lot of pain associated with her bestial form. Such painful memories could trigger another episode. He could handle a leopard, that much he knew. However, he did not want to subject the kind young woman to such pain.

"Is there any "shifting" in your family? Can any of your kin change into any other form?"

Ephi shrugs.  "No... Not that... I know of...." Ephi trailed off. She took a deep breath and looked Mr. Ikka dead in the eye. "I lived in a village where magic and anything to do with it was scorned and frowned upon. Any mentions of magic in my family was erased from any records they kept."

The old man let out a sigh, and looked back out into the wilderness.

"I see..."

This would make it more difficult to identify the root of her troubles.

"Such a shame... There are many humans that do not understand magic, and would rather live in fear of it."

The poor girl... he thought to himself. It must have been a difficult upbringing for her. One that he could only imagine. There was one more question that could use to get some answers. He did not want to ask it, for it might prove too painful for his host. However, she seemed to get more bold by the second. Maybe she could handle it.

"There is one more thing I want to ask you. It may be a bit hard to answer, but please do so to the best of your ability. Alright?"

After the first few sentences, Ephi nodded in agreement, clenching her hands into fists, recalling all the names, the loneliness of it all. Then Mr. Ikka said, "There is one more thing I want to ask you. It may be a bit hard to answer, but please do so to the best of your ability. Alright?"

Warily, Ephi glanced at him. 'What could he possibly want to ask that would require such a prelude?' Ephi wonder, nodding slowly.

His gaze met hers once again. The rising sun glinted off his thick shades. His voice was still calm, but was more intense. His face grew completely serious.

"Tell me about when you learned about your power. Tell me... the first time you shifted."

Inside, he braced himself for what may happen.

Ephi flinched, but slowly relaxed. Ephi closed her eyes, visualizing the gathering center of the village.

"I was in the village center with my parents... the sun was shining, blue skies, birds singing.. I was riding my father's shoulders, playing with his hair while he kissed my mother..." Ephi paused, smiling at the memory before her world was ripped apart. Then, frowning, she continued. "I had a... weird feeling.. in my stomach... and my parents assumed it was something I'd eaten... After a while, I went off, playing with some of the other kids while my parents bartered..."

Ephi swallowed, and licked her dry lips, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. "Suddenly, while I was... in the middle of the village.... the feeling moved from my stomach... to my heart.." Ephi traced the path with a finger absentmindedly, reliving the first time. "That's when I... shifted..."

Mr. Ikka's eyebrows rose. The smile was refreshing. She must have had a great relationship with her parents. It was the rest of the memory that rendered her sullen.

"And... your parents... Both human? Your grandparents?"

"Everyone was human..." Ephi muttered, and pulled her legs up onto the chair, resting her forehead on her knees, and wrapping her arms around her legs. "All but me of course..."

Ephi lifted her head for a moment to respond, "I never knew my grandparents... they... died before I came along..."

There was some... interesting... information just revealed. His "patient" was starting feel great emotional pain. Mr. Ikka had to finish up the questioning. It was cruel to subject her to much more of this.

"All but you... Interesting. Do you believe yourself anything other than human?"

He put a hand on her back, and began to gently rub up and down.

"I know this is hard... You have done very well so far. We are almost done."

"How can I be human?" Ephi said shrugging off the man's hand.

With that, she stood up, and went back into the house. Once inside, she took a few deep breaths, leaning on the water basin in the kitchen, trying to clear her mind. What had she just done? Broken the only promise she's ever sworn to the heavens she wouldn't break. Frustrated, she pounded the edge of the basin with a fist once, and walked out the back door, and into the forest for some much needed alone time.

That was it, she had gone off.

"Damn..." The man thought to himself. He let her go, deciding not to follow her. The poor girl needed time to recompose herself.

She was most likely cursed. Every family had enemies, and this enemy was probably skilled in the arcane arts. Then again, one of the grandparents could have been magic. Perhaps one of them was not even human. Perhaps a changeling? Genetics were a fickle thing. In all his years of travelling, Mr. Ikka had seen cases where hereditary traits have skipped a generation.

These were the two possibilities, but which one was it? The man would not dare question the poor girl about it anymore. She was already torn up enough. He simple could not torture her any longer. But what should he tell her? Maybe just pick one? She seemed to desire being human. Telling her it was a curse would be shocking, but hopefully she could take solace in truly being human. But what if the opposite was true?

Mr. Ikka sat back in the rocking chair and gave a sigh. It would take serious contemplation. He refused to leave until he felt his host was feeling better. He would have an answer by the time she came back.

Ephi walked through the woods. Warm, green light filtered down through the treetops. Ephi wasn't even sure how long shed walked before she came to a fork in the road she'd never seen. One path twisted right, deeper into the woods, though it seemed to be darker, almost with an evil air about it. The left path wound up the side of the hill to what looked like a prairie. Just as she was about to take the left path, she paused, and glanced behind her.

She's always been told and raised to believe that magic was evil, and belonged with the gods of the underworld. Something in the dark woods seemed to call to her. She tried to get a better look without actually entering.

"Ephi..." A ghostly voice whispered. Ephi nearly jumped out of her skin. The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, and yet, she knew the source was in the woods.

"Ephi, come join us," the voice beckoned. It sounded like a girls voice, though it could be a small child's as well. Tentatively, ephi took a few steps towards the darkness.

The young woman had been gone a while now. Yes, she needed time alone, but perhaps this was too much time. He did not understand why, but Mr. Ikka had a bad feeling about this. He rose to check on her. Throughout the cottage, she was nowhere to be seen. There was a rear entrance, cracked open ever so slightly, a tell tale sign that the girl had made her exit. He scanned the forest behind the cabin, but there was no trace of his poor host. His icy calm began to wane, as he became more concerned.

He had to find her. There was no telling what this young woman would do in her current state. The man felt guilty for prying, knowing he had made her run away like this. However, he could not dwell on such things if he was to find her. With his animal-like sense of smell, he began searching for a scent. The water on the trees and underbrush interfered with this, but only slightly. He had it! It was faint, but it was there. Now all the old man had to do was follow it. He only hoped he was not too late.

Through the forest, Mr. Ikka had found a trail. The girl's scent was stronger here. Obviously, she had taken it. Now, the man broke into a sprint that seemed impossible for one his age. The scent grew stronger with each passing foot he ran. Soon, he saw his quarry. The young girl stood at a crossroads, obviously contemplating which direction to travel. She took a few steps down the right path. This path was darker, with some strong and evil aura emanating from it. It was enough to send shivers up even the man's spine. The girl continued, seemingly entranced by the dark magics. He had to stop her however he could.

"No miss! Stop!" he called out.

Mr. Ikka ran towards the girl, casting a spell at the same time. A great wall of fire rose before her, hopefully cutting her off from advancing any more down the trail. He preferred to refrain from using such strong magic, but he felt this warranted it. The flames grew far enough ahead as to not burn the poor girl, yet it was close enough for her to feel their heat. The man stopped between her and the wall, eyes facing the dark branches above. The darkness was so intense here, and the shadow almost dimmed the light of the roaring fire ahead.

"Please miss, we have to leave. It is not safe here..."

There was genuine concern to his voice this time. His gaze never left the trees.

When Mr. Ikka called to her, she whirled around in time to see him sprinting towards her, just before a wall of fire jumped up between her and the dark woods. Ephi stumbled back from the fire, more shocked than anything. For a moment, she thought she saw a pair of yellow eyes, staring at her unblinkingly from the other side of the fire.

Then Mr. Ikka was right in front of her, faster than she could blink. "Please, miss we have to leave, it's not safe here..." He begged her while watching the woods. When Ephi looked back, the eyes were gone. She focused her attention back on the old man.

"You... stopped me..." she breathed in awe. Mr. Ikka helped her up, and they walked down the trail, away from the now shrinking wall of fire. After a few minutes of silence, Ephi said, in the loudest voice Mr. Ikka's heard yet, almost a normal speaking volume, "Ephi."

"Ephi..."

That was it. His host had revealed her name to him.

"...A beautiful name."

He smiled warmly as he said this. Although that was the polite thing to say, he sincerely liked that name. It went well with its bearer.

"Are you alright Ephi? That was a very dark place you almost wandered into..."

Ephi blushed, smiling. "Thank you... everyone in the village thought so too... until... you know..." Ephi trailed off, but was still smiling at the complement, the first in a very long time. "I think I'm OK... There was this.... voice... it knew me..." Ephi shuddered at the eerie child's voice.

That too, was interesting. There was more the man wanted to know about it, but he would not dare to ask any more of his host. Instead, he thought it best to console her. Maybe he could go investigate later...

"Alright. You are okay, it's over now..."

He said in a calming tone. There was no need to say any more about it. Ephi already had a lot on her mind as it is. He changed the subject.

"I have put a lot of thought into your... condition."

Ephi stopped walking at this. "And?" Her eyes were wide, and she was completely focused on what he'd say next. She couldn't put a finger on it, but he seemed to be very knowledgeable on a lot of different topics, including the one she'd been trying to figure out for years. She was still wary of her guest, but not nearly as much as the first time they'd met in the storm last night.

Had it really been less than a day? No one's been able to earn Ephi's trust that quickly since her first shift. She smiled, in spite of the seriousness of the conversation. She felt like she already knew the man very well and he knew her as well, despite their very short time together.

Mr. Ikka wished he had put more thought into exactly what to tell the young woman. The two possibilities still buzzed around in his head, and he needed to decide which one to tell the girl. Perhaps he could get away with revealing both at the same time.

"From what I can tell, there are two possibilities. Both of your parents are human, and that makes you human. Don't worry about that."

He knew that would be the most important point. Raised by humans, among humans, it was only natural that she would want to think herself as human. The next part he spoke flatly.

"I do not know your family, so this is only speculation. Your condition could be the result of a curse. Perhaps your family had enemies. Enemies with magic."

His voice seemed to shift it tone. He looked at Ephi right in the face.

"On the other hand... You say you have never met your grandparents. Such a power could have been inherited from them."

His gaze was once again fixed ahead, down the forest trail.

"A sleeping trait, skipping over the parent and awaking in the child..."

Ephi rolled the two ideas around in her head. It was true, that no one had spoken of those who had passed in her village, the only records she found on her family had a list of names, time and cause of death. Her grandmother had died giving birth, while her grandfather had passed of an illness during a very harsh winter. The curse idea was interesting. But who would want to curse Ephi? Why?

Ephi continued walking with Mr. Ikka in silence, thinking.

"Ah! Here we are." he said, reaching the cottage again.

The young one seemed to be taking the news rather well. The silence was nearly unsettling. It was nearly time for for the next step. The problem was diagnosed (for the most part), now was the time to remedy it.

"Once you are ready, we can begin training you. I suggest you make something for yourself to eat."

Ephi looked at Mr. Ikka. "Training?" she asked. "For what?" While waiting for his answer, she ran ahead a bit and opened the door for him.

Giving a gracious nod, Mr. Ikka re-entered the cottage. He assumed his host would follow him inside. He turned to face her, and stared with utmost seriousness.

"I do not know the source of this power of yours, but I can at least help you control it. This way, you will not be so fearful of it."

Ephi stood staring at Mr. Ikka from the doorway, with her mouth partially hanging open. It took a second for her to process this. At that moment, she didn't care about the source of her shifting, she was too thrilled about the possibility of controlling it. Her heart was light was opportunities. She wouldn't have to live alone anymore in fear of what others might figure out about her and shun her.

Without thinking, Ephi rushed forward suddenly, hugging Mr. Ikka tightly. After a few seconds, she realized it was slightly awkward and let go, taking a few steps back. Ephi couldn't meet his eyes, embarrassed. "Umm... thank you," She muttered, still grinning from ear to ear.

It was ironic, really. The sudden display of affection took Mr. Ikka more off guard than anything else she was capable of doing. It was a heartwarming moment, even if it only lasted a moment or two. This is exactly what he wanted, to help this poor soul. He realized a while ago that this lifestyle was not of her choosing, and that she would probably change it if she could.

As it happened, the vision of the cat appeared behind the girl. The old man scowled as it opened its mouth and pointed to the back of its throat. The typical disgusted gesture. Once she released, it vanished.

"I must warn you, my dear. It will not be easy. This process will take time and practice, with no small amount of patience. Best prepare yourself now. I will be here when you are ready."

He knew such training would be hard on her, but he saw a hint of determination in her eyes. Whether she could or could not handle this was unknown. For her sake, the man would try.

(sorry, i read the reply but didn't actually respond.. :/)

Ephi nodded and walked around her kitchen, gathering food for the breakfast neither of them had before. Ephi recalled feeling the man's jaw tighten while he was hugging her. What had caused it? She made a plate for both herself and her newly found friend and tutor. Ephi set the table for both and sat down across from Mr. Ikka, waiting for more details that she felt were sure to come.

(OOC: meh. Don't worry about it!)

"Many thanks, Ephi."

Mr. Ikka did not actually expect her to prepare food for him. For this, he was thankful. He took his place at the end of the table, and began eating once his host had began. Even at the table, he showed great etiquette. The old man remembered how hungry he had become after several days without food, but was careful not to forget his manners. He did not need to eat to survive, although he still felt hunger from lack of food.

The lack of talking rendered the table quiet, save for the clanging and scraping of silverware. The host's attention never left him. These factors left an awkward feel in the air. The man felt uneasy, but could not think of a proper way to break the silence.

Ephi nodded in reply and started eating, silently. She wasn't sure what to say. She'd been used to eating alone for years now, and the silence had never bothered her before now. Ephi struggled to remember how meals worked back in the village before the shifts started happening.

Mr. Ikka was trying to think up a way to break the ice. Perhaps there was a question he could ask to get a story out of her. Something to begin a conversation. But what to ask? He needed something that would not make his host think of anything painful.

It was a difficult task. Anything he asked could dredge up some unknown and unpleasant memory. There was one thing he could ask, and it was a fifty-fifty chance. Making sure his mouth was clear before speaking, the old man began.

"So Ephi, tell me how you came across such a beautiful cottage as this."

Ephi paused in eating and smiled a little.

"Well, about a week after I left my village.. I was wandering around in the woods, leisurely heading to town to get some supplies when I found this place.. much like you did, actually... I watched the place for about a week to make sure no one lived here... When no one came, I knocked and explored the place... All the furniture and everything was here from its previous owner.. No one's ever come here before you.."

"Interesting..." the man said in response.

"It is a fine place to live. This is truly a good area in which to live."

He took a few more bites, glad that this question had not done any harms. In fact, his host was even smiling, a rare behavior for her as far as he had seen. He continued.

"It is so calm here, so... serene. There are many in this realm who would love to live in such a place. The conditions here should help nicely during training..."

Mr. Ikka was thinking that mentioning training over breakfast may not have been the best thing to do. However, he wanted to see exactly how the girl would react to such a statement. This was a ploy to reveal her true feelings, and see what exactly she thought about what would come in the future.

Ephi swallowed her food before speaking again.
"How is this training going to work? I mean.. What's your plan?" She asked before taking another bite of food. The idea of being able to control the shift excited her, but she wasn't sure what it'd ask of her, and that uncertainty made her a little  nervous.

Mr. Ikka had just finished his meal. He Wiped his mouth and rested the silverware neatly on the plate before he responded. Ephi seemed enthusiastic, yet a bit nervous. Perhaps it was from the old man's vagueness concerning the training. This was expected from such uncertainty, so Mr. Ikka would reveal his motives, so that the young woman knew what she was up against.

"It is a simple matter of focus." he replied.

"From what I have seen, it is your mind that causes your shifting. It will take a fair amount of mental training to keep this power under control."

He leaned in, speaking with a much more stern and serious tone.

"Know that this will not be easy... It may cause a bit of grief along the way. Yet, the reward will be worth it. Trust me."

This could have been enough to frighten Ephi, but she needed to know that such training would not be a cakewalk. Now the man leaned back, up against the back of the chair. His voice became more calm and friendly.

"It is your decision, I will not force you to accept this. However, if you begin the training, you must finish it. I will give you as much time as you need to decide."

Ephi looked down at her half-eaten meal for a minute or two, thinking. Memories of her childhood were flying through her mind at a rapid pace. She took a deep breath, and set her mouth in a determined line. Glancing up at Mr. Ikka, she replied.

"It can't be anything worse than what I've gone through without it." Her voice was strong and steady, and there was a certain fire in her eyes when she said this.

There was a certain admiration here, shown by a smirk on the old man's face. He approved of such determination. If there was trouble at all during the training, Mr. Ikka was sure she would overcome it. Of course, he would be there every step of the way.

"Good... We start in two hours."

He rose with his plate and silverware, then proceeded to the wash basin to wash them off.

Ephi practically leapt out of her chair in excitement. For the next two hours, she kept busy doing various house chores. She kept glancing at the clock, excitedly waiting for the two hours to be passed.

The old man waited outside, contemplating the lessons he would give. He knew by two hours time she would have finished her meal, and been rested enough to begin. Little did he know what his host was actually doing inside. After nearly two hours, he stood up and re-entered the house.

"Are we ready to begin?" he inquired.

Ephi nodded eagerly. "What's first?

"First..." the man started, ...you decide where the lessons will be held."

He needed to know which area would relieve the most stress. Of course, Ephi would have to train in different areas and situations, but for starters, it was better the more comfortable she was.
"Where are you most comfortable? In here or outside?"

Ephi seriously considered the question. Inside would be her normal answer, because then there was something blocking her and the nearby village. In her time, she had transformed the small cottage to be a discreet prison cell that she could not get out of in her beast form. She had locks on all the windows and door of the strongest metal she could find in town. Whenever she felt the slightest stirring starting, she'd bolt all the windows and doors before moving to the cellar, bolting herself in the darkness until the stirring had passed and stayed gone for a few hours.

But that was before Mr. Ikka arrived. He obviously had magic to use. Outside, they'd have more room to work with, and she could move in her beast form more easily. It'd be easier to train outside. Ephi glanced at Mr. Ikka.

"If I shift...and I start to head for the village... can you stop me?" Ephi asked. "Will you?"

To be completely honest, Mr. Ikka was not sure how to answer. He had never seen Ephi completely shift, and did not know what the beast was capable of.

For Ephi's sake he had to make that promise. Things would be easier for her if there was less to worry about. He smiled and gave a confident nod. "Outside it is, then."

He held the door open, and gestured for his host to exit.

Ephi was so excited she practically ran outside, looking back at Mr. Ikka. Her eyes sparkled like that of a small child's on Christmas day. "So what's first?"

(Merry Christmas by the way)

(OOC: Merry Christmas!)

Mr. Ikka joined the overjoyed girl outside, closing the door behind him. He knew she would not be so jubilant during the first stage. He nearly regretted it, but he knew it was for the greater good.

"First... Tell me... Tell me how conscious you are during your shifts. Do you know what is happening around you?"

"I'm... vaguely aware of what's going on... it's like... I can see hazy shapes and hear distant voices... but that's it..." Ephi said, struggling to explain what happened.

Mr. Ikka analyzed this bit of information.

"I see... Is there any control in that form? Think hard."

Recounting such information was no easy task for the girl. That much was known. However, she had agreed to this. The questioning was the easy part of the process. He had to find out all he could before the next steps were to come.

Ephi closed her eyes, thinking hard. "Ummm... Very little.. It's more like watching a scene unfold than being a part of it. I can rarely turn and walk away from a certain thing or person. Rarely," ephi replied. "Does that make sense?" She asked. She knew her answers were vague, but her new mentor seemed to understand her regardless.

"Interesting..." said the man, stroking his slight beard.

"There is consciousness... There is control... All you need is the training to harness them."

He took some steps away, giving Ephi a good amount of space. He turned to face her again, and wore a serious expression. Now came the most dreaded phase.

"I'm going to need you to..." he hesitated.

"...to shift again. Can you do that?"

Ephi looked down, searching for a stirring deep inside her, and found nothing. She shrugged and shook her head. "I can't feel it.. there's usually a feeling in my gut. Like a twisting feeling. Usually it takes anywhere from a day or two to a month to come back after I shift.." Ephi explained. Slowly, an idea came to her. "Unless..." she said, thinking aloud. "You can somehow force it to come back? If the feeling came back, I could probably shift on my own."

Mr. Ikka smirked. They were making progress.

"You have to. There's nothing I can do for it." he responded. He began closing the distance, his cloak swaying almost like a ringing bell as he did.

"Shifting, curse or otherwise, does not happen randomly. It must be activated by something. A feeling... A memory... I saw last night that whatever does this is not pleasant. You must tap into that feeling, unfortunately. When you do, you be closer to controlling this gift.

Ephi winced a bit at the news, but nodded, determined. She glanced at Mr. Ikka, advancing towards her. Instinctively, she started to back away from him. As she back up, she nodded, listening to what he was saying. She started to attempt to recall memories from her childhood, struggling to reach the feelings needed to trigger a stirring, and eventually, a shift.

Seeing Ephi trying to shift, Mr. Ikka backed up to give the space she needed. He felt pride in her determination, but readied himself. If she was successful, it was likely he would have to intervene. He called out a few words of wisdom.

"Focus, Ephi! Be aware of what you are feeling!"

Though Ephi tried to focus on the old man's words, she only heard the first half, as she was suddenly thrown into a vision of the past, something she had not thought of for years. She supposed she had been partially successful in blocking those memories.

Ephi was maybe 9-10 years old, her hair shorter and in pigtails. She was sitting on the healer's wooden examining table. Voices from another room filtered through the door.

"Are you sure there's nothing you can do?" her mother's voice asked. Ephi could see the healer's head shake. Her mother burst into tears, and Ephi's father wrapped strong arms around her mother. Ephi briefly recalled the last time he had hugged her like that, more than a year ago. She had a strange feeling that she'd never feel that again.

The vision slowly faded, and Ephi realized she was crying. Wiping her tears, she felt a stirring start. Frantically, she latched onto the stirring for the first time, and pulling it up. Within a few seconds, she closed her eyes, and felt her nails start to grow long, sharp, and black.

Progress. That is what this was. Seeing Ephi begin the transformation, the old man braced himself. He had to be ready for anything.

"Good! You are doing well! Do not fight it. Let the change happen, but at the same time, be mindful of the world around you."

The young woman's anguish was plainly obvious. Mr. Ikka felt her sorrow as if it was his own. Deep down, he wanted to stop this. However, this was necessary if his pupil would learn to control her shifted form.

Ephi didn't hear Mr. Ikka's advice. She was forced to her hands and knees, arching her back. Ephi closed her eyes as they rounded slightly, and her teeth grew longer, and sharper. A tail began to sprout behind her while the hair on her head seemed to shrink into short, soft, spotted fur. She screamed in pain as the final shifting was finished. Her human voice morphed into a snarl half-way through.

A relatively small leopard crouched a few yards away from Mr. Ikka. She swung her head towards him. The only sign it was Ephi were her eyes, still a bright blue instead of the normal yellow. The pair stared at each other for a few seconds, and Ephi snarled at him.

She kept her unblinking eyes focused on him as she prowled closer to him, baring her teeth, and growling.

The girl had finally shifted, showing Mr. Ikka her bestial form for the first time. He had expected that she would not be in complete control of this form, but it was good to see that the eyes had not changed to the yellow that was common for big cats. Ephi was still there, with magic-enhanced instincts influencing her mind. This is what she had to overcome.

The beast eyed the man and advanced slowly, with a less than friendly expression on its face. This may not have been good, but it was better than her darting off for him to chase her. With his strength, it should be easy for him to parry any attack she made. Still, he tried to reach her.

"I know you are still there Ephi! Think now. Try to retake control of your mind!"

In her current form, she words the words Mr. Ikka was saying, but couldn't understand any but one; her name. She paused, tilting her head at the man, confused. In the back of her mind, she wasn't sure why she was advancing on him. It was just something she did. Her lips curled back into another snarl.

The old man had noticed the reaction upon hearing her name. This was good. He did not expect the girl to achieve complete control on the first try, for such a feat needed practice. Mr. Ikka did, however, find something that would help: A bridge.

Hearing her own name would return her sense of self in this new form. Hopefully, it could prove a useful tool in prying her conscious mind from its subconscious prison.

"That is right, Ephi. Remember who you are. You are Ephi. Think about what that means."

Even upon this discovery, the man never let down his guard. He had to be ready for anything the beast could, or would, do.

Ephi stared at the man, more confused than ever. He kept saying that word... 'Ephi'. What did it mean? Ephi shook her head, and bounded to a nearby tree, climbing quickly and practically disappeared into the foliage.

"Oh no..." Mr. Ikka said once the beast had disappeared from sight. The plan had apparently backfired. Now, he would need to rely on his other senses to track Ephi.

The forest was quiet. Even the birds could not be heard, having flown away from the excitement. This made it easier to track the girl turned animal. The man listened to the rustling of the canopy, and felt the slight magic that was given off. With these, Mr. Ikka easily pinpointed his wildcat host.

Ephi silently watched the old man look around breifly, then walk confidently towards her tree.

Mr. Ikka followed the sounds of his beastly host. She did not seem to be running off, which was unexpected. He stopped when she did, reaching the trunk of a certain tree. It seemed like all the others, but for some reason, Ephi had stopped here. He waited with anticipation of her next move.

Ephi watched the old man from her perch. In the back of her mind, Ephi knew she was testing the old man's ability to contain her, even though she didn't have control over her body. Ephi simply sat there, holding Mr. Ikka's gaze.

Mr. Ikka simply stood and watched, anticipating the leopard's next move. Perhaps this form was not so monstrous after all. With the risk of having to chase her again, the man decided to try and reach out to her again.

"I know you are there, Ephi. Somewhere inside, you can hear this. It is silent and calm here, try to think. Work on taking control of the mind first, then the body..."

Ephi tilted her head, once again confused by this man. That word... 'Ephi'... it struck a cord somewhere inside her, and she couldn't quite reach it....

((OOC: Wanna make things a bite more interesting? Like with an attack by something or another? It's fine if you don't though :) ))

(OOC: Do anything you see fit! This character can take nearly anything. If Ephi does attack, leave it open ended)

Still no noticeable change from his young student. Perhaps it was best to wait for the young woman to revert back to her human form before continuing any kind of lesson. There was no telling how long it would take, so Mr. Ikka simply sat down on the forest floor, watching. He had more than enough patience to spare.

((OOC: I was thinking something else would attack the pair.. but I don't know what))

Ephi made a noise somewhere between a snarl and a yawn. Sensing the man was no threat, she stretched out along the tree branch, resting her head on her paws and closing her eyes. Patches of sunlight warmed her pelt, and she purred a little. It was the first time she had shifted outside since the first time. She had always locked herself inside her house, boarding the windows up and locking the door.

In the back of his mind, Mr. Ikka wondered how much longer it would take for the cat to revert to her true form. She seemed relaxed, which seemed like a good thing. Maybe a moment of peace was exactly what she needed to get acquainted with her animal form.

Just then, the man's sensitive ears picked up a sound in the distance. Something big was rustling leaves underfoot. Upon further observation, the crunching seemed... coordinated. It was much too careful for some random animal. These were humans... plural. Either two or three from the sound of the steps. Most likely a hunting party.

Mr. Ikka stood again. Aside from being asleep or distracted, there was no way Ephi would not be able to pick up the sound with her felid ears. He prepared for any reaction.

((OOC: Sorry i haven't responded as quickly as I normally do. Finals week at my school is next week and I've been studying almost nonstop for a week))

Ephi heard Mr. Ikka shift his position, and lifted her head watching him change his stance from a peaceful observance stance, to attack. She turned her body towards the direction her mentor was facing, tensing the muscles in her shoulders and legs in case she needed to run, or attack, or both. A low growl started deep in her throat, just barely audible to human ears near her. Luckily, Mr. Ikka was no human.

Mr. Ikka heard Ephi's growls, feeling relieved that her attention was still on him. However, the  distant sound of crunching leaves and shifting brush was only getting closer. The old man wanted to investigate and warn the hunting party of the danger, but could not leave his host alone. This may prove difficult...

Ephi turned her whole body towards the approaching steps, growling a bit louder, a snarl in the making.

From the brush emerged a young man. A hunter, as Mr. Ikka had presumed, armed with a wooden bow, a quiver of steel-tipped arrows, and a dagger at his waist. He was not alone here, but he much farther ahead than his comrades.

Mr. Ikka holds out his hand, pointing back in the direction from which the hunter had arrived.
"You should not be here... Take your men, and go home."

Although surprised by the sight of an old man in the forest, the hunter shook his head, and refused. The elder heard his host beginning to snarl, and knew that this may end well. Luckily, he had not seen the leopard yet. Mr. Ikka would have to be more assertive.

Ephi narrowed her eyes at the intruder, and tensed her muscles even tighter if that were possible. The snarling grew faintly louder.

Once again, Mr. Ikka had to speak out. His voice was a lot more firm, his tone a lot less forgiving.

"This is a warning. You all need to leave this place, now."

This only warranted more protesting from the visiting human. His two compatriots, hearing the argument, were closing in on the area. Just then, the leader heard the snarling over his own protests. Arrow notched, he prepared to loose it at whatever made such a sound.

Ephi snarled again, more loudly, but for some reason, her snarl seemed to be coming from every direction, and the hunters turned, searching for the source. Ephi narrowed her eyes at the trio, flexing her paws, waiting.

Mr. Ikka grew more tense. He knew something was going to happen soon.

The puzzled hunters, although all in sight, were still spread out. Now, their bows were drawn, ready to fire at anything making a sudden move. This was a bad situation. The old man did not want them to hurt Ephi, but neither did he want them hurt. He had to admit to himself that this was a nice trick the leopard was able to pull off.

Suddenly, Ephi stopped snarling and watched to see how Mr. Ikka would respond.  She felt threatened, but they weren't yet close enough to cause attack. Her hackles along her spine were raised, and her claws were out now.

Once the snarling had stopped, the hunters were left confused. That is, until one one of them came up with a "solution".

"It's HIM! He's some sort of demon, or something!" he called out, aiming at the old man.

The other two seemed to believe him, and followed suit. Mr. Ikka scoffed at the foolishness frightened humans possessed, but he was glad they had not noticed Ephi. It was better for him to be attacked than her. It was unknown if she really was human, but she most likely could not survive such an attack.

He opened his mouth to say something in an attempt to calm the three down, but there was no chance. Before the first syllable was spoken, all three arrows took flight. True to their mark, they embedded themselves in the elderly man. One found his shoulder, another found his abdomen, and the last found his sternum. Mr. Ikka stumbled from the combined impact of three arrows, while his red blood flowed from the wounds. Still he stood, much to the surprise of the hunters. Even now, he did not want them hurt. However, if they wanted a demon, the old man would be glad to play the part.

When the three men aimed their arrows at the man who kept saying that word.. Ephi.. she stood, and snarled at them. Once the arrows found their mark, she leaped from the tree she was hidden in and stood in front of the crouching man. She snarled at them again as the hunters stumbled back. Her tail flicking behind her, she eyed each of the men carefully, watching for any movement. The middle man slowly started to reach for another arrow, and Ephi clawed him, slicing his arm. He shouted in pain and stumbled back.

The motion distracted Ephi from the other two hunters, who used her distraction as an opportunity to notch more arrows into their bows.

Mr. Ikka regained his stance just in time to see the leopard attack one of the hunters. It did not seem like a fatal blow, but it was still something the old man would have seen prevented. Deep down, he knew Ephi was still there and trying to protect him, but now she was both a danger and in danger. Arrows still lodged in him, the old man made haste to the beast's side. In his charge, the bows of the hunters were mysteriously enflamed. They let out TWANGs as the heat snapped the strings. The two were forced to drop them. Careful as to not injure Ephi with the protruding arrows, Mr. Ikka grappled her with enough strength to wrestle down a Connlaothan tracker. His intention was not to hurt her, just to hold her.

"I tried to warn you!" he called to the surrounding hunters. "Quickly! Take your friend and go! I will hold it off."

They obeyed this time. Once again, it seemed only extreme danger would persuade such stubborn humans. They collected their injured comrade and hurried off into the brush.

While the hunters fled, Ephi writhed under her mentor's grasp, but was unable to move. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was amazed at how he was so strong. After a few minutes, Ephi calmed down, laying on her back and looking up at Mr. Ikka. Her head was tilted to one side, confused.

Once the hunters were gone, and Ephi was calm, there was no need to hold her. The old man released her from his hold and took some steps back to give the leopard space. His eyes met hers. Once again, he would try getting through to his student.

"Ephi. Are you there?"

Ephi flipped over onto her belly and stood up, shaking the dirt and dust from her ears. She looked at Mr. Ikka expectantly.

Apparently, the man had the wildcat's attention. It was not likely that she would respond with common anyway. Perhaps this was her way of responding to the question.

In this moment of calm, the arrow wounds began to twinge. Mr. Ikka did not have the time to remove them before. He gripped the arrow lodged in his shoulder, and began to pull. These wounds were far from fatal, but that did not mean they were not painful. The seemingly elderly man winced as he dislodged it. The iron tip was coated in his blood.

Ephi shifted, uncomfortably and looked from the arrow to Mr. Ikka. She made a low guttural sound in her throat, and shook her head, slightly distressed with the sight.

Mr. Ikka realized that the gruesome sight of him removing the arrow from his own shoulder bothered Ephi. It was then that he realized, this was no curse. Such a discovery had to be revealed to the young woman. However, she would need to shift back first. Ephi was there, that much was certain, but there was no telling as of yet if she was completely in her right mind while in this form.

Painful as they were, the man had to leave the twin arrows inside himself for now. He dropped the one to the floor, and knelt down. Now, he was at eye level with the beast. He calmed his mind, and looked for a solution to get his host back to human form.

Being her in beast form drained a lot of energy. Ephi yawned and curled into a ball, closing her eyes. She fell asleep almost instantaneously.

"Poor dear..." the man said quietly as Ephi fell asleep.

He was a bit surprised at how quickly she had faded out. This sudden excitement must have been very draining on her, but the shifted form could have also played a role in this. Transformation was not easy on the body. Perhaps it was for the best. Maybe Ephi would return back to her human form while she slept.

The other two arrows rested on the ground next to the first as the man carried the slumbering beast to the cottage. Once inside, he placed its sleeping form on the bed, before going back outside to rest himself. Rocking in the chair on the porch, Mr. Ikka waited for any sound to indicate that she had awoken. The lesson could wait.

As Ephi slept, her fur slowly started to recede back into her skin, and her tail shrunk. Her claws turned back into nails, and her ears slowly lowered back to their original position. Ephi shivered, having no protection from the elements and she woke just enough to pull the covers of her bed back and slid underneath them again before falling asleep once more.

The telltale sounds of stirring inside prompted Mr. Ikka to rise. He went to the bedroom and peeked inside. He was careful and quiet, for there was not enough commotion to indicate that Ephi had awoken. He saw that she was, indeed, still asleep. Also, she was back to her human form. The man knew now that rest is what triggered the change back. Deciding not to disturb his host, he quietly closed the door and went back outside.

The tranquil atmosphere made the memory of what had transpired seem like a distant dream, with the bloodied arrows on the forest floor being the only proof. The elderly man looked to his own self. The wounds had completely healed and vanished, but his clothes still had bloody holes in them. He sighed with slight annoyance. He would have to replace them. There was still a good hour or so before the sun began to set, maybe he could find a stream and wash some of the dried blood off.

Ephi slept for most of that afternoon, waking up around dinner time with her stomach growling loudly. She stretched, groaning slightly and yawned. She swung her legs over the edge of her bed, and left her bed room. She walked around her house a bit, looking for her mentor, before going outside. A few yards from her door, a few arrows with bloodied tips laid on the ground. She walked over and carefully picked one up, staring at the dried blood.

Having found a small creek, Mr. Ikka was doubled over. He had his blue-grey cloak in his hands, and was trying his best to at least lessen the stain of blood from the garment. Only one arrow had found its way into the cloak. The other two had hit his undershirt.

"Maybe I could mend this..." he said quietly.

"MAYBE you should hunt down the ones who DID THIS to you." the beastly apparition roared as it appeared on the opposite bank. It was sitting down with arms folded in front of its hairy chest. "They probably have MONEY. Money you could use to replace those ratty things!"

It was true that the old man had very little money on him at the moment. Surely there was not enough for a new set of clothes. Yet, he was far from listening to his bloodthirsty vision. He would just have to make due until opportunity presented itself, and he was in no hurry. Behind Mr. Ikka, his twin slender tails were uncovered. The grey, black-striped appendages flicked back and fourth similar to that of a housecat. Normally, the old man would be more careful about exposing them, but with Ephi out cold, and no one else around, he felt that the risk was necessary. Once he was happy with the cloak, it would go right back, no matter how soaked it was.

Ephi, looking for her mentor, started to head to the nearby creek in search of the old man, still holding the arrow in her narrow fingers.

Over the babbling of the waters, Mr. Ikka heard movement in the brush. He rose to his feet and with one swift motion, he swung the cloak around himself. Now his shoulders were once again covered - and the twin tails were once again hidden - by the fabric. The pierced shoulder still bore most of the blood, and was now sopping wet. Readjusting his thick shades with his thumb and index finger, the old man anticipated Ephi's arrival.

Ephi slowly walked out of the bushes. She had heard the fabric whipping back to cover Mr. Ikka. 'What could he be hiding?'
"Hi," she said instead, lifting a hand in a wave.

"Hello, my dear." he responded with his same calm tone. Taking a quick glance down, the old man noticed that she was holding one of the bloodied arrows. He continued to look the woman in the face, meaning not to draw attention to it just yet.

"Did you rest well?"

"you're hurt." Ephi said simply. She took a deep shuddering breath. "Is it... because of me?"
Ephi stared at Mr. Ikka, waiting for his answer.

Mr. Ikka gave a soft, warm smile. It was nice to see that Ephi was concerned about home, even if it seemed she would wrongly blame herself for it.

"I am quite alright. Do not fear."

The old man wanted to pull his shirt collar down and show her, but he could not. Not yet. The wounds he sustained had vanished completely. The process happened with a speed that would make a mortal suspicious. For this reason, he would have to hide the areas behind the blood stains on his clothes.

Taking a few steps forward, he asked,
"What do you remember of earlier today?"

Ephi stepped closer, close enough to reach out and touch his shoulder if she wanted it. She inspected the bloodied clothing, her heart constricting. In the short time, she'd known him, she'd come to trust as a mentor, and possibly even a friend with time.

She closed her eyes, searching for any memories from earlier. "Umm... not much.. I remember sunshine... shouting... I can hear the brush  crunching as someone leaves the area... that's about it..."

Mr. Ikka nodded, then went to sit down on the creek bank. Facing the running waters, he patted the ground beside him. It was an invitation for his young student.

Ephi nodded, a horrible dread settling in the pit of her stomach. Without saying anything, she sat beside him and waited for him to speak, to tell her what happened.

"Think upon what has happened." the old man began.

"The first step to controlling your shifted form is to be conscious whilst in that form."

Mr. Ikka spoke serenely. His attention was still focused on the gentle babbling and running of the creek's waters. The sun was starting to get lower in the sky, but it was still a good amount of time before sunset. A gentle breeze moving through the trees seemed to add to the forest's tranquility.

"I want you to focus. The memory is there, you just have to access it. Think about today, and tell me exactly what happened."

"Umm.." Ephi started, her forehead creasing in thought. "We.. had breakfast, talked about shifting... You went outside and I cleaned the house for a few hours... Then we went outside, and you helped me to shift..."

Ephi paused, closing her eyes. She felt warmth on her back, heard a low soothing voice that she thought was her mentor, and time passed peacefully it seemed. She remembered feeling warm, and calm.

"I remember you talking to me, thought I don't know what you said. I was in the sun," Ephi said, with her eyes still closed. She heard new voices then, men, and more than one. She remembered feeling her hackles raising, and her shoulder muscles were sore. "I must've been sitting tense for some time."

She heard herself snarling, and after that; nothing.

"I... snarled... and then I can't remember anything.."

A calm grin grew on the old man's face. "Much better." he praised.

He continued to sit there, watching the flow of the creek's waters. Some wordless moments of meditation passed, but it could not last. The sun would set before long, and it was time to head back.

Mr. Ikka rose. He took some steps towards the cabin before pausing again. "We will continue the lesson tomorrow." With this, he continued slowly on his way.

"Wait!" Ephi cried, scrambling to follow her mentor. "What happened?"

The old man stopped moving. With his back still facing his student, Mr. Ikka waved one hand in the air.

"It is not important."

Ephi stood her ground. "Maybe not to you, but please, I need to know."

Mr. Ikka let out a sigh. He had no choice but to concede to the stubborn young woman.

"Alright..." he said solemnly.

He turned to face Ephi, seeing the resolve in her eyes. The light of the low-hanging sun was glinting off his round shades. He kept his emotionless expression as he thought of exactly what to say. Then, he began to speak.

"Three hunters strayed a bit too far off their course. Out of fear, they acted rather... rashly. They were easily subdued, and were able to flee."

Not satisfied with the answer, Ephi stepped forward with her hands clenched in fists in a failed attempt to stop them from shaking. "What did I do?" she asked with a certain fire in her eyes. "Don't hold back, please."

Mr. Ikka had been completely honest, but he was hiding the full truth. He was hesitant to share that for Ephi's sake. If she knew what she had done, it may have discouraged her from ever changing again. A mental block like that was not what she needed in such early stages of training.

At the same time however, the old man knew that withholding information from the woman would mar the trust she showed to have in him. This was another thing that could impair her training. He was taking a considerable risk, but he decided to tell Ephi what she wanted to know.

"You... you wounded one of the hunters." he responded hesitantly.

"Your claws cut into his arm..."

Ephi nodded, rubbing her arms and hugging herself. "Is that all?" she asked. She was thankful for her mentor's honesty, but she needed to know everything. Ephi swallowed, fighting down a panic attack she could feel rising in her chest.

"Yes. That is all." he said plainly.

He was proud of his student. She did not panic as he thought she may. However, she was very obviously unsettled by the news. There was more to say, more to the story that would hopefully offer comfort.

"The wound was not so serious. He will be alright with time, of that I am certain."

There was one more thing to say. It was an observation that was made by Mr. Ikka during the affair. He smiled as he pointed to the blood stain on his shoulder.

"As you can plainly see, my dear, the hunters attacked me first. I believe you acted in my defense."

"What do you mean they attacked you? Why wouldn't they attack me?" Ephi wondered aloud, confused.
She wasn't surprised she had defended Mr. Ikka. When she was younger, she had been told that she had protected people from her village while she was in her shifted form.

Ephi took another deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

Mr. Ikka noticed how panicked Ephi was becoming. Through her questioning, the old man noticed that she had not asked about protecting another. This was curious. Walking over to her, he laid a hand on her shoulder and spoke once more.

"It is alright, my dear. You are well, and they will be fine with time. What has passed is past, do not worry yourself more than you need to."

He was careful to speak in his most calm and soothing voice. Once again, he turned his back.

"Come. A good night's sleep will clear your head."

He began to walk again, but it would be slow until he knew his student was following him.

"Why didn't they attack me though?" Ephi asked again, following her mentor. She could feel her panic attack fading slowly, and she rubber her arms while she walked, hugging herself.

The old man's pace quickened to a normal stride once Ephi was following.

"If you must know... They did not attack you, because they did not see you. In that form, you are very in touch with your instincts. As soon as you shifted, you climbed one of the trees. Up there, you were very well concealed."

"Is.. is that good?"Ephi asked quietly. She wasn't sure what to make of all this. On on hand, she had successfully forced a shift and managed not to kill anyone, but on the other hand, she had caused her mentor to be injured and attacked a hunter. Feelings of joy and fear wrestled for controlled inside her head.

"Well... that depends." the old man responded. He never broke his stride, and he did not look back.

"Animals have instincts and abilities that many would consider... superhuman. When properly maintained, they could be very helpful in nearly any situation. However, like anything else, they require control. Without proper control, these animalistic traits can prove to be hazardous, both to you and others."

By then, the cottage reappeared in front of them.

"Ah! There we are..."

Ephi sighed, smiling, and started walking towards the front door.

"Home sweet home," Ephi muttered. "Are you hungry? Do you want anything? I have herbs if you're still hurt."

Ephi paused at the door, looking at her mentor expectantly.

Mr. Ikka paused as Ephi walked past.

"Just tea, if you have have any." he responded with a smile.

He thought it comical that she thought he was still hurt. Of course, she would not be able to know the truth, and it was a nice gesture.

"I thank you, but you do not need to worry about me. I am quite alright."

Ephi nodded, letting the matter drop for now, and went inside to make some tea for the both of them. Thoughts and questions still curled around like smoke inside her head as she went through the motions.

How was he healed already? He had been shot three times, and it had to have been enough to stick based on the amount of blood on his clothes. Ephi shook her head, confused.

The old man followed the girl inside. Taking a seat at the table inside, he contemplated something. Ephi was young, but she was also clever. He knew full well that odinary people did not have the advanced healing ability he possessed. Already, she must have been putting two and two together.

It was good that she did not see that the wounds had vanished. If she had, she would have known immediately that he was not what he claimed to be. It was getting harder and harder to hide this from her. There was no telling how she would react to finding out such a secret.

Ephi finished making the tea and poured two cups, handing Mr. Ikka one of the cups while she sat down across from him. She gently blew on her tea, trying to think of what to say, or even if she wanted to bring it up.

Mr. Ikka brought the teacup to his lips. It was a decent flavor, and was prepared very well. As good as the tea was, the silence of the room was dismal. The old man did not know how someone could live alone like this.

"You made great progress today..." he said, finally adding sound to the atmosphere.

Ephi smiled, lowering her cup. "I'm glad," she responded. "When can we try again?"
She trained her blue eyes on her mentor for a few seconds before glancing out the window as a bird swooped by.

The old man gave a soft chuckle. It was good to see his his student so eager to continue her lesson.

"There will be another lesson tomorrow, after you get a good night's sleep."

Ephi's shoulders visibly sagged in disappointment. She was so tired of fearing what she'd do every time she inevitably shifted, tired of having to pretend that she was ok, just tired in general. Ephi sighed.

"I know it's going to take time, I guess I just didn't realize how long this was actually going to take..." she muttered, looking at her hands. Instead of seeing her petite human fingers, she could only see claws, and fur.

"All good things happen with time, my dear." the old man responded, putting down his cup and straightening his back.

"Such a power cannot be tamed in a single day..."

Ephi nodded and began to clear the dishes from the table. Something else was running through her head.. She should be exhausted from the shift, despite falling asleep for many hours, and yet she was wide awake.

The old man's host seemed to have some things on her mind. However, it did not seem to trouble her. Rather, she was lost in thought. Perhaps now was a good time to give her the news. It was a conclusion that Mr. Ikka had made whilst observing Ephi in her shifted state. Really, the finding should delight the girl, but at the same time, it could trouble her. The elder decided to reveal it now, and deal with the aftermath as he saw fit.

"There is one more thing..." he said after clearing his throat.
"From what I have seen today, it is apparent that this ability is not from a curse."

The young girl nodded, smiling slightly. "I didn't think so.. I've never done any harm to anyone, but it's nice to know that it's not a curse for sure."

Mr. Ikka was glad that the girl took the news so well. Of course, that was his intention. However, there was something in Ephi's response that puzzled him.

"Really... Tell me, then. If you have not lashed out against anyone in that form, why is it that you live alone out here?"

The answer was not going to be a happy one, if she even felt comfortable giving it. The more he could find out, the better. Should she refuse, it was of no consequence.

Ephi sighed, closed her eyes, and leaned against the counter. "It's true I've never truly lashed out at anyone before today as far as I'm aware... But if you were me, and there was never a guarantee that I wouldn't hurt somebody, would you stay in a populated area?" Ephi asked seriously.

"I see..."

It was truly a noble act. Not many humans had such courage to leave their homes in such situations. Ephi knew back then what she was capable of, and actually had the willpower to leave what she knew behind. It saddened Mr. Ikka to see someone living like this when they could have had a normal life.

"How long has it been... Since last you have been home?"

Ephi thought for a minute before responding.

"Oh gosh.. Almost four years now?" Ephi responded, surprised it had been that long. "But I don't think you could say I've been without a home for that long, I've made this place pretty homely." She chuckled, looking around at the cabin.

Most of the furniture had been here when she got here, but she'd made a few blankets, all her clothing, and the rugs and curtains. She's built the garden outside, and kept the home tidy. She nodded, smiling a little at the cabin.

The man nodded in confirmation, seeing just how comfortable Ephi was with this place. Perhaps living alone out in the woods was her preference. Then again, humans often longed for companionship. It was unlikely, if not impossible, that the girl was without loneliness. Mr. Ikka raised an eyebrow.

"If you were able to control this power, would you stay here?"

Ephi shook her head. "Not a chance. I love people and hearing the stories they have to tell. I mean, I love it hear, but I'd much rather have someone here with me. I used to dream about having things lien a family someday.. But after I shifted for the first time, I gave up on all that." Ephi admitted shrugging.

It was just as he thought.

"I will help you get that life back." he said with a smile.

It was difficult to believe what she was hearing. She could have a life? Ephi beamed at him.

"I wasn't sure about you at first..." she admitted. "But I'm glad I opened that door when you got here."

The statement took Mr. Ikka's off guard, and his smile falter a bit. It was times like this that made the old man satisfied of his decision almost six hundred years ago. He rose from his chair, once again adjusting his opaque shades.

"The universe works in strange ways... Perhaps it is time for you to start getting ready for bed. It is quite late, and there is more to do tomorrow."

"What are we doing tomorrow?" She asked, clearing the table of the remaining dishes.

"Well..." the old man started, stroking his beard.

"The shifting is emotional, brought on by intense feeling. Tomorrow, we will identify just what feelings trigger it. Being aware of this and controlling it is the first step in controlling your shifted form."

The young girl nodded in understanding. "So today was just for you to see my shifted form and how conscious I am in it?" After drying her hands, Ephi unbraided her hair and started to braid it again, not really thinking about it. It seemed as though her hands moved on their own.

"That was one point, yes..." he responded.

"It was an experiment to see what exactly we are dealing with."

"And what did you learn today?" Ephi asked. She couldn't help the note of bitterness in her voice. She'd had so many people shun and insult her for what she was, that she'd built walls around herself. If anyone got too close, she'd do the only thing she could; insult them until they got the message and left her alone. Ephi didn't even seem to notice how she sounded.

Mr. Ikka noted the hint of annoyance in her voice. Maybe "experiment" was not the best word. He continued to speak both honestly and bluntly, unrelenting to his host's change in tone.

"Exactly what I have shared. The shift is triggered by strong emotion, accessed by your memories. That form is not malicious, and there is a hint of consciousness. From this information, I know it is able to be controlled. Such a feat will require a fair amount of concentration. That is what needs to be taught."

She took a long slow deep breath, realized she was more fired up than she thought.

"Well, I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight, sir," she muttered and bowed her head slightly before going into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"Well... THAT was rude!" said a familiar, yet unpleasant voice.

The old man spun around to see the vision of the monstrous cat, sitting casually at the table. it had been a good while since this apparition last appeared. It was perhaps because of the positive aura of this place. Such a negative thing would not dare to appear when everything was calm and peaceful.

"She has been through quite a lot. I cannot blame her."

Mr. Ikka pulled up his chair and was seated once again, across the table from the beast. Its claws were drumming now, and it bore an annoyed expression. It once again spoke with a growl, heard by no one but the man.

"How long do you plan on staying here? I thought you were annoying before, but at least we got to see the world. Now you are just going to shut yourself inside this pile of tinder..."

"It will take as long as necessary." the man retorted. "I cannot leave until she learns to control her power. Ephi deserves a normal life..."

Mr. Ikka kept his voice low, in case Ephi was still awake. He was having a conversation with no one, and preferred not to raise suspicion from his host. In response to this, the cat monster let out a demented chuckle.

"Still as soft as ever... A human you do not even know! I cannot comprehend how you can go through such lengths for them?"

"Human lives are short... One spent here, alone in a place like this, is a waist. I cannot allow that."

Before the vision could respond again, something grabbed their attention. It was a noise from outside, far in the distance. Human, by the sound of it, but too far to tell anything else. They both listened together, wondering.

After the young girl had changed into a night dress, she sat on her bed and looked up at the stars through her window. It was a clear night, and the stars and moon shine brightly. Ephi smiled to herself, and bent her head, praying to the gods of her old village. She murmured to herself for a minute or two. Then she climbed into bed. As she closed her eyes to sleep, she thought she heard someone murmuring softly in the kitchen. Mr ikka?

She slowly and silently climbed out of bed and crept across the floor. She didn't realize she was using her feline skills as a human. Ephi pressed her ear against the door to try to make out what was being said. She had a feeling her mentor hadn't told her the entire truth about himself. It had never crossed her mind that he'd hurt her or anything, ephi was just curious.

"I know you hear that..." the monster began.

Mr. Ikka replied. "Yes... A hunting party, by the sound of it. Just as I expected..."

Although faint, the sounds of multiple humans could be heard approaching. The elderly man assumed they would do this, come out with a party to hunt the "beast" that attacked them. Really, he hoped that they would not do this, but rather to stay clear of this area altogether. It could not be helped. Mr. Ikka would have to go take care of them. he rose from the chair once again.

"I must deal with this..."

The demonic apparition was suddenly filled with a cruel enthusiasm.

"OH YES! Let's go get-"

"Do not get too excited... I will not hurt them."

The vision's exuberance faded like a fire in a rainstorm. He was filled with now with disappointment. As the man exited the kitchen, the cat vanished. There was one more thing to do before heading out. Mr. Ikka had to make sure Ephi was sleeping. She could not see what was about to happen. He made his way over to the bedroom door with light steps, and turned the knob.

Ephi quickly and silently dove back into bed, facing the wall, and feigning sleep with deep, even breaths. Mr. Ikka was talking to himself? He had seemed very sane and aware when she had met him. Maybe he wasn't so sane after all? She needed more solid proof of his insanity before she could just kick him out, but she didn't want to just kick him out right away.

Opening the door, Mr. Ikka peered inside. Ephi was in bed, enveloped by the sheets. She appeared to be sleeping. This was good, but the old man could not risk the girl waking up and going outside after him. Closing the door again, he went back to the kitchen to retrieve one of the chairs.

It was an old trick, but effective. He propped the chair up against the doorknob, stopping it from being opened. He would remove it one what was done was done. The old man exited the cottage, and continued off towards the hunting party.

As soon as she heard the front door softly swing shut, Ephi flew out of bed. Padding across the floor, she had a feeling he had blocked the door, and sure enough, when she tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge. Ephi sighed and looked around her room. It was a bedroom for minimalists. The only things in her room were her bed, dresser, and an old faded mirror.

An idea started to take shape in her mind. She smiled at the window a bit. These windows hadn't been opened for years, but she was determined to get out. If the door wouldn't open for her, the window would have to do. She grunted softly, digging her fingernails into the window frame and prying with all her might. After many tries, the tips of her fingers were bloody and raw, but the window finally started to move. Finally, she got the window open and slunk into the cool night air.

Mr. Ikka walked at a brisk pace towards the sounds of the far off hunting party. He had a plan in mind to get them off the trail for good, without harming a single human in any way.

He was almost upon them now. The old man located an old oak tree with a low-hanging branch. It was a distinguishable tree that he would be able to find again easily. With a bit of haste, he took the cloak off his shoulders and draped it over the branch. The two black-striped tailes were in plain view, although still somewhat camouflaged by the night's darkness. Next came the shades and shoes, which were placed next to one another at the base of the trunk. The light of distant torches was glinting off Mr. Ikka's lightning blue eyes. The slitted pupils contracted and expanded with the varying levels of light.

The seemingly elderly man took just one more glance about to make sure he was not followed thus far. He only cared if it was Ephi, but she was still in bed, right? Surely, there was nothing to worry about. Still, the old man could not help to be suspicious...

Ephi ran through the woods on all fours, though she had not shifted. After she had escaped through her window, Ephi had taken a long, slow, deep breath of the night air. Mr. Ikka's scent filled her nose, and she turned, trying to find the direction the scent came from. Once she had his path located, she was so focused on keeping a hold of his path, that she didn't consciously realize she was running along on her hands and feet, loping along awkwardly.

Her ears perked up at the sounds of men laughing and talking in the distance, and Ephi paused. She thought she sensed someone creeping along, an outsider of the group.. The old man's scent was stronger than ever here, and she followed the scent to a gnarled tree, running into the cloak. She stumbled back, startled, before realizing what it was. The man's shoes and shades were in a pile next to the base of the tree as well. 'What is he doing out here? Without any shoes for that matter!'

There was, in fact, a sound in the distance. It was not human, or so the man assumed. The creature moved on all fours, and rather quickly for a human. Mr. Ikka's night vision failed him. He could not discern what it was due to the brush. However, from the sound of it, he could tell it was coming closer. No, not just closer. It was coming for him, making a beeline directly for his position.

The old man caught a scent once it got closer, but could not believe it. It was... Ephi's? Impossible... However, this was confirmed once she had run into the clothing hanging beside him.

"Ephi?!" he exclaimed quietly. His normally calm, collected tone gave way to surprise. Thinking quickly, he turned his back. The twin tails wrapped around his waist, and gave the appearance of furry belts.

Now with a hint of anger, Mr. Ikka continued. "What are you doing out here?! You are supposed to be asleep!"

He kept his voice low, not wanting to reveal their location to the hunting party in the near distance.

Ephi straightened at looked at her mentor in shock. She hadn't expected to actually run into him, only to observe him. She struggled to come up with an explanation.

"Uh.. well..." she stuttered. Just then, one of the hunters let out a loud, bellowing laugh, and Ephi paled. She started to tremble with fear, and she couldn't move.She sank to her knees, sitting in the dirt and leaves beneath her without disturbing them to make any sort of noise.

Mr. Ikka narrowed his gaze towards the hunters' position. The loud and echoing laughter suddenly hushed down. Someone over there knew what they were doing. Taking a long breath, the elderly man calmed his tone.

"Ephi... Go back home." he said with a certain ice in his words, just loud enough for the girl to hear. He still would not look at her.

"Stay there until I get back..."

Ephi glared at Mr. Ikka with a sort of fire in her eyes. "I know them, and I will not leave until they're gone." Ephi said as strongly as she could in the midst of her panic attack. Her heart was pounding, and though there was nothing blocking her breath, she felt as though there were a weight on her chest, stopping her breath. Her entire body was trembling now.

The old man's patience was beginning to wear thin. This could be heard in his unrelenting voice.

"Ephi... I will not tell you again. Go back."

There was a plan here, one to protect the girl without anyone being harmed. It was frustrating to Mr. Ikka that he could not reveal it. It would have made things much easier if he could. That was not an option here, the girl could not see what was about to happen. For both their sakes, secrecy had to be maintained.

"I will take care of this..."

"Do you think I've just been lucky that no one's attacked me before?!" Ephi growled. "Every year, these.. buffoons try to hunt the shifter in the woods, and every year, I have to deal with them. There's never been anyone else there to protect me before, I've managed alone, so stop treating me like I don't know how to handle the world. I may not have control in my shifted form, but that doesn't mean I'm completely helpless."

Ephi was panting now, out of breath from her speech. She bent her head, suddenly ashamed of herself. "I'm sorry... you're only trying to be kind and help me. I shouldn't have said those things to you."

Something shifted in the old man in light of this new information. His head turned slightly in Ephi's direction, but not enough to expose his eyes.

"So this is typical?" he asked quietly.

"Please tell me more..."

Mr. Ikka was still cautious. There was no way he would allow any human to sneak up on them as Ephi elaborated further. He listened intently, mentally pinpointing the location of each human.

The young woman nodded, trembling violently. "Every year, a hunting party comes tramping through these woods... hunting... I overheard one of them talking to a younger member once. I guess that I'm only known as the shifter in the woods in the nearby village. I'm a legend to them. So every year, a group of men, usually younger, but sometimes there's an older man with them, come tripping through the woods trying to find where the shifter lives," Ephi muttered bitterly. She almost spat the words in disgust at the hunters.

Mr. Ikka looked forward again, with almost full concentration on the hunters. Humans could be extremely cruel creatures sometimes. It did not matter what Ephi was, she was still a young girl. Before his plan could be carried out, there was one more thing to know.

"What do they know about you? Have they seen you as a human?"

"They know nothing about me. Nor have they seen me in either form. Like I said, I'm a legend to them. This is just a way to spend a few days of their summer; hunting what could be real, but no one's sure," Ephi growled.

"Where do the legends come from, if they do not even know you exist?" he asked with the same serious tone.

Ephi took a deep breath. "The first few times I shifted here, I was loose in the woods. I didn't lock myself inside. A hunter must have seen me during one of these times. There are no leopards here naturally, so he connected the dots; a shifter. I used to go into town once a week to buy things that I could not yet get on my own, like seeds, cloth, things like that. I heard people talking."

Ephi hung her head, suddenly nauseous and dizzy. She leaned against the tree, closing her eyes.

The young woman was too worked up now, and there was nothing else that needed to be asked.

"Perhaps it would be best if this "shifter in the woods" were to fall this night..."

Ephi stared at her mentor, wondering what he had in mind. "What do you mean?"

"I will tell you again to go back to the cottage. However, if you do not, at least look away. I do not want you to see this..."

Although he was still speaking plainly, there was a certain conviction in the man's words. There should have been a sullen tone with the way he worded those sentences. Yet, there was not. Eyes fixed forward, he began moving towards the hunters. There was determination with each step.

Ephi took a few deep breaths, calming down just enough to stand up, look Mr. Ikka in the eyes, and say, "I'm not going anywhere." Ephi balled her hands into fists at her sides, waiting for him to send her back anyways.

The old man quickly spun around, staring daggers into Ephi's with glowing blue eyes.

"Then look away!" he snapped at her. Once again turning his back to her, he continued  moving again.

"You will not want to see this..."

Mr. Ikka continued to walk until he was out of earshot of the girl, and nearly within sight of the hunters.

Ephi couldn't help but stumble backwards under the force of the man's gaze. As soon as he told her not to watch, she knew she had to. As he turned his back to her, stalking towards the group of hunters. She crouched behind the tree with her mentor's cloak hanging from the branches, and started to skirt around the campsite. She crawled around on all fours again, this time noticing she was doing it, and although it looked awkward, to her it felt almost... natural.

Mr. Ikka did something then that he had not have to do in quite a while. In one fluid and discreet shift, he took the shape of a young girl. This form was similar to Ephi's, but not completely. He did not want these hunters to recognize her in the future.

Strolling into sight, they instantly took notice. Reactions were varied. Some hunters gave hollers and whistles, whilst others were more cautious. The shifted man was actually quite surprised when one of the hunters called out:

"Wait. Look at her eyes! It's the shifter!"

That was his cue. In the startled confusion, Mr. Ikka took the form of a leopard. This form was exactly the same as Ephi's, all except for the two tails. In this form, he ferociously leaped around them. The goal here was to look as frightening as possible without actually doing harm. Unfortunately, they had not reacted in the way he had hoped.

Most of the hunters simply fled, too cowardly to attack. They would have all ran had the leopard not knocked one of them to the ground. Mr. Ikka posed holding a clawed paw over the prone man. This would inspire at least one hunter, right? Right. Just then, an arrow pierced the leopard's flank. It hurt, but was not enough to take him down. The knocked over hunter "escaped" his grasp, and ran off. Now rallied, the hunters loosed more arrows into the beast. He wobbled, and was eventually brought down. The hunters rejoiced and gathered around the body. They had done it. The "shifter in the woods" was dead.

Ephi watched in amazement as her mentor seemed to shift into a girl about her size. She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes, but then as one of the hunters yelled, "It's the shifter!" he shifted again; into a leopard. Chaos ensued and Ephi scrambled around the camp trying to remain hidden despite the hunters fleeing in every direction. One of them almost fell on top of her, but she rolled away at the last second. Her heart was racing, and she glanced up again just in time to see the first hunter hit his mark with an arrow: her mentor.

She cried out, but no one seemed to hear her as more hunters loosed more arrows into his flesh. Ephi watched in horror as her only friend collapsed. Tears streamed down the girl's cheek, and she fell to her knees, feeling the darkness of a shift starting to come out.

This time was different though. Instead of trying to shove it back down to the depths, she released it. Her nails started turning to black claws, and she screamed, both in pain and in grief. The scream turned to a snarl mid scream though. The hunters, oohing over their prey, fell silent at the sound.

Apparently, things had not gone according to plan... The girl had disobeyed his orders and looked on.

The leopard laying on the ground was still very much alive, even if it seemed the opposite. There was not much he could do now. The hunters had to believe he was dead. One eye opened to see the surrounding humans freeze, mouths gaping with fear. Ephi could not possibly know what Mr. Ikka really was, that such a futile effort could not bring him down in a thousand years. If she thought him dead, and she was feeling enough emotion to shift, she would undoubtedly rampage. Mr. Ikka regret his failure in seeing this coming.

Ephi snarled again, leaping into view. Hunters cried out and stumbled backwards.

"T-two?!" one of them screamed. Ephi stamped her feet into the earth before charging into the group of hunters, swiping and clawing any that got too close to her. Ephi's mind was clear through all this, and she nudged the leopard that was her mentor was her head. She sat back on her haunches, staring at him. The remaining hunters were trying (and failing) to regroup after two surprise attacks.

Enough was enough. If the hunters had the time to regroup, Ephi would be in great danger. Mr. Ikka could not allow that.

He slowly rose up from the ground, arrows still embedded into his hide. This was the final surprise for the humans. Once they realized that they were dealing with both shifters at once, they knew any attempts they would try were futile. With all the grace and coordination of a stampede, they scrambled into the underbrush. The fled to leave the two leopards alone.

Mr. Ikka changed, once again taking the familiar form of the old man. The arrows were stuck in him where they had struck the leopard. His icy stare fell on his student.

Ephi jumped back, startled by her mentor's sudden movement. As the hunters scrambled away, and her mentor shifted back. Ephi stared at her mentor, fighting the urge to tackle him in joy that he, in fact, was not dead.

His icy stare froze her heart.

The old man was clearly disappointed, his eyes showed that. However, he could not outright reprimand his student while she was in her shifted form.

"Ephi... Can you hear me?" he asked sternly.

Ephi nodded slowly.

This was an unexpected reaction. Somehow, Ephi had taken one of the most important steps in the training. She seemed to be completely - or at least mostly - aware of herself in her shifted form. Now to test how much control there was.

"Can you change back?"

Ephi didn't respond at first. She recalled the power she had felt in her muscles, how good it had felt to finally not need to hide, to finally have a reason to shift. She could feel Mr. Ikka's eyes on her, waiting, and she realized she wasn't sure she wanted to shift back.

The old man sighed.

"Fair enough... Come, we should retire."

Confident in his student's new control, he walked back over to the old oak. There, he collected his effects. He looked to the leopard, ready to head back to the cottage.

Obediently, and more so from being so exhausted from the evening's events, Ephi padded heavily over to where her mentor stood waiting. She blinked at him a few times before rubbing her head on his chest, thankful he wasn't dead.

The trek back to the cabin was taken silently. Mr. Ikka had nothing to say to the girl. Not yet.
He moved the chair from the door and forcefully closed the window, taking notice of the slight traces of blood in the sill. Once she was asleep in bed (this time for real), he could go back outside and remove the still-protruding arrows.

Ephi, who had gone to bed still shifted, shifted back into her human form in her sleep with a soft sigh. She feel into a deep, dreamless sleep almost instantly.

The man removed the arrows from himself, wincing at the pain they caused. It always hurt more when they stayed in for a while. Once complete, Mr. Ikka went inside to take his place on he couch. The bloodied projectiles lay in a pile outside. There was reason to believe the next day would be eventful.

Ephi slept until mid-afternoon, a deep, but not dreamless sleep. She kept reliving the events that had transpired the previous night.

Mr. Ikka rose much later than he usually did. The events of last night had taken a toll on him, moreso than he would have preferred to admit. He checked his wounds. They were gone, all of them, with only the residual amount of blood proving that they had been there at all.

The man wondered about Ephi now. He did not hear her stirring anywhere, and the door to her room was still closed. She was most likely still asleep.

Ephi had in fact woken with the dawn, much to her surprise. She blinked at the rising sun through her window and yawned. She spent the next hour or so sitting on the edge of her bed, just thinking. She rehashed everything that had happened last night.

Her mentor... was a shifter himself? She couldn't believe it. He had seemed so.. normal when she had met him. No wonder he was wise in the subject.

With a click, the front door of the cabin closed. Mr. Ikka had closed it behind himself as he went outside to take in the fresh air. It was slightly overcast today, and his senses told him that it would most likely rain much later in the day. He looked out, contemplating what he should tell his student once she eventually woke.

Eventually, Ephi's stomach snarled violently at her, and she knew it was time to emerge from her room. Despite her best efforts to stand, once Ephi pressed her bare feet into the floor boards, her legs almost gave out. She was glad that was still holding onto the bed post when it happened. She was shaking violently, and after a minute of trying to get back up, she sank to the floor, feeling lightheaded.

The old man's advanced hearing picked up the quiet sound of the bed shifting. She must have woken up. However, he stayed right where he was. Mr. Ikka did not want to intrude on the room just as his student had awoken. She would need some time, especially after the events of last night.

Ephi  blinked quickly, trying to clear the quickly growing black spots in her vision. She pressed a hand against her forehead. She tried to call out for her mentor, though the only sound that came out was a quiet sigh. Her heart raced, panicking, she felt like she was going to pass out any second now. The last thought Ephi had before the world turned black was to lay down on the floor before she passed out so she didn't hit her head.

A lot of time had passed since Ephi supposedly stirred. Did the man misjudge the sound?

Even if the night was hectic, there was no excuse for his student to sleep the entire day away. Mr. Ikka re-entered the house and knocked softly on Ephi's door. There was no response. He knocked a bit harder this time, calmly calling her name. Still nothing... Maybe she was still asleep.

He slowly pushed the door open, making it creak as it did. It was a shock to see that the young girl was no longer on the bed, but the floor. Did she fall? No... His ears would have picked up the thud of her body. He raced over and knelt down. There was something very wrong here.

Ephi had no awareness of her surroundings. Her breathing was shallow, but there.

There was a pulse, and she was still breathing. This was good. The old man put the back of his hand to the girl's forehead, feeling for a fever.

Ephi whimpered softly, and flinched at his touch. She pulled away from him, and started flailing, like a child in a nightmare. Her eyes were closed tightly, and tears streamed down her cheek. She screamed. No one could guess whether it was from pain or fear.

The old man could not figure out what was happening before him. Using his advanced strength, but being careful not to accidentally hurt the girl, he lifted her from the floor and put her back into the bed. He could not treat this with the limited knowledge he had on the situation, but Mr. Ikka figured it was better to be on a soft surface than the hard floor. He sat beside her, waiting for the flailing to end.

After about ten minutes of more flailing and screaming, she finally started to scream less and less. Eventually she stopped entirely, whimpering softly.  In her mind, she dreamed she was standing in a dark place, alone. Her heart pounded and she tried to look for something, anything in the murky nothingness. Slowly a form took shape, stalking towards her.  She froze and watched the creature. As it drew nearer, she realized it was her shifted form. Blinking at the leopard, she watched it sit a few feet in front of her and stare at her curiously.

At least the panic attack had died down. Perhaps she was dreaming?

He head into the kitchen, and filled a pot with water. Taking it effortlessly back to Ephi's room, he laid it on the floor beside the bed. He once again left to fetch a cloth. There was an old remedy he knew to calm the sleeping, and to help against sickness (Should there be one).

Back in the room now, he tucked the girl in before taking his place sitting on the bedside. Mr. Ikka dropped the cloth into the pot, letting it sink as soon as it absorbed enough water. He submerged a single hand and focused. To the common man, it would have seemed like nothing was happening. However, before long there were bubbles rising to the top of the warm water.

More and more bubbles rose, the water being at a steady boil. With the submerged hand, he grabbed the cloth and took it from the water. Excess water was ringed out, then folded neatly, before being gently placed on Ephi's forehead. The old man watched over her diligently, awaiting any sign of change.

The young girl whimpered slightly, and weakly tried to turn away from the warm cloth. After a minute or two, she calmed down.

In her dream, her shifted form continued to stare at her steadily. Slowly, voices started to whisper in the darkness.
She heard her parents. "what's wrong with her? What do we do? What if she attacks?"
Other children from her home. "I can't play with you. My moms afraid of you."
More voices from her life continued to taunt her, and fear her. Ephi fell to her knees, cradling her head. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. She couldn't stop the voices, couldn't make them stop saying awful things about her.
Suddenly another voice drowned the others out.  "You are safe here. There is nothing that can harm you here. You are not alone here, not while I am here!"
Ephi paused, and looked around her for the source of the last voice.

The man was delighted that the remedy worked. However, she had not yet awaken. It was unknown to Mr. Ikka how long it would take for her to wake, but he had all the time in the world to wait.

He sat by Ephi's side, watching over her, waiting for any signs of change. He saw nothing but her eyes moving under her eyelids. He wondered with great pity what his student was going through.

 "You are safe here." the voice said again, more calmly this time. Ephi looked around, frantically looking for the voice. She cried out, both in her dream and aloud. Her shifted form continued to blink at her curiously.

"he is not what you think he is." the leopard said. The young girl froze at the voice. It sounded like it was an older version of herself.

"who?" she said, the first word she had spoken in this strange dream like world.

"this mentor of yours," the leopard replied patiently. Ephi thought she sounded almost sad when she said this. "do not trust him."

Ephi could only stare confused at the cat.

Mr. Ikka watched, as helpless as ever, over the girl's unconscious plight.

"Poor dear..." he cooed.

He took up one of her delicate hands in his, in one last attempt to comfort her. There was not a single thing else he could do for her. Whatever she was going through, she had to get through it on her own.

"What are you talking about?!" Ephi burst out,  walking towards her shifted form. The leopard only blinked and shook her head.

"Trust me when I say that traitor is not to be believed. I must go now, but he is not who he says he is." With that the leopard turned and stalked into the darkness. Ephi fell to her hands and knees, staring at the ground. What in the world was that? If Mr. Ikka wasn't who he said... who was he?

Back in her bed, Ephi was unnaturally still, her breathing shallow. Her hand, which was tense before, now fell limp in her mentor's comforting grip. Slowly, the vision faded and Ephi fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

"Ephi? Ephi!"

The old man's heart raced in his chest. He did not know what could possibly be happening in the girl's head, but it now affected her physical form once again. He felt for a pulse in her wrist, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it.

"Oh, my poor Ephi..." he said aloud.

He spoke with a sadness born of both pity and helplessness. What could he possibly do for such a condition? Perhaps, he thought, there was one thing. Although, it was unknown if it would actually do anything...

A quiet and soothing melody escaped Mr. Ikka's lips. A lullaby, remembered from the distant past. He sat there and stroked the hand of his student, singing a tune that was probably meant more to calm himself down than to help Ephi.

The young girl continued to breath evenly, and there were no physical signs that Ephi heard the melody. Her face softened as she slept, and her conscience mind was blissfully silent for the first time in years. After a few minutes of her mentor's humming, Ephi was lost in a deep sleep once more.

All the old man could do was wait. She was only sleeping, and would wake eventually.

He was an immortal being. Waiting was no issue for someone unaffected by time. She would wake eventually, and he would be there when she did.

Mr. Ikka left her side only to fetch a chair, which he set beside the bed. There he sat, awaiting the moment his student would wake.

A few hours later, just before dawn, Ephi stirred and opened her eyes. She looked around the room, and noticed her hand still resting in her mentor's, who was sitting beside her in a wooden chair. The young girl remembered her vision and stared at the man with a haunted look in her eyes.

He is not who you think he is. Do not trust him. What did that mean?

"Oh! Thank goodness! You are awake..."

Mr. Ikka was relieved. There was no telling what had plagued the young Ephi, or what suffering she had to endure. He was not even sure that she would wake again. It warmed his heart to see her open her eyes.

However... There was a certain look in them. One that could only be described as... fearful.

"How... How do you feel?"

"I... uh..." she whispered. She glanced down at her lap, and gently pulled her hand from his grip. "Can you tell me about yourself?"

She kept her eyes trained on her lap as she waited for an answer.

Mr. Ikka was taken aback by the question. She had seen a part of the seemingly elderly man that he would rather have not exposed. What did she know? What did she want to know?

"What do you wish to find out..." he asked solemnly.

Ephi thought about the question, knowing she was treading on areas that could be places he did not want her to go. She also didn't want him to know about her dream and the warning her shifted form had given her.

"Where are you from?" she asked. It seemed to be the safest of the questions rolling around in her head.

Mr. Ikka chuckled a bit. His serious demeanor waning somewhat.

"Is that all you wanted to know?"

He could tell she was holding back, for reasons he could only guess. His past was not something he wished to remember, let alone discuss... Still, such hesitation was probably not healthy.

"Tell me what is is you want to know... For this to work, there must be trust. You should speak the the truth to me. I will do the same..."

Hopefully, this was more innocent than he was perceiving. Although after the events of that night, the man had to be sure...

"I just want to know you... I guess where you came from and what your life was before I met you?"

She glanced at him. Ephi hated that he had laughed at her, but she understood why. Noticing the normal light start to creep back into her mentor's eyes was a relief.

"I would say you already know who I am... Do you not? It has been some days since I happened upon your cabin, after all..."

The man sat straight up in the chair, and stared towards the floor. He was not sure how much he was going to be able to get away with. He would not lie, but he wished not to give the whole truth.

"Before then, I would merely wander..."