The shifter in the woods (open)

[Amorida]

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...

[Kalak8538]

The character

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

"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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

"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..."

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

"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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.