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.
