The shifter in the woods (open)

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.