The shifter in the woods (open)

[Amorida]

"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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

"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?"

[Amorida]

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."

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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!"

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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!"

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

"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.

[Amorida]

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

[Kalak8538]

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.

[Amorida]

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.

[Kalak8538]

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..."