What Are You?

Niq:

"My mother taught me a few things after I first shifted into my human form, mainly leather working and bow and arrow." I looked at the cooked duck that had cooled off enough to where we could eat a little, "If you want after we eat, I can show you how to use a bow and arrow. You can practice on our friend here." I nodded my head towards the dead deer that I had skinned and prepared to cut before looking back at her "How does that sound, then you can show me a few tricks that you know that you haven't showed me yet."


Raphael:

As soon as the herd came in sight I headed towards Christian, whenever he needed someone tracked down or watched I was always called upon. As I approached the steel gray stallion, I landed on the ground in front of him and shifted into my human form and kneeled while looking to the ground.

I lifted my gaze slightly to look at him "I have found your missing daughter sir, she seems to have befriended a male werewolf at a cave. It's about a three day journey from here, Do you wish for me to lead you to her?"

Melissa:
I smiled when he talke about his Mom to. I wondered if he'd grown up happy, because I hoped he did. When he made his offer to teach me bow and arrow, I looked to the skinned deer, the piece of meat of practice on. I looked back at home, "Yeah, that would be great." I smiled. I knew before Han though we needed to eat, and the duck was done cooling off. I took a thigh of the duck and used my fingers to take a hunk off of it and savored the bite. After I swallowed the bite, "For a while I lived with some humans. I had already survived in the wild for a while by myself before I lived there. Switching from fresh meat to the meat they bought in stores was disgusting. Humans probably have no idea what fresh meat tastes like... Or what fruit is supposed to taste like." I chuckled at the last few part and took another bite and swollowing before speaking again. "Because that stuff in stores was nasty." I say with a grimace.

~~~
Christian:

I didn't look at the pest when I heard him land and shift in to Raphael's human form. What the bird said made my head whip around an stare him down with narrowed eyes. "A three days journey? And you are positive it is her?" I snorted in slight doubt and turned around and halted before him and snorted, "because I would hate to see that you are wrong after making a three day journey." I stomped a hoof before him. When he hurriedly nodded I snorted, "then we will leave immediately. I will prepare the men who will be going with me. Which includes you. This is your chance to rest before we leave, I suggest you take it Raphael." I said and turned away from the hill to make my way down the side of the slope. As I entered the herd. My property cowered away from me as I made way to my most trusted stallions. Within the hour I had gotten my group of 5 together and left the last 7 stallions to guard the mares. I put Devon in charge while I'm gone.

We managed to leave a few hours before sunset, and we left at a thunderous gallop. I'm knew my stallions in my group to capture Petrichora's daughter are eager to see how this will plays out, how it will be decided weither she is sold or kept as stock like her Mother was. I know they all want her to be stock, because they want her for themselves.

Niq:

I waited for her to start eating the duck before I reached for the other leg and began eating it, when I finished eating the leg of the duck I looked over at her "The duck tasted really good, different, but good." I noticed she was smiling when I talked about my mother, but didn't say anything about it "Whenever your ready i'll show you." I watched her for a minute while she finished eating and savored every bite "I've never really had to deal with humans, never wanted to, they cause to many problems." He stared at her for a moment before thinking hard on what I was going to say "I want you to stay here...With me."



Raphael:

The man that kneeled before Christian didn't dare look up now "I swear on my life Sir, I have no reason to lie to you." When the gray stallion left Raphael stood before shifting into his barn owl form and flying to the nearest tree, landing there i fell into a light sleep.

When he had gathered the other stallions I set off flying towards where I had found the girl with Christian and the other stallions following me.

Melissa:

I shifted my glance down to the torn up duck. "They're is some good in the humans... For some reason they feel ashamed to show it most of the time." I shrug it off, not really caring. I threw the eaten up leg I took off the duck, in to the fire. The bone crackled, and it made me flinch only slightly. It reminded me of the crash, the sound of my bones breaking... I subconsciously grabbed my wrist and felt my whole right arm ache just in the slightest bit. I looked at Niq when I heard his question. With slightly widened eyes, I almost accepted, and my heart leapt for a moment and beat more quickly. It made me feel nervious... but then my heart dropped when I remembered... I'm a rogue for a reason, I can't be close with anyone, because of where I'm from. I will always be chased down throughout my life by my father. I can't do that to Niq. I can't do that to anyone. "I can't, Niq. I'm more of a burden than anything else that I may be." I say with a slight catch in my throat.

I watched as she threw the bone into the fire and flinched from the sound the bone made as it cracked, just as she grabbed at her wrist and held it for a moment before she heard what i said. I watched as her face showed how nervous she was when she began to talk it looked like her nervousness vanished in an instant "Your not a burden at all." I glanced away fro a second then back to her "I've grown quite fond of you being around over the past couple of months, I want you to stay here." I made sure she knew I was being serious when I looked at her "From what you told me about being chased or followed by someone, I can promise that you will be safe here."

Melissa:

I looked away from him and to the fire when he said I wasn't a burden. I know I am, he just doesn't realize how much of a burden I am. When he says that he's grown fond of me staying, I look back at him in surprise. I want to stay, so badly, but I can't. I shouldn't! It's bad enough that I have stayed this long. I frowned bitterly, "You would change your mind if you knew everything about me. If you knew where I was from and why I'm being hunted down you'd tell me to scram." I got choked up at the end and looked away whilst crossing my arms. "Everyone else has. You're not going to be different." I say angrily, a hot tear ran down my cheek.

My wolf growled in my mind when she said I would tell her to scream and yell at her. I stared at her for a moment and listened to what she was saying, I wasn't like others that treated her badly and chased her away. A low growl ripped from my chest this time as she started to cry "Then tell me why your being chased, when you tell me I'm not going to chase you away. You'll see I'm not like the others." When she turned her face away I hesitated afraid she would yell at me, I reached my hand towards her and wiped the tear off of her face before pulling her a bit closer and kissing her on the lips, before pulling back a bit "Stay here, please."

Melissa:
I heard him growl and say that he isn't like the others... That I can tell him who is chasing me... And why... But I can't... If Christian found me and realized I was involved with Niq. He would kill him. There is no one left in my life that I'm close to. They're all dead. Niq's hand on my face and pulling me back to face him pulled me out of my thoughts as well. He wiped away the tear before pulling me closer and meeting my lips with his own. I froze, surprised at first, and then relaxed into it and kissed him back. He pulled away barely an inch from me. I knew as I stared at him, that it would hurt a lot more to leave and be alone again instead of staying with him. It would hurt both of us. I hesitated when he asked me to stay again. I nodded quickly, another tear falling, but this tear was from relief, "I will stay." I say quietly and look at him straight in the eye. "I want to stay." I add.

Niq smiled softly when she had agreed to stay before backing off a little bit and cleared his throat slightly "Thank you." He looked at her and smiled before standing up to stretch his legs a bit "I'm very surprised I didn't get smacked or yelled at." He sat back down next to her and wiped another stray tear from her face "There's no need to cry when your here, would you tell me who is chasing you?" His smiled slowly went away as he waited for her to answer, he just wanted to know that way he could protect her if need be.

Melissa:

I smiled at him a little mischievously and replied while crossing my arms, "it may have crossed my mind." I say, in terms of slapping him. I watched him cautiously when he sat back down. He didn't do anything else after he kissed me... A part of my thought that he only kissed me to have me stay, but I don't think he would do that to me...

When he asked me if I could tell him who has been chasing me. I hesitated and looked down at the fire. "My Father." I say, and when I hear a stunned silence from Niq, I continue; "My kind are extremely rare to find on the black market. Our blood can be used in several powerful dark magic spells as well as having purpose in medicinal magic. The horse shifters that are found on the black market are bought and then slaughtered. Since we have such value. There are 'mills', where the shifters will be bred and born in rural places and make it look like they're just wild herds of horses... My Father is one of those men, he turned on his own kind just for money. I am the only offspring of my Father born at his mill. Before I was kept as uh... Stock... Or sold to the black market, I escaped while my mother was murdered. I only got away that night because I got hit by a truck with an empty horse trailer. After I healed up, I ran. And I've been running ever since then." I said to him, i watched him carefully, wondering how he was going to react.

Niq:

I smiled when I heard what she had said about thinking about slapping me "My wolf may not like that." Niq looked at her and his smile disappeared in an instant as she explained that her father was the one chasing her to have her killed, he could feel his wolf clawing at him to be set free so they could both hunt her father down and rid of him, but he didn't budge. Niq sat there and contained his wolf the best he could until a growl ripped through him that sounded menacing "You won't have to run or worry while your here, I will protect you, I can promise you that." Niq looked at the fire for a moment before looking back to Melissa "If you allow me to, I can end your fathers life if he comes here." He looked back to the fire and placed some dried branches in it to keep it going, he would teach her what he knew to protect herself if she needed to.

Melissa:

I could see his anger, not wrongfully so. I would be angry as well if someone I cared about was being hunted. I would be furious and discussed, and I could tell that's how Niq felt as I spoke about my past. Never before had I lived in such fear as that my time in the herd. I was lucky to escape at a young age so that I would not have been raped and forced to give birth to a child... But if I were to go back now... I sweep those thoughts away when he offers to end my Father's life if he ever came here. My father will never change... If he would to confront me at any point, Niq and I could both kill him. His death would end a lot of pain and suffering to my kind... "If he ever came here... He won't come alone. We would have to work together." I say to him

Niq watched as Melissa thought over what he had just said and could see the emotions show on her face, he was beyond angry of given the choice he would run off going on a killing spree of the local big game or anyone that happened to get into his way. He sat there and tried to keep his composure the best he could, still thinking of ways to possibly kill her father and anyone else who joined him in trying to capture Melissa.

Niq looked back at her when she finally spoke again "I'm willing to work with you, but you must stay behind me at all times, once I let my wolf take over it will turn into a blood bath. I don't want you getting hurt because I can't control my anger."

I looked around my little grotto as i though of ways to lure them in and defeat whoever comes with him, I looked back to Melissa "How fast can you run if you being chased in horse form?"

I could feel his fierce anger fill the air around us, almost making it hard for me to take a breathe. I inhale slowly and look at him, distress and agony filling me with emotion. I look at him when he says he will work with me if that time comes, but of course there is a catch, that I must stay behind him at all times. I don't know how much good I will be then, but I know for a fact I have one hell of a kick. "Ok, I understand" I finally agree when he tells me I must do so because he can't control his anger. The beast inside him must take control once he is in his other form...

He cuts off my thoughts when he asks me how fast I can run. "I am fast, but the thick snow wears me out more than usual. I can cover larger distances when the weather is more warm." I say to him. Remembering when he almost captured me as his next meal when we first met, and I tired so quickly from the particularly thick snow.

Niq

He watched her for a moment as he finally got control of his anger and slowly calmed down even though he stayed tensed like he was ready for a fight. He stayed watching her as she thought over what he had said.

"You'll still be able to help, I just don't want you to get in my line of sight when I'm in my wolf form. I don't know how it is for shifters, but when a werewolf has their first shift, we gain another pesonality and another form as well. When we shift into our wolf form, the wolf is it's own being I'm basically sitting on the side with no control what so ever."

He looked at her before looking around the grotto then back "I know how to make certain traps that can incapacitate your father or others if he brings them, you also know how to get through the right tunnels without getting lost. Use what you know to your advantage to trick them into getting lost or seperated from each other."

I listened to how he goes out of control in his wolf form. It sounded, horrible... Watching bloodshed unfold in front of your very eyes and having no control of your own body to stop it. I couldn't imagine dealing with the guilt after the fact. I curse my life nearly everyday for being a constant state of fear, but his sounded worse. I guess I am selfish like a human.

Niq snapped me away from my thoughts with his instructions. I understood them and nodded at the end. I have stated long enough to know all of the exits. I can navigate through the caves with my keen eye sight. If it came down to me escaping...

I dug my hoof in to the snow and pawed at the fresh powder until I could feel the powder that fell days ago turn in to ice and then solid ground. I could smell herbs preserved under the untouched blanket of snow. I lowered my nose in to the small hole I made to confirm that my nose wasn't deceiving me. Throughout this whole field I can smell a powerful healing herb, comfrey. It is perfect for keeping deep cuts from getting infected. I sniffed at plant, and unearthed the root with my hoof. I gently picked it out of the hole with my lip and placed it with two other large comfrey roots I dug up from the snow.

I raised my head to glance around at my surroundings. I didn't like being out in the open, but if my Father is really going to try and bring a battle to Niq and I, there will be wounds inflected on the both of us. No matter how this will turn out.

I quickly jerk my attention towards the tree line when I hear something approaching, but soon relax when I see it is Niq in his wolf form with a white rabbit in his jaws padding towards me. I lower my head down to the herbs and pick them up with my lips and trot with him back towards our cave.

~~~~~

Christian - Melissa's Father

I waited while my men drank heartily from the river. Raphael perched on my withers, his crow claws clutching on to my mane. I huffed and watched the other stallions raise their heads, ready for my orders. "Let's keep moving. We must get rid of the wolf first. Raphael, track him down." I say glaring back at him.