*Hidden Nature* A Shapeshifting RP

[StarrNico]

Star nodded and walked in, using their connection to speak to him alone. "I think he came forward because he likes Dawn and wants to be with her." She thought to him then shrugged "Or because Racine is back, so he feels he has no reason to continue hiding now that the truth can come out"
~~~
Kyra reached over to hug him, taking note of his sadness. "What could you have done if you had stopped them, you had nowhere to go then. Besides, if you had left, we would never have met and become friends."
~~~
"Ah, yes, that whole looking behind themselves thing. That is odd to see, but it fits them, that is the way the creator made them." Jackie said then shrugged "They have to be able to do that to catch the mice in the forest without scaring them away"
~~~
"Um..." Kristen looked at him down on the ground. She knew she shouldn't let an enemy get back up or recover, but she wasn't sure what to do now "That would be a good move for if I could run away after?" Truth was, she had gotten the inspiration for both those moves from a horse movie where the men were trying to catch wild horses, but in the end they had been caught, despite how tricky they had been.
~~~
Ember blinked and raised her head to look at him again "We cannot leave the battle unfinished. We promised to help Jason and the pack however we could. We cannot go back on that now, not until this threat is ended for good."
~~~
Aurora nodded and settled in to tell her about Marcus, Xander(?) and the threats they posed to the shifters of the area then about the evil twin concept that didn't apply to Ella
~~~
Rosie smiled when she caught him looking at her, getting up to wash the dishes when they were both done eating. She knew the pack dynamics would work themselves out as they always did, she was more worried about the human element to the battle.
~~~
Skylar smiled then shrugged "I bet it would be. It's not something I have done personally, but it is a tactic my ancestors used since in their time everyone rode horses or wagons to get around. There were no cars back then so they had to find a way to blend in."
~~~
Anna looked around through the windows as she got out, holding Nashton carefully and just as ready to dive in if they spotted humans or cameras. They had to be careful out here. She stayed close to her two hyena guards, watching and waiting for them to get as close as they could to the building, hidden as it was,
~~~
"Why do you think they were called knights of the realm by the English?" Don asked, looking to him as he followed him onto the elevator. "Humans, fey, shifters, all worked together at one time, before jealousy and greed tore them apart. The knights returned to their realm, since they owed allegiance to their king, not the human one." He said then sighed and shook his head with a short laugh "I'm sounding like a lorekeeper telling the stories on solstice, except their stories had more of a storyline to them."

 

[NickyKnack]

Falkirk nodded in agreement to both options. "It could be a little bit of both." He replied mentally. He led Star over to a good spot in the dining room. "Is this table fine, Princess Star. " He asked politely.
~~~
Graydon appreciated her reassurance.
"Thank you, Kyra. You always know what to say to help me feel better. You're right, they would have shot me with tranquilizers if I didn't submit to their tests. I'd seen him using that tactic before." He brought up.
~~~
"Granted, I'll give them that. I guess we're all created for something or other. I imagine to an owl, my appearance and strange ways are completely unnatural. " Bertram offered in conversation.
~~~
Orson thought of ways to teach Kristen what to do. "A bull, what does he do when he brings his enemies down? Also elks, how do they use their antlers when fighting a rival? " Orson thought to her helpfully.
~~~
Cadeon flushed deep red. "I'm sorry, I hadn't meet to say that aloud. It was just wishful thinking and a bit of longing mixed in. Forgive me Ember. I'm not a coward and I don't go back on my word. But I'm also not invincible. Watching how bravely you fought today, kinda made me realize if I was there, how easily I would have meet my end." He explained his deepest fears.
~~~
(Yep!)
Aeval and her sisters listened quietly to every single word. Reflecting their outrage and anger, as Aurora told the different parts. When she was finished, Aeval wanted to share with her. So she told Aurora all about their dealings with the fey king and how they had try to help him. Aeval then showed Aurora the magic moonstone that king Racine had given to her and Dust. Explaining how it allows them access to a hidden cave castle.
~~~
Ericsson slowly stood up and started walked to the picture window to looked outside. He was sure to scan the sky this time before her stepped up to it fully. He sighed softly as he scanned the grounds. His mind back on the near miss of yesterday.
~~~
Jaxon asked curiously, "So do you drive? I've never seen it done. I've always been locked in the back of vehicles. Is it hard to learn?"
~~~
Zypher skirted the side of the building. He frowned as he heard a helicopter firing up. He held his hand up for Anna and Ackley to hold positions. He then drew his gun and inched forward. He was glad to see the fence line was overgrown with brush. So he dared to creep the rest of the way to check it out scene. After a moment, he motioned to the others to join him. The helicopter simply idled as if waiting for something. Zypher could only count two men in it. One a pilot and the other a passenger.
~~~
Markus was amazed by the revelation. "Next you'll tell me king Arthur was real." He said with humor, as he watched the floors tick off. But he was secretly praying that giant still slumbered. What Don had said about the spell possibly weakening, didn't bode well for all. "For the record, it wasn't my idea to take the artifact. General Watson wanted it analyzed." Markus stated simply, as he unconsciously looked to his watch again. Wishing the elevator didn't take so long.

 

[StarrNico]

Star smiled as she took a seat at the table he had chosen for them. "It is fine" She said, not really concerned about that, just that they were there together. She guessed that people often did things for more than just one reason, but it made it harder to predict what he would do about liking Dawn and having this pre-arranged thing with Lucille.
~~~
Kyra shivered at that and nodded "Yes, if you fight, then they shoot those sleeping darts at you and do what they want anyway. They did that to me when I was in the cage and they wanted my blood." That was not the best of memories either, but it had led to her not being alone in that cage.
~~~
"And mine, though they seem to watch humans quite often. I have never met an owl shifter before. Throughout history more witches have been drawn to cats than the other animals." Jackie said then shrugged and smiled "Though there have been a few that chose other creatures as their familiars."
~~~
"Gore?" Kristen asked, stepping close to touch her horns to his belly though she didn't have any pressure behind it. "I don't think I have ever seen elk fighting. I wonder if Jackie has internet?" She thought then raised her head and shook it. "The only bulls I remember seeing is from rodeos and they seem almost uncoordinated at times."
~~~
Ember kissed him gently to get him to stop apologizing and reminding her how fragile he was. He had just voiced a fear she had and she didn't like it. "Fighting isn't the only way they need help to win, look at this place, it is turning into a sanctuary. Soon Jackie will be needing more rooms to house everyone that comes."
~~~
Aurora listened to her tale, wondering about Racine and what he was up to. "It has been a long time since the fey have meddled in shifter affairs or had shifters fight with them.He must be making his move to reclaim their realm soon" She said thoughtfully. That didn't bode well for them all, especially if he failed. She looked back to the girls, watching them play together. "If he wins and stays away, then that will give you the perfect place to hide since I doubt he would need it anymore. He and his army would be the only ones you would have to fear getting in there."
~~~
Rosie watched him as she cleaned up the kitchen, glancing to the door as a guard came in and nodded to them before filling his canteen and walking out again. She finished cleaning and came over to Ericsson, standing beside him quietly.
~~~
Skylar nodded and grinned "Yes, I can drive. Most kids are able to learn to drive in school, though there are some that have to take the test over and over again, but they are human. If we have access to a computer and internet, we could start teaching you today." She said and glanced around "But, I haven't seen any computers here yet"
~~~
Anna followed his directions, looking all around as he watched the helicopter. She didn't like the coincidence of the thing starting up right when they arrived. She stayed low, watching and waiting to see what they would have to do next.
~~~
"Aurthur was real, but he was a changling, not human. That's why he couldn't understand Guinevere and Lancelot loving eachother and him. At least that's the general gist of the stories. Wolves are not that long lived that any of us would have been there." Don said with a shrug as he too watched the numbers and waited to get where they were going. "I know humans have access to their own versions of history, do you not have any lorekeepers, um, historians that could have told you at the least what the stone said?" He asked curiously "This is a language that is meant to be read,though it is not the English people here know now. I would say it is more Romanian" e added, glancing to the pictures in the file again. "Though given the time, I would have thought they would use Latin. It was more prevalent at that time. Though Romanian was the 'magic' language then too."

 

[NickyKnack]

Once Star was settled, Falkirk walked over to speak with a server to request a sampling of fruits and vegetables. He then returned to sit with Star. After a moment, he offered, "Perhaps when we're done here, we could stop by and see if they'll allow you to see Jackdaw."
~~~
Graydon scooted over to get closer to Kyra, when he saw her shiver. He rubbed her back reassuringly. "It's okay, Kyra. We'll never have to submit to his tests ever again. We're safe here and our tree is seeing to keeping it that way. " He said soothingly to her.
~~~
Bertram charged up a large embankment to get out of the creek bed. "So what is your familiar of choice? " He asked curiously.
~~~
Orson stood up and walked over to her. "Well, antlers are just another appendage that has to be learned. We'll start with a shrub then. That way you don't have to worry about hurting me. This one should do nicely. Now imagine that I have my antlers." He replied softly in her mind. He then took a stance with his head down and feet braced wide for balance. He then demonstrated the movements. "It will strengthen your neck muscles, as well as give you an idea of your striking range to inflicted harm on your enemy. " He added as he straightened and stepped back so Kristen could try.
~~~
Cadeon was surprised by Ember's silencing kiss. He fought it at first, but soon melted into it. Relieved that she wasn't mad at him. Lulled into silence, he listened as she spoke. He nodded meekly, as she pointed out that he wasn't needed to fight. He had to hide that it had hurt his pride a little. But he also thought about the responsibility of little Bob. He wondered quietly if his ego was strong enough to be a stay behind, while she was the warrior. He smiled softly as he reached his conclusion. For hadn't he proved it already. He lovingly cupped Ember's cheek and delicately stroked his thumb across it. He made sure to look deeply in her beautiful eyes as he spoke. "As long as you always come home to Bob and me, I'll work to build this place into a safe haven for all and into a home for others. Of course I'll do this until we can build our own home together." He said with utmost sincerity, as he leaned in to kiss her passionatly. He looked her more then anything in the world. He'd wait forever for her. If that's what it took.
~~~
Aeval and her sisters looked to Aurora intently. "No, Aurora. You misunderstand. We told you that for a reason and it wasn't to brag." Pandora stated plainly. Aeval held out the two pendants to Aurora. "We want you to have a safe place for you and your family. Our days of hiding are over. But you have our future queen to protect and a queen needs a fortified castle. One that is deep in the earth is perfect for her dragon kingdom. " Aeval said with respect.
~~~
Ericsson glanced over at Rosie as she came over. He the wrapped his arm around her as they stood there looking out. "So what's on the agenda today? " He asked.
~~~
Jaxon smiled happily at Skylar. Even though he had very mixed feelings about driving. Excitement for learning, but also a bit on fear of failing at it. "Oh, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for offering, Skylar." He said regardless of his conflicting emotions.
~~~
(I'm swapping the last two for sequence of events. Alright. Cue the suspenseful music... )

Markus nodded, "Yeah, we have historians. But the ones that speak of such fantastical stories are dismissed as crackpots. What can I say, to most ignorance is bliss. But you have opened my eyes to a great many things. A world far beyond the one I had thought existed. " He said as the elevator finally reached the top of the mountain. As the doors opened, Markus stated, " When we head to the helicopter, remember to hunch over a bit. The blades have been known to take a head. So better to be safe than sorry. " He then led the way out to the helicopter.
~
Zypher noticed movement at the building. He frowned as he unexpectedly saw Markus. He growled as he cocked his gun to take him out. But the figure of Don stopped him from pulling the trigger. "What the...?" was all he could utter.

 

[StarrNico]

"I would like that. Maybe he will tell us why he revealed himself now," she said and smiled at him.
~~~
" I know, and I do like that we are both here and safe. But I keep thinking about the other creatures he had there. What happened to them?" Kyra said softly.
~~~
"I used to think I would find a cat familiar, but I guess Sergio is now, since our souls are bound now." Jackie said. As they traveled along without fear of falling off.
~~~
Kristen nodded and took that position so she could attack the shrub and learn how and her reach with them.
~~~
Ember smiled as they kissed again. " I will help as I can though I don't know too much about construction. "
~~~
Aurora took the pendants and looked at them then back to Aveal again. "Thank you. This is very kind of you." She said gently then moved to hug her
~~~
Rosie shrugged and looked at him as they stood together. "I have no plans but to stay inside and keep us both safe." She said quietly.
~ ~ ~
"You have to learn the basics before we even get to the actual driving, so there's nothing to be afraid of." Skylar said happily. She didn't mind the teaching, since it was relatively easy compared to the actual driving.
~~~
Don nodded and followed Marcus, sending a glance around and holding his hand in a message to any wolf that might see them to not attack. It was all he could do, and he didn't know if anyone was watching at the time.

Anna saw him and gasped, reaching over to touch the gun and push it down gently. "Don't fire. He wants us to stand down. Something must be happening we don't know about. "

 

[NickyKnack]

Falkirk smiled back happily. That's when the server brought over their food. "Thank you, it looks wonderful." He replied honestly to her.
~~~
Graydon frowned at that thought. "I suppose they're still captives." He whispered sadly.
~~~
"Well a gargoyle is slightly better then a cat. If you had to be stuck with one. Bertram teased Jackie mildly.
~~~
Orson twirled softly as he watched Kristen attack the shrub. He was enjoying the view too much.
~~~
Cadeon chuckled lightly, "Neither do I. But fortunately Bertram seems to know his way around wood and construction. So believe I can learn from him." He said thoughtfully.
~~~
Aeval sighed softly, as Aurora hugged her. "I'm glad we could help you Aurora. You have been helping us from the moment we met. It's give and take my friend. " She said sincerely.
~~~
"Oh, trust me, this is as close to outside as I'm getting. I learned my lesson the hard way." Ericsson replied with remorse.
~~~
Jaxon smiled shyly at Skylar. "Was my fear that obvious? " He asked with speculation. But shook his head, "It doesn't matter. I'm up to learning whenever you are ready to teach me." He replied happily.
~~~
Markus climbed in the back of the helicopter. He put a headset with microphone on it, then held one out for Don. He started relaying their agenda and why to Richardson and Chevez.
~~~
Zypher clinched his teeth in compliance. "Why would he willingly go with that monster? " He asked in a whisper. His eyes burning a hole through Markus. "I had him dead to rights." He complained.

 

[StarrNico]

Starr looked up to the server with a smile "Thank you" She said sincerely then looked back to Falkirk again as they started to eat from the fruits in front of them.
~~
Kyra sighed then shook her head "If there was a way to return them to what they were meant to be, then I would want to free them, but they are not natural and do not know how to live like they are now in the wild. The 'dragons' he showed me would burn a forest down easily"
~~~
Jackie chuckled and nodded "Yes, much better than a cat." She agreed. "I hadn't thought about her being my familiar yet, but I guess it is true with the way things are now." She added thoughtfully.
~~
Kristen shivered and stopped, turning her head to look at him and twirl back lovingly. She loved hearing that sound from him, even when it distracted her from what she was trying to do. Every time she heard it, she just wanted to cuddle close to him
~~~
Ember chuckled lightly and nodded "He can teach us all what to do." She said as she settled her head back on his chest again. She was just enjoying the moment with him again, she didn't want to think of the past or the future when the now was almost perfect.
~~~
Aurora smiled and moved back again, nodding"Yes, it is" She said and put the pendants away. She took a deep breath then looked to the sand and water again "Alright then, back to teaching. If you can, make a cube then aim for the center with your acid." She instructed
~~~
Rosie didn't like how defeated and sad he sounded with that statement so she hugged him. "That was a fluke. I don't know how we were found. Maybe you and I can go tot he coast, that way we are further from the center of events here?"
~~~
"Everyone is scared of driving at first, though most have had better experiences in a vehicle." Skylar said then shrugged and glanced around "I could start teaching you if we had a computer with internet access, but I have yet to see one of those here. I don't think Jackie has one, so we would have to ask for the wolves to bring it. A driver's book is too long to read on my phone"
~~~
Don took it and put it on, glancing around at the others then back to Marcus "It might be wise to have your wizard, just in case" He said calmly as he buckled himself in the seat so they could go.
~~~
Anna shook her head, not knowing any answer to that "Something had to have happened, but at least Marcus will be gone. We can set up the transmitter then wait and see if they return or follow them if we can." She said quietly.

 

[NickyKnack]

Falkirk savored the good food and even better company. He held out a delectable sampling to Star. He enjoyed feeding his mate the best of the best. "A sweet for my sweet. Even though it's flavor changes as you chew it." Falkirk explained softly.
~~~
Graydon looked to his hands and admitted, "I thought that, but I didn't want you to think me heartless. They just have no place in nature. They'd be worse then any other introduced species. They'd throw off the balance and that hasn't ended well before."
~~~
Bertram trotted along again, now that they were crossing an opening in the woods. "Are you certain you can't have both? I know you are in uncharted territory with all that has happened to you. Who knows, you might luck out.....or Sergio might eat you cat accidentally on purpose. " He teased at the end.
~~~
Orson felt a bit guilty for drawing Kristen's focus off her lesson. "I couldn't help it. You are so sexy when you're in battle with that bush. I'll promise to behave. " He explained with an appreciative smile.
~~~
Cadeon settled in as well. He listened to the squeak of the swing and the varied songs of the many birds that frequented Jackie's garden. He was fairly good at mimicking bird calls. He choose a cardinal call and answered the male's territory song. It didn't take long before the bright red male came in close looking for the interloper. Cadeon chuckled lightly at his mischief.
~~~
Aeval did as instructed. The formation of the cube, the hardest part. She had mastered long ago how to spit her venom. They smiled at Aurora for further instructions.
~~~
"In for a penny, in for a pound. " my father always said that. I always thought he wasn't making sense. But now I know exactly what he ment. No, I will not run from this fight. Whatever it takes to win, I'll be there till the end.
~~~
Jaxon rested his hand over on Skylar's arm. "It's okay. I can't wait. There's no rush really. Besides, we're bird sitting Bob. I see someone started a puzzle, want to work on it for a bit. I've never actually put one that complex together. Just the ones to test cognitive abilities in the lab." He said gently.
~~~
Markus rained an eyebrow at Don, before he instructed Chevez to call and have Xavier brought up. Markus then said to Don, "It seems in my haste I overlooked him. But I don't expect him to be in such a helping mood. But perhaps you could appeal to him."

Chevez called back over the communication line, "They're in route, sir."

Markus sighed in thought while they waited. "Don, if this goes south. We need to think up a contingency plan. I used to be able to summon king Racine, but somehow he has blocked me. So that leaves Pariah, she's fey. While Xavier's a warlock, which is basically a witch. So that leaves us to find another fey and two more witches. Any ideas? " He asked curiously.
~
Xavier was fuming as he was dragged into the elevator. "What now! What more does that scaleless snake want?!" He yelled at the two soldiers. They simply stared forward and didn't acknowledge his questions. Xavier grumbled under his breath about how they had #2 for brains.
~~~
Zypher nodded because he knew she was right. "What are they waiting on?" He then had an idea. "Cheek in that bag and see if we didn't bring a small location tracker. Oh, and gum." He said with renewed vigor.

 

[StarrNico]

Starr smiled at him, accepting the fruit curiously since most of what she knew was normal Earth ones and the few she had tried here.She closed her eyes, savoring the taste of the exotic fruit.
~~~
Kyra nodded "Like those made spiders. They threw off the balance too." She said then sighed and leaned against him. "I don't like what they can do to destroy an ecosystem and kill unicorns"
~~~
Jackie chuckled and shook her head, glad Sergio was asleep for this. "No, I'm sure, you can only have one familiar, or your soul would be too fractured to do magic anymore" She explained calmly. "Though you can make as many friends as you like"
~~~
Kristen flicked her tail then shook her head before turning back to the bush. She glanced at him coquettishly then went back to practicing, this time knowing he was watching more than just her attack style.
~~~
Ember smiled, watching and listening. She glanced to Cadeon then gave the trill of a female bluejay, calling to the males to come and show off for them too.
~~~
"Very good" Aurora praised then smiled and motioned to the cube "But you haven't broken through it yet"
~~~
Rosie nodded then sighed and hugged him "I just don't want to see you get hurt" She said honestly. She wanted him safe, even if it meant leaving this area.
~~~
Skylar nodded and smiled at him softly "Alright, these are more for fun than testing." She said as she turned, putting a hand over his on her arm so they would walk together over tot he table the puzzle was set up on. She chose a seat, taking it and looking over what had been done and what was left to do.
~~~
"Considering even he would be in danger from this if it's awake, I do think he would have to help. As for fey, I don't know any personally and the only witch I know I cannot tell you where she lives." Don said then shrugged "You have my phone after all"
~~~
Anna nodded and got what he needed, handing both to him then watching to see what he did with them. She was curious how he would get this to work from the distance and in whatever time they had left before the copter took off. She was just glad they had both things in the bag, ready to go.
(Sorry, not feeling good tonight)

 

[NickyKnack]

(You take it easy and I hope you get to feeling better. )