He walked through the forest, careful to make sure nobody was following him. When he was several dragonlengths away from the Hold, he looked around to make sure no one was around, and changed.
Golden fur, marked with dark brown rosette patterns, rippled across his skin as his ears grew pointed. He fell forward onto his arms-his front legs, now- and his tail twitched behind him. The large feline loped off deeper into the forest, and didn't notice the soft, startled gasp of a human.
The feline's slitted eyes stared down at the chestnut-haired girl as she wandered through the forest below him. He lay, concealed from view, in the lower limbs of a giant tree, staring down at the girl.
Cerathu growled to himself. What was Serein doing out here? He hurriedly transformed back into a human. Scrambling down the tree-very noisily, to his distaste-he emerged behind Serein.
Serein gasped, startled. She turned and relaxed when she saw Cerathu standing there. "Oh, Cerathu. There you are."
"What are you doing out here?" Cerathu asked her.
"Looking for you. Father wants you back at the Hold. I was searching for you, but I didn't think you'd wander so far from the Hold.
Cerathu shrugged. "C'mon then, let's-" He looked around, eyes narrowed.
"Cerathu? What is it?"
"I don't know, but...I don't think we're alone."
Serein stared at him in confusion, until a pair of amber eyes began to stare at them from the shadows.
A large, jet-black feline crept out from the underbrush, staring at them hungrily. Cerathu paled, how could he have not noticed it earlier?
Serein gasped from beside him as the feline approached. Frightened, she set off running back to the Hold.
"Wait! Serein!" But the feline was already chasing after the girl. Cursing, Cerathu quickly changed into a feline again, chasing after the black feline and his sister.
Serein turned as she heard wild snarls and growls behind her. Another feline, this one golden with dark brown spots across its body, leapt on top of the snarling black feline.
She gasped, looking around for her brother. Where was Cerathu?
The two felines were furiously fighting now. The black snarled again as the gold feline's strong jaws bit into its front leg. It retaliated by striking its claws across the other's face. The golden feline cried out, and the black glanced at Serein.
Hurriedly, she grabbed a large fallen branch to protect herself. The golden feline snarled, its gold-green eyes narrowed. It lunged at the black feline, catching it by surprise. The black growled, throwing off the other feline, and stalked off into the forest.
The gold feline watched it leave, still bleeding from several slashes and bites itself. Serein stiffened, unsure of what this feline would do.
She gasped as the feline shifted, and slowly began to change into her brother, Cerathu. "Cerathu...?"
He grinned up at her, gasping for breath, as he wiped off his left cheek, where the claw marks from the black feline still bled. "Gotta be more careful..." He said, and sat, panting.
Serein knelt beside him hesitantly. "Cerathu, what happened? What, how long have you been able to do that?"
Cerathu looked away. "Long as I can remember. I've always been able to do it...I think it has something to do with my parents." He said. "My real parents."
Cerathu had appeared in the forest one day, just a baby. He had never known where he came from, or who his real parents were. The Lord Holder had taken him in as his own son, and heir to the Hold.
Serein shook her head. "You're saying your parents were...They could do that too?
Cerathu nodded. "I think so."
He stood up, dusting himself off. "Geez, I'm a mess." He grinned.
Serein gasped, seeing the various small cuts and bruises across his body. "Cerathu! Are you okay?"
Cerathu shrugged, then winced. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a couple of scratches."
Serein frowned at him, and he shrugged again. "Trust me, I'm fine. C'mon, I can clean up when we get home."
"I'm afraid you won't be going home." A steely voice said from the trees around them.
"Huh?" Serain and Cerathu turned around, looking for the intruder. A tall man stepped out from behind a tree. He was dressed in dark browns and greens, and his short, dark hair was also brown. He had a crossbow in his hands, leveled at Cerathu.