She was running in the forest again, looking over her shoulder every so often to make sure he was chasing her. He was as he always was following her gleefully into the depths of the forest. Aila smiled and ran on singing softly so that he could find her. She ran behind a tree and sat there covering her face with her hands. She giggled when she heard chirping and looked up to she him sitting on her knee chirping away.
“Awww! No fair Varon! I’m invisible you can’t see me!” Aila said shutting her eyes. Varon her loyal brown flitter sat on her knee and continued to chirp. “Look Varon! I’m transparent!” she said opening one eye. Varon cocked his head sideways and chirped gain. Aila smiled and stroked the loyal brown lovingly. “We’ll be together forever Varon, and when I impress a dragon like mommy says you can come, too!”
The sounds of a young girl laughing and a flitter’s chirps faded from Aila’s now teenage mind. Another dream took shape in her mind. This was the one she hated and feared. Aila rolled over unaware of what she was doing…
Aila awoke and glanced out her window searching for signs of her flitter Varon. Usually he was there in the morning, chirping lively and waking her up. She shrugged and went downstairs to get some breakfast. On the table, she saw a note scrawled in her father’s sloppy handwriting. It said:
My Dearest Aila,
It is time you should know you, even though you are a beautiful girl of 13, are not all human. I am sorry to tell you this but it is very important that you know. You are a were~shifter. Meaning that you can sometimes control your shape and sometimes cannot. You turn on the nights of the full moon into a mountain cat. Like the ones who attacked your mother last year. I myself, am a were~shifter but I change into a wolf, the more common form. I am sorry this happened to you, but we cannot control it. You have gotten too dangerous to control on these nights and tomorrow is one of them. For the sake of the town, lock yourself into your room tonight. I am sorry I could not be with you but I have some business to take care of. Good luck and by the egg, do not keep any of your fire lizards in your room.
~P’ntar of Red Unforith
Aila stuffed the note into her pocket and chewed on one of her fingernails trying not to cry. She was thirteen after all and thirteen year olds do not cry. <
Aila rolled over in her sleep again. She opened her eyes realizing the dream was over. It’s over you didn’t make it to the rest…it’s over she mumbled shutting her eyes and falling once again into and unmerciful dream…
Aila locked the door to her room stroking Varon as she wept. “It’s not fair…why me Varon?” She set the flit on her bed and opened a window trying to let some air into her room. She though she would die fro the heat otherwise. She smiled at her flitter. “Go on Varon it’s not safe for you to be in here. I’m just glad your ok.” The flitter chirped sadly and walked over to the window. He sat on the edge staring deeply into Aila’s eyes. Aila burst into more tears her heart begging to hurt. “Out Varon!” she said her heart burning she never wanted to scold her best flit. She looked behind him seeing the moonrise onto the horizon. She felt her arm twitch and looked down to see her arm covered in red fur. She suddenly felt faint and passed out on the floor.
*****************************************************
Aila awoke looking up from the ground. She glanced at her arm hoping it would be normal again. It was. Remembering her faithful flitter, she looked up to the window and screamed with horror.
Aila awoke screaming. “Varon!” She wailed closing her eyes and putting her hands into her head. “Why were you so foolish?” She remembered awaking to see her faithful flitter’s body lying on her window. Blood ran from his broken neck on down to the floor. Aila had run to him trying to help him. However, before she even had a chance she found that his blood was on her face and hands, leading her to the conclusion that she was the one who had killed him. Aila sobbed even more whipping her tear stained face and arising from her bed. She blindly walked to the window and found that she could still she the house she had lived in so many years ago, from her home today.
She closed her eyes and returned to her bed. In the morning, she would go out and impress another flitter. She had thought about it for sometime, she new she needed something as loyal as Varon but she didn’t know what….
**************************************************
Aila awoke and swallowed hard. She was not replacing Varon and she knew that but it felt very awkward returning to a Weyr. She chose Ryslen, because that is where she had impressed Varon her loyal brown flitter, so she thought it was only right.
Shifting into her mountain cat form, (she had found out it really was a large red wolf like cat, that had no name) she ran quickly to the east rock territory in search of the firelizard hatchery.
“Which one to pick…” Aila murmured as she looked at the eggs in front of her. She picked a medium sized tan and gray one. Holding it in her hands, she watched the egg hatch into a beautiful gold queen. She had a frill on her head much like Varon and a spade on her tail. Aila smiled and petted the little queen lightly on her head, as the queen’s eyes swirled purplely white, the color of love.
Aila carried the flitter back on her shoulder and pondered over what to name her. She knew it had to be something good, because she was a queen. “what are you doing?…”she mumbled grinning at the queen. She was watching a large blue butterfly swoop down and land on her nose. “That’s it. I’ll call you Butterfly!” the queen seemed happy enough and Aila liked it.
about 1 year later….
Aila sat watching the sun fade into the horizon and waiting impatiently for the moon to rise. Over time, she had become fond of her altered form and was beginning to learn to control it. She had left butterfly back at home so she would not be harmed if her altered form got out of hand. Closing her eyes, she let the change begin. Her elegant small nose enlarged and longed out forming a muzzle. Her eyes changed from dark brown to a brilliant green. Her arm bones bent around and twisted into legs. A long furry red tail sprouted from her back and she fell face forward onto the ground. The cat/wolf inside her screamed, she had been able to control it for a few months now, and it was thirsty for blood.
Aila ran through the woods and into the town, there was a large gathering and the wolf inside her knew that there would be people there. The cat side of her let out an angry cry. It echoed through the gather grounds and made the people fear what was coming, a hungry and angry were-cat.
Aila hid in the bushes unconscious of what she was doing. He had lost control of her form about an hour ago, and could do nothing. Her form picked out a scrawny looking young boy and decided that would be the easiest to take out. Once the commotion started then she could pick off another two or three for later.
Eyeing the boy with her green cat like eyes she crawled to the end of the bush. Claws ready and teeth bared she leapt out of the bush right onto the boy. Snarling she tore the helpless boy’s throat open and glared at the people around her. A large stocky looking one was approaching her; she released the boy and turned to face the man. Aila’s teeth dripped with fresh warm blood and her eyes ablaze with fire.
The man sprung at her and grabbed her around the middle. A feeling of uncertainty passed over Aila waking the human part of her. Before she could even move, the man drew a club and beat her on the head. Her world swirled black and she fell to the ground unconscious.
Aila sat up in her bed. She glanced around the room not remembering the events of the previous night. She looked to a tall stocky man who was sitting in the corner of the room. “Where am I?” she asked.
”A better question is who are you?” He answered keeping his eyes focused on Aila. She saw a bandage on his arm, and wondered how he got it. “I’m Aila…daughter of…” she shut her mouth on the spot. She could no longer call herself the daughter of P’ntar. Not after what had happened forcing her to leave.
“Well, daughter of who?” He asked his eyes narrowing suspiciously. He looked familiar to Aila almost but she couldn’t place him.
“Daughter of the red mountain cat…” She said and sighed she could not bring herself to bring shame to her father’s name.
the man sat back and glanced out the window. “Do you have any memory of what happened last night?” He asked shutting the curtains so some little kids could not see in.
Aila sat up. “No…I lost control…again…” she paused and thought about Varon. “did I hurt anyone?”
“Just one person….he passed on last night. Seems to me you’re a were-something.” The man said looking at Aila’s arm. She had a scar thee and had ever since the first change. She never knew why though.
”Yes…I’m a cat/wolf shifter. If you don’t mind me saying I’m a little uncomfortable here. I do need to go back. I’m sorry about what I did but I can’t control it sometimes.” She got up and walked to the door.
“Wait!” the man said. “I’m a searchrider for Azon Weyr. But toady I think Baeris is in greater need of you than I. Come with me and you can impress a dragon.” He smiled. “By the way, I’m K’lan of Brown-white Tantorith.”
Aila smiled. She remembered the promise she had made to Varon so long ago. “I’d love to but come with me to get butterfly. She would like to come too."
Aila fond that at the Healing Den there was more were-folk and wolf shifters than she had seen in her entire life. She had met a group of three werewolves, Dieter Dolph and flash, who were particularly kind and very nice to her. She was infatuated with Dolph the white haired red eyed shifter, and found herself talking to him more than Dieter and Flash, although they kept themselves busy. Flash was rather shy so he most of the time kept to himself and Dieter was mostly busy keeping away from the girls which seemed drawn to him. Aila found it quite funny actually...
Aila was standing on the over hang looking out onto the eggs wondering when they where going to hatch. Butterfly sat on her shoulder chirping merrily and Dolph was to her right looking as if he was about the slap the large gold flitter. As Aila sat watching the eggs she thought she saw one move, she blinked clearing her eyes but she was right it had indeed moved. "Did you?" She asked Dolph, blinking again.
He nodded and pulled a strand of his white hair away from his face. "Let's get Dieter and Flash.." He said turning to find Flash and Dieter.
Aila nodded "ok..." she said feeling a bit light headed, it was time for her to prove herself.
The first egg to hatch was a beautiful red bodied white winged female that bonded to Dolph. A while after that came A dark blue which bonded Flash leaving only Dieter and Aila behind. Aila watched a egg from Shibboleth's nest break open and out came a pale bodied red dragon spring from her egg snarling and growling at the candidates near Aila and her companions. Aila did not budge and the red crested fiery dragon growled low in her throat.
I will not bback down! A voice hissed into Aila's mind. It sounded harsh and demanding much like Aila's own, but there was something sweet about it.
Aila found the strength in her to speak up. "And I will not either...you're not behaving very well.." aila stared at the dragon who swished her tail in anger. "I cannot help what happens when I shift but you certainly can...And you will red sister. Like me..." Aila reached out her hand and watched as the dragon thought about biting her but instead lowered her gaze and nuzzled the offered hand. Aila smiled this dragon was good at heart. "there Cathudreth we will find our way somehow..." she said and left the sands with Flash, who was rather reluctant to leave Dieter alone out there.
I am sorry from my behavior Aila... the angry pink-red dragoness said into Aila's mind in a much kinder tone. But you no longer have to worry, you will learn to control your shifting...
"I will Cathudreth one day I will..." Aila replied smiling and her bond. "And so will Flash..." Aila said looking over at the black were-wolf with a similar problem, only he became three times worse the monster Aila was...
