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His eyes grew heavy as he walked around the library at the den, Pi had shown him the way to use portals and he discovered the library. The musky scent lingered in the air as he walked amongst the books, dust kicking up as his finger ran over the different spines before him. He loved the feel of a good book in his hand, not these Ipad kindle things they used now.

He found a tome that showed him how to get his nails into claws and how to use them as a weapon. He picked up a tome and randomly smiled as he opened it, a nice old book, pages flicking open, is there anything better?

His ears caught the sound of another person walking around, was he allowed to be this deep in the library? Would Pi want him digging around inside the tomes related to powers? The footsteps grew louder as he slipped the tome into his bag and tried to slip out. He watched the person in the shadows move, if he wasn't worried about what Pi would say he might of stopped long enough to find out who it was.

He broke a lock on a back door and found his way into the maintenance wing, Pi really thought of everything. He slipped around carefully as he tripped a trap and then laughed that it missed, he must be lucky. He made his way back to the den and through a random portal, he was happy that everyone was always ignored him or wad too busy to see him.

He emerged in a forest somewhere, he hadn't been here before, or had he? It seemed familiar to him somehow, but it was quiet so he was happy. He pulled the tome out of his bag as he began to read from it and laid against a tree as he learnt from the book.

Several hours went by as he was lost in the book, several lions, bears and wolves passed around him as he read. He looked around and then sent a message to Klara letting her know he was fine. : Klara I am well, come to the hunting grounds.:

He put the phone away as he went through the ritual he had just learnt as he then felt his body twisting about. Surely the ritual was performed correctly, well the english part was right. He did improvise with the other languages. Some made sense, others didn't. His bones felt like they were both on fire and breaking whilst he let out a cry of pain.

His teeth seemed to sharpen in his mouth before his skull cracked and split. His nose grew as he whimpered in pain, his clothes seemed to vanish completely. He felt his ears growing as he prayed Klara would find him and help him. His eyes blazed with pain as he felt his bones setting. Do I have a muzzle? His words sounding off in hid mind. He could smell so many things, the lake, the other animals, the city and the scent of so many creatures, no humans.

He noticed the pain had died down inside him as he made his way to the lake. The fact he was walking on hands and knees bugged him as he finally got to the lake. He leapt back as he saw a jet black lion with a white main was staring back at him. He then smirked as he realised he had learnt the new power meaner things. He couldn't wait to show Klara and Pi.

Many people who learned the arts of the shifter took their particular form for a variety of reasons. The vast majority chose them as a inner reflection of their selves and their new sense of supposed superiority. Other's inner reflections were more colorful, unique, and would be questioned by those who had to prove they were a machine of death, destruction and pure bad *** 24/7.

Zodiac picked hers for a totally selfish reason. "ATBS" she told one person once.

The snow owl glided like a ghost above the trees in silence. Without hurry or need. The warm summer's night called to her and she enjoyed moving about in such a manner. Being able to fly had many advantages but the most important to the gypsy mystic was 'ATBS'.

Above the bull ****.

Who was this or who was that, who needed to die and why, who was right or wrong (or right because they were wrong) had no place in her private playground of the night skies. It was freedom to be beyond for a short time all of the drama her kind seemed to need moreso than blood some nights. Here she could focus on things of a higher nature or nothing at all. Every beat of her wings soothing her soul as she navigated above the crowds in silence. And if anyone did spy her in the skies, she was nothing more than an errant part of nature come to call and not worth the attentions of many.

Her trek had taken her south this night. This night she had not wanted to just be above, but away from reminders period. The flowing forests below a welcome sight as opposed to the buildings and streets. This was perhaps as close as she would ever get to a concept of heaven in her current state of existence.

She paused at the castle near the hunting grounds. Atop a spire, pausing to chew at a feather that was bothering her for a moment till it was worked free, then launching herself back out into the skies as she flew over the hunter's paradise. Sharp eyes kept watch for any who might think shooting an owl would be a good idea as well as watching the animals below do their thing. She spied a rabbit and sent a telepathic thought to it. "Is that you, Alex?" she asked while circling above. When she got no reply, she lined up and dove down at the rabbit. The bunny cried out as her talons found it. Instinct took over and she dispatched the rabbit quickly and without mercy. She began to feed now. Replenishing herself. Part of her felt sorry for the animal but it was a inner impulse that came with her form she was hard pressed to ignore at times.

Once she had finished, she rose up again and began to circle the grounds. Nothing interesting here except a vampire reading a book near the trees. Curious actually. Even more curious when he began to contort as if he was having a seizure. She landed on a limb of a tree and watched in silence as it became clear what was happening. A new member of the shifters club was being born. Her eyes took in the details of the transformation. Unique colors this one had, and she laughed in silence as his reflection caused him to jump. She settled down on her perch and continued to observe the male in silence.

His body felt odd now, almost foreign to him, seemingly heavier yet he could handle it. He seemed to be crawling, but his paws were digging into the dirt under his claws as he was obviously walking. He returned to the lake slowly as he let his eyes drink in the image of the lion.

His eyes seemed to be golden now, the mane rustling in the wind as he leant over and lapped up the water. He wasn't drinking it just allowing the motions to seem normal as he tried to figure the new body out. He felt the raw power inside his new muscles, the way the fur kept him warm even though the sun was down. He tilted his head and was finally happy with his form.

He opened his jaws and let out a low roar, he would have to work on that if he wanted others to think he was a lion. He was glad the genetics worked for him, white main so no other lion would feel threatened. It wasn't dark so they wouldn't be too aggressive towards him, thinking he was submissive. The black body to follow the ancient myths and help to keep humans thinking he didn't exist.

He wondered if doc would be interested in the genetics he had to manipulate to get the lowest probability of lions to form. He was truly happy with the fact he was finally able to succeed in turning. His ears picked up a few rabbits, something seemed to disturb them, but it wasn't his business to find out, this was only a brief world for him to experience.

He watched something dart past him as he smirked and leapt after it, he seemed to slowly become used to his new body, but he fell a few times. He bounded around trying to see if he could catch something, maybe a rabbit wasn't the best as they were fast. He stumbled upon a wolf and then launched at the creature. His powerful paws crushed into the wolf as his jaws clamped around the animals throat. It was over within a few moments, the taller, stronger well fed lion killing the wolf with ease, caused him to smile as he looked around. He walked to the lake, almost stalking the water, as he went to clean himself from the blood of the wolf.

Ah, now he was getting it. Zodiac watched the new born lion begin to come to terms with his new form. When one of them turned into an animal, all of the natural instincts and parts were in place, but their all too human mind sometimes got in the way and messed things up. It was what she had to learn to work around, especially when it came to flying. It was something the human mind was never prepared for simply because there was nothing in humankind's genetic history to even have a race memory of how to do. She found herself crashing to the ground several times before she learned to let instinct do the work for her.

Apparently the problem applied to four legs as well. The newly formed lion misstep several times as it tried its new legs, but was getting better with every attempt. Her eyes widened as he discovered the wolf and attacked it. Not in surprise or shock, but in a touch of envy. Her form was not made for such confrontations, save for the occasional rat, chicken or bunny. Her strong points was stealth, silence, and spying. On the wing with sharp eyes made her a valuable ally for those on the ground. The lion made short work of the wolf, which surprised her. Again, it wasn't that such a contest was in doubt, but she was impressed he was getting the hang of things so quickly. Her first attack on a rabbit left the bunny running away as she pulled her owl face up out of the ground.

As she watched the 'lion' return to the water to rinse the blood from its jaws, her thoughts reached out to the male. "Well done, Mister Lion. You are adapting quite nicely."

Outside of the mindspeak in his thoughts, nothing could be seen as the source of the words that would make sense, let alone a snow owl perched in the tree watching him with crystal blue eyes.

The water felt cold and new to his form but also fresh, could it be the lion had its own feelings? He used his paws to splash the water about and then chuckled in his mind, surely someone would question that. He dunked his head into the water and then shook it around when he withdrew. The forested hunting grounds seemed more alive to him now, deer leapt about, bears walked around and the occasional mountain lion moved. He longed to try combat with another lion, yo learn correctly.

The voice in his head caused him to blink a few times as he looked around, had a human stumbled upon him? He sniffed the air but only smelt other animals around him. He carefully made a show of rubbing against a tree as his golden yellow eyes scanned the place. The mutation he chose for his eyes gave him a clearer picture in the dim light as he scanned the trees. Surely if someone could speak to his mind then they must be like him?

He wondered about that a few moments as he felt a gentle breeze flow over him, the wind brought the scent of rain from the distance. Did this person hold the curse of the moon too? If they can talk to him, then he pondered if they could hear his thoughts too? It stood to reason, the gift of the moon heightened his killing instincts but Pi had said there where other paths.

:: Hello?:: He thought the single word, not sure if the person could even hear him. :: I am only newly passed, so not sure if this would work.:: He wondered if he was looking like a complete fool, standing against a tree thinking words seeing if someone could hear them. He pondered about turning back but then the idea that this stranger could see worried him. Doc had said not to let anyone see you do anything super natural, and changing from a lion to a man would be classed as that.

The owl could not, by its very nature, smile but inwardly she did. Smart, very smart. Do nothing to betray the fact you are more than a lion visually. Hoping a telepath would hear his 'hello' was a safe bet. Anyone not vampire hearing it would be confused and wonder if they were hearing things and certainly there was no such thing as talking animals.

"We were all new to this at one time or another," she kept her thoughts light and soft. "And you have chosen a excellent spot to experiment in. So far you have done nothing to betray the fact you are a vampire hiding in a lion's skin. I think any hunter who would see you would be given pause. You are not exactly a mountain lion which is normal for here."

She fluttered her wings a bit and debated if she wanted to go down closer. To some (shifted or real animals) a snow owl looked like a unique snack to try. "However, that does not mean they would not try to shoot you."

The mystic let go of her perch and glided to the tree the lion was leaning against, landing in a branch still pretty much out of the big cat's reach unless it was determined to reach her. Her eyes fixed on the lion again.

"That's right. Up here, big fella." She blinked and fluttered to get his attentions. "In time you should be able to learn to use that nose of yours to sniff out who is real and who is shifted. Your senses will allow you to see and hear things beyond the norm. I am sure you have experienced some of that already. Eyes especially. You'll figure out the rest soon enough. Only thing I cannot suggest enough is, be careful where you do this trick. In the forest and such it is fine, but a lion suddenly appearing in a night club will get some attentions fast."

At the words entering his mind he seemed to relax, this was someone like him, but maybe a different path. His mane shook as he sat down and looked around for the source of the words. When he was told to look up he opened his jaw as if to yawn and let his golden eyes scan over the tree. The sight before him caused him to spin and stand as he looked at the creature before him.

His golden eyes settled on a light coloured bird, he knew this type, it was an owl. A magnificent owl, but what type? He studied them when he had the time, but this one was strange to him, surely it wasn't native. Mind you Pi had kept him in certain areas to train so not many animals came by him. :: Hello there beautiful owl. ::

He seemed silly for calling an owl beautiful but since reading of athena, well he thought it was athena who had an owl, and the intelligence she held he had always loved watching them. He lifted onto his hind legs as his forelegs dug into the bark of the tree, slowly his claws dug into the bark as he then ran them down the tree. It would look like he was simply marking the tree and sharpening his claws, why else would a lion stay still?

His ears twitched as he listened for any sound around him, the trait of the killer in him. :: I would hope the fact of my strange markings would confuse a hunter long enough for me to escape. I prefer the woods, it helps connect me to the druid in my heart. You are an owl, but I can't place the type, besides a beautiful one.::

His curse of not being able to lie keeping him from telling her anything else, he would of loved to say he picked the place because he was smart enough to know humans rarely came here. But the truth was his blood called him here because of the oak tree nearby, the sanctuary of its power that he spiritually connected to.

It was nice to meet someone else outside of the family, and it was odd to his senses, he swore it all of a sudden smelt like certain flowers. Was it the meeting of an owl and a lion that made him smell flowers now? He wondered if he smelt like a lion or of coconut and sandlewood that he bathed in everyday to mask the scent of vampire.

He tilted his head as he showed off his form and looked at the owl seeing if they were watching. :: I will have to remember not to shift in a night club, maybe a bank.:: A soft chuckle filled his mind as he spoke. :: I have a few names, but vada is the one many call me. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance dear owl. :: The mane would give away he was male, but he didn't know with owls, maybe you had to get close to find out? But he had no intention of climbing a tree to figure it out when he could ask.

Beautiful? Was she really?

She puffed up a bit at the praise. Zodiac had never considered what she actually looked like in this form. When she had asked her thrall for an honest opinion, Jennifer told her she looked like the real deal, and the subject was closed, but to have a stranger call her beautiful made her feel like she could blush.

She almost took to the sky when he stood up on his hind legs, but quickly relaxed again. If he had truly wanted to catch her, crouching and jumping would have been a more stealthy approach. She watched the claws dig deep into the bark of tree. For her size, her own talons could do major damage if she chose to use them in such a manner. She had once before and remembered how easily the paladin hunter's face had opened up when she slashed at him.

She noticed his ears twitching. Her own was already in a hyper state of alert, listening for things going on around them. Another point in the male's favor. Just because he looked like a beast and could easy deal with some situations did not null out his common sense. There had been a few she knew and heard of that

Yes, he was going to be quite good at this, she decided.

vada. Somehow that sounded a bit familiar to her for some reason. "The feeling is mutual, good Sir Lion, and thank you for the complement." she answered his thoughts. "And since I saw you just before you turned, I suppose its fair to return the favor." She flapped her wings and rose up, only to do a small flip and land on the ground a few feet from the lion. The air around her seem to shimmer as she willed herself back into her human form. She made a mental note to ask Jennifer to film this for her, her curiosity was up now. Within moments, where the snow owl had been, a raven haired girl dressed as a Romany gypsy crouched looking at him. Absently, she brushed her fingers through her long black locks, causing small tuffs of down to fall free to the ground. Remaining seated, she smiled brightly and inclined her head to her unusual host. "Blessings of the night to you and yours, vada. Like you, I have several names as well, but most know me simply as Mistress Zodiac. The all seeing eyes of the past, present and future."

She stood up, brushed off her skirts and looked closer at the lion. "May I?" her thoughts asked as she reached out and brushed the tips of her fingers along the edge of his mane.

His eyes followed the owl as it lifted so easily and then flew to the ground, watching the owl he seemed mesmerized by its movements. He still wondered if the owl was male or female, maybe it was rude to ask, vampire culture is new to him, so he bit his tongue.

His golden eyes rested on the woman that was forming as they grew larger, she was simply beautiful to watch change. His jaws showing some sort of a grin as he watched the woman change so easily. Her words caused him to pause, he was used to others touching him, why did she ask? Maybe it was due to many hurting others, but as he was this close to the oak tree surely she didn't need to worry. Her clothes got him rather excited though.

He watched her hand as he lifted his paw to her palm, claws coming out to point to the sky :: Welcome mistress Zodiac. I greet you my traveller sister to the oaken heart of myself.:: With the old ritual of greeting done he lowered his paw and then pressed his head against her hand and then let it slip to his mane.

He was glad to see the clothing, to feel a sense of closeness with someone like him. A female vampire but one of the older traditions, not someone lost to the gift of the moon. He looked at her and motioned to the oak tree that stood out against the tree line. :: Near every oak you will always find a druid, and we enjoy company. You need not ask permission around me when so close to one, they are a source of protection for me. Besides we are family. ::

He hoped she wouldn't take offence at that, but the simple truth was gypsys and druids were family to each other and her clothing seemed to dislodge his thoughts. He let his ears twitch as he listened to the forest and let his tail sway slightly. He wasn't able yo shift back yet, but the tome said it took some time to shift back to human form.

Klara stopped dead in her tracks, watching the gangster fall to the ground. Vada’s voice clear in her head she sent him a telepath back.

“I’m coming hun, I just need to shower and change and I’ll be there. I love you babe!”

Walking over to the dead gangster, she rifled through his pockets and found a dime bag. She tossed it into the air once before tucking it into her bag to sell later. She slid her sword into its sheath on her back, with a smile on her face headed to her home.

Later as she towel dried her hair, she hummed happily, as she picked out her clothes and dressed quickly. Her anticipation at hunting with Vada made her happy. Any time spent with him always lifted her up. He truly was a gift in her life and had saved her from disappearing forever.

Grabbing her gear, she headed out the door, her boots silent on the carpet as she headed towards the transit and then a short walk to the hunting grounds. Once she arrived, she closed her eyes trying to find vada.

She picked up his essence and began to move in that direction. The woods opened into a clearing with a sparkling lake at the center of it. She stopped as she saw the lion standing there and drew her sword deciding to get a kill in while she looked for her man. She began to sneak up towards the majestic beast, hating to have to kill it but maybe she could use his pelt for something. As she was ready to emerge from the woods a white owl gracefully landed in front of the lion and seemed to be talking to the lion. She stopped and stared wondering why the lion didn’t attack and knowing Vada was nearby. She reached out with a telepath to try to find him.

“Baby, I’m here, where are you? Oh ****” she stood with her mouth hanging open as she watched the owl turn into the woman Zodiac. She slowly walked into the clearing staring at the lion as she met its gaze. Her brow furrowed at the familiarity she felt with it.

“No” she whispered, “When did you get this ability?”

The woman smiled at Zodiac. “Hey Zoe, being a teacher today?” Klara was stunned to see the man she loved as a lion but something bothered her. Would this change their relationship since she couldn’t shift herself? She hesitantly walked to the lion and held her hand out to see what he would do.