Engulfed by Ice

Small white flakes drifted around her as if there was no care in the world. She closed her eyes for a moment, basking in the icy chill that crept up her body, attempting to consume all her senses and possibly clam up from the relentless clutches. A small smile crept onto her mouth and she swirled, her feet precariously landing so she could possibly stumble at any moment. Her arms were splayed out in attempt to stay straight and her chin tilted up so her face was staring into the sky. Fortunately, she stopped after a brief moment and took a second to regain her balance. It seeped back into her body slowly until her brain and coordination was not distorted anymore. A small puff of air escaped her plump lips and it turned into a grey, opaque mist. Her chocolate eyes were revealed once more and they danced with amusement and perhaps a childish fascination. She was not allowed the chance to be so carefree often and she was reminded of the little flurries that floated to the ground, covering the ground with a white coating. Her feet had trampled it, causing her to disturb the soft, smooth beauty of it. She bit her bottom lip unconsciously, dragging the toe of her shoe through the indention carefully. She was abruptly brought out of her trance at a smell that drifted her nostrils. She glanced up, her head swinging around curiously. It smelled like... animals? She was not completely sure, but then a thought hit her. She had heard little murmurs here and there about Shifters, like her, and a family full of a wide variety of them. She wondered that this might, possibly, be the source of such talk. Her sensitive nose had been able to detect it and she realized it must be a border. With this new piece of information, she began to creep closer to the source, tediously moving and breathing in with ever few steps. The scent began to get stronger and soon it was overpowering at a specific spot. She looked around cautiously, her eyes now narrowed. Would she be attacked for being this close? A silly idea formed in her mind but she attempted to shake it out immediately. What if I ask to join? She thought it was foolish, but it began to attach itself in her brain as if begging for attention. She took one more step forward until she was less than a foot away from the freshest marker.

Did she want her life to change? Of course, she could be rejected in mere seconds. The tall female could be thrown out, shunned, possibly killed. Or, at least, she assumed that was what might happen. She was not sure how this pack operated and she was careful. Sheepishly, her voice escaped her in something a little louder that a whisper. "Excuse me?" She almost flinched from the sound, surprised how it disrupted the serenity of silence. She was slightly tempted to speak once more, but hesitated. Her brown orbs scanned her surroundings and she spun around, the feeling of being watched causing goosebumps to form on her arms. It could easily be her imagination, but she still wanted to be mindful. She took a deep breath, drawing in the frigid air so it made a sharp, cold spike run down her spine. She had only gone on a walk because there was nothing better to do. She typically only had night shifts at her job and was given the rest of the day to do whatever she pleased. Typically, she spent the time reading or attempting to find something productive, but this time she had given up and decided to go on a walk. She held her breath, wondering what was going to happen to her. Had she made a bad decision by staying in the same place for too long. Nervously, she dragged her right foot through the snow and stomped it lightly. She assessed all the possibly escape routes around her, attempting to focus. She had learned these things. Focus! Finally, she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head in disbelief. She was not going to be killed. Forced away, possibly, but not killed. She slumped her shoulders in hopes that she would relax and her eyelids fluttered open. What was she even doing? She couldn't show fear; especially if she wanted to be... accepted? Usually, she never had such childish thoughts of confliction, but it seemed all she could do was hope the struggle was going to be over quite soon.

Niko was roaming the forest, his head bent low and tail curled out behind him. Winter was his favourite season. His fur protected him well from the harsh cold and he enjoyed taking walks in the snow to build up his stamina and endurance. It was also a way to get warm because his fur was not as thick as it could be. The Shifter was in his primal form, a Persian leopard. It was a creature of pure power and speed with a muscled, lithe frame and powerful legs with massive paws. With a pelt of light tawny brown and white. Outwardly, he appeared nonchalant and relaxed but his ears were alert, his eyes darting this way and that as his ears took in each sound that came his way and relegated it as something normal or out of the ordinary. Frequently, he would sniff the air to see if there were any unfamiliar or strange smells that weren’t supposed to be in the area. He paused, whiskers quivering and turned his head in the direction of the smell. His bright eyes grew vibrant, brimming with life and curiosity. His rounded ears seemed to flick, shaking in place. Just a stray animal or someone of their kin? It smelt like one of their own, that unique blend of human and animal. Nevertheless, he should see to it as it was one of his primary tasks. Niko quickened his pace, moving with natural grace and swiftness in the direction of the smell. He made no noise, his paw pads light and fast as his legs launched him through the air with an unnatural ease that was uncannily beyond even a leopard’s natural grace. As he approached, he could see that it was a human at the borders. A Shifter in human form or a human? Well only one way to find out. He poured on speed, a short burst until he’d gotten closer and closer and slowed down again. She appeared nervous. His rounded ears quivered as he heard her whisper, audible to his ears as if she expected someone or something to leap out at her from the shadows and swallow her whole. As she nervously stomped her foot and dragged it through the snow, Niko could see that she was thinking. Of escape routes? Probably. He’d done the same thing, discretely so as not to attract attention. It was the last thing he wanted when he was trying to run for it. As she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head in disbelief he sniffed the air again, nose twitching. Yeah, she was a Shifter.

He did not want to startle her so he came out as silently as he could so that he was standing in front of her. First came his furry, light tawny brown head, followed by the rest of his muscled, lithe body in one smooth motion until he was standing before her his head straightened. He watched the other before him, his lips seeming to be in a perpetual smile. Friendly. But that was how it was as a leopard. He looked like he was smiling even if he wouldn’t have actually been smiling in his human form. A smile was supposed to show happiness no? Or friendliness. It was a face Niko wore well. It suited his human features. And he meant it as he did enjoy meeting other people, no matter what they were. Whether he would become good friends with them was out of his control as he could not know what another person liked or disliked based on how they looked or what race they were. Similarly, he could not know what an individual’s personality was like because personalities were complex things. It took a lot of time to get to really know a person, to see if their interests matched but usually, he could get along. He could not force someone to like him but he could be cordial and curt with them and sincere, honest with them. The same thing applied to the other person as well. They could not force him to like them. But Niko usually got along with them and he could be a friend at the least. And she seemed as if she would be friendly, once she was less nervous. As it was, he was curious and more than happy to greet the newcomer, to make her feel more comfortable because he knew what it was like to be constantly on the look-out for danger coming from even the slightest of noises. To be persecuted and hunted, to be among those who would rather see you killed than alive just for being yourself. And when you were all alone, you only had yourself to rely on and that could make anyone paranoid about anything that would have otherwise been harmless. A knock on the door. Tapping noises outside your window. Hurried footsteps nearby. The rustling of leaves. Even the guy on the bicycle passing by. But as it was, safety was paramount. His intelligent amber eyes, warm and open, were skating over her carving her general appearance and details to memory. Additionally, he was also looking for signs of any weapons hidden in her clothes. It wasn’t something he enjoyed doing but he had to protect his kin and his home. He could not take any risks and hopefully, she was exactly as she seemed. Just a lost Shifter looking for a home. Like everyone else who had come here. He opened his jaws in what he hoped was a smile. It was a smile full of pearly white, razor sharp teeth but still a smile nevertheless. First he would ask her what she was doing here. His voice was friendly, transmitted towards her as growls but she would understand them as words as she was a Shifter,“Hey there. Are you alright? You seem lost. This is the border for the land of the Shifters.”

He watched her, his tail swaying slightly as he waited to see what she would say or do. Raising his paw, he started to take another step closer until she finally did turn around though stumbling as she did so. His eyes shone even brighter, seeming to laugh but not unkindly. He was not dangerous by nature really but of course, if he was provoked then his instincts could take over and he may end up taking a hand out of anger. But it was unlikely that it would happen as Niko had enough self-control and a generally calm temperament. It was not so easy to make him snap. And he did not want to take a life of one of his own kind when she had done nothing to warrant death. Though that made him wonder if her Shifter form was something that a leopard would naturally be hunting or if her motion had been a side effect of her nerves from being in a new place all alone. Niko lowered his fore-paw to the snowy ground, his eyes never leaving her as she moved closer. She was scared. That usually meant someone didn’t mean any harm. Someone who was scared usually didn’t end up having wanted to hurt another person. And she had been nervous before. Niko tilted his head slightly at her as she did, noticing her lips twitching. The beginnings of a smile? Well that was promising. And she seemed more determined and visibly relaxed even if it was only slight. Niko would not attack her. There was no reason not to anyway since she wasn’t doing anything to harm him or showed any signs of wanting to do so for the rest of the clan. She would have to trust that he wouldn’t hurt her just as he would have to trust she wouldn’t hurt him. As she puffed out her chest to appear confident, Niko let out a rasping slight chuckle that sounded like a combination of a snort and a slight hiss in his leopard form. He was glad. He straightened his head, listening to her speak.        

So she was here to join them and it seemed genuine considering that she didn’t have anything on her person. Well that he could see. He padded around her getting closer and closer, eyes straying over her back, legs and arms checking for bumps in her clothing. His sensitive nose sniffed the crisp winter air once more. Nothing out of the ordinary. Coming around so that he was facing her once more, while keeping a respectable distance from her so he would not be invading her space, he dipped his head towards her in a friendly, welcoming gesture.“It is a pleasure to meet you Anivea Caverly. I am the guardian of the clan, Epror Niko.” She was glancing around, probably for other people that were around. His tail swept the ground idly as he gave her time to respond and see that there were no other people around to hurt her, brushing the snow in swishing motions noisily. He had no real way to gauge if she was capable but she had made it all the way here and was asking for acceptance. Which meant she had gone through a substantial amount of trouble in finding the borders at the very least of the clan. The will-power was evidently there even if she had some doubt but she was apparently not letting it get to her. It was a trait that Niko found necessary. There really was no time for doubt when you had to concentrate on survival or just getting by. Or being faced with the prospect of not being good enough or capable enough. Just faith and hope coupled with good reason and common sense. As she raised her head, Niko scuffed the ground in front of him with a forepaw to dig into the snow and reveal several blue-berries that were buried in the snow. He did not mind when she took another glance at him, searching him for what he guessed were signs that he would attack. He would have done the same thing. He pushed the blue-berries towards her feet with a snow-frosted paw as a sign of goodwill from him, looking at her in surprise as he heard her laugh softly. He couldn’t really tell what kind of laugh that was but it wasn’t a nervous one which was good. And he found it strange how enjoyable the sound was to his ears.

Perhaps it was because he had been wandering around by his lonesome for hours on end now so he had been accustomed to hearing the sound of fresh snow falling and running off in clumps from the leaves, the chittering and scurrying of squirrels on tree branches and the sound of the feet of snow hares thumping against the ground as they ran about. Sounds of nature. His stomach had rumbled many times as he had seen a sparrow on a branch or a hare hop by and he had thought of seeking out something to eat to fill his stomach. It was good to hear the sound of another person, especially the sound of a laugh that was sincere. Niko said keeping his voice genial,“We would be more than happy to recruit you but first, I need you to show me your primal form Miss Caverly so I can be sure you are a Shifter and not something else. Once you do, you are free to step beyond this point into Shifter territory. I will accompany you beyond this point to our homes and from there, you can go to see Eden to announce your presence and then explore the lands however you wish. The Regina of the clan, Eden, is the leader of the Shifter clan here…” He paused, remembering her deceased mate. He would leave it up to Eden to speak of that. It wasn’t anything to do with him. He continued,"Now tell me, what skills or interests do you have that you can show me or speak of? I can give you a rank based on that.”

occ: Edited to fix a part

Niko did not mind being petted but at this moment, he did not want to be. Though he was essentially part animal he was also part human as a Shifter and the human side of him wasn’t wanting to engage as it did not feel like being petted to become a plaything. Well, not now anyway. The animal part of him would have enjoyed it, especially behind the ears. Perhaps she just had been around humans for too long and wished to be among animals again. She would soon be if she could show him she was what she said she was. As her head tilted again, examining him again he scratched his ear with a forepaw idly but kept his attention on her.  Perhaps she was imagining what he looked like as a human. But no it wouldn’t help. He smiled slightly as she stood a little taller. Niko did not think she had anything to hide in the first place but he had to be sure. Some people pretended to be innocent but they were not. Some pretended to be genuine or have good intentions, only to drop the façade once they got what they wanted. But she wasn’t one of those people. Her intentions were clear from her words and matched with her behaviour. She wanted to join them. Perhaps it was so she could be with others that were like her, to seek out other Shifters and feel truly safe. Or she just needed protection. His tail flicked the air, wondering why she had started to grin for a moment then smile softly. Deciding it wasn’t important, he brushed it towards the back of the mind and watched her reaction to berries as she picked one up to twist it and roll it between her index finger and thumb for any strange movements or emotions. No, she was still smiling and laughing. At ease with herself. Acting the same way she had been so far. He looked at her as she began to shift, glad that she was doing so otherwise he would have had no choice but to turn her away because he trusted his senses but he needed to see her shift with his own eyes. She could have been with a Shifter and managed to get the scent from her or him.      
     
He listened to what she had to say. She said she had been taught fighting skills that would come in handy in multiple scenarios and of loyalty and being willing to die for the Shifters if she was accepted, that she was willing to learn anything and was able to become better in any rank that she received. His mind was mulling over the options and it was going towards Bellator in that case, a fighter, as she already had the skills and could learn to be even better with time and training. Now he would see what animal she would shift into. Not only would it help aid in his decision to determine a rank for her but he was curious to see what she would transform into. Catching her eyes with his, he gave her a reassuring look. He believed her. Niko saw a mane appear, her body morph and change, growing larger but getting slightly shorter and a stripe appearing on her face. A horse? Niko thought. Yes, a horse. A Shire horse though he had only seen them in books or on TV. He had never seen one up close before. She was a fine horse with all the looks of a healthy mare. Of course, he was no stranger to a horse’s hooves. He had seen horses when he had been a cub in the mountains and he knew they were powerful creatures. The size and power of a horse was nothing to take lightly. And though he had never been kicked by a horse, he had seen a horse kicking someone once. It’d broken ribs and he wouldn’t have been surprised if it’d done more than that. Niko was not keen on having broken bones. But he would   be able to defend himself. And he would immobilize her for attacking him. He knew she could try to trample him with her hooves but he had a jaw full of bone-crunching teeth and could drag her down and snap her front legs so she couldn’t run. Not that he wanted to but he had to do what he had to do if she was trying to hurt him. He couldn’t protect his clan if he was injured. And he couldn’t tolerate any threats even if she was a beauty. As she dipped her head towards him, he angled his head towards her at a downwards level. Just slightly so that he was still at eye level with her. His body was still relaxed showing he meant no harm. He had no doubts she would make a good fighter. He was satisfied.“Loyalty is an important virtue. Though it does not make me entirely happy that you would be willing to die that also makes you brave and is admirable and so it should be commended. You were willing to fight even now before you knew I wasn’t a threat. Due to this and your current abilities in human form as well as your capabilities to attack and fight in your primal form I will give you the rank of a fighter, a Bellator,”Niko said. He nodded towards her, his growl an octave deeper as it naturally became due to his tone becoming warmer and happier in light of accepting a new addition to their kin,“Welcome to the clan Bellator Anivea. I will accompany you past this point into safer territory and from there, all you have to do is walk straight until you come upon our homes.”