Second shift > Commentlog

[miseducating]

[So we have a Nick who decided to wait until the orchard was clear before venturing out and practicing his shifting. After all, it would never do to be a lame shifter for the rest of his life. So once he was absolutely sure no one was around, he carefully removed his clothes and shifted. Which was nice! Because it's never happened at will before.

Comments

[brynkitten]

[It just so happened that Bryn was in her other form as well. After being cooped up in the barracks for so long, she'd found herself missing being outdoors for extended periods of time. She had shifted some hours previously, however, and having gotten some of her initial energy out, was now stretched out in the grass in the wide open field.

Catching Nick's scent, she lifted her head up to see if the breeze had carried it to her, or if he was nearby.]

[notthepinkone]

[Nick is in fact nearby, nose to the ground. What's he smell? He's not sure. But it smells...familiar...like Bryn, maybe?]

[brynkitten]

[It's totally Bryn. She slowly rises to her feet and looks around for a black panther, and upon spotting him not far off, pads across the grass toward him.]

[notthepinkone]

[He's obviously getting closer. So why is he not seeing Bryn? All he sees is another cat padding toward him and now he's going to stop because who is that?]

[brynkitten]

[Bryn continues toward him, because this is her friend and surely he knew she was a cougar sometimes, didn't he? Hadn't she told him?

It had been months since she had seen Nick in this form, but she recognized him immediately, and there was a slight purr coming from her before she approached, intending to sniff at him more closely.]

[notthepinkone]

[I don't think he ever knew. So he's a bit wary as she approaches. There's no Anna to hide behind this time, so that means he' gotta fend for himself. And instinct tells him high tailing it out of there is the way to go.

It isn't until she's close enough to sniff, that it dawns on him. It's Bryn! Oh wow. There's a sound in his throat, almost like a purr as he finally shakes off his apprehension to greet his friend with a head bump.]

[brynkitten]

[When it seems as if Nick is preparing to flee (which seems ridiculous to Bryn since clearly he's larger than her and more of a threat), she tilts her head to the side. It's a gesture that carries over even from her human body language.

A brief instant, she wonders if perhaps she's wrong, but that moment passes quickly. It smells like Nick, and it looks like him from that one time during the trial by combat.

The sound gets her attention first, and when he bumps his head against hers, Bryn purrs immediately and turns her head slightly to the side so she can rub her cheek against his. Hello, friend.]

[notthepinkone]

[All right! Nick is feeling a little bit gleeful about this. Recognizing scents, following instinct, all of it was new to him. But he was getting used to his feline body and it made him feel a lot better about being a cat.

And now that he knew exactly what scent to associate with Bryn, he'll know her anywhere. It was kind of amazing learning new things.

He lingers near her for a moment more before padding away and whirling around. Dropping low into a crouch, his hindquarters stuck in the air. Come on, Bryn. Let's play.]

[brynkitten]

[Bryn watches as he turns and walks away, and as he drops into a crouch, she wonders if he's about to pounce something or hide, but there's something about his stance that indicates play instead.

Bryn's tail twitches as she strafes to the side, circling around as she purred again, and then she took a tentative jump forward, not to pounce him but the ground near him. Would he scare easily, even though she was clearly the smaller of the two of them?]

[notthepinkone]

[Okay, he could do this. This was Bryn, after all. He could trust her not to eat him. He watched her as she pounced toward him and he swiped at her with a non-lethal paw.]

[brynkitten]

[Bryn was pleased by the reaction and swiped back at Nick with a paw from above, though her claws remained retracted and it was clear that she was batting back at him playfully.]