The Sound if Isolation

[howlinghooves]

Jayk Ryan Winsir

It had been one hell of a night, and it was all the shifter could do not to just fall on his belly and sleep away the morning and afternoon. His hips were hurting him terribly, and the limp in his stride was much more pronounced that Jayk could even feel his hindquarters lifting higher off the ground to avoid the sharp pain in them. But it couldn't be helped, his animal side taking over. He had been in trouble, deep enough that his feral side thought it best to book his ass far, far away from the humans who sought to destroy him.

All for his gift. Jayk grimaced in his animal form, his nose scrunching up as his eyes hardened. He could smell water, though the murkiness in it wasn't left unnoticed by way of dirt and sediment that rested below the surface of the man-made lake. His throat tightened as he thought of how thirsty he was, as he hadn't stopped running from that god awful place for hours.

A deer leaped out in front of him, rushing back into the spaces between the trees that surrounded the shifter everywhere he looked. Hunger was the last thing on his mind, not that he could catch the doe anyway. Panting, Jayk closed his cheetah eyes, a stormy green color rather than the norm for a King Cheetah. That was the only sign that set him apart from other cheetahs like him; the sign that he was a shifter and not a regular wild cat.

Walking forward slowly, his trek to the lake ended as the water lapped gently at his forepaws, a slight breeze ruffling his short tawny fur, the black strips making him blend into the grasses as he crouched down, his tongue slipping out to lap at the water. Once his thirst was sated, Jayk sighed tiredly as he shifted to his human form, glad for once that his feral side had chosen to take over and help him get away. It was the first time it had happened in a while, as he thought about it but they were pushed away when his eyes shot open, bloodshot and dull.

Looking around, he only saw a small red fox sifting through the weeds, head popping up and watching him, head cocked to the side before returning to its business. Jayk sighed in a relieved manner as his head fell back against the hard, cool ground, his right hand dragging in the small waves of the lake. His senses weren't dulled as he tried to relax after his rough time, but rather his eyes were trained on the ever brightening sky, the sun's rays turning it pink and yellow before the light blue showed as well.

"I guess this place isn't much different from back home either. I had heard there were other shifters here in this town, but I guess I was wrong." He mused quietly, his left hand wrapping into the soft grass at his side as he thought. "But I guess I'm not missing much, though. This area is just one hell hole after the other."

[KATELYN TODD]

Katelyn walked through the field, her yen growing deeper and deeper by the second for Domino, but she knew she had to have some time to herself. He needed some time to his self. They were boyfriend and girl friend, yes, but that didn't change much in Katelyn's mind. Everyone needed their privacy.

She walked through the field, the clouds over the sun, providing shade for the land; the wind blowing, shaking the newly budded trees' leaves.

Katelyn usually came out to this field to think, to focus on her questions that needed answering, to try and answer life's big question. There was a small lake nearby that she always swam in. It always seemed to clear her head, the fresh, cool water, it did.

She walked through the field, humming a simple tune aloud. It was a short melody her mother used to sing to her. Her real mother. Not her foster mother. She hated her foster mother.
As she walked, she thought about her past. She thought about the many times she was forced to drink and use drugs. The time she was raped by four different men. The time she met Domino. She smiled at that thought. She loved Domino unconditionally, but there was just something between them, something that sparked. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it was there. It reminded her of her dead brother.

Katelyn continued to think about her life. She remembered how her mother used to tuck her in bed at night, how her father always told her bed time stories when she was little. She thought about how all that was gone now, gone with her parents into a fire that burned deep inside her. A fire itching to burn from her core to the outside world, whether it be at the stake of her life or not. It was just itching to get out.

Katelyn walked through the field, coming to a sudden stop when she sees a boy, rather a man, lying beside the small lake. She heard leaves rustle around them, and she cautiously started walking forward again. Slowly advancing, she heard the man talking aloud. She chuckled to herself. She put her hands into the front pockets of her jeans that were partly covered with a white tank top with spaghetti-straps securing it around her neck.

She wore a necklace with a blue glowing pearl in the middle. She wore no makeup, but rather her natural beauty shown. She was barefoot, and her jeans tight against her skin.

She advanced a few steps closer, trying not to scare the man. She heard him talking again. She laughed to herself, then decided to say something. "Aye, I'll second that. There are a lot of hell holes around here," She grinned.

[howlinghooves]

Startled when a soft, feminine voice reached his ears, Jayk was suddenly enveloped in a grey light as he shifted, his feline hissing as ears pinned back against his skull.

"Aye, I'll second that. There are a lot of hell holes around here," There was a grin on her face, but Jayk didn't stick to studying her like he would have any other person. His black tipped tail flicked to the side irritably as the human in Jayk fought for control, agitated that his feral form had just taken over with such a sharp intenseness.

But fear did that to people. And Jayk, while not truly afraid of other people, was wary of them for good reason. Most had tried to kill him after learning of his gifts, of his animal form. He had always liked Cheetahs, and the King Cheetah had earned such a name without much competition. But his animal side frightened him, as it was always battling inside for more control over his body.

Walking in a circle, the limp in his hips making his hindquarters bounce up as he tried to relieve the pressure in them by not touching the ground, Jayk's grey-green eyes narrowed on the girl. She smelled like he did, part beast rather than full animal. So, guessing as to what she was, Jayk quickly jumped back to his human form, blinking rapidly as he sat on the ground, knees bent.

"Uh, yeah. I've noticed." Jayk spoke as he stood up, putting more pressure on his right leg as his stance became a bit less frightened and just more wary of her. Who was she, and why the hell hadn't his animal form picked up any trace of her as she approached? Exhaustion was one item that was checked, as well as the pain in his legs while he was a cheetah.

"You're a shifter..." Jayk stated, almost defensively as he took a step back before holding his ground, his right hand twitching a bit as he waited for the girl to respond, ready to jump and roll out of the way if she were to attack him for knowing. But was a Shifter as well, that was something she had to know when he had reverted back and forth between forms.

The question ringing between his ears, and the growling from his feral side, was whether or not she was a threat to his well being, of whether she could be trusted to not just sell him out like a few shifters in his time had. It was because of them that his hips pained him so while he was his speedy cat, why he couldn't just run like his cheetah wanted to do. But that was in the past, and there was nothing he could do about it now.

"Why wasn't I able to sense you coming up? You don't have any... special powers, or anything, do you?" He asked her rather forcefully. He hadn't met anyone that had more powers than shifting, but there was always the chance it could happen.

[KATELYN TODD]

Katelyn chuckled as he asked her if she had anoy special powers. "It depends on what you consider powers to be... You have the power of seduction, the power of love, the power of, well, you ge tthe point. And yes, I am a shifter." She said, grinning still. She started to finger her necklace. The one she wore now was given to her by her mother. It seemed to have a glow everytime it was around her neck. She usually wore it, hoping to remember more about her mother, and hoping it may provide protection from things that have yet to come. From things that have already happened to her.
She continued to finger the necklace, one hand still in her front pocket.

Her muscles shown, they were over average for a girl of her age, but she used to work out everday. She had to; she used to be a cop. But that was her past life, and that was the part she always strived to forget.

She looked at the man and sighed. He was no Domino, but at least he was someone she could talk to. She sighed again and then spoke, her voice smooth. "Don't worry, I bare you no harm, or is that not the answer to the question, or questions, mind you, that you are asking yourself right now about me?" She asked him. She knew people wel enough. She knew shifters better.

Her mind flashed back to his questions he had previously asked. She wondered. Did she have powers other than shifting? If she did, they were unknown to her at least. She knew her mother was special, all though, it was her father who was the dominant shifter.

[howlinghooves]

Jayk stiffened when she chuckled; she was too comfortable with this situation in Jayk's eyes, but perhaps she wasn't as world-weary as he was then. Shifters all dealt with thing differently, and she, for certain, wasn't like him in most ways when dealing with who he was came into the picture.

"I meant other unusual powers, actually. And no, though it would put most at ease, saying you don't mean me any harm doesn't make me any less nervous. As a Shifter, we don't all lead happy lives and caution has become something of second nature to me." He told her, seeing no point in lying to the younger girl. It wasn't like he was giving away any of his secrets or anything, just telling her how it was.

"Why are you here? In this town, I mean. There's nothing here for our kind from what I can see." He asked her, his shoulders slumping down as he relaxed a bit more in her presence, though his legs were tensed and ready to move if it came down to it.

"Can I ask what you are? Your shifter. You've seen mine, but I haven't seen another shifter in years."

[KATELYN TODD]

Katelyn chuckled. "I am too familiar with situations like these, my new friend." She replied to him, seeing that he was still on edge with her sudden appearance.

Her grin suddenly went away after he said something about happy lives. Memories flashed before her eyes until she finally regained her composure, remembering that she couldn't have another breakdown.

"And you sure do ask a lot of questions, don't you?" She asked, trrying to avoid his otheer questions. She walked casually down closer to the water. It was surrounded with soft, green grass that felt like velvet to the touch. She loved coming down here. She walked to the edge of the water, dipping her toes in. She took a small, yet deep breath and then strecthed her arms forward, then up above her head. She looked at the man beside her. "Are you afraid of getting wet?" She asked him, a wide grin placed on her lips yet again.

She dove into the clear, cool water, trying not to splash too much, but yet trying to get the other man wet. She laughed in her head. She loved doing that.
She swam under the water, her body fully visible from the top, until she got near the top when it just rippled and distorted her image.

She surfaced, gasping for air. She was under the water for a full two minutes before she decided to come up. Being a shifteer, she could hold her breath for a while, but it took a lot pf practice to get the number that high. She held her breath and went swimming everyday to relax and exercise. She layed on her back in the cool pond and closed her eyes, her ears still alert, but her senses never dulling.

[howlinghooves]

He knew what she was doing, his sharp mind didn't miss the face she was avoiding his questions. A small sliver of doubt rose in his mind, about the fact that she was different from him. Besides the shifting part, they had another thing in common. They had both lost something they cherished, whether it be like his own loss of a stable life or losing someone he loved because they betrayed him, only she could answer that for him.

Then she asked if he liked to get wet and before he could answer she had already jumped in. Jayk took a few steps back, though a bit of water soaked into his pants, and watched as she resurfaced. Being a cat, he wasn't altogether fond of getting wet when he didn't have to.

Again, Jayk felt that she was too comfortable in this situation. He felt a bit jealous that she was so at ease around him, something he hadn't been able to live around for a long while. "Why are you so comfortable with... everything? We don't even know each other yet you act as if we were friends in a past life." He asked her, confused beyond all reason as he moved to sit down, watching her for a few moments before he inhaled deeply; he could feel his feral cat trying to break free again, now that he seemed to have calm down somewhat.

Closing his eyes, he clenched his jaw as he attempted to reign it in, opening his eyes to look out over the water, though they were slitted like a cat now rather than the normal human pupil. Running a hand through his hair, Jayk looked up at the cloudless sky, much to his disapproval.

[KATELYN TODD]

Katelyn floated on her back, the water lapping at her sides.
"I simply become used to these situations because it used to be my job.... Now it has become a habit I need to break. My job consisted of getting used to a situation, and anticipating for the worst to happen when I was out. I had to keep my senses sharp; I had to practice each day with each sense."

I guess I just get used to situations far more quickly then a regular shifter, mind you." She replied, a slight grin turning into a slight frown upon her lips now. It's not like she liked being used to situations, that she couldn't act regularly, it was just that she was trained different, and that sometimes has to be given as a sacrifice to not fit in exactly with other people.

[howlinghooves]

Jayk became suspicious then, after hearing that this young woman said she had become comfortable with encounters like these for her career. "You were with humans?" He asked her, eyes narrowing as a small growl came from his throat, though unbidden by Jayk's true intentions.

Shaking his head, his eyes returned to normal, at least for him anyway, and he let his jaw slacken as he gained more control over his inner beast. "You never answered my question before.. about what you shifted into." Jayk softly told her, asking once again but not pushing it as he had earlier.

He looked out over the water and watched her float, her shirt rippling in the waves and revealing a nicely made tattoo, at least Jayk guessed it was a tattoo as it wasn't smearing with the water running over it, on her shoulder. He didn't have any himself, as he wasn't the type to get one and show it off, but he had always liked looking at the artwork of them; it always made him want to guess why they got it, and what it could possibly mean.

But then, he wasn't altogether sure it was such a thing indeed, as he could only see a small, circular red portion. He knew there had to be more under her shirt, but she had hidden it. Hid it for a reason, so don't ask her about it...[/b] Jayk thought, averting his eyes before she could see he had been staring.

[KATELYN TODD]

Katelyn looked towards the man sitting a shore.
"Yes, my job evolved around humans.. I got to ..nevermind.." She said, trying not to go into it. She wanted a new life, but parts of her old one, not every detail, but a few. It was complicated.

"As for your second question, I am the opposite of you," She smiled. "I am canine, not feline, if that answers your question."

She then looked back to the sky and closed her eyes as she sighed. She breathed a deep breath and thought of more things; things other than Domino.

She started to hum a song as she got up and walked towards shore, now in the shallow parts. She walked ashore and turned into a dog then back into human.

"Happy?" She asked, a grin on her lips.

Katelyn sat down and rung her shirt out, the water falling with every twist. "Are you curious about my tattoo?" She asked him, eyeing him then returning to ringing her clothes out with her hands. "I figured you would have seen it, and usually people who see it keep it to themselves," She smiled.