Her talons slowly started to shape into feet, as well as her legs. Her wings started forming into pale white arms, as well as the rest of her body. She squeezed her eyes shut, a way she usually coped with the pain of shifting. The feather's started forming back into her normal pale skin, her hair falling over her chest.
She lay there, curled up, shivering. Her body had been badly bruised from the change. At that point in time she had forgotten that she was completely naked. Her hip piercings that you couldn't see before were now showing. The piercings were black, to match her hair. As was the outline of a black rose on her right shoulder.
She was panting a little, the change had happened so quickly, it took the breath right out of her.
Oh m- Damien was at a loss of words when he watched Josephine change back. He saw all her bruises and instantly wanted to comfort her. He knew that he shouldn't touch her though. He chewed on his bottom lip, trying to figure out what he should do. He decided to cover her first, since she probably felt weird being there naked. He blushed a little at the thought of it.
He quickly grabbed a blanket from under his bed and draped it over Josephine. It was the softest blanket he had; not that he had many. Josephine... He started, brushing some of her hair back from her face. You okay?
Josephine flinched a little as she felt a hand brushing some hair out of her face. But she soon relaxed, hearing Damien's voice. She couldn't bring herself to speak. Everything on her body hurt, even breathing was a challenge at the moment. She just lay there, panting a little as she weakly looked up at him with her now green eyes.
Shhh... It's okay. It's just me Josephine. Damien whispered when he saw her flinch. He stroked her cheek with his thumb. You're back to normal now. You can rest. You're obviously tired and I'll stay with you. I'll keep the bad dreams away. He truly meant what he was saying. He didn't what they just had again. He wanted her to feel safe and warm, like nothing could hurt her. If she ever needed him, he would be right there, ready to help her. He smiled softly at Josephine, hoping he would make her feel better.
Josephine blushed a little and closed her eyes again, a tear going down her cheek. She smiled a little and gripped onto Damien's hand with her own, feeling the warmth of him. She pulled him in a little closer and curled up again. Although she was weak she still managed to stutter a few words. "P-promise you'll stay with me...y-you won't go?"
Damien smiled as Josephine grabbed his hand. He brushed the tear from her face. Of course I'll stay. I couldn't leave such a pretty girl alone. He gave her another soft smile. He was exhausted and decided he should at least lay down.
He laid next to Josephine, gently wrapping his arm around her waist protectively. He wanted to keep everything away from her. Bad dreams, bad people, anything that would hurt her. He buried his face into her hair, loving the warmth she gave him.
Her cheeks reddened a little as she felt Damien's arm around her waist. She curled up and rested her hand over his, feeling safe for once. She sighed a little, letting her body settle against his as she started to drift into sleep.
Damien smiled when Josephine laid her hand over his. He could feel Her breathing steady against him. Goodnight, little owl. He whispered into her ear. He closed his eyes and started to fall asleep.
Somehow while she was sleeping, she managed to turn herself around, facing Damien. Her face was nuzzled against his chest, and her hands were gently gripping onto his shirt. The bruised she had gotten had already turned dark purple, her hips were sore too, mainly because of the hip piercings. She had been breathing silently all night, trying to not wake him.
Damien woke up with Josephine facing him. He smiled and brushed back some of her hair. He imagined for a moment what it would be like to wake up to this every day. No, no. Let's not think that far yet. He told himself. He knew that things could always change and probably would. It seemed like he never had enough time. He decided to give up thinking about that at all.
Vivir en el momento. He whispered, saying what one of his only friends over the years always said. His friend Rico was always there for him, with some sort of saying, most in Spanish. Live in the moment was definitely his favorite. Both of them lived by it.
Josephine's eyes slowly opened, her vision was a little blurry from just waking up. Her big green eyes peeked up at Damien, which caused a small blush to come across her cheeks. She couldn't believe have close they were on his bed. On his bed...Josephine's face burned bright red as she realized she was still naked from shifting back into a human, the only thing she had to cover her was the blanket.
Her hands gripped tightly onto the blanket as she curled up a little, her face pressing against Damien's chest. She didn't mind this, for some reason she started to love the warmth Damien's body gave off. It was almost as if his skin were like gravity, pulling every part of her closer to him. And she wanted to be closer..Her hands gripped onto her shirt as she tried to hide the fact that she was awake, and blushing like crazy.
Damien glanced down at Josephine, just barely noticing her eyes flit up to him. It seemed like she was trying to pretend she was still asleep. He debated whether or not he should say something to her. He decided to go ahead and say something, although the quiet was pretty nice. He leaned down to her ear. Good morning beautiful. he whispered into her ear. He stayed in that position for a moment, wanting to see how she would react.
Joephine's face turned deep red as she layed there with her eyes closed shut. She was still clinging tightly to the blanket and to Damien shirt. She reluctantly decided to speak up. "U-umm.. G-good morning..." She shifted her body a little, feeling a little awkward now.
Damien pulled away from Josephine, looking at her face. He noticed her move and the blush rise to her cheeks. Oh, am I making you uncomfortable? He asked with a smirk and a mischievous glint in his eye. He gently tightened his grip around her waist, still making sure he didn't hurt her. He knew she was still bruised and didn't want to bruise her more.
The thirst in Jasper's throat rose; burning, stinging and scalding within him. As his eyes settled upon a lonely deer, the sensation grew stronger. Hunger and thirst. His curse. He watched the blood rushing through the veins of the deer's neck with his intense gaze, feeling his hair shadowing the entire side of his face. He moved into a crouched position, ready to attack ... and then lunged at the oblivious creature.
Essence re-read the letter her brother left her before he left. This had been the hundredth time she's read the fine writing scribbled along the lined paper, explaining to her how he had left to be with those who were similar to him. She folded the paper and stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans. Reaching into the pocket of her sweatshirt, she pulled out Danial, her pet snake named after her brother.
"Another day, Another long walk to a place I don't know about. A place with people like me" She said, stroking the Snake's long, scaly body. She tucked Danial back in her pocket, who curled up. She tucked a strand of her white hair behind her ear and took her sweatshirt off, hanging it on one of the tree's low branches. "Time to hunt Danial, It'll only be a minute" She assured. She set her bag on the forest floor and took her pants off, leaving her in her undergarments. She arched her back and let out a heavy sigh of pain as her body morphed into that of a snow leopard.
She stretched her back legs, which were now an even height with her front legs. I yawned slightly, adjusting her eyes. She began walking forward, sniffling the ground for any sign of a meal, using her sensitive ears to listen for any herd of deer. There weren't any herds, but she caught the scent of a single deer.
She ran through the brush till she spotted the deer, poor and helpless, about to be her quick meal. Afterwards she was to find a mouse for Danial, it was time for his feeding as well. She crouched down, hiding her body then jumped out at the deer, until she noticed another presence, a boy.
Jasper studied the stranger that had now emerged from the trees; his eyes glowed an intense red before flashing back to an electric blue tone. "Take it", he muttered after several moments of silence, removing his fangs from the deer's neck in a swift movement. It was dead. "What's your name?" he enquired in a low tone, figuring he might as well ask. He wiped the blood from his bottom lip on his sleeve in a calm motion, spinning back into a rapid backflip as he sensed the presence of another deer, and caught it between his strong hands as he sunk his fangs into his prey's neck.
Essence took a step back, weary of the stranger who had taken notice of her. She was unable to answer his question, but she wouldn't answer him even if she could. Could she trust this person? Her head told her no.
As the stranger occupied himself with a different deer, she lept forward and pounced on the already-dying deer, digging her strong jaw into the deers neck, suffocating it. With her powerful jaw and sharp teeth, she tore the meat from the deer within seconds, feeling the hunger finally catching up to her.
When she finished the mean, her white fur spotted and stained with blood, she quickly darted back to her stuff, aiming to be unseen by the stranger.
The stranger drew Jasper's attention; as soon as he had drained the deer of it's blood, he followed after her. His footsteps barely audible, he stalked through the forest, watching her with every step. Who was she? Why didn't she trust him?
Essence ran until made it back to where she left her things. Quickly, and painfully, she morphed back into her human self, dressed in nothing but undergarments. She swiftly changed back into her clothes. "Time to go Danial" she said, hurriedly putting her sweatshirt on. She grabbed her bag, slinging it over her arm, and started walking in the opposite direction of the stranger, pulling her hood on as it started to rain.
Jasper was silent in the pouring rain as he followed after the girl, fascinated with her, although why was something he didn't fathom. His eyes flashed in the light; they displayed more curiosity than anything. As he moved his hood over his head, he moved in the direction of the girl, approaching her after a bare moment of hesitation.
Essence stopped in her track, hearing someone following close behind her. She was almost certain in the was the stranger from a moment ago. She squeezed her eyes closed, fearing the worst possible outcome. When she opened her eyes, she turned around, seeing the male that had given her the deer.
'I don't mean trouble, I was just passing through. Please don't hurt me....I-If you must, at least give me a head start....And I'm sorry abut eating your meal back there." She said, surprised by her own nervousness.
Jasper's eyes faded to a gentle violet, his round pupils flashing as he turned his head to face her completely, stopping in front of her amongst the thick rain. "I'm not going to hurt you", he said lowly, although his voice was a mere whisper, still easily audible. "My name is Jasper Zeratoni", he stated clearly and sharply, outstretching a hand for her to take as he slowly pushed the hood away from his face, revealing his features. "Your name?" he enquired softly, arching a curious eyebrow.
Her cheeks reddened a little more as she peeked up at him, not wanting to speak because she was afraid of stuttering. "I-i-its fine" She closed her eyes and hid her face against his chest lightly, her hands gripping onto his shirt as she tried to slow down her heartbeat.
Essence body relaxed slightly, but she was still ready for any action that would be needed. She reached out and shook the boys hand, nodding. She opened her mouth, intending to give her name, until she slowly took in his features. His uneven black hair with the blue tones in it, and his gentle violet eyes. "I-I'm Essence, Essence Foster" She said, still fixated on his looks. Realizing she was staring, she blushed slightly and looked down.
Well that's good. I wouldn't want to have to leave. He smiled at her. He could tell that she was definitely still hurting. He could also easily tell that she was nervous. So, did you sleep well? He asked, trying to get her to relax. He loosened his grip on her waist so his hand was just draped over her and propped himself up on his elbow.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote