maybe we don't wanna be found

[ELIZA ♥ WRIGHT]

they are the hunters

The paths of St. Gabriel's grounds were quiet this time of day. Most of the student body were in class instead of wandering the gravel swatches that cut curves through the trees. The cloudy sky and ground-clinging fog discouraged most would-be skippers, and the others found more cozy hiding spots. Of course, Eliza found this to be the best time and weather to go for a run and have a picnic. She was pulling the last layer of her outfit back on, carefully untangling everything from the pile she'd left before shifting. Her skin prickled. The sweater was baggy and warm in the crisp fall air. It wasn't quite the snappish cold of winter, but St. Gabriel's had already seen frost this season. She pulled the sleeves over her fingers and crossed her arms, giving a quick shiver and smiling. 'I miss summer already,' the shifter thought wistfully, dragging on woolen socks and boots. At least when she shifted, she could choose something with a thick coat.

Leaning back against a wide tree trunk, Eliza yanked her messenger bag closer. Laying it against her leg, she patted it thoughtfully. Right now, she should have been in Exploration and Civilizations. God, how she hated history. Smirking, Liz snaked a hand into the bag and pulled out an apple. Bon appetite. Taking a slow, loud bite, she sighed contentedly. The quiet peace that pervaded the wood sunk into the girl. She paused with her meal, holding the apple gently between her teeth, to dig for a hairbrush in her bag. It wouldn't suit her mood too put it up or pull it back, so she simply threw it over one shoulder, exposing the nape of her neck to the air. Again the shifter thought of warmer weather dimly as little fingers made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. St. Gabriel's was always perfect in the summer, when the trees were full of green and she could ride the thermals as a chickadee or kestrel. Eliza pulled her knees up and continued to eat her apple. What was she going to do for the entire winter? Snow didn't bother her much, but it tended to clog up her paws/claws/hooves and make her fingers numb hen she shifted back. Stuck inside for over three months, Liz concluded gloomily.

we are the rabbits

[ROSS ♥ WHITE]

It was early morning when he awoke. Dawn was awaking to released her rosy raiment upon the land where it was freshly bathed in dew. Soft rays of sunlight peered through the sheer curtains, travelling across the floor and onto the bed, creeping up a body sprawled across the comfortable bed. They tickled the skin of the sleeping mass, warming and prickling until they roused him. Ross's eyelids felt heavy and resistant as he struggled to open them against the drowsy call of his bed. A groan rolled from within his chest as he slid off the bed and onto the cold wood floor with a thud.

A soft vibration pushed him to action and with what seemed like extreme effort, Ross dragged himself across the floor. His fingers slid across the ground, stretching until he found the source. Pressing softly against the black screen, he shut off the alarm alerting him for class. To go or not to go to was the deepest question most students asked themselves, but Ross had the answer. If his mind wasn’t prepared, he ought not waste the time of his instructor by dozing off or goofing off. Therefore no class it was. Instead he opted to go through his morning routine, sans dressing, before bounding out the doors and towards the forest in his boxers.

Lunatic. That’s most likely what anyone would have described him as, but as he bounded to the cover of the forest Ross could have cared less. He closed his eyes softly and with a spread of his arms he burst into a shift. Within an instant his front pads made contact with the ground and his hind pads soon followed. The sun’s warmth coated his fur and lit his eyes as he trotted through the forest cutting back to the paths which he frequented for its view. A small string of wind sifted through his grey fur, wrapping around his limbs in a cool embrace. With a wolfish grin Ross opened his mouth tasting the air as his tongue hung out with a pant.

He continued to trot along careless and fearless of being found. Not many students were as bold as he, skipping class when it seemed inconvenient. It had become such a routine that Ross never fretted being caught. In his form, it wasn’t much of an anomaly. For Elysium grey wolves were as common as trees, even one his size. A sweet and fresh scent of apples caught his nose and he trotted forward with curiosity. In his sight was a girl seemingly enjoying the peace of the quiet day herself. With a bark he signaled his presence and moved forward bearing a grinning appearance as he panted. He stopped near her, but gave her space sniffing out that she too was a shifter of sorts. It was unusual to run into other people here during the class day and he was curious as to what she was doing.

[ELIZA ♥ WRIGHT]

they are the hunters

Taking the last bite of her apple, Eliza straightened and pulled back her arm. A few startled sparrows fluttered away nervously at the sudden movement. She flung the core far into the piles of burnt and curled leaves that littered the floor. With any luck, the decay would be perfect fertilizer for the apple seeds, swaddling them through the harsh winter and then letting them burst into buds when spring crept back. She paused for a moment, thinking about the seeds bleeding little roots and curling up from the dirt as sprouts, before letting her back fall back against the tree trunk. Maybe I should just become a bear, Liz mused silently, And sleep right through winter. It would be a perfect way to avoid classes for a few months, but she doubted the headmaster would accept her excuse. A breeze rattled the tree branches above her and she began to think of heading back. Maybe she could stop at the library and take a stab at the paper she should've been writing. The thought made her wrinkle her nose with distaste and she rubbed her arms. She was in no rush.

She ran through her memory, trying to recall if any parties were coming up this weekend, passed by word of mouth away from teacher ears. A feeling of restlessness wormed at Eliza and she shifted her shoulders as if to shrug it off. This always came with winter and she was beginning to wonder if it was from spending so much time as a bird. Maybe she just needed to fly South. A crackle of twigs made her freeze. There were no rules against being here at this time of day and no student would report another for skipping, but a teacher would almost definitely mention it to the other professors or the headmaster. Wordlessly cursing, Eliza held her breath, scrambling to come up with an excuse. She could fake illness, but then why was she out in the cold? Shit. A bark made her jump and spin around in surprise. She watched the larger-than-usual wolf came closer, sniffing in her direction. She let out a huff, relaxing. A Were, most likely a student. The teachers tended to give less warning, instead enjoying to surprise the offending student. A bit young looking for a Were too, based on its size. Eliza sniffed the air herself. Although her senses weren't as good as when she was shifted, they were still far superior to a human's. She could tell that the Were was a male. Phew, and he needed a shower. Probably just rolled out of bed. "Hi," she said lamely, tugging at her sweater and wondering if she should leave and let him have the spot. It was quite a good hiding spot, if she did say so herself. Eyeing the Were suspiciously, she reached for her stuff.

we are the rabbits

[ROSS ♥ WHITE]

There was a lot that was odd about Ross. He loved being social, but wasn’t a socialite. He was friendly, but tended to keep to himself. He was afraid of the Holy Cross, but he wasn’t quiet about his powers. It was a typical Ross thing to be positive one second and negative the next. For a while he thought he might be bipolar, but really he was such a dynamic person who lived by the second rather than waiting for something to happen. This quirk created the illusion that Ross was a bit clueless. It was true that he could be a little absent minded, but Ross was quick to notice subtle cues. After the abandonment from his mother, he chose to read body language to defend himself and his emotions.

As the two of them examined each other, he could see the slight sniffing the female was doing. Shame he hadn’t put on more deodorant this morning. Either way he was sure she’d get the information she needed to know he wasn’t a big threat at all. Just another friendly student being nosey. He barked again in response to her “hi” and before she had a chance to skitter off because of his awkward intrusion he trotted out of site. As soon as the trees and brush had covered him fully Ross shivered back into form. The light dimmed from his eyes and he searched for the small pack that slipped off his arm. Carefully he slipped into his clothes pulling on a pair of soccer pants and a Manchester jersey last.

Once he secured the pack back onto his bicep, he strolled back out onto the paths. Not wanting to scare her Ross made sure to continuously rustle through the array of fiery leaves and dry twigs. It was annoying to his acute hearing, but humorous when it came to remembering the games of “the floor is lava” he would be play with his brother and packmates. All of them could be seen running through the yard screaming and yelling and trying to push each other into the piles of leaves. A lot had changed since then. The boys had grown up and moved away and games like that seemed trivial. It seemed like Ross had been the only one who wanted to play silly games and enjoy life the way they used to. Unfortunately with the scare of the Holy Cross, it seemed to have sucked the fun out of everyone lately.

“Hey, sorry about that. I don’t usually run into anybody out here…” He stuck his hands in his pockets after he had given her a small wave. “I’m Ross, playing hooky as you can tell. I don’t mean to bother, I can be on my way if this was a one ma…woman type of thing.” With a little jut of his elbow he gestured past her, noting he’d really just continue his walk if she wanted to be alone. It wasn’t his thing to intrude on other people’s lives, but hey if they wanted the company he never minded it. He loved meeting new people.

[ELIZA ♥ WRIGHT]

they are the hunters

Slinging her bag over her shoulder, Liz crept to the other side of the copse of trees glancing back when he barked again. She was blushing slightly, knowing that shifting back was a bit inconvenient for the Were. He must have a stash around here. She hoped. Her blush deepened and she turned away hurriedly. This was typical for her as behavior around strangers does. most of the time, she came off as rude, but she was really much better around friends. Clearing her throat, she dropped her stuff in front of another tree, now determined to carry on a normal conversation with this boy if it killed her. At least it would stall for time before she had to do school work. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she watched as the flock of sparrows from earlier flitted back to tree branches, still keeping their distance. They could smell the predator smell on her and nervously twittered. Eliza knew they were smarter than they seemed. They always knew that she was an outsider whenever she tried to join them. They tolerated her occasionally. Animals were so much easier to blend in with than people sometimes.

Crackling leaves alerted her to the Were's return and she turned with a small smile, a bit forced. "It's fine," she replied to his apology, "I didn't expect to meet anyone else either. I should've known, though." He seemed nice enough, and she didn't get any strange feelings from him. Even as a human, she was acutely aware of the body language that animals always used. Ross. She rolled around the name in her head, faintly remembering a freshman boy when she was a high school senior. "Eliza. You don't have to go. It's fine. Hooky gets kinda lonely, don't you think?" she said, words tumbling out of her mouth abruptly, "Two's better than one." Eliza powered through the awkwardness and grabbed her bag, pulling out a few granola bars and another apple. "Shifting always makes me hungry. You?" She offered one of the granola bars, inviting him to join her for a little respite. The fact that he was a Were was no reason to be rude, she concluded. Shifters and Weres didn't always see eye-to-eye, but did anyone? Besides, there were bigger things that supes had to worry about.

we are the rabbits

[ROSS ♥ WHITE]

The supernatural community was just as normal as the “natural community.” Humans played their prejudices by race, stereotypes, wealth and status, while the supernatural community did exactly the same. Species had prejudices towards other species, hierarchies were formed and wealth was just as important as blood status. It was a touchy subject amongst a lot of species including werewolves alike. Ross was part of a pack who was guilty of blood prejudice. The pack allowed refuge for bitten weres, but didn’t consider them packmates. In order to become a Shreveport pack member one had to be born to a packmember or have been born a pureblooded werewolf. The policy didn’t bother Ross, but it didn’t exactly sit up on his list of priorities to upkeep either. It was on his list of pointless blood feud rules that had been held up since the old ages when supernaturals literally fought wars against each other to mark their turf.

“It does and to be fairly honest it gets increasingly boring once you do it enough times and run into zero people each time around.” He gave her a quick over trying to pick up on who he just interrupted. Besides being a shifter, she looked about Sura’s age and carried the same awkward demeanor that his cousin did as well. However, he’d have to give Eliza props for being able to handle the awkwardness a little better than his blushing brunette cousin, who couldn’t get through a sentence without embarrassing herself. Ross shook his head absentmindedly at the thought before sitting cross legged in front of the girl. “It really does, especially when you skip breakfast.” He laughed making a mental note to himself to grab something to nibble on the next time he decided to skip class. “Thank you.” He mentioned as he took a granola bar.

One of the rules when it came to antiquated supernatural prejudice was the automatic stink eye towards the shifters. It was one of those prejudices that Ross didn’t quite understand, but most werewolves adhered too. Personally he enjoyed the company of shifters. Their lives seemed significantly more interesting than his on the account that they could shift into any animal they chose. Ross, however, was limited to a furry butted wolf which occasionally became a soggy furry butted wolf when he decided for a dip in the lake. Even then, he wasn’t complaining. He loved shifting and he was sure it was a feeling shared by some shifters. There really wasn’t much of a difference between them and Ross honestly didn’t get what the big deal was.

“So Eliza, what class did you end up bailing on?” He unwrapped the granola bar picking quietly at the contents to have a little nibble. “I had high school calculus, joy of my life.” Ross rolled his eyes to emphasize just how much he enjoyed that class. “Putting that class in my morning schedule was just asking for it to be skipped, don’t you think?"

[ELIZA ♥ WRIGHT]

they are the hunters

Eliza rolled the apple around in her hands as Ross settled across from her. She gave another smile and nodded in agreement at his comment about breakfast. The school's cafeteria food didn't always agree with her, but shifting could leave you shaky as a newborn foal if you skipped a meal. Shifters and Weres tended to burn through more calories. It was like one of those intense 30 minute workouts, and Liz had learned that lesson ten times over. Bad food was better than no food. Weres and Shifters had more similarities than differences, really. Although Shifters didn't imprint or form packs, they did form strong bonds with other Shifters and had been persecuted as Weres in the past. There was a twinge of pity at the fact that they could only take the form of one animal, but it was better than nothing she supposed. She had no idea what form she would take if she could only have one. A doe was her favorite, all spindly legs and grace. Or any bird form. Canines were fun too, especially manned wolves and Bernese Mountain dogs. Oh, she wouldn't be able to choose.

With a quick twist, Eliza pulled the stem of the apple off and took a bite. In the end, she always felt more like herself in anything but human shape. And she supposed that having a pack to back you up wouldn't be so bad. She didn't think much of the imprinting thing though. It seemed a bit archaic to her. They had no choice in it either. It might seem romantic at a quick glance, but the idea of being forced to love a person simply on the idea of protecting and continuing the race. She shrugged it off mentally, glad she didn't have to worry about it, and tilted her head. "Oh, definitely. I would've ditched that class undoubtedly. Math's not bad, but I'm hopeless in the morning," she said, halfway through the apple and grinning, "Right now, I'm dodging history. 'Exploration and Civilizations', to be precise. I only find it interesting for the cultures and faraway places. The papers are murder."

She pursed her lips thoughtfully and leaned back against the tree trunk, ignoring the sticky sweet taste in her mouth that was quickly turning bitter. The Shifter was lost again in her thoughts, which turned to the pictures that brightened her dry textbook pages. Such exotic locations and rich histories. A collection of pictures like these had been plastered on every inch of wall around her headboard in her room so that she could visit them in her sleep. It was the best she could do since she couldn't actually leave the island without having to worry about covering her ass at every turn. Sometimes she felt like a caged rat, scurrying about trying to find cover. She simply wanted to be left alone, see the world, and not fear being strung up by self-righteous bastards. Was that so much to ask? Blinking, she realize how fast that train of thought had spiraled to the ground and snapped herself out of it. Looking back up at Ross with a half-smile. "So, where are you from then?" she said, biting the apple with renewed vigor.

we are the rabbits

[ROSS ♥ WHITE]

Company was easy to come by at St. Gabriel. So many students arrived with broken hearts or bright dreams that they instantly found a pair in someone feeling the same way as they had. It was the kind of magic that existed on the island, while they were confined to one place they were able to do whatever their heart desired with whomever they desired. Of course that came with the stigma and staple of school work. A grimace fell on Ross’s face as she mentioned papers. In his usual childish demeanor, Ross blew a raspberry and went back to nibbling on his granola bar. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fallen asleep trying to write papers.” As much as Ross liked to pretend he was a good student, but truth was he was fairly average. He would have gone into some detail about how many times he had been kicked out of the library for staying too late or goofing off during one of his paper sessions, but he simply couldn’t count them all in his head. “It’s a waste of paper if you ask me…”

The silence settled in and Ross finished off the granola bar twirling the wrapper around his finger. There had been a time once where things were just like this. Sometime ago before the holy assholes had decided to stick their nose in Elysium, Ross could shift and come out to the very same path and on the way find dozens of students playing hooky, chit chatting and displaying their powers. Now so many people were afraid to sneeze in case the holy cross looked up their nose to find fairy dust or werehairs. His eyes twitched wanting to roll, but he blinked the sensation away focusing instead on the question that rolled into the air. With a thoughtful look he took a moment to unfurl the wrapper a bit.

Shreveport… New York City… Both were home for Ross. Louisiana had been the place he was abandoned and left alone by his own mother and father. New York had been the runaway place where soul searching was possible and forgetting some Podunk town was easy. Still Shreveport held a special place for Ross. It was the place where he picked cattails for his adoptive mama and drunk sweet tea on the veranda with his papa and adopted siblings. It was a place that taught him no matter who you were in the world, there was love and a place for you. “I’m from Shreveport, Louisiana, but I spent a lot of time in New York City to dance. What about you? You don’t look like you’re from around here.”

[ELIZA ♥ WRIGHT]

they are the hunters

Smiling at Ross' reaction to the mention of papers, she nodded heartily in agreement. She watched him twirl the flashy wrapper around and realized that this wasn't as hard as she had made it seem in her mind. Eliza had no problem at parties, usually ignoring other people and enjoying the music, but this had seemed more difficult, carrying on a conversation with just one person with nothing to distract them. It was actually nice. It felt like, if she forgot where she was for a moment, she could be a mundane teenager. It felt...normal. Her eyes drifted down to her lap, but her face remained content, relaxed. Would she give shifting up for this if she could? Could she? It was surprising when the resounding answer was no, but, then again, why should she have to give up a part of her? That's why St. Gabriel's was here.

"I should've been able to tell from the accent, I guess," Eliza said raising her eyebrows, "You dance? I would've never guessed." Smiling mischievously, the shifter crossed her arms and lifted her chin. She swallowed the small lump in her throat that she always managed to push aside when talking about the past. "I'm originally from Pennsylvania. Kind of the middle of nowhere, but that's not important. What is important is that you show me some of your move, mister dancer." Her eyes narrowed challengingly, daring him to share his talent. It wasn't that she didn't believe him, but the sight of a dancing werewolf was just too good to pass up. For some reason, Liz had a hard time imagining them as graceful creatures, at least on two feet. Leaning forward, she laughed. "Come on, dog boy. Don't be a scaredy cat!" Oh, puns. Forever her favorite form of entertainment.

we are the rabbits

[ROSS ♥ WHITE]

The wrapper unwrapped slightly from his finger as he stopped twirling it about. It was easy to bore Ross and while he was enjoying the easy and carefree conversation, the wrapper was not a good source of eye entertainment. It was also worth mentioning that the sticky bits of the granola bar which were left on the wrapper were starting to create a “sticky situation” for Ross’s fingers. So instead he opted to leave it alone, wrapped around his finger like a sad party favor. “Yeah, the accent always gives it away, my brother has it worse.” He brought his eyes up to her as she mentioned Pennsylvania. He’d been there maybe once or twice, but it was short school visits to see some of his friends who had remained on the East Coast. Ross made a quick face feigning horror. “Important? How could you find this important?!” His eyes widened and he lifted his brows as if to say it was so much to ask from him, but he was simply playing with her. Dancing was one of his many passions and showing his newfound acquaintance really wasn’t a problem.

“Alright, I show you mine, but you have to show me yours.” With a quick stretch of his legs Ross was on his feet ruffling through his pockets for his phone. As he sifted through the playlist he spoke, but it was evident in the furrow of his brow he was very intent on finding a certain song. “Anything. Doesn’t even have to be an awesome talent, but it has to be something worth me dancing in jeans.” With a quick wink towards Eliza he found it. Clicking on the name Human Qualities by an artist known as explosions in the sky, he placed the phone on its volume resting it on the ground a little distance from him. As the song began he took a moment before feeling the rhythm and moving. His style of dance drew from ballet, modern and contemporary and thus the movement of his lanky limbs was precise and timed to the choreography in his head to achieve the gracefulness his aunt had taught him. After years at a private dance academy for the youth, Ross had gotten all the schooling he needed for it. Now he was dancing in front of a stranger eyes distant and gone to a fantasy place as he moved. A few pirouettes, chasses and an arabesque later he was finished careful not to get lost in the routine.

He was the type who could dance for hours, but he doubted she wanted to see that. Plus it was difficult to dance in his current attire, but all the same he had done it with the equal grace of being barefoot. A quick bow and he was standing, breathing and smiling pleased with his impromptu performance. "I hope that was adequate and I do think you owe me one Miss Eliza."

[ELIZA ♥ WRIGHT]

they are the hunters

Raising her eyebrows, Eliza laughed in disbelief as Ross rose and searched his phone. "I don't have any good talents, though," she said, shrugging with a smile. When he insisted, she sighed and tried to think of anything that she could do. Her jaw dropped open as the music started and Ross began to move to it, and it didn't close until the song was almost over and she realized that she looked like a cow. Clapping eagerly when he finished, she beamed at him. "Where did you learn to dance like that? And I told you, I can't do anything special," she said, pausing thoughtfully, "I'm pretty decent at sleeping through alarms. That's kind of impressive." Tossing another apple core over her shoulder, the shifter wiped her hands on her jeans and sighed.

With a soft hum, Eliza tucked her knees under her body. "Well, I guess it's not that impressive, but I do have really good control over my shifting." She made a face. To a werewolf, she supposed that something like shapeshifting wasn't very rare or notable. The level of control that she did posses over her abilities was of a higher degree. She chocked it up to practicing at every chance and even experimenting with it out of boredom. Running a hand through her hair, she puffed out her cheeks and sighed again. "Yeah, that's the best I've got. Hmm, I'll show you my favorites then." Closing her eyes, Liz felt her body relax immediately. The process was like breathing to her and she found it almost meditative. When her eyes opened, they were not quite her eyes any longer. Instead, they had taken on the appearance of the eyes of a goat. Her pupils had elongated horizontally into black ovals and her irises had expanded to take up most of her eye. "Did you know that goats can see in 340 degrees? Humans can see 210 degrees at best." The random little facts popped out of her almost immediately, covering up any embarrassment she felt. Her eyes closed again after a few moments and resumed their original appearance.

Next, Eliza felt a chill run down her right arm. She watched as the pale, freckled skin became green and scaled like a lizard's, then quickly flow back into fleshy normalcy. Feathers sprouted in place of scales, rachis of each growing first before the barbs and barbules unfurled, rapidly taking on a downy appearance. Eliza could do this for hours as entertainment, never getting tired of feeling like a chameleon. It was almost like she was the next stage in evolution, constantly becoming whatever she had to be, or wanted to be, to survive. The feathers retraced into her skin, leaving a tingling in their wake. She stretched her fingers in attempt to shake the feeling and smiled shyly at Ross. "Any requests?"

we are the rabbits