Big Bad Wolves

[Kojo]

The day was ending, and as the sun fell it left the sky a beautiful red. as its life blood filled spilled into existence. Soon enough the sun would be cone and all would be dark in mourning the loss of its life giver, until it rose again. the very first stars where only just beginning to show themselves.

Kojo stood at the edge of the forest watching a wild pack of wolves as they got ready for the hunt. Thankfully he was down wind or they would likely already have their meal. The reason he was daring to be so close to death was because one of the wolves had caught his eye. No it wasn't his friend Orca, who shape-shifted into a rather pale colored wolf. In fact the wolf in particular was the exact opposite. it was pitch black. And it interested him because he ha seen nothing in this temperate mountain forest that had such wonderful nighttime camouflage.

Kojo had been watching these wolves for nearly an hour as they made their way towards the territory of a heard of deer. The deer where a few miles away and up wind the only reason Kojo knew this was that he had checked for himself using his tiger form. But now he wanted to try a new form. his very first form native to these lands. He sat down and closed his eyes. He cleared his mind and focused on that black fur the bright yellow eyes. and he felt the change. In moment he was a dark black wolf.

Looking around he noticed that his nose was abit stronger than his tiger's and his ears where about the same, but the vision was no better than his natural human form. This animal was not nocturnal. He began to realize why black wolves where uncommon. They weren't practical. Oh well he had something to show off to Orca now.

In this form he he could hear someone approaching. So he turned to see who it was.

[Azraelia]

Home.

It was a nice change from the bustling city of Avaren. Where the city was crowded and noisy, only creatures and other nature spirits like herself populated the Dark Forest, the only noises being that of snuffles, howls, and birdsong. The air was fresher, filled with the musky scents of animals mingled with fresh dew and the quiet smell of vegetation. It was peaceful, solitary. It was home.

Though Azra wasn’t supposed to return home until she’d learned all she could about the outside world, she couldn’t help but come here to the outskirts of Dark Forest, if only for one night. The innkeeper whose inn she slept at back in Avaren had said he would hold her room for her for a day, and so she had left her cloak there. The relative chill of oncoming night didn’t bother her in the slightest; the only reason she wore the cloak in the first place was to hide her unusual features from curious and possibly threatening passersby. Here such things were completely unnecessary.

Despite the peace that home offered, it was not unusual for travelers to stop by the Dark Forest. Some came for hunting, others for adventure, and still others just to observe. Azra had had her eye on a traveler for a while now, one of the observers. He’d been watching a pack of wolves that Azra knew well for quite some time now, and so when he shifted form to match the alpha of the pack, her surprise was very minimal.

Azra silently slipped down from the tree branch she had been perched on, her feet soundlessly hitting the earth below when she landed. So as not to completely surprise the poor shifter, the forest spirit intentionally allowed her feet to snap twigs and rustle vegetation as she drew closer, scaring off the pack of wild wolves.

“A lovely change,” she remarked in a quiet voice, placing one hand against the trunk of the nearest tree. “Is this why you’ve come? To practice?”

[Kojo]

To speak Kojo had to shift back into human form. Kojo's skin was dark brown and he wore deer hide that he had fitted and crafted for himself. "No, not exactly. I came to the forest because I'm not use to the sounds of the city and sleeping there is much more comfortable." He smiled, "So, who are you?" he asked