Shifting Times

Layton looked at Leal like she had two heads, then burst into laughter. "No. Never in a million years! He's like a brother to me. We tried going out once but it was akward so we just agreed on being really good friends. But no, he's not my boyfriend." Layton chuckled.

"Chevy'll be glad to hear that." Layton cocked an eyebrow at Leal.

"What?" Leal bit her lip to retain from spilling the truth.

"Nothing, nothing. Never mind." Leal laughed lightly, causing Layton to join in. Layton stuck some medical tape over the loose gauze bandage on Leal's forehead and walked back into the livingroom.

Chevy and Tanner were having a staredown, neither one blinking, laughing, or breathing.

Leal walked over to Chevy and hit him over the head. "I thought I said be nice." She growled. Mirry chose to fly in then and land on Chevy's shoulder. "Maybe she will talk some sense into you. Hi I'm Leal, this nut head is Chevy." She smiled at the guy.

"This nut head is Tanner." Layton smiled at her. They both laughed but the guys still glared.

"Cheveyo Aldo White Hawk!" Leal growled. He looked up at her and she put her hands on her hips. "Seriously!" His cheeks got a tad red then he leaned back.

"Nice to meet you Tanner." He managed to grit out of his teeth.

"You too Cheveyo," Tanner smirked, the same hostility in his voice as there was in Chevy's. About the same time a deep bark sounded throughout the house, sending Naji out of Layton's room and across the entire livingroom, into the far bathroom. A dark grey bull mastiff walked out of Layton's room after Naji, his body shaking in a dogish laugh. Layton laughed lightly, only to feel Tanner growl at Chevy from beside her.

"Tanner!" At the sound of Layton's voice Tanner stopped glaring at Chevy, a wide smile across his face, almost as if he'd found something out. He wrapped his arms around Layton, pulling her into his chest with a glance at Chevy, who seemed to have rage growing in his eyes. Tanner pecked Layton on the cheek with a smile, waiting to see what Chevy would do.

Chevy's fists clenched at his sides and Mirry dug her claws into his shoulder. He ignored it though. Leal saw the anger boiling inside of him. She knew he was gettig to the point where he would shift. She glanced at her watch quickly.

"WE better get back to the reservation before Ranger comes looking for us." She said grabbing Chevy's hand and yanking him off the couch and out the door. When she got outside her dog ran over to her. "Great, to stop it all off mom is home." She growled.

I'm not going to forgive you so easily for abandoning me. Bear hissed at her.

Shut up, Bear. Leal hissed at her.

"Chevy what has gotten into you?" She hissed. He was boiling and he started to shift between several different animals not being able to hold his form.

"He, can't, have, her!" he growled between shifts. She finally shook her head and shoved him into the pond as they walked past it.

"COOL OFF!" She yelled at him.

**I'm going to change it a bit. Tanner's been Layton's bud since birth and flew to New York from Alabama with Layton and her fam just to be a dork**

Layton looked up at Tanner, her eyebrow cocked. "What are you doing?" Tanner just laughed loudly and shook his head, standing up and stretching.

"Hey! Get your bathing suit on!" Tanner shouted, running over to a black and blue suitcase that was filled with clothes. He pulled out a pair of swim trunks. "We're going mudding!"

"In Arizona?!" Layton screeched disbelievingly.

"Yeah! There's a perfect spot about five miles into the reservation next to the Navajo one that I rode across on my way here! Come on Layton!" Tanner whined pitifully, making Layton groan in defeat. She stomped into her room, changing into her two peice and pulling on a pair of camo board shorts over her bottoms, finishing it up by pulling her hair up.

~~

Once they got to Tanner's spot that he'd found Layton screamed in joy, her eyes sparkling at the sight of the thick, yet watery, mud. Tanner slammed on the gas, his jeep ripping through the mud and doing all kinds of spins.

**Mudding sounds liek so much fun. I've always wanted to go.**

Chevy surfaced in the water and swam to shore. HE shook his hair out and she tossed him an extra pair of shorts. After pulling them on he climbed up next to her and sat down.

"I really screwed up didn't I?" He asked.

"Yup." She smiled. "But I don't htink Layton noticed. Dont' worry, you imprinted on her. I think she imprinted on you just doesn't know what that is. Y'all are meant for each other. Trust me, I would give most anything to know who I was meant for." She smiled looping her arm in his and pulling him towards town.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"To get something from Ma's." SHe smiled. Ma's was the best cafe around. SHe pulled him into the cafe sitting him down.

"Now don't you look horrible." Ma said walking over. "What happened, trouble with a girl?"

"You can't believe it." He sighed.

"Troubel with teh girl you imprinted on?" Ma asked he just nodded. "Care to explain?"

"She doesn't seem to feel the same back. Friend of her's came into town and their all touchy feely." He groaned.

"Now thats no good." Ma said crossing her arms.

*It's absolutely amazing. I go with my older brother and his friends most of the time.**

They were dirty. No, dirty was an understatement. They were filthy. Both Layton and Tanner were caked in mud from head to toe. Layton laughed loudly as they pulled up to her apartment and ran around the side of the building, bringing a hose back with her and drenching Tanner with it. He lunged and stole the hose, spraying her back. Layton screeched and snatched the hose, sticking her thumb on the top and spraying Tanner with it. "First one to shower and change doesn't buy lunch!" They yelled at the same time, running in the house.

Layton was tapping her foot while waiting on Tanner, who finally came out, running his hands through his hair and unbuttoning the top two buttons on his striped polo shirt. Layton rolled her eyes and grabbed her keys, jogging out to her car and starting it. Tanner pulled down the mirror and studied himself for any blimishes before closing and smiling at Layton.

~~

After arguing with Tanner about where to eat Layton yanked into Ma's Cafe parking lot. A place that had great food and wasn't very expensive. Tanner layed his arm across Layton's shoulders as they walked in, soon being led to a seat.

Leal saw Chevy tense up and she turned around and saw Tanner walk in with his arm around Layton's shoulders.

"And I guess this is that girl." Ma said putting her hand on Chevy's shoulders. "You do relieze maybe she is doing this on purpose. Why not play it back, why don't you and Leal do the same. It'll just be playing around, but it might make her stop."

"I'm cool wtih it." leal smiled. He bit his lip and then smiled. Leal got up and sat next to him. They started laughing and acting lik ethey were dating.

If I didnt' know better I'd say this was real. Mirry said in his head.

Layton heard Leal and Chevy laugh and glanced up, hurt surging through her. Tanner tensed up next to her, nails digging into the wood table they were sitting at. Layton layed her hand ontop of his, trying to calm him down, that obviously didn't work because he began to growl. "Tanner... calm do-down!" She whispered harshly, though her voice cracked on the last word. Tanner stopped everything and looked over at her, worried.

"Layton what is it?" Tears slowly fell down her face as she laughed dryly and shook her head.

"N-nothing. I just knew that getting close to a guy so fast wouldn't be good." She wiped her eyes angrily and sniffed. "It's like it was with Tyler. All you get is hurt in the end."

"Layton..." Tanner began but Layton just shook her head and stood up, running out of the cafe. Tanner glared over at Chevy and walked towards him, yanking him out of the booth and punching him square in the jaw.

Chevy jumped up off the floor growling.

"Not in here boys." Ma growled grabbing htem both by their ears and dragging them out of the cafe. Leal ran after them.

"Chevy! You get hold of yourself now!" She hissed. Chevy was to angry to hear her. She growled as she stepped between the two but Bear pulled her from between them as the fists started flying. And it was equally matched too.

Go check on your friend. Bear suggested. SHe turned and ran after Layton.

"Layton, Wait up!" She yelled catching up with Layton and pulling her to a stop. "What's wrong?"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Chevy was way to mad to feel half the punches hit on him. He slammed his fist in the guys gut and then got one to his own.

Layton yanked away from Leal and glared at her. "When were you going to tell me that you and Chevy were together?! I got my hopes up and actually became friends with a guy after what Tyler did to me and then all the work I've put into truely liking someone is crushed." She wiped the tears off her face and sniffed loudly. "I've had it! I had it with men! I've had it with this town! I'm leaving tomorrow and my parents can do whatever the hell they want with grandfather's house!" She took a deep breath and let it out, closing her eyes to calm down.

"Layton, Chevy and I aren't going out or anything. He just thought that you were trying to make him jealous!" Leal tried to convince Layton, but it obviously wasn't working.

"I don't care anymore! Like I said I've had it!" Layton pinched the bridge of her nose to not only keep from transforming, but also to keep from having a nosebleed.

"Well, you should know that Tanner and Chevy are in a fight right now. And it's nasty." Leal turned and ran back towards the guys, Layton beating her there. She jumped right in the middle of the fight, receiving a few extremely hard punches in the process, and grabbed Tanner's ear lobe, which made his go completely limp. She drug him over to her truck and leaned him against the tires, grabbing one of her her first aide kits and throwing it to Leal. Layton crawled over to Chevy with her other kit, dabbing at every little wound. She placed a gauze bandage over the large cut that ran from his temple to his cheek bone, and put small bandages elsewhere.

Leal finished fixing Tanner's face up and then turned around facing Chevy. She didn't have right to scold Tanner.

"Cheveyo! You should be ashmed of yourself!" She hissed.

"You too Tanner." Layton growled.

"What were you fighting over anyways?" Leal demanded.

"You!" They both said at the same time pointing at the opposite girl. Leal started laughing holding her stomach ignoring the looks she was getting. She covered her mouth and fell to the ground her laughing causing her to gasp for air.

Layton gaped at the finger that pointed at her, a scarlet blush falling across her cheeks. She pushed Chevy back and lowered her head, continuing on his wounds and trying to ignore not only the stare she was getting from Chevy but also Leal's laughter.

*Very very short I know...**

Leal finally composed herself and she got up pushing Tanner down so he was sitting. She started cleaning her wounds as Bear walked over to her.

Does it not strike you odd that he was fighting over you and you don't even know him? Bear asked. She nearly froze what sh was doing. She hadn't thought of that. She had jsut found it really funny. She kepy her composure and continued to clean his wounds then she walked over to Bear and sat down. He laid his huge head in her lap and watched the other. She couldn't figure it out.

Why would he be fighting over me if he doesn't even know me? She asked.

Your asking hte oversized dog. Bear laughed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once Chevy's mind was clear he started to think abotu how she had taken off running. Why had she left in the first place. What had upset her as much as it had?

"Thanks." he said when she finished. "You ok? You kinda left really fast."

Layton had a feeling he was going to ask that question. "Fine," she answered, quicker than intended. She looked over at Tanner, who was staring at Leal, and crawled over to him. She didn't want to talk to Chevy at the moment. "Stalker much?" She shoved his shoulder with a laugh, bringing him from his stare.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Wait! No!" Layton laughed lightly and stood up, cracking her neck and back.

She leaned down once more and cupped her hand around Tanner's ear. "Betcha imprinted," at the word Tanner shouted 'no' in terror and burried his face in his hands, leaving Layton to laugh loudly. "I'm going to head home. No more fights okay? I'll leave you the truck. If you fight with Chevy again Imma kick you outta my house." With that said Layton pivoted on her heel and began to run towards her appartment, shifting into a falcon in the process.