Shifting Times

Chevy laughed and smiled at them both.

"Am I like that?" He asked.

"Not most of the time. You cna be sometimes, but only when your about dead tired." Leal laughed.

"Your not bad." Layton replied with a smile. he nodded and got up then grabbed them both tucking them under his arms and carrying them like sacks of grain.

"CHEVEYO!" Leal squeaked. "PUT US DOWN!"

"No." He laughed as he ran out of hte house at full speed. He had a tight hold on Layton so she couldn't shift.

Layton reached over to Leal as close as she could and motioned for her to come closer. "On the count of three we'll both roll to the left to throw him off balance." She whispered to quietly for Chevy to hear. Leal smiled widely and nodded. They were coming up to the cliff at a quick speed so Layton began to count. "One... two... three." Her and Leal lunged to the left, pulling Chevy with them over the cliff and into the slow river below it. Layton broke surface and began to laugh, glad she was in a dark blue tank and a pair of shorts. Leal and Chevy came up almost at the same time, receiving a splash from Layton.

Chevy laughed and dunked under the water coming up under her and pulling her down. He jumped back out and smiled as she surfaced gasping for air.

"Not...cool." She sputtered. He smiled and jumped at her again. She dodged and shoved him under the water. He laughed spinning and grabbing her feet yanking her down under with him. When they surfaced Leal was laughing.

"You two are crazy!" She laughed splashing them. He dove at her pulling her down and laughing as he did.

Layton laughed lightly, joining in on the fun by dunking both Leal and Chevy underwater when the came up, only to have herself drug under by her feet. Layton shook them both off and climbed out of the water, coughing loudly. Chevy and Leal continued to laugh even though Layton was glaring.

Eventually Layton began to laugh with them and slid back into the water, splashing them both and starting the whole thing over again.

Chevy shifted into a water snake and he wrapped himself around Layton's legs. She screamed and shifted to teh small squirrl. He quickly shifted back to human so she owuldn't drown. She shifted back glaring at him.

"SOrry." He offered putting a puppy face on. (Not a puppy's face, but you know).

"That won't work!" She laughed. He smiled and dunked her udner the water.

Layton laughed loudly and came back up, laying on her back and floating slowly with the current. "Hey Chevy, where does this river go?" There wasn't any answer. "Chevy? Leal?" Layton sat up quickly, only to discover Chevy and Leal far off. Was the current really that fast? Shit.

Layton held her breath as she was yanked under with the current, twirling in tight circles. She broke the surface and gasped for air, shaking her head to get the hair that came out of the holder out of her face. She was yanked under again, coming up after many seconds. Damned water. Layton shifted into a fish, her clothes floating off even faster while she was pulled with the current once again.

**I was thinking about adding another tribe... you know... like life long enemies of Chevy's**

Chevy saw Layton getting pulled away and he quickly dove under the water shifting quickly to a snake and taking off after her. He shot past her grabbing her clothes and then shifted to his human for grabing her quickly With his feet planted to the ground. She shifted to a cat and he sat her and her clothes behind a bush. She shifted to her human form and got dressed then stepped out. They laughed and started back up towards where Leal was. They had traveled a good way away from where she was. Two boys stepped out in front of them and Chevy frowned.

"What are you doing down here?" One of them hissed. "No navajo har allowed here."

"We are allowed here weather you like it our not. This is our reservation too!" Chevy hissed.

"Ya, strick stupid Navajo, you have no right to call yourself that your so stupid." The boy hissed.

"Your one to talk." Chevy said trying to steer Layton around them.

"WHose this?" On eof htem smiled. Chevy stepepd in front of LAyton and growled.

Don't talk to them, don't shift, no matter what don't shift! He said pushing into her mind.

"My friend, no let us by." HE growled.

"No. She's pretty." The boy laughed. Get on my back! He growled in Layton's mind before shifting quickly into a horse. She climbed on his back and he ran around the boys going as fast as he could. He heard the shift behind him an dfollow.

LEAL! I'm going to run by, get on my back. He yelled as his friend. He streaked to a stop in front of her and she jumped on clining to Layton's waist who was clinging to his neck. HE surgad forward racing towards the reservation. The other two were close on his tail. He got to the edge of the reservation and got to where the two boys wouldn't follow. The were both in horse form and they were mad, but they turned and left.

Layton slid off Chevy's back, breathing tightly, her eyes wide. "Who were they?" Wonder filled Layton's voice as she watched the two horses disappear into the surrounding forest. Chevy shifted and sped behind a large bush, pulling his clothes on.

"Enemy tribe. There reservation borders ours and they're trying to expand their borders onto our own." Chevy shouted from behind the bush, soon coming up with twigs all in his hair. Layton burst into laughter, Leal soon joining in. "What?"

"There's stuff," she took a deep breath, "all it your hair!" Layton laughed once again and stumbled over to Chevy, pulling the twigs and leaves out.

Chevy blushed as she pulled them out then he straighted out so that he was taller then her agian.

"Thanks." He smiled.

"They have a habit of being very rude to girls." He said. Leal laughed.

"Very rude to girls! Ha, they have more of a habit of raping girls." Leal huffed.

"I was trying to be nice." He sigheed.

"Well don't, their rude helpless guys." She hissed.

Layton shuddered violently, eyes widening again. "I-I've got to get home. I'll see you guys later. Chevy... if it's not to much trouble will you talk to Ranger about arranging a meeting with my parents." With that said Layton shifted into a hawk and took off towards her home, unaware that the guys from before had been watching.

*Gyeh! Hafta go now!**

"I'll go make sure she gets home safely." Leal smiled and ran towards the woods he nodded and walked towards Rangers house to talk to him.

*~*~*~*

Leal raced through the woods and stopped behind a tree taking her clothes off and then shifting to a hawk after tying her clothes to her leg. She took off into the air flying after Layton. She followed her all the way home watching her get inside safely. She also saw the two guys from earlier watching too. She shifted to her human form getting dressed and then running over to where the guys were and crossing her arms.

"Need something?" She demanded.

"Howdy, Leal." One smiled walking around ehr. She stiffened up. She knew him a lot better then she would ever want to.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed.

"Watching the new shifter." One smiled. She frowned and crossed her arms. "Who knows, I might imprint on her."

"YOu won't, she's already been imprinted on and imprinted." Leal replied crossing her arms.

"Oh, I'm sure that can change." He laughed wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Course, imprinting on you might be nice, course you'd have to be able to shift."

"Keep dreaming." She hissed shrugging him off her shoulders and backing up.

"Don't need imprinting to have fun." He smiled stepping towards her again.

"Touch me I'll kill you this time." SHe hissed. He just smiled and stepped towards her again. She grabbed him by his neck and shoved him back. SHifting gave her strength like the guys. "Go home."

Naji greeted Layton with a purr of happiness, soon saying that he was hungry. Layton sighed and pulled out a steak, laying it on a paper plate on the floor. She grabbed her house phone and dialed Tanner's phone number. "Hello?" His familiar voice flowed through the ear peice, automatically making tears cascade down Layton's face.

"Tanner... I need you." She choked out.

"Okay I'll be there soon." With that both hung up.

Hey Layton... Leal's mind waves are giving off odd signals. Hold on let me look through her eyes. Okay... she's surrounded by two guys that're annoying her. Within seconds Layton was running towards the woods, shifted into a lion.

Naji had been so correct it wasn't even funny. Layton snarled angrily and jumped in front of Leal, knocking both guys back.

Leal frowned when Layton jumped in front of her. She only knew it was Layton because it was a lion she didn't reconize. Both of the guys frowned and then shifted into bigger lions. Leal growled and bit back her will to change.

CHEVY! She screeched.

Where are you? He demanded after a second.

Behind Layton's house. The guys are here. Laytons standing them off. Chevy growled after she said this and then cut their connection. Leal backed up when Layton's lion came out and stood next to her. They still weren't a match for the oversized lions. The guys started towards the two lions growling their teeth showing.

"Hurry, Chevy." She whispered. One of the lions jumped forward tackling Naji. He held her down snarling feircly. "Go for the legs, Layton." She said loud enough for her friend to hear. Layton sprang forward snapping at the other lion's legs. He jumped back and snarled feircly running at Leal and slamming his huge paw against her head.

I'll deal with you later. He growled in her head as everything went black.

*~*~*~*~*

Chevy shifted to a cheetah after hearing Leal's voice and raced twoards where she said she was. When he got there he saw a lion slam his paw into Leal's head. He shifted to a panther and jumped on the guy slamming his body against him and growling low in his throat shifting quickly to a bear and picking the guy up tossing his against another tree.

Leave me friends ALONE! He roared in both guys minds grabbing the other guy and throwing him. Leave MY girl ALONE! He growled standing in front of Leal's body, Naji, and Layton. The two guys slinked off and he growled after them again. He was mad!

Layton sat down, her tail wrapped around her paws numbly and Naji at her side in the same position. Chevy was trying to wake Leal, who soon opened her eyes, blinking as sun streamed into them. "Good. You're up. Be careful next time I guess..." With that said Layton and Naji padded back to the apartment, leaving Leal and Chevy alone.

When Layton opened her front door, already shifted and in her clothes, a large guy attacked her in an attempt at a hug. "Tanner!" Layton screached in laughter, wrapping her arms around the guys neck. Naji groaned out loud and walked into Layton's room, slamming the door with his tail. Tanner and Layton just laughed as Tanner shut the front door and carried Layton over to the couch, holding her tightly and sitting her on his lap.

"I would've came sooner but I had to tell your parents and brother not to wait on me in the morning." Layton just smiled and shook her head.

"I'm just glad you came."

***That guy is HOTT. The thing is, I was searching for hot guys, found that one. he's on a gay website. I thought it was funny. LEast that is what the link said before that. *shrug* He's still hott!!!! ***

Chevy ran into the woods and got dressed then followed Leal to the house knocking on the door. He glanced in the window and everything in him boiled with anger. Who was the guy hugging his Layton.

"Chevy, calm down NOW!" Leal hsised at him. "You have to stop that look or you better get to the reservation before you do somethign stupid. He took a deep breath and made it seem taht he was calm.


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

Leal watched as the door was opened and her breath nearly caught in her throat.

"Hey." Layton smiled.

"Hi, you wouldnt' happen to have some advil and bandages?" She asked pointing to her head. IT was bleeding a bit from where the guy had slashed her with his paw.

"Oh ya, come on in." Leal smiled and shot Chevy a mean look. Behave. She ordered him. Layton led her to the bathroom and showed her where the stuff was.

"Whose that?" She asked motioning towards the living room with er head.

"Tanner, he's a friend from back home." LAyton smiled. "He's moving out here too."

"He's hott!" Leal grinned. "Boyfriend?"