Young Writers Society

*Hey guys, sorry I've been gone so long. I been trapped in an airport for the last four days lol*

Shade-

Shade looked at the others, and started to speak but stopped. Out of habit he had almost told the story that had been made up. The one even the labs thought was real. The tattoo on his back, a dragon sillouheted against a full moon, was a constant reminder of who he was, and what he protected. "Well my name's Shade, and as you guys saw, I'm a jaguar. My mother and stepfather raised me up until I was eight. When I first shifted they were cool with it. In fact they were better then cool with it, they tried to sell me to a circus. So I ran away, but afterwards I stayed in animal form so long that the cat took on a life of it's own."

He shrugged and took a bite of his burger. "The technical term for my condition is Feral Rage."

Trent raised his eyebrow and asked casually. "How would you know the term? Unless you work for the scientist too."

Grinning, Shade shook his head. "Your suspision is justified. But I don't. Rather, you could say that I work for their counterpart. Are you guys aware that the shifter project has been in operation for over five decades? Their first successful shifter was a lion that they named Leo. He followed the scientists for awhile, but eventually he led a revolt with a bunch of other shifters and escaped. Afterwards they formed the Pride, helping to free other shifters as more and more were created."

"The scientists would love to get their hands on me. And not just because I can tell them where the Pride is. I'm the Leo's son, and one of only a dozen natural born shifters."

Carmen:

I glanced at everyone's faces. They were a mingle of shock, fear, and some people held straight faces. I glanced back at Shade... I felt like I should bow or something. What does this mean? Will the scientists be looking for us more now that we had him with us?

~Damien~

I flew off, hearing what the shifter had said. Should I tell those other shifters about him? A little boy on the street pointed with a look of wonder at me. I actually was used to that, everyone wanted wings and I had them.

I tilted a single feather and banked into the wind. This was where I belong, not chained to the ground as a human. I rode the wind until I glimpsed the huge man that'd probably saved my life. I'm probably going to regret this.

I slowly descended into an abandoned alley and shifted. When I walked out of the alley and into a resteraunt. After a few seconds of gazing around I found the huge guys and made my way over to him.

One of them, I didn't bother to see who it was, noticed me and was about to warn him but I grabbed his shoulder first. He whirled around, his eyes gleaming.

I tried to find the words, but I didn't like this part. Communicating with my mouth--in the world of birds, it was flashing talons that did the talking.

"He's coming. That gunman. With wild animals backing him." I finally said, the words way to unfamilar.

"How many? Who are you anyway?"

I shrugged as he asked the first question, then gave him my name, "Damien Taylor." I looked at the shifter that shifts into a jaguar and smirked, three more words wouldn't hurt "Hows your head?"

Those would probably be the last words I would speak for a long time, since they were the first words I'd spoken in an even longer time. I walked out of the room, a downside to being part bird was the claustrophobia.

I heard someone call, "Wait," but didn't even blink. I was meant to be alone, to live alone amongst skyscrapers or the mountains. I just had debt to pay, and now that it was paid I was getting out of there.

I went into the same alley that I'd returned to my humanity in and was just about to shift when I saw some guys already there. I couldn't shift.

I stood there, sort of dazed for a second. That had been the only abandoned alley that I'd been able to find, even with my razor sharp falcon vision. It would be hours before I could fly again.

Still, I stood there when a hand grabbed my shoulder.

Trent:

Trent grabbed the guys shoulder and turned him around. "Come on, they'll know about you by now. You may as well come with us. You won't have to worry to much about changing."

"I don't like this form." He said as if the words were awkward.

"Alright, it'll be nicer there. Now come on." He smiled motioning towards wehre the others were waiting so they could leave.

***All i had***

~Damien~

I started at him as if he were a lunatic. Hyenas couldn't fly, I could always escape. Bonds were a useless thing. They just ended up hurting someone.

I closed my eyes and shook my head, but gave him a grateful smile that faded away almost instantly. This guys was a good person, but I didn't feel like getting hurt.

"I'll lead him away from you guys if thats true." The words stumbled out of my mouth, "I might just catch up with you."

Shade-

His gaze flicked from one face to another. Everyone was scared, worried, they had been running for a long time now. The cat snarled, phantom claws pricking the inside of his skin. Shade shook his head in frustration, it would be so easy to leave, to just walk away. These people weren't Pride. And besides, they could fend for themselves.

And yet... Emma's face flashed through his mind. His baby sister, six years old with long blue-black curls, stormy grey eyes. The form of a swan. Emma was so innocent, she looked at him without condemnation. Like Shade was a hero, instead of the killer he really was. If he walked away, would he be able to look her in the eye?

"I'll go with him." He spoke confidently, Shade's face showed nothing of the conflict inside him. But his eyes blazed, the pale blue tinted with green.

The new boy looked at him dubiously. "No offense. But wouldn't a jaguar draw attention in the middle of New York."

Shade smiled, baring his fangs. "Exactly." He said, voice laced with menace and anticipation. In his mind man and cat roared together. Joined as one in the rythm of the hunt.

~Damien~

I sighed inwardly and relented, this guy probably knew what he was doing.

"You guys go ahead." He said, and the group of shifters were about to argue when he shifted. I almost laughed, this guys wasn't all talk. He took action.

Everybody started running and screaming in a panic. It was very funny. The other shifters gave us dirty looks and ran with the crowd. What else could they really do?

I shifted and took off, none of the humans noticed the peregrine falcon circling above their heads. Then I saw the pack.

"Tsssseeeerrr!" I called, warning the jaguar and practically everyone (even the people running) looked up to see a falcon preforming acrobatics in the air. Might as well enjoy it.

Peter

An armoured van pulled up outside the coffee shop. Peter walked around to the back of it, tilting his head a little. From inside came the high-pitched giggles that signified the tense excitement of a pack prepared for the hunt. Looking out the window towards him, the driver gulped and tossed him the keys.

The eyes of twelve cramped hyenas fixed on him as he swung the doors open, their apparent leader raising his hackles and growling at Peter a little. The man cuffed him across the nose, then started shifting, quickly showing himself to be much larger and stronger than any of the natural hyenas. They backed down immediately, before Peter snapped something at them, and the thirteen of them moved into the crowd, eliciting screams and shouts as the New Yorkers panicked, scattering in all directions.

The harsh cry of a falcon rang out over the street, and Peter looked up for a moment, eyes narrowing. A moment later, he felt himself bowled over as the bulk of the jaguar collided with him, teeth and claws raking at him.

The wild hyenas let out a series of whoops as they closed, sensing their leader's danger and hoping for a share in whatever kill he made, immediately converging on his fight with the jaguar.

Jason

He raised his eyebrows as he saw Shade dive into the crowd. This really doesn't seem to be a day for caution... He tensed for a moment, about to join him, and then saw just how many 'wild animals' the gunman had brought with him. Even if he could probably overpower a hyena, he wasn't too keen on going up against those kind of odds.

He grabbed Carmen's arm, "Come on, they can take care of themselves."

"But shouldn't we help?"

He stopped and looked at her, "They're doing this to buy the rest of us some time, if we don't take his offer, we'll probably all get too caught up in thsi to get away, and the scientists will just keep sending more and more people until they get us. Like he said, he's been against them for ages, he'll do fine. The rest of us, though... We should go while we still have the chance."

*Billy there's one thing wrong with your hyena pack. Hyena's are matriarchal, their run by the females. Sorry if this is a little long, I'm trying to give some background on the Pride.*

Shade-

Snarling he leaped away from the hyena, both of them sported several nicks and cuts. Wary now, they circled each other, both secure in the knowledge that the other was highly trained in both forms. The pack circled the pair, wary but ready to jump in. The falcon swooped down occasionally, harassing the pack.

He saw Morgan do a double take when he saw Shade's shoulder. Shade's tattoo, the pride-mark was made of a special ink so that it appeared in his cat form, solid white fur against the surrounding black. From his nose to the tip of his tail he was eleven feet long, one hundred twenty kilos of deadly power.

One of the pack broke the circle and charged towards him. Nimbly, Shade jumped upwards, twisting in the air he landed on the wild hyenas back. He dug his claws in for purchase, and fastened his jaw at the base of the hyenas neck. He jumped away only after he heard the crack of the hyena's spine snapping.

The move had taken only moments, but it cost him dearly. In the seconds his attention had been focused on the wild, Morgan had moved. He slammed into Shade as he was landing, before he could balance himself. The pair went rolling across the ground in a frenzy of slashing claws, and snapping jaws.

But part of Shade was detached from the fight, part of his mind drifted back to the last time he'd seen his father. It had been eight months since he had last been at the pride. The late August sun beat down on the grassy hill. Father and son were both in their cat forms basking in the sunlight, one of Shade's paws batted idly at the stream they lay beside.

Patiently he waited for his father to speak. Shade trusted the Leo completely, ever since he had been found in the wild still in his animal form. At last the Leo spoke, using the thought-speak that was so natural in the Pride. "You are leaving soon Shade, and you will be gone for many months. I can't help but worry for you."

Shade laid his ears back and growled. "As a warrior, I cannot stay behind while others protect the pride, you know this."

The Leo's great tawny head nodded, the darker gold of his mane, setting off icy blue eyes. "Still. You have been a warrior for three years now. In that time you have hurt the scientists badly, soon they will send their hunters after you in earnest. It is my belief that they will send Peter Morgan after you."

Snarling, Shade jumped to his feet, dagger like claws flashing. "I can beat that scavenger easy."

Growling the Leo batted Shade's leg dumping him in the stream. "Hubris is not something a warrior can afford to indulge in Shade. Morgan has a powerful animal form, he's just as well trained as you, and more experienced. And against him you will not have the advantage of Feral Rage." Shade shook himself as he climbed out of the stream and lay next to his father again tail twitching lightly. "Still." The Leo continued. "It is not in the nature of our beasts to walk away from a fight. Even if it only has one outcome. If you face Morgan, Shade, you will lose. I know it, you know it. I just want you to be prepared. I want you to come home my son."

Pain broke through Shade's remembering. Bringing his full concentration back to the fight, twisting he flipped backwards, jumping away just before Morgan's bone crushing jaws closed over his shoulder.

~Damien~

I'd blinded about a fourth of the pack and taken away the scent of even more of them and paralyzed two or three of them. After the jaguar (I REALLY need to remember his name) had a close call, I rose effortlessly on a thermal. I could take out a few at once if I really tried. A couple of the pack lunged at the jaguar and I dove, covering a lot of ground in a split second.

My talons raked their throats and they fell with a dull thud to the ground, their blood pooling. This distracted a lot of the pack, they probably weren't used to being attacked from the air. I attacked anothers face, coming dangerously close to it's snapping jaws as I started to rise again.

As I rose, I heard sirens in the distance. Someone had called the cops, and they probably had animal control on the way too. We have to finish this, I thought, diving down at another one of the wild hyenas. There were none fighting that was unscathed except for the killer bird. If I had lips, I might've smiled.

That was when one of the hyenas, one whom I'd pretty much taken his nose off, managed to get my back with it's claws. I screamed in pain but rose enough to get out of range. That's what I get for letting my guard down.

If I'd been a real bird, I would fly away. Heck, I'd never even dive down into a pack of hyenas that were ready to kill at a seconds notice. But I had human emotions and I was pissed now.

The jaguar leaped at the shifter and I dove down, barely a blur to most eyes, and ripped through the mass of hair and flesh at the base at a hyena's spine and he fell. But my speed hadn't totally left yet and I raked anothers face. The hyena probably wouldn't be able to see or smell anything for the rest of his life.

Then I went to find where the siren was coming from. Maybe I could stall the cops.

Carmen:

I stared Jason in the eyes for a minute, trying to make my decision. The almost laughing cries of the hyenas were enough to make the choice for me. Plus, I mean, what good could an otter really do in a fight? I could like throw clams at them or something?

Anyway, with a slight nod, we were running out the back way, through the kitchen, like they do in all those action adventure movies. Only there was a tall guy speaking some language I didn't know in our way with a frying pan. He was yelling at us and pointing all over the place. I was bewildered but I knew we couldn't go back the other way. I grabbed Jason's hand for support, I wished we were back in that coffee shop.

Suddenly the guy was on his back, the pans clattering on the floor. I jumped back in shock, leting go of Jason's hand. I looked up to see the really big guy with a small grin on his face and pretty much all the other shifters in tow. I smiled at him quickly, then we were running again. Soon enough we were outside, and at that point I had no idea where we would be going. I mean, Tennessee was so far, we couldn't run. Plus, what about the shifters we'd left behind. Would they be able to find us?

But the big guy kept running, and he looked like he knew where he was going, so everyone followed him without question. It seemed like he was the unofficial leader now, which was fine with me because we needed one anyway.

Before I knew it we were at a train station. How far would that take us? Everyone stopped in unison.

"Are we still planning on going to Tennessee?" I asked no one in particular.

"I am, anyone who wants can follow me," the big guy-Trent?-said.

I looked around. I guess I would do whatever Jason did because he was the only one I knew here, and I didn't want to be alone. And because now that I knew there were other shifters, being without them would feel far more lonely than if I thought I was the only one.

Trent walked over to the counter to get some tickets. No one moved for a minute, but then slowly people started to go over with him. I looked over to Jason.

"Well?"

"Well what?" he responded.

"Do you have enough money for two tickets? I'll make it up to you," I said with a grin, feeling how empty my pocket had gotten. Now I regretted going out for seafood last week.

He just laughed and walked towards the ticket booth.

***I'm lost. someone please pm me and tell me what is going on***

Heather-

Trent handed me the ticket and I answered with a quiet thank you. The events of the past few moments shook me up and we were still not out of the woods yet. The hawk Damien and Shade were still behind us and who knows what those people would do to them.

I shook those thoughts out of my head, wanting to remain optimistic about Tenessee and that I wasn't alone anymore, but I could still hear sirens in the distance and worry was still tugging at me.

"Will they be alright?" I asked aloud.

Everyone looked at me and I saw the same question on some of there faces. No one knew the answer.

..................

Hi guys! I'm back! Wow! This has really taken off! *speechless*

Trent-

Trent took a deep breath. "Who knows." he sighed. "The hawk, should be fine, if he can get in the air. I don't know bout our other friend."

"I hope their ok, I don't want to abandon them." HEather said softly again. He felt the urge to comfort her, to pull her close in a hug, but he just patted her shoulder.

"I know, but we're not ready for that." He repleid. "They are more experianced, and I need to get y'all to Tennessee." He felt bad about not staying behind, he was a bear for goodness sakes.

Heather-

I shivered as Trent patted my shoulder, but that quickly passed. More experienced? I had been shifting since I was five! I felt the anger bubble up but couldn't let it spill through my mouth. I knew what happened if I didn't control my anger.

The train pulled up and we each got on it somewhat hurriedly. The sooner we were out of New York the better.

"Where does the train take us?" I asked.

"It said that the next station was in Ohio. I think near Cincinnati," said Trent.

"Ohio? Why Ohio? Why not just through Pennsylvania?" Sarah asked.

"It's just where the train was going," said Trent.

"I saw the sign, it was the cheapest train. I think we don't have enough money for more tickets," I said.

Everyone looked at each other and Jason shrugged. "Then from Ohio we walk."