LOSS - League Of ShapeShifters

Anye:

I gave my sister a look that said "What did I do?"

She glanced away.

Our little town was quite scenic. In the distance,
mountains loomed their wizened heads. Their near
slopes were covered in forest.

I loved our town, fiercely.

Ari seemed to have found the foxes.
She was trying to coax a young vixen
to suckle her little cub.

At least she knows a vixen from a dog.

Ariona sat down and tried to get the vixen to accept her fox cub. She made an annoyed face and sighed in frustration.

At least she knows a vixen from a dog.

Ariona blinked and looked up. "Who...who said that?" She looked straight at Anye, confused. Anye looked back, just as confused.

"What?" he asked. "Said what?"

Ariona shook her head and turned back to her fox. "Nevermind."

Morgan:

What was going on here? If I were a colt, I'd wicker.

Ari frowned as she yet again tried to get the fox to
accept her cub. This is not good... is someone watching me?

I froze. Did those words come in my ears? No, it couldn't be.

"An... I t'ought I..."

He nodded. "Something's going on here."

Ariona smiled as the vixen finally let her cub in and closed the door of the cage. She stood up and turned around. Anye and his sister were staring at her.

"What?" she asked and planted her hands on her hips. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

Anye:

"Well, you're new to us. You came here with an animal in distress...."

"Bull," she said solemnly.

Morgan choked and looked up at me. "Wha'?"

I shook my head. "She just cursed, Hoss. Don't listen."
Turning back to Ari, I said, "Why do think that's nonsense?"

She stepped away from the foxes' cage. Was she getting ready to
slug me? I hoped not.

She's pretty. Where in the green hills did that
thought come from? I pushed it away.

Ariona:

She's pretty. The thought drifted into her mind and Ariona frowned, staring straight back at Anye.

"Um," Ariona whispered. "What was that? Did you--no...." She trailed off, confused.

They stared back until suddenly white light lit up the room and Ariona was lookig up at them from a much lower height than before.

What the hell?, she shouted but it came out as a yelp. Anye and Morgan were staring at her now.

"No way," Anye whispered.

Morgan:

"Ari's a fwox!" I cried.

My brother bent down to be at eye level with her.
"What happened to you, Ari?" he asked.

I don't know. Has to have been touching the vixen... or the cub?
She turned in a slow circle. How do I undo this?

Well. I didn't know much about foxes, but it would be a bad
idea for either of us to pick her up. Which meant leading her
to our pickup truck somehow.

Morgan? I can hear all that. You're smart.

Ariona:

Ariona turned around a couple of times, catching site of a bushy, blueish-grey tail.

What the hell? she yelped, turned around to face Anye and Morgan again. How did this happen? Anye! Anye, can you hear me?

Anye was crouched down next to her, looking up at his sister.

Morgan? he asked. Ariona could tell that it was him...but his mouth never moved. How do we get Ari from here to the truck?

Morgan looked at her brother for a moment then down at Ariona the fox.

Maybe she can change back?

Morgan:

The idea crept slowly into my head. I'm understood now. No more slurring and stammering; they know what I'm thinking.

It was both scary and exhilarating. I looked down at Ari, trying to
figure out how to talk to her directly. Ari?

She yapped, tilting her head to look me in the eye.

I cannot believe this. I fall for the guy-- did I think that out loud?

I chuckled. Wasn't Anye going to love this.

Quin:

I was standing outside Ari's place but she wasn't here and their car was out. I frowned.

What is happening to me? The thoguht drifted in, uninvited. It was definitely not mine.

I looked around startled, What the hell was that?

I turned around and looked back towards town. Was that coming from the wildlife shelter?

Anye:

Hold that thought a second. She liked me, too?

Then suddenly a familiar voice shouted, "What's going on here?"

"Well, I--"

Morgan's thought exploded in my brain.
She's a fox. I want to do that!

Quin stared at her, his eyes widening.
"What.... Moragan, did you just talk? Without stuttering?"

She nodded, close to tears.

Since when did he care about her?
Then I realized I was being a typical male, and Quin could hear me.

Meanwhile, Ari was running in circles. Her thoughts were
way too fast to be understood.

Alice was walking down one of the halls in her house, on her way to her room which was at the very end of it. The halls in her house were wide, painted golds and reds with symbols painted in black along with a brown wood build into the wall in sections to make shapes, pictures or swirls. The windows were open, letting in the occasional gust of cold air and the soft sounds and smells coming from outside. She shivered slightly and felt goosebumps raise on her arms as another gust came through, blowing at her hair when she was in the path of a window. Alice’s house was large, but as easy for her to navigate as any other house. She soon reached her bedroom, where she heard the soft swishing of her dog’s tail against the floor. Her room was painted similar to the rest of the house, with reds and oranges and yellows. She slid onto her bed, grabbing a book off the nightstand as she did so. After a few moments, her dog, a husky, leaped up next to her. It gazed at her, almost looking interested or curious. She reached one hand over to stroke the dog as she continued to read her book.

Quin:

Quin turned to Anye. "Did you just say something?"

Anye shook his head. I spoke into your mind. Somehow the four of us can talk to eachother without actually talking.

Quin stared at Anye for a moment. Did Ari just say she liked you?

No! Morgan suddenly exclaimed. Err...no, she didn't.

Anye glared at her. "Don't lie, Hoss. We all know what she said."

Suddenly Quin noticed the blue-grey fox running around in circles.

"Is that...Ari?" he asked, startled.

Morgan:

How did one stop their thoughts being heard?

I reached down, trying to get Ari to stop her wild spinning.
She nipped my finger and I drew back with a gasp.

Don't try to pick her up. Was that Quin's thought?
I couldn't tell; Ari's thoughts said 'female' in a way I
didn't have words for.

Take a deep breath.

An, we have to do something. She can't just stay here...

I know. Maybe bringing her into contact with a fox again
will do the trick. Ariona?

Quin:

"So, how do we get her to turn back?" he asked, frowning.

Quin crouched down and looked at Ari. Sh had jist nipped at Morgan, but he had a feeling she wouldn't bite him.

"Ari?" he asked, placing his hand on her back. Ari, calm down.

The fox stopped going crazy and paused, looking up at him with it's head tilted to one side.

Quin?

Quin pulled back, startled. That was definitely Ariona. The fox looked towards Anye and his sister.

Anye? Morgan? Ari started to panic. How do I turn back?

Quin looked back up at Anye and Morgan. "Contact with the fox again?" he asked. Anye nodded. "Alright then. Let's do that."