Postby BkkprGirl » Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:46 pm
"I don't know," Athena admitted. "It seems like he wouldn't go somewhere this secluded unless something was up." She was practically shouting over the roar of the water below. There would be no chance of calling to Seth, not until they were close enough for him to hear.
Athena brushed her wet hair out of her face and peered through the mist below her. A sudden wave of vertigo swam about her head, and she gripped rock face with hands that had sprouted claws. Another deep breath, and she banished the dizziness to somewhere in the back of her mind where it wouldn't bother her. Better keep the claws, she thought. This could be a tough climb.
Well, it's not like anyone would expect us to be here. Seth's afraid of small spaces, and I hate heights. The path that was etched into the side of the rock was just barely visible in the moonlight--a thin strip of glistening stone that looked terribly unsafe as it clung to the side of the cliff.
She took the first few steps cautiously, muscles tense. The rock shelf was just barely big enough to fit her feet--if she lost her balance, it would be the end. This would be easier in a half-morph, she thought. Concentrating, she let the coarse brown fur slide over her, felt her face leap out in front of her as she sprouted a muzzle. A thousand new smells burst through into her brain, and she smiled toothily as her eyes focused into wolf night-vision. The cave smelled almost overpoweringly of Seth, and of fear and hesitation. At least we won't have to wait for him to get back from one of his late-night flights.
The thrill of her wolf form filled her with confidence, and she longed to morph the whole way and let herself become one with the hunting, loping, howling, utterly free animal that she was at heart. But she forced the change to grind to a halt, knowing that it was neither the time nor the place to unleash her full ability.
Her yellow eyes glowed in the darkness, and she could see the path ahead of her outlined clearly. The thing on the side of the cliff no longer resembled Athena even faintly-- it was a monster out of a small child's nightmare. Half-wolf, half human: a strange intermingling of species that looked so utterly different and strange that it set one's teeth on edge. Yet it was still Athena's low, smooth voice that issued from between the beast's gleaming fangs.
"Ofelia! Use your fox eyes! It's a lot easier to see in the dark."
Athena paused for one more second, building up her nerve, and then began to climb. The smell of Seth got stronger with every step, his emotions more easily readable. The sour tang of fear clouded the air, but that was no surprise to her. They were all afraid. What intrigued her was the underlying scents of anticipation and confidence, and the faintest whiff of hesitation.
The mouth of the cave loomed ahead, and with another leap, she found herself inside. Towards the back, away from prying eyes, a small fire had been lit. Behind it sat Seth, his shadow flickering on the cave wall behind him.
Athena concentrated again, and let her human form take hold of her fully. She smiled, and walked toward the fire. "Alrighty, then, Bird-boy," she said affectionately. "What's going on?" At the back of her mind, something still made her uneasy. He smelled familiar, she thought. That combination of smells... I don't remember where but I've smelled that feeling before.
Last edited by
BkkprGirl on Tue Aug 18, 2009 3:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Stories are the only thing worth dying for."
~The Unwritten