The Shifters: Katrina

Nathan was much quicker to get places than anyone else I'd met. The second we hit the first floor, he was shifted into his own animal form; a large lizard. The patterning reminded me of something out of a science class, and I was almost certain that Nathan was poisonous. For my own safety, I stayed a few steps away as I chased after the lizard, who was tearing through the town like there was no tomorrow. People moved out of the way without question, none of them missing a beat. They were all used to this, though several of them threw me strange looks as I, a girl in a human form, ran after the lizard. Their thoughts were too predictable.

Why doesn't she shift? They were thinking. I tilted my chin and scowled, pushing myself to run harder. My breath was beginning to become uneven, but Nathan didn't even slow. He continued to run for so long that eventually I skidded to a stop, hands on my knees as I panted, my chest heaving. Bile rose in my throat and I swore I was going to vomit when a cold hand touched the back of my neck.

A flash of blue appeared in my vision as my breath magically evened out. I whirled around, but the water user that had been helping me had fled.

Weird, I thought, staring into the crowd of shifters. Do I risk running after them and forget all about Nathan and what I'm actually supposed to do?

I took a hesitant step forward before hearing my name being called. A humanoid Nathan was at the edge of the town part of the compound, arms crossed in an unimpressed manner. I sighed, jogging over to him with full energy.

"I thought you'd passed out or something honestly."

I shook my head, noticing a strange look cross his face. In any other situation I would've said he looked impressed, but I knew better considering I was nothing to be impressed by.

"Oh well," Nathan shrugged, "let's go. And this time, I'll go at your pace."

I nodded, falling in step behind him as he turned on his heel and continued in the same direction. People had forgotten their curiosity, and I was free from their stares as Nathan led me away. I found myself following him to a quiet spot, not particularly dedicated to anything like most of the compound. We were close to one of the ponds, which I guessed since there was a stream running ahead of us.

"Alright, Katrina. Three tests. Your natural skills that you have already in fighting, the energy level of your form and element, and then, of course actually finding your element," Nathan explained, turning to me as he reached the stream. I stopped as well, watching him pull four items from his pocket. One began to glow as he held them up. "The gemstones. Air, earth, fire and water. Whatever glows is the element you have."

Instinctively, I began to reach for the stones, but he held them back from me with a smirk.

"Sparring first, Katrina!"

I growled, retracting my hand. He winked at me before slipping the stones into his pocket and readying his fists. My mind went blank the same way it did before any fight -- leaving me with no doubts or worries. Just focus, concentration purely on survival. Nathan flew at me, and I knew without really knowing that he could take me down with one hit right off the bat if I wasn't careful. I slid out of the way of his fist, ducking and lashing out with my foot. I hit his shin, and knew that I surprised him. He probably didn't know that I had a record of fighting, and expected me to know nothing. A smirk crossed my face as I lunged to the side, a punch grazing his arm.

Then, he finally took me seriously.

His attacks sped up, and even if I could dodge just fine, it became harder to land a hit. Nathan was faster than before, an attribute I associated with being a shifter. Our dodging skills were nearly matched, but his hits were definitely stronger than mine. The fight was too predictable -- he would strike in combination and I would dodge one by one until he reset and we did it all over again.

This time, it'll be different, I thought un determination. On his second hit, instead of moving away that I should've, I ducked under and brought my knee up into his groin -- almost. I missed slightly and got his hip, but it was still effective. Nathan hadn't expected a change of pace and groaned, giving me enough time to land a solid left hook. My right hand followed that up with a weak uppercut that still caused his teeth to smash together, and the shifter immediately scrambled away.

"Okay, okay, okay, enough," Nathan panted, rubbing his face. I grinned, my own breath heavy as I tried to calm my heartbeat. "You fight... If I'm being honest, you fight smart, like a water user. But you're also fierce like someone who uses fire. So I'm not sure yet."

I nodded and shrugged, alright with the answer. He bent over, catching his breath momentarily. My knuckles throbbed, and I continued to rub them even when Nathan straightened up, his breath even and steady. Green light appeared in his palm, and as he stared at him, he seemed to calm down.

"Is that the earth element?" I wondered, watching the light fade. After all, when he touched the green gemstone, it had lit up.

The lizard shifter nodded, grinning at me. "Next step on the list is to detect your energy level. Did you notice anything about the trees around here, on this side of the stream?"

I frowned, looking across the stream before staring at the trees around us. Not only was there more flowers and vegetation, but the trees all seemed to be a little bit different than one another, and there was a wide variety of heights and widths.

"I don't get it," I stated simply, looking at Nathan. "What am I supposed to be seeing here? They all just look different."

He winked at me before kneeling, picking up a handful of dirt. "This soil is specially enchanted. The blood of a shifter will make something sprout from the ground instantly. It can be anything from a weed to a giant oak tree. The bigger thing you have, the stronger your energy is since that's what's feeding the magic in the soil," he explained, drawing a knife from his belt. My eyes widened as I watched him drag it across his fingertip, blood gathering in the cut. Nathan dropped the soil before letting his blood drip down his finger. I held my breath, watching the little red drop hit the ground.

Suddenly, a wall of a blackberry bush sprung from the ground. Nathan laughed at me as he walked around the bush, hands in his pockets.

"I should add that it's any type of plant, really," he said, popping a fresh berry into his mouth. I glared at him, holding out my hand.

He gave me a berry, and while I did eat it -- good berry -- I also rolled my eyes.

"The knife, please."

"Oh, right," he said rather adorably, handing me the bloody blade. I wiped it off before glancing at the ground, my stomach becoming a knot of nerves.

I exhaled slowly, trying to stop my hands from shaking.

It's now or never.

Live life on the edge, Katrina, I told myself.

Then I cut my own fingertip.