The Shifters: Katrina

A little while later, I was walking toward Coraline's in more appropriate clothes. I had my apprentice bands, obviously, a bodysuit and a thin overshirt. Everything was made of material that was safe to shift in, and I was decently warm with the layer of heat I had around myself. My hair was tied back, keeping it out of my face as I joined Luke.

"Better?"

I nodded. "Thanks for waiting."

He shrugged. "No problem. Which entrance do you want to start at?"

"Earth," I murmured, remembering the invasion. It had been a weak point for us because Sonya had been a traitor and someone who controlled the dirt. Luke didn't question me, starting off toward the tunnel.

"So, how busy have you been lately?" The foreign shifter joked. "You always seem to have something to do."

I scoffed, running my fingers through my ponytail. "Do you want a straight answer?"

"Of course."

"It feels like more than I can deal with," I sighed. "Being a shapeshifter, living in this place, knowing there's people out there hunting us. It's always in the back of my mind. I feel like nothing is in perspective. I'm all over the place."

The shifter bumped shoulders with me, smiling. I flashed him a grin, forcing my spirits to lift. I wasn't alone in this.

"Everything will work out," Luke told me, "just trust yourself. You're the special one, after all."

"Don't remind me."

He chuckled, the two of us starting up the hill to the mouth of the tunnel. It didn't take us long to get there, both of us peering inside. I lit up a flame, illuminating the interior.

"All clear," Luke murmured.

I stared at the shadowy passage for a moment longer. Part of me expected Sonya to jump out of the ground.

But she didn't, and the flame vanished.

"Want to do a perimeter check?" Luke offered. I nodded, the two of us starting on our way to walk all the way around the compound. We talked lightly, mainly joking about our classes.

"You know, one time, Dani--"

"Take that, asshole!"

Luke paused his story, both of us stopping dead. We were at the edge of the forest, angry voices coming from within.

"Is it just me, or is that Rowan?" Luke muttered, leading the way into the trees. I followed out of pure curiosity, and when we got close enough to hear them panting, I tapped Luke's shoulder, pointing to the trees above us. He got the message, hot on my heels as I shimmied up one of the tree trunks, latching onto the branches. We carefully jumped from tree to tree, which was much harder without four feet.

Finally, we got a decent vantage point. Below us were Quintin and Rowan, once again brawling. They swore back and forth, Luke's eyebrows lifting.

"This seems angrier than last time," I muttered under my breath. Unfortunately, super hearing allowed Luke to hear it.

"This has happened before?"

I shrugged. "I saw them going at it yesterday."

"Should we break it up?" He offered, watching as Rowan backhanded Quintin purely by chance. The wolf shapeshifter growled, lunging for the boy from Ileial.

"If it gets worse, sure."

Luke pursed his lips, falling silent as we watched them go back and forth. Eventually, we both got lazy, sitting down on the thick branch and swinging our feet as we enjoyed the show.

"You know," Quintin grumbled as he blocked a strike, "she must've hated you for what you did at that duel."

Wait, the duel?

Both of us snapped to attention, focused on their argument.

Rowan snarled, hitting harder this time. A red mark formed on Quintin's arm as he blocked a second time. "It was a duel, of course I was going to hurt her. Ileial doesn't train weaklings."

Luke flinched, but didn't say anything about it. Quintin seemed to take the comment to heart, his foot slamming into Rowan's side.

"And Iluita trains wusses?"

"Not what I said," Rowan said through gritted teeth, getting payback for the kick. His fist hit Quintin's gut, making the other boy stumble.

"But you implied it," the water shifter hissed through his pain. Luke and I watched as he flipped Rowan off. "That's what you think."

"There's a reason compounds fight," Rowan said threateningly, "some are better than others."

"Then why are you still here?"

The boys settled into their fighting stances, a new round beginning. Quintin's question rested out in the open, waiting for an answer from the fire shifter.

"Orders, obligations," Rowan mumbled, "friendships."

"Crushes?"

He scowled, punching Quintin across the face. The wolf snarled, tackling him around the waist.

"They sure have a lot of steam to blow off," Luke murmured to himself. I snickered.

"I forget why I even put up with you," Rowan spat, pushing against Quintin. He got a fist to the face as payment.

"We both know why we want extra training."

"Asshat," Rowan growled. His expression changed, going from mildly angered to furious. Luke and I tensed, watching as fire flickered along Rowan's arms. One flame burned Quintin, the wolf scrambling away. A bubble encased him just as Rowan exploded, lighting up like a torch. His face twisted in pain, Luke and I getting to our feet and jumping to the ground.

"Holy shit," Luke said breathlessly, grabbing my hand and dragging me along with him toward the two.

"What's going on?!"

He looked back at me, grinning. "He's shifting."

I gasped, the two of us appearing beside Quintin just as Rowan dropped to the ground. I cringed at the sound of the shift, but forced myself to watch. His bones moved beneath his skin, his shifter's clothes stretching and retracting as he grew, his joints rearranging themselves.

Then, all of a sudden, there was a wildcat in front of us.

He had a broad face, the same orange eyes, and small, round ears. His tail flicked side to side as the large animal wobbled, trying to adjust. His pelt was golden, dotted with black. They weren't perfect circles, but blobs all over. His white belly was fluffy, claws shooting from his toes.

It was like a slightly larger version of Coraline.

Because Rowan was a cheetah.