The Shifters: Katrina

Rowan and I watched until the end of Quintin and Luke's match. Eventually, Luke's superior agility as a flexible panther gave him the advantage and he pinned Quintin. Both of them were exhausted since the fight had been drawn out, so I suspected that if Quintin's life had been on the line, adrenaline would've kicked in and kept him going. Either way, I jumped to my feet the second it was done and ran down to see Quintin. He was normally reserved and half-asleep on the couch in the common room, meaning it was strange to see him fighting with someone. I heard Rowan follow me as I went down, a smile on my face as Quintin shifted back. He must've heard me coming, the tall boy turning my way as I approached.

"Oh, hey Katrina. Did you see the fight?"

I nodded. "It was good! You did well."

He shrugged. "I guess. I probably could've done better."

I nudged his arm with my elbow. "Hey, Quintin. You did good. Considering you normally lay down all day, I'm impressed," I teased. He splashed me, the movement too quick for me to even notice a glow on his hands. I shoved him, the both of us laughing as Rowan finally caught up.

"You did good, man," the fire shifter said kindly. Quintin nodded stiffly in return.

Rowan brushed it off, turning to me. "We should do a rematch, you know. Maybe this time you could control your water and we can fight properly."

Quintin seemed to scowl even as I rolled my eyes with a barely-hidden grin. "I'm not fighting. If I even so much as stepped in the arena, I have a feeling Coraline would have my head."

"Oh yeah?" He challenged, trying to push my toward the lined arena. "Let's do it."

"Nope," I chirped, tripping him up so that I could scamper back to Quintin.

"Fight me again!" Rowan exclaimed. "Come on, you wuss!"

His teasing seemed light hearted to me, but Quintin obviously felt different as he stepped forward.

"Back off you prick," he snapped, "she said no."

Rowan's grin fell. "I'm just teasing, man."

"Well you're annoying," my friend snarled. Rowan's expression turned angry as Quintin got up into his face, taller than the boy from Ileial. They glared, nearly drooling as they clenched their jaws. I stood off to the side, wondering if they were joking or purposefully provoking each other. Fighting was a good way to work through worries, so I brushed their hostility off for the moment.

Bad move.

"What's your problem?!" Rowan snapped. "She can call the shots for herself, you crazy or something? Chill!"

Quintin growled. "You were being pushy, you're the one who needs to chill."

The orange eyed boy scowled. "I was. Messing. Around. Drop it."

"Why should I? Are you afraid that maybe I'm right?" Quintin countered. "That maybe you're too pushy for her?"

"What the hell are you two even saying?!" I spat, only to get ignored.

"What the hell, man?! We're just messing around. If you want to play so badly, join in, don't just ruin it for us!"

"You went too far! She didn't want to fight!"

"I get that now, jeez! It was a joke."

"Was it? Or is your pride making you--"

"Shut up!"

All three of us froze, Rowan flinching. The others watching the duels had no clue about the verbal fighting going on, but one particular shifter had made his way over to the squabble. Koren glared at the boys, his dyed hair sticking up without rhyme or reason as if he'd run his hands through it.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

"He was trying to pressure Katrina into a rematch," Quintin accused, never taking his glare off Rowan.

The fire shifter, in turn, snarled. "Bullshit! We were messing around and you lost it!"

"Liar! You were pushing her to--"

"Quintin! Shut it!"

This time, the water wolf shifter glared at the fire wolf shifter. I saw many similarities and many stark differences in the two. More than that, I remembered how dorm rooms were assigned to people based on animal compatibility. Considering that fact, I saw a problem with the two of them hostile like this. They were both alpha types, and both wolves. If that didn't scream disaster waiting to happen, I didn't know what did. Alpha wolves would fight each other for power or just to fight, and I began to wonder how their animal sides would reflect on them when they were facing off. It was also rather poetic considering they were opposite elements as well, just like how Rowan and I had been opposites.

"You don't order me around," Quintin snapped, his anger going from Rowan to Koren in a flash. "I answer to the water masters. This hasn't gone physical, so we don't need you interfering."

"Quintin," Koren hissed. "I'm a guard. You answer to me whether you like it or not."

I glanced at Rowan, who looked downright confused. I motioned him to come my way, and his movement was ignored by both wolves. He leaned down, putting his ear near my mouth so that I could whisper a quick explanation. The Ileial shifter looked absolutely horrified, staring between the two wolves like they were about to explode.

"Leave us alone, flea-bag."

Koren scowled. "Have some respect, mutt."

They growled, both of them looking like they were about to kill each other. Before Quintin could snap back, Koren lunged, his fist flying for his face. I groaned, both hands glowing. Before Koren could collide with Quintin, the two of them were smacked by sheets of ice. Unaware of an incoming attack, both of them were knocked down. Since I wasn't too angry with them, I materialized some snow before their falling forms so that, while they were cold, they weren't bruised.

"You idiots! Koren, once you and Quintin get over yourselves, I'll be waiting for my training outside the school," I snapped, both of them listening while face down in heaps of snow. Satisfied with my work, I stormed off, my fire shifter friend trailing behind me.

"Do you think they'll make up?"

I sighed, looking over at Rowan.

"Honestly... not really."

We shared tired, grim smiles and continued on our way, ignoring the sounds of two boys shivering.