Clever girl

Topic dedicated to @Aisha

animal form

Time: 22.07
Date: 04 - 12 - 2020
Place: Park in Aston

Caught up in the bloodrush. He had gone to the park, transformed and now just ran around, sort of confused. Once again he couldn´t find his senses. All he could hear was a voice telling him to hunt and kill. That voice always got louder and louder every time he felt depressed. He hated christmas, which was the reason to his depression. All it did was reminding him he had no family no more. So... each time this year, the raptors voice got louder than the humans and now he was here. Walking around in the park, not even bothering who saw him, since he would just kill them if they did.
Speaking of which. Suddenly the scent of a banshee rushed past his nosestrills. A sweet, sweet scent.
Softly he started to search for the key to the delicious scent. Even though his stomach wasn´t growling for food. He just had the urge to kill...
kill... Kill... Kill...

Right there, ahead of him, stood none other than his next meal. Like a snake, ready to attack, he leaned back and lowered down. A low hiss was escaping his massive jaws. Teasingly, almost testing his prey to run, he slinged from side to side, the tail following the other way than the head.
Slowly he started to walk towards her, still keeping closer to the ground, ready to sprint. even in the dark, she would start to see him more clear. His teeth glimting in the dark.
It was almost posible to see a smirk on this weird reptilian creature. He waited for her to wait. waited and waited, until he couldn´t wait any longer. In a jump, he sprinted after her, jaws wide open and claws ready to dig into her skin.

She felt shivers down her spine as she heard the low gowling from what seemed to be a dinosaur. There could be several explanations to why there was a dinosaur standing right in front of her. Either, it was a very unique shapeshifter or someone had opened a portal to the past. But something about the amout of dinosaurs in front of her, clued her that it must be the first option.
It was very clear, that this dinosaur had found its prey as its eyes had been locked with hers and it seemed to swing from one side or another to wait for a reaction. It wanted to play. Was she supposed to stand still or run? Could her fast legs even outrun a dinosaur? Probably not.

I am going to die. I am going to die. It was like a mantra in her head, spinning around and around. As it took a step forwards, she took a step backwards. Her whole body was crippling telling her to run from the disaster that was about to happen, but something made her stay somewhat in the spot she had been found in. The dinosaur was almost like watching a cat pressing it’s body down to the floor, getting ready to attack, slowly closing in on its prey.
Suddenly, it jumped straight after her, and as if it’s legs, leaving the concrete it turned on a switch in her body. Her lips parted, and without even needing extra air, she started screaming as loud as she could.
She just stood there; ready to be consumed, letting her banshee side warn everyone in the area that something horrible was about to happen. Hopefully it made people run, and not get closer. Hopefully, her banshee side helped other people today.

Without even trying to run, she just stood there, screaming a ear pinching scream, that could only come from a banshee. The scream, terrified and acknowleding it´s death, made him stop in his tracks. He hissed and shook his head.
what was he doing? was he about to kill her?
from a heartless beast, to a confused animal, looking at her lost and apologetic. He was only a few meters from her now. In submission, he lowered his head, making a sound almost if he was saying "I´m sorry.".
He felt so dizzy all of sudden. The bloodrush was now transformed into otherly sickness. Before he could stop himself, he transformed back into his human form, fell down on the ground with the face first.
Taking deep breath he now laid there naked on the cold ground.

Luckily to Echo, she caught him before he hit the ground, so now he could just stare up at her a bit thankfully. He slowly tried to open his eyes. The light from the street lights framed the strangers face almost perfectly.
"You must be an angel... I´ve heard a lot about those," he mumbled dazed and tried to sit up slowly. Here he placed a hand against his forehead. "Ouch... ahh... I´m sorry... Sometimes I... I get out of control." He knew that it was no excuse. "Christmas is a difficult time." this made him chuckle a little, knowing that it probably sounded absurd.
He tried to smile kindly at her. When he realised how cold he was, he also remembered that he was completely naked in front of the stranger. Softly he casually tried to cover himself up.

As she lended him her jacket, he nodded as a thanks and did as she thought, by wrapping it around his hips to use as a skirt of some sort. When she asked if he needed help, he smiled with a nod and took her hand, to get up on his wombly legs again.
"Sometimes I can control the animal and sometimes I can´t... I do apologise for the fright," he said and looked flustered down. He made sure the jacket was in it´s place. Softly he looked up at her again, smiling kindly, yet still flustered. "If there is anything I can do... you know... as pay for a new jacket or pay for any harm I must have put upon you... just tell me."
He meant every word. He was so embarassed that this has happened. He usely had control... He hadn´t really experienced this since he was a teenager.

He was surprised of how kind she was. It was sort of a long time ago he had met anyone as nice as her. Especially since he was getting her jacket dirty. Or whatever you could call it.
”yeah, Uhm… that would be nice,” he answered to her question. “I think it would be nice to have you escort my bare butt home.”
He chuckled softly to his own weak joke. “Okay, that was awkward… But yes, thank you. I would love to have you follow me home… then I´m sure i´m protected.” Here he winked softly at her. Which he immediately regret which his facial expression showed. “Okay, that was weird of me. Ignore that.”

As she called him her damsel, he laughed softly and started to walk, keeping the jacket in place. Out of his animal form he could now feel how cold here was! It made his skin get those weird annoying red spots. Not to mention his feet on the cold ground. He shivered weakly and looked down. he needed to make sure he did not step on anything gross or hurtfull.
"So uhm... I didn´t quite catch the name of my knight in shinning armor?" he said, trying to start a conversation with her. "My name is Echo. And I am obliviously a shapeshifter... I´m still embarassed about you meeting me butt naked like this... but uhm... I guess that´s just a way for you to remember me."
He had won an award for being awkward a lot of times. "btw, What are you doing out so late?"
after all, it was a world filled with dark creatures, their would have the urge to kill her if they saw her. Not that she couldn´t defend herself. After all her scream made him turn back into his human form.

Aisha.
That was a gorgeous name. Meaning the word alive. To the next teasing comment, he chuckled as a weak red color started to appear on his cheeks.
Since he didn´t know what to say, he just giggled and looked the other way, to hide the blush.

He listened curiously to her telling him she was a banshee. Slowly he turned his head around and smiled at her. “Banshee´s are amazing. You have these gorgeous white wings.”
As she asked him why the voices didn´t shut up this time, he once again chuckled nervously, blushed and looked away. “Once again, I´m sorry… but… if it´s any consolation, you´re really strong for stopping a mad shapeshifter in an attacking you. “It was really impressive!” he looked at her again with a big smile.
he knew she screamed in panic. But still. That scream could break glass and to Echo, that was rather impressive.

He looked away, and she narrowed her eyes shortly, wondering what was going on. Had she gone too far, with telling him that she wouldn’t forget his butt? Nah.[/color] He had almost said it himself. It was a very memorable way to remember people. Their meeting had definitely been different that the most people she knew.

Aisha chuckled lightly as he said banshees had white wings. Was he confusing banshees with angels? “I’ve never seen a banshee with white wings,” she said, thinking about letting her own wings out so he could see them. But not right now. “They are most often black or grey,” she explained with a soft smile. Maybe he had seen a banshee with white wings?

Aisha had already forgiven him a long time ago, and therefore she laughed. “Thanks. You really don’t have to apologize, nothing happened,” she said, clearly depressing the thought of what could’ve happened. She let her brown eyes seek her own steps, “And, eh… I guess I’m also well trained,” she said, thinking for a moment before she let her eyes look up at him again. “All of my mother’s side is banshees, so they kind of knew and trained me before the voices even appeared” she explained.
She bit her lips gently, thinking for a bit. “Do you know why you weren’t yourself? Or… is it normal for you not to be able for to control yourself?” she asked tilting her head slightly.

Had he misunderstood something?
"Oh yeah, I think I got them confused with the angel wings. None the less, I´m so fascinated with the fact that you guys have wings and can fly. I would love to fly above the sky and just look at the world below."
as they continued walking, he appreciated as she stated he had no reason to apologise and where she got her training as a banshee. "Oh! It´s good you had a lot of training from your family. I had the same from mine back then."
Just as they were about to reach the streets, she asked if this happened often, which made his stomach turn.
"No... but it often happens around christmas time... I get so depressed and apparantly that means that this form appears... it is hard to explain. when I was younger it was harder to control... so I thought it would have been easier now and now I´, just blabbering...and I´ll stop."
Once again he felt his cheek heat up. what on earth was wrong with him.

A smile grew on her lips as he explained that he had confused banshees with angels. Of course, wing were wings, but mostly angels were associated with goodness and life. Banshees in Aisha’s eyes were to be associated with detectives, screaming and death. The two species were not to be compared, but it was okay that he had done it. Being compared to an angel was flattering.
I would love to fly above the sky and just look at the world below. The words made Aisha pull on a smirk. She could arrange that, but maybe not right now. With her nose straight ahead, her eyes shortly fell upon her jacket. Yeah, definitely not right now. She looked back up at him, turning her head towards him “It’s really lovely to see, not gonna lie,” she confirmed. Yet, she didn’t want to ask him, if he wanted to let her show him the world from the sky’s perspective. She wouldn’t just carry anyone around in the air. It was heavy work, and she had to know if he feared heights and she would have to make a whole lot of security checking’s. She couldn’t risk being the reason for someone’s death.

She nodded lightly as he agreed that it was good to have a family who knew what she might going to deal with. “Oh that sounds really nice,” she said and pulled on a smile as he explained that he too had a family who had trained him while he was still young.

A frown appeared on Aisha’s face as he explained that it was common around Christmas time. This form appears. Did he have other forms, she wondered. Every word he spoke, she took in. One could even say she felt every word he said. Just blabbering… And I’ll stop. She raised a hand to place on his somewhat cold shoulder from the weather. “No, no. Please, share what’s on your mind,” she said, looking at him with a worried smile. “I want to listen,” she said. Most often, Aisha did the talking, but it clearly seemed like Echo had something that was bothering him. “Or you know… I’m just a stranger,” she said and shrugged on her shoulders, “And… You don’t have to tell a stranger about stuff… But… I don’t mind listening,” she explained and saw how it seemed like color flushed to his face. Was he embarrassed of feeling depressed around Christmas time? Some people just seemed to get more depressed as the world turn darker and colder in the winter, others had social reasons – like missing family. Aisha herself missed her family. Maybe she should arrange something with her parent’s coming to Gaia?

He did notice her smirk on her pouty lips. For a second, he wondered what she was thinking about. But just as the question was about to escape his lips, she seemed to drop it and instead agreed on, how magnificent it was to fly and see the world in a new perspective.
To that he smiled even brighter and nodded once. He was a creature bond to earth. But oh, how lovely it must be, to just fly above the skies and feel the wind hug your cheeks and adrenaline fill your stomach.

He felt like a fool, blabbering all this stuff out to a stranger, a young, gorgeous girl he had just tried to kill. The stranger, Aisha, was taken it all so lightly. Even better than that… she even said she would be listening to him. Still a bit flustered, he smiled once again over at her, hugging the jacket closer.
“Thank you, I appreciate that… I uhm… how about I invite you up for a coffee, when we get to my apartment? No intentions behind it, I promise, I would just uhm…” As he realized how he sounded like, he sighed and shook his head. “Now I just sound like a creep… I´m sorry…”
Jesus… and the award to the most awkward individual goes to…

She would like a cup of coffee.
Her answer made him way happier than he liked to admit. Yet, his bright smile and wide eyes did not exactly hide it.
“great!” he happily blurted out. He hummed down in his hand and chuckled by his own excitement. He was just happy to finally make some friends and probably open a bit more. Or at least he hoped he would.
“yeah, it is nearby.”
Only a few more meters and they were there. He tapped in the door-code, opened the door for Aisha and continued to smile. His apartment was a 3 room, neat and warm, only a few hoodies hanging over chairs. And some papers scattered around almost every surface.
On almost every wall was family pictures. Mostly those cozy and relaxed ones, rather than the portrait styles, black and white ones.
He smiled at Aisha. “Just sit down, I´ll go change and then make some coffee.”
By that he disappeared into his bedroom, only to return again, this time wearing black hoodie and sweatpants.
“So, black coffee or a latte?” he asked her kindly.

Walking out of his room to see her casually gazing at his family pictures, made his heart skip a beat, in fear of her asking into them. He was not ready to tell the story of them yet. It was rather personal. But, to his delight, she did not ask, she didn´t even comment on them.
He smiled bright and started to brew the coffee. As she started to approach him and asked softly if she could watch, he looked rather surprised at her, before letting it drop and smile bright.
“Well of course!” he answered and started to brew her the latte. “Are you scared I might poison you?” he teasingly asked her, well knowing, that it was not the case. Or at least he didn´t hope it was.
His own coffee was just a classic black coffee with a teaspoon sugar and teaspoon crème. As her latte got done, he poured it up in a cup and made a white pattern of a leaf.
“Here you go!” he proudly reached the cup to her, to then grab his own and sit down by the kitchen table. “So… classic questions time, what do you do for a living? Any hobbies?”
His curiously green eyed gaze landed on her.

He seemed alright.
He chuckled by that statement and with one blink of an eye, they sat by the table, casually caring on a conversation.
Her answer that she was a youtuber and she made music, made him smile from ear to ear, since it was a refreshing answer. And she was on Athena academy.
“That´s amazing, can I hear some of your songs one time`?” he softly asked and drove the teaspoon around in the cup. “That is if it is alright with you…. Oh! Do you want some snacks? Cake or something?”
if she answered yes, he would get up and start searching his cabinets, for some snacks.
“I am Veterinary,” he answered and looked over his shoulder. “I adore animals and the perks of being a shapeshifter, makes it easier for me to connect with animals and such.”
when he found some snacks, he sat back at the table, presented it to her and now tried to take a sip of his warm coffee. “I just got the job after I finished the education.”