Snow Days

The massive cat blinked slowly, a steady purr rumbling from her chest as golden eyes gazed at the snowy trees. Icicles hanged from the barren branches, gleaming in the dim sunlight. Vibrant, striped fur moved with each breath in stark contrast to the pure white snow she was surrounded with. Her head rested on her large paws, claws absently kneading against the stone she was lounging on. There wasn’t a lot of warmth in Deepfrost, but cats enjoy the sun, and the tigress was soaking up as much of it as she could get in the cold weather. Her tail flicked almost impatiently, but she was actually quite content in the solitude of the winters woods. She rose to her feet, stretching easily with a quick shake to remove the flurries from her fur. Rhea licked her leg once, then lifted her head high, breath clouding in front of her face as she took in large breaths to gather scent. She was experienced enough in both of her forms to be able to recognize the scents of those she knew. This was a new smell, but it drew her attention. Snow crunched beneath her paws with each step, the large cat unable to brace herself above it all. She always liked snow, remembering as she began bounding through the white blanket covering the ground, a rather ridiculous scene for most onlookers to come across. rhea Be Humble, But Be A Beast

It was true; large feline paws did not make good snowshoes. Even so, Remi was in this form deliberately.   The Woodlands had always been a place of mental stress for him, and the predatory strength that being in this lion's body gave him was as much of a balm as he was going to get. Ludo had once tried to lure him to his death in these woods, and ever since then he'd vaguely seen the outlines of a woman holding a lantern each time he'd returned. Remi did not have the mental fortitude to stand against a god if that god was bent on destroying him. He should have avoided this place all together and yet here he was. The sound of snow crunching drew the big cat's attention. Halting, Remi tilted his head slightly as his nostrils flared to take in the new scent gently wafting towards him. Female. Feline. It was strange how his mind could know such things, and yet the lion's instincts had not been wrong yet. Hello? Remi mentally called out. If  the feline appeared to be anything other than a cougar, it would surely be a shifter given the type of animals found within the barrier. And so, still under the false assumption that all shifters could still use telepathy (since Remi had not lost his own ability), he assumed he'd get a more or less immediate reaction.v REMI It's not a silly little moment, it's not the storm before the calm This is the deep and dyin' breath of this love we've been workin' on

Her steps were slowed, as the scent of the newcomer grew stronger. She finally lifted her gaze from the snow to and lowered her head, eyes peering at the shape of another large feline. That was new. As far as she had known, she was the only one with such a shift within the bubble, but she found her curiosity prickling. This one was a lion, though. Rhea halted then, blinking slowly to show her non-defensive attitude to the male. She didn’t need scent to tell his gender with the large mane that male lions sported. Her striped tail flicked easily, as she remained where she was for another moment. Unfortunately for them both, Rhea didn’t have telepathy, which would make communication less than simple, but she had adapted to the usual manner in which felines tended to communicate with each other. A low rumble echoed from her chest, and she started walking towards him, a relaxed stride sinking in the snow with each step. It was less than graceful, but that wasn’t really what she was concerned with at that moment. She would approach the lion, her head lowered slightly as her nose would get close to him, committing his scent to memory for the future. Another big cat in town definitely made her want to get to know him a bit better. Of course that seriousness could always be saved for when they were on two legs and had an actual legitimate way to speak to each other. Rhea began circling around him just slightly, then would roll onto her side with a slight groan, playfully nipping and swatting at the lion’s tail, her own tail flicking against the snow. Remi rhea Be Humble, But Be A Beast

A tiger? He'd only seen such beasts in storybooks as a child. Then again the same could be said of lions, but it wasn't as if Remi could see himself. To see the impressive and amazingly painted creature was stunning, and for a moment Remi's man-mind took hold and he simply marveled. Taking a back seat was not something his lion-instincts were want to do, and quickly he heard himself returning her greeting with a throaty rumble of his own. Curious though. Clearly she was a shifter and yet ... why did she not speak back to him? Can you not speak to me in this way? Remi mentally sent with a slight tilt of his bulky skull. Then again Remi had never encountered a shifter who wasn't from Northaven. Perhaps telepathy was a gift that came from the ritual he'd performed long ago as a child? But then again, this lion's body had only appeared here. Maybe he would have to find more of his kind and experiment on just how much their abilities had changed. Two large cats trudging unsuccessfully through the snow was probably an amusing sight for anyone looking on, as was seeing one of them playfully plop down into the snow. Spinning with as much grace as he could despite how his lower half began to sink into the snow, Remi extended a paw and playfully batted towards her muzzle and the fabulously white teeth which had just been reaching for his own tail. Bright golden eyes watched her with amusement before one of his paws curled slightly to try and thrust snow her way, which subsequently sank him up to his belly. REMI It's not a silly little moment, it's not the storm before the calm This is the deep and dyin' breath of this love we've been workin' on

Once again, his telepathic call would be ignored. It wasn’t intentional, but Rhea truly had no idea that kind of communication was even possible. She had never heard of it from her parents, nor had she experienced it, so why would it even occur to her that something like that existed? Cats were thought to be regal, graceful creatures, lions and tigers even more so as the largest cats, but the truth of the matter was that they had a truly ridiculous side. Alorhea embraced that playful, idiotic side of her feline nature. What was the point of life if not to have fun and sometimes look like a fool while doing so? That was sometimes the best way to make new friends. The lion spun his hindquarters away from her, leaving her with wide golden eyes in his direction. He swatted towards her jaws, and she opened her mouth with a groan at the light batting. He sank further into the snow, as he flung snow in her direction, and she rolled over. Getting to all fours again, Rhea wiped the snow off of her face with a large paw, then shook the rest from her coat. The tigress looked again to the lion, a lax gaze in her bright eyes with a gently swishing tail. She growled as she approached, an expression that could have been interpreted as a smile upon her feline face. Rhea would approach the lion once again, and lift herself up slightly to hook her front leg over his shoulders, attempting to gnaw gently at his ear, before she would lower again with a strong breath through her nose. Remi rhea Be Humble, But Be A Beast

Though she hadn't replied to him, the way she pawed the snow away from her face—as well as the fact that she was here at all—had to mean she was a fellow attuned. Why she didn't want to reply to him was confusing, but eager and willing as always, the alchemist was happy to let it go. As she neared, Remi regarded her with equally intrigued bright golden eyes. Within him his predatory side twitched with agitation, wanting him to demonstrate his dominance. Instead though she raised herself up and leaned against him, Remi gave an exaggerated roar, collapsing beneath her weight as if she'd been some formidable foe and her bite had been fatal. Rolling onto his back, Remi roared, his cheeks puffing outwards, but there was no aggression in the sound. Reaching up he pawed childishly towards her face, creating a deep whining groan in the back of his throat. Hawks typically did not play, nor were they overly expressive creatures. In this form however Remi was rather enjoying the feeling of strength and easy power. REMI It's not a silly little moment, it's not the storm before the calm This is the deep and dyin' breath of this love we've been workin' on

The tigress sank over him, as the lion collapsed in the snow with the playful energy of a kitten. She hadn’t before found someone willing to – or even capable of, for that matter – play with a full grown tiger. Even if her intentions were pure and she would never hope of hurting someone, a tiger was a tiger, even if there was a woman’s soul wearing the fur. She growled softly, curling one side of her lip with open jaws as his paw swatted towards her. Rhea thoroughly enjoyed this. She had no idea who the man inside of the lion was. She had no idea if he had come out here with a purpose or just to explore. Hells, she didn’t even know his name. At that moment, however, none of that mattered. At that moment, they were two wild animals who met by chance and were bonded easily by a familiarity of species. That was more than enough for her. With a quick puff of air, Rhea pushed off of the lion and leaped over him easily, sinking in the snow and bounding forward a few steps. She stopped and looked back at him, her golden eyes wide and eager with a slight twitch of one ear to see if he was going to chase after her. Then, she started trotting forward again, as gracefully as she could in the thick blanket of snow. Remi rhea Be Humble, But Be A Beast

Like Rhea, Remi had to wear this skin with ever increasing care. He'd almost killed Zekle, harmed Ronin and even had taken a few swipes at Vai. Most of his friends carried around a tranquilizer that Isla had given to him just in case; though weapons did work better as the healed-wound in his leg was a testament to. Watching as the female feline cleared him with grace and easy beauty, Remi rolled to the side to watch and see what she would do next. Was she planning on turning back and pouncing? Or—? Watching as she trotted forward, he heaved himself to his feet and gave a great shake of his full mane. With a proud roar he charged after her (not quite as elegantly), tail raised high for balance as his large paws tried to fan out as much as they could so as not to sink quite as much. If he was able to catch up to her, he'd throw his body against one of the trees to try and force the snow piled up on the branches to fall down upon her, dodging out of the way of the mini-avalanche if he could. REMI It's not a silly little moment, it's not the storm before the calm This is the deep and dyin' breath of this love we've been workin' on

As the lion let out a roar, Rhea’s ears flicked backward, her golden eyes widening. She wasn’t nervous, but she hadn’t heard the roar of anything as large as she before. Other than herself of course. She glanced over her shoulder as she pranced, seeing that he was chasing after her. Excellent! She felt slightly guilty for just the moment for not shifting, for not telling him who she was and explaining that she couldn’t respond to his mind-sent messages, but... Hells, this was too much fun to quit just yet. He drew closer to her, and she slowed just barely as he started charging straight towards a tree. His large body slammed into the tree, and it was too late for her to get out of the way. She turned her head up in time to get a face full of snow cascading from the branches above. The tigress huffed and blew snow from her nose, shaking her entire body free of the snowy blanket. Her tail flicked, eyes finding the lion who likely had some kind of satisfied look hidden away on his human face. She released a low growl, shifting her shoulders as she lowered to the ground. Now it was her turn. With a snorted snarl, she leaped after the lion, bounding forward to knock him into the snow. If she was successful, Rhea would roll over him, swatting a wave of snow towards his face. Remi rhea Be Humble, But Be A Beast

With a feline grin that most would merely interpret as some sort of open-mouthed snarl, Remi watched the tigress exhale a billow of frosty air and shake his assault from her body. Had he an eyebrow to cock at that moment, he indeed would have. Indeed he had to settle for mischievously flicking the tuft on the end of his tail to and fro. Given that Remi had not been a lion long perhaps it was understandable that despite the obvious signs that she was going to pounce, he did nothing (probably not though, it was more than clear what she was planning). Indeed as her striped body lunged, Remi sort of just...stood there. Even his instincts weren't much help, as he felt no actual threat from the tigress, and of course instincts weren't there to teach you how to play. So as collided easily with Remi's bulky form, he was thrown playfully back. However rather than an amused snarl, the lion issued a pained roar. Squeezing his eyes shut (a happy coincidence, given the snow she'd just batted towards him), Remi's mouth yawned open in a loud cry of anguish as he rolled stiffly to the right, revealing a branch hidden under the snow that had been thrust into his left shoulder. The snow was suddenly blooming with red flowers of blood as a small tributary flowed from where the branch was still. With a growl, the alchemist shifted from lion to man, teeth gnashed together in pain as he took a steadying breath and opened his eyes to survey the damage. Releasing the breath he'd been holding, Remi leaned his head back against the tree he was now against and gave Rhea a wry smile. "I think that means you win." He chuckled, though it was slightly strained. REMI It's not a silly little moment, it's not the storm before the calm This is the deep and dyin' breath of this love we've been workin' on

The way the lion cried out made the tigress immediately back off of him, her eyes widened and ear pulled back. That was very far from what she had expected from him, and she worried that he had landed wrong on his leg or something.       Or something, indeed…       He rolled onto his side, revealing a branch jutting out from his shoulder. Rhea lowered to the ground instantly, releasing a quiet groan. Gods, no, no, no… She had never meant to hurt him! It was an accident of course, and she figured he would know that, but that didn’t make her feel any less guilty.       She shifted from a tiger to a woman, a cloak pulled closely around her as she briskly moved through the snow and crouched beside him a young man with sea glass green eyes. ”I’m so sorry,” she said to him, bringing her fingers over her lips with wide eyes. ”There’s a reason why I don’t usually play like that.” She breathed a huffed laugh and leaned forward to examine the injury.       She didn’t think it was a life threatening injury, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. Digging into the small pouch on her hip, she pulled the handkerchief down from her hair and would press it against the injury. ”Can you walk? We should get you to a doctor.” Remi RHEA into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul

In Northaven there had always been some sort of strange resemblance between a shifter and their animal form. Even knowing that such was not the case here, Remi still gasped in surprise at the woman suddenly before him. "It is not your fault." He said with a chuckle that quickly turned into a wince as his stomach muscles tightened around the wound. Before Remi could assure his dread-locked companion that he could conjure a piece of cloth, she'd already pulled a bit from her hair. Smiling appreciatively and trying not to shy away from the pressure of her touch, Remi nodded. "Do you think you could give me a hand up?" He asked with a boyish grin, waiting for her to stand before extending a hand towards her. "Would you believe me if I said this was not the first time I've been stabbed by a bit of wood and have had to limp to the medic this month?" He asked with a quick grin, before turtling his head lowering into his jacket to defend against the wind. "I am Remi, by the way." R ? M I How dare you say it's nothing to me baby, you're the only light I ever saw