No Shifters Allowed pt. 2

Chapter 2 - The Unsteady
          The park was as breath taking as always. Evergreen trees covered the many hills that dominated the area and the hills themselves seemed to climb upon one another to try to catch a glimpse of the world around them. The birds who took refuge in the trees usually sang to each other and to the animals that lived below, but the day was gone and they were all asleep. The crickets who had listened to them earlier filled their silence now.
          Mercury loved every second of it; it was just in her nature to. As she moved from pavement to grass, her heart rate picked up in anticipation. If she didn't change soon her body would make the decision for her. Dropping to the ground she tapped into the power source that held her second shape, her inner wolf. White light poured from her skin as her bones reshaped themselves and her muscles followed suit. It hurt, a lot; but it was a familiar pain, a good pain.
          The light dimmed and winked out signaling the end of her shift. She shook out her deep red fur and stretched out her stiff legs and back. Trotting to the edge of the trees, she turned and waited for Austin. His own light faded and he stood ready for the hunt to begin. Looking at him she noticed the shift had lightened his eyes to near white. Black rested at the very edges of each of his irises and kept them separate from the rest of the eye. She had never seen that before, blue and gold were the most common eye colors for a were in its animal state. The fact that his were white was very unusual but she decided not to dwell on it.
          He followed her into the tree line and they took off racing into the heart of the dark forest. They easily leapt over the rocks and fallen trees that would randomly appear from the darkness. A small sliver of moon looked down at them as they drew closer to the middle of the park. Rabbits and hares darted from their hiding places as the two predators passed but they didn't give chase. Changing took a lot of energy and tonight they were after something big enough to quench the raging hunger that accompanied the loss.
          Every few minutes Mercury's thoughts would head back to Austin. She couldn't help it. Not many people, supernatural or otherwise, would put themselves in danger to help out a complete stranger. She sneaked a peak at him but her efforts at subtlety were wasted. He was focused solely on the hunt, his white eyes shining with excitement.
          All at once he stopped running. She stopped as well and looked back at him with confusion. He whined and made a show of sniffing the ground and there it was; the fresh scent of deer. That showed how much she had been paying attention.
          They moved on, following the scent trail. As the landscape flew by they could tell they were almost on the buck. The deer had apparently sensed them already and in a flash of brown he was off and running. It quickly pulled out in front; almost vanishing from view but where the deer had speed, the wolf had endurance. The distance between predator and prey soon become smaller and smaller as the deer wore itself out. As if realizing it wasn't going to escape by running it switched tactics and turned to fight them off.
          Stomping the ground it charged Austin. Mercury raced after it, biting and scratching its sides and belly. As she successfully navigated it away from Austin he attacked the stag's back legs. It whipped around to attempt a second charge and again Mercury caught its attention with a well placed bite. She danced around the buck narrowly avoiding a set of pointy antlers and looked just in time to see Austin disappear down the side of a large embankment. She sprinted to the spot where he'd slipped and peered over the edge. The stag thundered off as it frantically left with its life. She let it go. The only thing she cared about now was making sure Austin was alright. Looking down she could just make out the shape of the dingo that lay at the base of the hill. Cautiously she climbed down, using trees to keep her from losing her footing. She greeted him at the bottom nudging him with her nose. His eyes snapped open and she let out a sigh of relief.
          Together, they climbed the hill, going up this time. They stopped every few feet along the way and once at the top they rested. Mercury carefully checked Austin for injuries. Aside from a damaged ego, cuts and bruises were the only signs of his fall.
          Once again they tracked down the deer, needing the energy now more than ever. As tired as it was and as tired as they were it was a little harder than it should have been to make the kill, but eventually the job was done and they each ate until they had their fill. Full and thoroughly exhausted, they headed back the way they had come.
           At one point they passed a badger's den. The badger that inhabited the den waited ready to defend his territory, should they try to swipe it from him. He needn't have bothered. They swept through soundlessly, completely uninterested. When they finally reached the entrance of the park they changed back and walked toward the road.
          Mercury looked up at Austin, a nasty habit that had formed during the past few hours, and felt compelled to talk to him. "Thanks for coming with me... I'm sorry you fell down that huge hill."
          "It's my fault for not watching where I was going, don't worry about it." He smiled. "The rest of the night was pretty fun. Any chance we could do this again sometime, preferably soon?"
          "What, do you enjoy tumbling down small mountains?" She asked.
          "You know what I mean."
          "Should I start calling you Jack from now on?" She asked, trying to be funny.
          "What?" He asked, clearly puzzled.
          "You know Jack and Jill."
          "Ha ha." He said sarcastically. "I'm being serious." Still, he seemed amused despite an attempt to hide it.
          "Are you asking me out?" She replied with feigned shock.
          "Yes, if you like to."
          She thought for a second trying to remember her work schedule "Sure, um; how about tomorrow?" If she recalled correctly it was the only day she had off this week.
          "Great, shall we meet here?"
          "It's a date."
          They parted ways and Mercury finished her walk home in a jog. The trees pulled away as she got closer to her destination, revealing the Alpha's Estate in all its glory. The Alpha's Estate was exactly as its name suggested, a two story mansion that had held every pack leader of West Virginia during their reign, it was huge. It also came equipped with thirty five acres of flora provided privacy, perfect for a pack of werewolves. She sailed through the thick wooden doors and right into her grandfather.
          "Oh. Hi Nicolas." She said like a kid with her hand caught in the cookie jar.
          "And just where have you been?" He asked, his voice dangerously low.
          "I went for a run."
          "Then why do you smell like shifter?"
         Oh right. She forgotten his senses were heightened just as much as hers.
          "Some thugs tried to mug me on the way home and a shifter stepped in." She lied with the truth. She had to. She learned a long time ago that if she ever outright lied he would hear it in her heartbeat.
          "That doesn't explain why his scent is all over you."
          "He fell and since he was nice enough to help me I figured I should return the favor." Again it wasn't an actual lie.
          "Just watch yourself, you can't trust shifters." And with that he walked off, retreating into his beloved study.
          She felt bad for misleading him but if he found out what she had really been up to he would freak. Her grandfather was the alpha of the local pack and he hated shifters. She didn't know why. Once curiosity had driven her to ask another pack member why this was, her only reply had been a halfhearted mumble about the old ones and their prejudices. But she didn't hold it against him; he had raised her and was her only living family. This earned him a little leniency.
          She ascended the stars to her room and threw herself on the bed falling asleep almost instantly.