My Friend The Tigress

[Sheva]

35th of Summer 512AV It was as white a day as any in the city of Avanthal, it's residents shuffled busily through the powdered streets as they moved from point to point. It was snowing today, a gentle rain of tiny white snowflakes danced gracefully as they journeyed from their place in the heavens to the earth. Meanwhile, in the forest nearby Sheva had been waiting. The young kelvic stood there in the clearing watching the snow fall, her hair as white as if it was made from the stuff. There she waited in the familiar clearing where she and Nate had often met before going hunting, but today they had other plans. Today she would attempt to get him comfortable with being around her in her intimidating animal form. She waited there, boots on and her coat buttoned tightly to keep her protected from the cold. Sheva loved the white-filled landscape of the north, it was breath taking, beautiful and it gave her a sense of belonging since she blended so well with it. Nate would be arriving soon, unless he was delayed somehow. Ah Nate...Nate the half Vantha, Nate the handsome and charming young man, Nate the hunter...Nate...Sheva's only close friend. Since the two had met they had taken quite a liking to each other as hunting partners, Nate had even agreed to travel with her when she left Avanthal. On their most recent meeting the pair had gotten to know each other better, telling stories from their pasts. Sheva had learned that Nate's heart had been broken, he had been inlove with a Vantha girl but her parents married her to someone else just because Nate wasn't full Vantha. The story had upset Sheva a bit more than one would expect considering it had no link to her. Sheva stood there in the clearing, arms held out, palms facing upwards as she focused her djed, emitting it slowly in the form of gaseous res. The ball of res hovered above her palms for a while before she willed it to attract water. Slowly the elemental pull began to suck in the snowflakes falling nearby, shooting toward the res only to become a drop of water surrounding it. Sheva enjoyed watching the snowflakes fly toward her glistening ball of res whenever they came within proximity of the pull, it may have been unnecessary but it was both entertainment and practice so she continued. There she stayed, watching as the snowflakes formed into a hovering ball of water no bigger than a human head above her hands.

[Nate Frostfawn]

Nate and Ashca had become almost inseparable in the past week; the pair were rarely seen apart now. They had finally had their first hunt together and she had proved to be an invaluable help. As it was, when Nate grabbed his scarf to go outside, she was at the door in an instant.
"Ash...not today. I'm sorry." The dog whined, and Nate smiled. "Don't be silly, I won't be long." Ashca shuffled aside as he pulled on the door, stepping through and throwing the scarf round his neck. He hardly needed it at the moment; the summers in Avanthal were bearable for those with Morwen's mark but he wore it all the same.

He left deep footprints behind him as he wound his way towards the city gates, hands buried in his pockets. His bow tapped lightly against his shoulder as he walked. Nate had debated bringing it, but since he was going outside of the city he thought it best. Besides, Sheva hadn't told him what she had planned for them today.

He soon neared the clearing where they usually met. Nate stepped through the trees, spotting the girl immediately. She had her back to him, the white snowflakes that were drifting down barely visible where they landed in her hair. She seemed to be engrossed in something, and he moved round to see what was holding her attention.

Reimancy... Nate watched curiously as the ball of water hung in the air above her outstretched palms. He didn't want to distract the girl's attention, but she still hadn't noticed he was there.
"Um, Sheva?" If and when she turned to him, he would smile before confusion flitted through his eyes. "Wait...I thought you used fire?"

[Sheva]

Sheva had heard Nate before he spoke but was trying to concentrate on the ball of res, when he spoke she simply turned her head and smiled at the charming young man. He looked handsome as usual, bow on his back and sea foam green eyes watching her. She hoped today would go well, that he wouldn't be too intimidated by her tiger form. She turned to him allowing the ball of res to fall to the ground along with its surrounding water. It landed with an anticlimactic splash as she stepped closer to Nate. "Hey...Oh no, I have both fire and water." she said cheerfully, the confusion was evident in his eyes so she decided to elaborate. "See the point of reimancy is to master all four elements...earth, water, fire and air. So you start with one element and as you improve you gain more." once she had finished she scratched her head cutely. "Did that make sense?" she asked, awkwardly wondering if Nate had understood. She took another step closer to him still smiling, maybe they should get straight to business, but they had all day so Sheva decided they could chat for a bit. So there she stood with the usual small smile on her face that was always visible when Nate was nearby, although he probably just thought she was always cheerful.

[Nate Frostfawn]

Green eyes followed the ball of water and res as it dropped to the snowy ground. The res was a curious substance, sort of cloudy like mist and Nate wondered what it was like to hold. He returned his gaze to Sheva, listening carefully as she spoke.
"So...eventually you can control all four...? Huh, that's kinda neat." Nate always thought that each reimancy user had only one element to work with the whole time. "Yeah I think I understood it." He smiled. "The stronger you get, the more you get right?"

Nate couldn't help smiling at the expression on Sheva's face. She was always so cheerful. Heck, even when she had told him about being kidnapped she had been smiling!
"So are you going to tell me exactly what you have planned for today?" He grinned. "Or is it a wait and find out kinda deal?" He was genuinely curious. If they weren't hunting, he couldn't think of another reason to be out here in the reaches.

[Sheva]

Sheva simply smiled as he answered her question, it seemed he did understand, more or less. Her smile grew slightly as she watched his, this is the Nate she was used to, the one that was always smiling. Not the one she had seen in the archery range not long ago, so quiet and sad. She shook her head forcing herself back into reality and laughing awkwardly, "Yep that's it." she said with an impressed smile. She thought for a moment on how she would go about doing what she had planned for them today and decided a straight forward confrontation would work best. "Well I thought it was about time you get used to the 'other' me." Sheva's voice was both cheerful and teasing. Slowly she began to unbutton her coat, still smiling at Nate as she did. Once her coat was open she back-stepped and ran behind a tree on the opposite end of the clearing to Nate. Once hidden she quickly got undressed, removing her shirt, tights and boots, and shifted into her other form. Not more than ten seconds after Sheva had disappeared behind the tree the big cat slowly emerged. Sheva walked slowly into the clearing, while keeping a reasonable distance between herself and Nate. There she stood, she was almost large enough to look him straight in the eye falling only about a foot short. Her sky blue eyes watched him, snow fur covered her massive form. She waited, curious as to how the young hunter would react to the magnificent white tigress.

[Nate Frostfawn]

"Well I thought it was about time you get used to the 'other' me."
Nate couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. There could only be one thing she meant by that. He watched as she undid her coat and then smiled as she ran away from him. He wondered what a kelvic shift looked like; as far as he knew, not many people got to see one. He shoved his hands deeper in his pockets while he waited.

It was quicker than he thought it would be, and Nate froze when Sheva stepped from behind the trees. He had forgotten just how big her tiger form was. He was still taller than her, but this version of his friend was far more intimidating. He wasn't sure what to do. Of course, it was still Sheva standing in front of him; her eyes were the same blue, so he focused on them. A smile involuntarily made its way onto his face, although it was more nervous than happy. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Aha, I forgot how big you were as a cat..."

He paused for a moment, feeling awkward. She understood him still, right? He knew that she wouldn't be able to reply to him though. He took a moment to look at her. This time, he could appreciate the beauty of her feline form without fearing for his life. Of course, the nerves were still there, tingling in his fingertips, but he wasn't shocked anymore. He moved, one foot almost seeming to kick at the snow. It was like he was about to step forward and then changed his mind at the last minute.

[Sheva]

Sheva watched as Nate tensed up for a second and then relaxed abit once his eyes locked with hers. He was using them as a focal point. She huffed at his comment about her size, which to her was a laugh although he obviously didn't understand that. She was still for a few moments simply allowing him to get used to her predator form. Not too long after it seemed he had gathered the bravery to step closer to her but then lost it, it was cute and she understood his nerves. Even though in his mind he knew it was her, his senses were much more predominant, and his senses were telling him he was in danger. After a while of waiting Sheva decided she would take the first step, and so she stepped closer slowly, her eyes still locked on his. After she had moved she folded her back legs neatly beneath her and sat there upright, the rest was up to him.

[Nate Frostfawn]

Nate returned his gaze to Sheva's eyes. A noise escaped the cat, a sort of huffing sound. He had no idea what it meant, but it came quickly after his comment so he assumed she could still understand what he was saying. She hadn't moved yet; the tiger was standing completely still. Why is it that cats are so still? She was almost like a statue.

Nate tensed again as Sheva decided to move, stepping a little closer. He knew that it was just Sheva, but all he could see was a huge predator. It sat, and he relaxed slightly again. That was something normal cats did, not predators. He exhaled a slightly shaky breath and took a single step towards the great cat.

Now the pair were not all that far apart. If he wanted to, Nate could probably reach out and touch her. His hands balled into fists for a brief second and he found Sheva's eyes again. They were exactly the same, and they seemed calm which was some comfort. He began to reach out a hand to her, but stopped just over halfway there. He couldn't quite bring himself to close the gap between them. He knew it would be fine, but instinct was smacking him hard in the stomach.

[Sheva]

Sheva was enjoying watching Nate's reactions to the situation. He was trying, that part was obvious but he seemed to slowly overcome his fear...maybe abit too slowly for her liking. She kept her sky blue eyes locked on his, calm and serene, since that seemed to help him relax. She watched as he seemed to gather up the strength to take a step closer, he was now within arms reach of her, well...of her head. He tried to reach out to her slowly, but his arm stopped halfway. it was so cute seeing him try and overcome his fear and she couldn't help but smile, inwardly. After a while it seemed he wasn't going to reach any further, so she decided to close the gap herself. The tigress let out a short yawn, her massive mouth and dagger like fangs on display for a brief moment. After she had yawned Sheva's eyes went back to Nate's as she slowly, calmly closed the gap. Ducking her head and slowly raising it until it made contact with his hand. She hoped he didn't try and pet her, she was NOT a pet...but she would forgive him if he did. All she asked was that he didn't do anything that he wouldn't do to her human form.

[Nate Frostfawn]

Nate almost pulled his hand pack sharpish as Sheva yawned, but instead he left it there, hovering just before her. Eyes widened a fraction as he saw her teeth, the huge canines sharp like knives. He did not want to get on the wrong side of them.

Nate held still as the tiger stepped forward again, and caught his breath as she raised her head to make contact with his hand. He met her eyes; they were still calm. He had no desire to pet her, she was after all a huge predator; nothing like the fidgety dog waiting for him back at the Hold. As such, he simply let his fingers press into her fur. He was surprised at how soft it was, almost like velvet.

A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. The whole situation was still rather surreal to him, but standing like this it seemed less... nerve wracking. After a few moments, he removed his hand from the tiger's head. It was still Sheva there after all. He felt more comfortable now, the initial shock all but gone. A light chuckle escaped Nate, surprising even himself. He sat in the snow before Sheva; she was now taller than he, and he squinted up at her.
"So, what now? I think I can say that I'll be alright seeing you like this again without freaking out now." He smiled. He wasn't sure if she had anything else planned, but he hoped he could understand her if she tried to tell him anything as a tiger.