Roleplay

The guardian knew that red wolves would not just show themselves as easily as deer or albatross, so she had to think of something. She didn’t know whether the red wolf would even eat it, but it was the best idea she had, so she ran deep into the forest, the flowers being crushed beneath her scale covered claws. She wanted to find a different animal, an animal that she could use as bait. She had never used traps before, only using strength and speed to catch prey. Eventually, she had decided on a rabbit. She killed the first rabbit she saw, a large male, and slung it over her shoulder and ran back to where she first picked up the scent of the wolf. Frostbite was quite good at picking up scents, and she immediately noticed something off about the supposed wolf. She could smell a faint scent of a dragon. She started sprinting toward the scent, not caring anymore about the element of surprise. The fallen branches snapped like toothpicks beneath her feet as she ran.
“I can’t let that dragon get to that wolf before I do..!” She said to herself, not even slowing from her sprint.

Dashte flattened herself even further to the ground when the crack of a rock against a branch and a frightened bird's calls rang through the clearing. The grass tickled her pelt as she moved through it, and the smell of pure mountains grew stronger and stronger until... there. It was a snow leopard. The green grass framed its white fur, shining in the sunlight. Its black spots showed off brilliantly, but Dashte could easily tell this creature knew how to hide. There was intelligence hidden in those... purple eyes. No natural animal she knew of had purple eyes. When the leopard gave her a small smile it hit her. I'm not alone. She felt her two ears pop up and felt an overwhelming urge to leap upon the leopard and play fight with her. Now's not the time Dashte! Focus! She sidled up next to the leopard and looked to the small path where the Guardian had just been. Oh no. The large dragon was gone. She growled and stuck her head gently out of the grass. Now was her chance to run. She could be free and home in time for dinner! Well, dinner at the conservationalist's house. She knew running into town would get her caught by one, but as she started out of the grass, she paused. The leopard was staying still in the grass. Dashte knew she wouldn't run into the town with her and she couldn't leave behind the only clue to her messed-up world she had! She retreated back into the grass and raised her hackles. She had to be ready to fight.

Surprising her from the right was the sound of loud crashing. The smell of death ripped back into her mind and she whirled her body towards the stench. The large Guardian had obviously given up the prospect of a stealthy approach and crashed right through Dashte's old hiding spot. What now?

Frostbite’s pink eyes glowed through the birdskull hearddress and her eyes locked to where the tall grass had moved, where something had turned around. She threw the rabbit to just in front of where she saw the grass shift, then just waited. If something was there, it would have to eat sooner or later. The guardian lay down in the grass and watched the rabbit carcass.

Willow couldn't believe it. The wolf really was like him. Brief confusion, then realization, then happiness reflected in the red wolf's eyes. Familiarity where Willow had least expected it. They were both Changelings! The wolf took a few steps out of the grass, then stopped when she realized that Willow was not doing the same. Willow tipped his head in mild curiosity and confusion. Right, red wolves were endangered. Willow had definitely encountered more than a few conservationists in the town, so for the wolf, running back to town would mean safety for her. Willow's heart almost sank when he realized that he might lose another Changeling, but he was soon flooded with relief when the wolf decided to stay, dashing back into the safety of the grass. Willow exhaled through his nose, but all semblance of relief quickly left him when the sound of crashing branches suddenly started coming right towards them. Willow peeked above the grass -- the Guardian! As the dragon flattened the land where Willow was sure the wolf had just been, thoughts raced through the snow leopard's mind. What if he tried to outrun the dragon? He was fast, and could easily traverse terrain, but the Guardian had wings. And she smelled of death, meaning that she was an experienced hunter. Plus, Willow couldn't leave the wolf behind! She had stayed with him instead of fleeing for the safety of the town, so Willow would stay and fight as well.

As the Guardian ran towards them an a terrifying speed, Willow suddenly leapt out of the grass. He landed on a rock, giving him somewhat of the higher ground against his scaled adversary. The sun reflected off of his pristine white pelt, causing his jet-black spots to stand out and basically make him a walking target. His fur was raised to make him look bigger, and his large claws were unsheathed, scraping against the rock. His piercing, unnatural purple eyes, pupils narrowed to slits, stared with an unwavering look at the Guardian. He opened his mouth and growled, showing off his fangs. Hopefully his intimidation tactics would work, if not scaring off the hunter, perhaps making her hesitate to leave an opening for Willow and the wolf to flee. If not, well... Willow knew how to fight, and he sure hoped that the wolf did too.

Dashte watched the Guardian speed into the clearing and set down the rabbit right in front of her nose. Her wolf instincts went wild with hunger, wanting to eat the fresh kill in front of her. She flipped her head away from the rabbit and backed further into the grass, further from temptation. Soon, though, she noticed cool air rushing into her skin from the side where the leopard had been. She whirled around, not caring about hiding anymore, and watched as the creature lept upon a rock and challenged the Guardian. Immediately Dashte's hackles went up and she jumped upon the rock beside her new friend. If she was to become a pelt for this dragon, so be it. She wasn't a coward. Not anymore. Not ever again.

The guardian was startled that the creature had stood up to her. She reared her head back and stood on her hind legs. She opened her mouth to reveal rows of dagger like teeth, and a blue flame grew at the back of her throat. She was about to set the leopard on fire, but something made her hesitate. The fire on her tongue died out, and she dropped back to all fours.
If it had been any other animal, she would have taken their life, but not for that leopard. It had a scent that was a mix of an animal and a dragon, like that of what the wolf smelt like. She stared into the creatures eyes for a few moments then raised her head back to it’s normal position. “Changeling. I know that you are not an animal. Show your true form. You would have sacrificed your own life to try to save someone else? You do confuse me. I apologise for my behaviour previously. I am often hired to kill animals. I know it seems bad, but it is the only way I can make any money. I hope that this.... misunderstanding does not affect you too much. I do not believe I have introduced myself.... I am Frostbite of Zwnrifii.”

Willow held his ground, flattening his ears when the Guardian made its own display of intimidation. Fangs and a blue flame were revealed to him when the dragon opened its mouth, standing on her hind legs to make the display even more intimidating. Willow felt his heart race, but confidence bubbled up inside of him when the wolf jumped to join him on the rock. The dragon did seem tough, but perhaps together the two Changelings had a chance to survive. As the blue flame grew, Willow braced himself and tensed up his muscles, ready to grab the wolf and jump out of the way if a torrent of fire was unleashed on to them. But, for whatever reason, the Guardian didn't attack. She instead closed her maw, pin-like fangs and dangerous blue flame disappearing from view, and placed her front paws back on the ground.

Willow stared into the Guardian's eyes, recognizing curiosity and intrigue. It seemed that the dragon could tell that the snow leopard and wolf were not regular animals. That much Willow could infer, although it would be much easier to read emotions if he were currently in his Skydancer form. The three creatures were silent for what seemed like an eternity, two of them preparing for an attack and the other bearing intentions unknown. Then, surprisingly, the Guardian relaxed and abandoned her battle-ready pose. Willow's jaw nearly dropped open when the dragon actually spoke to them. The Guardian knew. Willow's mind raced, trying to take in the Guardian's words while also trying to make sense of what was happening. The Guardian could smell that they were both dragon and animal. Usually, only Changelings could scent another of their kind. Perhaps an experienced hunter could tell the difference as well, but there was also the possibility that... Willow shook his head slightly. Not meeting another Changeling for what felt like a lifetime, and then suddenly stumbling upon two in one day? That was the kind of luck that Willow had never experienced. Taking in a deep breath, Willow decided to reveal himself to the Guardian. As his fur disappeared, he stared at the Guardian, not really trusting her. She did smell of death, after all. Willow felt his feathers return as wings sprouted from his back, and he eagerly stretched them out. When he was finally done, he tried to stand tall, antenna twitching as he was suddenly hit with a wave emotions coming from the two creatures around him. "I..." he started, almost unsure of what to say. "I am Willow."

Maybe once he knew these two a little better, he could tell them about the others.

I refuse to change in front of these two. I've kept this secret my whole life! The first two dragons I stumble upon (even if they do have my same powers) will not get anything from me!

Frostbite looked toward the skydancer and calmly said, “it is nice to meet you Willow. My mother spoke of changelings quite often. That was probably how I was able to recognise you as one. Ha ha ha....... but.... how did you even know you were a changeling, and how do you even hide it?”

Willow gave Frostbite a small, polite smile. He didn't trust her, but he would at least answer her question. "Well, it starts with the instincts," he sighed. "You get certain tendencies to do things and go places that your species normally wouldn't think of. You might have cravings for foods that your species doesn't eat, like a Tundra that turns into a lion having a craving for meat. Then, one day, you realize something is wrong, and... you're suddenly an animal. You don't know why, or how, but it explains everything odd about you. It can happen when you're a hatchling, or when you're on your deathbed, but it usually happens when a dragon passes adolescence. After that, it's just the matter of keeping it hidden. And if you don't transform for a while, your body will force you to transform. So it's best to transform regularly, in places where you're safe and hidden."

Willow could sense the wolf's hesitation, nervousness, a need to not reveal her secret. He could feel her pelt bristle beside him, the elation at having discovered another dragon like her now replaced with tension at being around dragons instead of other animals. Willow shuffled his paws, and took a deep breath before speaking. "I belong to an... organization," he said, unsure of how to continue. Nervousness replaced the vigor that he had been so full of just a few moments ago. The Skydancer didn't know how to go about telling dragons about the organization, it usually wasn't his job! He knew how difficult it could be to leave behind a life and join strangers you didn't know, suddenly revealing the power you had kept hidden for so long to them. Willow himself had only joined because the only other option at the time was death. Digging his now much tinier claws into the rock to steady himself, he continued. "I am part of a group of Changelings whose purpose is to find others of our kind and help them, or save them in some scenarios. There aren't too many of us, but we're close, and we stay connected with each other through radios. That way, if someone gets into trouble, the rest of us can help." Willow frowned slightly as his gaze darkened."It's... important for us to stay together, especially now." Should he tell them about the dragons that were hunting Changelings? He didn't want to scare either of them away.