Paris had eaten her fill of the deer and left what was left of the carcus in the tree. She hoped down, and licked her chops. Slowly her memories came back to her. A thought rose above the rest, she had another form, now how did she change again? She concentrated on that thought, it was important a gut feeling told her.

The memory of changing came back and she slowly tranformed to her human form. This time bones crunching as they popped out of joints and re-aligned. Paris moved every stiff joint and made circles with her arms. She was now a human, a not too happy human with deer guts on her clothes, but a human non-the-less. She stretched, which emited three loud cracks, and then surveyed the area she was in.

"Eck, where am I this time?"

Shad saw the sign: No Hunting. But he was so hungry... And anyway, who would notice a little sparrow hawk snatching up a rabbit or something? If they did, and they were going to kill a little raptor, then he would just fly. Fly and keep flying. The small kestrel sat in a tree, gazing around. There was no prey to be seen, and this picky eater wouldn't eat bugs or street rats. He had to have moles, rabbits, field mice, squirrels, or, as his name would imply, sparrows. He let his sharp eyes pick out any small movements. He flew a few feet away, to the next big branch, and spotted movement. A fox was hot on the trail of something... And if a fox wanted it, it had to be small. Rabbit, maybe? Shad loved rabbit. It was a very filling and delicious meal. He stalked the fox, tree to tree. A human was up ahead, and the fox fled. Shad screeched down at the man. There goes dinner, you stupid Uninitiate! Shad glared down at him, and took off for a different part of the conservation area. In a field, he took down a field mouse, which was so small he ate it as people eat popcorn, and two moles. They were bigger, and he didn't like the insides, so he stripped off the meat and left the rest for the vultures. Finally, after a varity of different morsels, he was filled. He landed himself in some deep grass, and, under a swirl of dusty wind, was transformed into a boy. A boy with kestrel wings and a tail to match. He glanced about him and smiled, pulling his cloak out from a bag. Spying the human he saw earlier, he hurridly put it on, and departed for the path back to civilization. But he wouldn't go back. No, the boy liked it out here, and wandered around some. Maybe someone else decided to do the same today...

Paris was happily daydreaming in a tree, she got up there in her wolven form and had remained that way out of pure laziness. She kept sniffing the air a listenning just in case some Unnish person came around. Fortunately for her no one seemed to like this part of the forest as much as she does.

Her ears perked up when she heard the boy walking through the forest. No, not just any boy, she could definately smell a bird. She didn't want to risk the fact that he could be a 'pigeon feeder' or a poacher. So she changed back into human form before he reached the area she was in.

After changing back into human form the tree became a new obstacle. She never really attempted to get out of a tree after changing forms. She started out slowly, picking out what looked like sturdy branches. She went down much faster when she slipped on some moss, fell, and landed on her butt in the leaves and dirt. This created a crash which was carried far into the forest.

Shad heard a crash, and, by jerking his head way too fast in that direction, created himself a nice flash of whiplash pain. He rubbed his neck, and walked over to the trees he figured caused the defening sound. He eyed them all carefully, then spotted the girl sitting on the floor beneath the branches of the tree. He smiled, and gave a very muted laugh. She fell out of the tree. He looked her over, trying to find something that might point her out as Innish, but could see nothing. He pulled his cloak a bit closer, just for safety purposes. If she saw his wings and tail, she could... Well, he didn't know what would happen. But he prefered they be hidden anyway. He walked over to her and extanded a hand.

"Quite a fall... I am sure the entire city heard that one."

The hand lingered before him, signaling her to grasp in and get up. The fifteen year old wouldn't release his name... He was not sure why he should even be helping someone he didn't even know was Innish or Unnish. He sighed quietly, and waiting for her to grip his hand so he could continue his walk.

Paris let out a chain uncontrol giggling as she took Shad's hand. "What are you talking about? That wasn't a fall, I was just, you know, learning how to fly and stuff. Apparently you need wings for that sort of thing so, I'll just say I was doing the poor man's sky dive."

Shad laughed, and pulled her up. He stepped back, and smiled. Trying to fly... Flying is much overrated. You have to hide the wings on your back, you have to stretch them often, you are always sitting uncomforatbly after a while, and sleeping in impossible to do on your back. Yes. Flying is WAY overrated. Shad twitched his wings beneath his cloak. It was more subconcious than consious, and the cloak seemed to billow a bit. She frowned, and spoke

"Flying, eh? Well, I am sure some bird would be willing to trade you wing for legs anyday. I mean, they can't eat much, or they will get too fat to fly, they can't sleep comfortably, and... Oh, nevermind. Flying might be fun..."

He smiled again, then turned and started walking down the path, continuing his "trek" to the reaches of the conservation area. He walked slowly, thinking that maybe the girl would like to come along.

A little light clicked in the back of her head. Her suspicions were correct. She should have never doubted her nose. Only someone who experienced flying everyday would speak so poorly of it. She jogged up to him and walked beside him matching his pace.

"So, where ya heading to bird-man? You do know that birds sleep rather comfortably on their feet covered in their warm feathers, not on their backs and, if you ask me, seagulls eat way to much." She grinned she loved playing mind games and mysteries, no matter how small or shortly lived.

Shad smiled. He wasn't a stupid person, and her finding out the fact that he was part bird was purely intended. An Unnish person would never have gotten it, but he knew the Innish were much more open minded. He looked carefully about, spotting no other humnas, and stopped. He shed the cloak he used to cover his wings and tail, smiling, and started walking into the forest. It was much less common to see people in the forest, so he figured he would be under it's cover. He was wearing his redish tee-shirt, his baggy, not sagging, blue jeans, and had on a pair regular street shoes. He eyed the forest ahead, and looked back to the girl behind, still standing on the path. He turned back to the forest, and found an old oak tree whos branches had pushed all over lifeforms out of its area. It was massive. No other trees stood close to it, and its branched reached out for yards and yards. He stood under a particularly high branch, and jumped, his wings grabbing the air and pulling him up. He clung to the branch, and let his wings flutter him up the rest of the way. From his perch, he dangled his feet over, and looked down at the clearing around the base of the tree. He hoped the girl would follow, and he hoped she could climb trees as well as she could fall out of them.

Paris eyed the tree with an odd suspicious look. The tree's branches were too far up for an easy climb as a human. She couldn't climb anything as a human. She looked around for any sign of people. The forest seemed to belong to them, two very odd animals. She tranformed into her werewolf form and then hurriedly scaled the tree with her claws. When she was safely seated upon a branch, she changed back into her human form. She gave a wolfish grin to Shad.

"I'm Patricia, you can call me Paris if you like, it's a nickname my friends gave me. I'm a forth year student at the University." She paused and concidered his age. "Do you go to highschool around here?"

Shad smiled at this. She was a werewolf. Typical. His sister was part wolf. He had always liked the fact that she had been wolf. It was like having a pet dog, and her traits reflected that. She had been loyal, loving, protective, and most importantly, she was his sister. He smiled at this recolition, and thought about her question.

"I'll call you Paris, and you can call me Shad. Highschool? I finished all my schooling when I was little. I skipped quite a few grades... Let's see, skipped preschool, skipped first, skipped fourth, then I finished off my middle school by taking all the classes required for all three years in only two years, and went through highschool the same way. I was thirteen when I finished highschool, and I used to got to a university, but then I got bored and moved. Stupid bafoons who own the shops around here won't let me have a job cause I am still too young, and chances are I know how to work a cash register better than them."

He laughed, but this was his truth. He had loved schooling. He was bright at a young enough age to work harder, longer, and faster than all the other kids. He didn't have many friends when he was growing up, and was used to become friends with people much older than him. He remebered in his senior year of highschool, he had never been to a dance before, and a few girls had asked him. He didn't like girls then, and he was just getting to that age now, so of course he said something to the effect of, "My dad won't let me cause I am too little" and the girls would laugh. He never fully understood they were completly messing with him. He had actually thought they might have wanted to be his friend... His mistake.

Shad sat on the branch absently ruffling his wing feathers.

"Shad, eh, you must be some genius to get out school that quickly. I, myself, struggled under the pressure, but lucky for me I made it without studying a word." She raised her voice into one of authority as if not studying was a grand achievement.

"So let me get this straight... you want to work? Well you know what they say, all geniuses are crazy. I guess I could technically say I'm sitting next to a psycho." She grinned a little grin and mimiced moving away from a crazy person.

Shad laughed, and shook his head.

"I am not genius, just... Quick to pick things up. And I like to learn stuff."

He nodded to her comment about work. He did want to work. He didn't much like the idea of him not having a bed or fridge or place to get out of the rain. He could sleep like a bird, by making a nest and sleeping in that, eating rodents by day, sleeping by night... He shook his head. He wanted a house that he could live in, and with his complete deprivation of money, he was no where near to aquiring a house.

"Yes, I am looking for a place to work. Any place, aside from, perhaps, a crak house. Oooo! Or a janitor..."

He smiled, and lazily ruffled his wings. When birds are content, they do this often.

Paris giggled. "Definately not a janitor, they'd sweep the floor with ya! Literally. You know you would probably make a good feather duster."

Paris' giggling turned to laughter, she couldn't help it if he leaves himself open to jokes. She sides started to hurt the same instance she lost her balance and wobbled a bit, she caught herself before she fell complete off. She let out a little "woah" in between laughs. Falling from this hight may not be good for her neck.

He scoffed, and didn't smile. He didn't like jokes that caused him to harm. He sneered a joke back at her.

"So, what do you do? Work at a police station? You'd make a might fine guard dog. All the bark and bite included."

Shad hopped off the branch, and used his wings to parachute him to the ground, where he put on his cloak, and started to walk. Maybe she'd apologize, maybe she wouldn't. He didn't like the fact that he had gotten teased for being interested in work. He paused a sec. Maybe they could get back to being nice. He had no one else he considered a friend here yet, so he wasn't keen on losing one.

"Uh, wait up, uh..." She shifted her weight and looked at the ground, jumping was not and option. She turned into her werewolf form again, she used her feet to bounce off the trunk and propel herself to the ground. It took only a nanosecond for her to reach him. She tried to apologize, but unfortunately she was still in werewolf mode so it came out 'whine, wimper,wimper."

She realized this problem and had to stop moving so she could change back. She looked pathetically "kicked dog"-like. She changed rather slowly this time. The energy needed to change into a werewolf and back takes its toll on the body after three or four changes. Like always Paris have overused her abilities.

Shad heard her coming, and started walking again. When she reached him, he heard her whimper and whine. Sounded apologetic enough, but Shad was still a bit miffed. He saw her fall back, and turned to see her transforming back. She did it very slowly... He nodded to this, Too many changes can harm the body, or wear it out. She was tired. He forgave her silently, and stood watching her. He didn't have that problem when he changed into a bird, because he kept his wings and tail the whole time. He needed to change 10-13 times before he got too tired to morph again, and normally he got rest inbetween his morphs. He sighed, and apologized to Paris.

"Sorry I got angry at you... I just don't like teasing, friendly or not... Teasing killed my sister."

He said this quietly and solemly. It was truth.

Paris was now back to her human form again, gasping for air as if she had ran a mile. She had loss all of her usual mirth and replaced it with a solumn frown. "I'm sorry if I hurt you, I did not mean it that way."

She didn't push for any information concerning his sister. Instead she looked around for clues to their location. Recognizing a certain tree next to a rock, she turned back to Shad. "Hey, do ya wanna go to the falls? I love the river, come on follow me." Shortness of breath or not, a little tiredness didn't seem to stop her from having short of an attention span. She sprang happily into the forest, not seeming to care whether or not Shad was following her.

He took to following her, but didn't run like her. He walked, enjoying the fresh air. He really didn't want to go back to the city... He wanted to stay out here forever. He finally jogged down the path, keeping Paris in sight. He decided to have a little fun with running. Under his cloak, he pumped his wings, and started speeding like a rocket down the path. He lifted his feet, and zipped up right behind Paris, slowing down and starting to jog again. He didn't know eher the falls were, but water sounded cool.

Paris listened to Shad's footsteps and smiled, she was glad he had followed her, it's was always good to have another Innish around. Her lungs were starting to burn with the effort, but the sound of water hung unmistakedly in the air. At first it sounded like a car on a gravelly road but, as you got nearer, you could swear you could almost feel the weight of all that water, pounding into your head.

Paris slowed down and rested her palms on her knees before standing straight once more to walk onto the rocks of the banks of the Adelaide Waterfall. They were at the bottom side of the falls, and they were assulted by a chilly mist the water had created. "Isn't it wonderful?" Paris asked, eyes gleaming with a sense of pride.

((Do you want to start a topic at the Adelaide Waterfalls, or just stay here? It's your choice.))

((Stay here. We will just have them roam the whole park from this post! lol!))

Shad slowed down behind her, and looked at the sight unravelling before him Water thundered down from, what seems to a person so small, miles high. Shad felt the chilling mist cool his hot and reddened face. He looked towards the banks, and stepped forward. He sat at the bank, immeadiatly feeling his pants become soaked. Whatever... He leaned over and gazed into the clear water of about one inch deep, and collected a handful of delicious water. He was parched... He sipped up three handfuls, and started a fourth when he felt refreshed. He smiled and splashed the water in his hands back into the chilled water of the stream coming from the pool of the waterfall. He walked back from the back, suddenly aware that he must look like he pissed his pants. They were soaked, and he giggled at this, He exposed his dampened jeans to Paris, and spoke.

"Don't sit by the water. You might get wet."

He laughed a little, and then gazed at the waterfall, in complete awe.

Paris tryed to hide a giggle. "Don't worry, I'm sure it will dry... As for being wet, that's what I live for. You know, I'm the greatest doggy paddler out there." Paris beamed with fake pride.

"I'd take you to the top of the falls if I didn't question my climbing abilities at the moment. But if you ever do go up there, I wouldn't try going for a swim, rapids will take you and smash up against some rock, drag you under and then throw down that water fall. Not, that I tried it or anything... Ok I did, but I was young and stupid. I was in a cast for a whole two weeks! Man, do I hate doctors." She said still grinning, no matter how painful, she loved adventure.

Shad laughed, and smiled, but at the mention of swimming he downcasted his eyes. He used to LOVE swimming, but now that he had his wings and tail, he didn't swim, ever. Why? You could see the bones that connected the wings to his shoulderblades, and ever time Shad saw them through his thin layer of skin covering them, he flinched. He couldn't bear to be naked and near a mirror, and he couldn't be exposed around anyone he knew, or didn't know, for that matter. He couldn't wear swim trunks 'cause of the tail, too. He just didn't swim anymore. He took a deep breath and held it, then looked out at the water. He decided against mentioning this, and keeping it a secret. He let his breath out it a semi-content sounding sigh, and he bent to pick up a stone. He found a flattish one, and flung it into the water. Two skips... He picked up another, and was satisfied at the four skips it returned to him. He went back to his seat and sat down, again getting a cold and wet feeling through his jeans. He could care less. The view was worth every drop of wettness he might recieve.

"So... How do you like it here."

Paris flopped down beside him, rather ungracefully, using her trenchcoat as a shield against the water. She looked around to assess her true feelings, as if this was a picture in her photo-book. "Well for one thing, there a lot of things going on and it's all random. How many times have you ever gotten to see a random event, where you are the only witness? Does it not make you feel important?"

There was absolute love in her eyes as she watched the water cascade over the cliff and unto the rocks. People said she was getting too old to act this way. She still hadn't figured out what was too old to do anything.

Shad smiled. Only one at a random event? Yes. That was how he met the Demon. But that was unimportant as far as 'events' go. He figured he wouldn't share, lest he feel queezy all over again. His eyes looked out over the water, and he turned his head slightly, looking at Paris's mesmerized expression. It was clear to him that she loved the waterfall, and why the heck not? It was a stunning and very magnicifent site.

"Do you have a job here?"

Back to jobs. Shad didn't want to have to sleep in his kestrel form his whole life. He rather liked sleeping in beds where the rain and wind and snow couldn't get him.

"Job?! Me? No, not yet. Right now I'm a scientist in training. Yeap, an Astrologist to be exact. Soon they'll be paying me to stargaze." She chuckled at the thought.

"Sometimes having your head in the clouds pays off. My parents think it's funny because of the myths about wolves howling at the moon. They say I've just taken it one step further." She stared up into the sky in reflection.

Shad smiled at this. She had dreams. He had never dreamed of anything but a complete family. Him, his sister, his mom and dad... That is all he had ever dreamed of having. He finally found his sister, his mom passed away, his dad was a player/alcoholic, and he had to leave his home. He moved to a place where his sister was, and they found their other two siblings. He had had a complete family at that point. Now he was here. Why did he come here? He wanted to... Just leave. So here he was.

He never had a career path in mind, so at the mention of her talking about what she wanted to be immersed him deep into thought. What do I want to be? He thought about things, and chose between a few. I want to be a vet, a lawyer, a teacher, or I could just stay jobless... He sighed. Teaching sounded most appealing to him. Not history, EVER. Nor math, art, music, or PE. Maybe English, or... A science! Biology and Chemistry were fun... One of those for sure.

He was smiling. Maybe he could be a teacher. That ment he had to get a job to pay for college admissions... And then get his teaching degree. But he couldn't get a JOB.

"Any bars or shops or restaurants around here looking for a person to wait or sweep or something? I need money to get to College... Maybe I can get a scholarship as well."

Paris considered this for a moment. "A job? Hmmm... I guess when you're not looking for one you never realize when one's open. You just gotta look around. Commandere a computer make a thousand resumes, give them to everyone who looks like they are in charge, and never, ever tell them your age. See simple, of course you know, you're asking a cow how to fly here."

Paris stood up and brushed the back of her trench with her hands, trying to get the dirt and moistier off of it. "Ok I'm ready for a climb... want to go for a walk by the rapids? I can't sit to long, makes me want to do something."

Shad stood up after her and contemplated the idea of resumes. He had one, yes... On his old desk at his old home. He sighed at the fact that she told him not to mention his age. He was just under five feet tall... Heck, he knew twelve year olds taller than him! He was sullen at the truth. Everyone either babied him or ignored him when it came to trying to get a job. But he didn't care. He'd try.

"Sure. The rapids sound great... Where are they?"

He looked to the sky and frowned. It was getting dark, so he figured the rapids would be the last stop for the day. He didn't wanna be here in the dark with a werewolf.

Paris point up to the top of the water falls. "Up there, silly. Don't you know that where there's rocks and rushing water there's sure to be rapids. It's a fact of life, of course rapids are rushing water and rocks. If you didn't know about that it's ok, I grew up around this park. So, are you going to attempt to climb the rocks? Or are you going to fly up and wait for me at the top?"

She placed her hand on a prominent ledge and lifted herself up while her legs searched for other ledges to stand on. She slowly climbed up the rockface beside the waterfall. She didn't even change into her wolf form while doing this, for that was the challenge of it all. No help, just pure skill in her own mind. She didn't look back to see what Shad was doing, all her concentration went into scaling the rocks. The top or bust... Or fall.

Shad stood up and walked over to the wall behind her. He figured he would stay here to make sure she didn't fall. Every few feet she moved up, he fluttered up a few feet, staying near her, making sure she didn't slip to her death. He was growing fatiuged from the amount of work it took for him to stay airborn in his human form, that and the fact that he was trying to hover, not glide. He surely hoped she didn't slip, and would scale the wall quickly. He couldn't take pain for very long.

Paris noticed the extra breeze she was feeling behind her and looked over her shoulder. She saw Shad fluttering around her. "You know, you're insulting my abilities." She said with a little half smile.

She sped up her pace, for now she had a captive audience. Her feet went from rock to rock, Her hands from bush to rock. Finally she made it to the top, partually winded. She hung at the edge, almost there. The top was always the hardest part, she had to rely on her feet... or maybe there was a better way. "Um... Shad? Could you get up there and give me a hand?"

Shad was absolutly delighted to land and rest his poor wings, and use his arms to pull the girl over. She wasn't heavy, and he wasn't a weakling, though he looked like he could be one. He had no visible muscle, but there was hidden strength inside his limbs. He smiled after he got her safely over, and looked to the rapids. They were huge! They looked bone-crushing and very painful. He watched a log floating down, and about had a heart attack when he saw it was not just a log, and that it was a whole tree. He pointed to it slowly, as it went over, saying nothing. He blinked, and started walking along the bank, obviously making distance between him and the waters edge. He studied it excitedly, and looked to the trees surrounding the banks. All massive, huge, sturdy trees, and mostly oaks. He smiled at this, thinking how good a place this was for falcon. They were probally roosting round here somewhere. He eyed the skies, and narrowed in on every tree. He stopped suddenly, and realized he had almost forgotten Paris. He stood still, and looked back to her.

Paris was contemplating the tree, which was just at the edge of the waterfall at the moment. It went down in a giant splash, which would have soaked them if they were still down there. "Hum... Well that was lucky we could have gotten wet." She gave Shad a wink. "I wonder what pushed that tree over? The current's to strong for a beaver or any other tree eating mammal... Maybe a bear pushed it over..."

She look towards where the tree came from, she went close to the water's edge and peered down the side, trying to look down the corner the river made.

Shad shrugged. He hadn't been here for long, so he didn't have all the current storm feedback, and wasn't sure what might have caused it.

"Maybe it was too close to the bank of the river, and after years of wear from the water, it toppled in from the lack of support on that side... I have no idea, really. This is all speculation!"

He chuckled, and followed her gaze down the river, and all at once, disappeared under a cloud of dust. The small bird that resulted took off down the river, and looked for signs of uprooting, bases of trees, whatever. He darted around over the leaping rapids, and finally spotted the source. There was a logging truck and a few loggers standing around up here, cutting down a couple of trees. There was one jagged stump neat the water, which Shad figured had been where the tree that had just left down the river had come from. He turned back, and flew back to Paris. He landed, morphed, and grabbed her wrist.

"There are loggers up there. We gotta tell a park ranger or something. This IS a reserve, no? Even if it isn't, I don't like them cutting down those ancient trees..."

Paris shook her head. "No, that will take to long, they'll be gone with a lot of trees by the time the ranger got here. We're better off going now without the ranger, they're more then likely to run off if there are a few witnesses. If not, um... I think were safe enough to handle the aftermath."

She ran towards the spot Shad had flew in from the loggers. "Come on, we better hurry before more damage is done!"

Shad didn't know what she was thinking of, but he had an idea. He didn't bother putting on his cloak. A bird-boy might scare the crap out of them, but a werewolf would completely shock them out of their minds, and chances would be, they would run back to the rangers themselves, and tell them what they saw. By then, they would have to confess to their own crimes of logging in a reserve. Shad took off after Paris, keeping his wings pulled to his back, and streamlining his tail. He would be better equipt for fast movement that way. He was lagging behind her, his short legs and small lungs too weak to keep up. He took to his wings, and thundered up beside her, panting and slowly loosing strength. He landed, and jogged down to walking speed, and sank to his knees when they were very close.

"It is time... To catch... Our breath so that... If we are... Attacked... We have Strength... To defend ourselves."

Paris considered this, yes, they might get attacked. She hoped they were too cheap to afford chainsaws. She also noted that Shad didn't put his jacket back on. She decided it may be a good idea if she turned into her werewolf form also. "You're going to have to do all the talking from now on." She said as she prepared herself to transform. She slowly formed into a wolven shape. All the while she was thinking that, after this, she'd probably have to hunt and have a long nap.

The world became simpler, full of sounds and smells. A buzzing sound reached her ears, what was it called again? A chainsaw? Her mind usually became fuzzy when she was in this form. She was also more edgy, she wanted to go to the buzzing sound, but she knew she had to wait before she could go on. Wait for who again? Oh, yes the bird guy. She panted and whined and nudged his arm with her nose.

Shad petted the werewolf carefully, and stood up. He took one last deep breath for calming purposes and disappeared into the remaining bushes and trees. The inceacent whine of the chainsaw was the sound breaking the silnce of the forest. He stepped into the clearing, and waited till he felt Paris behind him. He thought up something, while looking to see the men. Seven. Seven old, grumpy, soon-to-be-in-jail-and-shocked-saneless men. He collected himself one last time, and screamed out.

"HEY, YOU STUPID UNNISH LOGGERS! YES, YOU, OVER THERE!"

Shad let his wings fully extend to both sides, making him look a bit more angelic than menacing due to the images of angels with wings like his in churches and on TV. A logger dropped his handsaw, and the rest had dropped their jaws.

"YES, YOU ALL WITH THE GAPING MOUTHS! GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE BEFORE I SEND MY WEREWOLF OUT TO DESTROY YOU!"

He let is wings close a little, and then flapped them powerfully, getting about three feet up in the air. This was a drama display, not an attempt to flee. He whispered down to Paris.

"Give 'em hell, Paris. Give 'em hell."

Shad's mini pheonix, L'arancia was here now. She had been stowed in his pocket for safe keepings, and he whispered to her to guards Paris. Her tears could heal the dead, if worse came to worse.

Paris waited patiently until Shad was in the air. Did he say something? Yes, a whisper, the command to go. The loggers were shocked, the whine of the chainsaws had stopped. Their eyes searched the bushes. How nice, she thought, they were waiting for her. She looked for the truck that they came in on, she planned to "cattle" them there. She raised her voice in a howl, the hunt was on.

She ran in the bushes in front of them, rattling them violently. While she did this five of the loggers ran back to the truck, while the other two were very much in shock. They didn't run, instead they turned their chainsaws back on while they backed up slowly towards the truck. Their five companions where yelling at them. Paris moved to the two men's side, and jumped. She seized the bottom of the chainsaw and the man's shoulder as she bit deeply into the man's elbow. He screamed.

His partner had droven up the gutts to attack Paris while she was busy. Careful not to hit the assulted logger, he slashed at Paris. Paris, seeing and feeling the other logger's motion, tried to jump out of the logger's way. The chainsaw cut her across the side of her ribs, just under her left arm. Paris wimpered and ran back into the bushes. The loggers took this que to start heading back to their truck.

L'arancia was a shell of Shad's. He didn't quite understand this, but it was good for everyone that he didn't. His mind was in control of L'arancia. The minute he took a sharp intake of breath and muttered an inappropriate word, L'arancia flew off his shoulder. He had subconciously thought, She's hurt! and this was enough to send the miniture pheonix off on an adverture to the limping, slashed werewolf. Shad was still sending her thoughts, but these were more silent encouragements. Good job, L'arancia. Heal Paris, L'arancia. Go on, L'arancia. The bird landed in the bushes near Paris and let it's tears well up. Healing tears. It cried itself into Paris's wound, and seemed to know that it stung a bit. But the tears kept flowing. They flowed till the wound had healed over. By that time, the orange bird had taken back to Shad.


Shad had watched L'arancia fly off, then took to making the loggers continue to leave. They had piled into the back of the truck, and inside it as well, but they didn't start it right away. They seemed to be waiting, and this ticked off Shad. He took off, higher into the air, and flew to the truck. The driver had, by this time, started it, and floored the engine. The truck rocked a bit, but spead off down the rocky hill. Shad kicked the bumper, and then flew back. L'arancia met him near the center of the new clearing, and Shad looked for Paris.