Moonlit Meeting

Isobel walked through the forest on four paws, as a cat*. The type people paid lots of money for, her silk puffy fur that covered her shoulders and the rest of her was invisible in the undergrowth in the night. Her eyes shone like headlamps, glowing like fireflies.

She stretched lazily and rested on a branch, if anyone passed she could just drop on their head to surprise them although she doubted anyone would be out at this time. Her more mischievous side was evermore present recently, but more so when she was around people. She had been socializing with a lot of people recently.

She jumped from one tree to another, the only thing seen was her moonlit outline as she was in the air.

To play a few pranks would do her some good, she morphed back and let out a single piercing scream, and went back to a cat. The cry was no longer than a second and a half maybe...In all likely hood nobody is even here She thought as she scampered off, tail Trailing behind her to watch from a safe distance if anyone would take bait.

* http://lh4.ggpht.com/mjbmeister/SAGmPnD8VxI/AAAAAAAADpw/RTIwfWm_1D8/black-persian-cat-chrys-campos.jpg

Husk's body was sleeping soundly and, hopefully, safely back at his house in Woodenway. He wasn't entirely comfortable going into the woods yet, especially not at night. The forest was already dark enough during the day time, nevermind the night. However, he'd made a habit of exploring the terrain in his astral body. His inborn sense of where his physical body was ensured that he'd never get lost. The monotony of the forest seemed to be something he'd never grow confident with, but he had plenty of time to learn. It was also a good way of occupying his mind, something Husk constantly needed to do in order to shake of thoughts of the lab.

Husk was immediately drawn to attention at the sound of the scream. He hadn't expected there to be people out in a forest this dense, not in the middle of the night. For a moment, Husk considered ignoring the sound. It was none of his business. But he was in his astral form. He couldn't be hurt like this. In fact...

Husk dissipated into the invisible plane, the world around him taking on a light, blueish hue. Now he couldn't even be seen. He had nothing to worry about. However, this ability was not always effective. Certain creatures could still view him in this form. Cats were among the most common with this ability.

He followed the sound, moving much faster than a human on foot could and simply phasing through any trees that were in his path. He reached the general area where the scream had come from in a matter of minutes, seeming to simply materialize out of the base of a large oak tree.

Husk examined the general area, looking around and him for anything that could have been the source of the scream. He looked everywhere except for the branches of the tree he'd just come through. The branches right about him.

Isobel was in the branches above the person that had come through to help the damsel. She jumped down to a lower branch and tilted her head in curiosity at the blue mist surrounding the person. She was unsure what it did so she didn't jump to surprise him.

She curled her tail around the branch as he searched the place, shutting her eyes apart from a crack so she wouldn't be given away by the golden glow.

Jumping right down to ground level she tried to dash up his trouser leg aiming to be on his shoulder, quickly realizing he had no solid form by traveling right through him. After picking herself up she pawed curiously, confused as to why her paw went through his leg. She looked up with her glow in the dark eyes and let out out a loud meow. Giving him a content look, after all her goal was achieved for now with this man by even dragging him out here uselessly.

She would get no further mayhen with someone with no body, but she did want to meet him.

If it weren't for the cat's eyes, Husk likely wouldn't have been able to make out its form in the dark forest. However, once he saw it, he smiled down at it. Cats he liked, it was dogs that freaked him out. Cats were just... quieter, nevermind that they could still see his astral body when a dog couldn't. This wasn't something he'd complain about though. A dog would freak out at the sight of his astral body. Cats were usually calmer.

Husk lowered himself a bit, crossing his legs and hovering just over the ground. If it weren't for the fact that the grass stayed undisturbed and stuck up into his legs, it would have appeared as though he were actually sitting on the ground. He held a hand out to the cat for no particular reason since no real contact could be established.

"What are you doing out here?" The question was asked under his breath, more to himself than to the cat. It was a nice cat, not like a stray. It must have an owner... Maybe the person who'd screamed. Husk continued to look around the area for this person, but could see no one.

In any good ruse, belief had to be there and she was done joking but she wanted to continue this cat facade. She purred contently at him. Figure out what type of person he was before she met him in real life. Maybe the smug grin had gone over his head? A cat's expressions were limited at best when trying to convey expressions...

She got on her hind paws and tried to touch his hand playfully, but felt nothing on her head and ended going through it. after a few tries she got it right and her head was almost and just touching. She meowed again, staring up with eyes that weren't actually slitted like a cat's should be.

What was she doing out here? Oh nothing, just luring people out and...What now? a few years ago she would've just disappeared and left them in the woods to whatever was around but now she felt like socializing however she could, as a cat. She meowed again, stretching.

Husk's attention was brought back to the cat as it began trying to play with his hand and he gave a light laugh. He "brushed" his hand over the feline's as though he were petting it, the action was a bit shaky though. It was becoming increasingly obvious that he wasn't actually sitting on the ground. Staying completely still in this body was like trying to hold your hold you hand completely still in the air. There was barely noticeable, nervous movements that made it impossible, uncomfortable, even.

"Wish I could actually pet you." This time his voice was a bit louder as he was actually speaking to the cat and not to himself. However, the remnants of his smile began to fade as he noticed the cat's eyes. His own eyebrows furrowed in a mixed expression of curiosity and confusion.

She mewed in agreement, she wanted to be petted...It was like having a massage but the massage person not running because of shock or surprise because of her skin tone/claws/eyes/teeth/tail. She had been naive enough in the past to try to claim it was a medical condition.

The cat her tail to and fro while tilting her head at his expression. She had been slightly tempted to answer him with a me too to scare the living daylight out of him but it looked like he had figured it himself.

She twitched her ear and stared up at him intently, waiting for the penny to drop.

The cat's eyes weren't normal. It had human pupils. As for the penny dropping, it was more like Husk's heart that had dropped. It wasn't natural. Human pupils on a cat. It was the kind of thing you saw...

Husk quickly turned away from away the cat as the memories threatened to resurface. He lifted himself off the ground and pulled himself away from whatever that creature actually was. He rubbed one arm with the opposite hand, trying to get some warmth to circulate into the limb but it didn't work. He'd left the window open at home. There was a breeze coming in through it now.

Husk struggled to find some strand of thought that could district him for just this moment. He wanted to be solid, just to be able to punch something right now. Or since he couldn't have that, he wanted to be able to move to some other plane, where not even the cat would be able to see him. For a second, he concentrated on an old friend of his, Jonathan, but his red-pupiled eyes, which were almost bionic in appearance, didn't do much to help his nerves.

Her tailed flicked unevenly as the man turned away, had she offended him? The cat walked closer. "Sir, are you alright?" She asked quietly, almost to quiet to hear. "Have I done something to offend you?" Isobel asked, afraid of what he'd do.

If he were a witch and what would he do? She shrunk and curled her tail around herself to seem smaller than she were and trembled slightly. Was he a witch, some type of magic had to be in play with the blue fog...Oh no no no no! what have I provoked?

She shut her eyes but all that brought was images of her friend that had lost limbs, ears, tails because they had been caught, so she kept them open. Witches and holy people were smarter nowadays, and could trap phookas in sacred circle rituals. One touch or swipe while reciting* and it was scarring.

The cat tensed up, ready to bolt if there would be any retribution for....Nothing. Sometimes nothing is all that is needed, A reminder from a tailless friend.

*I think religious symbols and belief would be a weakness (Considering she was expelled and bound to a human form by it)

Husk looked back at the cat quickly when it spoke. "You talk?" Husk remembered that dog's bright blue eyes. Daniel's bright blue eyes. They stayed the same whether he was a dog or a man. "You're a citizen here?"

Husk lowered himself, crossing his legs again, but he didn't even bother trying to appear as if he were sitting on the ground. It wouldn't work now anyway. He shook his head. "You were the on who screamed?"

Isobel jumped back, anticipating an attack but was only confronted by a question. She furrowed her eyebrows, as he fired questions at her. A trained professional in the field would've spotted a phooka straight away, and acted quickly to get rid of it. This person was either terrible at his job or wasn't going to attack her. She was very glad for that.

"One question at a time, Yes I talk, Yes I'm a citizen, Yes, I screamed but-" She explained "Old habits die hard, It was a joke to see who would come running out in their pajamas in the middle of the night" She explained shamelessly, like it was something completely normal to do.

The cat shifted in less than a second to a blue human in a cream dress, and a pink ribbon in her tail. Sitting with her legs to one side. She glanced around, where did he go?

Husk looked over the woman, having forgotten that he couldn't be seen by her right now. She was very.. purple. He preferred this form over the human-eyed cat though.

Husk laughed a bit as she explained the prank. The sound would still audible to the woman even if she couldn't see him. "I guess I was that sap?" He didn't particularly mind the trick. It actually sounded like something he would do.

Husk looked around the area as well, wondering what it was the woman was looking for. Then he realized the purple tinge was still there. Within a matter of seconds, he moved back into the visible spectrum. Now he could see her skin tone for what it actually was. Blue, not purple. He gave a light shrug. "Sorry. I forgot."

"Yes, you were." She smiled and nodded slightly assuming that since she could hear him that he could hear her. Isobel was glad he hadn't taken any offence "Do you live in the area, or do you live in another area and stalk the woods for at every night for fun?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

She furrowed her browns at how weird that sounded when it was out of her head, She looked like was stalking the woods at night for fun. "I don't stalk the woods for fun if that's what it's looking like"

After he reappeared she laughed also "No need to be sorry, It's okay" Isobel didn't actually know what he was sorry for.

Her tail curled around behind her and stayed there, hopefully before he noticed. Nothing spoiled a first impression like a tail...or blue skin. Nevermind she thought, for someone floating in a blue glow he can't be too judge mental, still keeping out of his view. She always felt people were staring at it when it was in clear view.

"I live in the district right off the forest." Husk pointed in the direction his body was in, this being the only way he knew which way the district was at this point. "But I'm a hunter too, so I'm in the woods a lot. I haven't come out here in my real body yet though." Which one was the "real" body anyway?

Husk had noticed her tail, but he didn't expressly look at it or go out of his way to point it out. She seemed self-conscious about it. He could understand that. Now that his nerves had calmed down, he made more of a concentrated effort to appear as if he were actually sitting on the grass. "Can you only turn into a cat?"

Nodding as he pointed she looked in the direction, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to see the house from the spot in the wood they were. "I'm a store owner, Just got here." She told him, If they got into a first name basis then he would be able to connect her name to her store in the market place.

A real body? So he could go around unseen like a ghost? She missed that sorely, but being in a physical form did have it's perks she supposed. If she didn't have a body then she could see both planes, but anything could be lurking around and she wouldn't be able to see it.

"Well the process to get the forms...is gruesome. So I only have 5." She counted them up on her left hand as she said them aloud "A cat, a bull, a black eagle, a scruffy dog and a vulture" One graceful, one powerful, one quick, one inconspicuous, one that..was funner than the rest "Although I keep the golden eyes and curly hair so it's not convincing" She explained.

"So how do you get out of your body into this form?" She asked, a question for a question seemed fair.

He was trying to remain as still as possible. Slight movements had a tendency run through his entire body in this form and destroy any natural position he may be in. He was getting cold again though, and that made it harder to stay concentrated. Why hadn't he closed the stupid window before he left?

Cats were able to see him, bulls were strong, vultures and eagles could fly, and dogs.. He hated dogs. Though, somehow, the word "scruffy" made it less so. She seemed to have it all though. "Yeah the eyes kind of freaked me out." He said with a bit of a laugh.

Husk shrugged at the simple answer to her question. "I go to sleep." Not really. He never slept. Only his physical body ever actually rested. There was no rest for his mind.

"Then I will have to remember to stare at you whenever I see you" She said, staring intently for a second before breaking off incase he was thinking of anything else that freaked him out. She assumed that that meant it was unnerving or scary, probably more unnerving than anything else Isobel thought.

She was actually doing well tonight by not picking anything up, maybe because he wasn't in a physical form. Maybe because the power is controllable...Don't kid yourself, darling.. Something in her head said, snuffing out any hope she had.

Shifting where she sat, she let herself relax a bit. "although I'm slightly disappointed" she gesture to him in an up and down fashion "Where are your pajamas and urgent expression?" She pouted. She let it stay there for a few seconds before it slipped into a laugh, tonight was just full of surprises.

Husk didn't smile at Isobel's joke of a promise. He didn't have a problem with her eyes now. The gold coloring was a bit strange, but at least it wasn't abnormal to her species.. or he didn't think it was anyway. But then, what did he know about her species, anyway?

The idea of those golden, human eyes on a cat, staring at him genuinely disturbed him though. At that instant, another draft passed through his window, making Husk shudder at the cold air he felt. He instinctively reach a hand to hold the opposite arm where he felt the most cold, though he knew it wouldn't do anything.

Husk gave something of a hollow laugh at the both movements, then tried to pass it off as having been directed to her mock disappointment. "Well if I'm going to be going out like this I can't very well do it in my pajamas." It would be a lot more comfortable, but what would people think if they saw a ghostly boy floating around in his pajamas?