Fantasy Changelings

[haleighlujah]

Light spilled out of the sun and fell on the dog's closed eyes. They twitched and shrugged open, and he tossed his head lazily away from the light's reach, a shady spot cast by the undergrowth and bramble. Though he tried to persist in sleep, the light surrounded him and grew intensely, and there was no shaking it off. Unable to put it off any longer, Manny's mouth yawned open and he arched his back up. He reached forward along the ground, stood upright, held his head high and observed the gulley. He had spent the night here, settling on the soft dry mud which had warmth from the previous day's sun. The air was full with the songs of birds and the wind that combed the forest. Many dry gullies such as this carved the foothills of Black Pine Mountain, filled with snow run-off in mid summer, turning to muddy streams in the winter. Manny raised his eyes to the sky and scanned it. It was pale blue, and absent of clouds. A dead maple reached upward into the unending blueness, and his attention drifted down the branches and along the rest of the treeline. He wasn't sure what he expected to see in them, he was only guessing. 'Maybe she's just taking a look around. Maybe she went to look for breakfast.' He wasn't unaccustomed to this, waking up and searching for Raven. She often disappeared into the sky, always returning shortly after. Manny was happy for it. There was a comfort in knowing she always came back.
Shaking his body, tail held high, he hopped from stone to ledge and crawled out of the great ravine. He wasn't moving in any particular direction, although he thought maybe he'd start sniffing for something to eat. He poked his nose to the ground and followed it under dense bramble, through tall grass and over loose stones. He had caught a sour, salty scent, and it had brought him to the fork of the creek. A large white heron tilted across the creek, it's long beak splashing into the rushing water, rooting up with salmon. The warm wind blew and the scent became stronger. 'Salmon sounds good!' he thought, then started walking along the stony shore, watching the water for any weak fish. He approached the edge and dipped a brown paw into the creek; he pulled it out immediately. 'Yikes, that bites! It's freezing. I don't think I want to go in there...' He watched the dark depths of the creek. Suddenly, ripples began to course just a tail's length ahead of him - under the bright reflection of sun, the thrashing tail of a salmon struggling over the shallow bed could be made out.
Excited, but determined, Manny crouched low, tucking his paws under his furry body. Suddenly, he lunged forward, seizing the spine of the fish in his teeth. It flailed, spraying drops onto Manny's face, and he stumbled heavily as he crossed the water back to the shore.

 

[rainywrites]

yeah, raven knew it was ironic that she was an early bird. but what could she say? she liked worms. even before all this had happened, she'd woke early every morning. it had gotten to a point where her wolf-transforming 'sister', Meadow, had gotten so tired of being woken up that she'd just given Raven blanket permission to use those dawn time hours to play or find food or do whatever she liked, so long as she came back around the time meadow woke up. which was about the time that Manny usually woke up too. maybe it was a dog thing. she didn't know. all Raven knew was that while she'd never explicitly received the order or permission, they'd reached an understanding that it was okay for her to go in the mornings, wordlessly. which was good, seeing as after the reserve had been attacked, she'd had more frequent nightmares that meant that it was usually a pretty good idea to stretch her legs, or wings, or both, in the morning. it let her scout the area, which was always what she claimed to be doing, and sometimes find breakfast. she didn't eat much in bird form, but she liked all sorts of things.

today she'd found a mighty delicious termite den, and that would need to be enough for the moment. she liked termites well enough, anyway. and they were high in protein, the type of bug that would keep her full. she liked anything that kept her full.

eventually, she returned to their nesting ground for the night, soaring a few circles around Manny before she landed. she knew, after spending a few days with him, that he liked knowing where she was before she landed. sneaking up on him usually ended up with her scaring him and him nearly lashing out and hurting her on instinct. they were both scared. she called once, a loud caw, before landing and shifting back to her human form. "morning, Manny." she smiled at him, trying to be lighthearted. they were both hurting, but mornings were happy. "finally wake up, sleepyhead?" she was teasing, and a grin grew on her face. she looked at the fish with respect. "nice catch. I was going to tell you there's a nice river... but..." it would appear he'd found it.

 

[haleighlujah]

The small black shadow swirled before him, growing larger until Raven materialized above it. His tail stiffened at first, then wagged lightly.

"Mornin'," He dropped his fish on the sand, "Stand back just a sec." Manny trotted a good distance away and shook water off his heavy coat. Then he returned and began hungrily scarfing his meal. " 'Ant sum?" He offered between wolfish gulps. " 'id 'ou see anythin?" The fish was as delicious as it smelled, but even a full continental breakfast wouldn't be able to suppress the background fear he was well acquainted with. He jumped at any snapping twig or falling leaf, barked at shadows, watched the horizon constantly, almost in a daze. Danger was always at their heels. The creek gurgled behind him, interrupted by the splashing herons. The daytime animals were becoming awake, ready to start doing what they do.

'Wish we could stay...' He thought. This forest was beautiful, and full of bounty. However, it was too close to the reservation, too risky to begin their lives again in this place.

 

[rainywrites]

"I'm okay. there were these little bugs? hundreds of em. got a really nice breakfast outta em. best part of being a bird, even if people see you they still know that ravens are really smart. so... nothing to worry about." she was able to use tools without raising suspicion, which was wildly helpful in emptying out a termite's den, especially when she was hungry and scared of humans at every turn. she wanted to go back home more than anything. wanted to see her family, hug meadow and pearch on her little nest she'd made when she was big enough (barely) to carry sticks in her beak.

but she couldn't. she'd heard the guns and screams just as loud and clear as Manny had. so she didn't suggest it. because chances were there wasn't much of a home to go back to.

"no humans." the word was said with a certain distate. both changelings knew exactly how horrendous humans were. "i saw the river. i think it's the same one from the edge of the res." she didn't know, though. not for certain. "woods on most sides, a small settlement east, mountains west. the sun is rising and the day is here. time to pick a direction."

 

[haleighlujah]

The lack of human activity put Manny at ease. He gulped the rest of the fish and reviewed their options. "You're right, it's time to move. We should lay low and not draw attention, maybe we should head for the mountains. If they're tracking us, they'd have difficulty following in the rugged terrain." It would at the very least give them some time to slip away if they were still being searched for...and he did not want to take that chance, not even think about what would happen. What was beyond the mountains, anyway? What if there was nothing for them but more danger?
They could pass a settlement, but it would be difficult to travel together. Maybe if they laid low, or acted more animalistic? A dog and a raven acting as companions would be obvious to anyone who felt more than a little suspicious. However, if they made it past...
"I don't know what's over the mountains, and I don't like the idea, but if we got past the settlement to the east we could head to the central states. I heard a community is located there...people like us."

 

[rainywrites]

"but we'll have difficulty keeping eyes on each other." her more than him. she flew, scouted ahead, doubled back, and led the way. but mountain terrain being rugged as it was couldn't be seen from the sky. or, what she saw from the sky might not be good. better to be in a more predictable landscape. or one she could see from the sky. "I'm your eyes, and i need to be good ones." it was a fact of life and she knew they were both thinking it.

so when he suggested to go east, she nodded. "smart smart. you've got my bandanna?" she wanted to know where it was at all times, desparately. she really wanted it. really. but she was well aware it was far safer for a dog to have one instead of a bird. "we'll get through it, together." as long as he stayed with her, and she stayed sharp, it would be okay. "those humans are dumb as dirt."

 

[haleighlujah]

Manny felt relief mingled with anxiety; planning a trip was one thing, actually executing it was another task entirely. He'd never travelled very long distances, at least none he didn't know like the tip of his snout - he'd spent his entire life on the reservation. He tried to reassure himself. Raven was an excellent scout; she had the eyesight of hawk, and could rival them in flight, not to mention she lived up to her name in cleverness. Manny wasn't unintelligent, but his strong sense of smell was his best bet for survival, and his vision was best used for catching movement, and not detail. Fortunately for him, he was quite a large dog, and most people would think twice about messing with him.

"Don't worry, I stashed it somewhere safe." Licking his jaws clean of fish, the big dog rose and walked to a sandy spot between the creek and the treeline. A large gnarl of bone-white driftwood (once the stump of a long-dead tree) met with an even thicker tangle of huckleberry leaves. He poked his head behind the huckleberry, under the driftwood and when he lifted it, a loop of bright blue cloth was held gently in his jaws. He returned to Raven, and at a closer look, one could see it had a pattern of little blackbirds in flight over it. "Think you can use your superior beak manipulating powers to help me out?" He joked, letting the bandana dangle from his snout. A whoosh of wind brushed past them; the heron was moving on, flying high over the trees. A river otter that had been swimming in the current emerged much farther down, shaking his fur and enjoying the bounty of fish, wary of the dog nearby.