#wolf!kate

The dragon-shifter just shrugged as he flipped through the pages of a book. “Not really.” Then his brows furrowed as a thought occured to him. “Actually, I miss Echo and her being around.” Then he went back tot he book. “But I understand she has to be on the surface. And we can always go visit.”

Kate was lying on the ground with her head on her paws. “I miss my pack,” she said simply with a sigh. “They live on the surface, and I haven’t seen them in moons…”

Both siblings were dozing in their animal forms when they were suddenly covered head to foot in glitter.

Lian startled awake to realize this when he looked at his talons. He attempted to burn off the assaulting sparkles with his body heat, thinking they were strips of shiny paper….. Only to realize too late that they were plastic and melted them all to his scales. Now he was a ridiculously glittery gold with scattered patches of black showing underneath.

“Hell dammit!” He barked in frustration and embarrassment as he slammed his fists into the floor.

Kate on the other hand didn’t even try to shake them off. When she noticed the glitter she rose to her paws and trotted in a circle in attempt to get a look at herself. Then she chuckled with a wide smile, “HA! Now I match Tamatoa!” she laughed in good humor.

The wolf was knocked over by the raccoon, her eyes widened in surprise as she was caught off guard. But her expression quickly turned into a smile as she realized who it was. “ROCCO!” she barked happily, wagging her tail and angling her ears back in excitement.

 Startled by the sudden appearance, Kate about scrambled back though she was lying on the ground in her wolf form. Her ears were twisted backwards in confusion.

Though, after a moment to process the newcomer’s words, she tilted her head far to the side. “Oh,” she said with a curious gaze. “Um….” At hearing the Nomad was an acquaintance of Tama’s, her tail wagged a bit and she grinned. “I’m Kate, one of Tamatoa’s royal guards and a friend of his. It’s nice to meet you too.”

This part of Lalotai seemed quieter than usual, save for the few collective chirps of small monsters ranging anywhere from lizards to birds.

A fair distance from the Grove, within the mixture of trees, coral, and brush, the wolf was moving through heavy shadows. She made no sound with her steady and calculated pawsteps, and she kept her head below the line of view.

While out hunting she became distracted, and came across a monster crab who looked much like Tamatoa but with obvious differences such as color and sheer size. This one appeared to only be about ten feet tall, which almost struck her as ridiculous in comparison.

Had she seen him before? She really didn’t remember at the moment. But she wasn’t about to blow her cover to find out. It was always wiser to be cautious, and she was doing her best to keep her distance and avoid detection as she inspected.

Kate tilted her head at the wolf cub that was placed in front of her and wandering about excitedly. She was unsure of what to think really.

“Goodness…”

When the pup trotted in front of the older wolf she reached forward and put a paw over its shoulders to stop it in place. It simply rolled to the ground and gave a playful yip in response.

After recovering from her surprise, Kate gave the cub a loving smile and nuzzled its head. “Well, aren’t you a sweetheart,” she said with a smile while she wagged her tail.

In the gray silence of the morning, a trio despondently walked into the Grove. Both Lian and Kate were in their animal forms, the wolf in the lead and the dragon slightly trailing behind the spirit creature.

The shapeshifter siblings wore flat, somber expressions as they approached. As for their guardian Thorn, his eye sockets that were usually lit with the small yellow lights, were dark and hollow. It was anyone’s guess what was on his mind.

Kate was the first to speak as they came closer to the gathering around the human’s grave. Though it wasn’t obvious at first glance, her eyes were dull and full of sorrow. She stepped closer to the snake Konani with Thorn and Lian close behind. None of them had met any of those who lived with Brian, but she remembered seeing them back in Tamatoa’s cave... Only a few days ago during his birthday...

Their expressions didn’t show it, but she and her brother were twisting with grief inside. “I’m so sorry...” Kate said quietly, but sincerely, her ears angled down. “I wish...there was something we could have done...”

Kate: *tilts her head, wagging her tail a bit* I hadn’t thought about it that way. *smiles* But that does sound fitting.