Yula, the Middle State

Yula is the middle state, surround by provinces and lands that at some times hate and some times love them they strive always for peace throughout all the lands of Eula.

Ellon was a hunter. Once you see him, it's pretty obvious. His hands were rough from so many shots with the bow. His clothes were dirty and fur. His hair was always tousled from branches grabbing at it, and long hard hours of chase. Even his stance gave hints to his profession. His slouching way of walking was like that of a cat who was talking a mouse. The whole village knew that if you needed food, fast, he was the one to go to. And such a request brings up out story.

Ellon's blue eyes spotted the deer quickly. It was a strong lean buck, young, but hardy. It raised head, alerted to the crackling sound that Ellon's boots made as they crushed dead maple leaves. For a moment, Ellon didn't breath, didn't move. The buck lowered it's head and drank from a small stream, one of many that ran through the small forest. Ellon let out a tiny breath and unsheathed his bow. He took out one arrow, and notched it against the silk bowstring. He drew a shallow breath and released the taut string. Twap! Whooooosh. The arrow sailed with a very nice arc. The buck was hit just to the right of it's spinal cord. Ellon moved swiftly to the fallen forest creature and ended it's pain quickly with a hunter's dagger. Ellon was alerted to Korder's presence by a few swift footsteps. Korder crouched by Ellon and they both said a quick "May he rest in peace" prayer.

After Ellon was done skinning the deer, he left the carcass out for wild animals; he knew that there was a local wolf pack around somewhere. Ellon moved over to the small creek and wet his face down, wiping all his sweat away. The slight trickle of the running water soothed Ellon, as it usually did. The serene sound put Ellon into a slight trance as he watched his reflection contort with the moving water.

The grass under her feet and the smell of the dew on the grass was what filled Seera's mind until she caught the smell of a fresh kill. She barks, alerting the others in her pack of the kill. They turn as one group, a pack led by it's alpha female, toward the scent of the kill.

Seera was in the form of a beautiful brown wolf, her muscles perfectly exercised for the sort of activities a wolf does on a daily basis. Her mind finely tuned for the job of Alpha.

"Ellon, we'd better get back to the village. The Musu's meat may get flies." Korder told Ellon. Ellon had never really paid attention to the cat's slight lispy dialect. Now that he thought of it, Kyth's cat also had one. Ellon shook off the urge to ask him if it was because he was a cat, or some other odd reason.

"Yeah, I know, Korder." The elf stood up and splashed some water on his face, clearing away some of the streaks of the muddy ground off of it. His face hadn't turned red yet, but he was sure that the walk back would be slightly difficult. It wasn't a long walk, but Ellon was already tired from the long chase of deer. Plus, he didn't sleep much the night before, he had a uneasy feeling. The kind you get right before an arrow plunges deep into the flesh and bone of your breast.

Suddenly Seera and her pack of wolves sprint and suddenly stop right in front of Ellon. Seera looks over at him with swirling silver eyes before howling.

Ellon had never seen anything like it before. Wolves had never done anything like this before. Sure, he'd seen them keep a distance when he was hunting some odd raccoon or owl, but never up close. He knew to not move suddenly.

"Korder, keep still." Ellon said as he reached slowly around to his back and pulled his bow out. Moving another hand silently he pulled a sparrow-feather arrow and attached it to the silk string. "Don't move, wolf, or I'll shoot this through your brain." He said, even though he knew that wolves didn't know how to talk. His body shook with fear as the wolf howled. "Korder. stay close." He told his the small mammal.

Seera stares at him before tipping her head to the side, the other wolves moving around him but continuing on. Seera stays and stares at him.

Ellon's eyes grew wide. He had never been in such a position. He frantically looked around for a way out of the situation. What would happen to him? To Korder? What would happen to his house? Would people look for him? Surely the girl he was courting would.

"You want the deer? Go ahead." He knew that if she turned her back on him, he'd shoot her right in between the eyes. "I dare you." he said out of spite.
"Ellon, I don't think they understand you, even if they did, they'd be pretty angry with you for how you're speaking to them." Korder said, his voice was like a stream in a desert to Ellon.

Seera smiles, her smile seeming oddly malicious. "Indeed. I am slightly insulted. Luckily the others do not understand you. yes we want the deer. You are intriguing but not on our diet," she growls, voice raspy.

"Ughhahhhh?" Ellon screamed at hearing the wolf. His hands became shaky as he let loose his arrow. Due to the shaking, however, it was way off target and embedded itself within a maple tree. "Oh no." Ellon braced himself by holding his bow slant-ways between himself and the talking wolf. "Who. . .What. . .are you?" Ellon said between gasping breaths.
Korder took up a stance beside Ellon and let his tail wrap around Ellon's clothed leg. He didn't talk, hiss or purr. Not a comforting sign for Ellon, to say the least.

Seera smiles and shifts, her brown fur become brown leather clothing. "I'm a wolf shapeshifter, the alpha of this wolf tribe. I apologize for scaring you."

Ellon's eyes popped out of his head, not literally, of course. His face broke out in a cold sweat as he dropped to his knees and scrambled behind for a second. He felt as if someone had punched him in his stomach, causing him to feel as if he were about to spit up his bile. "What the. . .?" He had heard off hand stories about shape-shifters from his father, who had insisted that they were just that. . .stories.

"I'm ah, uh, sha. . hunt. . .hunter." He said, wiping his eyes, as if this whole forest was an illusion. He groped around behind himself for his cat. Korder was tensed up, sensibly. "What. . . why. . .huh?" He mumbled and gasped as he stood up, Korder and and the bow in his arms.

"I'm sorry..." Seera murmurs, eyes wide. The other wolves approach slowly and nuzzle his legs. "Just calm down please..."

"I'll be. . . fine. . .I think." Ellon murmured, slightly disoriented. He was used to wolves hassling him or slipping in and out of shadows. Now, wolves were actually. . .nuzzling him. "So. . .wolf. . .shift?" He tried to ask a comprehensible sentence, but failed due to shock. The stories were at least semi-true! What his father would have done. . .What would have his father done? He would probably talked to the shape shifter and charmed her with his sly tongue.

"I think what my friend is trying to say is, you're a shape shifter?" Korder said unfazed. His muscles were still tensed up and tight, but he was trying to keep calm. Korder knew if he freaked out, so would Ellon, and Ellon freaking out would probably equal some spontaneous bow shot which would leave them draining of blood.

"I am a shape-shifter, yes. But none of the other wolves in the pack are. They are all normal wolves but they are my family."

"I'm elven. Most of my village is human." Ellon said with a nervous smile. His back tensed up and released in a few seconds. "Ellon. My name is Ellon." He said, wondering if this shape-shifting thing was like a Kappa. He didn't have any cucumbers with him, nor would he be able to, considering that he might get eaten. "This is Kode. I mean, Korder." He breathed deeply. Why was he so worried? She said they wouldn't eat him. Why shouldn't he be worried? A pack of wolves were right at his feet, literally!

Seera smiles, "Nice to meet you both," she says before whistling. The wolves move over to her and she nudges their noses. Suddenly they all turn and disappear into the forest.

"How. . .did you do that?" He asked uncertainly. His blue eyes flickered to where she was, where the wolves went and the direction of his village. "Have you always lived here?" He blurted out. Surely, there would have been rumors at least, or possibly sightings of a girl running around with wolves. It wasn't a big forest, after all.

"Yes. But this is the first time I've been in human form for... at least twenty years," she murmurs, tipping her head. "And I just signaled them that they should go hunt in others areas and to stay away from the village as ever."

Twenty years, that's why no sightings or rumors were flying around. "Twenty years is a long time." Why would she transform in front of him? Why not in the seclusion of nightfall? What would he say when his friends asked how the day went. Yeah, went pretty well. Got a deer, filled that request, met a shape-shifter. Why are you all looking at me weird? It was Yula, for gosh sakes! Nothing ever happened in Yula. "Why did you come out of wolfiness today?"

"Because you were freaking out. I only stopped cause you interested me." Seera chuckles, looking at him with her head tipped to the side.

"I'm not that interesting. Hunter from a small village." Ellon laughed nervously. Besides, who wouldn't freak out? For all he knew, the wolves were like a seductress. First, they lure you into bed, then they steal your clothes and gold. Well, the wolves wouldn't do that, but metaphorically it could happen.

Seera chuckles and steps back, "I suppose I should go and join my pack."

"I should get this meat back to the village. Don't want it to uh, spoil or anything." Ellon said nervously as he sheathed his bow onto his back. Korder leaped out of his grasp in a quick graceful arc and landed on all fours. "Seea later, Shifter." Korder said with a flick of his tail. Just like that, Korder ran off into the under brush.

"I'd better make sure nothing happens to him." Ellon explained as he backed into the bushes where Korder had previously ran into. "Uh, goodbye." Ellon said as he turned on his heels and walked briskly away.

Seera watched him disappear before disappearing into the forest, shifting into a wolf mid-air.