Luck is on your side tonight

[Lucky]

Seated primly on top of a flat rock, Lucky looked like the very picture of beauty, with his long, neatly groomed white fur rippling gently in a soft wind. That image was shortly shattered when his ear itched and he lifted a hind leg to scratch it viciously. The bell on his collar tinkled softly with the sudden motion, but stilled when the itch subsided.

He was waiting here for a friend--a special friend, as he had told his brother Jinx. A pretty friend, that orange tabby who showed up one day out of the blue. Lucky wasn't sure if he was a shifter or a real cat, but he liked the way that his friend looked up to him, and seemed willing to do everything that he dictated. And since Lucky was the bossiest cat around--certainly in his own household--he demanded a certain level of obedience.

As he waited, Lucky glanced around. He thought wistfully of the human friend that he had made here, the one who used to come and pet him and feed him tidbits of treats. Where had that human gone? He seemed nice. Lucky might even have tried to meet him as a fellow human--or in human guise, anyway--given enough time together. Naturally, he had to make sure that the human was safe before revealing himself.

That human didn't come today, though. His new friend did instead, trotting up in the distance, and Lucky merely blinked slowly. He could only make out the vague shape of a cat in the thick fog, but he knew straight away who it was. His tail twitched. He meowed in friendly greeting as his tabby friend approached and deigned to leap down from the rock, sauntering over to give him an affectionate nuzzle.

[Rholy]

A creepy fog had taken over the whole town and Hunter didn't feel safe at all, he made his way to Lucky, he felt safe with him he was the only shifter he knew that lived as a cat, not a human. He could sense Lucky when they first met, he was human when he met Lucky, such a friendly cat, and beautiful. Hunted even joined him on some adventures around town.

But today Hunter was on the run he was not visiting Lucky to play and lounge around. He needed to stay under the radar. He could see his silhouette of Lucky in the distance. "Meooww~" He greeted him back. He lowered his head as he was nuzzled he couldn't help himself he began to purr. He ran his head down Lucky's side his tail whipped softly across Lucky's face.

The greeting was a pleasant one, it almost had him forget he was being hunted. "Did you miss me?" He meowed out with a crack as he purred.

He hadn't thought any of this through, he just knew he was going to stay a cat as long as he could. His grandparents and mother where human his father is the one that passed along the shifter blood so he was running from them too they had no idea he was a shifter. He was too scared to tell them, he felt like he was on his own. Lucky made this life look so easy.

[Lucky]

"Maybe," Lucky replied coyly, with a swish of the tail. His ears twitched; he thought that he heard something like a soft footstep but when he turned his head to look, nothing was there--nothing except the fog.

But it was true that he missed his pretty new friend, although he would never outright admit to it. Lucky was definitely cat-like in that regard; he skirted around all the lines, too fickle to commit to any one thing.

"Where did you go?" His new friend had been gone for a little while, although invariably he came back. Lucky sat down primly, tail curling around his paws. His ears twitched again. Was that another footstep? Or was he just hearing things because he was (truthfully) a little spooked by the fog?

[Rholy]

Lucky's tail was like a ribbon the way it moved, it caught Hunter's eye. It was weird the way he felt when he admired Lucky. Like, he was very handsome and that was weird for Hunter to think a cat is handsome. He was also new to this cat things so everything that moved stole his attention. He himself didn;t hear anything he was to focused on Lucky.

"I had some stuff to deal with," He sat down in front of Lucky and wrapped his tail around the front of his paws, blinking slowly he watched Lucky's ears twitch and tilled his head.

Licking his nose before he spoke a little nervous. "I have no home and I have never been on my own before I was wondering if I could stay with you for a little." He looked away in the surrounding fog his tail twitched an uneasy feeling crept up. "Just till I find a new home?" He blinked again and looked to Lucky with his big eyes; as if they would convince him to say yes.

This was out of the blue and it's not like Lucky owed him anything he really had no reason to help him out he was just really hoping he would otherwise he was on his own and being on his own was proving very hard.

[Lucky]

Hmmm. Too busy to visit Lucky?

He would have feigned indignation had his new friend not continued. Lucky's tail flicked a little, up and down, as he digested the information. Stay with him? For a little while? There were already four other cats living in the same home with him--but of course, Lucky was Top Cat. Ezra probably wouldn't mind. Even if he did, Lucky imagined that he could persuade Ezra into letting his new friend stay.

Look at him. He was so pretty.

"Okay," Lucky said simply, but with the air of a King granting a favor. "But... are you a cat? Or a shifter?"

[Rholy]

"Really?" His eyes lit up and stood on all fours excited at the news. He really didn't want to be out in the fog alone during the day or night. Well, he didn't want to be alone at all. He was being hunted and had no one to turn to for help, Lucky was a long shot.

His tail whipped side to side, "Well, I guess I am both?" He joked, "Why do you ask? Is it not okay?" He looked around still feeling uneasy. He thought that Lucky knew he was a shifter this whole time. But Hunter really didn't know anything about being a shifter, like he had no history of his family he didn't even know who his father was. All he knew about shifting was from his personal experiences.

"Your a shifter right? But you stay as a cat rather than human form. I kinda have to do that. I am no longer safe out there." He looked over his shoulder. "A hunter found me and where I lived, I ran away my grandparents are human and I wanted to keep them out of it." He loved them but felt they wouldn't understand he left them without telling them. He thought it was for the best they were safer with him not being there.

This was all very heavy he was unsure if the offer would still stand with this information.

[Lucky]

Hmmm a shifter... Lucky thought that he felt something different about this one. He didn't really know for sure, though. Still, it was nice to find out that he was a shifter instead of an ordinary cat. In Lucky's not-so-humble opinion, shifters were far more superior than regular old cats.

"It's okay," he said simply, not giving anything away. Lucky played it cool, of course--always. He blinked, however, at the mention of hunters and then let out a soft snort of amusement. "Ezra is a hunter..."

But clever Lucky, he stole in right under Ezra's nose and Ezra didn't suspect a single thing. A smug expression crossed his face--if a cat could look smug. "It's okay. Ezra will protect us, if we stay as cats."

[Rholy]

Wow, Lucky was freaking smart and a bit of an ass for doing that. He was unsure how he felt about living with a hunter, what if this guy knew the one that was after him. What if he happened to shift back while he is sleeping at Ezra's feet wakes up to Hunter not a cat? Hunter had never tested how long he could stay shifted so this could be bad.

Bashfully he looked away, "I haven't stayed like this for more than two days," his ears lowered, "I am new to this, I'm a hybrid I couldn't shift until after my 16th birthday. I work up as a cat, so yeah, I am new I am only 17." Hunter stood up and did a little circle.

"I thought I was alone till I met you. I never ran into another cat shifter until you." His tail wagged 

"I guess what I am saying is I don't have control over this yet." Hunter felt discouraged he was going to have to go on his own, He couldn't put them both in danger to have a roof over his head. Lucky knew what he was doing he was in control, Hunter ran away when he first woke up as a cat and that happened to be the two days. Hunter couldn't figure out how to shift back. Ever since then he went for a few hours in between the two.

He blinked at Lucky with his big eyes, asking for help without asking. If it felt like it was his idea he would be more likely to do it.

[Lucky]

Ah, a new shifter. The tip of Lucky's tail twitched a few times. He was a born shifter, one in a litter of many, so he came into his abilities naturally. Lucky had lived most of his life as a cat, once he discovered that humans had to work too hard to earn a living. That was just too troublesome for him. Once he found a suitable human, he insinuated himself right into his life.

"Hmm... you don't have to stay with Ezra all day," he mused. It wasn't as if Lucky could do anything about his new friend's situation; he wasn't part of Lucky's litter, after all. As a cat shifter, Lucky could only shift between cat and human form. Cats had an easier time of hiding, but otherwise he wasn't some all-powerful being who could solve all of his friend's problems.

"But I don't know what else you want me to do."

[Rholy]

That was very true Hunter didn't have to stay with Ezra all the time. "I didn't think of that sorry I am just a little out of it." He was scared and he ran away so he had a lot going on in his head, common sense was falling short as his worries took over. He had no friends and was picked on daily Hunter found his happiness in photography. He would spend hours alone wandering the town looking for his next work of art.

That was one thing he would miss doing, cats can't hold cameras very well. How photos save a moment in time for others to see was something profound and it spoke to Hunter, he started at 11 with a cheap camera he had received for his birthday; who knew it would be the source of his happiness and joy. He was part of the yearbook club he thrived when he shared his ideas but never felt like he quite fit in.

"Yeah, but you are doing more than enough letting me stay with you and stuff." His left eat twitched a little and he licked his lips. "You know you're, like the towns unofficial mascot like everyone knows you. You get around a lot."

[Lucky]

It was good up until Hunter made it sound like he 'got around' and after a moment, Lucky let out a soft snort of amusement. Surely that wasn't intended to be insulting--like Lucky slept around. (Which, admittedly, he did... but that was beside the point.)

"And you're just trying to butter me up," he purred, tail flicking slowly, in high good humor. Well, Lucky did like to be praised. A lot. He practically thrived on compliments, and wasn't shy about fishing for them at all.

"If you're human, change back. I want to see your human form." He looked around; not likely that anyone would be out here, and the fog was so thick that nobody could easily spy on them. But just in case, he stood and flicked his head in the direction of an old barn, some distance away. "Let's do it in there." In case the hunters hunting him tracked him down, Lucky didn't want him to be changing out in public.

[Rholy]

"I soo am not buttering you up, you really are like well known. I don't know how else to say it." Hunter answered playfully. When Hunter interacted with Lucky as a human outside his place he seemed so much more like a cat and not like a shifter. But now that Hunter has spent time with Lucky as a cat he saw him in an all-new light he was no longer an animal but as a being.

All his life he looked at animals as nothing but animals, they had no real thought all they did was eat, sleep, and shit. That all changed when he became a cat and befriended a cat shifter. Lucky had his own ideas, want's and needs he also formed relationships and could comprehend a complex situation and make an intelligent decision. Hunter didn't understand his ability at all and was hoping to get some help from Lucky, He was being pretty helpful now.

"Now? Here?" He asked a little shocked at the request."Okay." His heart raced as they walked to the barn, He had never shifted in front of someone. It was kinda brutal, the transformation. He felt a little nervous as they walked into the barn. "Will you show me your human form? I mean you don't have to I am just asking is all." Hunter stumbled over his words making things weird when it didn't need to be.

[Lucky]

"Maybe," was Lucky's mysterious response as he padded silently into the dark barn. It was true that he didn't have to change back if he didn't want to. Lucky was his own master, after all. Sometimes, Ezra thought that he was the master but Lucky just laughed--or smirked, because cats couldn't exactly laugh it up.

He chose a spot near the back with a good view of the door--in case anyone felt like barging in. Lucky hopped up onto a dusty crate and sat down; his eyes reflected bright green in the weak light spilling into the barn from a slit in the door. "Okay, change back."

[Rholy]

Trotting over to the spot Lucky chose Hunter nodded. "K," He said nervously his heart was pounding now about to burst out of his fluffy chest. He closed his eyes and he concentrated willing his body to shift back. It was like channeling this inner switch, it's like how electricity runs throw powerlines it ran throw his veins His fur was shedding as his bones expanded and shaped back into his human skeleton. He was sort of curled up in a ball once the transformation was done. It was painful for him he wasn't acquired to it just yet.

Hunters hair was a wavy mess, the top of his head and his arched back was all that was visible to Lucky up until he lifted his head and slowly rolled his spine sitting up. Running a hand through his hair to pull the hair from his face so he could see, "Well here I am." He gave Lucky a crooked smile and looked up at the pretty white cat with his big blue eyes.

He hadn't questioned why Lucky wanted to see his human form he just went along with it, he thought he must have had a good reason. He sat on the staw cover barn floor completely nude awkwardly. "Am I anything like what imagined?' Hunter has a thin frame with pale skin and a mane of untamed hair.

[Lucky]

Lucky was simply curious--and they did say that curiosity killed the cat, but he'd done pretty well for himself so far. Besides, it was natural to wonder what his new friend looked like as a human, now that Lucky knew that he was a shifter and not simply an ordinary cat.

He waited patiently and when the cat before him morphed into a human--a naked and disheveled human--he let out a soft meow. In their current states, he supposed that communication was a little difficult. While Lucky could understand human speech somewhat, he wasn't the best at speaking himself; at most, he had broken and terrible grammar.

After a moment's seeming contemplation, Lucky hopped off his perch. He walked a circle around the human before him, inspecting him from every angle. Then Lucky stopped in front of him and blinked a few times. Not bad. Skinny, though. Probably because he'd been on the run, and hadn't had much to eat, Lucky thought. Well, that could be remedied in time; Lucky could get him all the food he wanted, from friends all over the city.

No shortage of suckers around this place.

He sat swishing his tail for a beat or two, and then his own form began to change, elongating and stretching. Paws became hands; the tail shrank and legs formed. A torso emerged, and then Lucky was sitting opposite him, with the same slightly lofty look that the cat had worn. "What name?" His voice was a little rough; it wasn't often that Lucky found himself speaking using the human throat.