[private] we're the wild ones

[Chel]

c h e l Chel blew out a big breath at her Ma’s reassurances, leaning into the mountain lion’s soft fur.  The action sent her butterflies scattering, but she paid them no heed. They’d be back. They always came back.  Atzi amused herself chasing the stragglers for the time being, given Chel a few moments with her Ma. “Okay good,” she finally mutters against her Ma’s soft fur.  She drew in a deep breath filled with her Ma’s scent and could literally feel the anxiety calm.  While she was quick to stress she was even quicker to calm – one of the benefits of youth when everything is still so uncomplicated.  Chel watches as her Ma pulls away, again cocking her feline head to the side wondering what she was up to.  And her eyes light up at the idea of a challenge.  Ma certainly knew exactly how to make her feel better. “Oh! I bet I’m pretty good at climbing,” she said, excited again, glancing down at the claws protruding from her leopard paws. Shifting was something she was still getting the hang of, but she could already tell that this form was going to be one of her favorites.  And it only seemed right, given that her Ma was so fond of cats. But deep down, Chel also longed to learn to fly.  She knew her wings were to small and knew that even if she tried to shift into a bird they’d still be too undeveloped to sustain flight, but she suspected that one of her primary shifts was a bird like her mother’s was the mountain lion.  She knew that she had the rest of her life to figure it out, but Chel was an impatient little thing.  Impulsive. Demanding.  It was truly a mystery where she’d inherited such traits. But for the time being, she was more than content to test the limits of her leopard, and bounded towards the largest tree within eyesight – beckoning both her Ma and Atzi forward. “Race ya to the top!” she shouted, back over her shoulder, before dissolving into giggles.

@[Vastra]