The Battered Rose [TakodaVega x Skelace]

For Nora Donavan time away from Shiftertown was a blessing and a curse in disguise. While Shifters in the glorious US of A couldn't gain much better jobs than many 'aliens' in the states, she was still well off. Shifters had money stored away to make their ends meet to the outside world, most being already a century if not more old.

In Nora's case she had learned to take the Collar in her teenage years. Well what would be equivalent to that in 'human' terms. By then she was already in her forties or fifties, for Nora it was hard to tell. Time went by in a blur around then. Her own collar shown silver in the afternoon sun as she made her way deeper into the Appalachians. She had come here for solitude, to let her instincts at least be less restricted as they once were. Or rather to be less...'stressed'.

Her older brothers had been adamant to not let their baby sister go alone, afterall there were still Feral shifters about that roamed still in their Prides and Packs...depending on the species. However Nora had also told them the likelihood of a Feral finding her were slim to none where she was going. How very wrong she would be...but for now though she trekked along the trails before she reached a bluff of sorts, a mountain over hang giving a half-cave effect to provide shelter. It had been well used by Nora's senses. Acute as they were the golden slitted cat eyes returned back to the stormy grays.

Nora had a slender form, loose clothes, such as shorts and loose shirts covered it from any nearby onlookers view. However curves could be seen visible along the outlines of her clothes, though so too were the toned muscles from her years of running. At five foot seven, she wasn't exactly imposing, unlike her older six foot three brothers who horded her like a treasure chest. Males. So overpossesive. Then again they had their reasons to be, Shifter women were rare as it was, and if a male so much as whiffed at their sister all fangs would be out. Feline ones that is. The Pride looked after their own.

For now though, she wiped the sweat from her brow, pushing back the wavy chocolate locks from their pinned positions. She would rest here for a bit, she decided as she set her things down and leaned against the cool stone. Shifters were more acute than normal humans, however Feral shifters often viewed them as...well, weaklings - betrayers even for forsaking the Feral ways to the government's demands. Doing so had paid off though, more Shifter mothers survived as did the cubs beyond the first year.

It would perhaps be Nora's day dreaming that had been her first mistake. One she would probably be regretting soon enough.

Tarisher was not one to be known for taking lightly to traitors. His senses excelled far above those of the traitors breed. As soon as he picked up the scent of the city mixed with a shifter he knew it was a traitor from what he could tell used to a comfortable. He caught the attention of a few others in the pack as they raced down to where they could smell the traitor. The closer they got the more they could tell. She was laying down, no where near prepared for them.

The four shifters quickly surrounded her their matted hair and yellow teeth giving off a repulsive view. His gray white fur stood our more so than the others due to amount of white, while the others were more grayish. He was the son of the Alpha Male and the white hair was a trait in there line. His pack was willing to follow him to no end especially when it was t torture a traitor.

They began to walk in closing ranks around Nora their tails swishing back and forth excited for the thrill they were about to partake.

It would be her feline sense that kicked into over drive as she sensed them start to swarm her, the primal cat reaching the surface in need to protect itself from harm. Shifters were the best of the best of each species had to offer. A tiger stripe down her back, built like a cheetah, tail like a leopard, jaws like a might lion, but there was a grace about her that told them she was not one to be messed with.

Growls emitted in her throat as she eyed them all. The cat was not in the mood to fight however but the need to protect herself still stood firm. One false move from any of them could send any of them careening off the mountain to the trees below. The Collar still glittered around her neck in the feline form, anyone could see she was different than most.

Unamated to boot.

The pack was used to hunting down and trapping animals. It was on of their favorite ways to kill their food. Tarisher let his growl grow a bit lower, giving the pack the sign to start making its move. Slowly they began to go side to side cris-crossing with each other making it hard for the trapped shifter to keep track of them. All the while they would slowly inch forward with each cross.

Tarisher let out another growl this time audible for their prey to understand. "What do we have here? A house cat alone in the woods?" His hand let one finger extend upwards revealing his claw. "Tsk, Tsk, little kitty, it's not smart to leave the comfort of your cell." Unlike the felines who adopted separate traits, the canines, reverted back to their original, ancestors the wild dog or the wolf. The tamed could be bred like modern dogs but the wilds would never do such a thing as become so tamed to do so.

The group was looking for a fight and they were going to get it.

Hissed darkly at the male below, noticing that a single one wore the Collar that ringed around her neck. She should have listened to her brothers as she crouched, not in surrender or submission but rather in a more of a...'pounce' stance. Sure it was an entire Pack versus her, but she wouldn't die without a fight.

And it was the tone of what she assumed the leader's voice when she struck, growling as her claws extended and sunk into one males flesh, the need to destroy her enemy far greater than the pain that would soon come by accepting the instinct. The yelp of pain that sounded was music to her ears as she then leaped at the leader of the pack. Jaws wide to try and do a killing blow, but falling short and instead grazing him as another grabbed her leg to yank her backwards. She growled in pain before whipping around to claw the male's face with those sharp, deadly claws.

Nora was not going to lay down and take it. She was a fighter, she knew her brothers while furious with her would still be proud that she stood up for the fight. Even though loosing her would be a devastating blow to their race, she would die fighting.

He howled as the sport had began and she scratched him as she tried to go for his throat. As the feline dug into one pack members face he sprinted up tackling her to the ground, the two tumbling about. They both struggled to pin the other down so they could land a blow, scratching and biting, each other the entire time. His need to punish her was nowhere near as strong as her will to win.

With the others help he was able to pin her down. She was straddled between his legs while the others held her legs and arms down, the other on the ground either dead or unconscious his face tore to shreds. He was about to give her a beating she would never forget when howl came from over the ledge. It was a rival tribe, one that had openly declared war on all tamed creatures, humans and shifter.

Tarisher quickly got up to run. The other shifters coming on their position were hunters. They hunted in groups of five which would make quick work of the three, now tired and injured. They began to run into the woods when he thought of the feline. While he didn't much like them he did not wish them death as the coming group surely would. The other two helped up there fallen brethren while he helped up the female. "Quickly this way."

Nora now sported scratches along her chest, arms and hips from the scuffle. Despite being pinned down beneath the weight of the Lupine on top of her she struggled to break free from all their grasps until she too heard the howl. Great. Company, that was all she could hear in her head as she suddenly felt his weight off of her as though springing into action over something else.

Maybe not so much friends, she thought to herself as her body's adrenaline was starting to wear off from the fight. It wouldn't be too long before her Collar would reprimand her for the attack. She knew though so long as the adrenaline was in her system she could faze it for another hour. She had to or she would be curled up into a ball of agony from the fight.

It was only when she felt his arm on her own, helping her up that she snapped back into her senses, hissing at him. "And WHY should I trust you!?" It was the first time the female had spoken. Stormy gray eyes flickering through her feline ones as though she was trying to keep the cat in control a little longer as she waited for his answer. He could very well force her with him. In this state she could barely hold her own ground against the male.

He didn't have time to convince her to come with him, the hunters were coming up on them fast. "Fine don't come, good luck, hope they don't kill ya." He let go of her arm. He was not about to get himself killed over some feline. His body flooded with another round of adrenaline, the fear of being killed gripping him.

Instead he helped the others carry his brother, going as fast as they could to where the rest of their pack would be.

Stared at him in disbelief, "Wha-" the sound of another howl tore through the air which perked her ears. Damn it she would have to follow them, and that she did, running through the treeline as they drew closer. However she trailed behind him long enough to change their tracks, leading the other Hunters on a wild goose chase through the woods before her scent disappeared completely as she took to the trees. Keeping her own eyes focused on her goal.

It didn't take long before she dropped down from the trees behind them again still running, pants leaving her lips as it seems they finally started to slow down, "Care to tell me just what is going on here?" She panted out, her legs trembling under the strain of such short bursts of adrenaline so fast in her system. Already she could almost feel the shocks from the collar about to sink in. And then she wouldn't be able to move at all.

The group stopped feeling that they had safely got out of the hunter's path. While Tarisher was a bit worse for wear he was used to having to run long distances fast, having do so his entire life. He was able to stand and walk over to the feline breathing heavily, the others taking care of their wounds.

"A hunter group from a rival pack. They would of tore us to shreds. All of us." He looked at his the group taking in their injuries. "I thought tamed beasts had lost their instinct to fight. Strange you can do so, so well." His hand going over the scratches at his neck she gave him.

"Any ways you should be on your way, we must make it back to the pack before they get worried." He no longer cared about the feline being in their woods. Apparently another pack was moving in, which ment they were moving out.

"We never loose our instincts," she said softly, pain starting to filter into her very bones. "We just pay the price for using them." Electric sparks shot from the collar before receding back, a soft wince leaving the woman's lips. "You can't be serious..."

She looked at him with those bright eyes of hers, true they were brighter still with the pain that filtered into her very bones and muscles, her body quivering with each movement in pain, "You are just going to stand there and let them take over? See this is the reason we took the Collar. There is no longer the need to run." Even breathing hurt, let alone speaking. "You are guaranteed your territory, the females and the cubs are always safe. We fight together to protect them all. Don't you see? You can't keep running..."

Could they? They might be able to but she certainly wouldn't. However she refused to let him see how much pain moved through her, the proud feline within her wouldn't let her. Afterall she had managed to nick him and the others fairly well, and was still able to stand. At least for now.