Innocent

Seven

Seven

With nothing left to do, and her thoughts consuming her, Daciana walked outside towards the training yard where some of the newer recruits were running laps. Ox was there, occasionally smacking some girls who didn't run fast enough, and Daciana could only roll her eyes at the man whom she loathed so much.

Her gaze eventually landed on a large fir tree and she smiled, advancing towards it. It stood around twenty metres high and was rather thin, but she knew it would be strong enough to hold her up. As she ran her hands along the rough bark, she grabbed a branch above her head, smoothly pulling herself up. She did this a few times until she knew she was up high and out of the line of sight from anyone on the ground, and perched on one of the higher branches, watching the ungulates train. Her legs dangled off the edge of the branch, but she felt comfortable and not at all unsafe. She could shift into one of her forms if she thought she was going to fall.

Daciana could easily see her brother, Os; he had shifted into a large buck with a thick black tail. He had all the recruits in a race and they darted around the course, some of them slow and stumbling while others sped ahead. He was winning so far, but a gazelle was threatening to overtake him, coming up on his left.

The obstacle course had changed for them and was more about running and jumping. Os leaped over the first jump easily and the second and third, but by the fourth he was already tired. Daciana could tell by the way his legs shook. He leapt over it and landed, stumbling a bit before he ran to the finish line, but the stumbled has let the gazelle over take him, and as he crossed the line, second place, his brows turned inwards.

Shifting to his human form, he grunted. "Aw what? Come on!" He yelled. He was frustrated and annoyed as he kicked at some snow on the ground. He stopped suddenly though, his gaze shifting to Daciana watching him curiously in the tree. A small smile crept onto his lips.

Eventually, the ungulates were allowed to leave and he headed for her tree. Daciana, eager to talk to her brother, quickly shifted into a cardinal and flew down to the ground, shifting back to her human form before she touched it and stood, watching Os. "Can you teach me to copy people?" He asked and all she did was nod, understanding him perfectly.

Later, they stood in the blue room facing each other, and Daciana was considering giving up. "Look you have study me," she instructed. "Right down to my cells. Think the way I think, cold and cunning, move like me. It will happen." She was trying to sound encouraging, but the weariness in her voice was easily detectable. So far all he had done was change his body, not his face or personality.

"I'm trying," he groaned. "You're like an onion though!"

She wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean, but continued anyway. "It isn't that hard," she said, easily shifting into his human form.

His eyes widened and he frowned. "Stop doing that!" Os said. As he said it, a mix of his anger and frustration, as well as the dedication in him must have caused him to shift, for only a second later, he stood looking exactly like Daciana- long hair and everything. Daciana smiled and shifted back to her form. That had been her intention.

"You have a weird way of thinking. Your very secretive," he shook his head at her and shifted back to himself. "Oh by the way I want new tags." Os picked his tags up off the couch, which he'd taken off before they'd begun, and dropped them on the floor. He stomped on them causing the tags to snap.

"I'll go now then, but if I have to kiss him again-"

"Just do it," he said cutting her off.

Daciana stomped out of the room towards the technician's room. When she reached the room, her heart jumped a little when her eyes landed on the familiar white hair and kind eyes, and she shuddered a little. He watched her, a small, nervous smile on his lips.