The Lab

Prologue

The harsh sunlight tinted the field, flowers blooming plentifully under the sun's beams. Clouds laced the sky, though not quite enough to hide the sun nor provide any shade for the two young siblings who pranced gleefully through the field.

Floral, the younger of the two, had a light gray pelt with long streaks and patches of white scattered around. Meanwhile Dandelion was almost pure white with a light gray mane of a lion that varied from the rest of his body. Both held proudly adorned antlers atop their heads, oak brown in color. Two long fangs, a distinct feature of shifters, emerged from the far sides of each young shifter's mouth.

Floral also had floppy ears, that never seemed to properly stand up straight while Dandelion had the ears of a wolf, never faltering from their high and alert stance. Both shared hind legs with paws and front legs with properly opposing talons of a lizard as to hold things properly, the soft fur being abruptly cut off into emerald green scales. Of course, these weren't their true forms. It was only as a way to better blend in and keep prey animals less easy to startle in contrast to their natural lizard-like bodies.

Their amulets, crystals encrusted into their foreheads that powered their shapeshifting capabilities, sparkled in the sunlight. Floral's brightly colored pink and green amulet contrasted to Dandelion's orange and yellow one. Atop Dandelion's head, carefully shielding his amulet from sight was a pale pink rose crown, carefully braided together by their stems.

Dandelion playfully pounced upon Floral, pushing the two into a roll along the gentle slopes, ending up with Dandelion pinning Floral down. They chuckled light-heartedly as they continued in their playful banter.

The plentiful laugher slowly eased down into silence, their yellow eyes interlocked. Dandelion pulled off of Floral, shaking himself off with a wide smile. His talons gingerly reached to pull off his rose crown, careful not to snag it on his horns. He then reached out and maneuvered the rose crown onto Floral's head.

He seemed to notice Floral's confused expression and explained, "It looks better on you," he said softly with a knowing smirk.

"You think?" she questioned in an unsure tone.

He felt his heart swell with a familiar feeling of pride in his younger sister, "Of course. And hey, it fits your name too!" he stated in an attempt to help her feel more confident in his decision.

She looked a bit surprised, "Thank you," she said softly, gently caressing one of the firmly woven flowers with her talon.

His eyes grazed over the sky, noticing the soft orange tint it was beginning to take on. He was told to return before sunset by his mother, also regarded as the queen of their pack. He looked over to Floral who seemed unaware of the subtle change. He had always been the more observant of the two. And plus, he had more experience than her. He would have to work harder on training her

"The sun is about ready to set," he stated, catching her attention immediately.

She must have been zoning out again. It wasn't unusual for her, but he did ponder on what she could have possibly been thinking about that had her so distracted. He decided to shrug it off, standing up and inhaling sharply to catch the scent of the camp, ears pricked to catch the sound of conversation. They weren't too far off from camp. He had made sure of that, but the line of trees did make it harder to spot.

"Come on," he said with a playful undertone, "Race you there!"

And with that, they were both sprinting in a beeline for the camp, Dandelion easily keeping in lead. He slowed down just enough for Floral to pass in front of him without it coming off as obvious he was trying to let her win. He loved seeing the pride that shone in her eyes whenever she made it to the camp first, allowing her to boast about it for days. Floral, as always just barely crossed the trees before he did, her gleefully hopping into the air with a beaming smile he would never get tired of seeing.

He rubbed up against her lovingly, congratulating her for another success. He watched as she sprinted off into the main cave, nearly getting her antlers caught in the ivy curtain, as she called out excitedly to their mother. He couldn't help but chuckle softly at her action before following behind her.

Their mother, Queen Azalea, sat proudly upon a large stone that was adorned in countless flowers, her fair, white coat being illuminated faintly by the setting sun that peeked through the curtain of ivy. His middle sister, Lily, was seated just beside her, looking like a perfect duplicate of the queen.

His mother's eyes glanced over him for a moment before regarding him, "Hello, Dandelion," she spoke formally.

"Hello," he replied, making his way up to the big rock, Floral turning to him excitedly.

His mother smiled warmly, "You two are just in time to eat," she said, emphasizing her statement by turning her head to face another large rock, this one covered in raw prey rather than being used as a seat.

Floral eagerly rushed before him to the rock, jaws grabbing up a rabbit before scarfing it down. He chuckled warmly, standing beside her and choosing out a deer leg and leaving the rock to sit down and eat in a secluded corner. A line slowly formed at the rock, picking their share and promptly exiting the cave. Floral eventually had her fair share and plopped down beside him.

By the time every shifter had finished eating and nearly cleared the rock, the sun had completely set, leaving the cave shrouded in darkness. He watched as the figures of his parents and Lily finally exited the cave to their sleeping quarters. He and Floral were quick to follow. It wasn't anything fancy, just a larger cave with beds of moss and leaves lined together around the edges. Dandelion quickly made his way to his bed, allowing himself to spread out and rest his tired muscles.

Floral, instead of retreating to a separate bedding, curled up beside him. He chuckled softly, tilting his head in confusion.

Floral noticed this and quickly responded with, "I wanna be near you."

"It's okay, I just didn't expect that is all," he responded scooting closer to her, "Get some sleep."

Floral nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. The sound of crickets and tree frogs chirping slowly but surely lulled the two siblings to sleep. Soon after, the cave was echoing with soft snores as the pack dreamt the night away, awaiting for whatever the next morning would bring.