Shapeshifter, Fae and other Inconveniences

Chapter 1

I inhale the fresh earthy smell of the forest deep into my lungs. The freezing morning air jolts me out of my not so peaceful slumber. Shivering I pull my cloak tighter around me. My eyes creak open looking up into trees painted in rich orange and red colours. All traces left by autumn and a reminder for the soon to be arriving winter.

 Sitting up I rub my face trying to fully pull myself out of my dreams. The fire I set up the previous night has burned down completely leaving only a pile of ashes on the forest floor as well as the creeping cold. Running my hands down my body I check upon my belt counting to see if all three daggers are still in place as well as the small pouch with the last of my savings.

 Grabbing my bow, I stand up completely piling up leaves over the fire- and sleeping place with my feet to erase any traces of my nightly stay. I make my way over to the small river just behind the trees next to me. Crouching down I form my hands into a small bowl and sink them into the freezing water. Gulping the water down my throat and hands are left burning cold. Even though getting myself washed up is more than necessary I loathe the idea of stepping into the icy river. The last time I had a warm bath feels like forever. The last time I had a proper meal not to mentioned. 

Since I left my village, which really only consisted of barely three houses, it must have been at least over two months. The feelings of that day have since than been deeply buried inside me caged up like some monster. I haven't been able to face reality turning my back I have only been running away.

Suddenly the sound of my grumbling stomach interrupts me in my line of thought. A sigh escapes my lips. Hunting has never been something I enjoyed doing and with winter soon coming around non carnivorous meals are harder to obtain. I take a deep breath and concentrate on my surroundings. My ears perk upwards taking in sounds from a wide radius around me.

Being a shifter I posses one of the best hearings of all the species residing in this world. Besides the werewolf's and some of the vampires gifted with supernatural hearing. In this world several other species exist alongside the previously mentioned ones. For one we have the fae, arrogant creatures who can wield magic and are able to live life spans of several thousand years. Up next there are the witches, masters of potions and curses but also very gifted healers. Lastly the humans. Unfortunate pure creators who cannot perform any kind of magic or supernatural transformations. It should be mentioned that lots of smaller magic beings exist besides the major species such as fairies or gnomes.

 All the species coexist which each other some of them at war some of them neutral some more respected and others merely looked down on. Unfortunately, regarding the rank of the six big races the shifters hold the lowest rank of them all. Due to their animalistic characteristic's their traditional thinking and strange cultures most of them aren't widely respected. The werewolf's at least hold great strength and control all of them living in packs consisting of several hundred members which all trust and rely on each other. The contrary can be said about my species. Since each shifter has their own form finding someone who shares similar characteristics is very rare. If you even end up finding others that is. The few that exist keep secluded in their little families with similar traits mostly living in the woods far from towns or villages. I myself only ever encountered three others in total my living conditions though have been severally different from those of a normal shifter.

A cracking branch suddenly catches my attention. I freeze in my movement my instincts taking over completely. Slowly I lift my head while simultaneously pulling my bow from my shoulder inserting an arrow into the string. The unmistakeable musky scent of a deer hits my nostrils. If I were to succeed, I would be free from hunger for at least a week. Slowly I pull the bowstring back to my chin aiming for the animal's neck while trying to keep my position steady and still. 

Abruptly The deer lifts its head black eyes bore deep into mine. A rush of guilt overwhelms me for what I am about to do memories of blood and screams start filing up my mind I hesitate these few seconds to long when all of a sudden rustling somewhere to my right startles both me and my prey. My arrow leaves my bow uncontrollably missing the fleeting silhouette of the deer by far. I whip my head to the right quickly rushing behind a tree trying to hide from whatever made its way through the forest. 

I pull my hood over my head knowing that my elongated and pointy ears will be covered this was. Tucking my tail close to my body beneath the cloak and keeping it mostly still also does the trick. My slightly extended sharp canines though are a different story. So far no one I met on my journey found out about my shifter traits and I was hoping to keep it this way with whom- or whatever I would be meeting now. I was sure that the arrow I shot must have given me away, still if there was a chance I could slip away I would take it.

The next thing that hit me though was not the normal smell of an animal or a human but that of a shifter and not just one. Slight differences in their body odor confirmed that at least three shifters were approaching me. Excitement filled me since I hadn't seen any for quite a long time. There was no doubt that they also knew of the presence of another shifter but from the tension that hung in the air I could tell that the confrontation that was about to come would not be a peaceful one.