They had decided to go on a non-traditional first date, no dinner and a movie boring affair. Bella lead Angela hand in hand towards a meadow she had discovered on a hunt in her shifted form. The meadow was beautiful complete with a waterfall at the back.
Her goal was to get to know her shifted side of her mate, as well as share that side of herself to her mate. They had been BFF's for the last year but had never spoken about this side of themselves. She wanted to also hunt with her mate and also snuggle under the stars. Bella had brought a backpack with extra clothes, blankets, drinks and snacks for later consumption.
Angela had been tight lipped as to what her shifted form was, only saying that she had seen Bella's and thought she made the most gorgeous Siberian Tiger she had ever seen. Angela also surmised that since they accepted the mating bond that they would now become a pack and therefore be able to share the pack mind and hear each others thoughts when shifted.
After they both had a brief conversation they decided it was time to shift. Bella went first, as her form was known to both. She unabashedly took off her clothes to preserve them and winked at Angela, to which she received a giggle. She then shifted quickly to her full Siberian Tiger form. She was twice the size of a full grown tiger with deep black eyes, a power and grace about her. Bella was a true alpha and stood proudly. Angela walked up hugging the tiger around her chest and caressed her fur, eliciting a deep rumbling purr from her mate.
Ten minutes passed like this and Angela felt a soft nudge from above to her shoulder letting her know it was her turn. Shy Angela came out and said,
'Ok so me being shy wasn't an act..., is there any way you could turn around baby?'
The tiger rolled her eyes but complied nonetheless. Plopping her butt down quickly with a soft grumble and an oof
Angela removed her clothes and placed them on top of Bella' s pile and shifted. She pounced on top of the huge tiger as best as she could causing Bella to fall forward on her belly.
'Gotcha!' Angela spoke in her pack mind link
The tiger rolled over laughing and shook off the other shifter.
Shaking her head Angela stood up, finally revealing herself to her mate.
'Angela you have to be the cutest little shifter I have ever seen, oh my god Angela!'
'Shut up, I am not little I'll have you know! I'm older than you, you should respect your elders!' The smaller shifter slightly fumed.
'Ok so we're not going to pretend you aren't adorable, now are we?'
' I am a fierce warrior I'll have you know!'
'I'll bet! What did you do cuddle your foes to death?!' The Siberian laughed.
The small shifter barked as loud as she could, causing the tiger to laugh even louder than before.
'Ang, stop baby, I can't take it, you are just too cute for words.' The tiger said
'For your information young one I have been around since 500 B.C. My kind have been palace guards for the Chinese people since well before then. We have fought wars, killed vampires, children of the moon, fought Dragons'
'Ok, ok, I get it, I get it, you're badass...but...a Pug...really? '
' Do I look like the size of a house pet?'
'Ok I'll give you that, I've never seen a Pug the size of a horse...'
'Your muzzle is so cute though...are you...having trouble breathing?'
'It's my short muzzle, technically I'm Brachycephalic something that hasn' t been bread out of even our lap dog descendants. Our smooshed faces can cause breathing problems. On another note we make up for our breathing issues with our speed and gifts each pup possesses.'
'. So what power do you have if you don't mind me asking?'
'Only if you stop teasing me'
'I make no promises.'
'Arrrg ok, ok, well my power is two fold, I have the gift of foresight in a fight and can control the element of stone.'
'Woah! That is totally badass Ang!'
'Not so adorable now, huh?!'
'Oh you' re still adorable, but I can see that you could hold your own in a fight.'
'Confucius used to always tell me when I was getting ready for a battle
Never give a sword to a man who can't dance.
...he was a funny one...'
' wait! You knew Confucius?!'
'Yeah his family was the first I ever guarded. Did you know he was actually part dragon? It was a shame the years he spent in exile..all because he accidentally burned the Shu family's favorite dishes, well that and had a thing with their unwed daughter...'
'Wow Ang, you' re pretty amazing, you know that?'
' ok, ok, you said you wanted to take me on a hunt oh, big and orange fluffy one?'
Bella chuckled and began running towards the closest tree line
Angela surprisingly kept up easily. They spotted an elk off in the distance, Bella letting her mate take her first go at the large creature wanting to see the pup in action.
Bella was surprised at the tenacity displayed in front of her, Ang had taken the elk down without much of a struggle.
They hunted together for another hour and made their way back to the meadow. They stopped when they were next to their clothes and snuggled each other's neck, then separated turning their backs to one another and shifted back and changed.
Standing with their backs to each other Bella stood waiting for Angela to let her know it was ok to turn around. She felt warm arms wrap around her stomach from behind. Smiling and leaning back into Angela she placed her arms over top of the ones around her center.
'So after seeing me, the real me...umm what do you think?' Angela asked nervously
'Ang, you are truly beautiful inside and out. I will admit your shifted form is absolutely adorable, but seeing you hunt with the tenacity and grace you exude it makes me fall in love with you more' Bella said while stroking her cheek
' I am not adorable...but the other stuff...thanks I was worried I'd disappoint you'
'You, never! Also to have served Confucius just wow, I'm just a little cub compared to you.'
' so you never did tell me how old you were Bella'
'I was born in the decade before the civil war, my family lived in Texas with a human family before the war broke out. My humans loved us and we shared a long existence with the Whitlock clan, dating back to when they came over from Ireland. It was a shame what happened to their youngest during the war. Jasper was my best friend and had at a young age worked his way up the Army to the rank of Major. I heard he fell while traveling through Mexico. Shortly after that his family was hit with smallpox, the pain of staying in that area was too much and since then our family has wondered. I was homeschooled for most of my existence, but decided the last 10 years to try human schools to learn the new technologies that were coming about. My parents were never true mates and decided to go their separate ways and for a time I lived with my flighty mother, but decided last year to live with my dad a while. '
'I am so glad you did'
'What about your parents? I thought your father was a pastor? How did that work back then?'
'Well he was a monk in China, and honestly we lived there until the recent unrest in Tibet, when we moved to America. My father decided for a change of pace and became an ordained minister to blend in better . He shifts every so often and the Forrest here provides the best cover for us all.'
They continued talking well into the night and reluctantly after sharing the snacks and drinks, headed home. Angela riding on the back of her shifted mate back to her home. They said their goodbyes and were excited for the next day of school where they heard some new students would be attending.
