The Curious Chameleon

Chapter One

Neeko rushes to cover, watching as Noxian soldiers pass by, just inches from her face. Neeko reaches out in desperation for better cover. Her fingers, just barely reaching out of the brush to tap a soldiers leg as they pass. Neeko immediately feels for the familiar pulse of human sho'ma.

The sho'ma feels strange to Neeko. She's not used to male sho'ma, but it doesn't slow her down. in mere seconds Neeko is no longer Neeko, clad in armor and cloth from head to toe. Her armor is painted with the all too familiar symbol of the Noxian regime. Her breathing has become deeper, and she seems to have grown a bit, ruining her hiding spot.

Neeko is caught by a group of soldiers only a few feet away who witnessed her change. Their mouths agape in horror from what they just witnessed. Neeko feels something stab at her side. A pain that she will never forget. The pain of knowing that she's different, and that she'll never be "normal" no matter how human she looks. She doesn't, and couldn't understand their fear. She never hurt them, never used her magic against them. Neeko just wants to be able to exist, to be loved, to be free.

The soldiers fear quickly turn to angry cries, ringing loud in Neeko's ears. It throws her off, making her lose hold of the sho'ma. Neeko's form changes back, she is Neeko again. The terrifying lizard beast of the jungle. The soldiers advance upon Neeko, and she tries to run, getting on all fours to move faster.

Neeko uses a little of her magic to make a copy of herself that runs in a different direction. The soldiers stop for a moment, confused. They quickly decide what to do, splitting into two groups to chase both her and her copy at the same time. Neeko watches, and can't help but to laugh at the soldiers who followed the wrong Neeko as they watch it disappear into thin air. Neeko got too distracted, and almost ran into a tree, just barely avoiding it.

Neeko feels something strum inside of her. She can feel something close, something big. No, not big, something strong. there's a strong sho'ma quickly approaching. A sho'ma strong enough to be felt without any contact is dangerous, but yet so rare that Neeko forgets the situation she's in to chase the sho'ma that's quickly come at her.

As Neeko jumps a hill, she spots the person with the strong sho'ma, seeing that they look like every other Noxian soldier. Slightly disappointing, Neeko regrets her decision to chase this sho'ma as several Noxian soldiers rise from the ground like corpses from the shadow isles. Neeko is thoroughly surprised by this, and now understands why the sho'ma was so strong. The person who wields this sho'ma has a very strong spirit, and was able to easily plan something like this in a short period of time. Neeko's still curious, but she's too caught up in her panicked state, trying to figure out how to get out of this without hurting someone.

Neeko takes a step, the soldiers take three. The circle is slowly closing in, Neeko getting more panicked and struggling to find a whole between soldiers. She can't see anything, and as they close around her she balls up on the ground in fear. Neeko knows what she must do to survive, but she still doesn't want to.

Arms come forth and grab Neeko, pulling her up to face the Noxian General who planned her capture. The smug faced man smells of sweat and blood, looking rugged and scarred as most Noxian Generals do. This is the first time Neeko has ever been caught, and the fear is immense. She's struggling to hold back her magic, fearing for the lives of the soldiers more than her own even though she knows what will happen if she doesn't.

"So this is the monster of Kalduga outpost?" A gruff voice bellows. "The terror of the Noxian outposts, the shape shifting beast of the jungle." He extends and arm and pushes Neeko's hair from her face. Neeko twitches, wincing as his rough skin touches her own. "I must say ... I'm disappointed. How did such a weak creature like this manage to take over a Noxian outpost?"