The Silver Bow

Chapter 5

Zena couldn't sleep. It had only been two days since she had hunted but she was restless after the days fight and the moon was right; just enough to see by but not enough to let her prey see her. She waited till the moon was fully in the sky, then walked out into the clearing.The twisting in her stomach started again and this time she didn't fight it.She looked up to the moon and howled. She took a deep breath and seemed to melt. Her body stretched out and her fingernails grew to claws.Her clothes lay in a pile on the ground. In her place stood a sleek silver wolf. The wolf shook itself then howled once again. There was an answering feline yowl from the forest and the wolf seemed to smile before it loped off into the forest, following the direction of the yowl.
After running for an hour or so, following the occasional yowl Zena came to a clearing and stopped. She melded back up into human shape, but kept thick silver fur all over her body with the exception of her hands, head and feet. She tilted her head to one side and smiled, showing long canines. "Come on Beatriz, I know you're there."
A petite figure stalked into the clearing also covered in fur; golden with darker markings and much shorter than Zena's. "Well, well, well if it isn't the beautiful warrior girl who can fight her way out of anywhere."the girl smirked sarcastically.
"Well, at least I do something instead of just batting your enormous eyelashes and getting out of any sticky situation that you get yourself into."Zena replied, equally sarcastic. Then both girls started laughing, rushed towards each other and hugged. When they broke apart they looked at each other properly. "Well I see you're still as feral as ever." Beatriz said smiling. Her caramel skin seemed to glow with health and beauty, even at night. Zena sighed. "Why are you so gorgeous? I'm pretty sure you put the world out of balance. There must someone really ugly to forfeit you. I guess that's my job." She said it jokingly, but it was a twisted smile at the end. She knew that she would never live up to her best friends beauty.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Beatriz speaking again. "God, get over yourself woman. You have long, blonde hair and silver eyes. I have poo coloured hair and amber eyes which just freak loads of people out."
"Nah ah, you have chocolate coloured, soft, straight hair while I have this curly mess." Zena said, shaking her head vigorously.
"Yeah, well if you let me at your hair with a comb I could..."
"No way, you're vicious with a comb, I saw what you did to that poor Ingralian girl."
There was a pause in the conversation as both girls laughed, then looked at each other. Beatriz had to look slightly up, as Zena was taller than her. "You know, it's a good thing your not scared of heights, what with you being all the way up there." They both smiled; it was an old joke."C'mon," said Beatriz. "We've got a lot of catching up to do."
Zena smiled, "We only saw each other last week."
"I know. We've got a whole week to catch up on." Both girls snorted with amusement, then sat down on a fallen log and started to talk.