Zuhuru was an expert at many things, most of them not very useful for survival, but they were skills nonetheless. One can posses many skills without them having any real influence on anything. She was talented with sneaking around during the night and camouflaging during the day. She knew which foods to pick when she was hunting and knew how to steal items that she found interesting, particularly ones that she wanted. But most of all, she was an expert in sleeping. She could sleep at absolutely any time of the day and wake up without any trouble. It was almost like she had a timer built inside of her. Even in her human form, she didn't fuss about in bed before getting out of it. It was a simple process: get down, sleep, wake up, get up, get down, sleep, etc, etc. You get the gist.
However, sleeping isn't all that Zuhuru is an expert in. She has a hunch for hiding things, especially things that she considers 'precious'. No one particularly socializes with Zuhuru besides Dr. Liam, so the threat of someone taking her things are unlikely; regardless, she hides her things in holes, branches, under rocks, inside bushes, etc. Sadly, there are not that many places where one can simply hide something inside of Yellow Stone.

However, that is completely beside the point.
Why don't we start with the story?

It was much past wake up call. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and the temperature of the forbidding morning started to escalate to a satisfying temperature, but Zuhuru didn't very much enjoy the impending hot weather. Why she was brought to such a hot place that lacked most of the elements in her strict diet, she didn't really have a clue. Nonetheless, she was happy to be here. The company was much more harmless then those at home. The threat here of being killed was significantly lower compared to her homeland, which was always a pleasant surprise.
The Hybrid opened her eyes lazily and lifted her head from the branches were she laid. Her dark paws hung off the the tree as patches of sun stained his fur coat. He enjoyed the shade of the tree very much, but now that it was obstructed by the movement of the sun, Zuhuru had the choice to either move or endure the bright light. It was obvious to her which of the two to chose.

With a small grunt, the black panther stood up on her front paws first and pushed herself up, then balanced on all fours. She had to admit: her animal form was much more comfortable than her human form. She was much softer and padded, while her human bones were much too close to her flesh, which made sleeping in certain conditions very uncomfortable. The animal waddled back to the trunk of the tree and carefully climbed down a few feet before hopping to the ground. Without any hesitation, the animal preformed her morning routine. She circled the tree as to stretch out her legs, sniffed around for a bit so that she could find the tree again for future reference, cleaned herself, bathed in the sun for a bit, then got ready to head out.

Zu went to the stump of the tree and dug up the hole she had made the day before and pulled out one of the many hidden articles of clothing that he possessed. It was a thin black jacket with a broken zipper that she had stolen from a particularly flamboyant couple that had decided to destroy the purity of the park and tried to have a quick round of sex below a tree that Zuhuru just so happened to be sleeping in. At the moment that she saw the man strip his jacket off, she knew that she wanted it. That jacket looked so comfortable: perfect for summer and a sublime blanket for winter. She had no choice but to take in from them, and she submitted to this desire without a second thought. Apparently, when she decided to come down from the tree her presence had started the couple and they ran at the sight of her. She was commonly mistaken for a black monster or something, so it wasn't that much of a big deal to her, not like it would have mattered anyway. She had won the jacket, and that's all that she cared about.

The black panther carried the article in her mouth as she waddled across the forest till she found a darker and cooler section for her to, once again, find some sleep. She wasn't very hungry then, so a meal could wait till after another nap. Zuhuru kept the jacket in her mouth as she carefully climbed up a tree till she found a sturdy branch. However, before she got too comfortable, she was joined by some unexpected company.

( Yay first post! This is an opening for anyone who wants to join in. Have fun. :) )

The young white wolf, Tsuchi, comes out of a small den that she managed to find in Yellowstone. She wanted to hurry and get back to her clan as quick as possible. She shook off some of the dirt that got on her fur. The midday sun was starting to feel good on her body as she stretched out. "I wonder which direction my clan went in." Tsuchi thought to herself. She attempted to smell the air for any hint of her clan's scent.

She walked around the area and saw a strange fence line that was just a bit shorter than she was. Tsuchi took a quick sniff of it. These humans and their strange ways. The fence thing had no real wood boards or wires persay. Just a bunch of posts that looked like they had sensors on them. She was about to go past them when she heard a sound behind her. She started to turn around to see what it was.

((left an opening for if someone is going to capture her))

The nights at Yellowstone were often too chilly for king cobras. Not chilly enough to incapacitate Shinji, but chilly enough that he felt driven to cheat nature and sleep in his warm-blooded human form. On warm, sunny days - as today appeared to be growing into - he would hang his clothes high in a tree and utilize his true body to warm up in the sun. His dark scales were perfect for soaking in warmth; dark clothes seemed to function a similar way, but they weren't quite as efficient. Humans were not perfectly adept at climbing trees… their long limbs made things awkward, but Shinji couldn't well carry his clothes while simultaneously climbing a tree without the appendages. He admitted they had their uses.

It was a good thing cobras had a keen memory, otherwise he might not have been able to find his clothes after leaving them. Shinji had a poor sense of direction, but by keeping track of landmarks in his mind he could make a mental map of the area - and remember where he had left his clothes, so on his mental map there were scattered points of where the different trees suitable for keeping clothes were. There were only so many trees that 1. he could climb as a human and 2. were both lush and high enough to conceal his clothes. And it was one of these he sought out this morning.

His eyes still trained to detect to movement in human form, he picked up on something scaling the tree he had in mind before he reached it even without his forked tongue to tell him it was there. A large, dark, quadrupedal figure… A bit larger than a wolf, so it must have been Zuhuru. Shinji had to pause, pondering whether or not to find a different tree, but according to his mental map another one was some distance away. He decided the panther would have to move. When he was a man and she was a cat, she was much more capable of climbing trees than him, after all, so it should be easy enough for her to relocate.

Upon approaching, he could see she had a jacket with her. Did she hunt for new clothes every time she changed forms? He had seen her wearing different things… But how tedious that would be. Shinji had stolen his clothes from some campers - which just finding clothes he approved of had taken some time because he was picky - and had stuck with them. So far they were not much worse for wear; the fur on the hood and sleeve ends of his jacket was starting to look dirty, but he had watched humans wash their clothes in the streams before and was confident he could do it, too, whenever he felt the need. Otherwise, he could always get Liam to wash his clothes for him. Dr. Preston's unconditional love for his creations was a little much for Shinji to be around too often, but the man certainly proved useful from time to time.

"Good morning, Cat." The cobra greeted Zuhuru in a pleasant tone, though there was a bit of an edge in the way he called her cat. "You found a new coat, huh? That's nice. I'd like to use this tree, though. I can't imagine it's too much trouble for you to find another. Cats are… the experts at climbing, after all, right..?" All the while Shinji maintained that pleasant tone and a cool smile, but it was accompanied by a subtle undertone that suggested, to say the least, that the cobra did not plan on being said no to.

If Zuhuru had developed more of a personality, she would have been either disgusted by the situation or highly amused. Sadly, she was neither. Instead she continued to rest until the snake had spoken. Her thick black ears shifted and her heavily lidded yellow optics exposed themselves, resting on his form on the branch across from hers. The snake had put himself into her line of vision and she did not seem pleased, but despite that fact, she did not move. Zuhuru was very confused by this, his words, that is. Was he asserting himself over her? What was it that got the King Cobra to come to this conclusion? Perhaps he was delusional? It bewildered her.

She took a breath in, out, and adjusted herself on the branch as to make herself more comfortable. She doubted that the hybrid would pounce on her, because god knows she's destroy him. The Cobra would have to jump or slither over the tree and then bite her, and with one swipe she'd send him tumbling to the ground. That was never fun for such a big cat versus a little snake, regardless of him being poisonous.

If Zuhuru had observed the situation correctly, Shinji was not very smart, or he didn't want to move, or something ridiculous like that.. It didn't make much sense to Zuhuru, especially when Shinji barked out (in a very annoyed tone) a response to her existence. A question to her relaxing, to her own leisure, not bothering him, and he had the nerve to ask this to her?

The panther yawned out gently, eyes closing gently. "I'm not bothering you, SNAKE. You can deal with it." She stayed silent for a bit while watching her paws sway back and forth before speaking again.

"Don't you think that's kind of rude? I'm not pestering you. I'm sitting here, trying to sleep. And you're over there, doing whatever it is you snakes do. Am I that much of a burden to you?"

After she had finished speaking, the panther gripped the branch and slowly anchored her body to sit up, shaking her fur to settle herself nicely.

"So rude, even for you Shinji, I'm surprised."

Zuhuru's mouth quirked into a slightly dark smirk, slowly shifting into her human form so the branch would better hold her form. The dark figure pulled her jacket along her body zipped it up, using it to cover her body. Barely. She softly sighed and folded her legs on the branch, fingers gently massaging along her ankles and legs, eyes half closed as she watched him. She was such a lazy kitty.

Tsuchi looked around. She heard and saw a panther and a snake over in a nearby tree. She ducked into some high grass to hide herself, hoping not to be found. She was not yet skilled in fighting against others. That was to be her last lesson that her parents would have given her before taking her place as the Alpha of her clan. Now, though, that seemed like a distant dream and memory of hers that she wished she could have still gone after if she had not gotten seperated in a foreign land.

She inched a bit closer to try and listen to what they were talking about. From what she discerned, the snake wanted the panther's spot in the tree. Yet the panther didn't want to move at all for the snake. Tsuchi thought for a moment. Couldn't the snake just sneak up on the panther and just inject venom into it and sneak away though? So why didn't the snake just do that instead of just confronting the panther so forwardly? Tsuchi lowered herself all the way down, her belly touching the ground, keeping quiet all the while.

Shinji was not even sure Zuhuru was listening at first; the cat looked so relaxed and uninterested, like she might have been half-asleep while he spoke. She sighed lazily, adjusted herself on the branch, gave a great yawn as if to flaunt her formidable canines, and finally replied. The cobra's smile faded, his face turning more serious. His eyes, a reddish brown in human form, dropped to the ground as he looked thoughtful for a moment. He would have to keep playing friendly to get the cat to move. Shinji had no intention of attacking her - even if there was a chance he could win, it would undoubtedly cost him some scales. He didn't want any bruises or scars marring his beautiful form, cobra or human. Plus, she had been the one to lead the original Hybrids remaining from the lab. He thought her apparent fondness for Dr. Preston was… bizarre, but her power, intelligence, and, of course, beauty still earned her some respect from him. He would be hesitant, at the least, to ever turn on her.

Eventually his gaze lifted to the cat again and his smile returned. "You're not a burden," he chided gently, like the notion was ridiculous. His cool gaze drifted through the foliage absently as he considered his next words - but it was caught by a furred form sinking low into the vegetation a little ways away. He eyed the creature only briefly before turning away, so as not to arouse its suspicion that it had been seen.

When he looked back to Zuhuru she had shifted to human form, with flawless, dark skin and those captivating, feline eyes. The eyes were Shinji's favorite part of anybody - if a beautiful figure had boring or ugly eyes, they meant nothing to him. An enchanting gaze was very important to a cobra. "The truth is," he began, deciding to put some trust in the cat and take the honest route. "This is one of the trees I keep my clothes in. It has to be a certain kind of tree so that I can climb it as a human and it keeps my clothes well concealed." He paused. "I wouldn't want any of the others - or any wandering humans - taking my clothes, see." With this, in combination with a faintly pleading glance, the cobra emphasized that in telling Zuhuru where he kept his clothes he was putting real trust in her not to steal from him. His black jeans and fur-trimmed jacket were women's clothes, after all, which he fit near perfectly in due to his slim, rather feminine figure. His boots and T-shirt, however, were men's. The T-shirt was a little too big; he hoped to find a better fitting replacement in the future.

His gaze flitted to the tall grass again. He lowered his voice, though he did not doubt that if the creature was listening as well as watching them it would hear him. "… Also, there is a natural beast observing us from the grass. Unless it is another of us I have not yet met," he said. Shinji did not use 'beast' as an offensive term, only as another name for animal.

Tsuchi started to slowly back away, aware that she had been seen. She would need to carefully make her way back to the small den she had rested in the night before. It would be a more ideal place of defense than in the middle of a grass field. She kept her eyes on the man, as wide as they were. Tsuchi kept backing away until she felt comfortable enough to turn around and start to slink away quietly, keeping her ears tuned to where the panther person and the snake person was.

When she felt ready, she made a dash right for the den she stayed in the night before. She made a dive into it and made sure she was facing herself toward the entrance, so if Tsuchi had to, she could defend herself in the tight space a lot better than out of the den. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she kept herself posed and ready to fight if she had to. Moon's grace! What were those things!? Tsuchi thought as she hid inside the den. She had never seen animals turn into humans before. What has she stumbled upon? And where exactly was she?

Zuhuru quietly listened to Shinji speak, her eyes remaining focused on Shinji's form, although her ears were honed in on something else. The dark skinned girl's eyes slowly flicked to the bush that Tsuchi was hiding under before returning to Shinji. He was were her prime attention was centered on, considering that the other creature was actually in Zu's territory, and the fact that she was smaller then Zuhuru. The woman ran a hand along her neck and craned her head up to glance at the foliage above her head, searching for the clothing lazily before dipping back down to settle on Shinji. She softly brought herself to a soft smile before shaking her head, rubbing her head gently.

"Dear Shinji, I'm not going to steal your clothes. It's more entertaining to steal them from traveling humans who are unsuspecting. Besides, I prefer to run around naked. No restrictions."

Zuhuru flashed a toothly grin as her hands reached down and gripped the branch hard, lunging her body forward so she swung herself upside down. Her eyes focused on the bush as soon as the white creature fled, eyes narrowing slightly. To some extent, she wanted to investigate, but that could wait till later. The feline hooked her legs over the branch and let her hands hang free, unaware, more so not really caring that she was exposing her body. For a woman that was used to being naked, she didn't mind it, because she found her own reflection to be attractive, and she had no reason to hide such a fact. The girl folded her arms and exhaled, looking a little upset. Why did the creature run? Ugh. This was bothering her too much.

Slowly the woman hooked her hands back on the branch and began to swing back and forth until she could pull herself back up into a sitting position, hands immediately going to groom her hair from the upside-down hanging.

"Well.. Seems our visitor has fled. Oh well."

The woman arched herself and released a gentle yawn, stretching out the kinks of a good sleep. Eventually she was back to her earlier sitting position, lazily looking out towards Shinji, contemplating asking him something, but deciding against it.

Tsuchi carefully stuck her head out of the den and kept herself low in the high grass. This time, she didn't go as close as she did last time. Instead, once she was in range to listen to them, Tsuchi stopped dead in her tracks and remained still. She had to figure out more about this.....beings. Why they were able to change between animal and human. Tsuchi knew this much....it wasn't natural.

She looked up in the tree and saw the panther woman hanging upside down. As Tsuchi looked on, she didn't notice when the wind shifted and started to carry her scent toward the two at the tree. She thought that she was still to go unnoticed by them once again and would just listen in on what they were talking about about again. Tsuchi knew the man was a King Cobra. The woman was a Black Panther. She could tell that much without even looking at them just from the scent they gave off from when she was nearby last time.

If there are these two....are there more? And if there is....what sort of animals are they? And who would have done this? By Moon's Grace this is so strange. Perhaps.... Tsuchi's thought was cut off by the sound of movement. Was it coming from the two at the tree or from somewhere else? She couldn't tell. Tsuchi stayed as still as her body would allow her to.

After a moment, the cobra offered a tentative smile. "… Right." He replied softly. Though he was not convinced of the comfort of clothes either, Shinji did not like being naked in human form; warm-blooded or not, the body was easily chilled without some form of covering. How or why a creature would develop to be as nude as humans were, completely unguarded against the elements without fur, feathers, or scales, was beyond him. Human skin felt so bare and vulnerable, so easily punctured… They were almost like infantile rodents fresh out of the womb, furless and fragile, except they remained that way into adulthood. Very strange.

Shinji arched a brow at the cat's show of acrobatics. "Do you enjoy playing like a primate?" He asked teasingly. Though very capable of it, climbing was not Shinji's favorite thing to do, as being too far from the ground made him anxious. Flipping around or being upside down was certainly not something that sounded like a good time to him, even if his human limbs could pull off such feats.

The naked human form was still something he was growing accustomed to… Part of him felt attracted to certain areas of it, attracted in the way he felt watching another snake coil tightly around something, watching the muscles under every scale flex. But human bodies still seemed rather alien to him, so he did not yet fully accept some of the feelings they inspired. He was pleased with his own; though small - especially compared to some of the human men Shinji had seen - he was well muscled and proportioned. He found appeal in his lithe figure because to him it was reminiscent of his serpentine body.

He glanced after the white figure who dashed off… A canine of some kind, it looked like. His eyes flickered back to Zuhuru. "A wolf, I think…. I haven't seen one that color before, though. Do you know if it's one of us..? One of the new ones, perhaps?" He rather hoped it wasn't, otherwise it would have overheard his talking about where he hid his clothes. Then, regardless of if the panther moved, Shinji would have to stash his clothes in another tree - and possibly never use this one again.

Tsuchi [White Wolf (soon to be hybrid)]

Tsuchi was listening quietly. Clothes? What are....clothes? She thought to herself as she continued to listen. Then she heard the man talk about her. She wondered what he meant by a new one of "us" as the man put it. If he meant that she was a demon like those two, then he was sorely mistaken. Tsuchi withheld the urge to growl and go after the man, but every muscle in her body was screaming to move.

She made sure she was completely down on the ground, every muscle as still as stone. A light breeze blew around the area a bit. Tsuchi was like a taunt spring ready to be released, ready to spring out, either to attack or run away again, depending on the situation that would eventually present itself soon. She was scared, but she had to remember all the training that she had gone through almost her entire life. These two were either going to be a danger to her, or just curious like rabbits, before they get chomped down on.

Tsuchi knew that eventually though, she would be found out and that she would have to be ready no matter what outcome. She beared her teeth, but no sound. Tsuchi wouldn't allow herself the pleasure of sound. Her breathing was short and silent, as if she was hunting. Her ears adjusting to every sound, trying to not make any mistakes with keeping herself hidden. She attempted to listen in some more.

Zuhuru's body had gone ridged while Shinji was speaking, her eyes focused on the bush that had begun to rattle again. That creature.. had returned. Slowly the slim female stretched herself out on the branch, eyes narrowing and focusing solely on the bush. Slowly she diverted her optics to Shinji to show him the shift in demeanor. It was also a sign that the predator in her was showing itself. This creature was either foolish for testing her, or playing, and Zuhuru wasn't in the mood for such playful antics. It was in the morning, chilly, and she hadn't had a cigarette, and despite that, she'd be insulted that morning. It definitely wasn't her day and it was starting to make itself known. Slowly Zuhuru brought her body up into a sitting position and began to unzip her jacket, revealing her skin to the cold that surrounded them. She slipped the jacket off and folded it once over her arm, looking at Shinji.

"Hold on dear, it seems I have to say hello to our visitor. Do you mind holding this for me?"

Without waiting for an answer, Zuhuru threw her jacket towards Shinji and dove out of the tree, shifting back to her panther form midway through the air. With a loud and powerful thump, the black beast landed, eyes narrowed and fixated on the form of Tsuchi. The big cat slammed a paw in front on her, tail behind her swaying gently. She slowly rocked her weight onto her back paws and tensed herself, poised for attack and both chase. This was a wise cat, and she knew very well what to do if a brawl were to start and what not to do. The wolf was most certainly going up against a formidable foe if this is who she chose to fight.

"Well well well.. Hello there, snowflake. What brings you into our territory? Baring your fangs and skulking around like you are invisible."

That was strange. Zuhuru didn't refer to Yellowstone as 'her' territory. Perhaps that's because she was acknowledging Shinji in her statement, or all the hybrids in general. It didn't really matter. But the statement did linger.Slowly the black mass began to move, walking to the side for a moment. Suddenly the large black feline smirked at the poised wolf and turned on her paw, slinking back past the opening the wolf was at. It was almost like she was toying with the wolf, momentarily showing herself and then vanishing, and repeating the process.

Natalienne[Caribou hybrid]

Days at Yellowstone since natalienne had migrated and stayed. For the moment, wandered about the forest. Most onlooking humans wouldn't think that she wasn't a normal reindeer. Just one that must have just migrated too far down south and settled in the area. Natalinenne looked up, her large antlers branching above her head and ringed to all kinds of trinkets and knick nacks. She wasn't in an area she knew humans would be around, she she was able to comfortably let them hang for the moment. The day had gone on with out a hitch. No wolf attacks, no shuttles passing by and no random bouts of someone or something trying to shoot at her. Relaxing and rather peaceful if she said so.

Nataline wondered back in the woodland thicket, looking around for anyone watching from a distance. Only when she knew for certain that no one was around to catch her by surprise did she start pawing at the ground with one of her front hooves. She was digging up a pile of wood and grasses, uncovering a pile of clothes underneath before changing into her human form. Naked and all the trinkets from her now absent antlers fell around her. She cracked her back before reaching down for the clothing and sighed. "Wouldn't be enough that most of the day consisted of lounging around the plains and avoiding campers. At least they have stuff to steal." She muttered to her self as she made her self decent. The itch came again, as it had been for the past two weeks of changing from 'human' to her natural form.

In the two short weeks she had been a hybrid, she had noticed that she hadn't met another hooved hybrid. Or pray hybrid, as much as she hated to put it, at all. It made it sort of lone some for the Caribou as having no one to talk to other then the non hybrid residents. Even though most did stop and chat every now and again. Hell, just that morning she had chatted up an elk that morning in her animal form. Non the less, no one she really had a friendly conversation with was really a hybrid and the hybrids she regularly saw where predators and would often avoid as much as possible.

Natalienne sat in under a tree, sticking a long grass blade in her mouth. She was perfectly content with letting the day go by if the rest of the day went by like the current morning. Maybe take a stroll down by on of the geysers today if none of those pesky humans where around.

Tsuchi [White Wolf (soon to be hybrid)]

Tsuchi tensed even more now that the black cat was circling her. "I-I'm sorry. I-I just got seperated from my clan. I stayed the night in nearby den....and when I woke I just overheard some talking. I-I'll leave. Please....I really didn't mean any harm on anyone...I-I was just being defensive....thats all." She attempted to explain to the black cat that was larger than her. Tsuchi remained very low to the ground, ready to either run or fight.

Tsuchi was rather uncomfortable now with the black cat around. She slowly attempted to back away, toward the den she had been staying last night. With any luck, maybe the cat would lose interest in her and leave to go back to the tree. She didn't think she would be that lucky however. Tsuchi caught glimpses of the cat as it went around her in the tall grass.

Shinji blinked, again feeling uncertain the cat was listening as her gaze focused elsewhere. Cats were so distractible… After a minute he turned to follow her line of sight, but he didn't see anything. If there was something there it must have been holding very still for him not to notice it. He looked back to Zuhuru when she spoke again, and promptly grabbed her jacket when it was hurled at him, frowning slightly. He glanced down at the coat in his hands and then up at the tree… The now empty tree. A smile slithered across his lips. He may not have been able to get Zuhuru out of the tree, but apparently curiosity could. Whatever worked, he supposed. Shinji latched his human limbs onto the tree's branches to quickly scale it, getting as high as he could, deep into its leaves before strategically positioning himself so that branches supported him at the chest, stomach, and legs. Then in seconds he seemed to disappear, his clothes falling to drape over different branches. There was still some form beneath them, however - the dark head of a cobra reared up from within Shinji's jacket and shirt. He snaked out of the covering of his human clothes, steadily cascading his long, shining frame down through the branches of the tree. For lacking limbs, many snakes were surprisingly adept at climbing both up and down.

He smoothly flowed down onto the ground, comforted by the feeling of the earth under his belly, before winding his way closer to where Zuhuru had ventured. It took some distance before his body was completely free of the tree, considering he was an entire 13 feet long. Upon moving closer, he spotted the white wolf crouching in the grass. Shinji's thick, forked tongue flickered in and out, waggling up and down each time it emerged to take in the air. The world seemed so much clearer when he had his sense of smell… The wolf was female, and very nervous - for good reason, considering Zuhuru was circling her almost teasingly.

The cobra did not adopt the panther's dominant attitude. The wolf was clearly only curious, so Shinji felt no need to display his hood or make threats. He kept his distance so as not to get in Zuhuru's way, but slithered close enough through the grass that he didn't have to much lift his head to see the white canine. If he was a smaller snake, he might have disappeared in the tall grass, but with his huge body and dark scales he knew he was far from hidden. It didn't worry him. The cobra had easily fended off wolves before, and with Zuhuru around there was no chance this one was going to attack. Most of them were rather skittish creatures.

"She's a natural beast after all," Shinji said lightly. He watched the wolf try to back up. "She was just curious, Zuhuru. If she's not from around here, she hasn't seen us before." His tongue darted in and out again, reaching for more information on the canine, but alas, his olfaction could not detect a creature's name.

Tsuchi could hear another. This time it was a snake of some sort. "I'm sorry....please...don't hurt me. I swear....I really did just get lost. I got seperated from my clan pack...." She said to them. She just wanted to leave without any trouble with these two animal....people....things. She was starting to wish she had never come here. She should have just kept moving in the direction that she remembered her clan pack going.

"I promise I will leave here....I am sure that I can just go and be able to pick up the smell of my clan pack and just be on my way....and you won't have to worry about me again." Tsuchi pleaded with them.

The black feline padded gently over towards the King Cobra and bent her head down, gently running her face along the snake's general shape. Yes, she was putting herself in complete danger by rubbing herself against the snake, but this was more so because she was grateful. For a moment, the large cat had lost control of herself because she was so predatory, and protective. She had led the escape of the Hybrids, and wanted no harm to come to them, even if that meant she had to chase off any predators that approached them. Dr. Liam had raised her that way, and she had accepted it. But, c'est la vie, everything must change one day. Slowly the massive black smudge stepped away from the snake and fluidly began to move towards the hole that contained the wolf. The feline dropped her head and stared directly into the wolf's optics, beckoning with a quick flick of the head for the creature to come out.

"I will not hurt you, little snowflake. I have no reason to."

Zuhuru's massive head pulled back from the hole and she swept her tail quickly across the grass, retreating a few paces back before she turned and sat. Slowly the big cat slid down to a couch and then to a comfortable sitting position, eyes having drooped to a lazy gaze. Even her thick tail was lazily flicking back and forth. Zuhuru softly let out a tired yawn, lazily glancing over towards a different direction, sniffing gently. There was prey around here somewhere. Soon she was going to need to feed, even if she wasn't exactly starving. The hungrier you are, the less effective you are at hunting because your mind is too busy being focused on feeding itself rather then hunting like you're supposed to. Zuhuru inhaled deeply, breathing in the scents around her. Categorizing the animals by smell was the easiest by far, so this is what she picked up: 3 birds, Shinji, Tsuchi, a semi large caribou, a couple of squirrels, and other small critters. None of the other hybrids were awake yet, especially since Zuhuru and Shinji were usually the first to be awakened by first light.

Zuhuru smiled gingerly, dipped her head back to the ground, and relaxed, patiently waiting for the wolf to creep her way out, or stay in the hole. Figuring the creature deserved some type of explanation, Zuhuru softly spoke.

"You don't have to leave. We just can't be too sure, sometimes. I'm Zuhuru, and the Cobra is Shinji. What's your name?"

Tsuchi [White Wolf (soon to be hybrid)]

Tsuchi at least brought her head out slowly, but still kept most of herself inside the small den. "Ts-Tsuchi....of the Northern White Wolf Clan. Wh-what are you? I've never seen any cat as big as you before." She said, still very nervous even though the cat said she wasn't going to hurt her. Tsuchi's gaze switched between looking at the cat and the cobra that was still nearby as well. She was starting to regret ever wandering here, or letting her curiousity get the best of her with these two. She just wanted to leave and quickly as she can.

"I-I didn't mean to invade your territory." Tsuchi said, her ears down, and her body low to the ground in a slightly submissive gesture.

(ima jus pop in here cause im totally lost at whats going on..and id have a small pic of the artic fox sorry...)

Kitty was watching the commotion from a ways away. The commotion had awakened her. She shook her head. Her ears perked up, Listening, waiting, wondering. She had been in Yellow Stone as a hybrid for as long as she could remember. Which was about 1 year. She listened hoping the wolf didnt make the panther Zuhura angry. She had kept her white fur not wanting to change it. Her eyes were big and a silvery blue color. She was worried about the situation but didnt want to walk over just yet. She often saw the other hybrids so he appearing in the situation wouldn't be uncommon but her shy and caution kept her from it at least for now. She never stayed near the others very long because of her shy nature and she had quite a wondering spirit as well as a larger then life sense of curiosity that often got the better of her. She would often catch sight of something and chase it in this form.

Kallik, the Shakey Fruit Bat Hybrid

Kallik was racing against time in the worst way.
He knew he should have started to fly back to his little hideaway hole -AKA the cave he found in the park, which was quite convenient for somebody of his luck - earlier last night, but he decided to take a detour during his flight. He had already eaten his fill, and was taking his time when he noticed the sunrise. He had a problem with sunrises, for although they were gorgeous and he would paint one anyday, it also meant that if he didn't hurry his little flying rodent but up, he would probably end up in the jaws of some day time prowler. His problem was that he couldn't fly well during the day, so he had to change back into a human. The only good thing going for him that day was that he was smart enough to bring a pair of shorts with him so he wasn't running naked. It didn't bother him to be naked, but being furless on the other hand made him feel extremely exposed, especially on a chilly morning such as it was that day.

Kallik checked over his shoulder for the hundredth time at least for any signs of danger as he sprinted and crashed through the forest. His eyes never got used to the bright lights of the sun, not even in his human form, so he felt like he was running blind through the forest, trying to guess where he was going. He nearly stopped when he faintly heard some voices in the direction ahead of him, and decided to veer a little to the left, away from them and still on path. He was hoping that they wouldn't notice him as he rushed through the forest, and with each passing second, became more anxious and scared, slowing his pace gradually. He just needed to get back to his cave, and he would be safe.

Just needed to get back.

Tsuchi [White Wolf soon to be hybrid]

Tsuchi waited for a response from the cat. Or even the snake. It didn't matter to her. The silence was unbearable. In the distance she heard something else but was not sure of what it was. Right now what mattered was getting herself out of this situation with the snake and the cat. She looked for an opening to escape if need be. She needed to keep on her paws about this or things could go wrong really fast if she was not careful.

She moved to the left a bit to see what would be the cat and the snake's reaction.

Kitty shook her head the wolf wanted to exit. Any animal could see this. The wolf was very uncomfortable with the sudden turn in events and so she decided she would make the opening the young wolf craved so intently mostly because her curiosity had gotten the best of her. She wanted to see what was going on just hearing it could wasn't enough. She walked up to the area keeping completely silent as she appeared her ears perked up and her fluffy tail swished slightly from side to side. She had not woken up just yet she was still a bit in sleep so her eyes were sleepy and she walked kind of slowly because of it she appeared through the brush where the panther Zuhuru, the cobra Shinji and the wolf who called herself Tsuchi were. She walked in and paused, keeping silent as she watched Zuhuru and Shinji for a few moments her eyes mirroring child-like curiosity and innocence. She was only just a pup in this form though in her other form she was 17, she was mature in her other form and acting like how you would expect a 17 year old teenage girl to ask but she couldn't control herself in her fox form it was as if she had shruken to what you would expect a 5 year old to be like.. She looked up tilting her head as if to ask what was going on and what the commotion was.

The cat slowly arched her head to look towards the intruder that imposed on her territory. More little creatures moving about now that the forest was waking up. Slowly the panther rose to her paws, shaking out the kinks in her muscles before slowly dropping her lids to view the cowering wolf. She did not look pleased any longer, more so because she was starting to wake up, and she hadn't had her normal fix of nicotine yet. The massive black creature's jaws dropped into a luxurious yawn before she lazily responded, turning her body in the other direction towards the fox who had snuck up on them.

"I'm Zuhuru, dear. The black panther of Yellowstone National Park. This park is full of beings like me and Shinji, those who can shift forms. You'd be surprised how many of us there are..

Zuhuru redirected her attention to the fox and swept her tail in that direction, signaling the attention be turned to her.

"I'm aware of quite the lot of hybrids. I am aware of their dens, their habits, their locations, names, etc. That young one over there is one of the newer hybrids. She is an arctic fox if I remember correctly from Dr. Liam's records. And Tsuchi, you are not long for being one of us as well if you decide to hang around here much longer. Dr.Liam is always looking for new animals to experiment on, and I'm always eager to satisfy his want, especially if I get my payment in return."

Of course the cat meant her fix, but it was better if she left that out of the conversation. Slowly the black smudge began to move, padding her way past the fox, cobra, and wolf to the base of the tree she was in earlier. Quickly and silently the large cat ascended the tree, collected her jacket which she had tossed to Shinji and descended to the tree in quite the timely manner, paws slamming onto the surface of the grass with a heavy thump. Setting the clothing item down, Zuhuru quietly spoke to them all before she recollected her jacket and began to move on with her business.

"It's about time for my early morning stroll, my pretties.. Take care of yourselves and keep warm, Shinji. A pleasure to meet you Tsuchi. I hope we never have to meet again, or it may be under different circumstances. Good day."

With that, the panther dipped her head into a bow and padded her way into the mesh of the underbrush, blending into the slowly awakening world of Yellowstone Park.

Shinji listened to the panther's explanation patiently, leaving it up to her how thoroughly she wished to explain. He raised and swiveled his head to glance at the second white canine that appeared, a vaguely familiar fox. She was a newer hybrid… He couldn't recall her name. He looked to Zuhuru at mention of the wolf's possible assimilation into their kind. It was mildly surprising she didn't try to take the wolf just then; judging by her attitude, it seemed she might not have yet had her fix this morning. The cobra didn't understand why any creature, human or otherwise, would want to smoke. The stuff carried a disgusting odor, one that often clung to Zuhuru. Maybe panthers' sense of smell was little better than a human's.

As his tongue flickered in and out at the thought, Shinji caught a more interesting scent in the air. It was an exotic sort of smell… A mammal, like a rodent but… not. He couldn't quite decide if it smelled good to eat or not. The cobra was not hungry, and probably wouldn't be for another week or so, but he liked to keep track of things he might want to try eating. "… You two have dog noses. Surely, you-" He perked up, catching movement racing by through the foliage. The darting of his tongue picked up the pace, curious. He lowered his head to follow after the creature, leaving the two canines to either chat amongst themselves or trail after him. But why two dogs would want to follow a cobra - especially one his size - would be beyond him.

The mystery creature was fast, but with his long form Shinji kept up fairly easily, especially as the thing began to slow. Now that he was closer he could see it appeared to be a human, but according to its scent it must have been a Hybrid… and a male one. The cobra approached slowly, raising his head to peer up at the dark-haired boy, though not enough to make it a threatening posture. "What… are you?" He inquired interestedly, tongue flickering. The boy reeked of anxiety, which rather roused Shinji's appetite, but he knew he did not need to eat yet in the least. This was purely a venture of curiosity, not hunger.