Fear nearly consumed her.

Her body was transforming.

"What do I do?" She cried, Green eyes flooding. Her hands grew warm; a new skin bubbling inside of her, screaming to be set free.

the shifting will come soon.

It will be over.

Just breathe.

"Luna," naira soothed.

"Oh Luna, you are doing very well!"

She glanced at her friend, writhing in pain.

"Should I get your mother?"

"Mnmmph, no, stay with me, please!"

Luna slurred, Skin boiling.

"Just remember to relax, that is the key. Relax and you will feel nothing"

Feathers protruded from luna's olive skin, and organs shifted inside her, she could feel it all. The burnt sienna down erupted along her arms, encasing her entire body.

"Gahhhhh!"

The pain was unimaginable;

A furious fire that ate her alive. Lips fused together, and bones melted like wax.

It will be over. Just breathe.

Breathe.

Luna's lungs shriveled, and her body eroded away until no trace of her old self remained.

How alien this body was; how odd and wonderfully curious.

Luna lifted her wings with the pride of a goddess.

Black eyes pierced the night, and a hooked beak awaited the kill. Talons poised, and feathers quite disheveled from the confusion and fear that was the shifting.

Naira stood in awe.

"A bird of Prey, I presume.."

Her eyes did not leave Luna's gaze.

"Your mother would be pleased!"

Luna could not talk.

This body did not have the facilities to do so.

"Try to fly"

Naira grinned

"Come on!"

The moon illuminated the forest, it's heavenly glow wrapping girl and hawk in luminescent arms. It's voice a whisper in the cold darkness of the dusk.

Beams of moon shone on Luna's down. The very spirit for which she was named.

Wings trembled, and shook. A girl was trapped inside this bird. She pounded her fists at fleshy walls,

struggling to breathe.

She started at the sky, beginning her ascent to the heavens. The wind lifted her with a tender touch, slender fingers caressed her wings.
Silver feathers flickered, the night's breath whispering through them, giving them lift.

A ghost of the trees, apparition of the gust. Wings spread, nimble body; Unforgiving gaze. She was strength and freedom, all things her old self was not; though she could still feel her human counterpart bubbling under her skin, growing in her gizzard.
The wind sang as it guided her through the sky. How soft the blanket of clouds, how blissful the sun's warmth

It All lay inside her now, only under her skin.

There once was a girl who stood afraid.

Her world devoured by waves, beasts who bore fangs, and whose claws tore the flesh of the earth. Furious titans, but prey on thee; caged birds who could not swim! Nor can soaked wings taste fruit of the skies.

Fragile creatures they were; swallowed by the ocean.

Nine islands rose from the depths; eight surrounding a central land.

The goddess sun extended her arms,

Eyes Aglow, blessed the land most fertile.

Then came the moon;

Its silver breath on the dark canvas of the night; as if the sun ablaze reduced to embers in the night, illuminating the world below.

The girl once terrified stood strong. hair concealed by the night; the color of shadows, blackened spirits laced with the lust of the dark. in the mist of the moon, it illuminated with the whispering light, tracing through her locks with careful fingers.

Luna.

The spirit of the night; Of light who swam through the shrouded ocean.

She stood with no fear.

Creatures lurked under the skin. The island housed those who could transform themselves; A soft veneer of flesh concealed their animal counterparts. Shifts, they were called; Their eyes masked the animalistic nature of what lay inside.

Their top shifters used as a means of defense; large predators,birds (particularly those of prey), horses for cavalry. Even the tiniest insect served the island as spies.

Luna grew stronger, her hawk body becoming more familiar; growing inside, kindred spirits, becoming one.

Her small unit of bird shifters awaited her command. They were the most loyal to her, and would lay down their lives under luna's orders.

They stood at attention, taking human form, their breath white as the snow that swirled in the frigid, grey sky.

The barn owl shift was Naira, Scarlett showed excellent control of her eagle counterpart,Grey's falcon body was stronger than her human form's wire frame, Thorne was a strong brunette with little control over his eagle body, and Nathaniel stood tall, blonde hair whipped around by the wind, his hawk form as disciplined as himself.

The light warmed their scarlet faces, veiled in frost.

Luna circled around the odd assemblage of shifts.

"As important as physical strength is, it is also necessary that you be pushed  not only to your physicsal limit, but to your mental brink"

" Oh, how I dread running! How I beg! do not force on our feeble bodies the burden of running!" The words escaped scarlett's lips, her mind not yet at pace with her mouth.

green eyes pierced the dusk, slowly blooming into the dawn. Luna spoke;

"No, you will not run."  her smile was laced with a sickly sweet venom, filling the air with its poisin. "you will swim."

There was silence, abruptly interrupted when thorne cried out; "by goddess sun, you are trying to kill us!"  He breathed heavily "The lake is most definantly frozen over"

"Look up! o look at the sun, at the light! do you no feel its warmth?"

luna' s gaze met his.

" Do you not see the ice melt, warm with the light of the sun? The goddess whose arms would not lose you to the monstrous tentacles of the dark beneath the water's surface!"

Her breath warmed his face.

"You will be alright for 20 to 30 minutes. I will guarantee that none of you will die in the depths of the lake"

And with a nod, she ran towards the lake, and plunged Into it's watery arms, her unit of shifts following obediently as dogs

Their initial reaction was to gasp, their bodies grew cold, veins filled with dark lead. They could barly breath;eyes wide with fear, for every breath they took was not near enough to fill their lungs. Luna knew the paralyzing pain of the deep, blanketed in frost, slowly seeping into the poor bodies of her team of shifts. They cried out, tears glazed their moist cheeks; "Oh Luna! We cannot find within us strength to bear such pain!"

Many assumed bird form, cowering to the skies. "What heartless dogs! such mercy may not be granted in battle!" Luna shrieked.

"Mercy? We know not mercy sweet but that of the sword!" Thorne fled from ghastly grip of the lake. Luna chased after him, taunting:

"Ah, bare thee, and mercy may be but my pleasure!" Luna's eyes flickered with mischief, Sword drawn.

"My sword does not thirst for blood most unclean," spat thorne

Their bodies stiff and frigid, wind hollowing their bones. Torne's blade flickered in the sun,

"Unclean blood yields an unclean foe, if not be you?" Luna's smile turned to a grimace.

"So be it!"

Thorne thrusted his blade at Luna, most agile. Flesh did not tear, blood was yet to be spilled.

"Thorne! Most cowardly fool! O Thorne! You make not Luna's match! You fool!"

Grey warned, her voice dripped with anger.

"Luna, I beg! He is but an arrogant fool, mind thee."

Luna's sword traced thorne's magenta cheek, his eyes frozen in terror.

"It is best you do not speak" anger gripped Luna, Her weakness, her downfall.

Red spilled, sword gingerly pressing into thorne's tender skin.

He kicked in protest, his foot connecting with Luna's stomach. She keeled over, sword falling to the snow below, Eyes glowng with rage. Her body rebounded, though She did not retrieve her sword.

Instead, she rose with hatred; a seed in her heart. Her hand raised, she smacked Thorne, drawing blood with her claw-like fingernails.
Luna had struck him! Luna who danced with shadows, who swam in the depths of the lake, blue as thorne's now glistining eyes.
Luna, spirit of the moon.
May the light guide her through the darkness, for it threatened to eat her alive.

Rays of Amber gashed the twilight, puncturing the snowy hills of the northernmost island.
Luna clutched her face.
Her squad's eyes were fixed on her.
They could not see her tears.
No.
She could not let them know.

Her hands dripped with blood.
The Hot, thick liquid poured from her  fingertips, tickling their pads, leaving a trail of red.
Crimson petals delicately fluttered off her hands, penetrating the pure ivory beneath her.
This was not her blood.
It was Thorne's.
"Luna!" grey was on the verge of tears.
"Why must you do this?"
Luna shook her head, still cradled in her scarlet stained hands.
Nathaniel gripped Luna's shoulder. She buried her head deeper into the warmth. Tears erupted from her eyes, and her words trembled and shook. "I am terribly sorry Thorne! Do forgive me!" her heart wobbled in her chest, and for a moment she feared that the others could hear its panicked throbbing.
Blood blossomed along thorne's jowl, spilling out and streaking his cheek with the very color of hatred itself. He tenderly pressed on his wound, lips forming a smile.  "All is forgiven." he whispered. "Let us not linger on such an insignificant
Occurrence."
Luna lifted her head, tears vanishing.
"Thorne..."
Thorne pressed a finger to his lips.
"Shadia will know nothing of this."
Luna nodded, only warmth suffused her now.
She stood, gathered her squad, and began leading them back to the village when scarlet sneered;
"your face is varnished with tears!"