The symphony of the night sounded from all around the black leopard as he made his way through the darkened jungle. He could hear the crackle of leaves and smell the prey that had run this way but he didn't stop to prowl and feel his growling stomach. Swishing his tail the leopard jumped onto a well used branch, the strange collection of stringed items around his neck swaying, and clawed his way up a strongly scented tree to a small landing. After he pulled himself up a female golden leopard stalked out of the darkness and eyed the male before flicking her tail towards a shadowed corner and turning back around. The male dipped his head in greeting and sat, waiting.
An older black leopard emerged from the shadows and stopped, raising on two legs her fur shortening and disappearing in places, limbs lengthening, paws growing longer and stronger. Power crackled around her and her face shed its fur as she spoke from her smaller humanoid mouth.
"Greetings Blackspot, I hope you returned from the borderlands safely." The male blinked and stood slowly his form shifting with the conversion of powers within his body, "Yes Lady Moonfire my travel was peaceful and full of the wisdom of the tiger clans. Alpha Blackfur sends her thanks for sending a priest of Panthera to learn battle with her kits." Moonfire nodded, "The Shade clan has always welcomed our leopards graciously. I trust you learned well and are ready for tomorrow's ceremony, you and Blackfoot will be leaving the Hollow."
Blackspot frowned and looked at his paws, the thought of his childhood friend being mated to an alpha turning his stomach. The Snakestrike leopard clan had never had a good name among the leopard clans but the Head Priestesses had thought a Priestess alpha would help the clan. The alpha had agreed to mate his son to Blackfoot if she wouldn't use her powers of changing. Blackspot laid a paw on his Xteriha, the collar of empowered relics that allowed him to change form. Feeling the bare skin of his chest startled him before he remembered that he could shift into his Changeling form.
Moonfire turned leaving Blackspot to his thoughts, shifting back to her leopard form she looked at the moon floating between the branches and wondered about the humans of legend and how they could destroy their world. As the Goddess Panthera said the Changeling breeds had been given the form of her and the other gods children but cursed to live as humanlike beings during the dark of the moon. The priests and druids of both the felines and canine gods could shift into their changeling form at anything so they could lead their people through anything. But how did the real humans kill everything? Her ears and eyes took in her surroundings and silently she prayed to her goddess for the safety of her people and for the hope they would never forget the old stories.
Blackspot clawed his way down the tree back in his leopard form. his paws barely touching the ground he raced towards his friends home in the jungle, a tree next to a small part of the river that raged it way through the forest.