"Snake!"

"That's not a snake. It's a leaf."

"Well it looks like a snake, so forgive me!

"You've lived in this forest for fifteen years! How do you not know the difference between a snake and a leaf?"

"Both of you! Stop fighting like mini Kyrans!"

"Ahem."

"Oh. Sorry, Kyran."

The Forest was dark, shining with nothing but the stars as the sun slowly began to ascend from the east. Kyran - now eleven years older than she was that fateful night - lifted her head to study the trees around her. Her body, flecked with scars, was now a puzzle of near-misses and mistakes she'd never make again. There was a soft breeze blowing from the north, ruffling her wing feathers and causing a shiver to run down her spine. She raised her tail - long and black like that of a panther's - and ordered the small unit of seven creatures to halt.

A large wolf with fur the color of freshly fallen snow slid up on her left. "See anything?"

Kyran tilted her head to study the clearing below her, where fresh blossoms broke through the melting snow. "Nothing." Her voice was curt and impatient. "Smell the scent, Dakota?"

The wolf flared her nostrils, and then shook her graceful white head. "The flowers are too strong."

A huge black pegacorn took a step forward, ducking his head and tucking his wings to prevent them catching on the low-hanging branches that surrounded them. "Are you sure that Phoenix's eyes are working right? I see nor smell any humans."

"Where is that annoying bird anyway?" Bryan - also eleven years older - asked as his eyes scanned the sky.

Kyran growled in annoyance, twitching her tail. "His eyes work fine, Midnight." She responded to the stallion tersely before turning to her twin. "And he's scouting to see if he can find the intruder."

"Going away from camp at night?" Dakota chuckled. "Moonlight is going to bury you for this."

"Probably." Kyran shrugged her shoulders and sent her friend a crooked smile. "Doesn't mean I can't do it."

The white wolf swished her tail. "Clever."

Bryan squared his shoulders gruffly. "Can we please stop chatting? If I have to sit still for much longer, my spine is going to cave in."

Kyran smacked him on the back of his head with her wing. "I'm pretty sure that's not how it works." She responded in an irritated tone. A silver pegacorn standing beside Midnight let out a snort of laughter. Still a filly, she stood only at Midnight's shoulder, seeming tiny compared to the massive black stallion.

As her twin brother rubbed his head and grumbled under his breath, Kyran allowed for her piercing dark blue gaze to drift to the clearing again, and she inhaled a tangy scent over that of the overwhelming spring blossoms. A smile tugged at her lips.

"Silence!" She hissed, a wide, crazy grin forming on her pale, freckled face.

The unit of animals stilled their voices, listening, and Dakota perked her ears when a snap echoed through the thick trees. A figure stumbled into the clearing, cursing at the amount of foliage around him.

Kyran chuckled under her breath. "Human."

"So Phoenix was right." Midnight twitched one ear back. "Where is he?"

"Look up and you'll find out." A rasping voice came from above the heads of the unit. Turning her gaze upward, Kyran brightened when her eyes landed on a bright orange bird perched on a high branch of a young oak tree. His dark blue gaze - nearly identical to Kyran's own - bore down on them, seeming to hold the very fabric of space within them.

Kyran stood on her two legs and held up one arm, allowing for Phoenix to hop down from his perch and onto the offered limb. She stroked him for a moment, and then spoke, "What have you assessed?"

Phoenix ruffled his neck feathers. "The Human is from the continent of Africa - to be more specific, Wakanda. He seems to be in his late thirties, early forties maybe." The bird paused. "He suffers from a limp he earned from war back in his home, and he's armed with a spear, seemingly following a wild goat."

Dakota bared her teeth. "Hunting? In our forest? The nerve of such humans results often in death!"

Kyran nodded. "Dakota, make your way behind him - block his exit. Bryan, I need you and Falling Feather," - she nodded to the dappled silver filly - "to come up on the sides of the clearing to surround the human. I need time to prepare a portal to Africa. Midnight," Her blue eyes flashed to the black stallion. "I'm going to need a crowbar and a bottle of wine."

Midnight shook out his wings in anxiety. "Wine? For your portal? Are you sure?"

"No." Kyran responded. "That's just to make me feel better about ripping a hole in the universe."

Phoenix flinched. "Why don't we just use the explosives?"

Midnight twitched his ears. "You stole explosives?"

Kyran shrugged. "I only took four."

"One of those can level the clearing in seconds!" The stallion spluttered.

"Then we won't use them!" Kyran snapped. "I'll get started on that hole in the universe."

Phoenix coughed. "Not a good idea unless you want to disrupt the balance among Earth."

Kyran turned to face him, confused about the differing opinions. "Stop telling me what to do!"

"I'm your spirit animal." The Firebird replied calmly. "That's my job."

The redhead growled lowly and turned to the rest of the group.

Bryan stepped forward tentatively, seeing that his sister was in a mood and seeming not to want to anger her further. "I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news," He said apologetically. "But this place reeks of vibranium."

Kyran whirled to face the clearing where the man still stood, glancing around him attentively. She flared her nostrils - a trick she had learned many years ago - to catch a scent, horror enveloping her lungs. Her eyes locked with the spear, and she saw it. The rock that was supposed to be the tip - which the man would use to skewer his prey - glowed a faint purple color, a color so familiar to the young redhead, that the very sight caused her to unconsciously step back and wrap her wings around her body. Bryan had a similar reaction, though when he stepped back, Kodiak the Grizzly Bear - his spirit animal - embraced the boy with his huge brown paws. Phoenix let the feathers on his neck and head raise up in an alarmed posture, making himself bigger.

To a normal human or animal, the situation would have been fine. Dakota, Midnight, and Falling Feather did not have to be afraid of such substances. But to Kyran and Bryan - Shapeshifters - and their spirit animals, they were in extreme danger due to the metal. Being stabbed by a vibranium spear in the shoulder might mean a race for life if a shifter were struck.

"Looks like we'll have to sit this one out, brother." Kyran twitched her black tail and looked toward Bryan, who gave a tense sigh.

"I suppose we will."

Dakota cut in. "What if I can get his spear out of the way?" She suggested. "Then Kyran could get close enough to open her portal?"

"We're doing a portal?" Phoenix asked, his eyes holding slight irritation. "That's going to get everyone killed." The wolf had already disappeared, leaving Phoenix glaring after her in annoyance. Kyran chuckled lightly at the Firebird and stroked his feathers, kneeling down to watch the scene.

Kyran watched with interest as Dakota shot from the underbrush, teeth bared, and launched her huge white form at the man. Spear in hand, the intruder whirled toward the wolf, but was too late. Teeth made contact with the weapon, and it was ripped from his hand at the force and sheer strength of the animal. Dakota hit the ground and rolled, her fangs sinking into the tough wood and freezing it with the powers she had been born with. It shattered.

The young girl motioned to her brother with her wing, guiding him down into the clearing along with Midnight and Falling Feather. Dakota was backing the now defenseless intruder toward the tree line, where the foliage was so thick, that he would not be able to pass through.

Bryan held up the crowbar Midnight had stolen from a man earlier in the year, pointing it toward the man with a devious smirk on his face. Kyran stepped forward, an identical grin on her face as well. "A human hunting in our woods," she tsked. "How stupid of you."

Midnight flattened his ears and charged him, taking the man to the ground with his horn pointed toward his throat.

Kyran took the crowbar from Bryan and walked toward the man, her smirk fading to a frown. Her brother, however, put one hand in front of her to block her passage.

The blonde boy tapped the crowbar with his claws lightly. "The label says: Product for intended use only." He warned, his blue eyes locking with hers. "I'm pretty sure creating a portal to send a man across the world is not its intended use."

Kyran rolled her eyes.

"Plus," Bryan added with a knowing look toward her necklace. "We both know opening a portal would weaken you considerably."

The redhead blinked, and also looked down toward her bright orange charm. It was simple, yet it held unimaginable power. She didn't need it to use her powers, of course, but if it had fallen into the wrong hands, they would have the power at their disposal.

"Fine." She snapped, throwing the weapon to the grassy ground. "Bring me one of the explosives."

Her twin dipped his head and darted away, returning a moment later with a small object shaped like a pinecone. Kyran grinned widely again and turned back toward the intruder.

He met her eyes with his challenging stare. "Ha! Are you going to kill me with a pinecone? Pathetic."

Kyran raised a brow and held up the 'pinecone'. "Everything here can kill you," she said seriously, glancing around to examine her surroundings. Then her gaze went back to the man. "But I can do it the most efficiently."

The man, startled at her dark words, rolled out from under Midnight and seized the spearhead that had not been shattered with the rest of the weapon. He lunged for Kyran, who swiftly dodged his attack by simply sidestepping the jump. However, where he missed her, he struck Bryan on the shoulder, causing the young boy to scream in anger.

Falling Feather barreled forward, whinnying in rage. Despite her lack of flying ability, the young filly seemed to hold the strength of a bull as she rammed her shoulder into the man, sending him slipping on the grass. Kyran watched as he dropped the weapon, then tensed as a series of shots rang out around them.

This man had a gun?

A pistol to be exact. Kyran lurched forward and swiped her claws across his face, forcing him to release his weapon. The redhead Shifter kicked it to the other side of the clearing with a scowl.

She dropped the explosive on the ground and stepped back, smirking. The ticking sound that emitted from it caused the man to scramble to his feet abruptly.

"You have three minutes to leave this forest." Kyran snarled to the intruder. "Once the ticking stops, any human flesh will be set ablaze by the blast that follows, but the forest itself will not be harmed." She retrieved from her belt a small capsule, disposing of it near the pinecone and stepping back.

The man scowled. "You're nuts."

Kyran threw back her head to let out a howl of laughter. "That much is true." She responded, taking the respective steps away from the bomb.

"It was nice knowing you." Dakota said from behind him, causing a look of terror to cross his eyes as he took in the talking mutant wolf. "Actually," the canine corrected herself, with a wolffish smirk, "it was a rather mediocre experience."

The man bolted from the clearing, slipping on the dew that now coated the long grass and skidding to the other side of the clearing. Kyran raised a brow and turned her back on him, walking with her friends into the deep foliage of the woods. Once a safe distance away from the clearing, she turned back to watch.

An explosion rang out across the woods, followed by several small explosives that lit up the night sky. Kyran smirked as she saw glowing ashes rain down around them.

Midnight glared at her with his dark amber eyes. "Why did you put fireworks next to the bomb?" He demanded, his wings twitching to rid the feathers of stinging dust particles.

Kyran shrugged, the grin still on her face. "I wanted it to be pretty."

"It's supposed to be subtle!" The black pegacorn hissed, his ears flattening.

Ignoring her foster brother, the young redhead opened her wings and walked back into the clearing, waving the smoke away with a wretched cough of annoyance. Phoenix looked around.

"You leveled the clearing." He snapped with irritation.

Kyran's shoulders raised in another shrug. "Well, that didn't end the way I expected, but at least no one important died." Her eyes glimmered brightly in the halflight as she bent over the rubble that had been caught in the explosion. "Jackpot." She whispered, picking up the intruder's bag and emptying it.

Bryan came forward and picked up a large white device that had fallen from the bag, his eyes brightening. "An iPhone!" He said mockingly as he tapped the electronic with his index claw. "That old thing. I haven't seen one of these in ages."

"Does it still work?" Kyran tilted her head to the side after gathering some interesting things from the pile - including a staple hammer, some pepper spray, a taser, and, surprisingly, a tampon. She wrinkled her nose in distaste and flung that aside. Why did a man have one of those?

The blonde boy walked toward her and sighed, throwing the device on the grass. "Nope. Broken old piece of junk."

Kyran glanced at him thoughtfully and then narrowed her eyes. "You're bleeding!"

Bryan glanced at his injured shoulder, nervously. "Whaat?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "No, I'm not. That spear barely left a scratch."

"Cats leave scratches." Kyran pointed out bluntly. "Spears leave gashes."

In a light tone, the young boy chuckled. "That rhymes."

"Shut up and get over here." The redhead snapped to her brother, hiding her amusement. Once she was certain that the vibranium weapon had not infected his blood, Kyran tied a cloth around the wound and then turned toward the spearhead still on the ground.

Phoenix scoffed bluntly under his breath. "I heard that vibranium is very expensive. Five thousand for a piece."

Kyran narrowed her eyes in "Why would you send five thousand dollars on a murder weapon?" She demanded crossly, twitching her wings back in annoyance. "Don't people know you can pick up a brick or a tire iron off the side of the road for free?"

Dakota leaned forward and picked up the object in her strong jaws. "It's quite heavy," she observed, testing the weight of it in her mouth before walking toward the river that bordered the clearing. Kyran watched with narrowed eyes as the great wolf dropped the weapon into the river. "There." She chuckled, turning back to the redhead. "Never seeing that again."

Kyran licked her jaws and smiled at the wolf. "Thanks."

Bryan got to his feet and started back toward the edge of the glade. "We should head back. It's well into the morning, and Father won't be pleased to know we've been out."

Falling Feather stretched her wings. "True." She pointed out, following the blonde.

"Hey, Sis!" Bryan leaped onto Kyran and crushed her in a hug, causing the redhead to squeak in shock.

She shoved him off. "Get off!" She snapped. "I love you, but don't touch me."

Bryan howled in laughter. "Every time!" He stood up and brushed himself off, before striding by her with a crooked grin. "Now let's go before Father decides to bury us."

"Yes," Kyran said with a wince as she moved. "Let's."

Midnight followed them quietly, his hooves hardly making a sound as he trotted through the tussocks. He twitched his furry ears as he came up beside Kyran. "Are you okay?"

The redhead glanced at him, holding her side.

"You're limping." He continued, his amber eyes glimmering in the moonlight.

Kyran stopped walking abruptly when she felt a warm, sticky liquid run between her claws. Bryan turned to her along with Dakota. "Is everything okay?"

"So." Kyran said, her voice slightly wavering as she pulled her hand away from her side. "I've just realized . . ." She watched their eyes widen. ". . . that I've been shot."

Bryan facepalmed.

Kyran trudged by him. "Move it. I need to see a healer - and explain why the heck I have a bullet in my side."

It was fortunate that the camp wasn't too far away, as only a few more minutes brought them to the hidden entrance. Two guards stood silhouetted against the brush, long horns sharpened to a point and wings erect, ready to spring open at a moment's notice. Kyran recognized the colorings with a scowl and came to a halt in front of them.

"Gray. Albatross." She greeted the stallions curtly.

"Kyran." They both said at the same time.

The redhead bared her teeth at them. "I assume Father wants to see me?"

The lighter silver stallion twitched his wings. "Precisely." He snapped.

Gray - the darker stallion - snorted. "Why did you do something so utterly stupid, Kyran?" He demanded, angrily. "You know the Law: No one leaves the camp after dark! That rule is there to protect you. As the next leader of this heard and as one of our young warriors, you are to follow these rules so we - as your personal guards - can keep you safe!"

Kyran blinked at him boredly. "Are you done yet?"

The dark gray stallion stepped aside to allow her into the camp. Kyran entered, followed by her friends, and found a huge while stallion standing tall in the center of the clearing - next to a younger, golden stallion. As she paused, both turned their eyes on her, eyes disapproving.

The white stallion trotted toward her, wings folded on his back leisurely. He stopped when he was a few feet from Kyran. "I have had enough of your midnight secrets." He growled, raising his head so he was glaring down at her.

Kyran bared her teeth. "Glad to see you too, dad."

The stallion - Moonlight, as he was called - twitched his ears. "I want you in my cave. Now."

"I kind of have to go see Brook." Kyran said sheepishly, still covering the wound and hoping he wouldn't detect it.

No such luck. He twitched his nose. "Is that blood?" His voice held suspicion and concern.

Kyran blinked. "No?"

"That's is not a question you are supposed to answer with another question." The white stallion pointed out as he took one step closer. "What happened?"

". . . I may or may not have been shot."

The golden stallion a few paces away reared up in anger. "You WHAT?"

Kyran rolled her eyes at him. "Oh calm down, Micah." She growled. "It was one wound. The man fled, anyway."

"So you went man hunting." Moonlight shook his head. "How foolish. Kyran, daughter, you could have been killed. Heck, you could have killed someone!"

Kyran glared at him. "Hey, I didn't kill anyone THIS time!"

"What do you want, a gold star?" Micah asked sarcastically. He narrowed his eyes. "You may not have killed anyone tonight, Kyran, but I smell the vibranium in the wound Bryan currently suffers. Did you not think about how dangerous humans are?"

"Of course I did!" Kyran exploded, angry. "But you seem determined to keep that half of my blood from me! I'm not just a Shapeshifter, brother, I'm half human!"

Micah stamped his hoof. "You seem very curious about them."

"I nearly blew one up today! Trust me, I have no love toward them."

"Then why do you keep going hunting for them?" Moonlight asked calmly. "Tell me. You evade your personal guards - those sworn to protect you the day they are born - and you leave the camp to chase after a human.

"He was hunting on our land."

"That isn't the point." Moonlight snapped. "Your guards were worried sick about you. They assumed the worst. They are your protectors."

Kyran glowered at him. "I don't think of them as protectors. More like distractions." She lowered her head slightly. "They are incredibly annoying."

"But they are your guards and you must never do such a thing again." Moonlight stated firmly, before turning away. "Go see a healer. I will not punish you this time - seeing as you have a gaping hole in your side. I believe the wound you bear and the scar that will form later is punishment enough."

Then he turned away and left Kyran standing beside her friends. Micah followed him, glancing over his shoulder at them. "Oh, Kyran." He whispered. "You may be my foster sister, but you cannot keep this up. Eagle Feather needs you."

Kyran watched him disappear after their father before turning toward the East. "Come." She growled. "Let us go see Brook."