SS FOR ROWAN!
OvertureSoftly, birds chirped and a stiff breeze rustled the trees around the clearing. Flowers of every color surrounded one lone tree in the middle of a meadow. And in that tree a boy sat- his fiery red hair was his most notable asset. Tufts of that bright spiky red hair danced around his face as he slept. He was curled up like a dog with his head cradled in his arms and his legs tucked under his chest in a perfect sleep.
A rustling outside the clearing full of flowers woke him up. Suddenly he stood alert- ready to shift if a fight was in his near future. Out of the tall grass enveloping the flowery meadow crept out an injured kitty. The boy choked up for a second feeling a wave of pity wash over him. The poor thing was bleeding and badly. He leaped off the tree and went. to inspect the wounded kitten. He silently walked towards it trying not to scare it off- but the kitty was not afraid of him
“Are you a shifter?” He asked. He petted her ear but after the animal winced he didn’t try it again. His mind shifted back to the thoughts of his past and all the people’s lives he hurt. While being drug into deep thought the kitty nodded but did nothing after that.
“If you’re a shifter why don’t you shift back? I can help you that way.” He offered.
The kitty turned its head and mewed weakly.
“You don’t have enough energy to shift back?”
The kitten didn’t look back at him but it started to shift as if answering his question. When it was done It had turned into an innocent young girl who was probably no older than ten. Her hair was the same color as her fur- jet black with a bluish tint to it.
Her voice was soft when she said, “I was embarrassed that I didn’t shift earlier. It was stupid of me.” The girls face grew hot and red. But she was still bleeding. He inspected the gash running down her shoulder and down her arm. “What happened?” He asked while tending to her wounds.
“I got in a fight.” The girl looked down and said nothing more so he didn’t ask for more details. Her hair was long nearly reaching her knees, her face was pale seeing all the blood but once the boy started to finish wrapping her arm up her face turned back to a normal shade of tan. The boy couldn’t keep his eyes off of her eyes. One was solid black and the other was almost all white- even the pupil. Besides her uncanny eyes nothing else was outlandish about her.
“Who are you?” He asked after he had her all bandaged up. The bandages were a little tight for the girl’s liking but she figured it would stop the bleeding faster than if they were loose.
“My name is Grace Cassinova. I live in the eastern region. The black cat is my first form.”
“My name is Rowan Behr.” the boy said.
“Thank you Rowan” Grace noted. “If I may ask, where do you live?”
“Nowhere. I just roam.” He said looking into the blue sky. The sun was heading west and he guessed there wasn’t more than an hour of daylight left.
“Oh so you’re like a traveling hobo?”
Rowan’s calm face contorted into a frown. “I’m not a hobo!!!” He shouted. Immediately Grace cowered from him and let a whimper slip through her teeth. rowans anger vanished in a split second after seeing the pure terror on the little girls face. “I-I’m sorry.”
“No, I’m the one who-”
Rowan interrupted her, “No, it was uncalled for of me.” He looked down going back to the thoughts of his past and wondering if this girl would just be another repeat and another face in his bank of bad memories.
Grace placed her hand on Rowans cheek and said, “Let’s get though this together.”
SonataThe bright colors of summer were beginning to rust and fade into the oranges and gold’s and browns of fall. A chill breeze constantly bit at the air in the meadow where Rowan and Grace had begun to make their home complete with a dugout under the tree that had everything in a home they could ever want, space, a place for a fire, and beds made of soft woven grass.
Eventually Grace couldn’t keep in her curiosity and asked, “Rowan- why were you always alone before I found you?”
Rowan looked down, his eyes shifted, not wanting to answer the question. “I’m a bit of a loner.” He said trying to make it into a joke that Grace didn’t buy.
“Rowan, I want to know about your past.”
He was clearly not pleased. But he let out a sigh and started anyways. “The thing is, I don’t remember a lot about my childhood. After SEG did experiments on me, not only did I get the yellowish stain on my eye my memories were erased. I eventually escaped SEG and only sought a life of solitude. I wish I could tell you more but I just don’t know any more.”
Grace was silent, so Rowan wondered if he had scared her, he began to apologize until she let out a smile. “No, it’s fine. I’m glad you could tell me that at least.”
Fall continued to crawl up on winter shedding its summer skin. The meadow was quickly filling up with gold, orange, brown, red, and a handful of green leaves that had been knocked off the shedding trees around the meadow prematurely. A dream space it seemed like to the two but winter was drawing in.
A few weeks later as the sun was setting the two made their way down to their dugout home. The fall had graced them with one last summer like day.
“Rowan. Since you told me what you could about your past, I feel the need to tell you of mine.” She said in her own little authoritive pose.
Rowan could not help but break out in laughter. “No, Grace you don’t have to do that.” He said in between chuckles. It wasn’t until the sun had set that Rowan found it in himself to stop. Grace seemed discouraged for awhile but she shook it off.
Because it was a clear night they decided to sleep under the stars, and even though Graces eyes began to droop she began to tell her story. “Rowan, SEG killed my parents and my siblings on accident, but I was spared. I loved my family a lot, but I couldn’t bring them back. I knew this even though they died before most kids understand what death is. I learned early and I only recently escaped the SEG laboratories. My childhood was great until the humans came and my family was captured. And, and.” Grace didn’t continue her eyes had shut and she was drifting slowly to sleep.
They didn’t realize at first that that fall together they made countless breakthroughs. But new challenges were lurking over the horizon.
InversionIt had been months since the fateful day Rowan and Grace had first stumbled upon each other and Rowan had taken a liking to her- just not in that way. She was like a little sister to him and he cared for her deeply. Yet the thoughts of his past and everyone whom he loved and thought he wouldn’t hurt came to haunt him during those warm summer months. The trees in the meadow had begun to turn orange and shed their summer coats. And the flowers were all icing over or worse- turning sad colors of brown and wilting into the soil to become nutrient for new plants next spring.
“Grace?” Rowan asked holding her as she started to fall asleep.
“Huh?” She said sleep weighing down on her voice.
“What would you say about leaving the clearing? It’s winter and food is going to be harder to find. Not to mention staying warm.” Rowan looked at Grace to read her expression, which stayed sleepy and indifferent.
“I say we should.”
He gave small sigh of relief, but that relief only stayed for a second. Thoughts of humans and danger and having to find an apartment for the two of them started to panic Rowan. When Grace looked up at him with a tinge of worry on her face Rowan forced himself to calm down.
He woke with a startle as if from a bad dream. Rowan looked to his right and saw nothing there, he glanced to his left and still; nothing. Panic shredded through his chest.
“GRACE!!!” He yelled. “GRACE!!!”
He heard nothing and ripped out of the hollow in search of her- outside snow was falling and blanketed the land in white chill. There were no tracks so if Grace had been kidnapped or run away it had been early and the chances of her survival were slim.
Rowan shifted into a Czechoslovakian wolf-dog and tried to follow her scent. Immediately he caught it in the wintered air.
He didn’t have to go far- which was what he was afraid of. Just outside the clearing her scent grew its most pungent. Her shifted back and started digging through the snow. His hand hit something as expected.
He stopped. Did he want to dig up her dead body? Was there any chance she would be alive? Still he could not digging hanging on to a tiny sliver of hope she was alive.
Rowan brushed the snow off her face- her eyes were frozen shut and her lips were iced over light blue.
Grace was dead. Rowan let out a howl.
Rowan woke startled and sweating but was ever so relieved that what he had just experienced was simply a dream. He looked to his right and saw Grace sleeping soundly and sighed. He tilted his head back and thought how lucky he was.
DuetRowan tugged on Grace’s sleeve pulling her along the crowds of people in Cambria. He would have liked to have gotten a nice place to live at down by the High Arches but the Teller apartments were the best he could do.
“You are to stay in my sight at all times.” Rowan said to Grace when he got the chance. Grace didn’t have a good or bad reaction- she only nodded with an indifferent look on her face.
Grace didn’t know that in order to get a first month’s rent- Rowan had to sell some of his valuable items and pickpocket. He hoped he wouldn’t have to tell her that and that he would be able to get a job before he had to do it again.
During the day; while Rowan looked for a job; Grace stayed safe inside the apartment. It didn’t take long for him to find a quick buck working at an inn, where he also chatted up the boss into giving them boarding for just a little deduction from his paycheck.
“Only for the winter.” Rowan kept saying to her. “Then we’ll go back to the meadow or roam. I don’t like city life any more than you do.”
It seemed that living life in Cambria was harder than it ever was fending for themselves out in the wild. He knew that both of them yearned to be back all alone and be able to take naps in the warm sun in the afternoons. All the food cost money- which was sparse for the two, and the inn’s walls were as thin as paper. But neither of them looked at things so negatively- they were happy whenever they were able to have a hot meal, and ever so grateful that they had a roof over their heads.
Every single day Grace would stare at the clock fifteen minutes before Rowan would finish his shift. She would look at it as if trying to burn though it with her stare and inside she hoped the more she started the more the clock would get intimidated and move faster purely because of her will.
The clock struck five and she ran to the door eagerly awaiting Rowan’s return. Seconds later he opened it up but ignored her.
“Hi Ro!” She chirped.
Rowan gave no response, he only grabbed his coat and hers. He started to pull his on and shoved Grace’s coat into her chest. “We’re going.” He growled.
These mood swings were no surprise to Grace by now but she had never seen him so angry. Her face grew sick with worry but she refrained herself from crying.
While dragging her out of the apartment Grace asked, “Rowan, what’s wrong?”
He grunted and kept dragging her along. And along and along until they were in the middle of downtown. Strings of lights and bows and garland surrounded them and even though Rowan was in a bad mood Grace couldn’t help but stand in wonder. They stopped right in front of a clear ice rink. Rowan knelt down to her level and smiled.
Grace’s expression fell into a look of dumbfounded ness and he couldn’t help but smile more at this.
“Merry Christmas, Grace.” He said handing her a small present wrapped in silver and secured with two bells.
With the care that only a surprised ten year old could muster Grace ripped open he gift. A white box.
“Open the box silly.”
And so she did and found a locket. It wasn’t fancy but it was painted golden and had a flower made of fake jewels on it. Although it was fake and cheesy Grace couldn’t have loved it any more. Rowan put it on her and said, “Let’s go ice skating.” With a soft face.
Their first Christmas together.
FinaleOutside the apartment one lone bird chirped. Neither Rowan or Grace noticed this until chirping of several birds started to come from outside their window. Grace woke to this one morning and her face immediately lit up. She ran out of her room into Rowans and jumped on her bed like it was Christmas morning. “Rowan, Rowan, Rowan!” She shouted.
“What’s so important Grace!” Rowan shouted angrily because of his unwanted wake up call.
“It’s Spring!!!” She chirped.
Suddenly Rowan wasn’t in such a bad mood. He even chuckled a bit under his breath. His head suddenly filled with visions of the meadow and how beautiful it would look back in bloom, fresh, and green. The sweet taste of the spring rain was on his lips already.
“Is it.” He paused for a second, “Well then- pack your bags.”
The innkeeper was sad to let Rowan go but he promised he would be back next winter. Until then Grace and he would be going back to their vagabond ways without a worry on their minds.
Once on the borders of the town it was a race to the meadow. The outside of town was anything but high class. Rundown buildings with peeling paint and ghosts for residents was the closet thing to alive there was around there. The meadow seemed like it could never be reached but promising mountains were peeking over the horizon. Much more promising than the gray of the city, the cold of the cement on every street and the lurking shadows that stalked you everywhere in the big city. First Rowan shifted into a wolf dog and Grace shifted into a black cat. They glanced at each other and were ready to take off.
But something was off. Way off. Even besides the lingering shadows and icy pavement- something gave Rowan a sick feeling in his stomach and although Grace didn’t say anything but there was a certain gleam in her eyes Rowan had never seen also contained a sense of fear that pushed its way in front of all her excitement to go to what they now called home. A soft step came from the shadows, it was almost expected. Rowan’s haunches raised straight up but Grace- new to this- had no idea what to do. SEG had started to surround the two with sick smiles on their face.
One of them taunted, “Well I’ll be, it’s Rowan Behr and Grace Cassinova.”
Both Grace and Rowan knew they were greatly outnumbered, and perhaps even outmatched. A deep growl erupted from Rowan’s throat- he was ready to fight. He always used to like being alone but after being with Grace for so many months he felt different about having someone always tagging along at his side, and SEG wasn’t about to take her from him even if it was the last thing he did. He barked and growled getting ready to fight- contemplating how he would be able to get out of this with Grace.
He leaped in the first direction he could think of and started to bite, scratch, do what ever he could to try to hurt these monsters.
But the soldiers of SEG weren’t going to take this sitting down. They shot at him some missing him and some actually hitting him. But they had no idea this was adding fuel to Rowans fire. After he got shot he no longer felt the slightest tinge of mercy for these people. The ones he’d already injured weren’t critical cases, they would lose a lot of blood and maybe be out of commission for a few weeks, but they weren’t dead.
One of the SEG grabbed Grace and threatened to kill her while Rowan was ripping up one of the soldiers. He leaped at this person and took him down with no effort. They released her immediately and Rowan ripped out his throat. He growled and barked at his dead body.
His bark became more aggressive and protective. They looked at Rowan’s bloody claws, muzzle, and the corpse of their comrade behind him. Terror filled their eyes. Rowan snarled ruthlessly more and more until out of fear the SEG soldiers dropped their weapons and backed off in fear of losing their lives. Losing a troop of them to get to unruly runaways didn’t even out. As they an away Rowan caught up to them and nipped at their asses. He shifted back and yelled at them, “DON’T EVER COME BACK FOR US OR I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU! I HATE YOU ALL SO MUCH!”
He saw that all the blood on his paws and in his mouth wasn’t just form the dead soldiers- the wounds from those shots were catching up to him. Grace showed up at his side with happiness and worry mixed on her face. “Thank you Rowan.” she whispered as she shifted into a cheetah, not one of her forms but all she could think of. She motioned her head for Rowan to climb on. He felt weak but this didn’t bug him as much as it would have if it were any other person offering this to him. He still climbed on though he was nearly humiliated by the fact. Grace ran all the way to the meadow making it there without directions and fast enough to give Rowan the help he needed. In her human form she pulled out the bullets and wrapped up the wounds pulling the cloth tight enough to stop the bleeding but not to make it uncomfortable for him. Both of them seemed to be thinking of almost a year ago when Grace had come injured to the clearing and Rowan helped her- now she was paying him back for it.
Rowan tried to tell Grace how thankful he was for her- but the words were caught in his throat.
Grace tried to tell Rowan how thankful she was for him- but the words were caught in her throat.
But somehow they knew and until the next winter they spent their days together in the clearing happy as could be.
The End.
I know I broke just about every law that defines your character and I am sorry but I hoped you enjoyed. Merry Christmas Ro! ^-^
<3Avah
l know I said I was gonna be off but I just finished and was like WTH.
FUN!! 
