Sylviana particularly enjoyed being out in the woods with her parents, to run through the thicket in the form of deer or waft through leafy branches as mist. Neither could she seem to get enough of her dad shifting into the form of a great owl and taking her up above the tree tops, holding her gently in his claws. But he only ever did that as a special treat when she had been exceptionally well behaved.
So when neither Topaz nor Lucien had any obligations that evening and they decided to take their daughter out to play in the forest outside of town, no one was happier than the little girl. As soon as they were surrounded by trees and the sounds of the forest and the very moment she had permission to do so, Sylviana scrunched up her little face in concentration to shift her body into that of a deer. That her Mom helped with the shifting and the holding of the image didn't spoil her sense of accomplishment in the least when moments later she leapt forward on long, furry legs.
Topaz followed, not wanting to give the little one too much of a head start. It had been some time since Topaz was in the part of the forest they had picked for playing in this evening, and she knew from experience that features changed over time. She didn't want Sylviana to be the first to find fox or rabbit holes or anything else she could get hurt stepping into unaware.
Lucien surveyed their surroundings, checking for ?blank? places that would belie a vampyre in the area. He found none, and soon followed suit, shifting into a great stag, bounding off after his mate and child. The forest around them smelled fresh, as though a recent rain had washed everything clean, and there were no humans intruding on the forest.
He followed behind, making certain nothing stalked them, and considered becoming a panther, but he wasn?t certain whether Sylviana would recognize him as ?dad? as opposed to ?predator?, so he maintained the stag as he bounded along.
~ Look, mommy. May I? ~ Though Sylviana had asked, the darkish spot behind the bush she had happened across was just too tempting to check out to wait for permission. And it was possible that her parents wouldn't give it. But by the time they'd say 'no' she'd at least have checked it out a little. With that thought Sylviana poked her little deer nose around the bush and sniffed at the curiously cooler air behind it.
~ It looks to be a cave.~ Topaz sent Lucien an image of what she was seeing, laced with irresistible curiosity.
Lucien picked up his pace, closing the distance even as he checked for trouble around them, ~Wait~ He strode into the little clearing in his human form, seeing that his daughter clearly hadn?t listened. The cave was dark and cool, and smelled slightly damp as he approached it.
~Sylviana, come back here this instant.~
~Okay.~ Sylviana did listen, sort of and reluctantly, and there was nothing 'instant' about the slow way she set one furry leg in front of the other into the direction of her father's voice. ~But daddy, we have to hurry! There's treasure, I just know it. Please?~
Topaz met Lucien just inside the cave entrance. Already having decided that deer didn't belong into caves she too had shifted back into her natural form.
So when neither Topaz nor Lucien had any obligations that evening and they decided to take their daughter out to play in the forest outside of town, no one was happier than the little girl. As soon as they were surrounded by trees and the sounds of the forest and the very moment she had permission to do so, Sylviana scrunched up her little face in concentration to shift her body into that of a deer. That her Mom helped with the shifting and the holding of the image didn't spoil her sense of accomplishment in the least when moments later she leapt forward on long, furry legs.
Topaz followed, not wanting to give the little one too much of a head start. It had been some time since Topaz was in the part of the forest they had picked for playing in this evening, and she knew from experience that features changed over time. She didn't want Sylviana to be the first to find fox or rabbit holes or anything else she could get hurt stepping into unaware.
Lucien surveyed their surroundings, checking for ?blank? places that would belie a vampyre in the area. He found none, and soon followed suit, shifting into a great stag, bounding off after his mate and child. The forest around them smelled fresh, as though a recent rain had washed everything clean, and there were no humans intruding on the forest.
He followed behind, making certain nothing stalked them, and considered becoming a panther, but he wasn?t certain whether Sylviana would recognize him as ?dad? as opposed to ?predator?, so he maintained the stag as he bounded along.
~ Look, mommy. May I? ~ Though Sylviana had asked, the darkish spot behind the bush she had happened across was just too tempting to check out to wait for permission. And it was possible that her parents wouldn't give it. But by the time they'd say 'no' she'd at least have checked it out a little. With that thought Sylviana poked her little deer nose around the bush and sniffed at the curiously cooler air behind it.
~ It looks to be a cave.~ Topaz sent Lucien an image of what she was seeing, laced with irresistible curiosity.
Lucien picked up his pace, closing the distance even as he checked for trouble around them, ~Wait~ He strode into the little clearing in his human form, seeing that his daughter clearly hadn?t listened. The cave was dark and cool, and smelled slightly damp as he approached it.
~Sylviana, come back here this instant.~
~Okay.~ Sylviana did listen, sort of and reluctantly, and there was nothing 'instant' about the slow way she set one furry leg in front of the other into the direction of her father's voice. ~But daddy, we have to hurry! There's treasure, I just know it. Please?~
Topaz met Lucien just inside the cave entrance. Already having decided that deer didn't belong into caves she too had shifted back into her natural form.