The four of us walked down the street, the sun radiating off the baking pavement and I walked in the shade whenever possible or hid in Otto's large shadow. They were all at home in this heat, they didn't mind it, they were adapted to both the cold and heat, me, just the cold.
"Whadda think of the new town?" Jasper looked back at me with his signature rueful grin and I could never not smile back at him with that look. He strode along the pavement without a care in the world, shoulders relaxed and thrown back, natural swagger in his walk, feline prowess that I could never seem to pull off. Jasper said that whenever I tried I looked like a constipated penguin, I stopped trying after that. He always made me seem the fool, so awkward and socially inept, but in his presence I found I didn't care about what others thought of me as much, I still loathed him at times for embarrassing me. With him around I couldn't do anything more awkward than something I'd already done, so I found I didn't care, I both liked and hated that.
"I like it, I can see the mountains, I can't wait for it to snow. The airs also different up here, lighter and not as heavy." I said with glee, practically bouncing on my toes and Otto and Jasper chuckled at my excited response.
"He meant the 'town'." Emelia reiterated. I frowned and looked around as we walked down the small high-street, it was larger than our old little town, everyone knew everyone back there, I didn't like that. It was still quiet which I liked, but big enough that not everyone would know your business.
"It's alright I guess." I shrugged and she rolled our eyes.
"Such a recluse." she stated and I huffed at her.
"What am I supposed to say?" I threw my hands up. "Nice pavement? Store signs are not too shabby? What?" I argued. My brothers chuckled at me again from my response but it quickly died down when a group of people about our age walked around the corner. I had naturally wider nostrils due to my shift and I sniffed discreetly, able to get a good whiff easily. I let out a quiet hiss, canines. It wasn't that we hated all canines, most of us felines just didn't get along with them, and vice versa. It was just instinctual. I had some bad experiences with canines before, I got the whole don't judge the many on the few but being chased up a tree more than once by a growling mutt kind of makes that difficult. The canines must of smelt us as well and all of their eyes turned to stare at us.
"Town's not to sweet anymore." Jasper commented quietly as our two groups got closer. Me being the youngest, I got nudged near the middle of the group. Otto at the front, Jasper at the side that the pack were on and Emelia at the back. My shift was also highly sought after due to its rarity, from both humans and other shifters. My pale and thick coat with the dark spots and rosettes, it was a status symbol for humans to have my skin in their collection and impressive to other shifters so have such a rare, pure-bred shift as a mate. Both of them have caused me problems in the past, it had made me unsociable and my family overly protective. I was a lot more sort after than even Jaspers or Otto's unique shifts. Otto's shift did look beautiful, a white mane and fur with black stripes with the signature lion tail, but he was a hybrid and although they were exotic and rare, pure-breeds were much more sort after. And Jaspers shift was pleasing to the eye, he was obviously a dominant and white tigers weren't really that rare in the shifter world, there were uncommon but not unheard of, my shift on the other hand was almost more of a legend.
He was also huge, tigers were the largest big cat aside from the hybrids like Otto. No one would be stupid enough to challenge them, maybe a bear or some other large and strong shifter but definitely not a canine. Wolf shifters were very pack oriented, they ate together, lived together and fought together. A lone wolf had no chance against any one of us, even a few. A whole pack might cause Otto and Jasper some trouble but nothing they couldn't handle. Emelia was relatively safe, she was so quick and fierce, a dominant female cheetah. She could simply outrun them if they got too much, me I wasn't naturally aggressive, my shift in the wild would live alone for most of its life, sure it killed its food but that was for survival, it didn't fight unless it needed to. I could fight off a considerable amount of wolves, if it got too much for me I would need something to climb or a low platform to escape. I could jump fifty feet from stationary and had exceptional climbing skills, I was the park-core cat king, my long tail and loose spine allowed me to do whatever I wanted in the air, twisting and turning, leaping and flipping, my body contorting into impossible shapes to get my body where it needed to be in time for landing. I could almost run down a vertical mountain, my large paws providing grip, the thick fur on them cushioning my body and taking most of the impact. My tail allowing me to change direction instantly and keep perfect balance.
Our two groups were just about to pass and the alpha glared at us as we approached, his lackeys following suit, like sheep, pathetic. Otto and Jasper openly glared at them back, ready to fight if necessary, Jaspers feline swagger elevating to almost a saunter, a blatant challenge, he was showing off. He knew that he alone could fight off these wolves with ease, he was rubbing it in their faces. Otto on the other hand was walking in the same confident stride, it wasn't conceited at all, his shifts power just bled through into his human form, he didn't need to show off how powerful and strong he was, he practically exuded it naturally. Emelia was light on her toes, ready to fly, her body lose and ready to spring into action. I just walked normally, lack of anything giving away what I was, I kept that hidden away. I had got used to fighting shifts in human form, I would only shift as a last resort or in the safety of my home or territory. No one would know my shift unless I showed them, they could smell that I was feline, but not much more than that.
It was the same for all shifters, others could smell that another was a bird or a fish, a general area of where they came from, what type of climate. A bear and polar bear would smell slightly different, most shifters couldn't detect the difference, I on the other hand had learned to differentiate between the subtle differences, I could almost tell what exactly a person's shift was just by smell and appearance, it wasn't always spot on, but I was never far off. These bunch of canines were wolves, Eurasian wolves mostly, a few North-western wolves in the mix, it was the largest type of wolf but they were still three times smaller than the size of a tiger or lion. Wolves were endurance hunters whereas most felines go for the quick kill, we were savage in our fighting, wolves more slow and cautious, stalking prey and planning the kill for a time, whereas us felids would strike at the first opportunity, using raw power to take down our prey rather than skill an patience, it was these differences that made us such worthy adversaries. There was no centuries long feud for nothing.
"Seems we have a clowder in our town." the alpha spat, saying clowder (a group of cats) with extra venom.
"Seems this town is infected with mutts." Jasper hissed back and earned a growl from the canines at the insult. The hot-headed dominant wolf went to lunge at Jasper but Otto shifted and roared out in anger at his pride being challenged. The guy balked at Otto's sheer power and size. We didn't have to worry about humans seeing what we were, humans knew all about us and we co-existed for the most part, most of them accepted us, but a few loathed us and hunted us secretly, even though it was illegal.
The guy seemed to think better of attacking and Otto huffed in amusement, the pack walked past and we carried on. Otto padded along in his shift but slowed down a little to stand and my side and nuzzled and chuffed at me with affection. I reached my hand up and scratched him behind the ears and he pushed back gently, encouraging me to continue and I smiled, he was such a sweet goof sometimes. He stood almost as tall as me in his shifted form but he didn't scare me at all, he was my brother Otto, I was always safe with him.
We made it to the shop and I chucked Otto some shorts that would fit him that I had in my bag, we always carried around a bag full of spare clothes, theirs were always getting ripped from shifting. I was normally the designated keeper of the bag on out outings since I never shifted. He shifted and quickly pulled on the shorts. I chucked him some sliders so his feet didn't burn on the pavement and so nothing sharp could cut up his feet. I didn't bother with a shirt, it was too hot and I knew he would only chuck it back. We walked into the shop and got an ice-cream and a cold drink. I got out the money we always kept in the bag. We pretty much had all of the essentials in here, it was very useful. I paid for the items and we walked back out of the small corner shop. I dug in to my lemon ice eagerly and Jasper smiled in amusement at my enthusiasm before starting on his 99. Otto had chosen a one serving pot of chocolate ice-cream with a plastic spoon and Emelia had gone with a brightly coloured frozen lolly. We slowly walked back to our new house, me feeling much better from the cold treat and happier.
"It's kinda shit we have a pack nearby, but with the forest around and the colder weather it was to be expected." Jasper complained.
"As long as they keep to themselves and us the same it shouldn't be a problem." Otto assured. "So no snarky comments or throwing insults Jasper." he scolded his ever so slightly younger brother.
"As long as those mutts leave Nobu alone I'm chill." Jasper stated. There was a pack of wolves in our old town as well, one of them caused me some trouble, more than just chasing me up a tree, they paid a hefty price for what they tried to do but all of the other canines and most of the other shifters left me alone after that. I didn't regret what I did, I would do it again if I had to.
"If they don't they'll get castrated." I spat, totally serious. Otto and Jasper looked pained at the words but were understanding.
"Your know you never going to be able to find a mate if you cut the balls and penises of every shifter that shows interest in you." Emelia stated bluntly and I sighed, what a way to put it, it made me sound so...., I don't know, unreasonable?
"That was one time Emelia." I argued. "And that fucker deserved it." I declared. Otto and Jasper nodded in agreement. Most of my family believed that my mate would be male due to the interest the gender had shown me. Me on the other hand, I wasn't interested in either sex, I was fine alone, I didn't want to be attached like that to someone. I haven't had a heat yet, so we wouldn't know until then whether my mate would me male or not. I really didn't want to be a cross-shifter, a cross shift was a male with both male and female internal organs, their behinds had an extra passage which lead to a womb. They had heats like females and had male mates usually, but they had the capability to impregnate females but they could also be impregnated by another male. If I was a cross shift my first heat would normally happen sometime after my 18th birthday. And the reason I had castrated a wolf shifter was because he tried to mate me, he wouldn't take no for an answer, I roughed him up a bit but he still persisted, it just made him angry and more determined. So I shifted my hand into a clawed paw and wiped at his crotch, I hadn't meant to cause so much damage but I was pretty pissed at what he was trying to do to me.
"Your damn right he did, but Emelia's right, you need to start looking for a mate." Jasper pointed out.
"None of you have found one." I crossed my arms stubbornly.
"But we have been looking." Emelia defended and I sighed.
"I know, but I want them to like me for me, not because the status it would give them to have a snow leopard as a mate." I told them how I felt. Shifters didn't have one destined mate, but their body knew who'd they be compatible with after the age of 18. So we had a small selection of other shifters that could become our mate, the stronger the connection, the better suited we would be for each other. From that small group we could choose who our mate could be. Generally they were the same or similar types of shifters. Cats with cats, canines with canines, birds with birds etc. occasionally that wasn't the case, but it was pretty rare and was very difficult to procreate with another class of animal.
"I know Nobu." Emelia spoke in an understanding tone. "But there's a male cat shifter out there for you who doesn't give a rats ass about status or social standing, you just need to find him." she urged.
"Him?" I rebuked and shook my head. I had nothing against the homosexual but I didn't see myself as one, and would rather it stay that way.
"You attract men already and you're not even eighteen." she pointed out.
"That's not my fault." I whined. "I don't want to be a cross-shifter." I told them my opinion.
"Such a thing is an honour and a gift Nobu." Otto chided me gently.
"More like a curse." I muttered. "Do you want to be taken by a man Otto?" I challenged him and he opened his mouth to answer but must of thought better not to say the first sentence that came to mind and mulled the question over, trying to find an answer that conveyed what he wanted to get across more clearly.
"No Nobu." he admitted and Jasper sniggered and earned a glare. "But I am not you, I'm not saying you want to be taken by any man, but if you are what we all think you to be then that won't matter, he won't be a man, he will be your mate." he spoke with wisdom and I sighed, I knew he was right, I would still love Otto if he was a hen or a spider. Love was blind and knows no genders, religion, race or ethnicity, people like who they like and that cannot be changed. I still didn't want to be a cross-shifter though, it wasn't that I wanted a female mate but I didn't want a male one either. My brain was so confusing sometimes.
"I get that Otto." I said quietly. "But I can't picture my mate as either a male or female." I confessed. "The only thing I'm sure of is that I don't want the extra hassle of being a cross-shifter, being a snow leopard is enough." I sighed in a stressed tone with a sense of foreboding and apprehension for what the future held. He looked at me with understanding and pulled me to him for a side hug.
"I know Nobu, but we're never given more than we can handle, it might seem like it's too much but you've got to believe that you can get through anything and everything life throws at you. We'll all be there for you, through thick and thin, remember that." he gives me a reassuring squeeze as he says that. "Life's an up-hill climb and you my little snow leopard can traverse the steepest of terrains with ease, thrive in the coldest temperatures and the most barren landscapes." he told me.
"Yeah, you're a fighter Nobu." Jasper imputed with a warm smile. "A deadly ninja," he struck a comical pose and we all laughed at his childish antics.
"What kind of shifter would you like for a mate Nobu?" Otto asked me in a gentle tone that was only reserved for me and ruffled my hair as he let me go and I giggled a little at his affectionate gesture.
"I don't know." I shrugged, being honest, a small smile still on my face from my brothers antics.
"But have any caught your eye before?" Emelia pushed with interest as to what my answer would be.
"I like all of your shifts." I admitted, a bit lost as to the answer to that question and they laughed.
"Of course you do, we're your family." Otto chuckled and I pouted.
"But a tiger, lion, cheetah or a mix of those sounds ok?" Emelia led me to a decision and I frowned and shook my head.
"I don't mean to offend you Emelia but I don't think I would match well with a cheetah." I admitted and Jasper barked out a laugh and earned a glare from her. "Or a lion, their pack animals, I don't want to be in a large group." I shook my head.
"Yes lions can be very 'prideful'." Jasper joked and I scoffed out a laugh. Otto sent him a look, he was half lion. "I said 'can' be big bro." Jasper defended and Otto smiled at being called that endearment, Jasper didn't often like admitting he was younger, it was a rare treat for Otto, Jasper was forgiven.
"So a some type of leopard, tiger, jaguar or any other solitary shifter?" Emelia voiced.
"Maybe." I shrugged.
"Maybe there will be someone at your new school you'll like." Jasper wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and I just huffed and turned my head away from him.