mercy thompson (aapisi_okos) wrote in incompletedata, @ 2017-10-21 01:02:00 |
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She'd felt it start to gather earlier in the day, that familiar itch that seemed to gather just under her skin where Mercedes couldn't reach it. She could claw at her skin all she wanted, but there was only one way to take care of that particular problem, only one way to deal with that feeling of being wrong. She'd spent far too many days walking on two feet. It was time for her to walk, or run, on four. That feeling struck her when she stayed in her human form for too long. "Too long" was objective, of course. When she'd first left Aspen Creek at sixteen with her meager savings in her purse and a broken heart, she'd gone two years without changing. It was easier for everyone if she didn't, it avoided a lot of questions that her sisters may have had until they were older and could understand that she hadn't chosen to be what she was- she'd been born that way. The first time she'd attempted the change after so long, it had taken a second. That galled Mercy, because it was always as easy for her as breathing. One heartbeat she was an average woman, of average height and average weight and average looks, and then next she was an average coyote, completely indistinguishable from any other. She even had the buck shot scars on her rear to prove it. It was nothing like the first time she tried to turn after her assault. Well, second time. She'd been broken and scared the first time, her instincts demanding she hide and wait until the smell of him in her nose and the feel of his hands on her skin had faded. The second time she'd attempted the change, she had been all but certain that she wouldn't be able to do it for ten heart-stopping seconds. Her relief when she felt fur cover skin was palpable. Mercy knew to be cautious, though. She'd had the need for it drilled into her head from childhood- first by Bryan and Evelyn, then by Bran and Samuel, then by her mother and step-father. Even if she hadn't had those lessons drilled into her skull, the smell in the air was enough to raise her hackles. It was foreign. She was a stranger in a strange land and she hadn't had time to acquaint herself to the landscape. So when she was fairly certain that everyone, or nearly everyone, was inside and not paying attention to one of the newer loners in the group, she slipped out the doors and towards the treeline. Mercy didn't need long, just an hour or so to run around and see if she could scare out some of the rabbits and other small creatures from their hiding places. She undressed quickly, not wanting pale skin reflecting in the setting sunlight to draw too much attention to what she was doing, and folded her clothes up under a small bush before taking a few more steps into the trees and taking off on four feet. |