There was a terrible scream in the night, and Martin woke with a start. It sounded closed by, though he could not tell how close. His cottage was located near the center of Braidwell Village and he though the scream had come from the West, towards the mill. He quickly pulled on his trousers, tunic and boots, and grabbed his staff, before running out the door into the dark night.

Martin was a tall, muscular fellow who worked as a blacksmith's apprentice. He had long flowing brown hair and a fair complexion. His brown tunic and trousers could barely been seen in the dark. Three days growth of beard were on his chin.

As he approached the old mill, another scream let out into the night. He quickened his pace, sure it was coming from the old mill. The miller and his daughter lived their, and he was sure that the scream was a female. He tried to open the front door, but it would not open. Lifting his foot, he kicked the door open, breaking the lock.

In the depths of the dark forest roosted an owl, lavender eyes the size of the moon as it watched it rise slowly into the sky. Picking up the sounds of prey running and squeaking so quietly below, the owl would turn its head and spot the mouse just below the tree, lost and alone. The owl's stomach growled lowly as hunger started to creep in. But the owl did not swoop down upon the vulnerable little creature...in the blink of an eye, the owl became a cat, black as night with the same unnatural lavender optics. The cat sat on the branch and readied its position...before leaping off the branch and pouncing on the new meal.

Suddenly, a shrill cry rang loudly from the village at the base of the hill. And just like that, the owl that changed to a cat had shifted into a human, mouse dangling from her teeth, though she was oblivious to it. Her long, shiny, chocolate brown hair was tucked neatly in a French braid along the back of her head, and as she ran closer to the source of the scream, the once beautiful, pristine braid slowly became undone. When she arrived at her destination and busted through a door, her hair was elegantly disheveled as it quickly fell into beautiful waves among her shoulders. The beauty would come to an end once it was known that the mouse she had caught was bleeding all over her straight, sharp, alabaster teeth, also staining her sewn-in name on her custom black robes: Abelina.

Martin crashed through the door, to find the miller fighting off a black cat of the size of a large dog. He had never seen such a beast. The miller's blonde daughter lay dead on the floor, and her blood was spilling out in a large puddle, staining the mill's wooden floor. Martin dove forward and smashed his staff into the creature's head until it turned on him an attacked him instead. He dove aside, as it passed, and then the creature dove out a window, breaking the glass in the process.

He was comforting the miller, when Abelina came crashing through the door, her mouth covered in blood. The miller turned his eyes on her accusingly and started to scream! "Murderer! You murdered my poor Dana!"

The young woman would stand their calmly though her lavender vision would show signs of intense befuddlement. Placing a hand over the mouse, she'd tear its head off and swallow, not bothering to wipe the blood away. Hearing his cries, she'd throw the rest of the mouse in a corner and point a finger at him. "Watch where you throw your accusations, fool!" regardless of her quiet, aloof nature, her words were violent, no matter how shaken she was. And with one glance over to the dead daughter, Abelina's heart dropped.

With careful steps, she'd walk over to the body and lay Dana's head on her lap, stroking the beautiful blonde hair matted with blood. "My...what in God's name happened here?" Abelina flashed a coy glance over to Martin, trying to show empathy. But she was never good at socialization due to being different from others, and often referred to as a monster. It was a challenge to give sympathy, or what little she had.

The young woman would stand their calmly though her lavender vision would show signs of intense befuddlement. Placing a hand over the mouse, she'd tear its head off and swallow, not bothering to wipe the blood away. Hearing his cries, she'd throw the rest of the mouse in a corner and point a finger at him. "Watch where you throw your accusations, fool!" regardless of her quiet, aloof nature, her words were violent, no matter how shaken she was. And with one glance over to the dead daughter, Abelina's heart dropped.

With careful steps, she'd walk over to the body and lay Dana's head on her lap, stroking the beautiful blonde hair matted with blood. "My...what in God's name happened here?" Abelina flashed a coy glance over to Martin, trying to show empathy. But she was never good at socialization due to being different from others, and often referred to as a monster. It was a challenge to give sympathy, or what little she had.

The miller hissed at her. "Don't you touch my daughter, shape shifter! You've done this and now you deny it, with her blood still on you!" He grabbed a chair and would have hit her over the head with it, if Martin had not caught it, and then knocked him cold with one roundhouse punch. "You better get out of here Abelina, before he wakes up. I'll take care of Dana and try to talk her father out of this foolishness, when he wakes up."

Abelina braced herself for the impact of the chair, though it was rejected by Martin himself. She quickly stood and clenched her fists tightly. "Martin, I didn't do this and you know that. I'm tired of this!" but quite frankly, she knew the guards wouldn't believe anything that came out of her mouth. So she listened to Martin as a black mist would quickly envelope her only to dissipate in a matter of seconds. Abelina was now a wolf, the only thing identifying her as, well, her was those eyes. And she used them to navigate her towards a field as she quickly bolted out of the door.

Martin had a terrible time of it, when the miller awoke. The miller wanted to have him clapped in irons, along with the 'shape shifting witch', as her accomplice. As it was, he avoided arrest, but was warned by the mayor's office not to leave town. With a sickness of heart, he returned to work in the morning, hoping that his dear friend was far away by now. At lunch time, he took his sack out into the edge of the woods to eat. There had been accusing eyes on him, all morning, at the forge and he wanted a break. He knew that Abelina was incapable of murder, no matter what her form, but getting anyone to him was nigh on impossible.

The hawk soared in the sky above the town, circling while trying to find any vulnerabilities, prey, to gulp down at any moment. It was Abelina, back to her old ways again, feeding constantly to please her animal self. She noticed a man sitting near the forest and automatically knew it was Martin. So down she went like a speeding bullet until her plan failed and she crashed into the trees behind him. Though she was now a sly fox, prowling about. Once Martin came into sight, Abelina would pad towards him quietly, touching the back of his neck with a cold wet nose before taking a seat beside him, back to her original figure: a human, of course. "What did they say about me?"

Martin jumped when a cold nose touched him. He knew instantly who it was. He took the roast chicken leg out of his mouth, cleared his throat and then spoke. ''It's not good love. They believe you to be the murderess. The magistrate has already had your house raided and put under a ban of law. Your to be shot on sight." His voice was sad. He had know Abelina since they were children, and knew she was incapable of such a vicious crime. "What are you going to do?"

She clenched the earth below her, wet soil sticking under her fingernails. "That's fine. I'll just visit the old bat in the dead forests and demand she teach me the dragon form. Then the fun starts," her voice clicked with humor, "and if not, I'll just fly above as a pigeon and shit on everyone's heads." Abelina then stared blankly at the ground as she realized the situation wasn't a matter to joke about. "I'm not a monster. My ability is supposed to be a beautiful gift, but it feels more like a dreaded curse to me." her blood boiled with such anger that she began to cry softly in frustration. Almost immediately did she wipe away her crystalline tears and finally looked at Martin with a pleading gaze. "Will you help me?"

He hugged her for a moment, and then let go. "Do you really need to ask lass? Of course. Tell me how I can help and I will do it." He could barely think of a way that he could help. He certainly could not prove her innocence. Sure, she could start over with a new name, in a new town, but she would have little in the way of worldly goods. Her house was guarded to heavily, and she could run away faster and safer as an animal, than as a human. "I could get some supplies together for you, but their watching me. I can not collect to much, or they will think I am planning to run away." He was feeling a bit desperate for his friend, of so many years.

Abelina shrugged slightly as she analyzed his words and thought out the ordeal in her head. It was the best idea, but she wanted to prove to the village, her HOME, that she was innocent. It was expected that they wouldn't believe her, but of course she would try. Just not today. "Maybe you should pack at moonhigh. The majority of the village will be asleep and the guards won't be able to see me. I'll become a bat and watch your back." she would do so even if he rejected her request. What if the REAL murderer came back? She could capture them and prove her innocence. It was perfect!

"Your right, it is the only answer. I will have your supplies ready for you an hour after moonhigh." He took her hand and squeezed it. "Everything will be O.K. I will pray to the goddess for you."

That evening, after everyone was in bed, he sneaked out of his bed, and went about his master's house, stealing supplies for his friend. He realized that the supplies would be missed, and did not have the coin to pay them back right away. He would have to owe his master, and pay him upon his return, for he had decided to go with his friend.

He took two loaves of freshly baked bread, salted fish, a round of cheese, two wine skins full of water, rope, two knives and a small pot to carry it all in. It was a lot to 'borrow' and paying his master back would be difficult, but it was worth it to help his friend. Besides that, he packed a change of clothing for each of them. When he was done, he went outside the blacksmith's shop, with his pot of supplies, his back pack and his staff, to wait for his friend to show herself.

Meanwhile, Abelina sat on the roof of the shop as a bat. She was watching her own from a distance and eyed the guards who cautiously stood near. Fearing they would see her silhouette, she became a giant huntsman spider and the hunger started to settle. She remembered she skipped dinner and decided to find something to eat. And when a large fly landed nearby, she would quickly run towards it on creepy long legs and sink her fangs into it. She usually avoided becoming a spider due to being so vulnerable to birds, but it was as small as she chose to go. Beats being shot in the head as a human.

Abelina then crawled over to the edge and spotted Martin. She considered crawling onto his shoulder or head, but that would certainly freak him out, since she wasn't fond of spiders herself. So slowly, she shifted into a small fruit bat and dove near his head to grab his attention, before flying over to the lot across him and resting on a barrel. She was now a black cat and lay low; surely she would blend in with the darkness and avoid a witness.

When Martin was buzzed by the bat, he knew who it was, though he could have done without the flyby. Bats freaked him out a little, even if he knew they were a friend. When she turned into a black cat, he was much more comfortable. He sneaked over to the barrel and reached out as if to pet the cat, before remember that it was his friend and she might not like him doing that.

"I have the supplies. I have decided I am coming with you. Don't bother argue, because I have already decided." He looked down at her. "Did you want to stay that shape, or did you wish to be something smaller, which could travel on me, until we get out of the village.

As Martin started to pet her, a high-pitched meow would escape her maw in protest. It's not that she didn't like being pet as a cat. It was just odd because Martin knew she was a shapeshifter, and although she knew he only did so to avoid being caught, it was still a bit awkward. When he stopped, Abelina would sit up and groom her paw. And hearing his request, she'd ponder her feline mind and think of something smaller to shift into.

Ahhh, she could become a mouse and ride on his shoulder. But it was noticeable and wouldn't stop hawks and owls from snatching her up. And the only way to get out of that was turning back to a human...and falling from potential ankle-breaking heights. She needed a form that was small but deadly in case something were to happen.. and then Abelina flashed an apologetic gaze before jumping off the barrel and disappearing beside his feet.. and with eight legs, she'd crawl underneath his clothes and up his leg as a Black Widow spider.

Martin was startled as she climbed up his leg and then up, under his tunic, to his shoulder. It was a struggle not to swat her, despite knowing who she was. Still, Abelina was soon safe on his shoulder. He moved quietly out of town, keeping to the shadows. The local baron had stationed four roaming guards at his village, to maintain order. Tonight, all four were out. It was a real struggle not to get caught.

On the outskirts of town, he pasted the last building, a public house. Men were still inside drinking and singing, despite the late hour. One came outside to relieve himself, against the side of the pub. Martin found it disgusting, but held his breath and waited until the man went back inside, before passing. Soon he was crossing the bridge over the river.

The bridge was an old stone bridge, wide enough for a wagon. Martin was halfway across, when someone shouted, in the night. It was a guard, crossing the bridge from the other side. "You there, Martin the blacksmith's apprentice, Martin charged the guard, lifting his staff above his head, as the guard drew his steel broadsword.

As Abelina rode on his shoulder, she'd watch the drunk man coming out of the pub with her tiny beady eyes. She was glad she wasn't a mammal at this point, more so a cat or dog. Can you imagine the smell? Disgusting. She turned away from the sight and started to wonder where she was going to go. What she was going to do. Her spider body would recoil slightly as she began to think harder. She knew this night wouldn't be necessary if it weren't for her rogue shapeshifter who gave all of their kinsman a bad name. Oh, how she wanted to find this shifter and prove it all...

Abelina was interrupted by her thoughts as Martin was mentioned from afar. Her eyes locked on to the guard on the bridge as he drew his sword, Martin quickly doing the same with his staff. Oh dear.. what was she to do? If Abelina interfered, her bounty would soon be full of truth and not lies. But if she did nothing, Martin could be arrested. So she went with her gut. Jumping off of his shoulder, she would run beside him as a black wolf and would growl threateningly. She didn't want to kill the guard unless she had to.

The guard screamed in fright, when the wolf seemed to have sprung up from nowhere. He backpedaled for a moment, and got a hold of his courage.

"It's that shapeshifter! They told us you were in league and here is the proof!" He started screaming at the top of his lungs. "Guards, to my aid on the bridge." From out of the dark, someone screamed back, though their words could barely be heard. The guard looked much braver now. He held his sword up and pointed it at both of them.

"You are bound by law as of this moment! Drop your weapon and you, assume your natural form!"