Falling.

Everything felt like falling. Stars seemed to pass her by barely an arm’s reach away. Darkness surrounded her, broken only by the tiny light of stars spotting the empty expanses around her.

She saw nothing save the lights, felt nothing save the falling. There was no air to breathe, no grass to feel. There was no panic.

She looked down at herself, watching as her body grew less taught with muscles and softened, watched as her nails grew long and adorned a blue-purple colour. A long braid of raven hair fell over her shoulder, and nine tails grew from behind her, curling around her body in a cocoon of silky fur.

She felt herself Shift, felt her power building, and felt it unleash itself. Ribbons of colour exploded around her, tearing apart that blackness and catching the stars. The ribbons thrashed and fought, trying to tear themselves from her, but letting them go would be wrong, she knew. She extended a hand and took hold of one ribbon, feeling it shift beneath her fingers, sending tingling feelings throughout her entire body as if it was made of pure energy.

She pulled, and the star held in the ribbon came surging forward, fast as the light. It hit her, embedding itself in her chest. She watched it, fascinated by the comforting glow emanating from her chest, only to be shocked as more stars came.

Two, three, four, five stars hit her chest, embedding themselves and increasing the glow. It didn’t hurt, it only tingled.

Six, seven, eight, nine, and ten more stars hit her, increasing the low until it blinded her. She closed her eyes to block the light, and then it happened.

The glow spread, coursing through every vein of her body, and then she was light. A million tiny lights exploded from her, leaving behind only a vague humanoid shape with how they were placed.

And then she fell,

And fell,

And fell,

And fell

---

And woke up with a start. She sat there, gasping for air, her dark brown eyes darted around in search of any threat as a hand was held tightly against her chest. Several deep breaths later, her heartbeat had lessened and she was able to let calm down. Once calm, the immediate area around her came into clarity: The tree she had been leaning up against, the grass under her, the empty planes in front and, most importantly, all the other people.

What?

She glanced around, taking in the large group of people around her. Most were still lying flat on the ground, but some were steadily waking up, it seemed. She would’ve been worried about all the still ones being dead had it not been for the unfathomable amount of snores rising from just about everyone.

Putting a hand against the trunk of the tree with a hand, she pulled herself up on shaky legs, wincing as blood rushed back into the sleeping limbs. She had evidently been sitting there for a long time.

What happened? Where are we? She looked up and down the treeline that separated the forest from the plains, marvelling at the clear blue sky, the fresh summer breeze, and generally wondering - “Where the hell are we?” Somewhere I’ve never been before, that’s for sure.

Turning around, she peered through the trees, searching for anything that might give her a clue as to where they were. All she saw was a lot of trees, shadows, and a single bird hopping from one branch to another. Last thing I remember I was going to bed, and now I wake up here in, she glanced down at herself, raising a delicate eyebrow at what she saw. When did I get into my summer dress? And the light-blue one at that! It was my favourite. She briefly examined it to check for any damages. The only thing she found was a loose thread near where the dress made a thigh-cut, allowing her to move freely in it.

With her mouth set in a thin, concerned line, she turned back towards the other ones waking up. She didn’t know who they were—or what, for that matter—but she knew that she probably wasn’t the only one freaked a bit out by them suddenly waking up in a strange place. The lack of additional weight behind her told her that she wasn’t Shifted, and she wanted to keep it that way—for some time at least; she knew not all people were enthusiastic about them, and who knew what these people thought?

She went over to the nearest person she could see was about to wake up. “You okay?” She asked, reaching down a hand to help him up.

“Y-Yeah.” He stood up, wincing a bit as the light cut into his eyes. “Where are we?”

Lily shook her head, tucking a lock of brown hair behind her ear. “I don’t know.”

Welcome to Shifting Worlds!
Enjoy your stay in a place that may be as hostile as a hungry tiger, and as peaceful as a ladybug. What will happen? I don't know.
Let's find out, shall we?

Twenty feet...

Ten feet...

Five..

Fascinated eyes of blue glanced into the morning sky above, admiring a fanciful descent of the first to fall before her eager presence. This pure white feather gently landed upon her open palm, minding its own until reaching a safe arrival in human hands. With only the trees around her as witness to such a simple yet peculiar acceptance, Liza followed along without a worry. Not even the sudden shift of a hand to harpy talons did her intent waver at the unexpected sight. A feather just wasn't dangerous by itself, even if that did lead to the unintended transformation of her left hand.

Attempting to comprehend the possibility, Liza continued to stare, determined to discover a clue. Her futile attempts left only a palm full of frost in its delicate wake, the dissolving feather leaving behind an icy residue. Questioning nature itself, she walked along with added motivation, seeking out another. Not that this happening again was at all possible. Yet, what if trying was good enough to get a second to appear from the sky above. Just like the first, she reached out, welcoming its descent. The proof of change resided before her speculative eyes, impressed by another frosty occurrence.

Amused by the moment of it all, Liza furthured her pursuit at the thought of a third. Curiosity was not one to disappoint, leading to the finding of not only a third, but a fourth, and a fifth, and even more beyond that. Like a well marked trail, these same white feathers were leading the way, falling in a sparkling line for wandering minds to follow. Giving no thought towards any other direction, she walked further ahead, through the thickening trees, nearing in on the entrance to an unfamiliar cavern. To direct her attention to this secluded area of all places was not to be expected, and a deadened trail provided little reassurance outside of venturing inside the darkened confines.

A deep breath preceded a hesitant step inside, all while tightening talons braced for anything to happen. Using only her own perceptive eyes, Liza traversed through the narrowing cavern, searching for something of use. Almost ready to backtrack at a diverging path, a bluish glint caught her by surprise. Closer inspection of this unusual hue revealed the scattering of blue feathers all along the rocky surface surrounding her advancing feet. Each feather gave off a luminescent glow, assisting in the proper direction ahead. With luck on her side, Liza stumbled upon a large chamber, containing three significant eggs resting quietly in an unattended nest. Each one of them had to be as long as the length of her forearm.

Unknowing as to their species, she moved in closer, hovering over in consideration. Not until she found herself at a kneel did she feel more concerned, the ground below cold beneath her knees. What if these eggs had been abandoned or something happened to the mother. And why did Liza feel a strong connection between these eggs and herself? Was it because of this harpy instinct deep within her? Unwilling to keep her talons off, she reached out and touched one of the three, quickly finding the shell frozen cold. This wasn't normal, was it? And what was there to explain about all of this new forming ice spreading from her selected egg. Every inch of rock formation that made up the cavern turned to ice; the nest and eggs included.

Was this all her fault? There was no way possible she had that much control over her talon freeze. The eggs had to be the reason behind this frozen creation. Desiring to figure out a way to reverse the effects, she touched the other two at the same time, one in each palmful of talons. Holding them tightly brought only the shattering of the pair, and the cracking of the weakening cavern floor. Unable to hold herself steady, she shifted a nervous leg to the side, and cracked the ice even further.

There was no use in keeping still, for the ice was well on its way to shattering entirely and giving way on its own. Bracing for the worst, she held the last egg firmly between her arms. A quick gasp led to a blackened freefall into an endless abyss. Wing formation seemed impossible no matter how hard she tried. Left with no choice but to hang on to another cracking egg, facing the inevitable was all that remained. Widening cracks foreboded the inevitable, closed eyes prepared for the unavoidable, and an explosion of light concluded the unimaginable.

---

Startled out of her wits, Liza's deep blue eyes sprung open, seeking for any sort of a lingering solace. Unwilling to pick herself off the ground, she remained lying down, staring off into the brilliant blue sky. After that ridiculous dream of hers, what were a few minutes more to recover? Besides, wasn't like that comforting summer breeze was any less enjoyable. Having her fill of soaking in the sun for all it was worth, Liza lifted herself upwards in attempt to get a better look of her unfamiliar surroundings. Her bedroom or that cavern was the likeliest of places to awake to, but this place proved to be neither of the two. Part of her couldn't shake the possibility of this being her same dream continued. Let her not forget about the troublesome curiosity that probably led her here. Desiring to forget about how this was possible, she moved towards focusing on where she was and why so many people. She didn't know a single one of them from her initial glances.

Acquiring enough motivation, Liza stood up and brushed herself off. A quick glimpse of her attire proved passable. As far as she could tell, she was wearing some sneakers, a pair of blue jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and a dark grey windbreaker. As for her messy brown hair, that part was pretty much a given. What wasn't certain was whether anyone around here would be of any assistance. One could also wonder the same about those in it for themselves. Either way, surviving reality just got a whole lot more challenging.

"Hey Shifty, where we going?" The Hitman asked, as the Limo drove on the freeway.

Bored brown eyes looked at the crook, "the usual place." The voice was deep, and intimidating, not that the hitman was smart enough to feel intimidated.

"Alright, the Splatoon it is." The Limo kept moving along it's designated route, the driver determined to appease and impress his boss.

The mobster was pleased with last nights transaction; the Red Mafia wound up agreeing to a deal favorable to his mob. Thus meaning two things: power, influence, and most importantly money. And not just the usual pocket change, but lots and lots of money. A dufflebag sat in the seat right next to him, stuffed with the likeness of Franklin, and not the counterfeit kind either.

The Limousine started to enter the city limits, and the boss straightened his own suit. He had to be well dressed for a occasion like this, he didn't want to disrespect any of the families after all. Heck, he even had a fedora sitting on the dufflebag, not that he was going to wear that damn thing. He held a cigar in his right hand, the thick smoke puttering out into the automobile. Strangely enough, the driver didn't seem to notice the putrid smell, and the boss noted that he really wasn't terribly intelligent.

The lights of downtown filled the windows, showing the finer parts of upper scale life. Of course, his destination wasn't terribly upscale being just a normal Italian Restaurant. Well, maybe not entirely normal. Behind the scenes; it served as a meeting place for men like him since the '20s, back when Al Capone;s empire was at it's height. The Limousine pulled into a driveway, the restaurant was lit up and he could hear the people within.

Fitting for a evening like this, where he was finally in a good mood, and felt like getting a few drinks and bragging about his new found success. He felt the automobile stop and the goon announced, "we're here boss."

He grumbled, and opened the right hand door. Grabbing his dufflebag with his right hand, and the fedora with his left; Shifty left the automobile and began to approach the entrance as the Limousine drove away. The gangster smiled, took a puff out of his big fat cigar, and entered the restaurant.

---

Shifty felt weird, slightly sick, and saw the morning daylight. He sat up, and rubbed his forehead.

"What a night," he couldn't remember a damn thing, all he could recall was ordering a disappointing meal.

He did however, know he was hungover, and that last night must have been something spectacular. Of course all that being said, he was in the middle of a forest clearing, the dufflebag with his right hand in a tight grip, and the damn fedora lying on his left hand.

"Why do I still have this." He grabbed the hat, that he would never get caught dead wearing. He laughed and repeated, "what a night." Now to find whoever led him out here and to-wait.

He blinked, he was surrounded by many others. All around him they lay in the clearing, passed out and asleep. He recognized none of them, suddenly becoming suspicious and more than a bit irritated. And not just that, the hangover just kicked in, meaning that currently he was currently confused, irritated, slightly angry, and was probably not going to be terribly polite to the next person who crossed his path.

Placing the dufflebag on his right arm, he stood up, then grabbing the fedora with his left hand.

He then grumbled, "how the hell did I get into this mess?"

Lily had spent the better part of the next ten minutes walking around the area and waking up more and more people, explaining the situation and doing her best to avoid chaos spreading. Since magic had been introduced into her life, she had experienced many strange things, but none as strange as this. At least a hundred people, if her lazy calculations were correct, had been transported to this place somehow, but she still had no idea why. Everyone she asked only ever answered with "I don't know." No one had any idea when they had gotten here either, as all of them simply answered that they fell asleep at home and woke up here, or with similar tales of suddenly being surrounded by blackness and then waking up.

She chewed on her lip as she looked around, brows furrowed and creasing slightly. A good half of the people who were previously asleep were now awake, some waking others while most simply sat on the ground or walked around, wondering what the hell had happened and where they were. One thing she noticed, however, was that just about everyone were in their twenties or thirties, with the few odd person in their fourties. Hardly anyone exceeded that age for whatever reason.

"Lily, what should we do now?" Said a voice from behind her, a hand carefully tapping her on the shoulder.

She turned around, coming face to face with the first person she had woken up. His name was Agnar and he was originally from Iceland but had migrated to Ireland in his early teens thanks to his parents. He had shoulder length, fiery hair and amber eyes. A large beard reaching a few centimetres down his chest added to his powerful appearance. What's more, he was on the plus side of two metres tall, muscles bulging under his white T-shirt and his jeans. A pair of heavy boots covered his feet, both large which also said something else about him. Probably.

He was a Blacksmith before he was transported here, and a Shifter, as he had told Lily. His shifting appearance - if what he told her was true - consisted only of a large hammer appearing in his hand, and his beard becoming longer and tying itself into a braid. The hammer allowed him to strike things with monstrous strength, creating what looked like lightning when he hit metal, and creating thunderclap-like sounds when he struck something if he so desired. She had yet to figure out why he had told her, though she currently went with the idea that it was because he felt he could trust her. Ironically, despite their different in heights, he was the one who looked up to her. She surmised that it was because she had been the first to help him, and seemed trustworthy, both because of her kindness and her immediately taking in their current situation and bringing it under control.

Again, she only guessed, but what else made sense?

"People are waking up one by one, and it seems that most are doing okay. No one has been screaming or panicking yet, although many are shocked." She smiled up at him. "I think everything is going well. The only question that's left is what we're going to do. We obviously need to find food and water, since I don't think there are any way to get back... at least not in the next few hours." She glanced off to the side, gaze falling onto a brunette wearing pair of jeans, white shirt and a windbreaker. "People will no doubt be getting hungry, so finding something to eat is necessary." She pointed towards the forest. "I'm pretty sure we can find some bushes with berries, perhaps even a few fruit trees in there. Why don't you go check? See if there is something, even if it's only more people... Oh, and be ready to Shift if necessary. We don't know what could happen here." He nodded and walked towards the forest.

Lily then turned towards the brunette, intent on asking her a few questions. Here's hoping she's one of the kind ones. Not everyone has been equally nice. She made her way over from behind, walking in a circle until she was in front of her. "Everything alright?" Lily asked, tilting her head slightly. "You look confused... not that I'm surprised." She was silent for a bit before she made a small 'eep'. "Oh, sorry. My name is Lily, and you?" She extended a dainty hand, smiling kindly.

He did not want to lose control...

Alice swore under her breath as the branches in front of her whipped into her face once more, stinging her cheeks and damaging further her already wounded pride. She contemplated just shifting half way and simply removing any offending branches, “But I wouldn’t want to ruin the forest for the preppers, now would I?” she chuckled wryly.

Truth be told, she had no idea what had possessed her to grab her jacket, knife, and a flashlight and go frolicking in the woods.

She’d lost the flashlight already, dropped in a muddy ditch after an impressive windmill impression, and she was now navigating by the ambient light left over from the last vestiges of sunlight. The lone sliver of moon in the sky wouldn’t provide any meaningful light. At the very least she could’ve half shifted and set some stick on fire as a torch or something, but for some reason she’d decided not to.

“Probably some subliminal ‘challenge yourself’ thing, who knows what Uri brought from Israel?” she rasped to herself, not that there was anybody else to talk to out in the wilderness.

Unless you were such a hippie you believed that trees had souls or something.

She hopped over a small brook, “eep”ing slightly as her foot caught a dark root that had been concealed by the growing darkness and she went sprawling on the ground. Luckily she hadn’t sprained it or anything, but of course, physically being able to walk didn’t help when you couldn’t even see the ground.

“Well isn’t this grand?” She deadpanned, looking around for somewhere she could bunker down for the night that would be safer than trying to hike all the way back. She could’ve flown, but she didn’t want to risk being seen, or flying into a tree. She was tough, a fully grown oak was tougher.

To hell with it, she would sleep out here.
__________

Alice gasped as the smell of smoke met her nostrils. Her eyes shot open, and she screamed as a burning piece of timber crashed down next to her. The worktable she’d fallen asleep at was a flaming wreck, and her own clothes burned, most of them already not much more than smoldering powder. The bare wood of the structure around her blazed just as fiercely, sparks flying with wild abandon as pieces of the roof plummeted down to the floor, exploding in bursts of glowing orange.

She couldn’t move, could barely breathe, and it hurt, it hurt so much. A massive chunk of flaming wood had pinned her to the table by the neck, and by some virtue she was still alive.

Oh, and on fire.

It wasn’t the excruciating agony of burning objects pressing into her flesh like she would’ve expected, but the open flames still bit into her skin, blackening the…

Were those scales?!

Alice cringed in pain as a chunk of flaming 2x4 crashed down on her hand, spraying sparks everywhere, including her left eye.

Why couldn’t she scream? Couldn’t cry out from the pain, only lay motionless as everything burned down around her. She saw the fire from her breath, making the connection was all too easy.

Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a charred body slumped against a door, the door itself barred by a fallen piece of sheet metal. The body was familiar, too familiar. Her father had rushed in to pull her from the fire, and been trapped, dying in the flames as he tried to clear a path.

A tear finally rolled down her cheek as the floor opened up into a yawning black abyss.
__________

Sunlight slowly filtered into Alice’s eyes, forcing her to scrunch them tight to keep it out.

“Why couldn’t I have the night shift…?” She grumbled, cracking open her eyes.

And promptly falling out of a tree with an “Oof.”

It wasn’t too long of a fall, it appeared she’d been sleeping on a low branch, for some reason. Why she would want to sleep on a branch was completely baffling.

It was only then that she noticed the other people surrounding her on all sides, and the cacophony of snoring. She propped herself up on the tree, rising on shaky legs. She noticed some other people who were awake, they seemed to be walking around, slowly rousing people from their sleep.

Alice half stomped, half stumbled her way over to the dark brown haired woman who for some reason wore a light blue dress, and the other people with her.

“Who are you, what is this place, and what are all these people doing here?” She demanded, finger raised in the air in emphasis.

Thule watched the cooking pot in front of him like hawk, trying to ignore the delicious scent that was coming off of it so he could focus on cooking.

So far, his holiday was going quite well. He had currently set up camp in one of the more challenging parts of New South Wales, giving him plenty of mountains and forests to work his way through. The weather was rather nice and he had even run into an old friend while on the trip; One of his students had decided to take his advice on giving this area a try and had decided to bring his new fiance along so that the two of them could get away from the world for a while.

Thule sighed for a little as he glanced away from his cooking pot to gaze up at the night sky for a moment. While he prized himself on his teaching abilities and the relationships he had with his students, it was a foolish move to jump into such a dangerous environment without gaining proper first hand experience first; Even more so to drag someone who doesn't have a clue what they are doing along for the journey as well. Shaking his head a little in order to shake the thought away, he refocused on the food before him.

It was a rather hearty stew that was currently cooking on his fire; A few spices that he had brought along with him combined with a few wild plants that he knew were safe to eat in order to enhance the flavor of the meat, turning it into a meal that would have been welcome just about anywhere. In fact he recalled that the last time he brought a stew very much like the one he was making to a church event that it had been gobbled up very quickly and with much praise. Taking the cooking pot off the fire, Thule grinned as he helped himself to a bowl. The first bite was absolutely heavenly, almost causing him to moan aloud as he his rolled into the bite of his head. The second and third mouthfuls might not have been quite as effective but the sheer bliss was still there.

It wasn't until the forth bite that something felt off. Something was much harder than it had a right to be caused his chewing to come to a complete stop. Taking a puzzled moment to open his mouth and reach in to grab the offending object, Thule took a moment to examine something that glittered gold in the light of the fire before casting it into the surrounding wilderness, most likely never to be seen by humans again.

................................................................................

When Thule awoke, he didn't move right away.

When he had gone to sleep, he had been resting inside of a tent. Now he was under the open sky and clearly not in the same place that he had been before. Clearly he had been moved at some point while he slept. Once he had adjusted to this, he forced himself to sit up in order to inspect the world around him for immediate threats. Forest on the one side, rolling planes on the other and a lot of people laying around him that were also in the process of waking up. While this was clearly weird it wasn't a threat at this moment so he changed his track of mind to what he currently had on him.

Looking at himself, he quickly noticed that he appeared to be wearing his coat, something that he had not gone to bed with. Searching through the pockets, he quickly located some of the basic survival gear that he kept in them much like a tradesman would keep certain tools on his person at all times. A little basic, but useable.

Once he had a good idea of what he currently had at his disposal, he looked around at the various people once again. He noticed that there were people already going around helping others get up on their feet and try to take control of the strange situation and Thule quickly followed their example. Getting himself to his feet, he walked over towards a man who appeared to have a full looking duffel bag with him, offering him a somewhat warm smile along side with a hand to help him up. "Name's Thule. By any chance you know how we got here? Because I don't."

Walking slowly with wandering eyes, Liza remained confused, finding little familiarity amongst her surroundings and its recently acquired inhabitants. Not even with an attentive ear could she recall a definite answer to such a pressing problem. Wishing not to dwell upon a once unfathomable reality, her focus shifted towards finding any others willing to take immediate action to provide much needed assistance. Hesitance lingered strongly by while her perseverance wavered along to every building concern, not just for herself alone, but for everyone involved. Only the approach of another, seeking out her attention, did her eyes avert from an immersive gaze.

Pleasantly spoken words brought relief to Liza’s worried mind, knowing there was actually someone like this woman in a dress that cared enough to get involved. Even if there was evidence proving otherwise, Liza looked fine physically, but one could certainly question her own mentality the way events were going. At least there was someone willing to understand and look beyond such a lost moment. Grateful for the presence of Lily, Liza extended her own hand and smiled back. “My name is Liza. It is really nice to meet you, Lily,” her words were politely spoken, albeit a bit softer than usual.

A short pause followed before Liza furthered the conversation. “And as far as I am aware, I appear to be doing alright.” She needlessly double checked her appearance just to make absolutely sure nothing eluded her eyes since the first time. “Outside of not knowing where I am at, which I am sure is the topic of conversation, I think am confident enough to say so.” There was little sense in asking for a location of their whereabouts anymore. With time moving along unrelentingly, a sense of direction seemed only the next logical step in survival. From what Liza could tell firsthand, Lily was already doing an important part.

“Oh, and since it seems we may be needing as much help as we can get out here, I hope you don’t mind if I offer up my services as well.” Liza gave her a confident smile. “I may not be much of a delegator, but I am at least resourceful enough to get something done, if need be.” While eagerly awaiting Lily’s ultimate decision, another sudden arrival appeared before their presence, quick to demand. Cautious towards another’s unpredictable motivations, Liza remained quietly watching, taking to a more reserved role this time around.

Waking up spread-eagled over a boulder was not something Akira had expected when he had decided to open his eyes that day. Neither was it expected that when he flicked out his tongue to taste the air that he would smell a considerable number of foreign human scents nearby.

Unfortunately for the curiosity which might have been raised due to this, the warm rock and luxurious weather proved to be too strong a gift to be wasted. Strangely he was treating the scenario with an inordinate amount of calmness, although that may have been to do with the summer sun beating down on him as he basked happily in the heat.

I wonder where I am he wondered, yawning as he did so and opening one eye lazily. He appeared to be in a forest of sorts, nice and densely wooded, and he was surrounded by a strange selection of the most curious gaijin he had ever seen.

How novel he mused. Given he didn’t seem to be in any apparent danger, and he somehow doubted his rivals would suddenly decide to kidnap him to take him to some woodland for a nap, he figured there couldn’t be any immediate danger.

The last thing he recalled was a banquet service with his loyal soldiers of the syndicate celebrating the second year of his rule of the clan, and the retiring to his quarters with a certain voluptuous lady and a bottle full of sake. Somehow he doubted that could have escalated to suddenly going on a drunken ramble with about a hundred different gaijin from across the world to stagger drunkenly into a wood and nap on a boulder.

So there had to be something more to this.

Half awake, with one eye opened he watched as the other people began to steadily awaken from their stupors, and begin to express the same confusion he himself felt over the situation at hand. Clearly nobody appeared to remember what had made them all suddenly congregate together in a patch of woodland; some didn’t even seem to speak the same language as each other, furthering unusual nature of scenario.

Had he stumbled into some sort of multicultural bachelor party?

Somehow he doubted that.

Usually he had a couple of guards follow him when he went out and about, not that he needed them much, what with being a gigantic terrifying gorgon half the length of a bus, but for traditions sake. Thinking harder he vaguely remembered falling at some point, although his brain was not terribly clear on the subject.

His brow furrowed as he began to dissect his memories. He remembered falling through a series of floating lights, and strange otherworldly whispers coursing through his ears in a language he could not understand.

Then suddenly there had been blackness… and then… this forest.

What could it mean?

Some of the people were talking a consolatory position in waking up and explaining their current situation to those how had just awoken. Even now he saw dark haired European lady followed by a particularly Nordic looking fellow helping out some of them nearby. Personally he didn’t feel up to the hassle, he figured he’d be out of here soon enough, back at home with his men and having a fine laugh about the almost fantastic tale he would spin… or at least he hoped.

For now he figured he’d watch, wait, pick up the gossip and have a little doze on this boulder for a bit. Relaxing a little more he let part of his shifter side slip out, and felt the cascade of scales on his body flicker across in a tiny patter. He attempted to shift himself into a more comfortable position, moving his arm slightly and suddenly noticing something strange in it.

Curious he opened his eyes slightly and peered down.

His composite bow?

Now how did that get there? I put in back in its place this very morning.

Now taking in his appearance more fully, he realised that he hadn’t been wearing this suit the night before either, the kidskin gloves and dark silk lined jacket had definitely been stored away when he had gone to bed, how could he be wearing them?
The questions were steadily piling, and he had no answers.

Feeling underneath his suit he found some small change and a few rings and bits and pieces, but nothing of note. He also appeared to be wearing a hooded top beneath it, which he only used when he was going out on business and needed to cover up his half-shifted appearance with something a little more innocuous.

The situation was steadily becoming more and more curious.

Casually the woman he had noticed earlier had made her way through the groaning piles of people towards him and had stopped nearby to converse with other woman who was looking a little dazed. Pausing for a moment for the right time in the lull of the conversation he sized the two up, the first – whose name was apparently ‘Lily’- came across as a friendly sort, with an interest in athleticism based on her physique. She wasn’t the most dazzling lady he had ever seen but he could tell that beneath the relative normality there was definitely something more to be seen. Strangely he kept on picking up on silver wisps around her, just at the corner of his vision, and he paused to wonder what they were.

Maybe I am just hallucinating it…

The other woman seemed to be a Westerner as well, with dark brown hair and a shapely face, with bright blue unusual eyes. She came across as a little on her guard and far more cautious than Lily had been, perhaps still struggling to right herself in a world which had made such an unusual turn of events.

Apparently her name was Liza.

They made their introductions as he watched, eyes half lidded and still sprawled over the warm boulder with some level of interest. He paused to pull himself up and yawn he took in the forest once again in a cursory searching glance.

The wood was old, that was for sure. The foliage and trees were thick and untended, and the trees themselves towered high into the sky, casting long shadows over them as the sun continued to move through the sky on its set path.

Wherever they were, it wasn’t Japan.

When he saw a momentary lull in the conversation he decided to interject, rippling his scales into oblivion again before striking up the question.

“Pardon me miss Lily, miss Liza, but do you have the slightest any idea where we are? For I am absolutely certain this is not my beloved homeland of Japan.” He blinked reptilianly for a moment and continued after a slight pause, “a thousand apologies, I forgot to introduce myself, I am Akira Kagemusha, it is a pleasure to meet both you.”

With this he rose up onto his feet, heels clicking, and gave them a low bow of respect, waiting for their replies.

I hope they do not mind my intrusion.

Suddenly he heard stomping behind him and turned to look a woman who appeared to have just fallen from a tree, pointing her finger like a sword she let out a torrent of questions which sounded more like demands and remained staring at Lily, arm raised.

Well, this one is certainly ruder than me.

Lily gave Liza the best smile she could, trying to appear as calm as possible despite her own bewilderment. She did her very best to appear as someone the others could lean on in the time of confusion that this was, but the truth wasn't quite as positive, as she was very much on the floor like many of the others. Despite all of this, she kept smiling and helping others, knowing that if she could at least pretend to know what was going on, then the chance of panic and regretful decisions being made was that much smaller.

She let go of Liza's hand and crossed her arms beneath her meagre chest. "Good to see you're okay. Not everyone woke up without being some sort of... I guess shock is the best word to describe it." She looked off to the side, grimacing slightly as if spotting one specific individual. "I did what I could to calm them down, but only time will show how they take it." She looked back to Liza, studying to woman for a moment. She looked pleasant enough, both in the sense that she seemed kind but also somewhat pretty. At least moreso than Lily herself, if she were to be a judge. Despite the gentleness of her face, she could also sense a hardness in her features, an edge that told of a life that wasn't all sunshine and butterflies like her own had been - for the most part. Or perhaps it was something else?

Banishing the thought, she spoke again - this time with a bit of a plea in her voice. "If you can, could you try to find a source of water or something, possibly something to eat? I honestly have no idea where we are, and the sooner we can find something to eat or drink, the sooner we can get the more frantic ones to relax." She paused for a moment, her eyes widening almost imperceptibly as an idea struck her. "By the way, if I may ask, are you a Shifter?" Before Liza could answer, she raised both her hands in what could pass as a defensive, or even apologetic gesture. "I'm sorry if it's an intrusive question, but I know that some Shifters have powers that might be of help here." The way she spoke carried no malice of judgement, nor even doubt or suspicion. It was almost as if there was a familiarity in the way she spoke of them, and wasn't just an outsider who had only ever heard of them and never been in contact with one.

Letting her arms fall back along her sides, she adopted a relaxed, open posture. "I hope I don't come off as rude, so please don't take offense. But don't even have to answer my question, or even help... There are already a bunch of people helping so-" whatever she was going to say next was drowned by the loud, raspy voice nearly shouting demands at Lily. Turning to the newcomer's voice she couldn't help an eyebrow from shooting up under her fringes. The short woman was, if anything, the definition of a rebellious teenager. She very much looked like it, at least, judging by the baggy pants and almost lack of styling was of any indication. That is, rebellious by Lily's standards. "My name is Lily Strider, and I don't know for both of your other questions." A bit rude... I hope it's just the confusion talking. "And may I ask what your name i-"

Being a school teacher had brought with it the common occurrence of multiple children speaking at the same time, each vying for their teacher's attention. They would try to get help from her by shouting louder and louder, even resulting to teasing the other pupils sitting beside them as a way to make her come over there to stop them. She'd seen a lot of it, and dealt with most of it; she even prided herself on being able to handle multiple children at once without breaking a sweat. Under her guidance, children had been taught and they had learned - none of them going home with the feeling of their teacher abandoning them.

Despite all of this, the number of interruptions were starting to get a little bit on her nerves this day. By no means had the rude girl been the first, as many of the other people waking up had come to her, seeking guidance and generally just wanting to be near someone who seemed to have everything under control. Bracing herself mentally, she turned around towards the newest addition to their little huddle. The first thing she noticed was that it was a man which, considering the pitch of the voice, wasn't a surprise. The second thing she noticed was the suit, a rather dabber one at that. And then, finally, his appearance. He was a rather handsome man, with a mix of both western and eastern characteristics creating a pleasant viewing experience. One of the most notable features, she noticed, was his eyes. She'd heard of the phenomena before, but never seen it before now. Heterochromia: Two different coloured eyes; either two colours in the same eye, or one eye, one colour.

She took a deep breath, then a few steps towards the man. "Akira, correct?" She returned his bow, albeit not going quite as low as he. She wasn't exactly sure what the japanese custom was, so she wasn't quite sure if bowing too low would be a bad idea. "Nice to meet you too. As for where we are; you're right when you say that it isn't Japan." She swept an arm in an arc, motioning towards the mass of people walking around doing various things, be it waking up others or trying to break twigs off from one of the trees to try their hands at making a shelter of some kind. "As for what's going on, pretty much what one could expect. People are trying their best to become accustomed to the new environment. I've spoken with a number of people and no one seems to know anything of where we are, what happened, or how we got here." A grimace briefly flashed across her face. "Truthfully, I'm a bit on the floor myself. I wish I knew at least some of what was going on - at least the 'why'." A friendly smile crept back onto her lips, letting her willingness to help show yet again. "Is there anything I can help you with? If you actually need any help, that is."

“So you’re saying, neither you nor anybody else here knows where we are?” Alice asked, letting her arms fall in exasperation.

She groaned, looking back to the other people present, “Well, that sucks.” Mentally chiding herself as she realized just how much of an ass she must have seemed, not that she harbored any deep philosophical remorse or anything.

So nobody knew where they were, and nobody knew anybody else; and by the looks of things there was quite the diverse gaggle of people around her. Just what had happened?

She looked to the man in the suit, eyeing him appraisingly. He didn't seem as though he was about to suddenly go on a murderous rampage and start killing people willy-nilly, which was comforting. Though the fact that he was dressed in an expensive suit threw her off, as did the dress Lily was wearing. It made sense- relatively speaking, considering they were all in a random forest with no food- for her to have the jacket she fell asleep in (in a forest), but the expensive suit? Light summer dress?

Alice had no real inkling of what might be “normal”, but even she could tell that most people wouldn't sleep in a suit, or nice clothes in general. Of course, most people wouldn't sleep in a jacket that weighed in excess of ten pounds even without filled pockets, so perhaps she was being the tiniest bit hypocritical.

Faking a cough into the back of her hand as the silence stretched on, she turned back to Lily, putting her left hand up in a halfhearted peace gesture, “Sorry, by the way.” She rasped- coughing for real this time as the mutilated tissue in her throat rebelled like it often did. She doubled over in a hacking, painful cough, bracing against a nearby boulder to steady herself, already raw throat sending out fresh waves of pain.

“Sorry about that, too, you wouldn’t believe how many people thought I was a smoker or something.” She choked out as soon as the coughing had subsided, her voice considerably raspier and more painful sounding, wiping a few involuntary tears from her eyes with her arm. “I can talk later if you do so desire, but do any of you know where the hell I could get some water? It’s killing me here.” She asked, glancing around for a convenient river or other reasonably safe water source.

One eyebrow rose rapidly as a thought struck her at the last moment, and she turned back around “You were going to ask my name, right? I’m Alice, can’t say whether it’ll be a pleasure to meet you or not, sorry.” She hastily said, coughing slightly as her throat protested the far-in-excess-of-normal amount of talking she was doing.

Failing to get a response from the man he had been speaking to after a couple of moments of awkward silence, Thule decided to do the sane thing and cut his loses before moving onto check up and help out the next person nearby... a blond woman wearing the shortest pair of short shorts he had ever seen. The smile that graced his face came naturally; She had a nice pair of legs on her.

..........................................................

After a few introductions, helping some people up and learning that no one seemed to have a clue as to what was going on, Thule noticed that people seemed to be gathering together into groups to pool and share their ignorance. Looking around for those who were doing basically what he was doing and taking on leadership roles, he quickly found a group that was promising. Arriving just as one of the group members introduced herself as 'Alice', Thule cleared his throat as he entered the conversation. "It's a pleasure to meet you Alice. My name is Thule. Have we started to organize a plan of action in relation to our situation or are we still trying to get a basic idea of what skills, supplies and equipment that we have to work with?"

"Personally, I instruct people on how to survive in the wilderness for a living. I will be the first to admit that my teachings are more aimed towards the individual or small groups of people lost in the wild rather then a group as large as this one but it's better then nothing."