The Takeover

The euphoria Lana was feeling from making a new friend quickly soured when she looked back at the birds and realized she would have to shift again. A groan escaped her lips and she fell backwards into a laying position, staring up at the sunlight peaking through the leaves.

"I don't wanna shift and you can't make me." She groaned once again and rolled onto her stomach, covering her eyes.

"Oh, come on it's not that bad." Chase said, squatting down next to her and laying a palm on her shoulder, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Not that bad?" Lana scoffed. "Not that bad? It's awful, I'd rather die a thousand times on loop then go through that again." She sat up and looked at Chase.

"You really are new, huh?" He laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Not that new." She whined. "I've shifted at least three times." She counted on her fingers quickly. "Maybe four?"

"And you were able to shift while so severely wounded?" He blew out a sigh of amazement. "Jesus Christ..." He paused briefly, and tried to shake off his awe and continued with his originally intended sentences. "Anyway, it will get less painful, eventually. But there is supposedly one way that will almost eliminate any pain and make it easier to stay shifted..."

"Really?" She said eagerly. "How?"

"Well, it's kind of like forming a pack with another shifter. But... It's different, it forms a kind of bond between the two of them. It said they can communicate telepathically once shifted too." He sounded tentative, Lana felt the dreaded 'but' coming.

"That sounds pretty great, but I feel like you're about to tell me a downside." Lana crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Chase. He smiled meekly at her.

"Well... Shifters only get one of these... erm, bonds... Every 200 years..." He nervously scratched the back of his head, and smiled guiltily again.

"Okay." She said and nodded. "Let's do it."

"Wait... What?" His eyebrows knit together and he tilted his head to the side.

"Okay."

"You don't want anytime to think it over? It's a huge commitment." She could tell he was nervous, but he wasn't nervous for himself, as she thought. He was nervous for her, he explained everything properly... for the most part. But he used the wrong word... He knew the correct word, but it was such a heavy word, it could discourage her. "You'll also be in my head almost all the time for as long as we live. Which is kind of super intimate... And the whole 200 years thing is only if I die, and you won't be able to kill me yourself, and it would be hard to hire a hit man when I can hear your every thought. Besides you hardly know me." Her light giggled silenced his rambling. "Hey, why are you laughing?"

"You're so ridiculous." She rolled her eyes. "I know 200 years is quite the commitment, and being in each others head is going to foster some kind of feelings, I've probably never had. But when am I going to find another shifter? Well, I ran into one girl but she was so weak she would never be able shift... Had I not happened across her familiar... But she doesn't matter." Lana shook her head trying to rid her head of the malice that went hand in hand with her memories of Sophie. "Well, what I'm trying to say is that the odds of me... Or really both of us, ever finding another shifter to create this bond with are extremely slim. So why not?"

"So, you're doing this because you don't think you can find anyone else... So, even though we just now became friends, you're saying you would pick a stranger over me?" He smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Well... no but... That's not..." She roared in frustration. "Let's just get on with it... What do I have to do?"

"It's really quite simple... We need only exchange something of great value to us." Her fingers flew to the coin around her neck and his to the pendant hidden under his shirt. She didn't want to give it up, nor did he. But they had to. They knew they had to. He wanted to help his friend and make her shifts easier and faster. She was selfish and simply did not want the pain of shifting... But getting in his head would be a perk, he wouldn't be able to lie to her.

"Promise not to lose it." The said at the same time. The locked eyes and laughed.

"It was my parents, my real parents coin, they found it the day they met at an archaeological dig in the old Peltumbe ruins. My caretaker, Rudy told me it was lucky... He said as long as I wore it he and my parents would be watching over me." She explained flipping the ancient coin between her fingers.

"This was my grandmothers..." Chase looked down at the pendant he pulled from beneath his shirt. It was a triangle made up of small, circular, black jewels framed by a larger, silver triangle. It was gorgeous. "It's very feminine, that's why I strive keep it hidden... My grandma was my mothers midwife, she knew my parents wouldn't accept me so she told them I was still born. She kept me hidden in her house on the outskirts of the town until I was ten. She taught me everything she knew about what I was and what I could end up being. When I hit the ripe age of ten... She hide me beneath the floor boards and told me to keep quiet no matter what... She also gave me the necklace she wore everyday as long as I could remember, and a kitchen knife. The Guardians came for her that day... Some how they were informed of her harboring a sire and were sent to kill us both. She told them I was long gone, that she had sent me away weeks before, that they would never catch up to me." He cleared his throat and stared down at the pendant. "She...ah, she didn't.... Only one of us made it through that day." He looked up at the sky trying to stop the threatening tears. Lana walked over to him and wrapped her hand around his.

"We don't have to do this." She murmured. "I'll suck it up, let's just get back to the flock and start making happier memories. Okay?"

"No, it'll be faster this way..." He quickly unclasped the necklace. "Just... As long as you have it don't leave me... If you do have to leave, please return it... I have a little bit of an attachment to it." He smiled morosely, he was trying to let go of the guilt and sadness but it refused to budge.

"I promise." She said, unclasping her necklace as well. They quickly traded necklaces, putting there's on the other and began the changing process. Lana focused on making more of her feathers blue, as she was told. She felt her bones moving under her skin but it wasn't painful, well as painful as previous shifts, there was still a phantom ache.

It was worse for Chase. He had become used to, essentially, no pain. He'd had three years of practice and in that time he had changed a countless amount of times. It seemed as if someone had found the pain during transition dial and cranked it up a tremendous amount. It could have been worse, much worse, so he tried to mute his suffering. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his jaw. He sent a silent thanks to the heavens that it was over quickly.

Sorry. Lana's voice sounded in his head. So the telepathy rumors were true. He really wouldn't be able to hide anything from her.

I guess, we share each others' pain... Which will always be good for one and bad for the other... He shrugged,l as well as birds could, in indifference and inspected Lana's appearance from beak to talons. Nice job on the blue feathers, and I like how small you made that scar, if I hadn't been looking for it I never would have spotted it. A wave of contentment rolled over Lana at his compliments and Chase could feel her smile, though it was not visible on her face.

It was strange having someone in his brain at all times. He had become used to solitude for nearly twelve years. It had been strange looking out for her when he first new what she was, and her constant company had taken some getting used to... But now she was there permanently... Or at least until one of them died. But he'd rather neither of them did... He didn't really want to lose his only friend.

And you're not losing me soon, as long as I have the necklace you can be sure I won't leave your side. It will be like a perpetual sleep over! Though I've never had one, I heard they are great. Any shouldn't we shove off? Begin the flock's journey north? She didn't wait for an answer she jumped from the branch and flew to the tree. Chase quickly followed behind her. They landed and started making their way to the front of the flock.

During the brief walk with Chase to through the crowd, Lana stopped Bitch and Asshole looking fairly jealous. She sneered at them and lifted her chin high, she was trying to show them how little they now meant to her, and that they were peasants.... She didn't believe she succeed completely but it appeared to make them angry which was the overall goal anyway. Then she spotted Midge and Wings. Midge chirped quietly in approval and bobbed her head in excitement. Lana bobbed her head back.

Well at least you made one friend in, what, three months? Chase teased her.

Yes, but she's a great friend, if she were a human that didn't want to kill our kind, we would probably be best friends. Lana nudge him playfully with her wing, as he rolled our eyes.

Not trying to kill us is always a good trait for someone to have. Lana rolled her eyes and they took their place on a slightly elevated branch that served as a sort of stage. Chase screeched so loudly it felt like Lana's eardrums exploded then opened his wings. All the other birds also opened their wings, so Lana decided she should probably do the same. Chase leaped from the branch, followed closely by Lana, and the two lead the flock north.

Lana was hardly able to contain her excitement. With the wind in her feathers and friend by her side, she felt invincible. She was finally going to make it all the way north, with a companion who wouldn't leave her side like... She didn't even want to think about it. It was too beautiful a day to focus on the negatives in her life.

Now was the time she enjoyed. She wanted to live in this moment forever.