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Flo was changing before Granit could get his last word out into the brisk November air.
His body was smaller like this, and his brown-coloured coat made him blend in well with the fallen leaves and bark of the trees.
He couldn't hit Granit in this form. Though for a moment there, Flo had thought he deserved it.
His agitated mind and thrumming body were enveloped by the animal.
Wild rabbits, even those that were half human, would use their hind legs to push themselves forward with their tail as a means to maintain stability. And stability is what Flo severely lacked.
In the night he would come back; of course he would. Granit knew it too. The young shifter just needed time and a way to dissect Granits suggestions. Think of what he would reply.
Rabbits are prey animals, though Flo didn't like the thought of being something to be easily taken down. In his human form, he was stronger, though still not much taller; he could take a fox shifter if he wanted to. In this form, though, he was a live wire ready to snap.
The irony of running away again and not really being so different from his rabbit wasn't lost on Flo.
Flo wanted to get to his tree, the one to the north east of their cave. It’s small, hollow trunk was perfect to keep Flo in and everything else out.
Whilst racing past the small pond that marked the middle distance from the cave to his tree, he saw Ernie and Bert, the two frogs who had been calling it their home ever since Flo could remember.
Flo sometimes wished he had someone like that, but he also always thought afterwards that he wouldn’t know how to be with that ominous someone anyway.
As he went on and on, he could slowly but surely start hearing Sigwart the grey-headed woodpecker. Flo had once tried, toward the beginning of his stay with Granit, to strike up a conversation with Sigwart. He had always liked woodpeckers, and Siggie seemed especially dedicated to his cause.
Their lack of common tongue tragically got in the way of what would’ve otherwise been a resplendent friendship, Flo was sure.
It wasn’t much further now.
Flo could feel that his hide was getting more and more dishevelled; he’d have to groom it first when he was safely tucked away in the hole of the trunk.
As he neared his tree, he spotted a young buck. His antlers were still relatively small, with only four branches yet. He was eating the mushrooms from their earthy bed.
And he was standing right in front of the entrance to Flo’s beloved hiding place.
Flo abruptly came to a halt, eyes wide and ears perked up high. He had never encountered another creature here before. Sure, there were the occasional birds, mice, and even an aesculapian snake once, but those had never disturbed him before and thus didn’t count.
This one counted.
Flo looked around; could he go from the back and not get noticed by the other that way? He doubted it.
He honestly wasn’t sure why he was overthinking this. The buck wouldn’t hurt him even if it saw him.
Maybe he just wanted to keep this one secret for himself.
Slowly creeping to the left to where one of the trees could hide him better, he mentally throttled himself for his behavior. He felt stupid.
Breath.
Flo looked out from behind the scotch pine to see the buck looking up and around. He hoped it would move soon enough now that it had apparently appeased its hunger.
Just as he began to think he might be in the clear, the buck began to shudder and shift.
And where a few seconds ago there was still the buck, there now stood a man with fawn-like skin so reminiscent of his hide in place.
Flo’s first thought was beautiful.
His back was still turned to him; he could see the lean muscles behind smooth skin. And there was a vast amount of skin for Flo to look at.
He let out a noise that might’ve been a choked gasp if he were currently human.
The young man turned towards the sound, towards Flo. He tucked himself behind again.
Why didn’t he even think about the other being another shifter? He must be one of Vincent’s. The alpha leader who guided the deer pack that lived in these woods, consisting of a multitude of families and spanning several generations.
Flo might’ve also pissed off one of the guys from the pack a few weeks ago. It wasn’t the one standing here now, but Flo still didn’t want to risk getting recognised by him regardless.
Trying to listen to what the other was doing out of his peripheral vision had him perking up his ears more. He could hear the crunching of feet walking on the forest floor and what sounded like the plucking of leaves. Was he still hungry?
He risked another look and saw the young buck plucking chestnuts from the trees and into his small bag. He hadn’t registered it before, but it must be one of the enchanted ones able to be carried through the shift.
Flo had himself never worn one.
The bag itself looked to be made out of a brown cloth coloured to match the skin and hide of its wearer.
Due to its apparent limited capacity, the bag was quickly filled and closed again. The young buck began to relace it at his upper thigh.
This was also when Flo was able to get his first proper look at the others face.
He had deep brown eyes, and his lips were curved in a small smile, as if in thought already away and able to present his spoils. Flo stared in awe.
Once the bag was strapped to the young buck’s thigh, his skin began to thrum and shift. Moments later, the buck stood in place again, almost like its human flesh had never been there at all.
This time, having knowledge of the bag, Flo could spot it on his hind leg right away.
The buck started to slowly trott away further north, and Flo suddenly didn’t want him to leave. He had the thought of calling out after everything, but it shouldn’t be.
The young buck darted away and out of view.
He remained in place for a time afterwards, feeling more lost than even before.
When he remembered why he came out here in the first place, he gathered himself and made for the opening of the hollow tree trunk.
Safely inside and curled up in as small a ball as he could make himself, he takes no notice of his ruffled hide and just closes his eyes.