Shadow Town (Katherin & Donut)

"Ah! A liberal," Ezra nodded knowingly, stroking his chin as he looked Griffin over. The man didn't appear as old as he let on - his maturity and intimidating stance piled upon his real age, perhaps, and Ezra was too eager to poke around. "How old are they all, exactly? You don't look old enough to have raised them for a very long time." Ezra swung his feet in a child-like restlessness. He'd wish in silence that the man would let him out already, maybe under his supervision. The boy was essentially powerless against a mythical shapeshifter twice his power capacity and his group of defensive beast children. "Some of your kids look about as old as me. Why don't you go with me and meet them?" He bellowed, hoping Griffin would get his point.
 
"You're right. They haven't been with me very long. Thomas is almost 17. He has been with me the longest. Almost three years now. Nicholas is almost 16. He has been with me almost a year now. Henry is barely 14. He has been with me almost two years. Mark is 12. He has been with me close to a year now. Walter is 10. He has been with me about six months now. Devon is 8. He has been with me... just about three months. Kevin. He is the baby of the group is just turned six. He has been with me alittle over a month now." Griffin explained.
 
Ezra's forehead crinkled underneath the thickness of his messy dark hair as he rose his eyebrows. He clicked a tongue as fingers shot up from his hands in a hurried attempt to count - not that he was, really. "They're all goddamn kids!" He pointed the apparent half in shock and half in his never-ending interest.

The more they talked, the more he felt himself ripening to settle down in this rusty-smelling home, despite the oddity of his situation: him trespassing, a bizarre discovery that called for practically getting kidnapped and jailed, and being practically forced into a loyalty to them because he had been born the way he existed. A family of beasts inviting him, a stray animal, into their grand castle - it painted a normal picture in his head, but this pack held itself as far from etiquette as possible, so it was definitely odd. Things had been odder in his short little life and he had been living free from heavy obligations since he ran away from his foster family into the poorer outskirts. Griffin and his tribe beckoned to him and his curiosity, though with a sense of commitment that he doubted he would ever uphold, but joining their tribe wouldn't do him much harm. That was a thought in the far future, however, he concluded as he sharpened his gaze on Griffin again.

"I think I'm the oldest, if you're gonna let me in to your posse, still," he began in a rapid mumble, words spat out here and there out of excitement and a wash of shame. "I'm nineteen, if you haven't noticed. Ripe and ready for bangin'. Not that I've found any nice feline persons."
 
Griffin laughed. "Boy I think you are obsessed with banging. Trust me it isn't all that great." He assured Ezra. He studied the boy. He was a handsome lad. Someday he would make someone a good mate. If he could ever be tamed. He smiled at the thought. He doubted that Ezra would be any easier to train than he had been at nineteen. The difference was that Ezra would have as support system if he accepted that he actually needed someone other than himself. Griffin knew how hard it could be to go from being on your own to being part of a group. He would do his best to ease the transaction but he knew it would be a bumpy ride for awhile. "If you want to join my tribe you have to follow my rules."
 
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"Rules, rules, rules, yada, yada, bullshit," Ezra groaned and slunk back into his comfort but kept his eyes trained on Griffin. He had expected this sort of arrangement, what with Griffin hauling him into this cage not too long ago and being forced to consent to terms he would now be flooded with. As long as he got out of the cage and sniffing the mansion around, he was all up for it. Not to mention playing with the tiny kids - when had he ever met a child shifter? "Lay 'em on me. Not like there's anything else that's new with you." He barked out with a grin.
 
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"My rules are simple Ezra." Griffin told him. "Don't get me into trouble with the counsel. Don't hurt the other kids. And don't like to me. I believe everyone deserves a second change. This is your chance for a family and a home. If you break the counsel's laws they will kill you. If you break mine I wont let you off that easily." Griffin studied the younger man. "I will allow you out of this cage on two conditions. You promise not to run the first chance you get. I don't want to chase you but I will if you run. And you try to met me half way. I know your life hasn't been easy but no one in this house has traveled the easy road."
 
Ezra grimaced at the older man's knowing tone - he had been warming up to him, but his trust stood on no foundation in the same way Griffin's although kind understanding had none. He did not know him, try as he might to understand, and Ezra wouldn't be letting him know jack as far as he concerned himself. He bit back a growl and opted for the civil choice.

"Very hospitable of you, kind sir," Ezra slurred over his nice words with a pathetically hidden sarcasm but he kept his hostility at bay. "I'll be as compromising as my cat brain will let me, Griff. I can't run away - not with practically a pack of little but probably feral beast kids and an experienced, strong hawkman watching my every move, so, you know...Chill." He darted him with a smile before leaving his comfortable cot and pacing towards the door of the cage, hands by his sides but not in his pockets to ease any sort of alarm. "I kinda wanna meet the kids to, to be honest."
 
"I'm not a hawk." Griffin told him rolling his eyes. He dug the key out of his pocket. "I'm a griffin. Part eagle. Part lion. You think dealing with one set of animal instincts is hard try two." He told the boy as he heard up the stairs. At the top of the stairs he lead Erza into the family room. He gave a sharp whistle. Instantly boys started to appear. " Thomas [spoili]http://th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2011/271/e/d/secret_life_by_fragmented___-d4b7ugy.jpg[/spoili] who you've already met. He is 17 and a wolf. Nicholas [spoili]http://th07.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2011/278/d/e/michael_by_fragmented___-d4bvag9.jpg[/spoili] who is 16 and an eagle. Henry [spoili]http://thumb7.shutterstock.com/disp...ing-at-the-boutique-candy-store-172444649.jpg[/spoili] who is 14 and iguana shifter. Mark [spoili]http://thumb7.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/82116/82116,1254935048,5/stock-photo-portrait-of-year-old-boy-outdoors-38421760.jpg[/spoili] is 12 and a dog shifter. Walter [spoili]http://thumb9.shutterstock.com/disp...begin-as-wild-age-boy-years-old-131861912.jpg[/spoili] who is 10. He's a deer. Devon [spoili][http://thumb101.shutterstock.com/di...-boy-holding-one-hand-on-his-cap-94692259.jpg[/spoili]is eight and a squirrel shifter. Kevin [spoili]http://thumb1.shutterstock.com/disp...-image-taken-in-reno-nevada-usa-209238964.jpg[/spoili] Kevin. He is 6 and a dragon." He pointed to each boy as he introduced them.
 
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Ezra snorted at the griffin comment as he followed him up with lazy steps on the stairs. The walls and furniture were a smooth oak surfaced, varnished with a rich ocher tint, and the density of its scent mixing with lunch, flowers, cologne and dust invaded his nose. Ezra bit back a sneeze as Griffin introduced each of his sons; the lot of them had gathered in a scurrying heap in front of Griffin before Ezra felt their watchful gazes bore into him. He caught on only a few names and recognized one of them with a scowl - that Thomas kid, who wasn't as friendly as he thought. He gave him a break when he caught on to the other stares directed at him. The children kept a steady glare of confusion, apprehension, and interest, no doubt, as Ezra stepped forward with a curt nod.

"My name's Ezra," he announced in hopes of not having to address any of them as he could only remember a Thomas and a Nicholas, and the youngest of the group being a dragon. He rolled his eyes at Griffin before proceeding. "Your papa here is planning to adopt me. I'm 19, the oldest so far, and I'm a panther. Not that you don't know already, since you apparently could tell..." Ezra trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck in the rising silence. He gave them another quick nod before retreating back to Griffin's side.

As much as he hated to admit, he felt much, much safer with the older man than any of the children glowering at him right now.
 
"He's a cat?" Mark asked snidely. Being a dog he couldn't stand cats. Griffin confused him because the man was only half cat.

"He's a big cat that could eat you for dinner Mark." Griffin explained warily. "Now everyone has a room but Erza. I'll be be putting him in the room next to mine for now. Now that the chores are done I think you all have earned of play time. Those of you who have passes may go outside and enjoy the rest of the evening. Remember that if you go outside you can only be in human form until the sun goes down because..."

"Human children aren't allowed outside after dark because they can't see in the dark the way they can." The others finished where he had purposely left off.

"Exactly. Those who don't have passes join me in the game room. We'll see how many we have and go from there." He placed a firm hand on Erza's shoulder and started leading him to the game room.
 
Ezra quirked his eyebrows at their cheerful obedience and followed Griffin's trail of kids. "A pass system? A+ parenting..." He mumbled, not caring if Griffin heard or not as he trained his eyes on the children with them. They were small in stature with eyes bigger and brighter than his, filled with youth but also skill, and he felt a natural power shift in each of their movements. He didn't doubt that Griffin had them training physically as well.

He stopped by the entrance to the game room and nodded his head at Ezra. The man betrayed expectations and rose other standards again, though Ezra felt like he was being tested. He ambled into the room with an awareness of curious, suspicious eyes glaring at him. "I reckon I should get used to your kids glowering at me from an invasive distance, Griff."
 
"They will settle down. It shouldn't take too long. They are used to new people arriving. Mostly their just curious about what your position in the tribe will be. As the oldest you should be the second. But your too new for that responsibility. As a newbie you should be at the bottom of the totem pole but your too old for that. So that puts us in an awkward situation. It will sort itself out in time." Griffin explained not the least bit concerned about the situation. He had been in this situation before. He knew it would take time. Nicholas, Keven, and Mark came in to the game room. "An odd number. That narrows down the games we can play. What would you guys like to do?"
 
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"You're oddly calm about everything," Ezra's murmurs were lost in the gander he took as he stepped further into the game room. The dim orange lighting reminded him of solemn afternoons in damp stuffy streets after the morning rain, the only warmth ever offered to him being the sun's warm rays as it bid goodbye. The sensation in his heart felt familiar in the air of coziness that had settled within the room though this time his comfort was real. His hands were warm, his body was humming in healthy life, despite his ragged clothing and filth. He took a breath as he plopped himself down on the carpet floor, waiting for Griffin's premise to pass.

His eyes flickered back and forth the children and if he were shifted, his tail would have been as well, in a playful but lithe side to side on the musky soft floor. He sniffed at them lightly and hoped his observations weren't too obvious - Griffin would make fun of him for it. He watched them closely, still, to discern their shifter specie, though came up with nothing other than that the tan boy with the sunny smile smelled as friendly as he looked. He smelled like a dog... Ezra gulped. He used to often hunt dogs on restless nights. His ears drooped at the thought.

The tiniest redheaded child secured himself between two older boys, and though young, his stench was sharp and nearly painful in Ezra's nose. Freckles on his pale cheeks, bright blue eyes, his hair a wild mess of fire and earth. Ezra recalled him loudly, throwing his head back in a knowing laugh. "You're the dragon, aren't you? That must be so cooool..."
 
Griffin laughed. "Erza I have been chief of the lost boys for years. I know how things work. I know my boys. There will be problems there always are. But I don't there will be anything I haven't handled before." Griffin assured him. He leaned against the pool table. There weren't many games that they could do with five people. "How about foosball boys?"

Kevin smiled at the new boy. "Yes I am a dragon. It can be cool but I don't get to use my animal form as much a some of the other boys. Griffin says that people don't believe that our animals exist anymore. So we can only change when we are far away from human. Which isn't very often. It sucks in the fall and winter. But Griffin takes me flying when he can."
 
Ezra shrugged at the man and the younger child. "That must be bothersome. I'm sure you still have fun...Kevin, was it?" He shuffled to Griffin's side, smiling at the children. "I'll call you Kev."

The air felt warm on Ezra's skin and so did the gazes he shared between the kids and their guardian, thrown into a mix of welcoming interest, but hostility in the part of the tallest boy with the darkest hair, about as dark as Ezra's. His was long however, and his sharp eyes trained on him with an icy precision akin to Griffin's. "Hey, you. Tall kid. You sure you're not blood-related to Griff here?"

The teen's lips remained thinned against each other as he glowered at him. "Don't say his name like that," he muttered with a cold voice. His over-all appearance made him appear quite old – slender arms, a strong back and shoulders, frown lines around his mouth and deep set eyes. His youth shone apparent in his small voice, and only then did Ezra remember again that this boy was a boy.

"Griff's nice. Quick and rolls off the tongue, right Griff?" Ezra shot Griffin a mocking grin before turning back to the boy. "What's your name? I'll give you a nickname."

"Nicho...I'm not telling you!" The boy glared at him though Ezra swore upon himself that the kid's cheeks reddened. Ezra taunted again with a snicker behind Griffin.

"Ah, Nicky it is then."​
 
"Nicholas isn't fond of nicknames." Griffin told Erza gruffly. He moved next to Nicholas. He placed his hand in the boy's shoulder. Nicholas would have the hardest time adjusting to Erza's arrival. The boy didn't like change. "We try to respect each others boundaries. Everyone here has their own story and their own pain. You might want to learn some of the stories before you go around pushing buttons E." he smirked at the nickname.
 
Ezra stared at the lot all the while chewing on his bottom lip. He pounced on his feet and mumbled with a care he wished he didn't have. He wanted to know an awful lot about them, about their kind, the tribe, but he quenched his thirst with a discipline and respect to take it slow. "So...what is your story?" His quiet voice shook not with fear or sadness but excitement that he couldn't control. "You don't really need to tell me. Nicky can wait - your story can, too."

Nicholas shifted closer to Griffin, mouth thinned into a sharp line and training his eyes on the stranger like arrows. "We can tell him while we play, Griffin." He spoke quietly but Ezra's ears perked at his words.

Ezra's grin stretched far too wide in his face and he felt his legs itching for a transformation. He wasn't quite sure Griffin would allow him shifting though. "Story time, Griff! You owe me."
 
Griffin glared at Erza. "I don't owe you shit kid. Remember I can threw you right back in the basement. Your life is mine to control until the elders say otherwise. And since I am the elder of this tribe..." He left the threat hanging. If Erza was smart the boy would figure out what he was saying. If he wasn't smart...well...the boy wouldn't last long in their world. "You don't have to be the first to share Nicholas. Everyone tells their own story in their own time and way. If you want I can tell Erza how the tribe started."
 
The panther flinched under the sharp words but more so at the direct discomfort he caused the children. He should have submitted to being apologetic and made his way to silence - and he did feel sorry for being more than intrusive and letting his intense curiosity rampage out of his control - but Griffin's attitude ticked him more than anything. He could live and die in the cage, and if he was going to suffer having his every motive and thought nitpicked, forced to trek on eggshells around sensitive children, he decided inwardly that dying in a rusty cage would console his spirits more than being haggled about.

What piqued his quiet, though, was the solemn look that graced Nicholas' angular features.

Ezra swallowed his lump of guilt and slunk back to the floor, opting to glower at it instead of snapping his usual retorts laced with sarcasm at Griffin. "Just trying to be friendly, old man," his voice was lowered to a dangerous whisper, almost a whine, and any moment now he could shift into a cat and prance around the room to piss on furniture. He sucked in a breath before exhaling the next few words. "Sorry. I'm chill now."

Nicholas' eyes softened if only slightly and for a moment before he hardened his face into a guarded look once again. He nodded at Griffin, eyes meeting his for a millisecond before averting themselves to his hands. "That might satisfy his curiosity for now, I think."
 
Griffin's eyes narrowed at Erza. The boy reminded him too much of himself at nineteen. He had thought himself stronger than the world. Erza you team up with Kevin. Nicholas you team up with Mark. Kevin you will have to explain the rules to Erza and show him how to play the game." The younger boy stood proudly. He was honored to have such a responsibility. "This tribe started with me, Erza. Before me those who were lost or broke tribe laws were killed. But my father and I were too well know in the human world. If they had killed me it would drawn attention to them. Something they desperately try to avoid. Since they couldn't kill me and no one wanted to take responsibility for me they left me to defend for myself. I was barely eight."
 
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