« öut in thë ÖPËN [open!]

[CORRI LYNN MASSE]

« Having the ability to shift isn't something Corrina wanted at first. It took away her life, her home, everything she knew. Not that she had much to begin with. She didn't have friends. No pets. And her parents prettymuch placed her in the nut house. How awesom is that??? To be locked away is to have your life destroyed. Not for Corrina. She had no life to destroy. This place made her. Now, she wanted the ability to shift. The ability to be free from the problems that were thrown toward her. The ability to run if she needed. It was complicated, the way her life had been and the way she felt about it in the current time. All she knew was that she was on the most beautiful beach she had ever seen.

« Her legs were uncovered, thanks to the short shorts she wore that day. Bare feet were allowed to touch the sand and small drops of water as the gentle waves crashed and flowed up to the shoreline. Corrina smiled as the light wind blew through her slightly curled hair. The feeling of being free. As a human, she couldn't experience it quite as well as when she was in her animal form. This is what she came here to do. Practice shifting and perfecting skills. It was an open and lonely area at the current time. 9am. A few teachers and older students walked down the shores in the morning, exchanging friendly hellos with Corri as she smiled and continued on her own walk. The water didn't quite suit her, but she didn't mind it. Her shirt today was a bikini top, dark purple, covered by a loose, slightly see through, white made-for-the-beach shirt. No sunglasses today, and her piercings were left at home.

« The sunrise was always so beautiful from the coastline. She enjoyed the warmth of the new day as it rose over the horizon. Her figure stopped moving to stand and watch for a moment before a smile appeared on her face and her eyes closed. A shift. She fell to her knees and then down went her hands. Corrina's hair fell past her shoulders as she transformed. It wasn't a long process. A few seconds and she stood there on the beach, a proud black panther, looking off into the distance. Vision changed now. Colors were more vivid as she examined the terrain. Senses hightened as she listened to the birds fly above her. Motion was made as a paw stepped forward, expanding into the air and pressing down on the sand clumsily. Vibrations could be heard deep in her chest, purring. It was all so different in her animal form. The form of a large cat. She wondered if it was the same in a lion or tiger. She would have to meet their shifts some day. But right now it was time to train, to practice movement and control.

« The movement part is easy, but getting her form to do what she wants it to do is a tad harder. A bird. This was perfect. Another thing she couldn't quite control was her animal's want to kill, to attack anything smaller then it. This would have to stop. Corri resisted as she made sure the bird wasn't another shifter before lunging into mid air and reaching for it. She had never done this before. Learning was experiencing and then minicing the action she felt. This was how she taught herself to do things in her shift. The bird made a loud, irritated sound as it flew higher. Her ears pinned back as a low, annoyed growl of failure erupted from her throat. Stupid bird. I'll get it. I will. Get it.

« Once more the bird flew low and this time, she was successful as she launched into the air and grapped the bird, pulling it from the skys and slamming it into the sand. Corri wasn't a murder though. She wouldn't kill the bird. She just wanted to get it. A few times she batted it around on the sand before leaving it to fly away. She wondered what others would think. Maybe more shifters would be around by now. Maybe someone would come talk to her. The sun was up in the sky now. 11? Noon? Students would probably be out and about by now.

words. 743
for. anyone around her age. [she's 17]
notes. weeeeee! ha. i like saying wee.

[CHASE RICHARD HARRIS]

It was early - the sun had hardly begun to rise up into the great expanse of the sky. A trail of large prints ran down the coast line, right on the edge of the sand, some of them had even been washed away by the graceful waves. They were not the narrow and long tracks of a human, but the mighty round, padded imprints of an animal, and more specifically, a tiger. The path of paw prints eventually ended their course as they dissolved into the salty liquid. A few feet into the crystal clear water rested a large, orange being, soaked by the constant sloshing of waves. The huge tiger rested on its stomach, submerged halfway up to its sides in the water. It was motionless, with its eyes hidden behind closed lids. The rays of the rising sun gradually began to warm the giant, awaking it from its short nap. Its massive mouth opened wide, displaying snow white fangs as long as daggers. Piercing green eyes glanced around, catching sight of a few silvery flashes in the water around the tiger.

"Hmm...I guess that means its breakfast time." A voice? Of course - a shifter, one whom actually enjoyed being in his animal form, at least sometimes. Chase, as he was called, slowly lifted his sopping body above the water. In this position, the cool liquid only made it up to his elbows, and he was able to get a clearer view of the water around him. Once more, his body was motionless, stiff as a trunk of a tree. He was waiting for the opportune moment to make his attack on the unknowning prey. Finally, the moment came, and with one quick swipe of his paw, a silver fish flew out of the water, landing with a thump on the beach.

Chase made his way out of the rolling waves, and trotted swiftly to the fish, watching as it gasped for its last breath. He placed a paw ontop of it, allowing one of his claws to dig into its thick flesh. He lifted it, watching it flail about for a bit longer. But, though the instincts of a tiger were strongly exhibited within him, his human compassion still managed to squeeze through, and he couldn't stand seeing the fish suffer for any longer. He grabbed the fish in his powerful jaws, ripping it apart.

The fish was devoured in seconds, making for a decent, light breakfast for the cat. But even now, Chase couldn't help but wonder - had he just eaten a shifter? It was hard turning into a tiger, his urge to hunt was stronger than his ability to stop, and the thought of his prey being a human shifter would never cross his mind until he had already consumed whatever it was. But, so far, Chase had done a fairly good job. He didn't know many people that changed into fish, so he assumed he was relatively safe sticking to an all fish diet, at least in his tiger form. Eating as a typical human was fine and all, but actually hunting and working for a meal was much more appealing to Chase.

After finishing his meal, Chase glanced up at the sky - he had wasted quite a bit of time this morning, spending most of it in his animal form. The tiger then let out a sigh, closing his eyes as he did so. Gradually, his fur began to become shorter, as if being sucked into his body. His bulky muscles shrunk a bit as well, causing him to be pulled upright in the process. After only moments, Chase had shifted back into his human form, clothed only in a male's bathing suite, and preceded to dust a bit of sand off of his legs.

[CORRI LYNN MASSE]

« Well an average morning was comming to an end slightly. The sun was higher in the sky now and the black fur that Corri wore in her animal shift began to get increasingly hot. Her piercing eyes gazed over the beach before stopping on another being. A tiger was standing in the shallow of the crashing waves. Moments later, a guy replaced where the tiger stood. She could have figured he was a shifter. Tigers just don't wonder around random places like birds and such. A low rumble of a purr erupted from the cats throat as the guy turned her way. He was fineee. Not exactly Corrina's type, but then again...she didn't have a type. Plus, his shift was similar to hers so that made it all the better. She watched as he brushed the sand from his legs and smirked inside as he looked up and in her direction. Who knows if he saw her, but Corrina was sure to bring attention to herself.

« Out into the waves she walked, the water now up to her stomach as it rushed over the sand. Her eyes closed as her frame tightened and her body shifted. Now as her human form, she stood knee deep in the slightly warm water, her dark brown hair flowing down her back a bit in the wind. Back into what she had worn for the morning, a purple bikini covered by short shorts and a white see-through shirt. A hand reached up to adjust her bangs a bit and pull some of her hair in front of her shoulders. Her eyes flickered open to catch the eyes of the boy. Corri's senses had returned to normal now so she couldn't see him as good. She wouldn't approach, that seemed a bit desperate and she wasn't exactly the desperate girl. Instead, once she was sure she had his gaze, she smiled with a hint of flirtatiousness and ran her hand through her hair. A few more moments passed and she finally stepped out of the water. Her bare feet touched the soft sand gently as she walked along the beach slowly. She wasn't walking away from the guy, more diagonally toward him and toward the academy buildings.

« Curious, of course, Corrina kept her eyes on him. Not staring, but her eyes darted back and forward a few times from the ground before her to the area of sand he stood on. No she wasn't praying for some action but it would be cool if he would walk up to her. Maybe call out something? Acknowledgement. Then again, maybe he was the type of guy that liked to be alone and rathered a girl approach him. She didn't know. Soon enough she would find out though. Soon enough.

words. 463 [ew]
for. chase!
notes. hmm....idk where this is gona go.

[CHASE RICHARD HARRIS]

As Chase rose to an upright position, he glanced around the area with crystal, blue eyes. At that moment, a figure off in the distance appeared to be coming closer, but also seemed to be avoiding him. It was a girl, probably about the same age as Chase. He turned his head, focusing once more on his sand-covered legs, but still keeping watch on the girl out of the corner of his eye. Though in his human form, he still had the keen senses and vision of a tiger, and it was clear that the girl had noticed him as well. It was a bit awkward, actually - with Chase trying to watch the girl without her noticing and realizing that the girl was doing the exact same thing. Would she come and talk to him? Or was she too shy? Should Chase go over to her? He hadn't made an effort to meet anyone yet in this place, so why not start now? At least the girl seemed to be nice - well, as far as first instincts told him.

So, he made the decision. Chase uneasily stuck his hands in his swimsuit pockets and casually walked over to the girl. "Umm, hi, sorry to bother you...thought you'd like some company..." Chase had never been that great at talking to others, let alone girls, and was always nervous, especially upon first meeting. "Um, I'm Chase, by the way, Chase Harris..." His right hand left his pocket, and stuck out infront of him. His hand was rough, rugged, covered in calluses from the years of outdoor activities and hard work. They were his pride and joy, a memory of all that he used to have, all that he used to do. What would happen to them now that he was here? While there were plenty of opportunities in this place, they were nothing compared to what he had back home.

[CORRI LYNN MASSE]

« So he was approaching. Yay. Corrina had to hide the sly smile she wore on her face. She knew he would come over. She really wanted him too. It was a nice start to eh rest of the day. She stopped herself and turned her head to look over at him as he reached her. When he began to talk, she smiled softly. He seemed to be a little...not so good with talking. Maybe because she was a girl? Oh well. Eventually he would ease up around her. Can't be this hard forever ya know? Wow he was really cute up close. His eyes were a bluish grayish color from what she could tell and his hair, a light brown or dirty blond, was slightly long so it blew around a little in the wind. Very hot. He finished his talking and told her his name. Chase. Chase Harris. As he stuck his hand out to her she smiled and softly placed hers in his to shake it. When they shook hands, she didn't really want to let go...but she had to in order to not look like such a freak.

« "I'm Corrina, Corrina Masse. But you can call me Corri." She flashed a smile, white teeth showing. Would he be able to tell her shift was a cat if he noticed her slightly larger K9's? Well even if he would be able to tell, she wouldn't really care. She remembered that he assumed he was bothering her at first. Well not quite assumed be he said sorry if. Well he wasn't. "It's nice to meet you Chase. And no worries, you can't bother me. You're cute." Another smile, this one without teeth. She held his gaze for a few moments before dropping her eyes to the ground. Oh boy. He probably liked girls telling him he was good looking, but not to out there, and right as he met her too! Wow..

« Corrina shifted her gaze to the sand for a few moments as she thought over what she wanted to do for the rest of the day. Food wasn't really needed and she enjoyed the beach so why bother leaving? "You wana go for a swim or anything?" She nodded her gaze off to the salt water. Her shift didn't really like it, but it was water so she didn't mind. Corri awaited his answer, expecting him to think it over and decide he had a few other things to do. No worries. She would simply swim alone.

words. 468
for. chase!
notes. sorry i havent been around to reply. a tad busy.

[CHASE RICHARD HARRIS]

Upon inspection, the girl had extremely dark hair, and wore bold makeup, as well as a nose ring. But beyond that, she had soft and pretty facial features, something that Chase would have noticed from a mile away. The girl then placed her hand into his own - it was quite the contrast - her cool, smooth skin was much different than the thick calluses that covered Chase's palms. However, she had a decent handshake, not the typical "girly" handshake, but a firm grasp, making Chase think that she was confident in herself. Corrina - that was a nice name, it seemed to fit her, though he couldn't exactly explain how.

Corri's response to Chase being a bother suddenly seemed to break the mood - her outspokenness about this particular topic was something Chase had always been uncomfortable with. "A..hem..." Chase cleared his raspy throat uneasy, his cheeks emitting the slightest tint of red as he did so. He let out a small laugh, one to match his embarrassed emotions. He could instantly tell that girl also had second thoughts about the words that had spewed forth from her mouth. She had broken eye contact with him, and was peering at the sandy ground for a few awkward moments. Chase shifted his weight from one leg to the other, not exactly knowing what to say or do.

After what seemed like forever, though it was only a few seconds, the girl looked up, and out at the water. Good - she changed the topic, that would take the pressure off of both of them. "A swim? Sure...though I hope you don't mind me shifting? The water is freezing right now, however I can tolerate it more as my shift." It was strange - wanting to go swimming in the middle of the winter. But tigers love water, and their thick skin and dense pelts helped to conserve heat. "Or maybe, we could go somewhere else? Somewhere warmer if you prefer? I haven't really had a chance to explore everything since I got to the Academy, so maybe umm...the activity center? Perhaps for a little bowling or something?" Chase was in the mood to, well, compete...even if it was just for fun. He had been laying around and relaxing all morning, he wanted to do something, and he hoped the girl would follow - it would be nice to have some sort of companion.

Chase then stuck his hands into his bathing suit pockets, and made a sudden realization. "Oh...I must've forgotten my wallet, if you do want to go with me, mind if we stop by my dorm? I think I also might want to change into something warmer...we can go by your place too if you want to change?" It was unlike Chase, but still...he was a guy, and no matter how good the guy, the same thoughts still always went through their minds. Without attracting the girl's attention, his blue eyes had scanned her up and down - noting her lean legs coming from beneath her shorts and the fact that she had a see-through top over a small tank top. And though Chase did not mind the girl's attire, he figured she must be cold - unless her shift somehow influenced her temperature tolerance.

[CORRI LYNN MASSE]

« She noted how he looked at her. Respectfully, but he was a guy...so his eyes strayed a few times. When Corri said he was cute, she could tell he was a bit embaressed. Maybe he wasn't use to it? Corrina liked to tell people what she liked and didn't like about them. She liked how nice he was. Sorta shy, but that was ok. He seemed to have quite a bit to say once he got started. She didn't want to interupt so she just listened for a while. The wind had picked up a bit, causing the girl to cross her arms and suck up the cold in order to refrain from shivering. He asked her if she would mind if he shifted to swim. She smiled. Of course she wouldn't mind. She would have to as well if they were to go swimming because she surely couldn't handle the tempeture in her human form. No way. Upon hearing his suggestion for something warmer she smiled again. Sure! More exploring would be nice. She wouldn't mind having someone to keep her company while getting use to this new enviornment. And plus! They would get to interact in human forms. Even nicer! She had tried bowling once, but she wasn't too good. Maybe he could help her out a bit? Always nice to have a hot guy helping you out. Even nicer when all the girls are staring jealously at you.

« Corrina was just about ready to talk as he stuck his hands inside his pockets and discovered his wallet wasn't on him. So he needed to run home to get it and possibly change. No biggy. He offered for her to maybe run over to her dorm to change as well. Sure. Why not. Now! She would be able to talk. With a slight laugh she started off, answering all of the questions and statements he previously said in once long sentence or two. "First, about the swim, of course I wouldn't mind if you shifted! I would have to as well cause..it's cold. But you suggested bowling and that would be a bit nicer since its indoors and warm. I've only bowled once though..so you'll probably beat me." She giggled lightly, flirting almost. "So I'd love to go bowling. And yeah...stopping back at the dorms would be nice. Id like to get out of this..." She looked down at her nicely sized chest, contained in a little purple bikini. Oh, and the shirt and shorts. Can't forget about them! The dorms wern't to far so Corrina had walked. Had Chase? Or had he possibly driven. "I walked here. If you did then cool! We can walk together back to your dorm and then to mine. If you drove...ya think you could give me a ride?" She smiled and took a step closer to him, brushing her hand past his as she took a step past him, waiting to hear his answer. Walk, or drive.

words. 544
for. chase♥♥
notes. haha. chase is a male.

[CHASE RICHARD HARRIS]

Chase realized that he had been talking too much - but that was normally what happened when he was uncomfortable. He would start out shy and quiet, but once he started talking, there was no stopping him, it was just a nervous habit, rambling. Luckily, Corri didn't seem to mind, and actually agreed to go along with Chase's plan. He laughed as she mentioned only bowling once, "Once is all it takes for some people, I bet you're a natural." He gave her a wink, then moved a piece of hair out of his face gently. "Hah, its kindof funny, bowling is actually one of the only 'sports' that I'm not very good at, so you actually have a decent chance."

Corri then agreed to the idea of making a stop at the dorms, and she looked down at her own body. Once again, but this time, without meaning to, Chase's eyes followed her own gaze, and he too looked at her. But he soon realized it, and quickly looked away before Corri would have time to notice. He cleared his throat as she began speaking again, "Uh, yeah, I walked too...though not in the traditional aspect of the term..." a chuckle escaped from within Chase as he indirectly made reference to his animal form. Going any amount of distance as a tiger was always much easier than doing so in his human form. "If you want, I could give you a ride in a different way - I bet you've never been on the back of a tiger before." Chase's invitation actually sounded dirtier than he intended it to, and worse yet, he didn't even catch it. Hopefully, Corri realized the kind of guy Chase was - he really was innocent, for the most part, and racy thoughts were not usually the first to pass through his mind.

[CORRI LYNN MASSE]

« Corrina smiled. He walked too. Good. He seemed athletic and that was nice to have. The ability to be athletic of course...and have abs. Did he have abs? Mmmm. Gah! Corri! So his next offer was a bit...different. A ride? On him. Ha. Perve...but she knew he didn't mean it that way. She assumed he would shift and since he offered a ride, he must have been large. HA. Perverted. What the hell. Oh well. Corri shrugged and smiled. "Uhm...uh..sure. I guess that would be alright. And yeah...I havent done that before..." She smiled and looked him over. She assumed he didn't know her shift since he was sorta making it a large point that he was a big cat. Maybe she wouldn't get a ride from him. Maybe she would race him. Much more fun. Corrina gave him a moment to shift. In his tiger form he was truly amazing. She always thought the shifts of others were incredible. With a smirk she shifted and stood beside him in her own form.

« A black panther. Blue eyes. Lean, smaller then him, possibly quicker. She growled playfully before batting him lightly in the head with her large paws. Her claws were kept back to keep it only playful. If big cats could smile, she would have. Darn was it windy! Suddenly, it began to snow lightly. The flakes of white landed on the black cat causing her to shake rapidly and purr with satisfaction at the perfect tempeture. "I'll race you!" She purred before nudging the large tiger and taking off, a happy roar erupting from her throat at the head start she got. Cheating. Of course. Would he let her win? Or would he feel the need to beat her.

words. 321
for. chase♥
notes. competition!

[CHASE RICHARD HARRIS]

Corri seemed a bit hesitant in her response to Chase's offer, and after rethinking it, he realized how - uh - bad...that sounded. A blush flushed across his face just like before, and he cleared his throat - a trademark sign of his uncomfort. "Well, uh, if you don't want to do that, we can just walk? I just thought it'd be a way for us to get there quicker, and for me to work out my shift's muscles a bit..." Maybe he should just shut up, maybe that would be best, he wouldn't have the risk of saying something wrong or disrespectful to Corri. But, she didn't seem to mind...she almost seemed understanding of Chase's nature. And besides, Chase didn't want to be boring, though he was feeling as though he should let the girl talk...he would much rather hear about her than about himself.

But still, Chase preceded to shift into his tiger form. First, fur began to cover his callused hands, and soft, pink pads seemed to grow from nowhere. The fur sprung up gradually and moved up his arms, and then spread out over the rest of his body. As it did so, his posture altered, bringing his upperhalf to the ground, planting him on all fours. But then, almost before Chase was totally shifted, Corri shifted as well...into a black panther, surprisingly. He smiled as he looked over her sleek, black body - glad that she was another of the feline species. He laughed as small white flecks landed gracefully upon her pelt, standing out like stars in the night sky.

It was the next three words that escaped Corri's mouth that really got Chase's adrenaline going, 'I'll race you!' It was if she could read his mind - competition, as probably mentioned before, was a huge part of who Chase was...he was always up for a challenge. Before he knew it, she was off, springing ahead of him in the falling snow. In another instant, he took off after her, darting around and hopping over all obstacles that got in his path.