Azura placed her backpack down on the ground and grabbed her bottle of water, she downed most of it in one go as she had hiked at a rather fast pace for over two hours. After placing down the bottle she took out the map of the area to determine where exactly she was right now. She had found the hiking map in one of Lucas’s bookshelves, it had been partly covered by other books and was a bit crumpled but readable.

She was currently on a trail that led her to one of the mountain peaks far away from the city. There was no sign anyone had been here for a long time, something she had hoped to find. The sky was cloudy and it would snow again eventually. A snowstorm was predicted to come late at night, the perfect cover-up for her to be able to shift and let the snow cover up her tracks afterward.

Azura put the map away and grabbed one last powerbar so she wouldn't be hungry and after eating it she dropped her bag behind some rocks out of sight. She took off all her clothes, shivering as the cold wind touched her bare skin. The last thing she took off was the ring.

Azura never fully realized the effects of it until she took it off; it prevented other people from smelling her, but it also prevented her from smelling a lot of things as well. The main reason she hadn’t known Lucas was a werecat was because she simply couldn’t smell it, and the only indication she’d had was made by Nora when they had met and she’d said he smelled…different. Now different could mean a lot of things and Nora hadn’t pieced it together either back then so it wasn’t that much of a clue anyway. Werecats being so rare, not too many knew of their scent to be familiar with it.

She took a deep breath, inhaling the different scents from all around her. It was like the shackles were taken off and she could experience freedom all over again. Azura was only ‘human’ now, but it would all be enhanced even further when she shifted. It had been too long since she’d last done so, that was for sure. She was itching to experience the world again on four feet after not having shifted since that first time she was here.

Much to standard human beliefs, the animal within wasn’t a separate entity. For some reason, humans believed, especially with werewolves, that the animal part was another being with its own voice. Good thing most humans had no idea the creatures they loved to read those little stories about, were as real as they could get.

Either you shift now or I'll have to set you on fire to keep you warm.

Azura's eyes flashed open in annoyance at the voice inside her head. Maybe she was just losing it and it was her subconsciousness trying to talk to her. She huffed and decided that for once, she would actually answer.

"Either you shut up or..."

Not much you can do about me, remember. Just shift already, I'm aching to feel the wind.

"You are me. I know what I need, that's why I'm here, you don't need to remind me."

Ha, cute! Who says I'm you?

With a deep sigh and no longer wanting to argue with the voice, Azura stood on her toes, face up to the sky arching her back. She closed her eyes and let the transformation commence. It didn't take long for her to fully change into the white and black spotted snow leopard and now she was back on all four paws overlooking the mountains and trees below them.

About time. Now that you are your true form, might I show you your true power?

Azura growled as she felt sparks igniting in her body. She pushed the unfamiliar feeling down, not wanting to lose control over herself, as it felt like something was trying to do. She then darted off, running down the mountain, jumping from one rock to the other like it was something she did every day.

The first snowflakes had started falling already but that wouldn't be a problem. She dashed through the trees letting her instincts guide her, emptying her mind. She’d been aching to do this for a while now but kept postponing it because it would be too dangerous. It felt so good to be one with nature and she enjoyed every aspect of it. Once the first rush of adrenaline had died down, Azura slowed down, catching her breath a little, and examined her surroundings.

She had descended quite a bit from the mountain as she had crossed the invisible border where trees would stop growing. She walked to the nearest one and extended her claws before digging them into the thick bark. Not only was it good for sharpening and maintaining her claws but she would also leave scent marks by doing this. Azura had not caught the scent of any other supernatural ever being here, so she hoped it would be safe enough to do this. It was in her nature to, and it was hard fighting that urge.

The snow leopard tread over to the next tree and rubbed her whole body against it several times, eventually, she took a whiff of the bark and proceeded to rub the side of her head against it, scratching herself while scent-marking even more of her surroundings. When she was satisfied, Azura lifted her head and closed her eyes, her nose scrunched as a breeze came by. Her mouth opened a little, processing the smells that enticed her before lowering her head again and taking off in a direction where her nose said water was nearby.

Minutes later, she came upon a small frozen lake. The ice was crystal clear and thick enough to support her. Slowly she placed one paw on it, admiring the beauty of it. Carefully, she placed a second on the ice as well. It wasn’t as slippery as she would have thought but she kept her claws out just to be sure.

In some places, there was more snow on the ice than others, blown away by the wind. She grinned to herself, enjoying the feel and touch of the frozen water beneath her. Azura laid down on a spot with no snow and rolled onto her side and back not able to contain her joy anymore. She tried catching her own tail as she rolled from side to side, giving in to a more childish side of being a big cat.

There's something there.

Azura tried to get back up as she heard a branch snap in the forest. The voice was right. Her front paws lost their grip and she landed painfully on her chin before scrambling up again. Her eyes darted around the trees, trying to find the location of the sound. There was another, closer by this time. Azura spun to her left and slowly made her way off the ice, careful not to slip again. As soon as she had sure footing she lowered herself and started stalking towards the origin of the noise.

She did not know who saw who first but suddenly they were standing eye to eye. Blue staring at blue. Her heart was pounding as Azura gawked at the snow leopard before her.

Before she could even do anything, it took off as fast as lightning. Transfixed to the ground, Azura simply forgot to move. For a moment she had even forgotten how to breathe properly. A sudden chill ran down her body as the reality started to dawn in on her. They were really here. Slowly she started to move again, inching closer to the spot where he had been standing. She scrunched her nose, inhaling the scent and she set off as soon as she found it.

She ran, following her nose until she was no longer able to. There was no trace of the other leopard beside the occasional track and a quickly fading scent. The snow had started to fall more heavily, making her search even more difficult. Panting heavily she stopped and crashed down on the ground trying to catch her breath.

You're weak. Giving up so easily because you're tired. You need to gain more stamina.

Azura lifted her head as the voice started talking again. She snarled trying to get the message across to let her be. It was not like she had the same thoughts running through her head.

Yeah, snarl all you want. I'm just pointing out the obvious.

She stopped, knowing it was no use. The only thing she could do now was head back, and seeing as she would have to walk for two hours as a normal human, it was time to leave. Azura got back up and started running again, her long tail dancing behind her, helping to keep her balance while she traversed through the forest and mountains.

*

"Usually I’m able to read you quite well, but now... You're excited, happy, definitely holding something back, yet for some strange reason, there’s fear in your eyes. Plus you're exhausted, but that's more physical than mental." Lucas curiously raised an eyebrow at her. He had spotted her walking past the coffee bar where he was seated with a friend. He excused himself and had called out to her.

"I just had the longest walk in a very long time and the air did me some good." She avoided his questioning look. In her heart, she wanted to jump up and down with joy, scream at the top of her lungs that she was not alone. She wanted to laugh, cry, and kiss him at the same time out of happiness, but on the other hand, a slight hint of fear was gnawing at her. The longer she had walked the more excited, but also the more worried she had become.

"The air...did you some good?" He emphasized every word and had to hold back a snicker as she looked at him with a challenging look. A wide grin sprawled across her face.

"Yes, it did. I'll see you later!" She spun around and walked away, not giving him any more time to interrogate her. He shook his head as she walked off, confused by her behavior which wasn’t like anything he had seen from her lately.

"Crazy and hopeless..." He smiled as he softly muttered to himself before turning back to go back inside.

"Everything all right, dude?" Lucas joined Steffen again and finished his last bit of coffee.

Steffen had been a good friend of his during college but they had drifted apart after graduating. Now they would meet up maybe two or three times a year, but it was always like they’d been seeing each other every day. Steffen had moved to another city and the distance was one of the things that made it harder to see each other.

"Yeah just had to check on my roommate for a moment."

"That's your roommate?!" Steffen stared at him in disbelief. He brushed his hand through his dark blonde hair as he smirked. "I'd do her. I love chicks with black hair."

Lucas snorted at Steffen's blunt remark. As the waitress passed by, he ordered another coffee knowing they would be sitting here for quite a while.

"Good luck with that. I can arrange introductions but after that, you're on your own, mate. I doubt you'll have a chance. Just maybe she'll like you because of your big hazel eyes, girls always seemed to love that part of you the most."

Steffen boasted himself up in his chair, looking rather pleased with himself.

“Not just the eyes, man. Especially not after they get to know me a bit better!” He let out a laugh and winked at Lucas who shook his head as he smiled back. "So now comes the part where you'll be trying to convince me you haven't tried anything yourself?" Steffen continued.

"I'm not going to convince you, I'm going to tell you. I haven't done anything because she is living in my house and she's actually a rather good friend."

"Don't bullshit me." Steffen leaned over to Lucas pointing his finger against his chest. "You used to try to get into every girl's pants that would happen to walk in your vicinity."

" 'Used to' being the keyword there, pal." Lucas grinned and paused for a moment, "I have become a little more selective over the years. You should try it once. You were always worse than me. Just let me prove it. When was your last one night stand?"

Now Steffen was laughing hard. The competition between them was always there, trying to outwit each other with everything. Steffen had won with the women often where they would both try to woo the same woman. He was charismatic, sported good looks, and there was this hint of innocence in his face because he had no beard.

"My last one night stand? Actually, the day before yesterday. I met this awesome chick and she totally came on to me! I didn’t have to do anything for it, she even took me to her house instead of going to mine. Easiest fuck I've had in a long time plus no hassle afterward because she had the same idea."

Lucas shook his head while laughing. "You're amazing, man. You haven't changed one bit. Ever tried having a relationship for once?"

"Me?" Steffen pointed at himself while looking around confused. "Been there, tried it, and it wasn't for me. I prefer being single, doing what I want without anyone telling me what I can or can't do. But what have you been up to lately?"

They continued on chatting. Lucas was glad they finally managed to get away from the subject of women. Even though it was guaranteed for some good laughs, it was getting tiresome to talk about every time. One of the reasons he had cut back on the amount of contact they used to have. The door of the cafe opened and Lucas looked up as he heard a familiar voice. Rose stood there and waved at him as she entered.

After Lucas had reluctantly contacted Rose when Azura was suffering from that anxiety attack, they had slowly started talking to each other again. Slowly but surely, they managed to go back to friends without the break-up standing in the middle. Azura had played a big part in that, Lucas realized, and he was glad she did.

The short woman walked over and extended her hand to Steffen. "I'm Rose. Care if I join you guys for a short while?"

Lucas gestured for her to sit down and looked at Steffen to see what he would think. Steffen just stared at Rose, holding her hand a little too long for comfort. "The name's Steffen, and feel free. I never say no to a lady." He flashed her a smile as she sat down next to Lucas. Lucas watched him intently, already knowing his intentions.

"So how do you two know each other?"

Steffen looked one to the other. Lucas shortly glanced at Rose and knew instantly she was not going to answer that judging by her mischievous smile.

"She's my ex."

"And the best one ever!" She added with a big smile. Steffen had to hold back a laugh and coughed deeply instead as he caught sight of Lucas's kill-me-now face. "And what about you two?" Rose continued, oblivious to what was happening.

After he was done coughing, Steffen spoke up. "Best mates in college. But I moved away when we were done, so now we don’t see each other as often as we should."

"Hmmm. Lucas never mentioned you as far as I can remember..." She pretended to think while Lucas just groaned and placed his head in his hands. Steffen looked on, amused by her pestering his old friend.

"Lucas tends to forget things, like telling me he has a hot roommate and a hot ex. I don't know how he does it!"

"Dude!" Lucas jerked up and shot him a deadly glance.

"It's fine, Lucas. He's just being nice." She brushed him off and turned her attention back to Steffen.

"Yeah man, don't fret it. I know when to stay away." He gave Lucas a reassuring smile but did not get one in return. Lucas looked just like he wanted to kill him, not reassured at all by either of them, he knew both all too well. Rose being naive and seeing the best in everyone and Steffen as the guy who likes to take advantage of that very trait.

Steffen got up from the table, excusing himself as he went to the bathroom.

As soon as Steffen was out of hearing range she turned to him coldly. "What's your deal, Lucas? We're just having fun."

"What you call fun is him trying to get into your pants, sooner rather than later. I've known him a long time and for him, this is all a game." He was annoyed and showed it. Rose clenched her teeth together, holding back her first thought but replied soon after.

"I'm a grown woman and can hold my own. You had your fun with Bethany and you did not hear me complain about it, so just let me be."

He’d rarely heard her get this defensive and cold with him. He swallowed hard and tried to think of something to say, but was cut short as Steffen returned. Rose got up as he sat down and gave them both a polite smile.

"I have to go now, guys. Play nice and see you around." She waved and winked at Steffen just as Lucas looked away.

"It was my pleasure, Rose. I just rented a new apartment for myself here, so you're welcome to come over anytime." He returned the big smile and as Rose walked away he looked back at Lucas who's eyes were spitting fire.

"You're doing what?!" He spit the words out in frustration.

Steffen pretended not to hear or see the fury in Lucas's voice and eyes and continued on as if nothing was amiss. "I'm moving back. I thought I had mentioned it already."