.t.h.e. WORLD .i.s. SHIFTING (Abzu)

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Zak watched the last rays of light fade from the sky and then closed his eyes for a moment. He always had this rush of relief when the sun went down--signifying the end of the day, another day he'd made it through--followed by a surge of fear--because it meant another day was to follow. Zakary Reinier was tired of living. Sometimes he just wanted to lay down, go to sleep, and never wake up. He knew he couldn't do that, though. No matter how crappy his life was, he had to keep going, had to hold onto the hope that it would get better.

At that moment in time, it was crappier than ever. He had no one, nothing. Even Elena was gone, left to go God-knew-where. The one time he thought he'd found something permanent, everything fell apart. He guessed that was just how life was. Friends desert you, lovers break your heart, and family breaks your soul.

He jumped down from the wall he'd been sitting on and stuck his hands in his pockets for the long walk home.

[abzu]

Sirens wailed as a dark haired girl fled from a back ally. It wasn't Vex's night, in fact it hadn't been her day either. The day had started off bad and just gotten worse. The nineteen year old was used to trouble and often times welcomed it. But not on this particular day when everything in creation was out to get her.

She sprinted down a street and turned a corner hoping to lose the cops quickly so she could finally find a place to relax before heading to her small, lonely apartment. "hey worste comes to worste I shift and bite them" she murmured to herself as if that would cheer her up. Normally when bad people were chasing her it would. Vex could shift into an Inland Taipan; the world's most poisonous land snake. One drop of venom from her bite could kill up to 100 men. Although it wasn't known for killing humans. The snake is rather placid and shy but like any animal; if cornered it will bite. Her bite could kill a full grown man within 45 minutes if the antivenin was administered in time.

Vex huffed as the sirens got louder and shouts echoed behind her. Great they were catching up. She was still tired from the other night and wans't wearing the best running outfit although it was better than some. She wore banged up sneakers, dark leather pants, a black t and a dark zip up sweater.

She sprinted around another corner nearly colliding with someone.Shouting an apology over her shoulder she didn't see the boy walking down the side walk.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Zak gasped as the girl barreled past him. He watched her run, frowning. When the cops passed him, he realized what was going on. He also knew she was a shifter, like him, and he knew he couldn't let her be caught. Criminals, because that's probably what she was, were known for ignoring rules like 'Don't expose yourself to humans.' They'd do anything to escape. So instead of going on his merry way, he ducked into an alley. As soon as he was in a secluded area, he shifted into his dingo form. He kept to the shadows as he ran along the streets, following the cops who were following the girl, hoping no one would see him. If they did, they'd probably take him for a stray dog.

[abzu]

Vex flew down a side alley and skidded to a halt, almost crashing into a chain link fence. Her dark brown hair was messy and windblown. Her lungs ached and her legs wobbled. Running for her life two nights in a row wasn't Vex's exact idea of fun. Sure it was entertaining to an extent but it was also tiring.

Vex thought back to earlier in the evening, or some would say late afternoon. She was at a bar hustling pool when a pair of dirty cops walked in. She had seen them around before during some business transactions and she knew they were no good. Vex had tried to make a discrete and hasty escaped but it didn't really work. The cops spotted her and dragged her into a forced conversation with inappropriate comments and grabs. It had taken all of her will not to kill them then and there. But they eventually went to far and Vex, foolishly slapped one and kicked his partner in the groin. Which lead to her being chased for a second night because two cops refused to accept they were hit by a girl they overexagerated their story and now had her framed for a local museum robbery.

The shouts of the approaching cops tore her from her thoughts. Vaulting onto the chain link fence she climbed as fast as she could. The cops rounded the bend and shots were fired. Vex was to pumped full of adrenaline to realize a bullet badly clipped her shoulder. Tearing her hoodie on the top of the fence she jumped down, winced form the shock of the impact and ran. They would soon catch up in their cars but she had a few minutes to get a head start

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Zak cut through a different alley to avoid having to scale a fence. It was a longer route, but he could move faster than a human, or even a shifter in their human form. He rounded the corner at the end of the alley and sprinted ahead, hoping to catch sight of her again.

[abzu]

Vex took a right down another alley then a left. The sirens were fading and she could no longer hear the shouts of the angry cops. So when she took another right down a dead end alley she sighed and came to a stop. They had lost her trail and weren't going to find her. Vex shakily sat down and tried to catch her breath. Her heart was still pounding and her lungs were burning. A shearing pain ripped through her shoulder and she finally realized she had been shot. Muttering a curse under her breath she looked it over. Blood soaked the bullet wound. She needed to fix that up at her place but she was still catching her breath.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Zak paused and swung his head back and forth, searching for her. Down the alley to his right, he could see the chain-link fence, but there was no sign of the girl. He sniffed the air, trying to search for her scent. It was hard to remember it, though, having only smelled it for a brief second as she zipped by him. When that didn't work, he strained to cast out his sixth sense, his soul-sensing, searching for any shifters in the area. He found one just a block away and headed in that direction. He peered cautiously down the alley before entering. He whimpered softly and crept closer to the girl.

[abzu]

Vex's eyes snapped open at the sound of the whimper. She looked at Zak and calmed down slightly, only thinking he was a dog. "are you lost boy?" she murmured to the dog with a small smile. Vex wasn't aware of soul-sensing. Sometimes she would have a gut feeling that someone wasn't human but besides that she was clueless. "You look like an odd dog." she commented "probably some purebred." Vex sighed and rested her head against the wall again "well doggy it you attack me you will regret it. Just a warning. Otherwise feel free to chill." She closed her eyes again.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The dingo twitched its ear. He crept closer and rested his chin on the ground next to her feet, looking at her with soulful brown eyes. Zak wasn't sure what to do now. The cops had been left behind, his purpose for following her in the first place was negated, and yet here he was. Maybe he was just tired to being alone. It got lonely; you know, being alone.

[abzu]

Vex smiled and slowly reached her hand out. "seriously if you bite me we will have problems." She said it half jokingly as she reached to pet the top of his head, right between his ears. Vex had never owned a dog; or a cat for that matter. In fact the only pet she ever had was a gold fish she named Goldy. But that was a long time ago. "so whats your story? Born a stray or abandoned?" she asked with a slight sigh. 'great' she thought 'I'm talking to a dog'

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Zak could have smiled, if his canine lips were made for that. He was tempted to shift back, but didn't. He wasn't sure about this girl yet. Why had she been running from the cops. He sat up and scooted closer to her so he could rest his head on her lap. She seemed nice enough.

[abzu]

Vex smiled and pet him tiredly. "You know for once I wanted a peaceful night." she murmured to herself. Vex closed her brilliantly green eyes and sighed again. "I think I'm going to call you Spot, even though you don't have a spot." She smiled to herself. "oh Spot I dislike when the world gets it backwards." she scratched behind one of his ears before going back to petting him. "I'm actually supposed to commit a crime, and then they can accuse me of it." she heaved a sigh. Pain still rocketed through her shoulder although it had stopped bleeding mostly. She would still need to fish the bullet out at home and stitch herself back up. That wouldn't be fun.

[abzu]

um up?)

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

The dingo's tongue lolled out and a second later it was replaced by a boy. He looked to be about 17, with dark brown hair and green eyes. He crouched on the pavement for a second before straightening up. "I already have a name, and it isn't Spot," he said.

[abzu]

Vex's eyes snapped open and she jumped in fright "what the h*ll?!" she exclaimed angrily, as she tried to hide her surprise. "your a shifter?!" she hissed as she scrambled to her feet ignoring the rocketing pain in her shoulder.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Zak couldn't help but laugh. "Hell to you, too." He brushed off his pants and smiled at her.

[abzu]

Vex glared at him for a moment "not cool Spot." She shoved her hands in her pockets and glared. Her green eyes furious although the smallest smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

Zak's face sobered a bit. "Spot is a ridiculous name for a dingo," he said.

[abzu]

Vex shrugged her shoulders and grinned at him "Well I like it." she teased with a small wince as she moved her left arm.

[ᴄʀʏsᴛᴀʟғʀᴏsᴛ]

"Are you okay?" Zak asked, his voice turning worried. "You're hurt."