Winter Wonderland (Open)

The air was crisp, clean and cold and a fresh blanket of snow coated the mountainside. Best of all, they weren't on campus so campus rules couldn't technically be applied to this little ski trip the Dean had planned. Which was just fine for this werewolf. He wanted to explore the mountains and hiking through the snow on cross-country skis or snowshoes wasn't exactly his idea of fun. Oh no, he wanted to feel the snow crunch beneath his paws and experience winter through the eyes of his wolf form.

It was early morning, the sun was just peeking over the horizon and giving a soft glow to the wilderness. Kythen glanced back at his tracks and shrugged. There was really no way to hide them in the snow. And with any luck no one would follow them. Because how would anyone explain that human footprints had disappeared and were replaced by wolf tracks? Despite that little misfortune, Kythen found a relatively safe spot to store his stuff where it would be kept nominally dry and proceeded to strip down to the skin. He was shivering by the time he called up his inner wolf and started to change. When he was done, however, he was warm under a plush coat of wolf fur and the chill of the winter morning was no longer a bother.

Loosing a celebratory howl of joy, the werewolf bounded off through the snow, playing like a pup who was just seeing snow for the first time. He bounded along trails that no human could have managed, pausing here and there to investigate a scent or sound....or to simply frolic about and make a fool of himself. He chased some rabbits and squirrels, harassed some chipmunks and simply enjoyed the freedom his wolf form brought him. At least until a sound nearby caught his attention and he set off at a trot to investigate.

Walking softly through the forest and taking a deep breath, Elizabeth let out a soft sigh as her lungs filled up with mountain air, the aroma of trees and the simple bliss in the air. "Such simple things can never be replaced..." She uttered to herself as she stopped for a moment to simply gage in the moment and shut her eyes to listen. A slight glow still emanated around her despite having come in to her glamoured form some time ago, but many of the Humans thought it was just a trick of their eyes or simply the sun and the snow together mixing with the woman's pale complexion.

The Angel had originally opted to stay behind, but then agreed to go so long as she remained behind for a while to be sure that those being left behind were the ones who wanted to stay rather than those who just simply... Forgot. So, having sent her luggage slightly ahead, Elizabeth soon met up with the group and made it seem like she was a part of the group the whole time before settling into her room and then coming outside in her outfit to take in the view and peace.

As if sensing someone nearby, the slightly glossy pink lips smiled as a chuckle rang in her throat. "No need to be worried, young man.... Tis only I...." She stated without turning to the wolf who was somewhere behind her.

((Posting on the wrong account. Don't mind me. xD))

Kythen paused when he spied the woman and sniffed the air, trying to catch her scent and figure out if she was human or not. She wasn't a wolf and she wasn't a human. The scent of death didn't cling to her so she wasn't a vampire either. So he figured she must be Fae though he couldn't say for sure. Of course, the fact she seemed to glow only added to the evidence that she was definitely non-human. Whether she was friend or foe he couldn't say either and lingered where he was, not keen on getting closer until he had some idea of if it was safe or not.

Of course, when she spoke to him he huffed and gave a low whine. How had she even known he was there? And how could she have guessed he wasn't just some wild animal? He wasn't about to just trust her because she said he didn't have to be worried but he came a bit closer and made a curious sound as if to ask how she'd known he was there. He wasn't about to shift back and stand naked in the snow just to talk to her. If she wanted to talk she'd have to wait. Or...be telepathic. One or the other. Given that she knew he wasn't what he seemed without looking, the latter seemed like a possibility.

Elizabeth smiled as she turned around and saw the young werewolf look at her curiously before letting out a whine, which she assumed was to ask how she knew that he was there and not just a wolf. "Well, I would be a terrible member of Staff if I did not look up as much information as I could on the students that I would be monitoring at night.... Plus I had seen you come out here earlier so I made sure that your Human prints couldn't be seen right by your wolf ones...." She answered as she knelt down to his elvel once she stopped her glowing.

"Besides..... I myself have been used to being around Werewolves as a student... So I know the little subtle differences between a regular wolf and a werewolf...." She stated as she looked into his eyes with ease, not that frightened or at all worried.

At her response, the werewolf put his ears back and gave a soft growl to indicate he didn't like the idea of her looking into anything and he certainly didn't like the idea that she'd followed him out here. Staff or not she had no business digging into his files or anything of the sort. He might consider thanking her later for covering his tracks but right then he wasn't entirely happy with her. Not that he had anything to hide, he just didn't approve of someone he hadn't even known existed until about five minutes ago looking into his life history or...whatever hell record the school kept about it's students.

He huffed at her next words and yawned as if bored. He didn't care if she'd spent time around werewolves in the past. She'd never spent time around him before. Not that he was terribly different than any other werewolf, really. A bit bigger than average thanks to his alpha bloodline, and maybe a bit quicker tempered that some but really, not that different at all. When she met his eyes he stood a bit straighter and brought his tail up in a dominant gesture. She wasn't a werewolf so he didn't feel threatened, but he wasn't about to let her think he was just some common wolf. He was an Alpha...or at least would be some day. If being the school werewolf club's Alpha counted for anything then he was currently an Alpha now but it was more like just a cool title for whoever was strong enough to take it.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at his growl and crossed her arms whilst looking down at him, both literally and metaphorically. "You may not like the idea.... But it is my job..... And right now, my job should be to report you to the Dean for violation of rules about shifting, especially so close to the Hotel?!" She stated as she crossed her arms before she dug into her coat and took out the Werewolves' clothes, "However, I am perfectly willing to forget that I had ever seen you in Wolf form, if you shift back into Human form... And make sure this doesn't occur again so close to the Hotel?!" She stated, knowing that the younger man would know better than to anger Evelyn and, from reading up some of his information, his father.

"So...... What is it going to be young man?" She stated, her green eyes looking at his and his clothes in her hands as she waited for his answer, a perfectly arched eyebrow staring at him as much as her eyes. Being an Alpha in any way never excluded a student from following the rules, and it certainly was not practised in her day, so why it seemed perfectly reasonable to disregard the rules now was a mystery to her.

He should have known. The second she said she was part of the staff he should have expected this. She was going to rat him out to the Dean. All because he thought suppressing a wolf's nature was wrong on so many levels. Besides, there was no one around and it wasn't like he was going to hurt one of the Dean's precious human students. He snorted his displeasure but knew better than to get reported for breaking this particular rule. He could hear his dad now 'I'm disappointed in you, Alpha, what sort of example is that?' right before he laid into him properly about being foolish and reckless and all sorts of other things. He could deal with his dad being angry with him. But his dad being disappointed? Not so much. He did perk up slightly at the deal he was being offered. He didn't like it, but hell, if it meant staying out of trouble he couldn't disagree.

He made a show of considering running off, glancing around them as if looking for an escape. But anyone with a bit of sense would know the idea was stupid. She had his clothes, which meant she also had his iPod, wallet and ID. There was no getting out of trouble if he ran. And she's know exactly who he was. The only reason he kept his ID with his clothes was in case someone found them and wanted to return them. It was stupid, he knew, but it was also an old habit he hadn't yet seen fit to break. With a wolfish sigh, he moved forward and took his clothes in his mouth, backing away into the relative privacy of a bush. Shifting back wasn't any more fun that shifting into his fur had been and he dressed as quickly as possible, still shivering even after he was fully clothed. Texas never got this cold. "It is disgustingly cold out here. I love the snow and all but I'm sure as hell glad it never gets this cold in Texas." He said stepping back into the open to face the angel. "So you apparently know enough about me. Who are you? Never seen you around before." He questioned, deciding that after he was done talking to this...whoever she was, he'd go back to his room for a nice big mug of hot cocoa and a sappy old Christmas movie. Or maybe one of the old kid's movies he'd grown up with. Because one was never too old for the classic kid's Christmas movies.

Elizabeth watched young Kythen and sighed, "I know you do not like being suppressed, neither do I with my form..... But we have to keep ourselves a secret as much as possible... As well as be role models for others of our kinds....." She stated before she saw him take his clothes so she turned around a little to give him some privacy as he changed. Not that she would see anything that she hadn't seen before but... He was a much younger lad and may not see things in her light.

Elizabeth smiled as she turned back to Kythen at his statement, "Yes... But there are others who prefer the weather to be cold, or have never had the experience of snow...." She pointed out as she looked at the mountains with a sigh, at some point during this Holiday, she simply must have a glide along those tops.
At his questions, Elizabeth's smile brightened a little. "My name is Elizabeth Aura.... Aeternitas University Graduate class of the year 1910.... Nurse in both of the World Wars as well as the Boer Wars.... Now returned as RM Moderator, fairly recently so not at all surprising that you do not know me, young man." She answered simply.

"Good for them. I never said I wished it never got cold or snowed, just said I was glad Texas stayed warm for the most part. If other people like cold and snow, let 'em go live where it's cold and snowy. So long as they let me enjoy the snow on my terms and all is well with the world right?" He said with a half-shrug. If people enjoyed freezing their butts off all the time that was their choice. He wasn't going to try and stop them from doing it. But he, for one, would be all to happy to retreat back home where the weather would be warmer when it got closer to Christmas.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Ms. or is it Mrs.? Aura. But I'm hoping that after the Christmas Holidays I'll be moving out of Upperclassmen Apartments and into my own place so I won't have an RM Moderator looking over my shoulder all the time." He told her with a cheeky smile. Of course, living in the Conlegium Suites he hadn't had anyone really looking over his shoulder either but he was still on campus and still bound by campus rules even at home. He'd actually been looking at a nice little house but hadn't convinced himself to buy it just yet. But it was about perfect for a young bachelor like himself to settle in if an apartment was starting to feel too small. As a Texas born wolf, he was used to a lot of space to live and grow in....an apartment, even a nice one, was simply too contained. Not to mention it was too close to campus and all the people there.

Elizabeth sighed, "And all that I am saying, is that you should be a little bit more careful of when and where you shift.... There are those who will look down upon our kinds, and will not take kindly to being surrounded by them..... It is as much to keep us safe, as it is to keep them safe." She stated in reply, knowing that this was a direction to her at this point but it was part of the rules for their protection, and the protection of Humans.

Smiling a little, Elizabeth answered. "It's Ms Aura, Mr Lyaer.... Thank you for asking the clarification.... Many just assume my title....." She stated with a gentle incline of her head before adding, "And that will only be so if you prove that you can keep your other form a secret... Just because I will not be there, does not mean that there are not standards for you to upkeep." She stated as a gentle pointing out so that he did not go out of the school, only to make mistakes and be forced back into the school Halls.

She never got into trouble, but then again she did not have to specifically alter back to her unglamoured self, she preferred herself to seem more Human than Fae, but there it is. Many others like Kythen preferred to be free with themselves instead of being confined, though why they wished to break or at least bend the rules, Elizabeth would never quite understand.

Kythen resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the slight lecture and merely nodded. "I understand that but...look around. There's no one out here, this area of the mountain is too heavily wooded for much skiing or anything like that so it's seldom used. I'm very good at staying hidden if there's a need to and it's not like I'd go out of my way to attack someone. All things considered I'd say I was doing my very best to keep my secret. I'm not going to let a handful of humans scare me into being something I'm not but I'm not stupid; I know I have a secret to upkeep and it's not just mine or just the werewolves, it's everyone. If they find out about one race, they find out about them all." He pointed out in return. His father had made that lesson very clear ages ago, he'd taught every wolf in their pack to stay hidden in the woods and what to do if they were seen. And he'd made doubly sure Kythen knew all of the tricks and such so that he could continue to pass on the same lessons when he was the Alpha.

The wolf waved off the thanks with a huff. "I was taught a little bit more respect than that, I guess. I try not to assume anything about people, it often makes you look stupid or rude when you do. So it's better not to do it." And of course she had to add in another little lecture about upholding their secrets and all that. "The Dean can't force me to stay on Campus. And off campus there's a lot less chance of being caught by anyone. But as I said before, I'm not stupid. Dallas isn't exactly a paradise for werewolves, there's a lot of people around who either already know about us and hate us and people who don't know about us. And we have to keep hidden from both of them. Why in Hell my Great Grandpa chose Texas to settle his Pack in I've got no idea but we've learned to adapt and we haven't been outed yet so obviously we're doing something right. I just want the freedom to actually live my life as a werewolf, not as some scared little rabbit whose afraid of his own shadow." There was a hint of a growl in his voice as he finished speaking and he shook his head a bit. It was clear he didn't like the idea of humans at the school or the rules in place to 'protect' them, but he also wasn't going to do anything drastic about it. His form of rebellion was to break the rules on occasion and to move away from campus where, as he saw it, he was a bit more free to do as he pleased.

Elizabeth chuckled warmly at the werewolf's reply as she held up her hands, "Alright, alright....... I have done enough lecturing for today.... Just do not let me or anyone else catch you ok? And as promised, I will not say a thing...." She smiled as she listened to Kythen's tale. "Possibly the same reason why my Father made sure that us three alternated between Vancouver, Canada and London, England when I was a younger woman...." She replied before looking up to the mountain. That was where she was heading anyway; her Bond-Mate always took her and the children up a mountain every Christmas......

Turning back with a heavy sigh and a couple of fingers holding onto the sides of her locket, Elizabeth put on a small smile. "Well, seen as I have done what I needed to do.... I am on my way to the top of the Mountain..... Unless you are accompanying me, I bid you good day, Mr Lyaer." She stated with a gentle incline of her head before taking a couple of steps towards the Mountain via the Forest.