I looked below me, seeing the girl assume her human form. She motioned for us to fly down, and I did. What I saw next startled me.

A black panther stood in front of me, watching me. Its tail moved slightly, and it seemed to glare at me. I stepped back, folding my wings in tightly. I clutched my bag handle tightly, shaking in fear.

Then, it changed, becoming a man. Fur seemed to shrink back, going where it was. The muzzle became a nose and mouth. He looked at me, and I looked back at him. Then, he spoke.

"Why were you so reckless as to display yourselves to humans?" he boomed. I stepped back, aware that he could transform. He seemed to emit a dominant attitude, and his tone frightened me.

"W-well, sir," I began "I-I became a shifter just yesterday, and when I shifted back, I had wings, as you can see. I told my parents, and they shot at me with bronze."

"I don't see any wounds."

"Apparently, I have control over healing."

"But it's impossible to do that with bronze!" he exclaimed.

"Well, I did. Give the newbie a prize!"

"Get on with why you showed the humans." he commanded.

"Well, turns out that Trinity" I gestured towards her "Also received wings, and she had called me earlier to tell me. And it's not like I could call 911. Just imagine: '991, I'm a bird girl stuck in a tree.' So, I told her what had happened, and she came. But, she couldn't do it on her own. And I couldn't; my wing had been shot with an arrow. So, she brought her parents over, and they shifted because they don't have wings in human form. But I couldn't stay in the air, so we fell. People saw, it got on the news, a group hunted us down. Trinity's mom; I don't know what happened to her, and her father is missing; the building burned down. But the deer shifter here thinks he's still alive."

"You mean Saige?" he asked.

"If that is her name, then yes," I replied.

"Saige will escort you to the spare cabin. Your punishment is to be decided later."

I gulped, fear rising up inside me. "Punishment?"

"Yes. Such irresponsible actions deserve punishment."

Saige started to speak. "Follow me, girls."

I nodded, feeling nervous. I was speechless. Just a few days ago, I was a normal girl in a seemingly normal family, and now I was facing punishment in a society of animal shifters. Did my life somehow get transported into a fantasy book or something? I bit at my nails, wishing I had gum or something.

"Ashlea?"

"Yes?"

"Will everything be alright? I mean, so, so much has happened. What do you think the punishment will be?" A terrifying thought came to mind. "Will I be sentenced to death?"

"I doubt it. He knows that you're new to this world. You'll be fine."

I sighed. "I hope so."

Trinity and I approached a cabin. It was made of wood, and it was small, but not so small that it was uncomfortable. Saige looked at us.

"Caspian will be here soon to inform you two on your punishment," she informed. I nodded, feeling sick to my stomach. I walked into the cabin, observing the way the logs were stacked. I then grabbed my bag, placing it on the bed. I laid down, dwelling on what had just happened. I was going ot recieve a punishment; that didn't sound too good. And the one determining my punishment is a panther shifter who probably eats birds for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

"Birds; yes. Bird shifters; not usually. Most shifters respect the lives of other shifters. Of course, there are wild shifters that are predators, and don't respect the life of anything or anyone. That's what I was talking to you about yesterday."

Wow. I hadn't even realized that all of this had happened in two mere days. I hadn't even realized how drained of energy I was.

"Alright. I'm gonna sleep for a little."

Sleep came easy, and soon, I was taken back into harsh reality.

"Wake up you two." commanded a voice, and I rose up, heart beating fast. It was the panther shifter, Caspian. I met his gaze, trying to intimidate him. My effort was lost on him, as he showed no signs of being intimidated.

"Follow me." he instructed, and I nodded, obeying. The night sky was overhead, and a cold breeze moved through my feathers. As he walked, I went beside him.

"I have a name, you know." I said to him, glaring.

"Oh. And what is it?"

"Madelyn."

"So Madelyn, why did you go and expose yourself?"

"What was I supposed to do? Live in a tree with a broken wing?"

"You could've healed yourself." he suggested.

"I just found out that I could do that today!" I exclaimed; glaring at him once again.

We reached a large stump, and he walked up to it. Many people and animals sat on logs, chattering excitedly. Caspian shifted, intimidating me once again.

"Madelyn and Trinity, please come up."

I gulped, shivering in fear. I walked up, looking at him.

"These two bird shifters, Madelyn and Trinity, have exposed their wings to humans. They were then tracked down, and I believe that Trinity's parents are in custody, according to shifters that live in the human town."

I looked at Trinity. She looked shocked.

"Trinity." I whispered "Don't worry; we'll find them."

She remained silent.

"I am willing to lessen the punishment of these two girls, since Madelyn is so new to our world, and since they are so young."

I wanted to argue that I wasn't young, but I didn't want to get in more trouble than I was already in. I waited for Caspian to resume speaking.

"We have had a problem with help around here, and we have had fewer shifters to defend our community. I know many of you have been looking for shifters you can pass your knowledge onto."

Caspian looked at Trinity and I.

"You two will be assigned to someone who will teach you."

A/N- Ah, nothing like ending a chapter with dialogue. Madelyn and Trinity's punishment isn't too big, but what about the people in pursuit of her?

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