[Elode ^]

I woke up to the sounds of chirping, it was Saturday today, so no school. I sat up in bed and yawned. Today was my birthday, I was 18. Everyone said that I would see the world differently once I had turned 18, but my room looked and smelled the same, mostly anyway. One particular scent caught my nose and I looked around the room. I shifted on instinct and hopped out of bed, sniffing my room intently to find the source of the smell, sniffing intently, pushing things around to locate what had caught my attention. My nose led me to my laundry basket and I buried my nose in the clothes, I made an annoyed sound and knocked it over in impatience, digging out the clothes with my paws and trying to find the source of the scent. I got near the bottom and one shirt called out to me. I gently pulled it out with my teeth and sat back on my haunches a little ways from the mess I'd created, I put the shirt down and sniffed it deeply, a rumbling purr coming from my throat at the smell permeating the fabric. I flopped onto my side and rubbed my fur up and down the shirt, pushing my body back and forth, wanting the scent on me as well. My purring kept getting louder as the scent invaded my nose as I disturbed it, it smelt amazing, I didn't know why. I pulled back and buried my head in the shirt, managing to get in between the fabric, surrounding my nose with the smell.

I heard my bedroom door open but carried on rubbing my chin and the side of my jaw against the fabric, my head hidden in the shirt. I heard my mother giggling and I pulled back, the shirt falling off my face as I stared up at my mother with a cocked head, what was so funny? "Look at the mess you've made." she told me, a big smile on her face. Why was she happy about a mess? I looked around the room, taking in the overturned laundry basket, dirty clothes strewn all around the room from my digging, my chair knocked over, other things in the room disturbed from my previous searching and I was sitting in the middle of it. Had I really made all of that mess? I looked down at the shirt that had been the reason I had caused all of this mess. It wasn't one of my shirts, I knew that much, I leaned down and sniffed it again, actually taking note of the scent this time instead of just smothering myself with it. It smelt like......Ro? I cocked my head at that, I sniffed again, all over the fabric, starting to purr unconsciously again, honey, coconut, apples and petrichor. It was Ro's shirt. He'd left it here earlier in the week, Jasper had 'accidently' split a cup of water over Ro's front, I'd put left the shirt to dry out on my chair and I'd given him one of Otto's whilst it dried but he forgot it so I put it in the laundry basket, intending to wash it before giving it back. Did it mean that? Was Ro?

I looked up at my mother and meowed, pawing at the shirt. "Was that what you were trying to find?" she observed. I tried to shift but I found I couldn't, I looked at myself and yowled in confusion and worry, I had never had any trouble with my shift before, I always had control of it. I looked up at my mother and meowed, calling out for her in distress. "What's wrong?" she asked softly and kneeled down in front of me. I held out my fluffy paw and yowled, my tail flicking wildly due to my slightly scared mood. "Did you hurt your paw?" she guessed wrong and I huffed and shook my head, I placed my paw over her hand, letting out a string of meows, trying to speak despite my form. "You can't shift?" she surmised and I nodded. She frowned at that and scratched my head soothingly and I rubbed against it, feeling like I needed affection right now. "Let's go and have some breakfast ok? You'll be able to shift back soon." she eased my worries, she headed out of my messy room and I followed, bringing the shirt with me, not being able to leave it behind. I padded behind mother with the shirt gently held in with my teeth as we headed down the corridor and down the stairs. I hopped up on the sofa and curled up with the shirt, putting it on my front paws and resting my head on the pile of fabric and purring, nuzzling it with my cheek.

"Happy Birthday!" Jasper cheered as he came down the stairs, looking a little surprised finding me in animal form on the sofa. "What's up with Nobu?" he asked mum.

"I don't know, he said he can't shift and he trashed his room looking for the shirt he's keeping a hold of." she explained to him and he sent me a look, coming over and I found myself growling as he tried to reach for the shirt and he pulled back in shock and slight hurt at my reaction. I felt a little bad at that but I felt very possessive of the shirt and was adamant that no one was getting it, it was mine.

"He growled at me." Jasper stated.

"Nobu, be nice to your brother, what on earth has gotten into you?" she scolded and I yowled quietly in apology but held the shirt closer to me with a paw, my tail curling around my body and further protecting the fabric.

"He seems to be protecting whatever he has." Otto pointed out as he came into the room.

"It's just a shirt." Jasper crossed his arms, not seeming too happy I growled at him because of a shirt.

"Who's?" Otto wondered, obviously knowing I wouldn't react this way with just one of my own shirts. I rubbed my head against the shirt again and purred a little at the wonderful smell coming from it, I was never letting go of this shirt.

"I don't know." Jasper threw his hands up in exasperation. "And he won't let me get near it." mother sighed as that.

"Lukas." she called up the stairs. "Come and talk to your son." father came trudging down the stairs, wearing his suit for work but the tie was still hanging undone around his neck and he wasn't wearing a jacket. He looked at Jasper, assuming it was him mother was talking about due to him always being in trouble.

"It's not me." Jasper huffed, defending himself. Father glanced at Otto but it obviously wasn't him. He finally turned and looked at me, I never got in trouble. His eyes studied me and I scooted back on the sofa, creeping away from him, the shirt held tightly in my mouth, not taking my eyes off of him. Dad took a step forward and I intended to keep backing up but my butt hit the armrest and then the wall next to it. He came even closer and I found myself growling again, curling up against the wall, protecting the shirt.

"Nobu." he spoke in a deep and commanding voice, taking another step before holding out his hand, ordering me to give him the shirt. I shook my head and held it tighter and he growled. I meowed in a scared tone but still wouldn't give him the shirt. "Nobu, give." he boomed and I shook but stayed defiant. My eyes glanced around, looking for an escape but I was trapped against the wall, father and my brothers blocking my escape. "Don't make me shift." he threatened and I yowled fearfully, I couldn't let go of the shirt, I don't know why, but I couldn't. I found myself shifting and I curled up around the shirt, holding it in a vice grip with my hands and crying into the fabric, trying to find comfort in the smell. Dad seemed a little taken back by my response and his anger seemed to fade. "Nobu." he called softly and scooped me up in his arms, holding me gently to his chest and sitting down on the sofa. One of his large hands came to stroke the hair on my head and my tears slowed down. "What's gotten into you kitten." he asked in a soothing voice, quiet and smooth.

"Mine." I whispered and held the shirt against my chest. He chuckled a little at that.

"Yes I think we've all gathered that." he mused. "But why?" he questioned. This was going to be embarrassing.

"It's Ro's." I murmured in a very quiet voice and my mother gasped, having come over to see why I was acting so strange. "It smells like him." I added even quieter and closed my eyes and I hid my nose in the cloth.

"That doesn't explain why you we're being so rude." Jasper grumbled.

"It's his birthday Jasper." Otto reminded him. Jasper sent me an unreadable look at that.

"No." he growled, refusing to believe what that meant and stormed upstairs and I heard his bedroom door slam. Mother sighed at that and came to sit next to us.

"He's a candidate for your mate isn't he?" she surmised and I nodded. "Go upstairs and get dressed dear, and clean up the mess you made searching for that shirt." she chuckled and I blushed before hurrying up the stairs to my room. I looked at the mess and sighed. I pulled on Ro's shirt before starting to put all the dirty washing that was thrown all over the room back in the laundry basket, righting my chair and cleaning up the rest of the mess I'd made. I pulled on some boxers and a pair of shorts before brushing my teeth and hair, I headed back downstairs and mother giggled at me as she fried some eggs. What was funny this time? I shrugged and headed over to the kettle and clicked it on before getting out the things I needed to make a coffee.

"What on earth are you wearing?" Emelia laughed as she walked into the kitchen and I looked down at myself, Ro's shirt was oversized on me, my shorts hidden under the hem as it brushed my thighs, I was still barefooted. I looked back up at Emelia.

"I look fine." I defended and turned back around to finish making my coffee, I liked wearing Ro's shirt, it meant I was enveloped in his scent. My thoughts were disrupted by a knock at the door and I looked at it confused, dad had already left for work, did he forget something? No one else should be knocking at the door this early on a Saturday. I walked over to the door and opened it, finding Leo standing their impatiently. Someone was eager. "Can I help you Leo?" I asked, already knowing why he was here. He looked down at me expectantly and hopefully. I raised a brow as he just stood there seeming to be waiting for something. He sniffed the air and frowned.

"Why do I smell another male on you?" he growled out and I crossed my arms.

"Why are you here?" I pushed, ignoring his words.

"It's your birthday, right?" he stated.

"Yeah, so?" I confirmed in a slightly annoyed tone.

"Who is it dear?" mother called from the kitchen.

"Leo." I answered and Otto appeared at the door beside me. Mother appeared next, drying her hands on a tea towel.

"Oh hello Leo, It's nice to see you." she said respectfully. I went to walk away from the door.

"Nobu." Leo called and I turned back and glanced at him, waiting for him to continue. "Well?" he prodded hopefully. I twitched my nose before sniffing the air. His scent was the same as before, my shift liking him a little but it was strictly friendly, it fell incredibly short to Ro's.

"Sorry." I consoled him with a shrug and his shoulders slumped and his face fell. I left him there and went back to the kitchen, finishing making my coffee. The door closed not long after and mum and Otto came back into the kitchen.

"You could of let him down gentler." mum frowned at me.

"I told him two weeks ago he wasn't a candidate." I reminded her and she sighed.

"He seemed to of thought otherwise." she commented.

"He smelled the same as the last time I saw him, friendly but nothing more, Ro's scent on this shirt is so much more appealing." I told her.

"Ahh." Emelia grinned and I blushed and looked away from them. "Why don't you go and see him?" she suggested.

"It's his birthday on Monday, I'd rather wait until then and see." I dismissed the thought. Leo liked my scent but I didn't like his a lot, I was worried that with Ro it would be the same. If he reacted to my scent on Monday then I would tell him that he was a candidate, if not than I would keep it to myself, I didn't want it to be awkward between us as friends if we couldn't be mates.

"From what I've seen in the past two weeks his taken with you already." Emelia stated.

"I'll see him on Monday." I repeated and walked out into the garden with my mug of steaming coffee. Thankfully the heatwave was over and the early autumn chill was in the air. I sat in one of the chairs placed outside and stared at the mountains in the distance, the sight of them calmed me and I thought about everything that happened recently. Moving here had been a good thing, I was a lot happier in this town. Like Leo had promised my mother the pack of wolves left us alone, we still got dirty looks occasionally but no more than that. Some shifters had shown interest but I had ignored them, sticking with my family or friends, whoever I was with at the time. I had friends again, it was nice, having people to talk to my age, someone to spend lunch with and talk during class when allowed, someone to have my back if needed. I still hadn't shifted during Mr C's class and he hadn't pushed it, I caught him looking at me once or twice but he quickly looked away when I noticed, acting as if nothing had happened. He was interested, that was obvious, but he was nothing but a teacher to me, I felt no connection before today and I doubt that would change. Carno still asked me the odd intrusive question and got a little too close a few times, I was never alone though, so he didn't get very far, he was as persistent as his older brother, but much more of an ass. My siblings haven't found any candidates yet, not that I knew of anyway, finding them was only half the battle, you still had to decide whether you wanted them or not and had to convince them to feel the same before anything happened.

I hoped that I was a candidate for Ro, I really liked him before today, he was kind, funny and not loud. He was handsome and I liked his scent. After what had happened this morning it was evident that he was a candidate for me, and a strong one due to my possessiveness for his shirt, I couldn't seem to get enough of his scent, my shift wanted to see him badly, but I was wary. I didn't want to be let down or rejected. He said he liked me as well but that didn't guarantee that I would be suitable for him when his birthday comes. I'd kind of accepted that I was a cross-shifter due to how I attracted males and I liked Ro, I was ok with it if Ro turned out to be my mate, he wasn't the type to show off, and he didn't seem to care about status. Since he found out what I was he didn't act differently around me, it was a good sign, to him he didn't see me as just my shift, but as a person, as a friend. I haven't told the others what I am yet, Felix, Benjamin and Carrie that is. They seem content enough not knowing but they give me curious looks sometimes, trying to figure it out themselves. I wanted to tell them since telling Ro had gone so well but I was hesitant, I didn't want to lose them as friends if they ended up doing something they didn't mean to. I would hold off for now.