Grimscale the Druid.
A massive hoof lighted upon the earth, settling into the soft ground silently. For such a large creature, he moved with feline grace; legs bending fluidly, muscles bulging and rippling, unable to occupy the same space, their contours exaggerated even more as he squatted slowly. The soft leather loincloth girding brushing the grasses beneath him.
A seemingly stern gaze scanned the forest, the sunlight causing his brow to crease, lending to his demeanor. A mountain backdrop captivated his gaze, looming beyond the canopy of trees before him. The silent sentinel rose majestically into the sky, portions of the mountain covered with forest and foliage; the rocky, less accommodating surfaces remained barren. The peak of this giant disappeared eerily into the dense fog of a massive cloud that had been snared as it glided aimlessly through the air currents.
Rising to full height, leg muscles relaxing and stretching, showing the true tone of the power they contained as his head lifted toward the sentinel, subtle movements guided by a careful gaze. The beaded and braided loincloth girded to his loins was all that he wore for clothing. The soft fur covering the massive frame appeared to be calicoes of many patterns and shades, all blended evenly; powerful, muscular thighs spotted like a cheetah, the orange tint blended into the dark gray of his natural fur.
The rippling belly and massive spanse of chest were fuzz covered with short soft dark gray fur. A thick soft mane of black and brown flowed evenly from a bovine head; braids coiled around a thick neck and down to the rise of a massive chest, one resting lazily along the ridge of a clavicle. Each braid was carefully separated so that the brown strands of hair were separately woven into the black, granting an alternating pattern among the braids.
Extremely small, soft, almost downy feathers could be seen, densely and evenly spread throughout the soft fur, absorbing the colors of calicoes and blending naturally. Larger feathers grew in even perfect rings, extending from where powerful shoulders met with the tops of thick biceps, appearing to be as tribal markings that one might apply as an armband yet all natural. These feathers were all dark gray, tipped with black, extending downward over massive flexing biceps.
Gentle bovine features suffused with calm seemed normal, aside from the feline whiskers extending from the sides of a curling snout. Feline eyes filled with the sky, the vertical ellipses of their pupils narrowed to deny the light from invading fully as they glimpsed into the brighter sky. Massive horns crowned a creased brow, curving and extending outward and forward, ending in sharp tips. These gleamed in the sunlight, polished by care and patience. A platinum nose ring, the only piece of jewelry, hangs loosely, resting upon a slightly curled upper lip.
The flesh beneath the fur was covered with soft, pliable scales, lending a velvety feel to otherwise leathery skin. Well defined muscles danced beneath taut flesh, the fur doing little to hide their celebration dance as they moved in synchronization and control, fluidly flexing and relaxing as limbs and joints were set into motion. Even subtle movements made the majesty of smooth play impossible to remain unnoticed.
A long lazy tail covered with short fur swayed gently, its length striped like a tiger, the tint of orange fur visible through the thicker dark gray fur. The tip was tasseled with a brush of soft long fur and feathers blended smoothly and naturally together.
He sighed softly as he shifted, changing fluidly, smoothly into a lion. The fur was a dark gray, the mane a lighter gray almost white in color. No matter what form he would choose, each one would be permeated with calicoes and feathers, even his avian forms would still possessed fur.
Moving forward, the transition so smooth and fluid it was as if he walked from lion into cheetah as easily as changing a cloak. Yet the frame of the body also transitioned, stretching while as a lion, the mane shortening, powerfully stout paws and legs becoming longer, more agile and lean. The tail seemed the only thing not to change as it remained long, the tassel on the end disappearing as the fur color changed to an orange tan with spots.
He licked his maw, his eyes narrowed now against the sun, seemingly wanting to dose off. Then with a soft growl, he leapt to a deadfall tree, bounded to the ground and sprinted through the forest, exhilarated by the power he used, the speeds he achieved. The exertions were a refreshing means of expending the tensions built up within him; all his tensions. He loved the freedom.
The freedom was temporary however. Loneliness was an unwanted companion which always seemed to return, especially in the night. A warm body sharing his bedding, sharing his life was what he sought.
This was not a mere lust or want, it was a necessity. Forcing females to submit in order to court them was not an issue. It was a natural method to stimulate both for breeding. Yet he did not want to do so only to be sent away forever because the female could not accept him fully. His scent was a mingling of blended odors much like the calicoes of his fur, it set the female creatures he courted on edge.
Their excitement came from the fact they were unwilling to be bred. He needed to find a creature of intelligence, one that was not simple-minded. Animals lacked complication, they would willingly breed or breed willingly once forced to submit, such was the way of the ferals. Yet in many cases, bonds would not be formed due to pecking orders among them, or such bonds involved several mates. He did not want to share and wanted only to insure that his lineage and that of his mate was continued.
He was proud of who he was. He did not hold it against them. Animals thought more differently than the supposedly more sentient bipedal beings of the world. Yet he had learned that the animals were intelligent for he had learned many lessons from them. It was all part of his path in life as a Druid. He had learned their forms, their ways. Mating was always feral, a temporary need before life resumed. He accepted that long ago after his first experience with a lioness; for as a young Druid, he had not yet mastered his form and had succumbed to the wild needs of the beast he had become.
He continued to sprint through the forest, his body twisting and bending lithely as he would juke and dodge the rapidly approaching challenges of trees, deadfalls, copses; his ears folding back to allow the branches to caress and scratch through his fur as he weaved through them rapidly and expertly, never losing his stride or his pace.
He would find her. That someone special only for him became his newest endeavor, his newest goal. He would find her! He thought as his powerful paws pounded the earth, catapulting him forward with steady rhythm and speed, following the savory scent of a female.
Another shift brought a large fox into view, running silently and deftly; white-tipped gray tail held aloft behind him like a proud banner as he weaved under a deadfall and bounded over a stream with a soft yip.
Coy blue eyes sparkled mischievously as the sleek muzzle lifted into the air, the dainty, delicate nose twitching gently as the scent was tasted. Something was different about this female. Another yip and the fox dashed rapidly between two large pines, guided by the unseen tether of scent.