Akio strolled lazily down his alley way. He wasn't particularly in the mood for nonsense right now. Having just eaten a breakfast, if one could call it that, he was partially content but not satisfied. Everywhere he went his situation seemed to get worse and worse. It all began with Mae. Sure, he had to take care of her and everything...but Akio was beginning to wonder how much care she really needed. Once again she was off doing her own thing; he just prayed that she wouldn't find trouble like she always seemed to.<br/><br/>Taking a quick glance around, Akio darted into an adjacent street, intent on finding something to do so that he might dampen his sour mood. He walked down this street at a quicker pace, noticing the increased population of people near him. He always wondered.<span style="font-style: italic">They can tell I'm different. All of them. Humans in general can be highly perceptive. They know.</span>But Akio pushed these thoughts from his head. Nobody needed another instance in which he was found out. Instead he pushed through the throngs of people faster still. How many years had it been? Then again he'd always known, just never sure.<br/><br/>Right around the time him and Mae were getting adjusted to their new parent-less life, they both discovered how unique they really were. In layman's terms, they were known as shape shifters. Beings who could turn their form at will, often to their extreme advantage. The gene becomes most prevalent in an individual around the age of 10. This was the case for him and later, his sister. Not many of this type of race are known in the current world. Even though there have been rumors of men able to take on the shape of dogs, women who can turn into graceful horses, there still hasn't been enough evidence to even assert that these people are real. Nevertheless, the thought is out there, never to be taken back. People aren't all stupid. They can tell. Often these rumors come close to the truth, except for a small factor. Most of his people were what one might label a hybrid--the blending of two different animals in order to gain desired traits. Such was the case with him and his baby sister.<br/><br/>Interestingly, Akio had a theory on his kind. He believed that a person's inner 'animal' was reflected directly to their personality. For instance, his little sister turned what he could only call a harpy-ape. Talk about the monkey on your back. She had a very short temper and the need for freedom better than anyone he knew. Sometimes she was even inspiring. Yet then again, it was this freedom that compelled her to shout things such as: 'I don't believe in hiding! What do we care?! We can take 'em!' It's very hard to explain to your younger sibling why you can't just transform into a wigged monkey tailed harpy in the middle of Central Square without a care in the world. Some people just don't take well to it.<br/><br/>On the other hand Akio was a griffon--the blending of an eagle with a lion. He never really thought himself the brave sort, nor the type to wish to soar to the sky (though secretly it was one of his greatest pleasures, an open sky). Having only seen his sister of age 14 transform twice, he didn't have much time to pay attention to her physic. On the other hand his he knew quite well. When Akio phases he has two, wide spanning black wings. His facial structure changes slightly to become more pointed, like a birdâ€™s. Next his body grows in girth. His feet also increase in size, spanning out much wider than normal. Finally he grows bouts of hair in his chest and calf areas. This half man, half bird, half beast look is an unsettling one to be sure, but it can also be seen as beautiful.<br/><br/>Holding much respect for his kind, the few that he has met, Akio likes to think that because of their differences, they can all be thought of as beautiful in their own right. The odd thing was, is that you never fully transformed. You always had some human left in you. But it was a known fact: the angrier a shape shifter becomes, the more heavily their transformation and the less docile they become.<br/><br/>This was his overlying concern in his sister. She was too young. Too inexperienced. At times he thought himself a hypocrite. All the time, out of necessity, Akio would hunt for them so they had food, a shelter, someplace to go. If they kept at least a little semblance of normal about them, they would alright. Just fine like their mother had told them...<br/><br/>"Hey--! Ack, watch w'ere ye goin'!"<br/><br/>Akio was immediately jarred out of his thoughts. He had just run into a man. One of portly stature, even with all the extra blood he had to contaminate he had still managed to get drunk off his rocker.<br/><br/>"I'm sorry..." He responded meekly. The last thing he needed was another scene...<br/><br/>"You shoulda been mor' careful! I almost lost mah 'ead!" Akio choose not to respond. Had he not have done so, his ensuing nights wouldn't have taken such a horrible turn for the worse. But then again, he wouldn't have made such a trustworthy friend.<br/><br/>"'Ey I'm talkin' ta you! Didn' your parents teach joo any mannerz?!"<span style="font-style: italic">Crap!</span>That was a nerve, and Akio felt it. No one talked about his parents. They knew nothing. They couldnâ€™t. Nothing of the pain that could come from such a lossâ€¦such a need.<br/><br/>"Wah don't cha go on 'ome to your mommi, n' ah won't lah you down flat on dis 'ere concrete!" His blood was racing harder now. This man deserved whatever was coming to him. If his sister wanted to jump in now and go nuts, he probably wouldn't stop her. As it was, Akio's robe began to pull out. His back shoulder blade was rising. He turned round to face the man, the accuser who dared speak out against him in his ignorance. His wing was pushing now. He couldn't feel his tail or any fur just yet; the wings were always the first. It was a good thing to always wear sleeveless outfits with open flaps in the back. Akio knew it would only take one more little push.<br/><br/>"Oh! So nao your sum kinda tough guy? Well c'mere you filth!" Akio's wing right wing jut out of his back, instantly filling the tiny space of the alley. Bystanders who had begun watching backed away in mixed emotions of shock and fear; some even in disgust. But his full attention was focused on the real filth before him.<br/><br/>"What is your name drunkard?" Akio asked, bending his right wing slowly forward, pointing it at the man's wretched heart. "I want to know so that when I kill you, I'll be able to savour the feeling it brings me." Somehow in his drunken stupour the man felt the meaning pull through. He understood his situation, barely, and due to his dulled senses didn't have the time to really react or beg for mercy. Akio wasn't going to miss it. His wing drew back in preparation for the strike. He knew that the muscle and bone behind the force of his jab would be more than ample to tear through the soft flesh and sinew of this thing in his eyes. Besides, shape shifter bones were made of stronger stuff. Akio plunged his weapon forward for the kill.<br/><br/>"You idiot!" Shouted a voice. Akio was stunned that his force was stopped. He turned slowly to his left, to see Mae also partially transformed, and a seemingly soft monkey tail wrapped around the better half of his wing. Taken aback was putting it lightly. He was always preaching control to his sister, now that she had broken through his rage; he was fully expecting an earful later. "How can you do this to us? Are you trying to get us exposed?!" Akio was far beyond words. He tried to make a sound, but all he heard and felt was the slightly uncomfortable feeling of his wing slinking back into his body. "Common!" she half shouted, "Let's go." Then they were in the air, hoisted aloft by Mae's steadily developing wings.<br/><br/>"What were you thinking brother? That was a terrible thing to do!"<br/><br/>"You're right" Akio responded back quietly. It was all he could manage in his slowly recovering state of surprise. "Next time it won't happen again."<br/><br/>"I'll say!" Mae began to counter. "There's no way I'm letting you fight off tubby next time by yourself! He mustâ€™ve done something pretty rash to piss you off."<br/><br/>"Yeah...we'll talk about this later. For now, why don't you just drop us off in the woods over there. He pointed to a stretch of trees nearly below them. Akio and Mae began their quickened descent down back to the earth. At the precise moment, Mae 'sheathed' her wings giving them both a soft touch down. The muted thud on the slightly dampened forest soil told Akio he was home.<br/><br/>He had wondered why his surroundings looked jarringly familiar. It was their home; Mae must have gone off in that direction on instinct when she fled the scene of his crime. Now he just hoped no one had spotted or seen them. "You're gonna have to explain to me pretty soon bro whatever that guy did...cause if I have to turn back around for--"<br/><br/>"Shh!" Akio cut her off. Something wasn't right; he could feel something out of place. Not only that, but there was an odd feeling he was getting. One he didn't experience often. They were being watched.