Mordecai, at this point, shook off his wolf skin. He then gently took Adlaide's hand, and led her to the nearby creek. There was one that ran near to the cave, and he wanted to show her something anyway. "Tell me...what are the tales of wolf-folk on your planet? I heard the doctor say some strange things of them..." Here, they were more feral in form, but big and stocky, much like a horse. Females were more graceful in features than males, but some males, like Mordecai, were known to have more agile and graceful frames.

James couldn't tell what was going on, to be exact. All he knew was that his vision was blurring and fading. All he could hear now was the extreme thump of his heartbeat in his ears. It felt, sounded, as if the organ was going to burst. A sharp hiss was given, his muscles tensing. The shift definitely didn't wait long, either, and neither was it pretty.... Human clothes from earth were not quite as durable, nor magically enchanted like elvish clothes. That was why the cloak would be a necessity. Whereas Ngea and Mordecai were more feral of frame, James himself was not. There were many different types of werewolves, but he was the taller, bipedal wolf kind.

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"There are. The stories aren't very nice most of them, they are called werewolves at home. Or were... I don't know anymore..." She fell quiet for a moment before delving into the information she had stowed away in her brain. "The stories all tell of half men half wolf monsters hunting and killing mercilessly." She paused again then looked at Mordecai her eyes glint with something like worry. "He's one of you now, but what does that mean?"

Ngea tipped her head to one side. "Oh, your one of those guys." Her ear tip flicked the very second before she bounced forwards swinging the cape around James shoulders. It was quite the feet, but she achieved it easily by using the rocky sides of the cavern.
She landed once more in front of him, poised in a stance similar to that of a cat. She looked up at him and raised her brows. "You'd better say something now. My first word as a wolf-folk was something like a bark, but I have a feeling you might actually be able to say something right away. But take your time, don't just sputter out the first thing that comes to mind. It'll save you from a good tease later." For now she'd stay in this wolfish form and try to keep James calm for now.

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"He's not one of us, but he is. In a sense, he is still a part of you. He is still with you, still your brother. What title means is he is just closer to nature. His values will not change, miss. I... Oh, my. What is your name? Forgive me for my manners... Wolf-folk usually just greet one another with a howl. I'm Mordecai."

Speak? Oh dear Lord. James tried to stagger about, but he couldn't get on his feet enough. There was no balance. Words... Words... How could he? Oh goodness. What'd they do to him?! He was different. He felt different! A good thing he was still himself. Most lost themselves... "I... What...?" What'd they do to him!?

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"I'm Adlaide." She glanced away, so he was just closer to nature? That sounded... weird? insane? Several words slid into place but were quickly discarded. No not weird, she just hoped James would be okay with the whole entire thing. She had little doubt that suddenly turning into a werewolf would be weird.

Ngea's ears pricked. "Ehh. I'll take it. Be careful, and don't step on your tail." While staggering about somehow her tail had ended up under his foot. She gave a yelp. "You clumsy oaf!" She spun around and rammed into him, forcing him to sit. "Stay there for a second till you get your wits back." She muttered turning to examine her tail. It wasn't broken thank goodness, but it would be hurting for a while.
She turned back to look at him, her expression serious. She sank down on her haunches, eyes flickering over him once. "Now, try again. Speak. But try and say something intelligent, or ask a reasonable question." Well he hadn't gone crazy, but he had still injured someone. She pulled her tail about with one paw, patting it to make absolute certain there were no breaks anywhere.

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(.... Lol, they are definitely adorable. XD I love this. If it wasn't so sad at the same time. I'll post momentarily. Helping mom with supper.)

Mordecai sighed softly then, rubbed his face a bit. "The truth is, wolf-folk are misjudged and often hunted down and killed. There's not very many of us left out here in these parts. Ngea and I hide in the shadows often, due to the fact we do look vastly different from others. It's not hard to tell who a wolf-folk is, so we need to watch our steps. We are just like the people here, and only the elvish people understand that. This world, this planet... It is an entire system based off of symbiosis. We all take what we need, and nothing more. We give, we share...but something has tipped that balance. You saw the dark shadows, did you not? THey are...they are something else entirely...a danger even to us."

James gave a grunt at being forced to suddenly sit. He was highly unbalanced, but now that he was forced down? He actually had a moment to look himself over. He was a rather beautiful golden colored wolf with cream and fall colors mixed in. Ears flattened as he did so, glancing from himself to Ngea, and back again. WHy did he look so different...?

"I... Sorry..." he mumbled then. The words were grated, harsh. Goodness, how did this mouth function?

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"But why are we so important? People have gone to awfully extreme measures to make sure we live a little longer. Sure I appreciate it, but they've died to keep us safe. Why? And those shadows, do you think it's our fault? Please don't sugar coat the answers, I just want a down to earth answer." Adlaide had been pondering this for a very long time, each word she spoke was true, at least in her eyes. Why were people dying to save the two puny humans that arrived in such a unceremonious way? If it was their fault the shadows were here, Adlaide sure did want to help find away to get rid of the terrible things.

Ngea continued to stare into his face. "Apology accepted." She flicked one ear. Her expression changed in the slightest, as though she were deciding whether to tell him kindly what had happened or just throw it out in the open. When she decided she stood slowly to her paws and narrowed her wolfish eyes into a unsettling glare. "You are now what your people call a werewolf, or in our terms a wolf-folk. The infection in your system would have killed you otherwise. You've grown in size, weight, and you're hunger has grown also. Some days you will hardly be able to satiate that hunger, but that's alright. A little pain every now and then keeps a person sharp. In the next few days you will struggle terribly, it is hard to change, you will ask yourself why we saved you and why we didn't just let you die. When you ask those questions I want you to think of Adlaide your sister." She paused letting her words sink in before continuing not hardly giving him the time to speak. "Eventually you'll be able to shift between your two forms with hardly a thought. First step in trying to get back to your original form is learning how to speak and walk. Once you can do that you're set to try and shift. The sooner that happens, the easier it will be to find you a pair of clothing that will fit you in both forms." All through this speech she had started leaning forwards, her eyes driving like nails into James eyes. Only when she was done speaking did she sit back, her tail curling confidently around her paws.

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Mordecai was silent a few moments, thinking on the questions that had been asked of him. Instead of answering her first one, he chose to answer about the shadows, first. "These shadows... Legends have been passed down since time began here on our world of a hungry darkness that devours all life in its path. The shadows are merely its pawns, its mercenaries, so to speak. They come about, as legends say, only during times of great distress. Recently, war broke out between our kingdom, and that of a neighboring kingdom. Ever since, blood had been shed, and the shadows took advantage of it...

"Why are you so important, you ask? Because a different legend was also born from these stories... We thought that the last man who came here on a metal fireball was supposed to be the one to push back the darkness, so when he left..." He sighed then, shook his head. "You two are the only hope we've got right now..."

James had found himself leaning back at this, ears flattened and eyes widened. Boy, Ngea sure could be dominant when she wanted to be... Then again, she'd been a wolf for longer than he had. He'd been oen for...all of two minutes, and he'd already managed to step on her tail. But dying...? How on earth had he been dying? It was just a fever that he'd had...wasn't it? It was hard to admit, but he did feel ten times better...his arm included, though the once broken wrist was a little thicker than the other. Whoops... Ah, well. Not all healing was perfect when bitten. Mordecai had taken a risk when he'd done it, knowing the bones would have broken worse, or healed in a strange way. All James could do at this point, though, was just nod.

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Adlaide looked down, absorbing the information slowly. She was quiet for what seemed like a long while, but in reality had only been a few seconds. "Well then. I don't know about James but I think I can safely say for the both of us, we'll try our best not to disappoint you. But I will request of you one or two things, first off... I'd really like to figure out how in the world to defend myself. You guys are great and all, but you're getting hurt on my behalf. It's probably be best if you two live through this thing to help your people. Two? Well, in short don't judge a book by it's cover." She wasn't certain Mordecai would understand the terminology, but she would be happy to tell him of her favorite term.

Ngea stood again motioning for James to do so himself. "Stand up slowly, try to get a feel for your new point of balance. You've got a tail behind you to help you balance, don't be afraid to use it. Rather, no, don't stand up... stay sitting and just figure out how to work your tail." She gave a wolfish smile. She remembered when she'd first saw her tail in wolf form, it had been... well it hadn't been a flattering moment. She'd chased it for, a hour or so? It had really helped her get a hold of all four limbs and her tail. In short she was hoping to trick James into trying to chase his tail. Stupid as it sounded it would sure fast track everything.

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(Big giant anthro wolf...chasing his tail... XD I can see this.)

That was honestly a term he didn't know, yes, but a brow rose at that. "One, you're not going to be able to defend yourself as is. Humans can be very fragile.... Two, I have no idea what that even means." But he had an idea. Mordecai, however, motioned for her to get into a fighting stance. Did she truly know nothing of self defense? For him, the best defense was a good offense. He was fast, quick, and agile, and he knew how to play to his strengths, and used his weaknesses as an advantage.

What? Did she want him to stand up? Or ... Wait, what?! He had a tail? He seriously had a tail... James just stared at it a few moments, before promptly poking it as a child would something new. It caused him to jump a little when the appendage opted to move of its own accord. At least, that was his current thinking in that manner.

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(His reaction. xD "Tail? I have a tail?")

"Fragile, sure. I agree with that." Adlaide replied. "What I mean by don't judge a book by it's cover is... well first of all we aren't all like china wear. Secondly, that legend may not mean exactly what it sounds like it means." She got into a fighting stance, her feet were spread fairly wide, a good stance which was strange for the avid book reader. Or perhaps it could be accounted to the books she read that she knew the stance.

Ngea watched him, somewhat amused. In her mind she was silently urging him to chase it... Her tail tip swayed slightly and she pricked her ears forwards earnestly. Watching his reaction she figured he might bounce around a few more times seeing his tail move. Maybe he might even chase it as she hoped.
"It might take a bit for you to figure out how to control it, the tail is a very strange thing. But once you get the hang of it your tail will know exactly what to do when you need it." She was very glad for a tail, it helped her in doing some of the crazy things she did. Like bounding up the wall in order to fling the cloak about James' shoulders. Her tail had been a huge help then.

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(Priceless.~)

"Ah... You mean the glassware. We don't have this...chinaware." Whatever it was, but it sounded like the glass they had here. Colors of all sorts. Mordecai, however, took to moving around Adlaide, and noted her stance. Not bad, for a bookworm. She looked like the sort that stuffed her nose into scrolls and read them all day long. "Alright. I want you to try and hit me," the man then stated.

The cloak was definitely a help to keep him warm... It had been a welcome relief, and was a comfort...a reminder that he was still, somewhere deep down, human. An ear flicked to what Ngea was saying, but it was obvious his mind was on his tail. Logically speaking, he knew why it was there and its purpose, but at the moment...logic was thrown out the window, in favor for a more puppy-like innocence. Brows furrowed, and, after a few moments of shaky limbs and plenty of floppy, he managed to get on his feet...hands included. Anthros were a strange breed, preferring the two legged approach for walking, but they could run on all fours, or even walk on them.

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"Hit you?" The only time she'd ever struck someone was for a high five or a teasing punch on the shoulder. Adlaide looked at him, her face scrunching up slightly. She was kindhearted, and didn't exactly want to hurt anyone, especially a new friend. She'd rather outsmart an enemy rather than go straight out and hit them.
Her face twisted up into a ridiculous expression, her silvery eyes flickering. "I read for a living, how am I supposed to just go out and hit someone."

Ngea held her breath, her yellow eyes sparkled brightly she leaned forwards. She nearly let out an eager whine but just barely held it in. He was still looking at his tail, and he had somehow gotten to his feet, er paws... paw-feet? She blinked her attention briefly snapping with the thought. Was it paws or feet? They looked kind of like feet, but also like paws.
Her lower jaw jutted out slightly as she followed the train of thought. While Ngea was patient as they come, she also was distracted by her thoughts somewhat easily. Normally they weren't completely stupid thoughts, like this thought about feet or... whatever they were.

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"Let me put it this way... Either you hit me, or I'll hit you. You never know what your enemy will do, therefore you must be prepared for all types of fighting. Either you put me on the defensive, or I'll do the same to you. I cannot teach you if I do not get a feel for your style."

There were several types, really... Some liked to wait and see what the opponent did, or others launched the attack first. He had to determine which style she would follow. The two main types had plenty of sub types.

It was hard to tell what they were. Paw-feet was not a bad term, though. His hands, though, were definitely hands. They had the pads and long, sharp claws upon the ends of the digits, but he had dexterous fingers, and a thumb. Limbs shook, though, and at this moment, he favored leaning upon his right arm. His left one was still far to sore and tender...the bones having been freshly healed.

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Ngea watched him carefully once more, her focusing snapping back into reality when she spotted his shaking limbs. He'd get it soon, he had too. Her dark frame settled down, laying near the smoldering fire to watch the new wolf-folk try out his limbs.

Adlaide shook her head. "Sounds like good times. Hit or be hit." The sarcasm in her tone was very thick and loud. She was just hoping to avoid being hit, and to not have to hit him at all. She'd read plenty about fighting techniques but she hadn't done much hard work. Sure she was weak, but sometimes that weakness could come as a strength of sorts.
Her anxiety to get this over with and to learn something could either be extremely bad or help her. Either way she had to take the steps to just hit him. Which felt just wrong.

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It took him a few moments, but he unsteadily managed to spin a decently full circle. That tail was just following him everywhere he went, and he wasn't sure how thrilled he was about that. What an evil tail it was... Especially when it wound up wapping his nose and made him sneeze. That had him falling on his rump, a shake of his head. That hadn't felt good. Ouch.

Mordecai sighed softly, shook his head. This wasn't going as planned...so he just simply shifted his own stance, enough that he crossed the distance swiftly, and aimed a hit to her chest. It would be nothing serious, just enough to knock her back some. He'd see her reaction to that, and could figure it out from there.

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