1 We Meet By Accident

I just don't understand how people can walk in the woods. It's so boring. Don't get me wrong I love the woods. But walking through it is a big no-no for me. The way I see it is the only way to travel through any type of forest is with the trees. And right now I was done with walking

Sighing I stood next to one of the trees(this one had caught my eye). Climbing up I started to feel more and more at ease. The trees are the only place(is it a place?) that makes me feel so at home. Finally reaching the top I stood on the branch that reached the farthest out.

Grinning I threw my arms out and jumped. I expertly dodged branches has I sought out a branch that could withstand my sudden weight. Let me tell you there is nothing that compares to this rush you get when you feel gravity pull you to such a life threatening fall. If I could smile wider I would, though that fact didn't keep me from trying. Seeing a branch that had the strength to hold me I grabbed it. Swinging I used my newly gained momentum and flung forward.

I repeated this process for about twenty minutes until I came across a strange scent. Normally this wouldn't bother me but sense I have been through these woods more times than I can count, and the scent was so sudden and strange that it made me stumble(well you can't really call it a stumble, I was in midair). I struggled to find a branch that I could grip, but I was falling fast and the branches became more and more like twigs. Let me tell you how glad I was that no one saw me falling from a tree. It would have been very embarrassing.

I braced myself as the ground grew closer. With a sudden thud I hit the ground and had the wind knocked out of me. Moving my limbs about I tested for any major damage. Coming up with none I relaxed on the forest floor.

"Hahahaha," Came a voice from....somewhere, "Do it again. That was funny!"

The voice continued to laugh. And this was the weird part: I couldn't figure out where the voice was coming from. Finding the direction of a voice is easy for any amateur. Today has been really degrading.

" You going to show yourself?"I asked the mysterious voice.

"Do you want me to?" Said the voice, "Though I have been in your line of sight this whole time. You just haven't looked."

As soon as the voice finished speaking the sickly sweet scent disappeared, along with a dark mist that I had failed to notice before. In their was place was a pure black cat that had placed itself on my chest. And you can imagine how freaky that was. It scared me so badly that I scrambled up and had pressed myself to the nearest tree. This sent the cat into a fit of laughter. Which sounded oddly like the laughter of that voice from earlier.

" These reactions you have are hilarious,but....." That same voice said. But this time I can see where the voice was coming from: the cat.

Not even letting itself finish it launched in my direction.

"Holy sh-" I began as I jumped out of the way, " You're a talking cat! "

Even has I said that I realized that it wasn't a cat, because when I next looked at him(or is it her?) he/she was transformed into some kind of best that largely resembles a panther but was twice has big as a house. When he/she had transformed multiple trees were knocked down so that what used to be a mile of forest was now a clearing.

" Don't call me something so derogating!" She shouted( I decided on it being a girl) has it swiped a paw at me, " I'm a shapeshifter, not some lame *** cat!"

" Well I wouldn't need to call you cat if you would give me your name!" I shouted.

After that remark the cat raised her paw to attack. Once the cat swiped at me I jumped on her paw(It was big enough that I had more than enough space to stand on). Running along it's leg I climbed on it's back. Traveling by crawl I made my way to it's neck. Even in a crawl I can move extremely fast so when I began close to her butt and her stomach I was at her neck in just a couple of seconds.

The shapeshifter tried to shift but was to slow, I was already pressing two if my knives to her neck. With only my limited information on shapeshifters even I know that not one shapeshifter would dare try to transform when a vital is in danger.

A low laugh vibrated out of the cat( cut me some slack I'm calling her cat because I still don't know her name). If I needed anymore proof of this being the same character that laughed at me falling out the tree, that need was gone. No one could forget such a weird sounding laugh. I don't know how to describe it except for any wind instrument playing a variety of notes in no particular order that's the way she laughed.

" You think a mere knife pressed against my neck will keep me from killing you?" The cat said, "You must be underestimating me."

And with that the cat shifted in to.... Something. When she shifted I was so focused on not falling on my bum that I missed the outcome of her shift.

What sort of shifter shifts when someone has a hold on one of their vitals? It's unheard of.

Grinning, I let myself have a little laugh. This shifter is insane.

"Hey shifter," I said to the air " how 'bout an offer?"

I expected the shifter to go off somewhere and not give my offer a second thought. So imagine my surprise when the shifter gave himself a physical shape( turns out he turned to black mist again) and looked at me expectantly.

"What's is this offer of yours?" The cat asked( it was a cat again).

"You don't have a master do you?" I asked, "I can tell by the way you refused to shift a lot. Don't want to use up that life force of your's do you? 'Cause you know that you'll die."

The cat rolled it's eyes, "Get to the point. "

"I'm getting there," I replied, " I could use a travel companion. And since not many can keep up with my speed..."

I trailed off letting the cat put two and two together.

"You want to become my master." The cat said

It wasn't a question so I didn't bother replying.

The cat thought about this for a second and then started sniffing me all over.

"Can you stop?" I asked, "This is weird."

" No," The cat answered, and then replied, "It might seem weird to a human mind so I'll explain. I am looking for any hidden motives."

Still sitting on the ground I let the cat sniff around for a few more minutes. Once she was finally finished she sat back.

"You're strange," The shifter started "Most humans would jump at the chance to force a shifter into fealty. But you..... You are quite different."

"Does that mean you agree?" I asked, allowing glimmer of hope to shine.

"I never said that." She started, "Do you know what it means to form a pact with a shifter? And I mean a real one."

" I'm aware. And also fully prepared for the price. The question is: Are you?"

This seemed to make the cat laugh. I was starting to like her laugh.

Without saying another word the cat reached her paw up to her left eye. Showing no lack of resolve she plunged her paw into her eye.

Letting only a hiss of pain escape throughout the whole ordeal she presented me her left eye(covered in a thick layer of blood).

"Ew gross." I said has I accepted her eye,"Welp down the you go. ". And I presided to swallow it.

Let me tell you there is nothing like the feeling of swallowing an eyeball. Before you go off saying ' What the h*ll is wrong with you thats gross!' Let me explain. When creating a pact with a shifter they have to give something to you. The more important that object, the stronger the pact. After you're given the object it has to be absorbed by you. It doesn't matter how it's absorbed it just has to be. Most people choose to have their magic consume it. But since I wasn't blessed with the gift of magic I had to use a different method: eating it.

"Mmm. Delicious" I said sarcastically. But just between you and me it tasted a lot like chicken. Once you get past all that blood.

"Cut the pleasantries," the cat said, though she had smiled, "You know how this goes: an eye for an eye."

This seemed to send the cat into yet another fit of laughter. But hey it was funny.

Bracing myself I used two of my fingers to carve out my eye. That **** hurt!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been three years since that incident. And me and Cat have become great friends. We work together for the good of all and we are held in high regards by the entire continent.

Kidding! Haha.

Just so you know this is what really happened:

I gave my eye to the cat. She then turned into that black mist thing. Using that form she absorbed my eye.

Weeks after that we gained the ability to see out of each others right eye by focusing on that blackhole of what used to be our left eyes.

Using our abilities we became assassins that will kill anyone for the right price. But just so we didn't feel too bad we gave half of our yearly earnings(which is more than enough to sustain the both if us for several years) to a different orphanage every year.

In doing this we earned the favor of the common citizen and the hatred of all blue bloods.

Also the cat has a name now: Lucia. Because her eye reminds me of the crescent moon, but calling her Luna would be lame.

That reminds me I have neglected to give you my name. My bad. My name is Merlin.