Along the desolate stretch of wasteland which spanned either side of the deep gorge known as the Grand Canyon few things of interest could be seen. The areas only natural source of moisture had long since abandoned this level of elevation when it ate a path through the surprisingly permeable rock bed below it. The lack of moisture meant that little, if any vegetation grew in this area, and so many tourists avoided the place, seeking other, more comfortable areas from which to view one of the planets greatest natural marvels. However despite these rather harsh conditions one determined plant had managed to stake its claim in the barren soil and leech out an existence from the intermittent rainfall. The tree also provided a suitable measure of cover from the suns intense noonday rays and it was for this reason that Simon had designated the area as his temporary recuperation point as he sought to cool down and wait out the almost suffocating heat.

So it was that Zephyr could be found perched upon a jutting outcrop of rock on the fifth day of his long overdue vacation, his azure orbs sweeping slowly back and forth as he committed the sight of this seemingly boundless abyss to memory. After being surrounded for so long by the countless pillars of steel and concrete that most would call a city the elemental had become swept up in the desire to be constantly active, to rush from one place to the next without goal or purpose completely consumed by the frantic aura exuded from the metropolis’s innumerable residents. The vast open space of the scene before him now though induced a sense of calm in the elementals mind, allowing his body to relax and release the tension it had slowly been accumulating. He had nowhere to go and nothing to do, even his vampiric employer would not be disturbing him this day for the elemental had left the annoying chronometer and communication device in a hotel safe some fifty miles from his current position. Hunter might disapprove of the action but for all Zephyr cared the immortal could go hang himself, he refused to be bothered by the mans trivial concerns and assignments for at least the rest of the week.

‘A true work of art’ Zephyr mused as he gazed down into the canyons unfathomable depths and focused upon the minute blue ribbon which meandered it’s way through the formidable stone wall encaging it. The thought that such a seemingly insignificant force of nature was capable of wearing down and eroding the stereotypically durable element of stone still filled the young mans mind with a sense of awe. He knew how the process worked of course; his father had spared no expense on the tutors entrusted with his education, but still his knowledge could not take away from the appreciation he felt for this natural wonder. ‘The elements truly are a force to be reckoned with’ he thought with a wry smile as the surrounding air picked up just slightly and crafted a gentle breeze into being.

Unfortunately the merc’s moment of relaxation did not last long; even under the cool shade cast by the solitary tree the heat of the day was still unpleasant. Admittedly the elemental could easily dismiss the discomfort he was currently experiencing by crafting a simple breeze he chose to instead take it as a sign that he was to move on and so after a habitual, yet unneeded glance at his surroundings Simon swung his legs over the edge of the cliff and pitched his entire form out into the yawning chasm below, permitting himself to enjoy the sensation of freefalling as he aimed his body towards the rapidly widening sapphire ribbon far below him.

Chilla sat in the cave that she had was living in thinking to herself. "It's about time for lunch" Looking around her to see what food stores she had left and finding none she sighed. "I'll have to hunt for my food again" No sooner had she thought this that what appeared to be a mans body went flying past the mouth of her cave... well maybe flying wasn't the right word for it... since her cave was 5000 ft in the air with a straight drop to the bottom of the canyon.

"Another jumper" Chilla thought to herself, "that’s the 3rd one this week." Chilla didn't mind much of course, since she raided the bodies for what ever cash of valuables might have been on them. Living out here on her own was tough and with out a job or anyone willing to hire her, money was very hard to come by.

Changing into her animal form, which looked like a cross between and snow leopard and an eagle, Chilla walked over the mouth of the cave and looked around for the body that should have been below her. However the body was nowhere to be seen. "I guess I'll have to hunt for my food after all." With that thought Chilla threw herself into the air and after free falling for a few seconds spread her wings soaring off in search of food.

As he continued to plummet towards the base of the canyon Simon closed his eyes and drew a deep breath as he enjoyed the adrenaline rush that was currently coursing through his system. He couldn’t remembered the last time he’d done this, certainly it hadn’t been in the city, there were far too many who might catch glimpse and mistaken identify his actions as suicide and while it might have been entertaining to have the authorities searching for a non existent corpse he really didn’t want any unnecessary attention. Now though the probability that he was spotted was so close to zero it didn’t even bear thinking about, he could relax and possibly even enjoy himself.

With the ground below enlarging at a rapid rate as it sought to meet him the elemental eventually redirected his thoughts away from the sense of exhilaration such an experience granted him and focused upon more pressing matters. Straightening his figure so that he was now diving towards the ground head first like a javelin Simon opened his eyes to mere slits as he watched the rushing rapids of the river below zoom up to meet him. In the last moment before contact and what would have surely been a bloody end the merc twisted and swiftly performed a front flip so the soles of his feet faced the fast moving current, the instant this simple action had been completed the surrounding air immediately condensed to the point where it became almost solid leaving it’s master frozen a hairs breath above the rivers icy current without causing a single ripple, which gave the young man no small sense of satisfaction.

‘It worked’ the simple thought caused the merest hint of a smirk haunted his features; ever since his foolish escapade with Trista not two weeks ago Zephyr had been replaying the event over in his mind repeatedly, determined to find something positive about his ill thought out actions. Ironically enough the silver lining to this metaphorical cloud had come from the little thief herself; the abnormal prison she had managed to create out of desperation opened a completely new avenue of possibilities for the elementals talents. He had at first attempted to duplicate Trista’s actions exactly; extending his focus to each individual atom and commanding it to halt, however he had met with precious little success in that field for although his control was near impeccable it was still not quite at the point where he could affect mass amounts of air at the sub atomic level. The merc had little doubt though that sufficient practice in the future would grant him the mastery he needed.

Zephyr had not simply halted at trying to imitate the girls attack though, when his initial attempts had failed he had gone back to the proverbial drawing board and racked his mind in search of some other method to replicate Ms. Evans results. The answer had been surprising simple; by forcing air into a limited space and compressing it to the point where it could no longer move the various gases which comprised air took on the physical characteristics of a solid. Needlessly to say this gave the merc a wide number of new possibilities for both defense and attack as well as movement, however at the moment his mastery of this new skill was not quite up to par and he was utilizing every opportunity available to practice with it.

After a time when Simon had finished admiring the clarity of the water below him he decided that it would be prudent to begin moving once more, he only had a few days left after all and he wished to see as much of this geological marvel as possible. Focusing his thoughts upon his element he carefully grasped a multitude of nearby molecules and shifted them below his feet before slowly compressing them as densely as possible, in affect creating an invisible which led to dry ground and giving the mercenary the illusion that he was walking on water like some religious prophet, Zephyr chuckled at the notion as he reach the dry bank which encased the river and began exploring the canyon once more.

((OOC: Just as a heads up I have exams on Monday with another on Tuesday and they will consumed most of my spare time, so I may not be able to make another response until Wednesday.))

Flying over the river Chilla though she was seeing things... There was a man walking on water. Sure that she was wrong but unable to resist the urge to look back she looked again. Sure enough the man was on the river bank. Still... maybe she should check it out. So she flew over and landed in front of the man. Chilla wasn't sure , but she felt a conection to this man... that he was like her and had special powers...

Sitting down in front of the man she just stared at him... puzzled by his presence. Was he really like her she didn't know, but she was determined to find out

Strolling leisurely along the embankment which housed the swiftly flowing current beside him Simon’s mind slowly began to wander as he became immersed in the calming sound of the river. The elementals breaths became deeper and occurred less frequently causing his heart rate to reduce considerably, his azure eyes; normally sharp and calculating, lost a portion of their focus as the pupils enlarged to compensate for the shade of the canyon and the corners of his mouth lifted to construct an easily observable expression of contentment.

As he gazed up at the towering walls on either side of him Simon found himself noting a new feature he had somehow failed to notice earlier. The rock face of the canyon was not a single constant tone of red as some might expect, instead shade shifted subtly the higher one glanced and occasionally a belt of dark gray would coat the stone signifying an area where the composition of the bedrock had differed from the usual mass creating something known as a strata or to put it simply a layer. It was certainly a unique sight and it was one the elemental relished as gradually began to round a bend in the river. This was a natural feature that had existed for centuries yet it was never the same sight each time; the river rushing beside him made certain of that as it constantly ate away the rock below it and carried off debris to keep it company until it finally reached the end of it’s journey.

It was in the midst of these observations that a shadow passed abruptly overhead; deepening the natural shade of the gorge for but an instant, yet it was enough to shatter the mercenary’s relaxed, almost daydream like state and revert back to his previous persona. Snapping his head upwards towards the direction of the disturbance Zephyr’s ice cold orbs swiftly locked upon the source of this unpleasant interruption and for a moment the merc’s eyes widened in surprise before narrowing in annoyance as he took in the sight before him; a leopard… with wings.

Time seemed to standstill as Zephyr remained completely motionless and stared at the mutant before him with a deadpan expression, if this creature was Hunters method of contacting him then the elemental would not be impressed. The vampire had presented no argument when Simon had informed that he planned to take a leave of absence and had even agreed not to disturb him during that time. If the immortal was going back on his word so soon it showed he relied on the mercenary too greatly and consequently meant that Zephyr would be requesting another rise in his salary. Unfortunately though Hunter was not as moronic as some of the elementals previous employers and so the chances the man would pull something like were slim indeed.

So if one were to follow that train of thought to its logical conclusion it meant that the shapes shifting mutant in front of him just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. While this was admittedly annoying it did not warrant the energy required to perform an immediate execution. Still if this disturbance had occurred a week ago the feline would already be dead, however as it was the elementals brief holiday thus far had managed to restore him to a more tranquil state of mind, allowing him to tolerate this unscheduled interruption, however that didn’t mean he enjoyed it. This vacation was his time to relax, to relieve stress and forget about everything he had to deal with in the city. It was meant to be a calm and peaceful time where he could be alone with his thoughts and enjoy relative isolation, stumbling across some type of shape shifting mutant who seemed desperate for attention was not part of the plan and Zephyr had no intention of deviating from said plan and so after conjuring a light breeze he took the most logical course of action available to him, namely turning around and walking away.

Chilla sat and watched the man walk away, puzzled by the mans starnge reaction. He did not seem to fear her like everyother person she had apeared to, more to it he seemed anoyed. Also he looked like the man she had seen falling past her cave. If he was, how did he survive the fall? Chilla studied the man for a minute. He didn't seem armed, so he probably wouldnt hurt her.

Chilla's stomach growled. It was definatly closed to dinner time. Chilla looked at the man. He didn't seem to have any provisions on him. Maybe the man was hungry too. She could easly catch something big enough, or enough fish for the two of them. "Are you hungry ?" Chilla asked

Zephyr form paused for a moment as his mind not only processed the leopards words but also the fact that the creature was capable of speech. He shouldn’t have been surprised really, it was clear that the thing was a mutant and mutants were generally capable of speech, it was just that the idea of an animal being able to utilize it’s vocal chords in such a manner that they could enunciate well enough to replicate human speech just seemed… wrong.

Dismissing such trivial thoughts from his mind the elemental slowly pivoted on his right foot as he turned to face the bothersome mutant with a blank stare. It seemed as though this one was somewhat lacking with regards to intelligence. Zephyr’s actions should have told the animal all it needed to know; he no longer wished to associate himself with creature, why else would he be walking away? However as this particular individual was oblivious to such body language he would spell out his current intentions.

“If you are seeking company I suggest you do so elsewhere, I have no interest in associating myself with you any further.” The mercs voice was a simple monotone that gave away nothing about his emotions or thoughts and was neither hostile nor affable at the moment.

Without waiting for any type of response Zephyr once more turned his back on this latest irritation and attempted to resume enjoying what was left of his vacation. If the foolish creature chose not to heed his words it would soon discover that this young man was much more than what he seemed.

"How rude" Chilla thought out loud, "a simple yes or no would have sufficed.” Chilla turned to go with the indignant air that only a cat can give. Unbeknownst to the young man, Chilla walked to the river and sat for a moment. She then caught a fish and turning back to human form Chilla threw the fish at the man’s head and waited for him to turn around. Chilla then grew her wings while in human form and flew away.

Continuing his steady and seemingly idle stroll away from the annoying creature Zephyr kept his thought attuned to the natural flow of the breeze he had created a few moments before. Although he was not in the mood to conduct further discussion with one of his own kind his was neither foolish nor suicidal; one did not simply turn their backs on a feral beast and expect to leave the scene unscathed. While this scenario was somewhat unique due to the fact that there was supposedly a human conscious dictating the actions of the animal in his wake the merc was not one to take unnecessary risks.

So when the shifter chose to indulge its childish act and launched the improvised missile the elemental became aware of the projectile the moment it disturbed the airs natural flow, which was roughly the moment the fish left the animals immediate vicinity.

The merc initial response upon discovering the incoming projectile was not to scowl or glare, for that would have meant the creatures antics had succeeded in annoying him, and that most certainly was not the case, no the elementals only physical reaction was to simply roll his eyes in boredom. This was precisely why he had chosen to walk away; the creatures level of maturity, and most likely its intelligence, was clearly below par with his own, nothing productive would come of further association. Still he decided to be somewhat practical about the circumstances and so he restrained the urge to simply reduce the fish to a crimson mist with sharpened gale instead opted to once again practice his latest technique, nimbly grasping the surrounding gases and bending them to his will as he applied pressure to the mass of molecules and compressed them to the such a point that they lost their freedom of movement and took on the properties of a more solid substance.

The task was not truly difficult; it merely required that one maintain a certain level of concentration and since all he was doing was gaining hold of the air and containing it in a compressed space the process took less than a second to complete. So before the projectile was halfway through its predetermined trajectory an the elemental had already been constructed his defenses which easily took the brunt of the laughable projectile, leaving the fish to fall silently to the ground where it flopped pathetically for a few seconds before finding it’s way back the river.

To the immature leoeagle whom was responsible for the childish act it would seem as though the fish had encountered some invisible before being dismissed back to its aquatic habitat.

With the creatures childish actions no longer a threat Zephyr continued his languid stroll through the canyon. He did not deign send a glance in the creatures direction for there would have been little point, however as he walked away a faint murmur carried audibly over the wind.

“…and you say I’m rude”

It was about a half hour later that Chilla was thinkin that just maybe she shouldn't have thrown the fish. I had been a childish gesture and one could be prone to childish thoughts... one should not act them out. She had long since changed compleatly back to human form and caught dinner.

"Oh well" sighed Chilla stareing into the fire that she had made to cook the six fish she had caught. She had done this about five miles upstream in the direction that the man had been walking. Maybe if the man made it up this way in time for the fish to be done she could offer one to him and apologuise for throwing one at him.

As the sun gradually traveled to its final destination over the horizon the depths of the canyon entered that period of time known as dusk. The ever present shadows within the chasm had lengthened to cover both of the vast walls and had transmuted the rushing river to darkened flickering shadow which released a constant hiss like that of a giant snake, warning travelers of it’s presence lest they inadvertently place a foot out of line.

Such an occurrence was of no concern to Zephyr though; by simply listening to the gentle murmurs of a tender breeze he was able to paint a somewhat vivid picture of the shadowed landscape before him and therefore avoid any such unpleasant surprises. Now that the sun light no longer reached into the depths of the canyon the little heat the river once carried had been completely stripped away. This left the water temperature at just slightly above freezing and as much as the merc enjoyed swimming he doubted that immersing himself in the chilling current to his left would be overly beneficial to his present state of health. He would simply have to be content to continue his idle wanderings, however as his breath began to mist before his eyes the elemental accepted the fact that he would not be able to continue his simple journey for much longer, already with the absence of sunlight he could feel a pervading chill cover his form and unfortunately his gift could do nothing to halt its advance.

‘I’ll have to turn back soon.’ The thought was accompanied by a mild sensation of disappointment; even in the darkness the gorge was capable of maintain it’s calming effect over the elemental and it was a sensation the young man still thoroughly enjoyed and would prolong if possible. ‘perhaps the acquisition of some select camping materials would not be amiss in the near future’ he mused silently as his hands were placed within the pocket if his jacket in an attempt to retain what little heat his digits still had.

A sudden flicker of light in the distance caught the merc attention, swiftly focusing his gaze on the source of this illumination his azure eyes caught the familiar movement of dancing flames associated with any type of controlled blaze. Understandably curious as to the purpose of the fire and with little better to do at the moment Zephyr approached with silent steps. As the elemental closed in the aroma of grilled fish was brought to his attention and he wondered who would have chosen to dine at such a location however his mind swiftly answered its own query by recalling his encounter with the shifter little under an hour ago.

“Persistent aren’t you?” he stated monotonously as he stepped into the fires circle of light. He said no more than that for he was still not inclined to waste his words on some erratic stranger.

Chilla looked up as the man approached. “No I was hungry," Chilla stated. Chilla poked on of the fish and seeing that it was done took a large bite of it. "There's plenty here if you want one" Chilla told the man. "Anyway I live here so I consider you the persistent one. No one but you has even stayed near this place after seeing me. I don’t know why, I don’t look that scary..." Chilla trailed off lost in thought. Who was this man and why after seeing her did he stay around, was he the man that had jumped from the cliff earlier and if he was how did he survive the fall? If he truly was that man he could prove to be a very dangerous foe. 'I must find out what his intentions are' Chilla thought to herself.

"My name is Chilla. What is yours?" Chilla asked the man hoping to start a somewhat intelligent conversation in her goal to find out about this man. Was he one of her fathers men sent to find her and bring her back to him? If that turned out to be the case she would have no choice but to fight and then flee from this place. But first she must deal with this man. Chilla eyed the man carefully, searching for any weapons that he might be carrying as she waited for the man’s answer.

As the woman gave her impertinent reply Zephyr expression of cold indifference was shattered slightly as a hint of amusement entered his azure eyes as he leaned against the cliff wall and he stared at his current companion through the dancing flames. Although the shifter was clearly a few years his senior her current demeanor put the elemental in mind of a sulking child determined to have its way. The woman’s apparent naivety was also similar to that of child; for if she truly could not understand why the majority of society would flee at the site of her transformed state then she had either been living in exile for the past twenty years or her mental growth had been stunted at an early age, as he examined the woman more closely Simon found that he would not have been surprised if one or both of his assumptions held true.

Beginning simply with external appearances it was clear to all that the woman had been absent from civilization from some length of time; her hair was a dirt encrusted mass of fibres which hung down from her shoulders in disarray. The woman’s skin had also suffered a similar fate and her bar arms and legs revealed aged scars hinting at violent past. Moving onwards to the shifters current apparel, or more appropriately the lack of it, Simon found himself thanking the fact that he had never been one to be controlled by his hormones. The reason for this was that the minute amount of cloth which covered the shifters bare form would not have been considered decent anywhere except a red light district and even that would have been a stretch, for a teenager such a site would normally have been… distracting to say the least.

Still it seemed as though the woman herself had no qualms about her current appearance for she sat quite comfortably with her legs crossed in front of the fire as she gauged the slowly roasting fish. The obvious conclusion one would draw from this was that the shifter had been living on her own for so long that she no longer held any concept of modesty, either that or the woman was deliberately attempting to distract him, once again neither option would have surprised the elemental, however he did not dwell on the thought and instead turned his mind back to the shifters previous comment as he sought for some reply.

“Seeing that you do not actually own this stretch of land I think it would be more accurate to say you are squatting” he began in a matter of fact tone of voice, “Taking that into account I would consider beneficial that most of the population are in fear of your bestial form, if it became known that a mutant had taken up residence here it would start up a witch hunt like no other.”

Bringing his dialogue to an end the merc found his eyes being drawn towards the last source of illumination in the dying sun light. Settling his azure gaze on the flickering flames Simon allowed himself to enjoy the heat such a blaze provided. Under normal circumstances he would not have been as brash as he had so far, however he was still somewhat annoyed about having his recreational excursion interrupted yet he made no move to remove himself from his current company. The fire was warm after all and he still did not wish an area of such beauty just yet.

"My name is Chilla. What is yours?"[/b]

Roused from his internal machinations the elemental glanced back up at the woman who had so boldly declared herself before lowering gaze back the fire, why couldn’t this Chilla simply be content to leave things in silence? However if he did not give some reply he was in no doubt that some other outburst would follow and so with an evident air of disinterest the elemental gaze his reply, all the while keeping his azure eyes focused on the blaze which rested between them.

“Do you think it incredibly wise to give your name to someone whom you nothing about? For all you know I was sent here to kill you”

--

((OOC: My apologies for taking so long to reply, real life has become something of hassle for me at the moment and I find myself with less and less time to RP, however I will endeavor to not allow such a lag to occur again without giving you some advanced warning.))

… “For all you know I was sent here to kill you” Chilla jumped up at these words and transformed into her form that she used for fighting. Now she had wings, tail, and four inch claws on her hands and feet, as well as a full set of large feline teeth. Settling into a fighting-defense stance Chilla glared down at the probably now more than shocked man. It wouldn’t be the first time someone had tried to kill her.

Truth was Chilla was tired of people trying to kill her. For the last fifteen years she had been running from those who have tried. At first she had just run from them. Now she had killed the last five assassins that had been sent her way, always moving to a new remote place afterwards. Thus how she came to be in the Grand Canyon.

This man was different though, he had yet to attack her. And now he seemed to be warning her. Chilla was curious of this mans intentions. If he truly meant to try and kill her, Chilla was more than ready to fight back. Otherwise she would let the man go. True, though Chilla was just a nickname and the man didn’t know who she truly was… Either way now it meant she could no longer stay where she was.

“If you’re going to try than get on with it, but I warn you… it hasn’t gone well for everyone else who has tried. It went really bad for the last five.”

Catching the woman’s rather suspicious reaction from the very edges of his peripheral vision Zephyr’s brow raised in curiosity and he focused his azure gaze upon the shifter just in time to witness her transformation. It was a fascinating process really; watching ivory fur spread rapidly across the woman’s bare form while her obsidian hair retreated back into her skull and her skin stretched as her limbs distort themselves into a completely new shape, the final product being of course the same winged snow leopard he had encountered previously, the only difference being that it was now bearing its fangs and claws for the world to see and had its muscles tensed in the classic fight or flight position.

“If you’re going to try than get on with it, but I warn you… it hasn’t gone well for everyone else who has tried. It went really bad for the last five.”

Zephyr released another sigh as he took in the leopards words, combat was the last thing on his mind right now and so unless the shifter did something monumentally stupid there would be no physical confrontation. It wasn’t just that the elemental wasn’t in the right mood for battle, it was the fact that whenever he did willfully engage in combat he preferred to have an opponent who could challenge him; he saw little chance of that happening here.

Sliding down the earthen wall Zephyr crouched down on the dirt floor with his legs stretched out in front of him, he did this mainly to rest his legs after walking most of the day but also partially to dismiss any kind of threatening air the shifter might believe him to have and convince her that combat at this time would be pointless.

“You are taking my words too literally. I was only stating a hypothetical scenario, I have no intention of fighting you this point in time. However I must question what you could have done to warrant so many attempts on your life.”