It had only been a few days since Amber's recent successful excursion to The Museum of Natural History in her pursuit of a new form to change into.  The Kaprosuchus, otherwise known as the Boar Crock, was over 3 meters long, weighed almost a full tonne and was said to be a solo nocturnal hunter similar to that modern day large cats.  In fact, all her research indicated it was something of a mix between a prehistoric crocodile and a large cat.  She was itching to try it out.

Of course, there were certain challenges to being a 10 ft prehistoric crocodile wandering around the streets of New York City.  Mainly: anyone who saw here was likely to panic and either try to kill her, run screaming in all directions and/or call some force to try and kill her.  Although she didn't always have a lot of respect or understanding of human convention, spending the night running from cops and meta bots just didn't sound like much of a good time.  

The only place large enough to experiment with her new body and the only place where such a body wasn't likely to cause mass panic was on Mansion grounds.  Even there, however, it really was best to try and wait for a time where there weren't too many people around.  Sure, all manner of mutants with all manner of bizarre and interesting powers were common there, but there was something primal about the fear that was felt in the fact of a nearly 2000 lb prehistoric predator, even if you did know it was probably just a shapeshifted mutant.

Finally, however, an opportunity presented itself.  It was evening, threatening rain and cool enough that most of those who preferred outside opted to be somewhere else.  Taking advantage of the relative lack of people, Amber removed her robes and set them under a tree.  She then walked into a clearing and triggered a shift, little caring if anyone saw her naked before changing shapes.  As always, sharp pain shot through her as bone and muscle warped and distorted and within less than a minute, girl was transformed into boar crock.

The strength in her limbs was immediately evident, incomparable to any other shape except, perhaps, the even larger styracosaurus.  The world lit with new and wonderful senses; superb hearing, sight and smell.  She growled and snapped clumsily at the air, trying out new vocal chords and new methods of movement.

Aoi was enjoying the evening air. It was cool and the sky threatened rain. Aoi had only been back from visiting her family for a few days and she was suprised at how much of the student body had changed both in the people and in some cases their powers. He rown had stayed largely the same though she was not sure weather it was because of her lack of practice with her power or if her powers would stay as they were. She hoped for the second, the last thing she wanted was a new extension of her power.

She was not looking where she was going, assuming she would be relatively alone on the grounds in this kind of weather. A growl however snapped her head to attention. The snaps in the air looked videos to Aoi who while having never seen a crocodile up close was pretty sure it did not belong here.

Aoi backed up, taking a quick step already feeling the panic in her building in response to her panic, fear and internal questioning. Aoi tried to calm herself telling herself this had to be a mutant. But it was so large and the teeth so long.

AOi felt herself lose the mental fight with her powers tied in auro on function that triggered when threats to her life appeared. While normally she could fight it, Aoi knew she was losing mental ground quickly.

Aoi felt herself grow more then doubling in height and putting on an impressive amount of weight. Her hair seemed to melt shorter and then spread all over her body even as her face elongated. Her hands became the size of dinner plates. Aoi felt the bears insticts emerge and when they did Aoi felt like an ocean of water had just been poured over her.

Bear Aoi considered the strange reptile before it. While certainly not an ideal mean the Polar bear reasoned the strange monster could be no worse then a walrus and beside sit was so hungry and it was warm out. Not dangerously so but still enough to be uncomfortable.

The polar bear moved forward a few steps letting out a roar of it's own in as much challenge as hunger. Bear-Aoi suddenly burst forward preparing to drive her clawns down on the head of the reptile the same way she would have done so to gut a seal out of the ice. The ebar was the top of it's food chain it feared nothing, and the idea this creature could at all be an equal never even occurred to it.

It was the size, more than anything, that Amber found challenging.  She had one other form that was heavier than the boar crock, but nothing that was as long.  Bodily awareness was important and that was something that was much simpler in smaller forms than it was in big ones.  Swishing her long tail back and forth, she felt it collide with a tree.  Fortunately said tree was old and sturdy and she did not damage, but that definitely indicted the need to learn to control this new body better before bringing it out into public.

She let out another roar, liking the strength and loudness of the sound.  Her dionychus form, which was her favourite and most commonly used, sounded very bird-like and mostly spoke in chirps, trills and screeches.  Not always the most intimidating sounds ever.  This was completely different and she could imagine her enemies cowering before her based upon sound alone.  That, combined with her size and massive teeth lead to a very satisfying package.

Immersed in her explorations, she didn't notice the polar bear until it was right there in front of her.  It roared in challenge of her, a sound just as impressive as her own.  Had she been experienced in the use of her new body, its instincts would be buried deep and fully under the control of her own psyche.  As it was, the body was new and untried and its instincts hovered on the surface, waiting to take over at a moments notice.  She was the apex predator and this white furred creature was challenging her.  That challenge had to be met!

She let out another roar of her own, this time in challenge of the creature who dared think it could take her own.  Darting to the side and barely avoiding the claws aimed at her head, she attempted to ram the beast with the bony ridges of her head, as she would any normal prey.

Aoi felt like she was falling down a long dark tunnel. SHe saw what the Bear did, she knew and watched as she bolted forward at the terrifying creature in front of her. Aoi knew she had to get control but she was terrified as well which was not helping at all. SHe had to rally herself, had to be strong....

She felt the bear claws hit the ground and the impact from the strange lizards head a moment later. Her Momentum carried her forward and the blow from the Lizard knocked her off her straight course. SHe manged to stop her momentum a few feet from the mansion, just under a window. The bear considered the smells from within a nd was tempted by the idea of food, but the other large predator was an issue, it had to be stopped or it would take her prey.

Turning the Bear pawed at the ground once and then moved forward slowly. SHe then reared up on her hind legs to make herself big and intimidating and let out another challenging bellow. A moment later the bear came back down on all fours with a quick swipe at the nose of the creature. Instinct told it to try grabbing the monster like she would a walrus.

Even in terror Aoi knew the bears plan was potbelly stupid. She ahd no idea what this lizard was but if it was like a crocodile it would do the death role thing. Aoi began clawing up the mental tunnel she had fallen through. She had no idea if the other mutant had any more control then her but she assumed not or they would of backed awy from the fight. No if Aoi could get control she had to guide the fight...where?

How dare this white furred creature challenge her and think it could get away with it!  Somewhere underneath the boar crock's rage, Amber's mind clung on and tried desperately to regain control.  This was a new and completely unpleasant experience.  Normally the instincts of her different shapes were buried deep under her own mind, there as only a distant shadow to be called upon at will when needed.  She'd had her old forms for such a long time that she'd forgotten what it was like with a new one, forgotten the primal power of its own mind before it'd been tamed to her will.

It was such a satisfying feeling to make solid contact with her rival.  Of course, her rival was much larger than her normal prey and instead of stunning the creature so she could go in for the kill, it seemed to make it more angry. Although a prehistoric crocodile, in many ways she was more like a reptilian great cat than she was a crocodile when it came to her hunting methods.  She didn't hunt from the water and she preferred to stalk her prey, stun it with a powerful headbutt, an then tear into it with her impressive array of teeth.

The great bear reared up on its hind legs and came down with a powerful swipe to her snout.  This time she only managed to partially dodge the great blow and felt a small trickle of blood flow down the side of  her head.  Matching the creature bellow for bellow, when it came down to try and embrace her, attempted to rip a chunk of flesh out of one of its paws with her teeth.

The bear was confident and sure of itself. She felt the teeth tear into her arm as she came down. Aoi felt the pain as vividly as the bear. Aoi mentally screamed at the bear to stop as much as in pain.The bear was committed however and even as she felt the chunk rip from her arm. The bear was enraged by this, if it was less hungry it would have ran, surely their was easier prey elswear. It could smell other prey close by, within the structure but was unsure how to get in.

Aoi came down over the strange lizard and by instinct wrapped her arms around it and began to lift, it was heavy but the bear managed it. Aoi then tried to throw the struggling Lizard. Had Aoi been in control, had she been not distracted by pain she would have prevented what happened next. By chance the bear threw the prey at a window, not comprehending the easier breakability of the window compared to brick and mortar.

Aoi hoped no one was in the kitchen, as she heard and felt glass shards crunch under foot as the bear now smelling something that smelled a lot like food began to push through the window after it. It ignored the scream of someone who was scared. Amber had fit because the bear had thrown her tail first the bear however was stuck, the frame of the window groaning as it tried to push forward into the building, now trying to get as much to the cooking meat as the other Alpha predator. Wood splinterd as she made her slow progress.

The bear was clearly angry but so was the boar crock.  First blood had been drawn and she was the one bleeding.  Unacceptable!  How dare this furry white creature hurt it?  How dare it think to challenge her?  Amber's own mind was nearly consumed under the rage of the creature who's form she had taken and it was all she could do to not lose herself in it completely.

Despite her rage and despite her belief that she was the superior predator, suddenly she found the bear's arms wrapped around her and then suddenly she found herself lifted clear off the ground and hurled hurled into the side of the building.  She felt the window-frame fracture around her body and heard the glass window shatter at the impact.  Only the thick scales covering her entire body prevented the shards of glass from penetrating her skin and making her bleed, but the pain of the impact was still sharp.

Letting out another roaring scream of rage, she righted herself, lowered her head and charged her enemy.  At least one scream could be heard in the background, coming from the kitchen, but she was barely aware of it.  The only thing that mattered was that this unholy creature pay with its life for hurting her and woe to anyone who tried to stand in her way.

The bear pulled itself through the frame, leaving large claw marks in the wall. Comically with the window frame stuck like a belt around her midsection. She sniffed the air curiously. The huge predator before her was a threat of course but other things smelled divine as well. Still the bear knew it had to protect the new food source, but even so it took a piece of chicken from the table, fresh and warm and felt the thin bird bones snap like twigs in her mouth.

Aoi tried t swim against the mental tide of fury, anger and hunger, but it was hard to make progress and slow. Her own terror made it even harder as part of her felt the bear was likely better equipped for the situation then she was. Maybe its aggression could keep her safe.

The bear pushed the table aside as it moved closer to it's opponent, almost everything on the table fell to the floor, and several shattering dishes or glasses made themselves known. It felt the blood loss from it's arm but as the pain did not restrict her use of the arm the bear was content to try and ignore it for now. The bear found it was cooler in the building and deep in its mind, Aoi knew it was the ac.

The bear moved closer to the strange a, taking another large swipe at it's nose, as throwing it had not had the desired result of breaking bones. The lizard was much tougher then her natural prey wuld have been.

Amber's ribs ached from the collision with the window and blood continued to seep from the side of her head.  Had she been a natural boar crock, likely the wound to her head would be much more serious than it was; it was only her thick, viscous blood that prevented serious blood loss.  Her ribs, although  not fully broken, were quite likely fractured and the pain of her injuries made her see red.

Now inside the kitchen, not only was her enemy the bear still present, but so too were numerous others, screaming and panicking.  Although mutants complete with powers of their own, they were still children confronted with a giant bear and a giant prehistoric crocodile tearing pieces out of one another.  Had she been in her right mind, at attempt would have been made to avoid the young mutants.  Had she been in her right mind, she wouldn't have been going after a bear at all.  She roared at the by-standards and swished her tail back and forth, feeling it collide with someone behind her.

The bear took a second swipe at her face, its claws digging into almost the exact same place the first assault had hit home.  She screeched in rage and pain as the trickle of blood turned into a stream.  Before the bear could take its claw back to safety, Amber snapped at it, attempting to take a chunk out in revenge for the creature having landed another wound upon her.

The kitchen was in chaos, with broken glass and discarded food all over the floor.  Numerous teenagers were scattered throughout, some screaming and running, others paralyzed with terror.  A young with red web-patterns across his skin lay on the ground, prone, having been swiped off his feet by Amber's great tail.  How could she have been responsible for such damage?  Her mind screamed from underneath the instincts of the boar crock to regain control.

It was an off-night, and Jack was on hall monitor duty. That meant walking around the halls of Xavier’s (predominantly the residential areas) and shepherding wayward students back to bed. Most students were out to get a drink of water, use the bathroom, whatever—or they were, perhaps, nocturnal, in which case Jack would remind them to keep it down if need be.

The prawn was idly trilling to herself, her footsteps casual and slow, when an unexpected noise cut to her ears. It was a roar, met by a feral screech. Her antennae lifted. Now that was something you didn’t hear every day. They weren’t even remotely close to a zoo.

Sh**.

When there was some unexplained f**kery afoot—as it was with both Chrysalis and at Xavier’s—mutants were to blame a majority of the time. Otherwise, it was technical difficulties, but you didn’t have “technical difficulties” with animal sounds. You just didn’t!! Jack picked-up the pace, jogging towards a window to peer out, and seeing nothing. Nothing!! The prawn ran to another, before back to the hall. She fished her walkie out of her pocket.

“Security, dis Jack,” she said hastily, “Sink sun-sing’s utt. Any-un see any-sing?”

Something just felt wrong. Jack ran down the hall towards another face of the building, peering out those windows and seeing nothing. What? What was going on?!

A scream cut through the air. Downstairs. Jack bolted, footsteps thunderous. She half-slid down the stairs and rounded the corner, following the heavy banging, snarling, and sounds of general panic.

Her footsteps brought her to the entry to the kitchen. Jack froze. What- the- There was—a dinosaur. A polar bear. Frightened kids. Last thing she needed were more mutations going ballistic. First priority was the kids and, of course, not getting eviscerated by the dueling mutants.

“HEY,” the prawn bellowed to the humanoid students, regaining her composure, “E’ERYONE GET CLEAR.”

Most of them war, but some of them needed some instruction. Jack bolted towards the kid who was splayed on the floor, gathering them into her arms without an inkling of a second thought. They were in tears, full-on sobbing about the bear and the dinosaur. Jack shushed them, but it came out more like a hiss. A few, wild-eyed teenagers ran towards Jack, out of the fray, while others leapt through the hole in the wall or through the opening where food was typically served.

“I need you to get duh counselor,” the prawn told the older kids, “The Ada’ted? Nana T?”

“Mama T?” they reiterated.

“Now!!” After the kids were dispatched, Jack got on the walkie again, "Security, I need an Ad'ated-- we has a dinosaur and a... 'olar 'ear'... in duh kitchen and dey are endangering other students."

One of the other students took the child in Jack’s arms, and Jack kept to the doorway. No way in Hell was she going to go in the same room as a goddamn bear and a goddamn dinosaur. No. Way. In Hell.

What were you supposed to do in the wild, if you saw a bear? Make yourself big and make a lot of noise?

“HEY YOU TWITS, YOU’RE WRECKING THE KITCHEN,” Jack yelled, unabashed. She was f***ing terrified but she’d be damned if she’d let the students know that, “YOU’LL ‘E SORRY SORE DISS.”

She banged a primary hand against the table, her sounds loud and explosive. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

“DUH HELL IS WRONG ‘ISS YOU IDIOTS?! CAN YOU HEAR NEE? HEY. HEY.”

Maybe she could get through to some part of them. Any reasonable, human part. Because maybe they were a threat?? But maybe they were students... you couldn't beat the stuffing out of a student.

She felt flesh pull away from her paw as she finished her attack. The bear let out a furious roar but backed up a few feet until her back end hit the fridge behind her. She considered the various kids in the room again and was beginning to think running off with one might be the better option. It was warm outside but not bad enough to stop her she knew and their was a close entrence now as well

The n aloud voice pierced the room and Polar bears head turned to look right at it. It looked lizard like to the bear but less dangerous overall. The bear did not at all like how this was all turning out. The bear reared up again and turned, lifting the fridge in it's arms, it tossed it at the new arrival to try and intimate her. The fridge would never make the distance through the air, and as it landed, food flew everywhere.

No! Aoi tried to claw her way to the top of the mind. She had to conquer the bears instincts or this was going to get very bad she knew. well it already had but maybe she could get kicked out of the mansion without killing anyone, she hoped. Not for the first time she was glad her sister was not here.

Distantly, through the haze of pain and anger, she heard a familiar voice call out.  On some level, she was aware of the commands to the other students to get themselves to safety and aware of the third party trying to get the attention of the two combatants.  But everything just hut so much and the boar crock felt so much rage!  Her vision was almost tinted red with it; she had to defend herself and destroy the thing that dared hurt her!  She had to prove herself the apex predator.

The loud clanging drew her attention momentarily away from the bear.  Swinging her great head to the side, she spotted what could only be described as a great crustacean.  Jack! That was Jack!  She recognized her now; Jack was her friend.  But she was making so much noise and it was hurting her sensitive ears.  Roaring a challenge at the human prawn, she began backing away from the loud noise and the one creating the noise.

The bear was still there and still dangerous, but now she had to choose who was the bigger threat.  The boar crock wanted dearly to kill the thing that had hurt it so badly but also wanted to flee the terrible noise that was hurting her ears.  Attention shifting back and forth between the two of them, she slowly retreated back to the broken window of the kitchen.

The fridge was unexpected, and it was enough to make the prawn stop banging the pans. Are you f***ing kidding me?! The fridge?! Jack jumped back, but it didn’t make its way to the door. A guttural, involuntary yowl escaped the prawn, the kind of sound a cornered cat might make. The alligator… thing… was backing-off, but the bear was quickly reaching the end of Jack’s patience. What else could she do, though? Against a bear and a giant alligator thing, no less.

“Dat’s right, get out, you lousy *ssholes!” the prawn yelled, acting tough, “Outta duh kitchen! You’re wrecking Xa’ier’s and wrecking duh kitchen, and as soon as you’re done wiss your stu’id tirade you’re gonna ‘e in so nuch trou’le.”

Jack got on top of the fridge, resuming the ruckus with the frying pan. God, she was scared, but the polar bear had just thrown the biggest item in here, and the prawn could probably take anything else there was left to throw. Atop the fridge, Jack looked bigger, and she continued banging the pan with the spoon.

“Go on, get! Get going! Or you’ll has to reckon ‘iss nee!”

You were supposed to make yourself bigger when confronting a bear, right? That’s what the postings around the campgrounds of her childhood had always said. Atop the fridge, Jack was easily well over nine-feet-tall now, perhaps even closer to ten feet.

“Out!” Jack chanted amidst the clangs of the frying pans, “Out, out out! Out! Get out! Get out! Get out!”

As if they needed any more collateral damage inside the mansion… or worse, innocent bystanders.

“Get out! Get out!” CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Bear Aoi still saw the strange mutant as chief as a snack food. Aoi however finally felt like her head broke the water in the mental wrestling match. It was still a struggle as the bear began its move. it wanted to eat the crustation who was closer to her normal food supply anyhow.

The bear took the third step in it's charge and then it's leg did not come down as it's ran and it fell onto it's side, momentum and weight making her slide a few feet on the floor, even as claws dug into the floor. Aoi did not want to scare anyone more then she had so her instinct had been to stop herself.

She felt the bear's stomach rumble and so she tore another piece of chicken off the now floor turkey. Swallowing it, she hoped it would be enough and tried focusing her mind even as she felt herself get to her feet, she made th bear back away near the window her and the crocodile had come in thrue. She wanted to run away but had nowhere to go and knew her power idenitified her readily.

Her side hurt, the side of her head hurt, her ears hurt from the infernal clanging and blood was streaming from her wound.  The crock's instincts warred with wanting to hurt the thing that had hurt it and wanting to flee for its life, lick its wounds and live to hunt another day.  Buried beneath the ancient creature's instincts, Amber just wanted the pain and chaos to end.

For the first time since she'd encountered the bear, some sliver of her mind starting to feel like her own again and the mind of the boar crock started to weaken.  With each step backwards, the desperate need to fight or flight was gradually being replaced with an understanding of what had happened.  She knew the giant prawn person, that was Jack who she had only recently met.  And who was the polar bear?  Almost certainly some mutant and probably some mutant having just as much struggle as she in taming the instincts of the bear.

A glance to the prawn.  A glance to the bear.  The bear appeared to have found some food and was no longer attacking.  The kitchen in the Mansion appeared to have been thrashed during their fight.  Oh gods, had she hurt anyone while she was out of control?  Did that mean she was going to be kicked out of the Mansion and forced to live in the woods again?  Oh gods!