The thought of a lecture given by the princess didn’t have the nicest ring to it. He was part cat and part bird, it was hard enough to sit still in a classroom to finish up his schooling let alone being lectured by the princess. She didn’t know what she was in store for. His tail flicked as he thought of ways to ruin the lecture. He didn’t get a chance to verbalize any of this just give her a mischievous smirk before their day in the park was ruined. It wasn’t a date.

>>>"And I told you to begone!" “You are an abomination. You are not an angel, and you are not in the image of god!"

"You really need to specify which god you are talking about."

>>>>"The only one true god! The one you need to embrace if you want to be cleansed of the sin of communing with demons..."

"Doing what now?"

The shifter rolled his eyes again and pushed himself up from the fountain, ”How often does that work?” Carrick mocked. ”Begone yerself!” his gave the shoeing motion to the man who wanted to save the princess’s soul for communicating with him. Carrick didn’t have the heart to tell the man the princess was a mutant as well. Sides he was used to the attention.

Snapping open his wings and flapping them in the direction of the ‘preacher’ Carrick made sure to kick up as much dirt and dust he could at him. ”Angel’s were never made in the big man’s imagine. Humans were, however he supposedly loves all his children. Human ‘nd mutant alike.” Carrick said remembering the words of all the sisters that taught him when he was younger.

”Angel’s were used more for delivering messages… or smiting.” that last part was a stretch but he recalled all the battles of ‘good vs. evil’ in the old testament. ”She’s got a free pass to commune with whomever she want’s mate.” he looked to the princess. ”Think he thinks were on a date.” Carrick smirked and bit into his brat and took another bite ”No souls to save here.” with a full mouth he flapped his wings once more towards him sending dust at him.

”Go step into traffic ya Eejit, before ya see how much of an abomination I can be.” his eyes focused on the preacher and his iris’s turned to slits like a cats. A low rumbling from his chest exited outwards, Carrick was actively growling now.

Carrick spread his wings, swiping dust and dirt at the man. People were beginning to notice something was going on. The small but dedicated group that had been listening with rapt attention at the preacher now gathered behind him, although some took a step back when Carrick displayed his wings.

>>”How often does that work? Begone yerself!”

"You do not command me, demon! Only God commands me!" the man yelled back, taking on a dramatic pose. His followers murmured. Some other people shook their heads. Some pulled out their phones. Amethyst was suddenly aware that they were in the middle of a whole different show.

>>”Angel’s were never made in the big man’s imagine. Humans were, however he supposedly loves all his children. Human ‘nd mutant alike. Angel’s were used more for delivering messages… or smiting.”

The princess furrowed her brow. This whole theology thing, it was far from her usual experience. This is what happens when people have only one god, she thought. They get all territorial about him.

>>”She’s got a free pass to commune with whomever she want’s mate... Think he thinks were on a date.”

"Like... romantically?" Amthyst scoffed. As if. As if she would go on a date with fly boy in broad daylight. Carrick was as annoying as he was strange, and clearly not someone the princess would consider as a concubine, let alone a lover. Please.

He did seem annoyed now, though. Something changed in his stance, and his eyes. There was a low rumbling sound, and some of the people who stood close enough murmured and swayed.

>>”No souls to save here. Go step into traffic ya Eejit, before ya see how much of an abomination I can be.”

"Show us!" the man jumped on the opportunity "Show everyone the demon you truly are! I am not afraid of you! We are not afraid of you! God only can smite those who are evil, and he shall smite you for the demon you are! Show your face, demon, and perish from the light of our lord!"

"That's quite enough yelling for today. You should really learn some rhetoric. And philosophy. Your arguments are ridiculous." the princess noted, gesturing at him with the hot dog.

"Silence, harlot! She who communes with demons shall..."

The man was certainly on a roll.

>>"Silence, harlot! She who communes with demons shall..."

Carrick was bluffing on showing everyone what an abomination he could be. At least he was, until the guy called the princess a harlot. Carrick knew what that meant. ‘Fight!’ an unsettling beat of a voice boomed in the back of his mind.

The Irishman felt rage, lectures from his mother growing up was to stay clear of them and then she’d follow up the lesson with what to do when someone called a woman that. His father usually chimed in at that point. If he was ever around at least.

‘Fight’ the voice called again. Carrick wanted to swing but knew that was what was going for. There were people watching now. The shifter could see the camera phone out and imagined the headlines. Son of a mutant terrorist attacks church-going man.

The shifter looked to the princess then smirked, ”Sorry, love… he wants a shouting match. Cover yer ears.” the shifter turned his head back to the guy. ”Shouldn’t have called her that, catch.” he tossed the rest of his brat to the loudmouth who out of instincts reached out to catch the brat.

Wings outstretched and arched behind his body making himself seem larger than he was. An intimidation tactic he had seen hundreds of critters use on his more graceful form. Carrick’s smirk turned into a snarl and he emptied his lungs completely in the form lion’s roar, a few feet from the now confused man holding a half eaten brat and covered in condiments.

Carrick just hoped the princess listened; he didn’t like people hearing this aspect of his voice. When he finished the roar he inhaled and smirked at the now terrified church-dude. His voice would be hoarse later. He’d probably have to cancel his upcoming gigs as well, he never roared that loud or long before. Mismatched colored eyes shifted from the looks of terror and confusion in the crowd back to the loser of the shouting match. ”Mate… ya pissed yerself….” he said chuckling.

Amethyst did not take kindly to being called a harlot. She had done nothing to deserve that title, and she was certainly not going to stand for being labeled so in public. This was about to become a diplomatic incident on all fronts. Atlantean royalty, eating food in public, in the company of a gorgon, being accosted by anti-mutant (and no doubt anti-Atlantis) bigots...

>>”Sorry, love… he wants a shouting match. Cover yer ears. Shouldn’t have called her that, catch.”

Amethyst stared blankly as Carrick tossed his food at the man. And then Carrick roared. He actually roared, and the princess dropped her food in a hurry to protect her ears from the sound. It was nothing like she'd heard before. Sure, she had heard actual lions and tigers roar, but... but this, this was different. This was a griffin roaring. Also, it was Carrick roaring, which was surreal. And mostly loud. Incredibly loud. People cowered, stepped back, a few of them fled, others took out more phones. The preacher stumbled back, shaking in fear. Aemthyst stared.

>>”Mate… ya pissed yerself….”

Now, most of the bigots were done. The fight had gone out of them. This was not what they had signed up for; they were out here to yell at people and signal their righteousness. No one was out here to battle a mythical creature. They were about to sulk away... most of them, anyway. There was always one. One guy who just did not know when to quit. One who was too far gone into a rage of his own to quit without losing face.

"Monster!" someone yelled from the back of the group. A bottle flew out, still half-filled with holy water (although it was a re-used glass bottle for liquids of a less righteous nature). It smashed into the gravel at their feet, spraying glass shards at both Carrick and Amethyst. The princess jumped back with a yelp, a few tears in her dress. Small red ruby shards fell at her shoes.

"How dare you!"

The guy must have been well stocked, because he threw another bottle.

His smile faded when he saw something be tossed into the air, it missed him and shattered closer to the princess. His jeans were apparently more durable than the dress but the small gems at her feet triggered something. Carrick turned to yell and then got struck by something on his wing. It shattered and the shifter was covered in what he hopped was just water and glass. ”Fek!” Carrick howled this time instead of a roar. It was clear it was a different roar. Pain.

‘Fight!’

”Think it’s time we leave now, love.” he grunted in pain as he reached out for his wing. His adrenaline went into overdrive. Before he could reach it he stumbled and grabbed his chest. ”Come on…. Not now….” he muttered to himself. ”We are fine. I can handle this.” his heart started to race more.

”Princess… Run!” his stomach was clenched and his eyes locked on her for a moment before shutting. Carrick’s voice went from a pained yell to a defiant roar. He was losing the battle. This pain hurt worse than normal. He wasn’t ready to relive this. Too long had he ignored what could go wrong when he shifted and now he was paying for it.

The shifters fingernails elongated and tore into his shirt. He was confused now, where was he? This wasn’t home. Pain in his wing. His skin broke under the cotton of the shirt he pulled that away next. His pants ripped and then he started to claw at his jeans. It was all-restricting and he was in pain.

‘Flight?’ he looked around vision obscured and scratched off the extra skin around his eyes. Fur protruded where he was once pale. He snarled again and looked around daring any to attack him again his eyes landed onto the woman in a dress. Carrick’s new furry form crouched low and sniffed the air. Blood. He looked down at her feet then to her face. ‘Mate?’

They were throwing things now. Amethyst raised her arms instinctively to protect herself, but it was Carrick that got hit next, on the wing, and let out a cry of pain. The bastards were throwing things at them. Amethyst had never been attacked before, especially not by humans. And she still did not know what their goddamn problem was.

>>”Think it’s time we leave now, love..."

"They should be held responsible for this!" Amethyst protested, but the rest of her argument was lost as Carrick doubled over in pain. Did they... actually wound him? "... Carrick?"

>>”Come on…. Not now… We are fine. I can handle this... Princess… Run!”

"Wha..." she stared. She didn't run. She couldn't. Carrick shifted, clawing at his clothes, at his own skin, in a way that made her feel frozen in place. Other people screamed, and they did run, although some were still holding up their phones as they were retreating. The bigots were running so fast they left a trail of dust. The princess stared as the annoying, cocky fly boy turned into the stuff of nightmares. And actual beast.

My other form.

Amethyst felt the cold marble of the fountain at the back of her legs, as the winged creature moved to sniff at her. Was he... was it going to attack her? Was it still... sentient? "... Carrick?"

People were fleeing no one attacked; clearly he was the alpha here. Carrick’s beast form sniffed at the air then the ground his tail flicking behind him. There was fear in the air. Good that meant they got the message. His eyes turned when he heard the name… his name… there was some recognition in his movement he stopped and eyed the woman. She was afraid… of him? Why? His disposition started to calm as he stalked a little closer to her only to stop when he heard movement behind him.

“Smite the evil from the world, O’ light bringer… may we you’re faithful act for you!” he took a step and stepped in glass causing a loud crunch revealing both he and the pocket knife he had in his hand now.

The shifters pointed furred ears twitched and turned slightly to the noise and his focus shifted from the potential mate to the fool who wanted to fight for his position as Alpha. Now on all fours Carrick bared his fangs in a low growl. The glass crunched again as he took a step closer.

‘Fight!’ Carrick launched forward landing on the chest of the now prey. His fangs bared as he dug them into the neck of the former preacher man. He wanted an abomination… and in this form he fit the description.

The beast did not attack her. Not yet. It sniffed at her, and reacted to the name, but it was not speaking. Or behaving like a person. Amethyst held her breath, bracing herself against the edge of the fountain. Would it attack her...?

>>“Smite the evil from the world, O’ light bringer… may we you’re faithful act for you!”

The preacher was still there. Holding a knife, which, frankly, looked pitiful against the beast Carrick had turned into. Amethyst stared at him, bewildered.

"Are you insane?!"

He clearly was. And he managed to anger the beast. Carrick turned and lunged, like Amethyst had sometimes seen cats pounce at mice, except this one was larger, and stronger, and much more terrifying. There was a crunching sound, and blood. Amethyst gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

Oh no. No no no no...

His prey was clearly no Alpha, when Carrick’s half shifted form latched on to the beta he dropped under their wait and he didn’t fight back just muttered something as loudly as he could. Carrick didn’t move till he stopped speaking challenging anyone else to be next.

Most of the crowd left but there was a few people holding something up at him. A thought told him to pose. Carrick wasn’t groomed enough yet, there was still blood on him and his kill wasn’t all that impressive. His tail swayed behind him. Did they want his kill now too? There was no tree nearby or he’d drag it to safety.

His wing opened and flapped once before he realized the other one was damaged, there would be no hauling this kill via flight, which was his next go-to. His mouth opened and his kill dropped with a thud only to be drowned out by another low growl, one that was meant to mask his pain, he would not be taken advantage of while injured not when a potential mate was near.

Eyes shifted from the crowd to the woman who was now covering her mouth back to the crowd. Carrick’s beast form stood up opened his good wing and roared trying to scare off anyone else.

Amethyst was sure Carrick had killed the man. There was a lot of blood, and some screaming. The beast growled and turned around. Was it looking for the next victim? Amethyst felt her legs shaking so badly she couldn't even stand anymore; she sat on the edge of the fountain. She should have run. She wanted to run. Whatever happened to Carric, he was not a person now. The great wings flapped, one moving in a way that looked wrong. Injured wild animals rarely ever behaved well. The beast looked at her again, and Amethyst turned even more pale.

So much blood. Carrick had just mauled that man. And there were people all around - at a distance - staring at the both of them.

"You should stop..." she whispered, but did not feel the strength to speak up. Instead, she turned away, and vomited a pile of colorful quartz crystals onto the ground.

She had no idea what should happen now.

Normally when Ranger received a call from SUPER it was regarding a future operation. A site was to be raided, something had to be destroyed, someone needed to be apprehended. Ranger was not traditional law enforcement waiting for a call to spring into immediate action. It was therefore uncharacteristic when the call came to him about a mutant attacking people in the park.

Ranger received the call because he was the closest SUPER asset. The NYPD had notified SUPER through the Fusion Center at One Police Plaza that calls had been coming in about a rampaging mutant gryphon in the park. Ranger was contacted and tasked with handling it.

It was not the most ideal of situations. Ranger was still masquerading as a non-mutant at SUPER, mission preparation providing him with the ability to accomplish goals without revealing his mutation. He knew he would have to be careful how he handled this situation.

From his car, Ranger threw on a load-bearing vest and grabbed a tranquilizer gun. A breech loaded Pneu-Dart rifle with a 40 foot range. The vest had darts, straps, and a pair of hinged handcuffs. In case of emergency he did have a pistol in appendix carry. Protecting innocent people was paramount, the firearm was in case all else failed.

Stopping to retrieve the gear proved to have taken too long. By the time Ranger was on scene someone was dead. A man lay at the feet of the gryphon. He had been bitten in the neck.

The gryphon was roaring, the sound was oppressive. People were being people. Faced with the fearsome beast, some ran. Some froze. The haphazard movement made closing into range of the gryphon more complicated. Some people ran straight into him completely oblivious to the fact he was walking toward the threat.

Ranger had to physically move one of those who were staring at the scene. Ranger wanted to shoot the dart from the gryphon’s wounded side. It had powerful looking wings and he was shooting subsonic darts. Moving the man reset his brain and he unfroze… And noticed Ranger had a rifle. He yelled. Ranger swore. The man grabbed for the rifle. Ranger shoved him to the ground.

The yelling about a rifle got the crowd moving. Ranger quickly took the shot at the gryphon.

The shifter’s furred nose raised seconds after his roar. More people ran someone didn’t he lost track of him for a moment as more people ran from him. ‘Danger?’ his tail flicked behind him as his attention shifted to a scuffle between two humans. They were holding something. His mismatched colored eyes locked on it and his heart start to pump more he had seen something similar before.

‘Danger!’ One man dropped and the other pointed that thing at him. If he didn’t move out of instinct from the sound of the scuffle he definitely moved after the shot was fired. Something clipped his shoulder forcing him to jerk in reaction. The shifter looked down at the needle protruding from his shoulder and swiped at it. Carrick’s tail stated to droop and things started to get a little hazy maybe a nap would be good right now.

This was no time to nap. ‘Fight!’ The shifter shook his head and let out a low growl and dropped to all fours and darted towards the shooter. Claws outstretched Carrick’s beast form tried to pounce his new prey like the last one. The neck as usual was always the quickest way to kill. The Beast form was alpha here and he needed to be heard. He’d take on all challengers.

Everything was just wrong. Amethyst felt miserable, and scared. She had never been in public in a situation like this... or seen someone killed by a beast right in front of her. A beast who was... a friend. Why did Carrick do this? He was angered by the bigots, sure, but... did the fly boy really want to kill that man so brutally?

There was more running and yelling. Someone else appeared on the scene. The beast's wing was injured, but he still looked formidable. Amethyst looked up just in time to see the gun aimed at him.

"NO!"

Too late. There was a shot, and Carrick staggered, gathering himself a moment later to lunge at the man with the gun. "Don't hurt him!" She was not even sure which one of them she was yelling at. She didn't want Carrick to die, shot down like an animal. She didn't want him to kill someone else either. The princess took a few steps towards them, legs too shaky to run.

The gryphon moved but the dart connected. Immediately Ranger opened the breach and reached for another dart in his vest. The rifle was held high in his workspace so he could keep his eyes on the gryphon while reloading in his peripheral vision. The Gryphon swiped at the dart before it turned its attention to Ranger. It’s movements were already sluggish, the tranquilizer taking some effect. The darts were loaded with a dosage for an adult human. Ranger didn’t know how many it would take to bring the beast down. He would have to fire, wait, then fire again. Hit the beast with enough of the drug to drop it but hopefully not enough to kill it or cause some other serious effect.

Ranger slammed the breach closed and locked the bolt as the gryphon was lunging at him. His finger moved to the trigger but in the moment before he pressed the trigger he heard someone yelling. His eyes caught sight of a young woman yelling. He wasn’t sure if it was at her or the gryphon. Regardless, it was enough of a distraction that Ranger had to dive to the side to avoid being mauled by the beast.

Hitting the ground, Ranger rolled before launching back to his feet. ”Whoa there big fella. This is one fight y’ don’ want.” He raised the rifle and sent another dart at the beast. It was instinctual fire, he didn’t take the time to look down the sights.

>>> "NO!" "Don't hurt him!"

The shifter’s attention was taken from his prey to the possible mate after he missed his attack. Mismatched colored eyes looked to the woman now behind him in a snarl. He would have had him, neck in mouth the threat would have been taken care of and he could worry about her and his kill then. Was he an Alpha? Carrick growled. His ears lowered and he turned back to the target.

>>> ”Whoa there big fella. This is one fight y’ don’ want.”

Now on all fours he responded with a low roar ‘Fight!’ Carrick’s tail swayed behind him as he reached out and swiped the air in a show of response. If he was being challenged for his kill and the potential mate? The beast knew if he was going to lose all of it he’d go down fighting.

The shot was fired and while everything told him to dodge, even if the potential mate was behind him. Something stirred in his mind, ‘STAND!’ his lower limbs stood in place and he just rose up to catch the dart in the chest.

When the dart connected his legs moved again his arms flailed outwards as he lost his footing. Carrick landed on his back and rolled kicking up with his wings broken glass dirt and whatever else people left behind when running for their lives. His chest was numb now. The pain that seconds ago hurt was gone and he felt tired again. The beast shook his head and growled baring his fangs as he tried to get control again.

Letting out a low growl he shifted from the challenger then to the potential mate. It was clear the darts were taking effect his eyes started to get a glassy while his tail dropped. Carrick let out another growl ‘Flight!’ and turned away from the challenger trying to run away to safety. To lick his wounds. He wouldn’t have lost if his wings worked properly then he could just dive attack him.

Getting further on all fours then he would on two his legs and arms started to feel the effects more. Trying to over compensate for his head getting heavy he staggered to the left then to the right. Letting out a low grunt he yelled then collapsed onto the ground.

His eyes stayed open long enough for his body to shift back. He was tired now, he couldn’t feel the pain of the fur giving way for the skin or his ears rounding slightly back to the already elfish ears he had before. His human form was naked and laying in the grass. He blinked once not being able to control his body in any capacity other than to slurr his words before drifting off to drug induced sleep. ”Feeeeerrrr ****s sakessssss… I hate this dream.”