The moon held suspended in the sky, shining at its fullest as if to welcome half a planet's worth of Lycanthropes into the wild night. Even though the trees among the hunting grounds of the Streak remained silent, whispers of wild life escaped from the forest they alone defined. Another wonderful night for hunting, and becoming one with the beast.

With Payne absent on account of business affairs relating to the Streak, Ulysses was left in charge to keep things together. Luckily, keeping things maintained was his forte, even if the current situation required a different type of daily maintenance. He would not allow anything significant to happen to the Streak without informing the Chang, or receiving a decision from her should the situation require it. Short of Master Floren personally coming after him, there was nothing he would hesitate to deal with on the spot.

It was somewhat depressing to be the only mature tiger around the manor these days, not to imply Gabbie was bad company. More over, the lack of friendly contact with other adult WereTigers reminded him of the long days spent doing chores around the Floren estate. For the most part, everyone tended to ignore him unless he was doing something that directly impacted their current activity. Unless the job was done perfectly, there were no words of praise or encouragement from the family. It was an irritating but effective method of getting him to do a job 'perfectly' every time. By contrast, there was plenty of encouragement and praise given around here even when the job wasn't finished. He liked that, and it made him want to do even more work around the manor.

Standing at the edge of the forest, Ulysses waited for Gabbie to come join him outside. Serena would be along soon, so it wouldn't be hard to pass the time with Gabbie while waiting for her. Though the beast inside of him was restless and effectively beating down the mental cage that surrounded it, focused will power would keep the shift at bay until Serena arrived.

A thought crossed him as he waited, piking his curiosity. What would Gabbie's full moon be like without Payne? Also, what if there had been more members of the Streak? Hopefully, should the latter ever be true, it would be better than the Canadian's experiences with the Florens.

The sun faded as darkness descended upon the earth. Serena gazed outside of her window impatiently as purples and pinks took over the sky. The rich blue started to faded as black took over the top portion of the sky. A sigh escaped the panwere’s lips as she fought back the urge to shift. The large tiger roamed under her skin as the black leopard held down the beast, controlling it. Having one beast more dominant than the other had its advantages, but it was still hard to shaking feeling like one part of her was a new shifter. As time went on, Serena was able to gain more control of the tiger in her, but leopard would always be her dominant beast.

Sliding away from the window, the Leopard Lionne walked over to her large dresser and pulled open the last draw. Grabbing a pair of blue shorts, she slipped them on over her black panties. Not bothering with a shirt, she kept her gray sports bra on. Walking over to the door, her feet slipped into a pair of black flip flops before she walked out of her room. Moving silently down the long hall, she walked down the stairs and walked up the hall that led to the front door. Grabbing her keys that hung on a hook near the door, she twisted on handle of the French door and walked outside. The warm air wrapped around her body as she walked out to the car. Once there, Serena unlocked it and slipped into the driver’s seat. In silence, the panwere left the mansion, knowing by the time she came back, it would be time for the leopards to hunt.

Pulling into the walls of the manor, Serena slowed down as she parked her car and cut the engine. The scent of tiger circled around the panwere as home registered in her mind. Exhaling slowly, amber eyes replaced brown ones. The plants and trees of the garden seemed to come alive as she walked up the narrow paths that led to the back of the manor. She could seem Ulysses nearby as her beast scrambled to get out, but leopard held it back. Her eyes glanced up at the large, gray moon as its ray beamed down in her caramel skin. Reaching the dense mass of trees, she could feel Uly near and Gabbie making her way to where he was at. For some reason she couldn’t smell Payne, but then she remember the Chang mentioning business she had to attend to.

As her mate came into view, the smell of grass and leaves flooded her senses as she wanted to run through the grass. A smile spread across her face as she walked close to Uly and gave him a gentle nuzzle; a greeting they always gave each other. Her lips moved to his as she planted a soft kiss on them and purred. “Hello my dear,” she whispered. The panwere was well aware at Uly would be leading the hunt and she wondered how well he would do so.

The little tiger inside of Gabriella was running back and forth inside of her body trying to get out. Her tiger could feel that it was that time of the month and is really excited to come out and play. The month seemed to fly by since the last time they hunted together, only this month Payne wouldn’t be joining them. Her Chang left to do some Streak business and trusted Uly to take care of the house and Gabbie.

Ever since the day Gabbie and Uly spent in the woods, he has seemed like a big brother to her. With Payne being gone she knew that Uly would keep her safe from anyone trying to harm her. Gabriella didn’t have to worry about her safety with Uly and Serena around and for that she is glad. In the back of her mind she is always wondering if someone from her old Streak will try and find her. They had always preached about how important family was and how children were one of the most important things. How could they have just let her go without at least trying to find her?

Her red tiger peered through her eyes as she looked out her bedroom window and saw Serena pull up in the driveway. A bug grin formed on her face as she jumped off the window seat and headed downstairs. She ran down the stairs in her ratty shorts and old t-shirt into the living room and out the front door.

Running in her bare feet, Gabbie made her way to the pair of tigers and a leopard. Her tiger was excited to come out and hunt for herself for a chance. Normally Gabbie would run along with the adult tigers and try to catch a rabbit for herself. Before her parents died they had been working on Gabriella’s hunting skills, they weren’t the best but she has managed to catch a few things.

Once she reached her family Gabbie smiled and waited to greet Serena. “Hi Serena” The red tiger beneath her skin felt the pull of the moon and wanted out soon. Gabbie felt the red fur rub along her insides and her body shivered.

Looking up from the cricket he was staring at on the ground, Ulysses saw both Serena and Gabbie approach him from afar. They looked primed and ready for this month's full moon, even if he was the one leading the show this time. It said a lot in spite of the unavoidable fact that they had to shift tonight, or at least Ulysses thought it said something. He had the determination needed to keep things together in Payne's absence, albeit with a bit of experience support from Serena.

So far, Kwan Yin was holding it together under Payne's leadership. If Ulysses had anything to say about it, that would continue indefinitely. For now, though, he was in charge, and the one in charge said 'let the hunt begin.'

Stretching his arms and legs out in preparation, the Canadian looked to the two approaching tigers with a confident grin. He enjoyed having the kind of freedom that he could only dream of having back 'home' in Canada. Funny how such a short time of enjoying independence can erode the emotional attachment to one's place of origin to the point of near apathy. It did him good to not feel bonds with the traditionalists that brought him up. Perhaps if they had treated him as an equal from the start he would've been brainwashed far more effectively. Too bad for them as his loyalties were to the tiger clan of San Diego now. What he did here was going to be of greater importance to the rest of his life than it would've been when he first came here.

"Well, well, it seems it's going to be just the three of us tonight," Ulysses said in a perky voice. "I trust every one is ready for some good old shifted R & R?"

It was unusual for him to be so gung-ho energetic like this, but he couldn't see himself leading properly any other way. Not long ago, he would've been more serious and to the point in a leadership role. Amazing how reading a book on leadership could turn one's approach to the matter upside down.

Without another word, Ulysses fell to a crouch and looked up at the glimmering moon. His beast was going crazy, wanting release after being couped up in a human body for over three weeks. Nothing more than a voluntary retraction of will power was needed to knock down the mental walls around the inner tiger.

The Canadian's shirt came off with a few simple arm movements, falling to the cool grass beside him in a small heap of white cloth. Sensations bombarded the tiger's exposed upper body as the human frame contorted unnaturally, as if the change in vision quality wasn't enough alone. Ragged boxers ripped apart like tissue before Ulysses' shifting waist structure, only to be replaced by rapidly spreading fur. Bones cracked under the strain of pathogenically induced modifications, though merited little more than a discrete wince from the shifter. Blood oozed from the ends of the chef's twenty digits, save for the fifth toes which seemingly melted back into the foot.

How long had it taken him to handle shifting as smoothly as he was now? It seemed like it had been ages since he had been last rolled over by the pain of shifting. Certainly, his sudden leap in progress toward mastery of the 'art' could only be attributed to freedom from Master Floren's leash, collar following soon after. Freedom as helpful as it was, nothing short of concentrated daily practice for several years would bridge the gap in mastery that stood between him and outclassing Clyde Floren.

Fur consumed his face in a mad race to meet the end of the tiger's newly set muzzle. Whiskers shot out to either side from his upper lip, crowding Ulysses' mind with additional tactile sensations. Relocated furry ears twitched anxiously as the tiger's coat expanded down its limbs and belly, almost as if linked to the behavior of the lashing fifth limb.

No sooner had claws pierced their way through the chef's eighteen extremities than they began to retract into their sheaths, leaving behind small blood stains on the fur now surrounding them. Growing meat-rending teeth from an omnivorous structure was the second most painful change, nearly tied for first with reconfiguring limb bones. Fortunately, he knew how keep his mind fairly apathetic toward the screams coming from the nerves.

A snarl of great discomfort seemed to mark the shift's completion after soft padding grew into place beneath the tiger's paws, still tender and raw for the moment. Free at last, the beast slinked ahead of the other two Ailuranthropes and fell to the ground on its side. He waited, gently grooming his raw padding to pass time until two more tigers joined him in this grand feeling of physical freedom from the human body.

The wide smile on Ulysses face, but a grin on her face as she slightly looked over her shoulder. Her hair moved with her as it fell over her shoulder as she watched the small tigress come into view. Her amber eyes seemed to glow as Serena looked into them, nodding slightly to the teenager. Fingers ran through Gabbie’s dark hair as the moonlight hit certain parts of it, almost making her long wavy hair look gold and red. The young tigress’s face held such beauty and innocence as her beasts peered through her eyes.

“Hello Gabbie” the panwere said with a slight purr in her accent. Looking back at Uly, she inhaled deeply, taking in the strong scent of earth around them. In the distance, she could catch the scent of distance prey lurking close to the ground. The sweet scent of a meal filled her nostrils as she could feel the tiger move through her body as the leopard held back.

Slightly nodded, she agreed with Ulysses that everyone was ready to hunt. She watched him crotch as she removed his clothes and watched him start to shift. Gracefully, his shift was smooth, but the panwere could still hear the cracking of bones under his flesh as they rearranged. That was the sign for Serena to shift. Letting out a soft sigh, she reached down and pulled her tank top over her head, exposing her black bra. Reaching behind her back, she unhooked her bra and tossed it in a pile with her shirt. She unbuttoned and unzipped her shorts as she slid them, along with her panties down her legs. Crouching down, the panwere wasn’t afraid to show her body as primal instincts started to take over her mind.

Pushing the leopard part of her back, the tiger launched forward. Bending down on all fours, her body started to glow orange as large black strips started to appear on her flesh. Fur rose from her skin as her body elongated. Bones rearranged and cracked as a long tail emerged from her backside. Human ears flattened against her face as pointed feline ears shoot up from the top of her head. Her body widened, putting on massive bulk as her face stretched and a muzzle appeared. Legs and arms changed into as her fingers arched and paws replaced them. Soon she was a full tiger as animal mind came to the forefront. Ears twitched as she looked around at the male tiger before her and the still human Gabbie. The shift was getting easier as she collect strength from her leopard so she could transform easily. Nostrils flared as she could smell the wild life around her, the soil, and food.

It was as if Serena had flicked a switch and turned on Gabbie’s purring motor inside of her body once she felt Serena’s soft hands in her hair. There was almost nothing in the world that she loves more than when someone plays with her hair. It reminded her of her mother as she used to do it when Gabriella had troubles sleeping. Along with running hands in her hair her mother would hum a tune and to this day Gabbie hasn’t figured out what tune.

Gabbie’s tiger continued to rub along her insides almost begging to be let out. But then she heard Uly as if everyone was ready for some sifting R & R and for that Gabbie was grateful for the hunt to begin.

As she watched Uly crouch down and begin the painful shifting process she tried to remember a time when it was really painful for her. There is always some sort of pain when you take on a new form but for Gabbie she has been doing it all twelve years of her life and is almost painless.

Gabbie waited patiently for her turn to shift, she knew that the oldest always shifts first then moves down the line to the youngest. She had no problem waiting for her turn as she gets to watch the others in their most vulnerable moments. Switching from human to tiger or vice versa is a shifters weakest point; anyone could kill them once they start the process. Usually there are other shifters around to protect the one shifting but tonight Gabbie didn’t see a problem occurring.

Gabriella had no issues shifting in the clothes she had on, in fact her parents always made sure she had on very worn down clothing to shift in. The tiger within her became excited to finally be let out but knew she had to wait until Gabbie was ready. Gabriella crouched down onto her hands and knees and took in a few deep breaths. After opening herself to the tiger within she could feel the tiger running inside of her body then hitting that wall as the shifting started.

Gabbie’s hands and feet were always first to shift into her oversized paws and claws. For a few split seconds she could feel and hear the bones breaking and reforming into her tiger form. The red and black fur seemed to shoot out of her skin as her tail grew out of her back end. Once she was fully into her tiger form Gabbie let out a small roar. It was still pretty weak sounding and noting to be scared of but Gabbie has been working on it. Once she finally gets into her adult tiger then her roar will be something to be afraid of but for now it just sounded funny.

The tiger cub was free at last and ready to hunt. Her golden eyes watched as a field mouse scampered across the lawn. She crouched down trying to make herself as small as possible as her tail twitched back and forth. Gabbie watched the mouse run away but she knew bigger animals were in her near future.

The tiger watched the shifters patiently, eyeing the changing forms with mild interest. His stomach grumbled for nourishment, protesting the feline's decision to stay put. Twin globes of iridescent amber stayed perfectly fixated, not once betraying the presence of their owner.

An ear flicked in response to the meager call of the tiger cub, but no further attention was given. Ulysses rose quickly to all fours once both Serena and Gabbie had joined him in form. There was nothing else worth waiting around for, except perhaps to exercise hunting skills on crickets. Hunger was too incessant to ignore for a simple warm-up, so the Amur slinked into the forest ahead of the others, expecting them to find their own prey.

Forest ambiance filled him with energy, renewing the feline fire that helped power him every day. Cricket orchestras, occasional owl calls, humid forest air, damp soil, and even the sound of distant prey fed his thirst for freedom from the life he played in his other skin. It was simple salvation from the chains of having to be human that kept him going for many years. Before infection, it was hard trying to find reason in playing slave boy every day for things as petty as room and board. Granted, he had not thought them petty the first few years he lived with the Florens, but it was an uphill battle after that. The added bonus of exploring that freedom as a tiger made being chore boy look like a very generous trade off. How people would go their entire lives not knowing the feel of damp sod beneath paws, or the all-consuming enjoyment of becoming one with the beast of their fantasies? It was truly a pity.

Moonlight reflected off of the flowing body of orange, black, and white that glided beneath gaps and holes in the forest canopy, like a ghostly flower fading in and out of view. This flower, however, had thoughts only of sinking fang and claw into the tender flesh of deer. More over it would be appropriate to think of a flower seeking prey in which to take root--to feed off of.

Careless hoof steps alerted the carnivorous flower to nearby sustenance, causing a gradual drop to crouch position. He stalked carefully ahead, keeping his movements smooth and slow. The subtle scent of warm meat filled his nose, teasing his stomach to come get some.

Fortunately, thick patches of tall brush had been planted through out the forest to act as staging points for signature tiger ambushes. Tigers could hunt without it, yes, but at a much lower success rate. The felines were, after all, adapted for hiding in thick brush.

Ulysses was well immersed in the pond-sized plot of brush before he came within alertness range of his intended prey. Low-light vision clearly outlined the presence of a doe and her precious fawn feeding upon the surrounding vegetation. It would have been better if it had been near the stream as any additional white noise to cover up movement was quite helpful in avoiding detection. Nevertheless, the current setup would do.

Patience played largely into kill success, which was why the tiger lay crouched in the brush for nearly fifteen minutes without so much as a twitch of movement. Finally, the opportunity to strike presented itself--the mother had its back turned. Though the fawn was heading away at an angle from him, it was of no threat to success.

Gaging the distance, needed jump angle and strength with almost bug-eyed intensity, Ulysses readied himself. A few seconds faded by and still the mother held her position, angle unchanged. The rest of what followed was all too one-sided. Padding left ground, tiger met deer, crumpled deer met ground, claws met deer, fangs met neck, neck went snap, deer met death. Relatively clean, and most certainly simple compared to how most hunts went for tigers in the wild.

The tiger kept the deer's neck clenched in its mouth for a further minute, making sure the prey would not suddenly spring back to life. Afterward, he began dragging it back to the edge of the forest for consumption, and perhaps sharing.

Being a tiger had to be something short of heaven on earth for certain people, or so that's what Ulysses felt.

Watching from her perch on the ground, the young tigress shifted beautifully into a small red tiger. Her small, but strong roar stung the orange tigers ears as they turned towards the direction of the sound. The cub seemed playful, but ready to eat as she moved closer to them. The tiger with the ebony leopard moving inside of it, gave a generous lick across the cubs head as golden eyes watched as her mate rose, ready to hunt for his meal. Nudging the cub, the tiger moved away from her as the male tiger launched forward to find his meal. The orange tiger’s massive head turned towards the cub then glanced out towards the wooded area as she moved forward in the opposite direction her mate went in.

The sound of the woods echoes in her ears as she inhaled the scent of soil and of fresh meat. The speed picked up in her powerful legs as she moved around trees and fallen logs. Eyes scanned over the area, picking up movement as in the far distance she spotted a deer. The tigress slowed down as she watched the deer stand alone. It was a female and she knew not to far away there would be others. The skinny head of the deep sloped down as it grazed on the vegetation the woods provided. The orange tiger could smell its strong scent as it tuned into the animal. Ears twitched with every movement of the deer as Serena eyes found her prey.

The deer continued to eat as the tiger stalked forward, slowly and silently. Golden eyes never turned away from its prey as she entered tall grass. Moving slowly, carefully, the grass hide most of her bulk as she continued to watch the deer. No unwanted predators to the deer surrounded her as she listened closely. She waited for the right movement to kill, feeling the weight of the kill in her legs. Large pink tongue moved over her canines as the deer picked its head up and looked around. Just as quickly as it did that, its head moved towards the ground and that was the right moment to strike.

Moving quickly, power build up in her legs and the leopard watched inside of the tiger. Paws hit the earth as the tiger charged after the deer. Before it even noticed, the tiger pushed the deer down and bit down on its throat in one swift movement. The deer only struggled once as jaws clamped down hard; blood quickly filled her mouth. Finally, the deer laid limp on the ground as large paws held it down. Laying on the ground, large pink tongue lapped up the blood as the sweet nectar filled its mouth. Lifting her eyes, she knew Ulysses and Gabbie weren’t too far away from her.

The little red tigress wanted to pounce playfully on Serena but she knew they needed to eat before she could play. A deep purr left the tiger’s body as she felt the lick of Serena’s tiger. Uly then rose to his feet and darted off into the woods to find his meal. The cub looked to Serena as she felt the nudge, her eyes followed Serena’s as she looked to the woods. Gabbie nodded and after Serena darted into the woods she soon followed in the direction Uly had gone.

Her paws met the damp ground and she knew big paw prints would be the only thing to suggest she was there. The cub was still growing into her body, as her paws were a little too big for her, she hoped her body would grow into them soon. It didn’t take her long to catch up with the male tiger but she kept her distance and stayed quiet. She watched as Uly was studying his prey and waiting for the precise moment to attack.

Since he was going after the doe, the cub wanted to take down the fawn. She knew she would have to be quick because once Uly sprung out of its hiding spot the fawn would dart off running. The cub got into place and sunk low to the ground, her eyes were all for the fawn watching its every move. Her tail twitched in anticipation, waiting for the male to make the first move. She didn’t want to be the reason why he didn’t catch the mother.

Not too much longer after they had arrived Uly sprung up and attacked the mother. Just like she though the fawn went off running. The cub sprung into action and used her powerful legs to catch up to the little deer. Her prey leaped over branches and only excited the tiger even more. The thrill of the chase made her want this deer even more than at first. With a powerful leap the cub land on the deer’s back and her claws sunk as deep as they could. Her powerful jaw went straight for the neck and latched on hard. The deer managed to keep running for a little while but soon slowed down. Her jaws clenched down harder until she heard the snap of the neck. Blood poured into her mouth as she waited a few more minutes to make sure the fawn was dead.

She took her time to lap up some of the sweet blood, the cub cold taste the fear in the fawn’s blood. Purring deeply the cub took a hold of the neck and tugged at it, dragging in back over to Serena and Uly. She found Serena first and drug her prize near but not too close. If her tiger form would have allowed it there would have been a huge bloody grin on her face.