Brandon and Ezekiel took combat stances, standing in the cool shade of the forests canopy in an open clearing a few feet away from Erin's cabin.

Ezekiel held his hands low, by his ribs and loose. He bounced slightly from foot to foot, like a cat, wiggling its butt, sizing up a toy, and getting ready to pounce.

Brandon smiled as the image he had painted in his mind of a giant blue eyed cat jumping on a toy mouse faded away.

"Ridiculous." Brandon sighed as he took a more traditional kick boxing stance.

Brandon held his fists close to his body and slightly squeezed shut. His left fist he held just bellows his ribs and his right fist he brought down to his right hip. Kick boxing was one of the two fighting styles that he had studied and learned during an obscure period in his life where he had finally realized that if he wanted to stay free he was going to have to start fighting for it. It was a flexible fighting style that he had been able to adapt to his more unnatural inner abilities.

He was faster than most, and stronger then almost every mortal he had come into contact with, but aside from that Kick boxing seemed to go hand and hand with his need to hide the power burning through his veins. When he fought in this style he could keep his barriers locked down....and his mind relatively empty.

No complicated or specific moves to think about. Just him, his fists, his legs, his speed, and his instincts. Not to say that the power wasn't always there, beneath the surface, boiling along his fingertips. He'd learned to hide it, to conceal it, but no matter what he always knew the power would rise. The power that was always burning wild in his soul. And for now he would fight like a man...but inside of him slept a horrible killer.

Ready to destroy everything if he didn't shield the world from it.

And for some odd reason he was sitting here, with Ezekiel acting like a he was normal....like they were normal.

Like this was something that didn't have to end or change.

And just like that Brandon realized that just as much as Ezekiel professed to like him and enjoy spending time with him....Brandon was starting to enjoy it just as much.

Slightly saddened by that revelation, Brandon shook his head and focused on Ezekiel just as he suddenly moved forward. His movement were fluid as he weaved from left to right, then stated to walk a tight circle around Brandon who remained stone still and just watched him. And waited for the first strike.

He circled Brandon's back. And rather then follow his steps Brandon strained his ears, he listened for the sound of foot falls, but there was only the silken silence. Brandon struggled to hold onto the sound of Ezekiels jeans swishing or even his breaths, but Ezekiel was as muted as a blanket of snow.

And as the seconds passed by, the pressure built, until Brandon gave up, he knew that is was hopeless to try and match a shifters senses or speed, but suddenly he figured that he could just attack first. If he was fast enough and sly enough, he could land the first point.

Without any hesitation Brandon turned, and purely on luck he dogged left as Ezekiels fist came charging toward him. Brandon continued to spin and pulled his leg in and quickly released it into Ezekiels stomach. Or at least he tried to.

Just as he felt his foot connecting with Ezekiels body, the Shifter turned to the side flowing away from the blow and with a backward skip he put space between them again. His stance remained the same all the way through this. The stirrings of grace and beastly confidence bleeding through his eyes, that were starting to glow bright like an endless blue sky.

Bring it ...

Brandon thought privately to himself, looking straight into those beautiful and dangerous eyes and refusing to back down.

And almost as if Ezekiel had heard his challenge, he dropped his guard and suddenly began to run at Brandon, coming at him head on.

Brandon quickly regained his feet and skip-walked backwards leading him across the field.

Kick boxing, or any boxing he had trained in was about a relentless attack, so this is what he did. He brought Ezekiel in...and he attacked. Calculated furious barrages of movement and strikes that should have brought him a swift victory.

But Ezekiel matched him. Move for move. Strike for strike.

So that every kick and punch was deflected or rebuffed. So that every elbow and shove were used against Brandon to make him stumble or simply force him to regroup.

It was frustrating, exhilarating and more then fun. It was secretly arousing and the exhilaration of feeling passion for the Shifter blossoming so freely made Brandon's soul feel lighter then it had ever before.

The sport was So much fun that in the first quarter of the fight neither Brandon nor Ezekiel seemed too focused on scoring points. Each of them must have landed a dozen blows, but they both simply used the first few minutes to feel each other out. To test each other's boundaries. Using this moment as an unspoken excuse to touch each other, embrace and grapple for dominance...

Brandon soon found that through Ezekiel's strength and stamina were monstrous compared to his own. It was obvious that he held back the beast and the Reaver inside of him. Ezekiel was a Shifter and by default his raw strength was more than a match for a mortal, excluding Brandon's hidden powers.

But in good sportsmanship, Ezekiel took care with his every strike and tried not to hurt Brandon unnesscicarily. Still Ezekiel also didn't go easy on him or treat Brandon as a weak, fragile mortal. And so Brandon went back at him just as hard. Even though he secretly held back the power of the flame. He did everything in his power to match the Guardians feline agility and cunning.

Soon enough Brandon lost himself in the movements of their bodies around each other in the field. The sting of every blow, the heat of Ezekiel's skin as it collided with any unprotected, part of his body. Brandon lost himself in the fact that even though their fighting style's and minds worked differently....every step seemed far to similar. Every strategy seemed like a reflection. A compliment, a push and a pull.

It was a violent....aggressive dance. That still managed to touch on being sensual....and playful.

Suddenly Brandon dropped his guard, back flipped once as Ezekiels tried to kick at his leg and then cartwheeled to the left. When he landed on his feet, he turned and dashed away. And in seconds he was beneath the dimmer, cooler canopy of the forest.

Hundreds of pine trees stood about him like silent sentinels

With no real sense of direction, Brandon turned and dipped beneath a low hanging branch of pine needles....Quickly he dashed further into the forest hoping to use the difficult terrain to his advantage....but this was his mistake. Brandon cursed and risked a glance downwards as the pine needles crunched beneath him.

And when he glance back up a moment or two later, he was looking up into Ezekiel's fist.

Ezekiel hit him twice a quick barrage of punches that landed one to Brandon's stomach, then two to his cheek, turning his face to the side as a slight pain radiated across his jaw.

Instantly Brandon cursed as he stumbled back across thick tree roots and put up a guard that he suddenly knew would do his very little good. "Awww...? Is that all you got Brandon? I'm kinda disappointed, I distinctlyremeber you telling me that you could wipe the floor with me."

"Yeah yeah! Keep talking blur boy!" Frustrated beyond reasoning that he was only minutes from losing the sparing match, Brandon turned, charged and having caught Ezekiel off guard he managed to tackle Ezekiel into the earth. The Shifter let out a feral snarl, as Brandon hopped on top him and they tussled on the pine needles. Each of them trying to get in a blow.

Brandon quickly brought the match to a tie as he managed to get in two consecutive hits in a row. He landed two solid blows on Ezekiel's ribs with his knee. Then with no hesitation he lifted his hand and went for a punch, but Ezekiel tried to grab him. Knowing that he would lose if he got captured Brandon bit the Guardians hand.

Enraged as Brandon's teeth sunk into his palm, Ezekiel bucked Brandon into the earth, rolled on top of him and pinned him to the forest floor with an outraged hiss.

"Dammit! That's the last time you bite me Brandon! Let's see how you like it." Ezekiel hissed as he bit Brandon through the fabric of his shirt, just on the rim of his collar bone.

Brandon jumped. Not only shocked because it kind of hurt, but because for a second it felt good. With his heavy, hot sweaty body pressed between Brandon's thighs the Shifter hissed and then presses him sharp canines into Brandons throat, testing the flesh just above the fluttering pulse. Clamping down on him like a big cat overpowering his prey.

"Wait!" Brandon tried to call, but for all the good it did him he may as well have held his tongue.

"Give it up. You lose..." Ezekiel rumbled as he bit the other side of his throat, then nipped and nuzzled along Brandon's nape up to his chin seemingly ignoring his protests. Brandon shuddered as a flutter of awareness danced like licking flames across his nape, and down his spine at every graze. With Ezekiels body holding him into the earth and Ezekiels clawed hands locking his wrists above him, Brandon was mostly at his mercy.

"Ezekiel...h..hey...?" The man took a shuttering pant as he let their eyes connect and dance as the seconds passed.

Brandon could feel the heat vibrating on Ezekiels skin as their bodies played close, hips rubbing, and for some reason Brandon could tell that this was not just Ezekiel playing now. This was His eyes were completely Shifted, the thinnest slit of black in each eye surrounded by sharp blue irises. Not calm or playful. These were eyes that didn't look very rational....just....the eyes of a beast. Something hungry.

"Why do you smell so good...?" Ezekiel panted against his skin as he gaze dropped and his face hovered at the junction of Brandons throat. The heat of his touch and the weight of his body were undeniable. Ezekiel made everything else seem unimportant. Like the fact that Brandon shouldn't be allowing him to touch him in this way.

Brandon felt canines scrape against his skin and was mortified when he felt need pool like lava in his belly. When Ezekiel pushed against his chest and bit him on the ear....he started to moan as an unwanted chill of sharp decadent pleasure traced down the back of his spine. Brandon panted as his cock twitched and rubbed along Ezekiels toned stomach as the man melted against him in all the best ways..

Suddenly hot and wanting for something he couldn't describe, unconsciously the Brandon arched up against the Shifter feeling the hard weight of Ezekiel pinning him against the earth. A visceral reaction to the feeling made Brandon shudder and he turned his face, baring his throat giving the shfters fangs more acesss to tempt the flesh at his pulse...offering it....his arms closing behind Ezekiels shoulders and pulling him closer in soft unspoken need.

"Please...I..." he whispered then stopped.

Brandon had no notion of what he wanted, just that he did WANT...

The next thing he felt sent a shock to Brannon mind as something scratchy, moist and warm, laved up the side of his face.

Uh...Did he just lick me...?

What Is that rumble....Whoa, Is he purring?

Brandon found himself thinking suddenly. And with that thought Brandon forced himself to open his eyes only for him to scream in surprise.

"Oh my god!"

He was staring face to face with a full grown Leopard.