[color=f7941d]It was a rather nice day, to say the least. Even though the sun had begun to set, the weather was still warm, and the sun's dying rays were not blocked by thick clouds. To the edge of the horizon was a dark, purple-ish blue hue that signaled the beginning of dusk. The sun's rays could not even reach that far to scare away nightfall. Soon, the moon would rise, and the sun would not be present for another few hours. Some said that the moon gave power to creatures such as unicorns and pegasi, whose blood was as silver as their pelts. But to beasts such as griffins, the sun warmed their hearts and gave them hope.

The people of New York City were used to animals such as her. It was not uncommon to find a shifter stalking the streets after dark or a dragon landing on one of the skyscrapers that the city was known for. The people didn't mind; they knew that dragons and things like them were benevolent until they were provoked, unless they were hatching a nasty plot in their big skulls. They also knew that they were smart and understood the human language-- they had even gone so far as to learn how to communicate with humans in the first place. Though, dragons were one of the types of fauna that had become rare throughout the years. The winged beasts, such as dragons, griffins, cockatrices, and pegasi, were some of the most hunted. Perhaps it was because of their colorful plumage or interesting anatomy.

New Yorkers were also accustomed to seeing human-like people with pointed and furry ears or swishing tails. Shifters, they were called. Back then, they had a more proper name, but people decided that calling them shifters was easier. The most common were feline or canine shifters, and then came the winged and scaly ones. Dragon-class shifters were hunted down until they almost became extinct, and so, they retreated to more mountainous and isolated areas. Griffin-shifters are slowly following suite, but some could still be sighted on the streets of the city.

Kaethe was one of these shifters. She stayed to herself, and hardly ventured out after dark. She also lived by herself, which meant that she had to do her own groceries and work shifts at a local restaurant. It was unusual that such a creature would have an active lifestyle, but no one ever bothered her much. Her mother had once told her of hunters that went after mythological creatures, things that didn't have a place in this world, but she never encountered one. And so, she decided that it wasn't necessary to be too wary of her surroundings as she walked to the grocery store to pick up a last minute item.

Her tail swayed gently as she walked down the light-bathed streets. The brunette's dark eyes remained focused on the streets as her ears flicked away the gnats that buzzed around them. The grocery store was just another block away... she would probably be home in time to watch some television. Maybe she would even be able to fly above the clouds. Kaethe loved doing so, but unfortunately many people found it annoying for no apparent reason. She didn't understand why the New Yorkers were so grouchy...   [/color]