[hr][center][h2][b]N i k k i[/b][/h2][color=808B96]the Fall and falling[/color][/center] [hr] Nikki plunged into the forest, frustrated and for no good reason. Why did Justin have to go turn into such a bigot anyhow? She could still see his sneering expression, hear the disdain dripping from his voice when she'd come to visit him during his break. She knew people often changed in college, found new friends, started doing new things, but she'd never thought the two of them would have that problem. They'd been high school sweethearts, and even if they did break up eventually she was sure they'd still be friends. Whatever crowd he'd fallen in with, they must be pretty rotten. [i]Doesn't make it the kid's fault, Nikki,[/i] she reminded herself, finally coming to a stop. She'd not travelled all that far -- she could hear the murmur of voices, and the occasional glint of light came through the trees. They were moving again, it sounded like, and she quietly kept pace. For the moment she wanted to sulk, and she wasn't interested in dealing with druggies, bigots, or assorted nuts. It didn't take long for her temper to cool, and by then it'd turned into something of a game. How long, she wondered, before one of them noticed her? Could she get all the way to the mentioned uncle's house before they did? The noise of a blade on bark followed by straining wood meant danger, and the nekomi took all of an instant to figure out where it came from. Above them! She lunged out of the darkened brush and grabbed Taffy by the backpack, letting momentum carry the pair out of the way of what was not just a falling limb, but a whole tree! It wasn't windy enough for trees to be falling over. "Why so surprised?" Nikki asked, gold eyes bright. She'd been right there, after all. It seemed they hadn't spotted her, but the game was up now. "You're lucky I was, or you'd've been a pancake. And it wasn't an accident, either -- look!" Cat-keen eyes had no trouble making out the cleanly sliced stump, and suddenly it wasn't a game. No, it was much more interesting, especially when the menacing stranger loomed ahead of them. Nikki melted back into the shadows, and quickly slipped off to the side. Her heart pounded in her chest as the man sprang forward, his expression sending a frission of fear through her. There was crazy, and then there was this guy. She needed no convincing to hoof it out of there. The forest was little hindrance, and she had experience running on difficult terrain. The blue fire was an interesting touch, but not one she wanted to get too near. She managed to spot the cliff before reaching it, but instead of going over as Taffy exhorted them to do Nikki shifted into a cat and doubled back at canopy level. She wasn't going to leave anyone behind if she could help it. If someone ran into trouble, she could jump out and distract the reaper fellow just long enough for them to get away, or even help them with the jump -- she had no fear of heights and the natural agility that let nekomi mimic the animals their shifted forms resembled. Yony was the last one over, though he looked odd right before his dive. She didn't question it, more interested in making good her own escape. She charged the edge, threw herself into the air and shifted back as gravity took hold and left her stomach behind. A gleeful whoop escaped her on the way down, echoing through the trees as she plummeted downwards. --- The smile didn't leave her face until she hit the muck. At least she'd avoided the deepest part, but the way she had to land to absorb the impact sent goop splattering up her legs. "Euyuch!" She leaped away from it, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Mud wasn't [i]bad[/i] exactly, but unexpected mud was unwelcome. Tabby started checking on people, and Nikki made her way over to where the lutroi boy lay looking up at the cliff with a dazed expression. His words made her blink. "Nobody threw you," she told him, sloshing close enough to grab his hand and pull him upright, and then a little more to get his feet free of the sucking mud. "It was pretty cool, really. I wouldn't have though you the sort."