Ari ran down the cold hallway towards her best friend's chambers, her black skirts rustling across the dry floor.

"Ella!"

She shouted impatiently,

"Let's GO! I want to hunt!"

Ella slid off her bed, irritated at the loud shouts erupting from the hallway. She peeked through the door and noticed Ariesa.
"Hunting?" She asked, raising her eyebrow. "Are you crazy? It's the wee hours of the morning."

Merri cocked her head from where she sat on a padded stool in her bedroom. She set down the shiny pebble she had been playing with and quickly stood, exiting her room.

"Ari?" she hissed, "What's going on?"

Ari snickered, stomping her steel-heel boots on the marble floor, causing a clear note to ring across the hall,

"Who cares? We're all creatures of the night here,"

She said, gesturing to the slivers of light peeking out from every door in the corridor.

"I'm going into the forest to hunt, would you like to join me?"

Merri approached Ari and Ella, her pink silk gown drifting around her legs,

"I'll join you, if not to hunt. I haven't been outside in a while,"

She said softly as she came up beside Ariesa.

Ella bit her lip at the prospect of hunting. She didn't want to hurt anyone.
You're a Death Eater, she reminded herself fiercely.
She tried smiling confidently, although she felt terrible, and replied quietly, "Oh, hunting, Of course ... I can't sleep anyway."
She hoped this lie would be sufficient enough.

Merri snickered at the innocent looking blond girl,

"Hunting animals, silly. We don't hunt humans without our Lord's permission."

Ari grinned,

"Then go into your room and change, we'll all meet here in a couple minutes, I just need to grab some stuff..."

Her voice faded as she hurried back to her room and clicked the door shut.

Merri nodded and slipped back into her chambers, leaving the door open a crack. She undressed quickly and folded her clothes neatly on her bed for when she returned, then, locking her wand in a secret compartment under her desk, she transformed into a starling and fluttered towards the door.

Ella sighed in relief and hunted through her mound of clothing, before selecting muggle clothing and covering it with a gray robe. She took one long look in the mirror before picking up her wand and walking into the hallway, guilty thoughts threatening to control her.
"Come on, Ella." She whispered, levitating a pebble that lay nearby, patiently waiting for Ari.
Her eyes glew brighter and her features changed, becoming smaller and furrier until instead of a frail girl, stood a sleek black cat.

Ariesa ditched her clothes in a heap on the floor and strapped black leather bands onto her legs and wrists. She slipped knives into the laces of the bands and transformed into a large silver bengal.

Merri slipped through the door and landed on a chandelier above the black cat on the ground. Though they were her friends, one could never be too careful.

Ariesa padded out the door and shut it with a swift kick from her hind legs. She ran down the hallway and, without breaking stride, jumped at the chandelier and knocked Merri off, pinning her to the ground,

Gotcha

She said, showing her fangs in amusement.

Ella heard the tinkling of the chandielor above, and much to her confusion, Merri stood, her gaze fixed on Ella's. Ella felt uncomfortable for a minute: did they not like her? Did she do anything wrong?
She shook her head before asking, "When are we going? Are we allowed to go, anyway?"

Ari released the small bird and stretched, extending her tail like a fifth limb,

We're going now, and who cares if we're allowed? I want meat.

But .. er, don't you think Snape would ... tell You-Know-Who? Ella asked, a trace of fear in her voice. She had heard Voldemort was very good at Legimancy.

Merribelle shook her feathers in disgust and set to work preening. She fixed her wings and breast feathers and then turned to face the two cats uneasily,

I care. And yes we are. The Dark Lord does not forbid us from venturing out at night on our own endeavors. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to be off.

With a flap of her wings, Merri took flight and landed on a windowsill.

Ella watched for a minute, before sprinting through the open door and entering the dark forest.

Ari yawned, showing her sharp white fangs,

Snape knows not to bother us. He's probably busy washing his hair anyways...

She turned and followed the others out the door.

Kate swung down from her tree branch. She'd been taking a walk in the dark forest before going to bed. She hit the ground noiselessly and slowly padded around the tree.

OOC: Have you decided on your shape yet?