Chương 30: Chapter 29: Wolf-Shaped

Dawn has broken, and the curse is lifted... for now. I woke as the pain started. Loose from sleep, with my skill newly upgraded, the agony of it was at least... a lot quicker. Even so, Gelidia, distracted at the moment I began transforming, looked down at me as I made a soft, unhappy noise. It definitely hurt a lot, a LOT less than it had previously, and it seemed to take less time, but it was less than fun, and judging by the look on her face as she stared resolutely at the wall, it was still hideous to look at.

She didn't touch me, or look at me, until... the transformation slowed and... stopped? But I wasn't human. I still had a muzzle, and sure I'd lost a lot of mass, but... I wasn't human! Squirming around awkwardly, I found a new understanding fill me as I rose to all fours. All... four paws. I wasn't human shaped - I was wolf-shaped! What?! I looked around at my blonde-furred body, and a soft, involuntary whine escaped my lips.

Gelidia looked back at me at last, and her blank, featureless eyes flew wide to see me in this state! I was a wolf! A very big wolf at that - With her sitting, having my head in her lap while I'd rested, I was much taller than her in that position on my feet. Why are we a wolf? I WANTED TO I didn't even know this was an option! IT IS NOW I found... that being wolf-shaped was a different experience. I wasn't just... me in a wolf body, I was... the wolf, with my human self in the passenger seat, sort of.

Oh this feels so strange DOES IT? It didn't really. It really, really should have, I felt sure. I felt like turning into a wolf when I'd been human my whole life would have some consequences for me, right? Like, walking would be hard! How do I stay cool with fur? What about the nipple situation? But it all felt... natural to me. It didn't feel weird at all. I wasn't even helpless while my body moved and acted on its own - my Wolf... WAS me, in a way, just...

I was riding along with her, riding her instincts and understanding of her own body. Gelidia reached out towards my face, and I found myself pausing in my self-examination to sniff her hand, and nuzzle into it tenderly. As I did, I felt... Wolf's emotions much more strongly. I felt her treasure Gelidia, felt her desire the woman's touch, and found myself aching for her to pet us, to touch us, to tell us it'd be alright. With a weird little wobbly smile, Gelidia fussed with my ears and...

looked into my eyes, kneeling to reach eye level with me. She dug her hands into my ruff and scratched at me, and my remade flesh, tender as it was, responded with bliss as she did so. A soft chuffing grunty noise escaped my lips, and I pressed more against her. I wanted to push as much of my body against hers as I possibly could, and found myself enfolded in a gentle hug as she said "Ohhhhh Emily, you're beautiful!"

"Ohhh sweetie, I didn't know you could do this!" she said, awe in her voice! I didn't either, but what the heck.

"You're gorgeous - I've never seen a golden wolf before." she said, rising to her feet and patting down my furred flank. I responded with a happy wiggle and a grunty, chuffing noise.

"Why is she a wolf?" Torch said, and I noticed my growing audience for the first time this morning. Roxala and Fel were still getting up blearily, but Torch was already bright-eyed and blinking at me.

"I don't know! Isn't she lovely?" Gelidia said, and I just about knocked her over as I leaned into her with another grunty noise. She laughed, and fluffled at my ears as Torch approached and got on one knee to be eye level with me too.

"Hey Goldtail, you alright?" he asked, and like a dingdong, I tried to speak! I just kind of made a barking noise, and felt my tail wagging behind me. My friend felt confident enough to reach out and offer his hand. I sniffed it as any dog-shaped thing might do, and got a surge of information from that alone. Gelidia hadn't given me much - she mostly just smelled of books, cellar dust, and my fur.

Torch though, he smelled like- Torch Axebright, Human male Scout, level 7, mated to Felorikaan, associates with YOU, Gelidia Windbinder, and Roxala Burnbright. Mood: Worried, freshly awakened. Status: Healthy, Hungry... that! My nose had just used inspect automatically. Come to that, the world around me was... different than it had been before. It was kind of like a black and white image, with blues and yellows. The colors my eyes gave me were lackluster at best, but the scents and sounds though!

I felt my breath hitch as a symphony of ghostly sounds and swirling banks of fog filled my world from edge to edge! It was like when I'd first gotten Wolf-Ren, but so, so much more vibrant, more intense a sensation! I could feel three dimensional space around me in all directions, I could see Torch with my eyes, but I could also hear his heart beating and see it like a glowing pulse in his breast, see how his life flowed through his vibrantly healthy body. He was beautiful!

Felorikaan was further from me, but I could see his heart beating too, hear it pick up as he caught me staring at him. Felorikaan, Human male Wind Sage, level 7, mated to Torch Axebright, associates with YOU, Gelidia Windbinder, and Roxala Burnbright. Mood: Worried, frightened, freshly awakened. Status: Healthy, Hungry The wizard moved over towards us, and shyly did not offer his hand for me, his eyes wide. HE FEARS US Why? He's our friend! Torch looked at the wizard. Did he sleep with that hood up and hat on?

I'd never actually seen him without it before.

"Hey Fel, she's a wolf - any idea why?" he asked, and the wizard slowly shook his head.

"I... don't know... I didn't know werewolves could... do that." he said, and seemed to steel himself. I wasn't tearing at Torch, after all, or acting dangerously! Gelidia kept petting and scratching me, too! She was absolutely delighted by this turn of events, I realized, wholeheartedly approved of this new shape I could take! SHE IS KIND She is! I like Gelidia as much as you do. My tail only wagged harder!

There was little barrier between my wolf's feelings and actions in this form, for this was her body, I realized, her native form. Felorikaan carefully knelt, and looked into my eyes, turning his head this way and that as if to get a look at me from each eye before he reached out to me. Dutifully, I stepped out of Gelidia's grasp and set my head between his hands, tiny as they were.

The man was shaking a little, I could smell his fear, but then a nuzzled forward and bumped him gently, affectionately, finding my heart singing with a need to comfort him, to tell him not to be scared. There was a brief spike of fear, but then I hugged him with my head and neck, lifting one paw to clasp him as I slid to my haunches. Fel was tense as wires for a moment, before hugging me back as he got the picture. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Oh... it really is still you." he said softly, and I felt my tail waggle again behind me. OF COURSE IT IS, STUPID my wolf said almost indignantly, and inwardly, I giggled at that. I think werewolves are dangerous. We are unusual - most of us never embrace what we are, and wolves must be scary too. Maybe Fel had a bad experience once before? My wolf looked, inwardly, at me with slightly wide eyes, and I could register how the idea surprised her. WISE SISTER My wolf... really didn't think about the past, I realized.

She didn't think too hard about the future, either - she was just... a here and now kind of girl. It was my job to think about those things and to help her make sense of them, in this shape more than ever. Roxala got up, and stalked towards the stove where I'd leaned my backpack and removed out my clothes, then gave a breathy half whistle in my direction. I released Fel, and looked to her, only to get my clothes thrown in my face unceremoniously as a stern Roxala glowered down at me.

"PUT YOUR PANTS ON, WOMAN!" she thundered"I'M NOT TAKING A DOG INTO A DUNGEON, I NEED TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO YOU! AND WE NEED BREAKFAST!" she went on, and my tail sank between my legs as I got up again. SHE IS LEADER, WE MUST SWITCH The memory of Roxala beating the absolute stuffing out of us yesterday in training had reached my Wolf as much as it had me. She'd overcome me completely, fought me until I could literally not fight any more, and had been up and hale - if exhausted - when she was done!

In my gestalt soul, that made her sort of the leader, in a weird way. But still, the wolf dragged my mind's eye to the mirror in our thoughts, the pool of silver-blue light I'd seen last night. Then I realized... no, it was I who was in the mirror, not my wolf. I was experiencing the world... from the perspective of a passenger, sort of. The driver was still me, but.. that other facet of me, that other being, other self - my Wolf.

I could see her waiting for me at the mirror, standing up to put her paws on it, tail tucked low between her legs as she tilted her head at me. LIKE THIS She said into my thoughts. I obediently stepped up to the mirror... and placed my hands where her paws were. Then...

we sort of pushed - and the pain of transformation blossomed as we did, surging through my body as my perceptions snapped back to the real world once again, aching muscles locking up and bones shifting, joints popping softly as fur receded and my body changed proportion. It... didn't take long at all, and it left my form full of tingles, left my flesh feeling raw, my bare, steaming form left panting on the flagstone floor of the kitchen.

I hadn't even noticed, but the only person who had watched me actually change shape had been Roxala. She was staring down at me as I cooled like something fresh out of a mold. That's how I felt - raw, tingling, and way, way too warm. There was one good way to fight the tinglies! I squirmed to get my legs under me, then, wobbly, I got back to my feet.

"Uh..." Roxala began, and I held up my hand a moment, saying"O-one second... juuust a minute." I said, and forgetting my clothes, staggered into the inn a bit to walk around until the tingles faded away. As I did, I heard Gelidia giving Roxala a dressing down.

"You will never speak to her like that again, Roxala Burnbright! I do not care if you are the Warrior Queen of the Furthest Keep, you will not bark commands at her like that, or throw things at her!" the shade snarled, and I could see her right in Roxala's face, floating two feet above the ground to be slightly taller than her.

"She is perfectly reasonable, and a good girl, not a soldier or some half-wit servant!" Roxala bunched her huge fists, but turned away from Gelidia to walk away for a moment, before rounding on her again, booming"She is under my care, and I am taking a risk, bringing her along on this! I need her to follow my orders as soon as I give them, or any of us could die!" she growled, and Gelidia didn't back down.

"And she will! But throwing clothes at her like that, calling her a dog, treating her like a servant or some whipping boy, that stops here. Am I understood?" Gelidia said"If I hear of you doing so again, I will get stroppy in an occult kind of way." the shade said.

"Is that a threat?" the Armiger said, voice hushed and deadly.

"Hey, hey now whoah!" Torch began, and he and Fel moved to intercede at this point as Gelidia hissed"No, miss Burnbright. It is a weather forecast." so softly that I almost didn't hear it. Torch and Fel got between the two, though the fight had apparently left Roxala. Gelidia crossed her arms, and allowed them to push her form back gently. I found myself transfixed outside in the inn. The tingles had fled, but I wasn't sure what to do!

The moment seemed to be under control, but I was pretty sure my sudden presence again was something that might cause more trouble. So, I just kind of... lingered out there, unsure what to do.

"You're right, miss Windbinder. Roxala, You were a bit out of line, there, even if I understand what you'd meant. That was very peremptory of you - not a way one treats a friend, especially one who has been such a kind host to us." Fel said, and I could see Torch nodding. Again Roxala turned away and bunched her fists up, but years of experience seemed to catch up and weigh onto her shoulders, dousing her temper in a splash of shame for good measure. The huge Armiger sighed, and sank onto a chair.

She looked tired in the echo-sight of Wolf-Ren.

"... Alright." she said at last.

"Apologies, miss Windbinder. Won't happen again." she said, and Gelidia lifted her chin.

"See it does not. Don't apologize to me, however, apologize to her." the woman said, and Roxala nodded with another of her world-class grunts. I felt self-conscious as I peeked into the room again, and saw the scene with my eyes once more, just as my wolf-ren sight had seen it. Roxala sat sulked, staring at the wall, and my three other friends stood in a cluster over my clothes. Torch bent down and picked them up, offering them out to me, and I meekly took them, squirming into the outfit.

The atmosphere was awkward and quiet as people cooled, but Torch, bless him, changed the subject!

"Oh! Hey Emily, I finished those moccasins for you!" he said, and moved to his pack to produce them and hold them out to me! They were a brown color, and had little colored beads, blue and green and not many, but they were there. The tongue of the moccasin had and little ornaments in the shape of bones - carved of bone, I figured - and when I eagerly slipped them on, they were super comfy! I stepped around in them a bit, wiggling my toes, and then threw my arms around Torch in a hug!

"I love them! They're so comfortable and pretty!" I cheered as he laughed, and gave me a twirl before setting me down again. Fel chuckled at that, and I let his partner go. Roxala seemed to make up her mind at last, and got up to her feet, saying.

"Emily, a word in your ear, if you please." she said, and looking to her, I nodded.

"Alright!" I said, and she led us out into the inn proper, then outside into the gathering dawn. We stood there in quiet for a few moments, and I could see my friends inside the inn starting to gather their things together. Fel and Torch were sorting out their bags and unloading things, setting them in neat, distinct little piles. I supposed they wouldn't need everything in the dungeon, but they were packing up their bedrolls and things, I saw.

"... I apologize for being disrespectful to you, earlier." she began"Occasionally, I default to the ways of my sergeant when I was a soldier. Disrespect wasn't inten-" and then I hugged her, jumping up to achieve this as I wrapped my arms around her broad neck. She froze! It only lasted for a moment, but I smiled up at her as I let go again.

"All is forgiven! Let's say no more about it, okay?" I said easily, and her frozen expression softened a bit as she nodded.

"Let's get some breakfast in us before the dive! I'll pack some cookery kit with me, and bring some of the dried meat and veggies if we're gonna be in the dungeon a while. Will we have a way to get water?" I said, all business! Roxala seemed to appreciate it as she followed me into the inn.

"That sounds good. I have a canteen with a water rune - it is standard Wayfinder practice." she said.

"Also, a flame rune stove - another fairly standard piece of kit." she said. We moved together into the inn and I smiled at the others, pausing a moment to scoop Gelidia in against me and kiss her lips. The Shade blinked, then gave me a stupid looking grin as she asked"Wh-what was that for?" I beamed, and squeezed her gently, arms around her hips as I hugged her, securing her to my hips tightly by the embrace.

"For defending my honor!" I said, and clenched my fist, then kissed her again and scurried off to see the stove, leaving a very flustered and blushing Gelidia to stare after me. Roxala smiled as she produced the object. It was a metal and wood construction with a metallic central disc, and little wood skis sort of that unfolded to support it on metal legs maybe a couple inches off the ground when it was unfolded.

The whole thing was about as big around as a dinnerplate, and in the center of one of the wooden ski-feet on the thing was some kind of dark stone, with a metal-set rune carved into it that looked vaguely like the one on the stove.

"Will this work? I have never used it before." the Orc-maiden asked, and I nodded at her. Scooping the device up, I put it on the table and got out our leftovers.

"Only one way to find out!" I said cheerily, and began to heat up some leftovers!