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Once John and his group had wandered far enough along the shoreline, their voices washed away by the soft waves, the shadow of a cullis gate pillar began to shift. A ripple passed over its silhouette, unfurling like ink bleeding through water.

A figure began to form, stepping out from the shadow. Kira stretched, inhaling deeply through her nose with a satisfied sigh and a smile tugging at her lips.

“This place is so bland,” she muttered, looking around. “I don’t know why he insists on returning here when the internet and video games exist.”

Her eyes narrowed, honing in on movement. With a flick of her wrist, a tendril of shadow lashed out, plucking a field mouse by its tail and raising it as it thrashed until it sat at eye level.

Kira tilted her head, studying it with mild curiosity, then huffed in disappointment. “How long did you intend on skulking around in that form?” she asked, her expression that of boredom, yet a slight hint of amusement laced her tone.

A grotesque series of cracks, snaps and pops echoed as the mouse’s body began to twist and shift. Bones pushed the skin as they rearranged, fur receded, and limbs stretched in a sickening display. Within moments, the rodent’s form was gone, replaced by a lithe woman with large, bright eyes gleaming and a wide, manic grin adorning her face.

“You know what he is, don’t you? You’re following him. What do you want with him?” she asked, her body tense, her shoulders tightening as if ready to strike. “He’s mine!”

Kira laughed dryly and brushed past her without a second glance. “I thought you a threat,” she mused idly, shadows swirling lazily at her heels. “Or at the very least… interesting.”

She paused, running her hand across the gritty texture of one of the cullis gate pillars before looking back at Celeste.

“I was wrong. Goodbye, little mouse.”

-- ⏳ Sometime after ditching Celeste ⏳ --

Kira strolled idly through the drakeling settlement, lazily picking at one of several meat skewers in her grasp. Her eyes drifted over the surroundings, observing the inhabitants with a detached curiosity.

The occupants, preoccupied with the stir of excitement surrounding John’s return, paid her no mind. Slipping through their midst unnoticed was effortless. That suited her just fine. She had no intention of crossing paths with anyone of note, especially John or his companions…. Not yet, at least.

She paused at the edge of a crude path, casting a glance towards the distant treeline, a quiet hum escaping her lips as she mused. “So, he’s found them…”

Something else caught her attention, and her gaze shifted towards a denser patch of the forest, the trees swaying from the wind, the reds, yellows and oranges almost shimmering, yet her expression fell into slight annoyance as she clicked her tongue.

“Hmph. Exactly as expected, she’s boorish.”

-- Following Celeste --

Celeste worked with swift, practised hands. After skinning and dressing a trio of foxes, she began fleshing their pelts as the meat and organs sizzled over an open flame. The bones simmered in a battered pot beside the fire, steam drifting up into the canopy. Nothing went to waste. Every part of the animal had a purpose, and Celeste was making full use.

After eating her fill and stowing the broth and bones for later, she let out a contented sigh, stretching her arms overhead. “Common red fox, vulpes vulpes,” she muttered, reaching for a weathered notebook tucked away in her pack. Flipping through the pages, she found the one she wanted, then scratched three lines with her pen beneath the heading. “That makes twenty in total.”

She rolled her shoulders and took a breath, then with a brief pulse of will, a thick copper russet tail unfurled from her lower back. She pulled it in front of her, lazily stroking it before letting go and directing the energy down towards her feet. The tail detached, thudding to the ground as her ankles shifted, bones creaking as they lengthened and joints realigned, adding roughly twenty centimetres to her height.

“I’m bored of hunting these, already…” she sighed, now tall enough to pluck a golden leaf from an overhead branch. “I need something better… more interesting.”

She covered the fire in a layer of damp earth before leaving it behind, stalking deeper into the forest. Her body shifted as she moved, subtle adjustments rippling across her form, small, rounded mouse ears emerged atop her head, twitching slightly. She halted, listening to the forest, then her lips curled into a grin.

Something big…

Though not entirely used to it, she used her new physiology to bolt forward, bounding between trees. Her movements were fluid and feral. As she neared her target, she slowed, her gait becoming careful, silent. Her legs shifted to their human configuration with a soft, grisly crunch.

Then she saw it.

A beautiful pale white doe, grazing in a small clearing. Its antlers faintly shimmered with a frost blue hue, and close by, a buck, larger, alert, with moss and lichen clinging to its bark-like hide.

The doe was caught completely unaware.

Celeste lunged from the underbrush, shortswords gripped firmly, and in a flash, blood trickled from the doe’s throat in one clean motion. With barely a sound, it crumpled to the ground.

Almost the instant it fell, Celeste sprang towards the buck, but it was faster. Hooves tore the ground as it wheeled around sharply. Rearing back, the buck managed to narrowly avoid her second blade.

“Tch. Missed the double kill,” she muttered. Annoyance was quickly replaced as excitement gleamed in her eyes. A real hunt.

The buck slammed its hooves down. The ground quaked and the earth trembled. A jagged spike erupted from the soil, narrowly missing her midsection as Celeste twisted away.

She could feel her magic draining, fast. Her transformation accelerated. Her bones and flesh shifted again, morphing into something built for speed. Her legs bent like those of a hare or kangaroo, muscles coiled with raw power.

She became a blur.

The buck struggled to track her, its head snapping back and forth. Stone pillars shot out in every direction, just trying to keep up, but each attack only found air.

’A quick clean kill would be most humane,’ she mused, frustration flickering behind her wide grin. ’But with its magic, that’s a bloody long shot… might have to be a little messy, go for the gut instead…’

She lowered herself, darting in and attempting to go for the throat again. Blood sprayed as her blade sliced through, but it lacked depth. Its hide was too strong, and the buck hardly acknowledged the wound.

She needed another plan, and going for the belly wasn’t an option anymore.

Every option seemed to fall through, then it struck her. It wasn’t ideal, it almost made her feel dirty to consider, but her choices were limited, and it would have to do.

After a deep breath, her manic grin widened, wild and eager. Pivoting sharply, she flanked the beast, sliding in closely to rake her blades across its ankles. It bellowed as its legs buckled and it collapsed.

With its mobility gone and magic rendered useless, she got in close, didn’t hesitate, and with a powerful strike, ended its suffering.

…

Celeste dressed both carcasses methodically, storing what wasn’t immediately useful and consuming the flesh of both beasts. She reclined against a tree and let out a small, satisfied belch, her hand patting her surprisingly flat stomach.

She inhaled deeply and focused. A pressure gathered at her scalp, sharp and slow. She winced as a pair of protrusions burst through her skin, a light glow barely visible as they grew to the size of twigs. Reaching up, her fingertips brushed against the damp velvet of her newly grown antlers.

Surprised, she shifted her focus to the buck's essence, attempting to reshape herself… but felt nothing.

Her brow furrowed. “The doe wasn’t magical? Or maybe weak enough to absorb?”

She shrugged it off. Seeing it as something not worth dwelling on.

Brushing the dirt and forest debris, she turned back toward the forest’s edge.

“Probably time to get back and watch the portal,” she murmured. “Rather not get stuck here. Bet the higher-ups would listen to me about this, though.

After a final stretch, she slipped into the trees. Blending perfectly.

-- Walking a mile in Erin’s boots --

After school, Erin met Vanessa by the gates, letting her know Alison wouldn’t be reachable because she was visiting her grandmother and switching her phone off.

Vanessa’s nose wrinkled almost on instinct, disdain clear in her expression. Erin expected as much. What surprised her was the shift to relief.

“Honestly, it’s probably for the best,” Vanessa said with a breezy tone. “I’ve got a busy day, I wouldn’t want her to think I was ignoring or dodging her.”

Vanessa’s car pulled up beside them, and after declining a ride, Erin watched as the car and Vanessa disappeared. Her thoughts wandered, possibilities of what Vanessa could have going on that made her so busy, but only one thing came to mind… John.

She dismissed the thought and chuckled, setting off on foot and taking a familiar detour through the park. She found herself at the old playground and smiled. The playground was sun-bleached and rust-bitten now, but it remained her little corner of the world where she could clear her mind.

Erin took her usual swing, boots brushing the gravel beneath. She gazed at the ring on her finger running her thumb across the lightly glowing tattoo-like marking.

“Well,” she muttered, “landed yourself in another mess…”

She tilted her hand, watching the faint glint of purple in its centre. Didn’t feel like just a ring, or even just a tattoo.

“I don’t even know what this even means. Definitely not something the real world would recognise… does magic marriage do something else?”

She stared as she began making the ring vanish and reappear, her only magic skill, if it even counted. Regardless, she smirked as she entertained herself.

“Could’ve definitely been worse,” she mused. “Could’ve been a creep. Instead, it’s a cute nerd who’s more than he seems on the surface. It’s easy to see why he caught Alison’s eye.”

“Hey! You!” Erin’s quiet was interrupted.

She looked up.

A guy swaggered across the playground. She vaguely recognised him, maybe from high school, or maybe he hung around the mall or something. He grinned like he thought he was charming.

“Erin, right? How about we head to my place? I’ll show you a real good time.”

Laughter echoed behind him, a girl clinging to another guy’s arm. “You should make sure to ask how much first, Dylan,” the girl mocked.

Dylan’s grin faltered, and confusion crossed his face as he looked behind him, then back at Erin. “Wait, I didn’t think sluts charged, that’s a prostitute isn’t it? You’re hot, though, so probably worth it.”

Erin’s sigh was loud and theatrical, and she threw in an eye-roll for good measure. Dylan’s confusion only deepened, then he seemed to get offended.

“What? You don’t think I could afford you?” he sneered. “Do you even know who my dad is?”

“Whoever he is, doesn’t seem like daddy spanked you enough,” Erin replied flatly, folding her arms. “Plus, what’d be the point in fucking for money?”

She tilted her head, unimpressed. “Now, I was enjoying some peace and quiet, so unless you have something clever to add, I’d like to relax alone.”

Behind him, the second guy chuckled. “Damn, dude. Rejected by the town bike. Must sting.”

The girl cackled, seemingly adding fire to Dylan’s burning ego. Clenching his jaw he got closer, grabbing Erin’s wrist.

“The fuck’s your problem? I thought you slept with everyone?” he complained.

The shift was immediate. Erin stood, and in one sharp, fluid motion, flipped him over her shoulder. There was a dull thud and a groan as he hit the dirt.

Erin looked down at him with disdain before stepping over him and taking a few steps towards the other two. “You are supposed to ask before you touch,” she called back to him, levelling her eyes at the other two.

Another groan came from behind her as she locked eyes with the girl.

“I’ll make this perfectly clear. She’s the only one that’d have a chance with me.” Erin gestured lazily. “Dunno why, but trailer trash does something for me.”

The girl’s face twisted. “Who the fuck are you calling trailer trash, you gaggedy-anne-looking slut?”

Erin smirked, then bit her lip. “Mmh, yeah, that’s the spirit. Keep going, it’s kinda hot. Think of something better than slut though, it’s kinda overused.”

“Fucking slut, who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? You’re just some whore, not even your so-called friends stand up for you, because they know what a slut you are!” the girl shrieked.

Erin placed the back of her hand to her forehead and sighed like a damsel. “First off, I don’t need anyone to defend me. Just ask weezy back there, still pretending to be hurt to save face.”

She pointed behind her as Dylan groaned again.

“Secondly, I’m into bitchy but can’t you be a little more creative? I literally set you up for a great line and you just ignored it, you could have said ‘overused like your pussy’ or some shit. I gift-wrapped it for you. I expect better of my little trailer trash princess,” Erin teased.

Erin turned her back and returned to the swing, flopping herself back onto it and lazily pushing herself.

“Now, unless your boyfriend over here needs to boost his ego by taking a jab or two, kindly FUCK OFF!”

Dylan staggered back to his feet, rushing towards his friends as he dusted his shirt off.

“Let’s just go,” he muttered. “Bet she’s on her period or embarrassed by her loose pussy or something.”

They rushed off in a huff, muttering to each other in an attempt to save face and conceal embarrassment.

Erin smirked and lazily waved after them. “Feel free to come back without your boy-toys sometime, dear,” she called. “Next time, I’ll have you screaming for a different reason.”

She watched them vanish and exhaled.

“Always the same…” she muttered, shaking her head with a tired smile.

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