Arcadia-Pain

"Know this," A rough voice whispers into my ears as I reawaken. "you are still mortal. And as such, this world is still a threat. But I have given you a great boon, at little cost. Do not be reckless." Old Terra helps me to my feet.

Cally pulls me in close, smiling. "We are going to go on a short trip North, along the mountain trails. I can explain a few things to you as we go along."

I smile. "Eager to head out already? I'm still terrified of going outside. Do we even have equipment?"

She taps me on the head. "You are the equipment. You are now hunter, scout, and warmth in one fleshy package. I am going to abuse this little gift of yours to no end!"

My grin fades. "Why? And how?"

"You are bound by a mystical contract to be my traveling companion. Think of yourself as a field butler. Hopefully I won't have to force you to do anything, if what you said at Bright's had any truth to it."

"I don't remember much of that night... Shit. Maybe I should have stayed home and watched crappy HBO shows to alleviate boredom..."

She begins pushing me towards the door. "Unfortunately, your shifting ability is pseudo-physical. While the magic will allow you to alter your body, you can't do the same with your clothing... So I will keep them in my travel kit." She grins a bit and points to a battered backpack slung over her shoulder. "Vermina went home, I told her not to wait up for us, we'll be gone for at least a night to get you acquainted with your new found power. For starters, I need a steed. We are going to ride valiantly off through the town!"

Good Lord it's like her age is regressing. She must love traveling. I sigh. "Really? First thing upon awakening 'I want to ride you out of town?' Just hours ago I was the equivalent of a lawn gnome. Now I am a sedan? Ya know what? Fine. But I ain't a horse. Never will be."

"Cool, can't wait! Meet me outside, you can change out there, so that everyone can see you are not just some random mortal. Maybe it'll even cause Charles and Rose to back down. More worried about Rose. She started licking the window earlier."

We step out after bidding Terra farewell, she seems to have taken a liking to me in the short time we've known each other. A few people are gathered outside, staring at me, some hungrily, others lustfully, but the majority see me as a sort of curiosity. I can accept that (and let's face it, what couldn't I accept right now?) Cally is staring in anticipation.

With another sigh I begin to strip down. A few people scoff, others make remarks about how thin my arms and legs are, not enough meat. I think one was even praying for my safety to their strange deities. Thankfully Rose is nowhere to be seen. Focus.

Again with the shifting and crunching of bone, A little squeal escapes my lips as my jaw elongates, reaching a point before flattening. I shrink down to about the size of a badger, and my bill takes shape, spine extending into a paddle-esque tail. My hands and feet become webbed, and little claws form in place of fingers.

Behold, Donovan... Platypus.  

I simply stare at the bemused crowd for a moment. The all burst out laughing, most wandering off, some asking what the hell I am, some new species of Fae? My eyesight isn't so good, but I do feel as if someone is lifting me by my tail. It's annoying, but only mildly painful all things considered. And I don't think I'll ever get used to the natural ease of the transformation.

Cally flips me around, holding me face to face. "What the hell is this? I can't ride a... Whatever this is." I have an urge to swipe at her with a poisoned spine, but change my mind. She tells me to try again.

Placing me back on the ground she steps back. I pause for a moment... then waddle as fast as I can to the lake. Surprisingly I make it, the cool water refreshing in so many ways. I can't believe I actually turned into a platypus. This is quite possibly the most epic, not to mention hilarious, moment of my life.

I swim carefree for about five minutes when another, colder hand lifts me out of the water. A silky smooth voice rings out, an almost crystalline sound, "Dear Calypso, is this yours?"

"Yes, sorry about that miss Vivian, I won't let him out of my sight again."  
I am handed over to Cally, and immediately squirm to free myself. No good, her playful mood is bleeding away, so I need to start obeying. The two say there goodbyes and I am instructed to turn into something useful. I can't.
  
I have to change back to human first. The process is more painful when returning to human state, so I lie in the grass for a moment panting with exhaustion. After a few moments of rest, she resumes heckling me. "C'mon, while we still have light!"

I think for a moment. I said no to turning into a horse. What could feasibly carry a passenger, but normally won't? At least she'll get attention. Hrmmm...

I sit up and snap my fingers. Slamming my fists into the earth I bellow in pain as my torso expands exponentially, that bellow forms a roar as my vocal cords alter, deepening the pitch as my muzzle extends outward. Seemingly from nowhere body mass is just piling on, muscle tissue thickening as white fur sprouts all over the place.

I have become the largest land hunter of my world, weighing in at around three quarters of a ton. A polar bear. And Terra was right, the strength feels exaggerated... But I can't think of that, Changing has left me hungry. Ignoring the puny reptile in front of me I plod off towards the scent of meat.

"Hey, Hey wait up!"

Sniffing the air, I detect fresh meat. An abattoir. Perfect. Bear senses tingling for red flesh I barrel across the paved street, smashing into the entrance, the owner and customers fleeing. Ignoring the patrons i haul my massive body through the counter, obliterating it.  

Within moments I find the walk in freezer and tear the door away, digging into a side of beef hanging there. I can hear voices arguing behind me, Cally is telling the owner she'll pay for the damages, but I am only interested in eating for now.

Half an hour and a side of beef later, I curl up into a ball to rest. I poke a single eye open as the owner and Cally wander in. "He looks full, don't worry, I will keep my word. Just talk to my cousin Vermina, she has access to my funds. I'll deal with this."
As the owner wanders off, scratching his head, Cally leaps onto my back. I grunt, not amused in the slightest. "Mind tellin' me what that was all about? I know Terra said instinct would take awhile to get a hold of, but destroying the entrance of the local butcher shop? You went a little too far. Anyway, time to go north." I stay lying down. She kicks my sides. "C'mon! Time to go!"

Standing up I shake her off. Then I lie down once more. "Hey! Quit it! We have a deal... Remember? I want to head out today." My massive paw begins to burn, same arm that had the mark. The fur is turning black, the contract becoming visible through the hollow tubes that coat my body. I grunt.

"Are we through being stubborn? Let's go." She hops on again and I leave the building, working towards the exit of the little village. Everyone is staring, so I break out into a loping run.






I calmly ascend the slopes of the mountain path, Cally has fallen asleep on my back and I am fully aware that she is drooling on my neck. I didn't know she could drool. It's little more than an annoyance and I have slowly pushed the bears thought patterns away.  Whatever Terra did to me, it's more than just simple shifting. I feel as though there is more to it.

I decide to test a theory. Stopping in a small wooded bit of flat-land I try to grow, to increase muscle mass. It's working! I can feel my body getting heavier, but it feels like my-

I howl and bellow in pain, my muscles almost literally exploding. I collapse on my chest, smell blood leaking from my right arm. My bear like equivalent to a bicep has bulged through the flesh, shredded and bleeding.

Cally hop's off my back and exclaims, "What happened! Oh my God... What did you do to yourself?" She reaches close to the wound, but I pull away. As I do other muscles rupture similarly. In a panic I shift back into human, the process taking fifteen minutes.
  
Cally holds me as I lay quivering in pain. The damage to my human body is minimal, but the pain is still there for awhile. My voice shaky I offer a few words other than whimpers, "That didn't quite work out the way I planned it." I give her a pained smile. "Thanks. For everything."

"What do you mean?"  

"Thanks to you, I got shit-faced, had my concept of reality beaten senseless, was nearly crushed to death, and now I am a witches pet experiment." my smile widens. "That part isn't so bad."

"Is this sarcasm?"

"Truthfully? No. You know what I did back in my world? I was going to college to get a degree in business. I was boring. Bored. Now I have a little action in life, every turn I have to avoid being killed, or eaten, hell, even raped to death. But the rush, I may be a pansy, but the rush! It's amazing." I start to pass out. "Amazing..."


Torpid exhaustion takes over and I drift into a peaceful, albeit pained, sleep.