Traveler

When Richiro Wichiro and Azlyn returned from their work in Vylbrand, they were greeted by Ozwin in the common room the company house. The Midlander Hyuran uncharacteristically bounced his foot as he sat on the couch.

“Thu—oh, it’s only you two.” The man shook his head, letting out a displeased sound.

Azlyn quirked her head, “It’s odd to see you anxious—what’s bugging you?” She pointed to his leg that continuously jumped.

Richiro lifted a finger to his chin. “Oh, could it be you got dumped by your date?”

“Date?”

“The fuck you talkin’ ‘bout?”

Ozwin and Azlyn turned to the Lalafellin in question.

“Did you have a significant other Ozwin?” Azlyn quipped, before he grunted to her.

“The closest thing to a date I had was with you in Deepcroft, and let’s just say that was not fun.”

She crossed her arms, “Sorry I wasn’t a fun date—geez.”

Richiro shrugged, “Well if it’s not love troubles, what’s got you worried?” He sat on the couch next to the Hyuran.

“Curious Gorge called Thuzu back to the Hidden Falls. He spotted their other brother rampaging in the forest outside of Wineport, but it’s been since yesterday and he’s not answering his linkpearl.” Ozwin leaned his head down to his arms, they balanced upon his knees to keep his legs still. “I don’t like jumping the gun, but after what happened with princess here, I tend to worry more about you shits.”

“It just means you care!” Richiro smiled widely, which earned Ozwin’s eyeroll.

Azlyn thought back to Thuzu’s brother—the one stuck in the warrior’s rage. She hummed to herself, “If that’s the case, why don’t we take a trip over? The best case Thuzu just forgot to call.”

“And the worst case?” Richiro tilted his head in a questioning stance.

“I’d rather not think about the worst case.” She paged through a few pages of her Nym grimoire, before opting to change it over to her Allag one. “Where’s the others?”

Ozwin stood up, walking over to her. “Roll and Kida had something they were doing in town. Koroko disappeared, chuckling menacingly—and Mjnt had returned to Coerthas for the remainder of the week.”

“Everyone’s been pretty busy finishing up all their loose ends.” Azlyn nodded, “Well, if it’s just us we can just leave them a note. That way they’ll know where to find us.” She walked over to their kitchen countertop, pulling out her notebook to scribble a quick note. She signed and dated it, before ripping it out from the book. “And we’re good. Let’s go Richiro.”

Richiro jumped in shock. “Eh? Me too? We just got back!”

Azlyn smiled. “No rest for the wicked, come on.”

Ozwin shook his head, walking to the door. “Nah, he doesn’t need to come. He can keep the ghosts’ company while we go.”

The girl was about to ask what on earth he was talking about, but he continued to prattle to the Lalafellin.

“Gh-ghosts?”

“Oh yeah—see tricky thing when Azlyn and I got back from dealing with all the dead folks in Deepcroft, a few attached themselves to us and followed us home. Kida sometimes hears them groaning at night when she gardens.” He mischievously grinned to the lad. “But, if you want to keep them company, that’s your prerogative.”

“There’s… there’s no way…” Richiro widened his hazel eyes in horror, hopping off the couch to walk over to them. “You’re… you’re messing with me.”

Ozwin nudged Azlyn next to him. “Tell him.”

“Don’t bring me into this. That’s all you.” She rolled her eyes to him.

The Hyuran shook his head, tapping his linkpearl. “Don’t believe me? Let’s ask Kida then.”

Richiro tapped his link live, and deciding to see what nonsense would occur, Azlyn hopped into the line as well.

“Kida, you there?”

There was a moment’s pause before the link clicked.

“’Ello Ozzie! What can I do for ya?”

“Richiro doesn’t believe me about the ghosts—you’ll vouch for me, right?” Ozwin looked confidently to Richiro who paled.

“He’s lying—he’s joking, right Kida?” Richiro nervously stammered on the line.

The Xaela cackled over their linkpearls. “You don’t sense them Rich-Rich? They’ve been at the house for a bit now!”

Azlyn wondered how Ozwin was able to win Kida over to his fabricated lie—but then again this was Kida. She laughed over the line.

“NOooOOOooooOOO!” Richiro cried, running out of the house. He disconnected from the call as he ran.

“Great, how are you going to get him to sleep at this house now Ozwin?” Azlyn shook her head. “Kida, it isn’t true, right?”

“Nah bro, Koroko exorcised them the first night.”

“Wait—what?”

Ozwin chuckled into the linkpearl channel. “Thanks Kida—how’s Ul’dah?”

“Bustling as usual. Roll and I found something mighty interesting. We’ll have to try it out back home with a volunteer.” The girl chuckled.

“I’m going to need… nevermind, I don’t want to know. Alright, well if you need a volunteer, I can do it.” Azlyn offered.

“That’s either very brave or very foolish.” Ozwin pointed out and tapped his link pearl. “Richiro, Azlyn, and I are heading out to check on Thuzu. We should be back for dinner. I left out some fish to thaw. And regular potatoes. None of that sweet potato stuff.”

“Why don’t you just say you want fish and taters for dinner?” Kida laughed, before bidding them goodbye. “You guys have fun. See you all later!”

The call disconnected leaving the pair in the doorway to the outside. Azlyn brimmed up to the Hyuran. “I didn’t take you to be a picky eater.” She went to the offered door he held open.

“I’m not—but after four days straight of sweet potatoes, a guy wants something different to taste.”

“But the steak was fine?” She asked, thinking back to the overzealous amount of steak they’ve grilled and cooked for dinner.

“The steak was seasoned differently each time. You can’t change the taste of sweet potato. There’s a difference.” He followed Azlyn out of the house and walked over to the gate where Richiro hunched behind the wall. The Lalafellin had been looking at the house with a dismayed expression.

“After we help Thuzu, I’ll be staying with my parents.” Richiro sniffled.

Azlyn gave Ozwin a silent glare before sighing. “Richiro, Kida and Ozwin were teasing. There’s no ghosts…anymore.” She looked away rubbing her cheek with a finger as the poor lad started to panic.

“ANYMORE! It was true!?”

“Koroko Koko took care of it.” Ozwin shrugged, “That caster is a bit terrifying, but she knows how to work efficiently.”

The Au Ra popped her teleport to head over to Wineport. “Let’s go before more daylight is gone.” She could hear the slight pop as the magick took effect, taking her with it. The smell of fresh grapevines and the musty humidity greeted her the moment her feet landed on the grass in the plaza. Two distinct teleports popped in beside her as her guild mates joined her.

She looked around the community and could see some of the guards gathered by the south gates. They were talking in low voices as they approached.

“Afternoon!” Richiro Wichiro called out to them lifting an arm up to wave.

One of the guards jumped at his loud entrance.

“Sorry…”

“What’s the problem?” Ozwin stepped up, looking out in the distance of the forest. There were slight tremors in the distance that shook several trees.

“Oh… well… it wouldn’t…” One guard attempted, but the militia captain remembered them from their previous venture.

“Weren’t you the ones who helped that dark skinned Miqo’te and Curious Gorge?”

Azlyn nodded, “Yes—N’thuzu Tia and Curious Gorge heard there was a sighting of the rampaging beast—and we have not heard from either of them.”

The militia captain directed their attention to the forest where a loud cracking sound echoed in the valley. Several trees in the distance swayed and rumbled. “They’ve been holding whatever it was at bay since yesterday—but it’s riled up all the monsters nearby to attack Wineport in droves. We’re doing all we can to prevent the beasts from entering town—”

“However, you don’t have the manpower or men to keep this up for long.” Ozwin gathered up all the information from the way they looked. Their armor had cracks and were smeared in mud. Many of them smelled like they needed a shower.

“We should go and offer assistance to them—the more people to help them—the better.” Azlyn pointed out, bringing out her own axe. Richiro summoned Eos to his side, the fairy happily flew around each of them before waving her small hand to Ozwin. He acknowledged her.

When they were ready to proceed, they watched the trees—knowing that the destructive forces that shook the trees would be where their friends were. After a minute a large boom could be heard, and this time a tree started to fall. A plume of dust picked up into the air.

“There he is.” Ozwin started to sprint into the forest, with Azlyn on his heels. He pulled out both of his knives as they ran through the tree-line. Richiro followed as best he could.

The sounds of metal clashing against one another encouraged them that they were heading in the right direction. By the time they came into the clearing, they could see both N’thuzu Tia and Curious Gorge heavily breathing, they were covered in dirt, mud, and grime. The amount of destruction in their wake had been catastrophic as they noted the fallen trees and trampled wildlife.

An older Hyuran warrior with glowing red eyes heaved a breath—he too seemed exhausted from all their raucous work.

“Stop! We are not your enemy!” Curious Gorge’s strained voice hollered to his brother. “The enemy lies within! You are stronger than this! Take control of the beast! Do not let it consume you!”

N’thuzu Tia readied his axe as the older Hyuran with the gruffy red beard leapt to attack. The Miqo’te met him in the middle, their axe’s clanged as the aether between them surged and pushed both combatants backward. He skidded to a halt by Curious Gorge.

“Brother!” The Miqo’te called out to him.

Curious Gorge slammed his foot forward, as he shouted over the man’s primal roar. “Look what you are doing! You are destroying all that I worked to restore! The fate of our people rests in our hands, brother! Your weakness would cost us everything!” The helmed man steadied his axe, as he gave the red bearded warrior with the glowing red eyes a growl. “I cannot let that happen!”

Azlyn, Ozwin, and Richiro stopped at the shade of the trees to see the man charge his acclaimed brother. He swung his axe, the swift blow hit the arm guard of the man’s left armor. The enraged warrior staggered, pulling back as Curious Gorge continued to hack and cleave.

“I will not! Our Ancestors have chosen me to lead our people to glory…and no one shall stop me!”

N’thuzu Tia faltered in his stance, before shaking his head. “Curious Gorge, you--!?” He stammered to a halt when a wave of healing energy coursed over him. Eos giggled overhead, floating down to his face to boop his nose. Her soft bells chimed in the wind, before she floated away to Richiro to the east. “You guys?”

Azlyn lifted her axe to demonstrate that she could help, and Ozwin stepped out to him.

“Uh… guys?” Richiro gasped as they watched Curious Gorge send the enraged bearded man flying. He dropped to the ground, his body not moving.

“Curious Gorge?”

“No one—No one—No one—” Curious Gorge repeated, his arms tensing with his axe in his hands. He then snapped back to them, his eyes blared a crimson red—the same like his brothers held moments ago. Azlyn watched in horror as the man roared at N’thuzu Tia. “It was I who unlocked the secrets of the chronicles; I who trained you in their ways; I who uncovered the locations of the legendary artifacts!” A bit of spittle dribbled off his lower lip.

“Curious Gorge, you must stop this!” Azlyn called out to him, but it was to no avail.

N’thuzu Tia grunted, lifting his own axe. “I was afraid this would happen. His pride—his pride has overtaken him. He can’t control his own beast within...”

“I who defeated my tribe’s greatest warrior! I am the master now! I am the master! Return to me what is rightfully mine!” Curious Gorge’s focus had been entirely upon N’thuzu Tia, who kept himself steady. The healing spell from before helped his stamina and endurance. “Give me the armor! Or I shall tear it from your bloody corpse!”

“Azlyn, how fast can you run around?” Ozwin started pulling out rope from his satchel.

“If I’m not being targeted, pretty fast.” She pointed out.

N’thuzu Tia stepped forward. “Don’t worry about that, I’ll keep him preoccupied since I have the ancient warrior’s garb he wants. What do you have planned Ozwin?”

The man with the rope nodded. “We’re going to tie him up the good ol’ Sisters way. Richiro, keep Thuzu standing for as long as possible. Azlyn, you’re going to take this rope and tie the end to the tree. Make sure it’s secured, or he’ll break the binds.”

“Gotcha.” She took the end, waiting for Thuzu to signal the go ahead.

The Miqo’te of their group took in a long, steady breath—his feline ears touched with black fur tensed upward as he sensed his brother’s next move. In a single moment, he charged off his axe held high as he roared a unifying cry that mimicked his brothers. The axes crashed into one another, sparking as they countered each other’s blows.

Azlyn sprinted to the trees, tying one set of rope before seeing Ozwin take that rope by the other end. Richiro quickcasted Physick and Lustrate to Thuzu when he needed it—and before all they all were ready to bind him down.

“NOW!” Thuzu shouted, as he threw an uppercut into his brother’s chin. The Hyuran warrior staggered back, which Ozwin and Azlyn worked in tandem running around him quickly with the ropes they prepared. Before long, they had successfully wrangled the man upward to a nearby tree.

Curious Gorge struggled in his binds, but as tight as Ozwin tied the knots, the man couldn’t break loose.

Azlyn wiped her hands. “So that’s the Sister’s way? That’s the first I’ve heard of it.” She looked to Ozwin.

The man shrugged. “I should introduce you to Jacke sometime—he’d love to see me again.”

“That doesn’t sound good in the slightest. What did you do to this Jacke? And who is he?”

“Messed around with the Dutiful Sisters when I was working the black markets—Thuzu?” The pair stopped their conversation to see N’thuzu Tia approach his struggling brother.

The Miqo’te warrior looked up sadly to him.

“Curious Gorge… this was not what I wanted for you or your brother. I don’t know what made you think I wanted to take your heritage away—but that isn’t the case at all. You’re—you and Broken Mountain, you’re all the family I have left in this world.”

The man in the binds stopped in his struggle, the red in his eyes slowly disappeared. Curious Gorge stared to N’thuzu Tia—meeting his gaze. “I—I have failed…” He lowered his head and averted his gaze. “I failed you, I failed my people, I failed my ancestors, and I failed my own kin.”

“Curious Gorge, you’ve never failed me! You’ve always taught me how to properly protect and train! If it weren’t for you I’d…”

Curious Gorge darkly chuckled, shaking his bindings. “I was no better than my older brother, even I had fallen to the beast within. But you—you never stopped trying to help. I thought that if only I could prove myself stronger than he, the people would see his madness as the product of a weak mind—That they would believe the problem lay in him, not in our tribe.”

The Miqo’te grimaced, clenching his fists tight around the handle of his weapon.

“Yet all the while, my own soul grew weaker and weaker—the inner beast had taken hold when my pride was injured at your perfected stance. It drove me—as it drove my ancestors, the keeper of the armor, and my brother.” Curious Gorge let out a long sigh, looking to the ground.

“Curious Gorge, your tribe—they just lost sight of who they were.” N’thuzu Tia spoke up. “In seeking even more strength, the tribe fell victim to that which they long scorned in others as weakness. Instead of learning to harden the will with resolve—they steeled them with anger and that is the true fault.” The Miqo’te gestured to Ozwin to cut the bindings. “Cut them. We’re done fighting.”

Ozwin flipped up one of his daggers and jumped up to the man. He evenly cut the bindings, and they watched as Curious Gorge landed back on the ground. He looked to his hands, before turning his attention to his adopted brother.

“You are right… Thuzu, I’m sorry.” The warrior lowered his head. “Like a bonfire, anger burns hot and bright, but when the fuel that feeds it is spent, all that remains is ash. By accepting anger as our guide, we left our wills at the mercy of the inner beast.” Curious Gorge took a tentative step to N’thuzu Tia, who didn’t stop looking to him. “Your will is more akin to the lava which courses through the mountains of my homeland Thuzu. It burns as strong—nay, stronger—than any bonfire. And when it cools, it becomes hard and firm—unbreakable. This quality allowed you to keep your inner beast at bay.”

The warrior nodded to his brother. “I had something I needed to protect at all costs—and I used that resolve to strengthen my bonds. Curious Gorge, I make this promise to you—you are ever the role model I strive to become, the person I wish to support and lend aid toward. You and your brother, who opened your arms to a small miqo’te child abandoned in the woods—sheltered me and raised me as one of your own brothers. I will do everything in my power to help rebuild the tribe—and revive the traditional art in a safe manner.” He gestured to Azlyn behind him. “There is one who is an aspiring warrior to be—someone who needs a helping hand to teach the right ways.”

Curious Gorge brought up his arm, to cover his eyes from view. His shoulders shook. “That day—when we found you—it was our luckiest, most treasured days we know. Thuzu, you are and will always be our little brother.”

“If you want the armor, I’ll give it to you willingly—no need to fight me to the death.” N’thuzu Tia tried to strip off the arm bands first, but his brother stopped him. He shook his own head, before patting his armor. 

“My pride and greed consumed me—had I but realized that myself, none of this would have had to happen.” Curious Gorge sighed heavily. His quad muscles tensed as he stood. “Well, what’s done is done. If I am to have any hope of restoring our people’s name, I must start over from the beginning.” He looked to Richiro Wichiro who started to approach his brother on the ground. “And this time, I mustn’t try to do it alone.”

N’thuzu Tia grinned to him. “Let’s work together. All three of us.”

Richiro walked over to the unconscious warrior behind them. Eos had already begun her first aid upon him. “Well, we should heal his wounds and make sure he’s not being controlled.”

“I would wait…or not.” Ozwin had some rope in his hand, wanting to tie up the fallen warrior in case he wanted to rampage once more. Instead Richiro Wichiro had begun ritual casting his healing spells and mended his wounds.

Azlyn peered around to stare at the warrior lying on the ground.

They watched as the healing took effect, the unconscious warrior from the first round roused from his beaten state. Azlyn took a step back, as she didn’t know if the man had his own beast in check or not. The man groaned, sitting up and shaking his head.

Ozwin nodded his head, “That’s a good sign. He’s not reaching for his axe first.”

Azlyn agreed with his observation, seeing the older hyuran warrior with red facial hair look up to them. His eyes held some confusion, taking in the three unfamiliar to him—and of N’thuzu Tia and Curious Gorge.

“It feels like—I’ve woken from a long dream.” The man spoke—his voice cracked immediately indicating his throat was parched.

“Broken Mountain, are you in any pain?” N’thuzu Tia approached, crouching down and offered him his personal water canteen. “It took us a while, but we were able to finally break you of your trance.”

Broken Mountain turned slowly to the Miqo’te, before he reached out his palm to ruffle his fringed bangs. “Curious Gorge—and you—together?” he smiled broadly. “I’m proud.” He croaked out, before taking a generous drink from the canteen pressed into his mouth.

Curious Gorge joined them, smiling down to him. “I have a lot left to learn Broken Mountain—and for all of us to make our dream true, all of us must needs be present—in body and soul.”

N’thuzu Tia looked at the grievous wounds that hadn’t fully healed from Eos’s mending. “It will take some time to heal these wounds—but you’ll be back on your feet soon enough.”

“Thuzu, I will see to our brother’s wounds. Once he is well, we will embark on the path of the warrior again—engraving the lessons we have learned in our souls, never to be forgotten.” The Hyuran with the helmet gestured to the Miqo’te and his friends behind him. “In the meantime, you have important work to do around the realm. Fight stronger enemies, engrave those experiences into your soul, and bring back the stories of your triumphs. Your soul crystal will burn brighter and brighter as you do.”

The Miqo’te nodded, as he stood back up and rejoined his friends. But not before looking over his shoulder to the two brothers. “I will.”

Ozwin lifted his arms behind his head, looking up to the sky. “Now I feel like I overreacted.”

Richiro Wichiro chuckled into his hand, he then spoke to N’thuzu Tia. “You should have seen his expectant face when we walked into the house.”

N’thuzu Tia’s ears perked up, and his tail swung wide behind him. “You were worried?”

“Shut up Richi! By the Twelve I may tell Roll to make Lalafellin steak for dinner tonight.”

This made the caster gape in horror. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“We’re not cannibals. That’d never happen.” Azlyn crossed her arms over her chest. She smiled up to N’thuzu Tia. “But I’m glad this had a happy resolution. I’m glad your family is safe.” She directed a head tilt over to see Curious Gorge helping Broken Mountain down the path toward the Hidden Falls. “With this taken care of, the community in Wineport will also be glad.”

“Azlyn, Ozwin, Richiro—thank you for coming.” He thanked them and gave them a determined look. “This calls for some totems to be made. I’ll work on those right away!” His brown eyes lit up in excitement.

Ozwin laughed, shaking off his attempt to craft. “Don’t get too lost in your work. We’re having dinner tonight when we get back.” He pointed to the sky that started to turn a hue of orange and purplish red. “It’s been a long day for you—and you probably want to clean up.”

The Miqo’te warrior touched his stomach, as the slight grumble of hunger came to him. “I shall look forward to our sweet potatoes and steak. I missed out yesterday’s meal, so I’ll eat double to make up for it.” He seemed to really want it as his tail started to wave back and forth.

Richiro tapped his chin. “I thought we were…”

Ozwin karate chopped him, silencing the words from his mouth. “You… you want steak… and sweet potatoes Thuzu?”

He bobbed his head. “Are we not having that?” It was at that moment his ears flattened a bit.

Azlyn bit her lower lip, to prevent herself from laughing as Ozwin gritted his teeth. He tapped his linkpearl before begrudgingly calling their guildmate.

“Roll… can you make steak and sweet potatoes?”

“I thought you said you wanted—”

“I know what I said, and I changed my mind. Steak and sweet potatoes.”

There was a momentary pause, before a single, “Heh” came over the call and disconnected. Azlyn laughed while Ozwin rubbed the back of his recently dyed black hair.

“Steak and sweet potatoes! Let’s go back to the house Thuzu.” He glared to Azlyn who started her teleport. She had a grin-eating smirk all over. “Not one word!”

She waved, and let the teleport bring her back to the house. One by one, they popped in behind her—and inside there was the heavenly smell of dinner being prepped. Kida had been battering the fish while Roll had a few steaks cooking on the grill. She looked over her shoulder to them.

“Welcome back!”

“We’re home!” Azlyn called, before running over to Kida. “Nice job, want some help?”

“With your dirty hands? Go wash up first silly!” Kida shooed her, before gesturing to the bowl of not prepared sweet potatoes being washed. “Someone decided to change their minds last minute—but that’s cool—we can do both.”

N’thuzu Tia’s eyes gleamed over the simmering of the steaks. “I regret missing dinner last night.”

Azlyn ran to go wash her hands—while Thuzu went down to shower. By the time all the food had been ready and prepped, they were sitting outside enjoying the desert heat of Thanalan’s evening with a smorgasbord of food.

Kida slid over a cup of purple liquid to Azlyn. “You want to volunteer, right?”

Roll broke a piece of bread in her hand, taking in a tiny bite to chew. “It’s nothing deadly. I think.”

“What is it exactly?” Ozwin propped an elbow on the table, looking at the mysterious substance.

“The merchant said it was a rare find—a bottle of Fantasia. Supposedly it will change you into your ideal type, but we’re thinking it’s a hoax.” Kida happily explained.

“But I’m content with who I am?” Azlyn peered down at the drink.

Roll placed her bread on her plate, looking to her cousin with honest intent. “Well it might do something about your aetherial cracks—maybe they’ll fill in what you’re missing if you think back to what you felt like before hurting yourself.”

Azlyn blinked, before looking down to the beverage. “It… I mean… anything’s possible… right?” She felt unsure, but her hand reached out for the small goblet. “Worst case it doesn’t work?”

Kida chuckled into her hands. “We can always panhandle the merchant tomorrow if it doesn’t.”

Richiro nervously looked between the glass and Azlyn. “I may not know much—but maybe you should think about it a bit more before downing it—worst case or not. We don’t know what it could do!”

Ozwin lifted his own goblet. “Don’t be a sissy. It’s fine.”

“That’s right Richiro, undo the calamity that is your mammeries and relax!”

“I don’t have mammeries!” The Lalafellin argued back.

Azlyn drank the whole goblet, the contents swished down her throat. She lowered the cup, not feeling anything.

“How do you feel?” N’thuzu Tia leaned over, trying to gauge her.

“I don’t feel any different.” She examined her arms, hands, and lap. “I feel like I typically do.”

Roll tsk’ed, pressing her back against the chair. “Damn. Shoulda known it was a con artist.”

“It’s not like it was coin we need to worry about.” Kida offered to her. “We still have like—a shit ton leftover from all my mining and your craft sales.”

Roll sighed. “True, but I wish it would help Azlyn not be in as much pain.”

The girl lifted her right arm, before shaking her head. “Thank you for thinking about me, but I think this is something I’ll have to live with.”

“Good effort though.” Ozwin popped a regular fry in his mouth. He chewed in content as he didn’t have to eat anything sweet potato.

Their evening remained uneventful. Koroko Koko and Mjnt had yet to return from their work, which left the rest of them to call it a night and go to sleep in their respective rooms or chosen sleep areas.

Ozwin never went to a room, preferring to sleep on the couch by the front entrance. N’thuzu Tia remained with him, sleeping in a nearby armchair with an afghan draped over his lap.

Richiro kept to his word, saying that he would sleep at his parents that night and teleported to Limsa Lominsa. Kida passed out in one of the rooms downstairs, and Roll went to the workshop to complete a few more orders.

Azlyn went to her room, plopping down on the bed after taking a long shower. She felt exhausted—and closed her eyes to sleep. She’d write a letter tomorrow morning when she wasn’t tired.

---

She awoke the next morning in a bundle of fabric. Her head was stuck, and she wondered how that could be when she didn’t even have a blanket over her. Struggling, she finally escaped the fabric and found her bed bigger than it was last night—and the ground seemed a bit too far as she peered over the edge.

The other strange feeling were her limbs, they felt smaller and her tail… She skittered to the side, looking at the mirror on the desk across the room. She couldn’t see herself when she moved across the bed, so she had to edge her way to the side and stare down at the ground.

She reached out her arm—or what she thought was her arm as saw a furry white paw with a black patch extend out. She freaked out, scrambling backward before getting tangled in the trap that held her before.

In her panic, she tumbled off the bed and scrambled away in a hurry—a strange hiss echoed the room as she screamed—and jumped up to the chair and desk. She stopped dead cold in front of the mirror—her purple eyes and red limbal rings greeted her as usual—but her body was different.

What stood in front of the mirror was a mainly white furred feline cat, with black patches of fur on her paws and one of her ears. She couldn’t have looked more than a three or four-year-old cat given the size of herself. She circled around several times, and then perched her front paws on the mirror in horror.

Her claws extended, scratching the glass and terrified her enough to jump off the desk and scamper under the bed. She started to shake, not understanding fully what had happened—and why she was a cat.

Only the thought of the Fantasia potion ran through her mind, and she hunkered down in worry. Her ears flattened as she silently shook.