Leading the way, she opened her bag and scooped out a handful of berries, popping them into her mouth as she walked. She always eats. She is a hungry thing. Ingram tried to find as many of them as he could, since she often looked cute when she was delighted to see them.
He liked that she’d turn that delight towards him.
She popped another berry in her mouth and gave a hum as she chewed. He watched her, as he often did when they were side by side.
Her arms weren’t elongated like his were, and they swayed at her sides in rhythm, yet she was able to utilise them whenever she wanted. Ingram inspected her feet and the way they moved against the ground. His sight drew up her legs, noticing they weren’t bowed like his were.
If he walked like this, similar to her and other humans, would she be more inclined to like him in return?
He could rear back if he wished to, but he’d never tried to walk. Ingram fell behind and pushed up so he was on two legs.
His torso was curled too far forward, unbalancing him, and he fell to his hands. He quickly caught up to her when she’d gained a small distance.
With his second attempt, he dug his claws into the bark of a tree, using it to hold him steady. One side of him dipped forward, unable to maintain it with the way his back was permanently bent.
Were the other Mavka born differently? He and Aleron had never stood tall. Neither had tried to do this. Ingram sat and looked down at his palms. I wish there was a way I could change my form.
The strangest sensation rippled inside him.
He twisted his head to inspect his own body, attempting to see past his beak. Dark yellow swirled into his sight.
It was slow to start, but his arms shrank in length and became thicker. His legs, on the other hand, grew thinner and longer, shaping into something else. His toes shortened as his feet widened.
He winced when his back cracked, but that was only because it was straightening. His shoulders pushed back, and even the arch of his neck changed, along with the way his skull sat above it.
The fur over his body shortened even further until it almost disappeared completely, leaving him only covered in scales.
His hands stayed the same, still large and calloused. His skull never changed, but it was weightier on his neck and began to dip to the side. He straightened it, and it almost went the other way.
“What are you doing?” Emerie asked.
Shifting carefully into a crouch, he brought his gaze up to find there was a decent distance between them. She had turned to him and was waiting.
“I… do not know,” he answered honestly. He wasn’t sure what was happening.
Even his voice was different, not as growly and deep. He touched at his beak like that was the answer to figuring out why the rough bass of his voice had softened.
She waved for him to come over. “Well, it’s weird you’re the one slowing us down. That’s my job.”
When he reached forward with his arm to resume walking on all fours like he normally would, she turned to continue walking.
However, he noticed his shoulders moved in a way that was less comfortable, and he was pretty sure his backside was tipping towards the sky.
It no longer felt natural.
He caught up to her and mentally assessed the changes within himself. She peeked over her shoulder to make sure he was with her and then looked at their path.
My body changed… Reaching to the side, he dug his claws into a tree, and lifted up.
The moment he was upright, he knew he could maintain it. His back was straight, his skull fell into a natural down position, and there was no longer a strain on his legs.
Bright yellow filled his sight in joy.
Yet, when he took a step forward and let go of the tree, his legs shook, unused to walking like this. He quickly had to steady himself again or he’d fall.
Emerie didn’t get far before she sighed, noticing the space next to her was empty.
“What are you doing back ther–” Her eyes widened, her face darted upwards at his towering skull, and she fell onto her backside like her knees had instantly given out. “Oh my god!”
Concerned, he reached out to her while stepping forward. “Emerie?”
She clenched her eyes shut and threw her hands over her face to protect her head… when he started to fall. He groaned and winced when he had to stop himself from crushing her with his elbows and knees.
I almost landed on top of her. The reddish pink flared into his sight.
He pushed up onto his straighter arms to give her space, and she drew her hands down, peeking over them at him.
“What are you doing, Ingram? You gave me a fright, towering over me like that.”
The embarrassed hue of his sight brightened. “I am trying to walk like you,” he admitted with a small grumble.
He backed up and was able to stand without assistance this time, but he did have to use a tree to balance himself when he swayed.
Partially laying on the ground, she gawked up at him. Even when she rushed to her feet, she still had to crane her neck to stare at him with her lips parted and her eyes wide.
Something became startlingly obvious as he gazed down at her, and he twisted his head at her.
“I did not realise you were so… small,” he said, since she barely came to the bottom of his sternum.
He’d always known she was thinner than him, and little in height, but she looked… tiny.
“Small?” she rasped. “I’m five foot seven! I’m just not a massive Duskwalker like you.” Her wide eyes trailed down his body until she was looking at his feet, before slowly coming back up. “Holy shit. What are you? Seven foot? Seven foot five? You didn’t look so big before.”
Ingram’s head tilted the other way as he noticed her expression appeared… guarded and mistrustful. His sight shifted to blue and an unpleasant emotion crept across his chest.
“You don’t like it?” She didn’t smell afraid, but her features appeared like she might be. Should I have not done this?
The leaves above shook with a small gust of wind, causing dappled light to sprinkle over her face. Even with the noises of the trees shifting, he could hear her heart racing, and her breaths were sharper.
However, the longer she stared, his orbs turning a darker blue with each second of silence passing between them, the more she relaxed. Her posture softened, and she averted her gaze into the forest as she rubbed at her cheek.
“No, it’s fine,” she grumbled. “I just wasn’t expecting it.”
“I can change back if it will ease you.”
He hoped he could change back.
His legs were stronger than they were moments before, and they ceased shaking. He did wobble when he cautiously drew his hand away from the tree trunk, but he was able to stand on his own with minor swaying.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to freak out.” Emerie closed some of the distance between them, forcing her neck back even further. “If you want to walk like this, then you can.”
“You don’t like it,” he stated, turning his head away as he internally pouted.
“Sure, I do! I just didn’t know you could do this.” Then, she laughed as she said, “I just don’t like surprises. I like to know what’s happening.”
Is she lying?
It was hard to tell for a creature who understood little about humans. Her expressions often confused him.