Home. Flashes of it. Memories of the twin moons. The purple sky. Digging underground, climbing my way out. Claws on frosty stone. Wingbeats. Running the mountaintops surrounded by a community. Knowing that I could fly and reaching for heights beyond measure.
The transformation happened more quickly. Bones broke and readjusted faster, muscles warping and settling stronger. The pain still screamed through me as the mask was peeled away, but it was in flashes, pulses. I was back on my feet soon enough, four legs pushing me up and leather wings flapping for balance.
Layla stood on the other end of the alcove, staring. I flicked an ear and shook, neck a mix of feather and fur, and tested my vocal chords. Multiple rhythms sounded from deep inside, mixing to create an odd sound, even to me. I shook my head again, moving my mouth around to feel my tongue, my teeth. My lips pulled awkwardly, stiff and inflexible near the middle of my snout. I was going to have to figure out how to speak again.
I cleared my throat a few times. Gave a few test sentences before nodding. Looking up at her with a whip of my tail. It smashed into the benches and she jumped, staring. My tail was long and thin, covered in short clumps of fur that thinned into skin the closer it got to the tip. I shook my head again and picked the mask up in my mouth shoving it into her hands.
“Like I said. Hold on to this.” She jumped at my voice, probably sounding the same and yet very very different. I turned and pulled back one of my wings, poking at her with one of my long pointed thumbs. She took a minute, having to use the bench a little to climb up. We could barely fit in the alcove together, Layla having gained about half her height up on my back.
I took a breath. “Hold on to the mask,” I reminded her. “And hold on to me.”
I felt her hands grab my shoulders, tugging a little at the fur on my back, knees giving a gentle squeeze for stability. And I stepped from the alcove.
The crowd nearly parted before us. I made sure to keep an eye on everyone who noticed, everyone who saw, but it was harder than I thought. Nearly everyone in the immediate vicinity seemed to be watching. My claws clicked on the floor as I moved, wings shuffling to both stay out of the way and sort of guard Layla on my back. Eventually other stopped staring and went about their business, but I heard murmings from the balcony and turned enough to look above. They were staring up there, too.
“What’s…what’s everyone doing?” Layla breathed, looking around. “Why are they…?”
“Told you,” I said, quickening my step. “My kind don’t come here very often.”
I quickly began trotting through the aisles, getting the same reaction. The market stalls went wild as soon as I got anywhere near, shouting and waving their wares at us. Trying to haggle, to pitch, to sell.
“They really seem to want to trade,” Layla said, leaning forward so she didn’t have to shout above the noise. “Why?”
“Elewnai are capable and rare,” I answered back, having to shout a little. “Anything they can get off me they can sell for double it’s worth. And anyone I buy from can use that to boost their shop reputation.”
Thankfully Layla kept herself close to me, starmask pressed between us. She kept quiet while we trotted, and I made the rounds a few times just so the novelty could wear off. It only partially worked, some of the vendors not giving up until they had my attention, it seemed. Plus I got a chance to look at each vendor as we passed, getting a better and better idea of who had what.
Finally, I selected my target. A tent that seemed to keep to itself, three small round metal bits inside a glass case out front. A group just left out the back, and the space was blessedly empty. It wouldn’t stay that way long, so this was my chance.
“Exchange merchant,” I said, looking around. “Usually I avoid places like this, but usually I have more to bargain with.”
“What do they do?”
“They buy things and give you coin. You then use that coin to buy other things.”
“You mean…the other places don’t give you coin?”
“Not always. Now hush.”
Layla looked around as I hesitated, watching the purple-skinned merchant flitted around behind a counter full of glass displays. Pixie, it seemed. Her weight shifted, pulling on me a little as she peered at the closest display. “That…what coins are those?”
I glanced at what she was looking at. “Coin,” I said simply.
“No, those are bottle caps.”
I snorted, ears flicking back. “That’s coin here.”
“But…” she hesitated, looking around. “That’s…so much of this is just…those are bottle caps, those look like button backings, and some of them look like computer keys! This is all just trash!”
I let out a short growl. “It’s the going exchange rate,” I snapped. There were a few gold and silver things thrown in the mix, but she was right. And wrong. “It’s what’s accepted as tender on this side of the tracks. Now hush!”
The merchant came back out and opened one of the glass boxes, rearranging that particular stash. I finally trotted in, keeping my wings around Layla to make sure she didn’t go anywhere and also so that my wing thumb-claws were available to poke her if she spoke up. He spotted me instantly.
“Hi!” he said brightly, zipping over. “Welcome to Sparkle Bits! I’m Sparkle, and these are my bits!”
Unlike the others, he barely made any note of my appearance. Good.
“I’d like to make a quick exchange,” I stated.
He spread his hands wide. “My prices are at your disposal. Whacha got?”
I took a breath. “Starmask. Good condition. Female human, midlife. Treated well and very broken in.”
His eyes twinkled. “Shape Changing magic, eh?” Stuck out his hand. “We don’t get many of those. Can I see?”
