Vae had worked perfectly as a weighted blanket. Ava had made the best of her amplified size to remain warm during the night. She arose from her sleeping mat and adjusted her bonnet. Her eyes had not fully adjusted to the morning sun as she trudged over to her capastra. Vae followed, chirping incessantly as she leaned against Ava all the way. Ava almost tripped as Vae brushed against her, unaware that her nudge had been upgraded to a shove.
"You get to starve your way out of that size," Ava scolded. "Don't look at me like that, you know what you did."
Vae kept mewing in protest, but Ava held firm. From her personal pack she grabbed her canteen of water and took a sip. She then picked up a signed copy of a book, The Great Tree by Ulysses Bosh. Her favorite adventure by her favorite adventurer. She put the book and canteen back. Removing her bonnet, she looked around the campsite. She noticed the smoldering remains of last night's fire, Nathaniel sleeping, and…
Jay?
In the place where Jay had been sleeping now lay a man with even larger horns. The man was the same shade of pink as Jay, but now with much more bristled fur. She looked at JJ, Jay's pet, and spotted almost no difference between them now. Jay was enlarged, snoring heavily, and twitched in his sleep. Brushing her hair, she stepped around this being slowly. Ava tried to find any confirmation that this was the same man who had played the piccolo for hours straight with a lighthearted sense of humor.
Ava leaned in, brush still in hand, as she inspected the face. She raised her hand and faltered, weighing her options. Her curiosity got the best of her in the end, as she touched his nose with her index finger. Jay's eyes snapped open. Ava's soul momentarily left her body as she reeled away.
Jay remained on the ground, but his eyes were locked onto Ava. His pupils had become square, just like JJ's. He slowly sat up into a position with his legs crossed and scratched his afro.
"Good morning, Ava," Jay yawned.
She sputtered a response.
"You were- but the-"
Jay broke out in laughter as he slapped his knee. Ava sighed in relief that he had not become angry.
"Is it the horns? The new hair? The fact I'm a little bigger than I was yesterday? Oh - is it the eyes?"
Jay moved his afro out of the way on his last query, and widened his eyes. Ava could make out the rectangular pupils on his brown irises.
"Yes, yes, yes, and yes. Are you… transforming?"
"Common misconception. More like…becoming."
Ava blinked. She opened her mouth to speak but could not find the words. Jay chuckled before continuing again.
"You wouldn't get it that way-see these?"
He pointed to his enlarged horns. She nodded.
"These are the actual size of my horns. For this example, we can call it form three. This is where the shape of the Therian soul expresses itself freely. Perfectly aligned. What you saw before this was form two."
Jay flourished a finger to the tip of horns and pushed down. They decreased back to the size Ava had grown accustomed to. The horns still protruded from his afro, but just barely. The majority of the new hair growth had also subsided, showing more of his skin and tattoos.
"This is the compromise between the shape of my soul and the shape of the Therian soul. Business casual, you would call it. A form between my duty as a Therian and the comfort of my skin."
Ava nodded, continuing to brush her hair. After a moment of silence, she asked a question.
"So what about form one? Or form four? Form five?"
"Sheesh," Jay grimaced. "Form one. How long has it been since I've done that?"
Jay looked to the sky and exhaled. All of the hair growth from his capridae soul had disappeared. His horns shrank deeper into his afro, and a single tuft of chest hair remained. Ava covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"If I saw you like that, I would have no idea you were a Therian."
"Yep, that's the purpose of form one. I've been living in nature for so long, this actually is hurting me a little bit."
Jay chuckled as he patted his body.
"Oh I feel so naked! Where's my hair, Ava? My beautiful horns! Oh! I'm going back."
In an instant, Jay's horns, hair, and charm returned in a flash of resonance. He was back in form two.
"There we go, I'm me again. Ta-da!"
Ava clapped as Jay gave a bow. Suddenly Ava snapped her fingers.
"Form four! Does it exist?"
Jay tutted as he rubbed his hands together.
"That's not something I just do. It's a major damage to the vibe, as the only reason I would ever have to go into form four is to fight. Purely an offensive form, I'd just be a dude in attack mode."
Ava's eyes widened at this revelation.
"Have you ever had to use form four? What did it feel like?"
"How do I describe it…the one time I did use it, the guy I fought was…not cool…" Jay paced back and forth, rubbing his chin.
Footsteps were heard coming from behind Ava.
"It's like RIG, isn't it?"
It was Nathaniel. Ava turned to see him without his glasses as he sipped from a canteen.
"Perfect - thank you Boshy. It's like when a non-Therian RIGs. That transformation is for emergencies, and it is very costly to maintain. I'm more Therian than Jay at that point. A complete takeover of my soul shape."
Ava clicked her teeth as she flitted her fingers.
"RIG, RIG… that's the…resonant…resonant…"
"Resonant Ignition," stated Nathaniel. "I'm going to assume you can't perform it, Miss Sinclair."
"I never got that far to develop the need. White gloves and all."
"Noted. Luckily, we have Chrissy and Trav-"
Nathaniel froze. He had turned around to where they were sleeping only to find vacancies. Nathaniel slowly turned towards Ava and Jay, the nerves in his forehead exposing themselves.
"Please," Nathaniel pleaded, "Tell me one or both of you have seen Chrissy or Travlack this morning."
Jay and Ava shook their heads. She could see another vein start to form as he gripped his canteen.
Jay turned to JJ and shouted across camp.
"JJ! Buddy! Have you seen Chrissy and Travvy?"
JJ snorted and stamped a hoof.
"Oh! Perfect! Thanks JJ!"
Ava and Nathaniel looked expectantly at Jay. He met their eyes with a disarming smile as he smacked his lips. Nathaniel cocked his head slightly as he raised his voice.
"Well?"
"What?", responded Jay.
"Did he see them?"
"Yeah."
"So…"
"So what?"
"So WHERE did they go?"
"Oh! Why didn't you just ask? Yeah, JJ saw them sneak out of camp as soon as we fell asleep. They've been gone."
Ava watched for Nathaniel's reaction. He stared past where Jay was.
His left eye twitched once.
Twice.
She saw as his jaw muscles flexed sporadically, like he could not make up his mind to scream or curse.
Finally, a smooth exhale of air as he closed his eyes and nodded.
"I see," he uttered. "I'm going to finish getting ready, update my log, and I'll be ready to set out. It looks like we'll be here another night. If you will excuse me."
Ava watched as Nathaniel walked off towards his sleeping mat. Jay scratched his afro and sighed.
"Man, that must be so annoying," Jay said, lounging on the ground. "I'm glad we've been nothing but tranquil for Boshy."
Ava smiled and shook her head as she finished brushing her hair. She was about to walk away, but instead opted to address Jay.
"Jay, may I ask a favor when you're done getting ready."
"For sure," he said. He stood, patted his shorts and afro, and then stood at attention. "Ready. What is it you need, Ava?"
Ava clasped her hands together and looked away.
"You see I… can you watch me - not watch me. Watch over me as I…"
Jay's laughter was hearty as he gave a salute.
"Nature calls, Ava, trust me I get it. I have JJ watch over me when we're on the road all the time."
Jay gestured to his friend. JJ grunted and stamped a hoof. Jay wiggled a finger as he responded.
"Woah, now. You can't blame that on me. How was I supposed to know mushrooms didn't agree with my stomach?"
Ava cleared her throat, staring at Jay. He refocused back onto Ava and bowed politely.
"Gotcha. Bathroom duty. Let's do this. Lead the way!"
"Vae, I'll be right back," Ava warned. "Behave."
Vae curled up next to the smolders of the fire. Ava kept her head down as Jay pulled bushes, branches, and animals from her path. After a minute of walking Ava chose a spot. Just as Jay was about to leave he struck the earth with his foot, creating a small crater. Grabbing long leaves, he made a small stack before shaking his foot free of dirt.
"That's just in case you…yeah."
Ava nodded as he rotated around the tree, out of sight.
Silence.
"Jay?"
"Yes, Ava?"
"You wouldn't happen to have the piccolo on you?"
"What a silly question."
An arm extended from the tree, in his hand was his instrument of choice.
"I always have my piccolo on me."
Jay played a lively tune. Ava did her best to focus on the playing rather than the morning wilderness waking up around them. The sudden rustling of trees was not helping her peace of mind.
She latched onto the next detail - the rays of light peeking through the trees. The gossamer strands floating in the air had the dew of the morning reflecting off of them. Ava shooed a stray web away as it floated a tad too close.
It was over just as soon as it was finished. Ava gave a performative cough in order to signal Jay. The piccolo playing abruptly stopped in lieu of a question.
"Oh, is the song too much? I can go for a softer melody if you-"
"No, the song was fine. I'm done, Jay."
Following the same path they took to leave, Ava and Jay found Nathaniel at camp in his full gear. From her capastra bag she grabbed The Great Tree, placing it into her travel purse. Nathaniel was pacing as Ava and Jay approached. In his hand was an etcher pod for pocket vinyls. They
"...her rogue actions have caused a considerable delay. It is unknown whether or not Travlack joined willingly. End of record."
Nathaniel took the vinyl disk - no bigger than his palm - and marked the date on the underside. As for the transcriber, an opening matching the size of the disk clasped shut. Nathaniel put both back into the pack of his capastra before addressing Ava and Jay.
"Jay, does JJ know the direction Chrissy and Travlack wandered off?"
Jay looked over to JJ.
"Buddy, any idea where they went?"
JJ snorted once. Jay nodded his head and turned back towards Nathaniel.
"Yep! His mind is almost like that of a sage!"
Ava looked back over to JJ. The opaque eyes on either side of his head blinked separately.
"Then we have no time to waste," said Nathaniel. "We find them, we regroup, and get back on the trail of the noko. All of these distractions are a waste of Miss Sinclair's time."
"Right on, Boshy!" Jay cheered. "Lead the way, JJ. Put your genius to use!"
JJ lumbered towards them. Vae hitched a ride on his back, curling on the hardened cartilage. JJ showed no sign of going around the cluster of Ava, Jay, and Nathaniel. The three all took a step back as he trudged along, grunting all the way into the bushes. Jay reached for his piccolo and played a marching tune as he followed. Ava could not hide her smile as she turned to Nathaniel. His face was hidden in his hand. The two followed after the Therian and his capridae, making sure to mimic their every step.
Suddenly, the tune from the piccolo stopped. Ava looked up to see sporadic black scorch marks on the landscape. Every tree, every boulder, and patches on the ground smoldered as they walked. JJ stopped and sniffed the air before grunting to Jay.
"Ah, you did what you could, JJ," said Jay. "Thanks for your help."
Nathaniel walked ahead and placed a hand on the burnt residues. He took some ash and rubbed it between his finger and thumb. Ava stepped to the other side of him and awed at the number of burnt spots. She pressed her hand to a tree that had fallen victim, the spot was still warm.
Nathaniel spoke first.
"Are they…"
Ava felt the air grow heavy from the suggestion. She turned to Jay, who stuffed his piccolo into his afro and hopped from burnt spot to burnt spot.
"What? No. JJ says they're alive, but he can't follow the trail. There's too much smoke and ash for him."
Ava breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good," Nathaniel stated. "She can answer for her insolence."
Ava and Jay quickly shared a glance.
"We have no choice but to wait at camp for them to come back," said Nathaniel, walking back towards JJ. "We also need more water. Can JJ sniff out a river or stream?"
Jay threw an exaggerated motion with his arms and responded.
"Can he sniff out a river? JJ can do it all! Take us to the water, buddy!"
JJ grunted and swung his body around. His rear smacked Nathaniel, throwing him off balance and Vae off of his back. Vae landed effortlessly and leaned against Ava. Nathaniel was less graceful, and staggered before catching himself on a tree. Jay slapped his knee and laughed, following JJ.
"Wide load, here! Keep up, Boshy!"
Ava extended a hand to Nathaniel, who was slumped against the bark of the stump. He raised a hand and snapped his finger up. Awkwardly, he was able to recover and pat himself down. Ava heard muttering from Nathaniel as he walked off.
It was only a short walk before they came across a flowing river. Vae trotted over and took a couple of sips before JJ bumped her. Without hesitation, JJ submerged himself into the water up to his eyes, which dilated upon settling. Jay splashed his way to JJ's side. Ava saw as his shoulders dropped even lower than she thought possible.
Then his horns grew larger.
Now he had more hair.
Finally, he grew in size just slightly.
This Jay matched the earlier form Ava was startled by earlier. Seeing it now, however, was more serene for her. Nathaniel passed her as he brought up the rear and opened his canteen. Just before he submerged it, Jay called out a warning.
"Bosh. This water feels… occupied."
Ava was taking off her shoes when she glanced at Nathaniel. He was squinting while mouthing words, but no sound came from them. Finally, he spoke.
"Occupied? What is that supposed to mean?" Nathaniel proceeded to fill his canteen. "Is the water telling you something? Can you speak to water but not capastra? Is that something a capridae can do?"
"Not speaking," said Jay. "Listening. And the water tells me you should drink further upstream."
Ava let her feet dangle in the riverside as she kept looking between the two men. She dared not drink, and stared at Nathaniel as Jay gave the final warning. Nathaniel looked at Ava, looking for any sort of understanding. She shrugged her shoulders and relaxed by the riverside. Out of the corner of her eye, Ava saw Nathaniel take a swig. She pretended not to have seen this.
A couple of minutes later, the sounds of a song were heard. Ava identified the noise of a guitar, a drum, and a shaking instrument. She saw as Jay's ears perked up, and he whipped his neck around so fast Ava became startled.
"Is that…," Jay started, "Little Sister?"
Jay hastily took out his piccolo and matched the melody of the guitar, which was picking up in volume. Ava could feel the harmony merging as Jay performed a melody that contrasted, yet complimented the guitar.
"Little sister?" sighed Nathaniel. He sat behind Ava, working on another map. "Don't tell me there's more of them…"
Ava squinted to where the sound was coming from. The music filled the air to where she felt each strum, strike of the drum, and melody in her chest. From around the bend of the trees, three figures stepped into view and stopped playing.
"Jay? Is that you?", a voice said.
Jay stuffed his piccolo back into his hair and laughed.
"Little sis! What are you doing all the way out here? Come on over!"
Two of the three figures ran over and splashed in the knee deep water next to Jay. Ava could see the third figure walking at his own pace, slowly tapping on his drum. After the splashing had ceased, she could see that the guitar belonged to the girl and the shaker belonged to the young boy.
Clearly, these travelers were Therians. Of which, the girl had a form that mirrored what Jay called "form three" of the same animal. Her horns poked past her brown bowl cut - even on all sides and covering her eyes. Her skin was dark grey with brown speckling on the parts that did not have bristling fur.
Jay waded over to Ava with the girl and the young boy. He retreated into form two as he made introductions.
"Ava, Boshy, this is Cree! My little sister."
Cree began to extend a hand to Ava but recoiled upon noticing how hairy she was.
"Oh, one second."
After Cree said this, the majority of the hair had disappeared from her body. The brown speckling that had run rampant head to toe now settled on her face as freckles. Her horns, which had rivaled the size of Jay's, were now small nubs. After looking herself over, she reached towards Ava once more.
"Hey", Cree softly smiled. "I'm Cree. And when Jayce says 'little sister' it isn't literal. It's just an older-Therian-of-the-same-type thing."
Ava shook her hand elegantly, and turned to Jay.
"Jayce? Is that your actual name?"
Jay chuckled as he bumped Cree.
"Jayce just goes on official paperwork. It kills the entire vibe I'm going for as a mystical forest dude. Credence knows this."
Now Ava looked back to Cree.
"Credence? That's a nice name."
It was Cree's turn to bump Jay as she responded. She mocked his care free tone when she spoke.
"It ruins my vibe. It's way too formal for someone on a musical journey. My mystical vibe is at stake."
Ava could not help but smile as the two bantered back and forth. There were so many questions Ava wanted to ask, and that didn't include the clearly custom made guitar she had strapped to her back. Cree stopped talking and turned her head towards Ava, who had been staring.
"You're doing the thing," Cree smiled. "What do you wanna know?"
"Cree," asked Ava, "How old are you?"
Cree smiled and lifted the front part of her hair up, showing her pink irises.
"How old do you think?"
Ava pondered as her feet glided in the stream.
"Seventeen cycles?"
"Sixteen cycles. Very close."
"And how old do you think I am?" said the boy standing next to Cree.
He straightened his back and puffed out his chest. Alex was a deep shade of emerald with black curly hair. His ears were slightly droopy, she had seen this type before. He was missing a horn on his head, but strung to his side was the detached horn. As he swayed in impatience, the horn revealed itself hollow. This is where the noise had come from.
"I will say you are… twelve cycles. No more than that."
The boy beamed, eyes wide.
"No more? But I stood extra tall!"
Jay walked to the other side of the boy and inspected the spot where his other horn should have been.
"Capastra for sure… Cree, who is this?"
Cree was fidgeting with the tuning on her guitar. She answered without looking up from her work.
"Oh, that annoyance is Alex. He joined Hoga and I a while back after a run in with some poachers. Hoga found him with the horn already missing. He won't shut up about being a mighty warrior or something."
Alex gripped his detached horn and shook it violently in Cree's face. She stood unfazed as she picked at her guitar.
"Because I will be!" he shouted. "With Hoga teaching me, the enemies of the forest don't stand a chance!"
Cree sighed. "Jay, if I had a rev for every time he said that, I could have bought a new guitar. Hey Hoga, can we ditch him?"
Ava had forgotten about the third. He stood motionless in the stream, facing away from the group. At the sound of his name, he had turned around and waded towards them. Ava could not tell if he was light grey with red speckle, or red with light grey speckle. From the parts of him not covered in feathers, she made out piercings on the bridge of his nose and ears. He was short, but the gait of his walk commanded attention. Cree, without looking up, moved to the side to make way for him.
"No, Credence. The boy suffers from his stupidity, and will die if left alone."
Ava stifled a laugh. Alex took notice of this and whipped around, pointing his finger at Hoga.
"Hey! Stuff it! I'm still more than strong enough! I have precision, control, and-"
"The same control that allows you to pee in a river, unwilled, just minutes ago?"
Ava heard Nathaniel spit out his water from behind her.
Alex balled his fist and charged at Hoga, head down.
"That wasn't my fault!" he yelled. "The river's warm!"
In one swift motion, Hoga grabbed Alex's good horn and threw him downstream. Hoga shook his head as he turned to Jay, shaking hands with him.
"He's still learning to look at what he's charging. My siblings of the flock mentioned you would be in the area."
Jay returned the handshake with enthusiasm.
"Pleasure, sir. To be recognized by the shot quail alpha is righteous. Can I insist on kicking it with us today? We could play some great music."
"Absolutely not."
It was Nathaniel. Standing with an empty canteen, which was still dripping.