Shifter - Infinite Transformation-Chapter 35: Catch

We shared the bread as our talk deepened. It wasn’t the best bread I’d eaten, but it was a conjuration from a Power that wasn’t actually mine. Taking that into consideration, I found the bread to be better than expected.

We didn’t leave the hut for quite a while. Instead, we sat on the bed, our hands lingering near each other, and talked. About the Hnolls and other monsters of the Eserian, about the Eserian forest and the Fae Mediums, but also about mundane things. Still, we left a lot unsaid even after talking for hours.

Fern’s emerald-colored tail swished across my waist and caressed my back, marking me with her musk now and then, and it made me smile. Her own actions made her blush. She couldn’t meet my eyes when I asked her what the others meant when they said I smelled like her, like the words carried a deep meaning, and she was unable to explain the meaning behind her tail swishing.

I had an idea in mind, but seeing her squirm was oddly satisfying. It was a beautiful sight.

The truth was as clear as day. There was something between us, and we left it unsaid. For the moment. Still, I was starting to wonder if that mattered, given all the talk about being claimed.

***

We stayed in the hut until the first sun vanished beyond the horizon. I would have loved to stay longer and talk more to Fern, but she looked like she could no longer take the tension. Her tail movements had grown more erratic over the hours, and her fingers sought mine more often. Yet, instead of acting on the impulse she felt just as clearly as I did, Fern suddenly jumped off the bed and dragged me out of the hut.

Once outside, I saw the Eserian Grove in its full beauty for the first time.

The grove opened like a living sanctuary, surrounded by massive, ancient trees whose trunks were so wide they felt more like pillars of the realm than mere plants. Their canopies stretched high overhead, interlocking into a vast green dome covered in blue-glowing moss, verdant vines adorned with thorns that shimmered like stars, and flowers that absorbed and redistributed the sun’s rays across a faintly glowing network.

The dome filtered the suns’ light into soft, shining patterns. Afternoon sunbeams slipped through the leaves in thin, golden strands, illuminating drifting particles I couldn’t quite grasp.

The air carried the scent of bark, fresh sap, and the overwhelming richness of nutrient soil.

Nestled among the upper branches of the massive trees were huts. They didn’t resemble the treehouse Ian and I had built for our sister years back. If anything, the huts looked as though they had grown out of the trees rather than been built.

Platforms made of branches curved naturally around trunks, supported by thick boughs and vines that had been guided into shape instead of forced. Rope bridges of braided vines connected the homes in the towering trees, swaying gently in the wind and the quiet movement of those who lived above.

Then there was our hut.

It rested on the forest floor, where smaller huts blended seamlessly into the undergrowth. They weren’t any worse in my opinion, but the ground huts were certainly different. Shaped from packed earth, roots, and layered leaves, they were nothing like the tree-bound homes. Even so, I loved it.

Narrow paths of compressed soil and exposed roots wound between the huts, clearly used but never harsh enough to scar the land permanently.

Following Fern, we slowly approached the heart of the grove. An open circle, void of trees, greeted us at its center. It wasn’t unlike my hometown’s plaza. The ground was smooth and firm, formed from interwoven roots and stone polished by countless footsteps rather than chisel or pickaxe.

It was a place of gathering, created alongside the nature that sprouted all around it. Nature wasn’t reshaped in the process. It was guided and nurtured. Respected.

"Amazing," I heard myself murmur, my head flicking left and right to take everything in, to etch every detail into my mind.

Fae, many bearing antlers or wings, looked my way. Some were smaller, their veins glowing emerald like Fern’s, while others were covered in bark, leaves, or other natural substances. There was even a group of women who appeared to be made of liquid. And, of course, the pixies and fairies–finger- to fist-sized creatures with semi-translucent wings. Every single one of them left behind glimmering particles as they flew through the grove, though not all were silver or gold. Some shed brown or crimson motes.

But no matter how different they were, the vast majority glared at me with hostility. Nobody approached us or said a word. They didn’t even whisper to one another as I walked through the grove’s heart alongside Fern. The fae simply stared.

Until my lucky star arrived.

A small whirlwind rushed toward me, shouting at the top of her lungs, her antlers poking me in the stomach upon impact.

"Mister Monster!" Kaia squealed, hugging me tightly as her mother hurried up behind her.

She was breathing heavily and slowed when she reached us. There was no hostility in her expression, but there was apprehension.

"Mom, he’s awake!" Kaia spun toward her without letting go of me, a brilliant smile on her lips. "He’s awake!"

"I can see that, dear." Kaia’s mother smiled, her apprehension melting as she met my eyes. "I’m glad to see that you’re fine."

Her lips pressed together, then parted again. "I believe I owe you my thanks. If not for you, my daughter–"

She didn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t have to.

"I’m glad I could help." I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. "And I’m happy to see Kaia is doing well."

After a brief hesitation, I voiced my thoughts aloud, even though I probably shouldn’t have.

"I hope you’re doing well too. The... incident must have been frightening."

Her expression darkened instantly, but softened again when Kaia jumped into her arms.

"I will be fine. Kaia is alive, and so am I." She looked away. "It was frightening, but nothing happened to me. The others... they weren’t as lucky."

I was fairly certain she was deflecting. Even now, her expression looked distorted, as though she were caught in the nightmares of the incident.

Maybe she hadn’t been violated, but what she had endured was still horrible. Others may have lost loved ones, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t suffering as well.

Kaia soon returned to me, tugging weakly on my sleeve. "Can we play, Mister Monster?"

"Play?" I glanced at her mother, who nodded slowly, visibly relieved that her daughter was distracting me. "What do you want to play?"

"Let’s play catch!" she exclaimed.

She squealed with delight when I transformed into a Kerink and circled above her.

The grove fell silent.

A stunned stillness filled the heart of the grove.