Chapter 73 – Unveiling.

‘Mistress?’

Everything was warm. And soft. And fluffy. She felt comfortable in her own personal corner of the darkness, pleasant thoughts wafting through her consciousness. Thoughts of being snuggled up with Fleur in a decadent soft bed while the furry nose of the cub nuzzled her.

‘Mistress?’

She didn’t want to wake up. It was too nice here. Then she’d have to worry about reality and whatever it was they’d been trying to deal with. Blissful ignorance had it’s place after all. Like right at the moment.

‘Mistress!’

She could hear some movement around her. Callisto had shifted himself and was starting to get up. The pattering of tiny soft paws followed by a wet nose nuzzling her cheek. Tired groans as the others started to wake as well. The trickle of a small stream weaving its way through the cave. She could smell the pleasant scent of the grass, flowers and trees. The musky smell of the fox cub. The spicy scent of Fleur and Coorie.

That’s right. The cave, with the fox statue. The place that they’d been looking for in their search. Where an Ancient had talked to them, and told them to sleep. Oh.

‘Yes, Oh. It’s well past time to wake.’

Ueana unfurled herself and sat up, rubbing her eyes as she opened them. Pushing the loose strands of hair away from her face she looked around the cave. Coorie and Fleur were stirring beside her, the grass around them drenched in the warm rays of sunlight that were managing to come through the cracks in the ceiling of the cave. Their dragon familiars sat near the entrance of the cave, looking more awake than the riders did. If anything, their colours seemed more vibrant than Ueana remembered. Lily’s emerald green, and the earthy brown of Coorie’s familiar.

‘Its name is Seashae.’

Ueana looked at Callisto, wondering how he had managed to find that out. She’d never been told, and hadn’t yet managed to get around to asking. Even Callisto’s fiery red scales seemed more vibrant and alive than she remembered, his deep ruby eyes looking at her with curiosity. Hadn’t he just been a deep red before?

Except there was actual licks of flame dancing around his horns and occasionally across his scales. And he seemed a little bigger too.

‘Have you gotten larger?’ She was certain that the others had as well.

The fox cub gave her a soft squee, and pattered it’s way up her bare thigh, Ueana instinctively picking it up in her arms.

‘Yes, though that would be the least significant of the changes that have occurred.’

She liked the flames. They made him look more powerful, and gave him a bit of an elemental vibe. But what she didn’t get is why he’d suddenly taken on that aspect. Dragon familiars weren’t known for changing. They took their form during the ‘summoning’, and pretty much stayed the same for the rest of the riders life. Sure they grew bigger till the rider hit their mid twenties, unless you were a lattice soul, in which case they kept growing for a while longer, but the overall features of a familiar didn’t change. Not like this.

‘Can you breath fire?’ she asked. She wasn’t aware of any that could, outside of those in stories and legends.

‘No idea.’ Ueana blinked. That wasn’t an outright no.

Coorie and Fleur both finally sat up and stared at her, confusion on their faces. Coorie opened her mouth and looked like she was about to say something, Fleur beating her too it.

“Oh, my god. You’re so cute!” Fleur exclaimed, as she all but threw herself at Ueana, giving her a big hug before she reached up and starting playing with her ears. “And sexy too,” she added quietly.

Ueana’s ears twitched as Fleur’s hands ran over them, her fingers teasing the fur. Ueana blinked, completely confused and a little out of it. The sensation was familiar and yet also completely foreign.

“I don’t think she’s realised yet,” Coorie stated with an amused look on her face as she gave Fleur a tap on her shoulder. “Give her some space.”

“Realised what...” Ueana asked slowly, not sure if she wanted to pay attention to what was vying for attention at the edge of her senses.

Fleur moved back as Coorie tilted her head slightly, looking her up and down, her face going a little red. “For a start, you’re almost totally naked, apart from a pair of hot pants it seems. Probably just a side effect of whatever the Ancient’s done I’d guess?”

Looking down, Ueana confirmed that she was indeed naked, her breasts bare and on full display. She quickly crossed her arms across her chest, dropping the fox cub into her lap in the process, not that she was really that worried about it at this point in time. They were all girls after all, even if all of them did like girls. Ah sod it. Ueana promptly lowered them again. She probably wasn’t going to be able to hold them there forever anyway. Almost nothing remained of her skeon, apart from what had now formed a pair of black hot pants. She ran her hands along them. It was indeed the same material, and it wasn’t that easy to damage either. What on earth had happened. They did look good on her though she had to admit.

A chuckle brought her attention back to Coorie. “You’ve got ears now too.”

“I’ve always had ears,” Ueana stated matter of factly, raising her hands to her head anyways.

“Not fox ears though. Big ones too,” Coorie continued. “And I doubt that’s a pile of furs that you’re sitting on...”

Ueana felt her head. Her ears were not in the usual place, nothing but smooth skin and hair there. The sensation came back as she reached higher up. Furry ears. Large too, her ears twitching at the contact. She looked down around her, dropping her hands. She had noticed the fiery red furs that surrounded her, she just hadn’t paid them any attention, after all they were keeping her quite warm, her feet quite happy to be amongst them.

On that topic, her dragon bone armour wasn’t summoned at the moment either, and it definitely had been last she remembered. Both Fleur and Coorie were still wearing theirs.

Ueana stood up, Coorie being correct yet again, as the fiery red fur came up with her. She could feel them now, her sense of what they were confirmed as she twisted to look behind her as best she could. She had large, fluffy, fox tails. Not one like any regular feral, nor two like the cub, but three, their combined volume probably at least as much as the rest of her body. How they could even work was beyond her, but they were there, now a part of her, moving as she willed the muscles to do so. That they were part magical was a given. She brought one of them round to the front, grabbing it with her hands and burying her face in it. Fiery red fur along its length, with a white tip. Super fluffy and warm. She let it go, the tail returning to join the others behind her.

She sighed. “What else? Really wish I had a mirror.”

“Your hair is slightly longer I think,” Fleur answered as Coorie turned and dashed over to her familiar.

“Do you feel any different?” Ueana asked, looking at her. “I can’t see anything obvious...”

Fleur shook her head. “I don’t feel any different I don’t think.”

“What about your familiars?”

“Don’t think...” Fleur stopped mid-sentence, a look of shock on her face, her eyes going wide, Coorie also halting, the mirror that she had fished out of Seashae’s saddlebag falling to the ground with a dull thump.

“You can talk!” Fleur exclaimed, racing over to Lily and giving her neck a big hug.

It was Ueana’s turn to chuckle as she followed Fleur over to the familiars. ‘That’s how you learnt her familiar’s name?’

‘Their awareness of self has changed as it did for me, yes.’

‘Then it would seem that everyone was touched in some way.’

Ueana knelt down beside Coorie, picking up the dropped mirror before straightening again, Coorie still distracted, talking quietly with her familiar. She didn’t even attempt to listen in on the conversation. It wasn’t the polite thing to do in this circumstance, and she’d only hear one side of it anyway. It was a shattering realisation, having your dragon talk to you when everyone knew that dragons couldn’t talk. She’d been through that, thought it was likely a different experience for them than it had been for her. She was getting used to it now. At least they’d be no more doubt about the fact that Callisto could talk to her.

She stepped back a bit and then hesitated, the mirror still in her hands. She had been changed. She no longer looked exactly the same as she had before. She couldn’t say that she hadn’t given consent, as she’d been warned that changes would happen if she proceeded by the Ancient back in the palace, even if she had no idea what that would actually entail. She had thought that perhaps it was just the heightened awareness for her familiar, but then, even though Callisto was a part of her magic, that was a change for him rather than her. She didn’t now if she should be unhappy about it. This was something pretty major after all. Yet, she wasn’t. Right now, before she took a full look at herself, she actually felt at peace about it all. There had been no malice present in either encounter with the Ancients, even with their plans completely unknown to her. In fact there had been the promise of things that she had desired, as well as promises to them as a group. Bonds. It all seemed like good things right now, and if there was going to be a price to pay later, she did not know. Like all things in life, she’d cross that bridge when she got to it.

Or fly over it.

Ueana smiled as she brought the mirror up, examining her ears. Two fluffy fox ears, fiery red with white tips, sat on her head, nestled in amongst her rose-red hair. They were around the size of her hand too, the comparison easily done. She watched with fascination as she twitched them, first the left, then the right and then both. Fleur was right, they were rather cute. She actually quite liked them. Combined with her tails, and that further boosted the appeal.

Was it possible that that is what Sister Kyril had seen when she had made the comment, the astral impression of them there before they had been made physical? She had been looking above her head after all. But she hadn’t made any other mention other than that, and hadn’t said anything to anyone else about it.

“No one is ever going to believe us,” Coorie said, snapping Ueana out of her thoughts.

Ueana looked at her. “You believe me now though?”

“I believed you before. Now there is no question. It feels so natural, it makes you wonder why it isn’t this way for everyone, right from the time they are formed. Even with one surprise after another, I’m no longer regretting the journey.”

“But,” Coorie continued, “in the grand scheme of things, we’re rather insignificant. We’re young riders, and just gems at that.”

Ueana shrugged. “They can believe what they want. These changes are going to be hard to ignore.” She deliberately did a full body stretch, hands above her head, to emphasise the point. Coorie and Fleur both went bright red.

“Why us too?” Fleur asked.

“You mean Lily’s talking, or have you noticed something else as well?” Ueana really was hoping that there would be others things, but after all it initially had been just that for her too.

“Just that.”

“Are you unhappy about it?” She was sure that Fleur wouldn’t be, given her ecstatic response, but the changes were all her fault.

Fleur shook her head vigorously. “Never. It’s one of the best things that could have happened,” she said. “Beside meeting you,” she added with a playful smile.

“Something to do with me declaring you as bondmates?” Ueana offered. That was definitely the cause, but as to what it all actually entailed was a different story.

Fleur looked thoughtful. “Are you a feral now?” she then asked carefully.

“No.” Ueana pointed to Callisto. “I’m still one hundred percent a rider. Perhaps I’m no longer fully human, just like Crystal and Rachael.”

In fact, that was exactly it. What she was, she did not know, but that certainty was there. Child of Dragon, Daughter of Pyre. It was related to those words somehow.

“Whatever you are, I’m still all yours,” Fleur stated with a seductive smile. It was Ueana’s turn to go red.

“What happened to your armour?” Coorie asked, recomposing herself and failing not to stare.

“I’m not sure,” Ueana replied thoughtfully. She still didn’t have an answer for that one, but really there was only one option available for her on that one. She called her armour to her.

Her magic flowed, the technique instinctual to all riders. It felt, different, though. She couldn’t quite put her finger on how it was so, but the magic wasn’t the same. It was still draconic, the magic of a rider, and yet there was other aspects to it as well. Her magic flared around her, ethereal flames briefly dancing on her body, before they vanished, leaving the feeling of her magic coating her entire body. Looking down at herself, she could see that she had managed to call armour to herself, but it was not the same as what it had been. Made sense though in a way, given that a riders armour was tied to them and their sense of self, even if they never realised the full extent of how it worked.

She no longer had heeled boots. Instead she had some form of leg guard that looked light and flexible, covering her lower leg and part of her foot, leaving her heel and toes uncovered. Almost like leather, but she could tell that it was much stronger than that, its colour a dark reddish brown. Similar bracers adorned her forearms, the material also forming a bra over her breasts that exposed as much of them as it covered. At least it seemed to provide decent support.

So, while it was rather different in style, it still covered roughly the same areas as it had before.

“Curious,” Coorie said, looking her over. “I assume that it’s just as strong as dragon bone even if it doesn’t look like it, given that it’s magical and you’re still a rider?”

Ueana shrugged. “We’ll find out soon enough. It feels like it though.”

“Without the skeon though...” Coorie muttered to herself as she turned and rummaged through her saddlebag again, pulling something out at throwing it at Ueana.

“You have other clothes?” Ueana asked, surprised. It wasn’t something that riders usually bothered with. It was a loose fitting hoodie, and looked to be too big for either of them. Shrugging, she pulled in down over her head, being careful of her ears. Its fit wasn’t as bad as she had thought though. Roomy, the sleeves bunching up at her hands, finishing just below the top of her hot pants.

“Sometimes you want to go incognito,” Coorie said dismissively. “That’s it though.” Ueana had to admit that Coorie would probably look quite cute in it, even if that look was at odds with how she normally presented herself. But if that was all that she had, her armour and legs would still be visible. Whatever. She was grateful though.

‘Any idea how long we were out for?’ Ueana asked Callisto.

‘We were asleep as well. I only awoke a few hours before you. The Ancient must have somehow been watching over us. It feels like it’s been more than just a few days though.’

That meant they’d probably only be able to tell once they were out of the cave and or the mountain range and able to get a good look at the night sky. Or stop at the northern pass village and ask. It did indeed feel like it had been longer than a night, though she wasn’t feeling that hungry yet. The benefits of magical sleep she hoped.

“I think we’re going to be late returning to the nest,” she said, picking up the fox cub who was looking at her with pleading eyes, it’s tails slowly moving across the grass under it. “I guess you’re coming back with us,” she added. The cub gave a happy yap.

“How are we going to explain all of this?” Fleur questioned. “We get sent to return a spirit fox back to its family, and not only do we return with it, possibly late as well, you also have taken on fox aspects.”

“We don’t,” Coorie replied rather quickly and bluntly. “Sorry, that wasn’t the best reply I’ve made,” she then added a bit sheepishly. “Look, we’ll tell them that we had a run in with the magic of an Ancient, and leave it at that. Though I guess we’ll have to explain what an Ancient is if they don’t know. I personally would rather they not know about the full extent of what has transpired here, at least not yet. Ueana’s physical changes can’t be hidden nor ignored, and that reason alone almost suffices as an explanation given what we know about Crystal and Rachael, but the other parts? That we can converse with our dragons? They’ll either not believe us, even with what they can see, or they’ll want to know exactly how it occurred. Exactly, so that it can be done again. I do not want to be some test specimen, or subjected to in depth interrogation. Not to mention that I suspect there’ll be a lot of jealously. A lot. Do you understand how significant it is? It alters the fundamentals of how we interact with our familiars, and will force some people to reevaluate what they think they are.”

“I just found it to be rather nice, once I got used to it. Like a best friend.” Ueana felt happy vibes from Callisto. “I’m not sure if they’ll even accept that explanation though, not without Asher’s support, but I do get what you are saying, and I agree.”

“Queen Alysia did say that change was coming,” Ueana continued, pondering. “I don’t know what she actually knows, beyond her hints about the Circle Sea, but there is always the possibility that these changes may not be isolated to just us, at least in the not too distant future.”

“Can you imagine the tension if some riders were able to talk to their dragons, and others weren’t?” Coorie looked all too serious.

“But that’s what we have right now!” Fleur said.

“Three is insignificant, and right now no one else knows. But what if it was a nest worth, or even an entire clan.”

“Yeah, it wouldn’t be pretty. Some riders are rather petty even without cause.” Ueana screwed her face up in disgust. But, after all, riders were just human, like everyone else. Well, most of them were.

“And... the elephant in the room,” Coorie said, looking directly at the fox cub, who gave her an innocent look, snuggling deeper into Ueana’s arms. “The cause of this whole mission...”

“You sounded like you had an idea on that, before you fell asleep?” Ueana was sure that Coorie had said something.

“The Ancient bonded it to you, somehow. Like I could sense Crystal’s mark on you, I felt it do something similar with you and the pup. You are indeed it’s family now, though you weren’t before. It’s like it was deliberately pulling us here. As to where it came from before, if it was even here, we may not ever know.”

“Ancients playing at their games?” But not entirely without her choice. Ueana had made a decision after all. One with consequences that were now starting to be more far reaching than she would have ever thought, and yet she also suspected that it was just the beginning of it all as well.

“Who knows? You perhaps know the most out of us all?” Coorie shrugged, a look of shock suddenly on her face as she seemed to realise something else as well, which then morphed into something akin to a smug smile.

Ueana gave her a questioning look.

Coorie lifted up her left hand, a small red flame appearing and dancing around her wrist.

“Daughter of Pyre. We have even been marked as your bondmates, just as you declared.”

mogust

That is certainly a more significant change than what she had noticed thus far, but one does have to wonder if that is indeed the last of them, or if there will be more ^^

Time will tell on that.

As I have mentioned, I have commissioned some are for Ueana, of her in her new form, but it isn't ready yet. Once it is, I will post it both here in this chapter, in the glossary on Scribblehub, and at whatever chapter I post at the time that it is done. Certainly looking forward to it being complete.

As always, thanks for reading, and comments are welcome.

The next chapter (74 - Undercurrents) will be up in the next few days. Chapter 78 (Trust) is now at ~2k words so progress is good there.