A week has passed since the amulet was created and slowly, Etrius was helping Abby get over her fear of it. Today, she was comfortably holding onto it, looking at it in curiosity. Whenever she tried to put it in her mouth, Etrius would stop her. In the warm glow of the fireplace, and on a soft rug, Abby put it down, almost throwing it as she looked at Etrius.

 

"Muu." She said.

"Hungry are we?" Etrius asked.

 

Looking at the setting sun, Etrius saw a shape moving rapidly towards the cabin.

 

"Your mother's almost here, so wait just a little longer." Etrius said.

"Muu!" She said a little louder.

"Alright, alright." Etrius surrendered.

 

As Etrius stood up, Abby lifted up her arms as a sign that she wanted to be picked up. Doing so, Etrius carried her closer to the fireplace which has a pot of stew just off to the side, keeping warm. The two looked through the steam to see the tender meat and soft potatoes which were just out of reach.

Over the past week, Etrius had learned that Abby could eat pretty much anything that Etrius could. That being said, she disliked corn and peas, but liked carrots, only when soft. As for meat, she can and will eat it, no matter what state it was in. Though Etrius obviously did not seek out moldy or spoiled meat to try and feed her. Moving away from the pot, Abby protested but not much as Etrius fetched three bowls and spoons. As it did so, the front door opened, letting in a cold breeze.

 

"My beloved darling, I have returned." Adriana called out.

 

Looking over, Etrius saw Adriana running her fingers through her wind swept hair. Unlike last time, she wore her glasses, which came as a surprise given her feelings about them. Though she was in her pajamas, they both knew that she wouldn't be staying the night. At most she may leave after Abby falls asleep.

 

"Welcome back Love, I was about to serve dinner." Etrius smiled at her. "Mind holding Abby?"

"Of course." Adrianna smiled, warming her hands.

"Mu." Abby felt the need to be heard.

 

Handing her off, Abby felt comfortable enough to latch onto her without complaint. After all, she was the only other person that Abby knew, seeing her almost every night.

 

"How's mama's little baby?" Adriana asked playfully.

"Mu!" Abby replied happily.

"Oh, you are just too cute!" Adriana said, poking her nose.

"Mo!" Abby said, using her human hands to reach for the offending finger.

 

As the two played, Etrius began filling the bowls and placing them on the table. As Abby didn't have a seat, Etrius simply placed her bowl next to Adriana's. Unlike theirs, her bowl was filled up a bit less than halfway. If Abby thought this to be some sort of injustice, she didn't say anything, only looking between the bowl and spoon that was just out of reach. Taking its own seat across from Adriana, Etrius looked to the two.

Adriana, though interested in the food, was far more interested in playing with Abby's claw-like hands. Whether Abby was aware of it or not, she had a habit of gripping whatever was in them. With her claws dull, there was no harm in playing with them. With two of her arms occupied, she reached for the spoon with her others with no success. As Abby was sitting in Adriana's lap, she was suddenly surprised when she was lifted, seemingly for no reason.

 

"Wah!" She cried out, seeing her feet hang freely.

"Oh my!" Adriana said. "Look at how strong you are!"

"Wah!" She replied, not sure what to do.

 

Kicking her feet, she managed to swing herself, though not very far. Seeing amusement in this, a giggle escaped her lips as a smile appeared on her face. Still not noticing that she hung onto Adriana's hands with her claws, she had her own fun. Smiling at this, Etrius watched the two play for several minutes. Though knowing that time was limited, it was forced to end this fun as their meal cooled down, and before Adriana would be forced to leave.

 

"Alright, that's enough." Etrius said. "We can't let the stew get too cold, can we?"

"I suppose so." Adriana said, reluctantly letting Abby down.

"Mo!" Abby called out, looking up at Adriana.

"We can play later, but now let's eat." She said.

"Mu!" Abby nodded.

 

Taking the spoon, Adriana took a small amount of the stew and blew on it to cool it down. Abby watched in interest with her secondary mouth at the ready. Though they had experienced this before, Etrius and Adriana paid close attention to Abby as she ate. Once the spoon full of stew was cooled, Adriana brought it up to Abby. Using a combination of her secondary jaw and human hands, she pulled the spoon into her primary mouth and closed it. Holding it in place with those two, they saw muscles move in her cheeks as her secondary mouth chewed what chunks were there.

Smiling as she enjoyed the meal, Etrius couldn’t help but feel proud for cooking it. It was also proud of its hesitation in not curb stomping Abby the moment that it saw her. Though it had no intention of telling Adriana of that particular incident.

The three ate dinner in a somewhat comfortable silence. Of course Abby made happy noises whenever she got a somewhat big piece of meat, with Adriana giggling as she did so. Etrius, though not hungry, ate the stew as well, as trying to put on a good show with Adriana in hopes of diminishing Abby’s reluctance to eat veggies. It must have been somewhat successful as Abby did eat the veggies with more enthusiasm than last time. With their meal finished, and bowls set aside, Adriana finally made mention of the amulet that Etrius had sitting on the table.

 

“So, I suppose that is the artifact.” Adriana said.

“It is, though I haven’t tried it yet.” Etrius said.

“Why not?” She asked.

“She got a little spooked by the process when I made it so I was letting her get used to it.” It said.

“I see.” She nodded. “So today is the day?”

“Yep.” It replied.

“Well, in that case it’s a good thing I brought my glasses.” She said. “To be able to see our child while I still can was one of my few wishes.”

“It’s happening this soon?” It asked.

“I’m not sure it’ll last through this year, if I’m being honest.” She admitted.

 

Still holding Abby on her lap, Adriana removed her glasses. Her eyes were clouded, dulling her brilliant blue eyes. Smiling somewhat sadly, she looked down at Abby and stoked her fuzzy white hair. Abby, not knowing what was going on, looked at the glasses that lay on the table. Though this was not unexpected, Etrius couldn't help but feel sad. As if not wanting to dwell on those thoughts, Adriana smiled and waved her hand.

 

“Well, that doesn’t matter now. Let’s see that artifact in action.” She said.

“Right.” Etrius said, reaching for it.

“I wonder what she’ll look like.” She muttered.

“She’ll look like our daughter.” Etrius said, placing the necklace around Abby’s neck.

 

For a moment, nothing happened, and then the shadows reacted. Turning their heads away, they were pulled towards her. Momentarily the light in the room dimmed as the shadows gathered. A cold chill moved through Abby as the shadows covered her. Turning white, and then turning bright, they shattered.

Abby suddenly went through a transformation. Her pale skin suddenly gained color and her two non-human hands started to glow. Shimmering, they soon disappeared along with her antenna and tail. As for her legs, they turned into a soft flesh and changed color to match her skin. Her claws were replaced with toes, five on each foot.

 

“Ah.” Surprised by this sudden change, Abby suddenly looked down at her legs.

 

Wiggling them, she found them to be odd. Leaning forwards, she almost fell, only to be caught by Adriana. Moving her hands in front of her, she looked confused. Though they were the same hands that she had, they were a different color and she seemed to be missing her other hands. More confused than frightened, she turned towards the fire as the logs crackled. Finding the sound strange, she moved her hands to her head but found no antenna. After exploring for a bit, she found strange growths on the sides of her head. Touching them, she found that she could hear things from them. That was odd.

 

“Well, she’s not crying.” Etrius said.

“Ah?” Abby looked at it, surprised by its voice.

“Do you think we sound different to her?” Adriana asked.

“Ah?” Abby looked up at her.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Etrius said.

“Well, how does she look?” Adriana asked, raising her up so their faces were level. “Do we look alike?”

“She’s got your hair and gray human-like eyes.” Etrius said. “As for her face, she kind of looks like an idiot.”

“Stop calling her an idiot.” She said.

“There is not a thought going through her head right now.”

“She’s a baby.”

“The title of small idiot still fits.”

“Darling, I'm serious.” Adriana sighed.

"Hi serious, I'm Etrius." Etrius said.

"Darling." Adriana said, disappointed.