Chapter 2: The Return I

      “I think I’m doing it wrong”, I said, struggling to get adjusted to my new humanoid appearance.

     Pondering my first movement, I looked over at Tuwar. He was seated a few feet away from me, his chin pressed against his fist. “Sister, you haven't ‘done’ anything” he responded frustratingly.

      I examined my body thoroughly, twisting and bending to heighten my view. I caressed my once pale and porcelain-like forearms, which had now become tender with a hint of tan. My ember eyes became emerald, glistening effortlessly as I gazed through the river. My talons, normally a razor-sharp extension of my finger-tips, were now trimmed and delicate, with pinkish flesh showing through the window of my nails.

     “HAA!” I thrusted my hand forward, hoping that despite its dullness, I’d still be able to utilize it as a weapon. But, who was I kidding? From here on out, the only form of weaponry I'd be enforcing, was that of the mind. Not that I truly relied on anything else to begin with.

     “Hmm” I began tugging at a lock of chestnut hanging over my shoulder. “Geez, is it supposed to be so…untamed?” I fought against it, the curly mass refusing to be laid.

     “We came all the way here and you're making a fuss over something as trivial as hair?” Tuwar’s unamused gaze dug into me, the corner of his lips twitching after his attempt to stay quiet. 

     I was happy to see that he had gotten adjusted without a hassle, considering how skeptical he was about the idea at first. It's not everyday that you grow longer, softer hair, shed a few pounds and trim down a few inches in height. 

     “It’ll change back once we transform again, so get over it already. We need to start moving,” he reasoned with unexpected politeness. 

     Flatly ignoring him though, I continued with my adolescent fiddling. “Although the hair leaves much to be desired, I must admit, she’s quite the looker isn’t she, brother”?

     Tuwar kept his now charcoal-color head downcast, but I could still see his forehead scrounge in response to my question. “Hmph, it seems you’ve been painfully smitten. However, Don’t let this conjured form fool you. I'm still every bit your lovable and vindictive sister after all, so no funny business” I playfully winked.

     We had done away with the apparel native to our underwater home, now dawning something heavier, designed solely for earth-maneuvering combat. The entire get up, however, felt tacky to me. No longer did they clad themselves in wool and skeletal armor, bearing rods with stone tips. Instead, they bore a lean-crafted get-up, forged with smoothly-condensed metal.  It ran from the neck downward, encompassing the entire shoulders, forearms, torso and kneecaps, leaving only the joints of each limb exposed. 

     The second layer of equipment was a onesie that compressed itself against the body. It was made of a special material that allowed it to stretch and absorb sweat—perfect for movement under the arduous sun. 

     “Anddd…there!” I slid the guards of my forearms on neatly, snapping the metal clips that hung at the bottom. It felt uncomfortable at first, since it was my first time wearing clothing so stiff and protective. However, I could feel it starting to grow on me—albeit slowly. 

     My brother at this point, wore a miserable scowl, his furious expression evolving into something more tangible. He slung his head up as if he’d been woken up for a military drill and began his long-awaited rant. “Korrin, you’ve been at it for almost an hour now! We need to start mov—“. 

     Spinning on my heel, I turned to face my brother. The inklings of dust in the air flew, merely aiding my bravado. I reached for the corners of my dress, lifting them slightly. Then, positioned my feet to begin an effeminate bow. “Sorry to keep you waiting, great prince of the sea” I curtsied, fully aware of my interrupting him.

    “I'm almost certain I'm going to regret this!” Tuwar stood up, dusting himself off grumpily as he took off for the forest. 

     We set out at dawn. Our destination was just a ways off from our current location. We headed home. Or at the very least, the home of these vessels we so elegantly sported.

     The terrain was rough and unworked. We’d stopped dozens of times already, our bodies dragging along with us as we traveled upward through the forest, using the trees as rails to accommodate our steps. It was physically taxing for both of us. Forget moving around idly, how is it that these creatures perform such strenuous tasks on a day to day basis? Trodding forward, my foot clipped against the edge of a sharp twig, causing me to buckle at the knee In angst-ridden furry.

      “Brother, I need another break”! I began leaning tiredly against a lopsided tree. Tuwar merely steered ahead, leaving me confused as to whether or not he had heard me. I repeated my statement. This time louder, and with a tinge of hysteria.

      “Brother, I need another break!” I cried.

      Just as before, my older sibling kept at it, unhinged by the cries of his delicate other half. I took a deep breath, halted my steps and clenched my fists. Let’s see you play deaf now. 

     “BROTHE—“!
    I was cut off by a deadpan glare directed down at me. I could see a fierce torrent bore into my skull, and I shrank back indefinitely. 

     “Korrin, enough!” he shouted, voice icy and devoid of empathy. “We’ve stopped over a dozen times already. We could be resting in the city right now”!
    “Well, excuse my incompitent body for being so slow to adjust—” I responded, taken aback by his sudden show of aggression. “—but I'm trying my best here”!

     “Regardless, we’re in unfamiliar territory, so we need to move quickly. Who knows what could be lying in wait for us while you pamper yourself with needless stops every five minutes” He slammed his fist against a nearby tree.

      “Isn’t that precisely why I brought you along?” I muttered, taking care not to meet his eyes directly. 

     What he said made a lot of sense though. In truth, we were in unknown territory, and we didn’t have the advantage of mobility like we would in the ocean. It still pissed me off though. The least he could do was hoist me up and carry me on his shoulders. Not only would it prevent any future fits of whining, but I’d be able to survey the area from a high enough outpost. 

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     That’s it! My lips curved into a mischievous smile. I skipped ahead, nearly matching my stride with Tuwar’s. 

     “Brother, I have a great idea,” I said, beaming with excitement.

      “If it involves you shucking me into bearing both of our workloads, I’ll have to respectfully decline”. 

      “Awee, but you play the part of a sturdy mule so well though”.

      “Well consider this refusal as merely the ‘ass’ in me taking charge” He waved me away without so much as a glance.

     Feeling dejected at the crassness of his tone, I hung over weakly, walking almost as if I was in an undead-like state. We’d been at it for about an hour and 48 minutes, but it felt longer because our bodies hadn’t fully adjusted yet. Just when I was about to keel over, I ran face first into the broad back of my brother. He had come to an abrupt stop. With curiosity replenishing a bit of my energy, I stuck my head to the side of him and stared wide-eyed at the sight before us. It only took a moment for my eyes to adjust, the sun shining down on us, the view slightly distorted, yet I was all but certain. “We made it!” 

 

…

 

     I couldn’t help but feel some measure of reward was needed to commemorate our efforts. Thinking it senseless to reach behind myself and properly pat my own back, I settled for Tuwar’s burly behind instead. Flinching on contact, Tuwar ground his teeth and knocked away my hand in a show of unbridled displeasure. “Will you quit messing around? We need to review our plan before we reach the city's guard post!”, he said, his usual impatience evident. 

     Flicking the strands of hair from the corner of my eye I chuckled. “Settle down already, I have it under control”.
    Reaching into the pouch kept tucked beneath my woolen dress, I took out a silver ring with our tribal language forged along the sides. 

      “That again?” Tuwar’s brow lifted, curiously.
    “Indeed,” I placed the ring onto its respective finger and watched as the path of insertion shrunk to accommodate my wearing it. The calligraphic indentions started glowing and I could feel the radiating aura of shimmering blue encompass my hand like mittens. 

     Taking a deep breath, I applied a steady flow of force from my body into the ring.
The iridescent light grew brighter and the grip around my finger tightened, cutting away my blood flow. Recalling the dozens of homeland books about the anatomy of the human body, an idea had struck me. Unlike us, it comprises 70%  water; the remaining 30% a mixture of various miscellaneous elements. So what would happen if a large chunk of that water was siphoned out?
    I watched as my once bright-silky skin started shifting to a sickly shade of tan. My cheeks sank inward and my lips developed a white-like crust. I then relaxed the output of force and the declining bloom of my appearance came to a halt. 

     “This should be enough, right?” I outstretched my arms in a showy gesture.

      “Hmm” Tuwar mulled it over. “Except, the dead do not smell of rosemary and sea salt. We should find some animal droppings to make your unkempt smell a bit more...pungent” he surveyed the area around us.

     Giving him a look of doubt,  I wondered for a moment if this was just his attempt at trying to be funny so I played along. “You may be onto something brother. But, we’ll need enough for the both of us, since it would seem odd if my escort returned unscathed and….unscented” I added, letting my smirk slowly unveil.

     “Not so, sister” he tugged at the collar of his cloak. “I’ll cover you in this. That way, you can hunch over under the pretense of being cold. 

     “In 80 degree heat?” I placed my hand above my forehead.

      “You ‘caught’ a cold then”.

     Sighing, I turned my attention back to the mass of civilization before us. “You need not worry about such things. No one would dare be so trivial under these circumstances”.

     “I suppose you’re right” Tuwar began unfastening his cloak. “But, do you really think our disguises will work?”

     “Of course, I never indulge risk without sure gain” I reached out to receive it. “Besides, we need only abide by the intel given to us by our new ‘friend’ and let my brilliant acting skills do the rest”.

     Scoffing, Tuwar gave an unaffirmative nod. “That's assuming that what our new ‘friend’ said was the truth”.

      “Even if it wasn’t” I showed an iniquitous smile.”It'll be the same outcome, just a messier process”! 

      Tuwar shrugged tiredly. “For me you mean”.

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