Song of the Warbler

The flyer landing in a tree close by, watching her as if knowing that it had her attention. It began to sing again, the notes floating on the air as a melodic breeze. Crystal moved closer, standing under the branch to listen to the song. It crept into her ears, catching her mind and making her close her eyes. She rocked back and forth, the tune hypnotizing her.

The sound stopped and Crystal’s mind crackled as if she were suddenly caught within a surge of static. She jumped, blinking and feeling disoriented. Her body floated before her, a separate entity from her mind. Her purple eyes stared at her as if she was an unwanted shadow and when the mouth spoke, the voice had a singsong quality. “I am the warbler, creator of wrath. I exist to cause turmoil in the lives I touch. You are dead, so go off and die somewhere, Crystal.” 

The warbler turned her body and walked away, dragging Crystal behind it as if she were attached to her flesh by an invisible wire. She was pure life energy, trapped within a casket of nothing. The enclosure was solid and seemed to be cylindrical around her. When she touched it with her shadowy finger, it chimed as if she were tapping on fine crystal. “Oh peachy. Like I need this shit right now. Give me my damn body back!” she screamed in useless anger.

The warbler didn’t reply as it walked into the castle through the kitchen. It stopped, throwing a vicious gaze at Tora as she cut vegetables into a cooking pot. “That food smells horrid. I am really tired of your inedible cooking. Your cleaning is a disgrace and your term as our castle keeper is over. Take your things and go live with Delmar. Hopefully your fucking is better than the rest of your skills.”

Tora blinked at her in shock. “I can’t believe you said that to me. I thought you were happy with my work. By the powers there is something wrong with you lately.” She slid the pot off the fire and pushed past Crystal.

The warbler smiled as Tora slammed the door and then it marched purposefully up the stairs and into the bedchamber. In a single movement, it shrugged off her body skin and tossed it across the chamber. It tore the quilt from Taz’s sleeping body and physically attacked him.

Taz pushed her off, sitting up slightly. “What is wrong with you? Getting my attention is not molesting me. I like the feel of your mouth surrounding me, but I would rather be slightly awake.”

* * *

The words to the spell filled her mind and Crystal recited them, knowing it was unwise. She hadn’t finished reading but in her hysteria it didn’t matter. Crystal sank lower to the ground. Her face elongated, her jaw stretching into a long, pointed, toothy snout. The leather of her body skin split as her shape changed, black and white fur forming to cover her naked flesh. Her body spread, flattening as her arms and legs condensed to adjust to her compact shape. Crystal lashed out in fury at the rats, shredding them with her teeth and claws. She had no desire to eat them as a badger would and she spit their crushed bodies out. Those that did not scurry away were drawn by the scent of blood. They hissed and gnashed their teeth, fighting over the fallen bloody bodies of their comrades.

Crystal gazed up, knowing that in her new form, she was no longer the prey. She moved forward, her body feeling oddly heavy as she swaggered towards the hut. She had taken on the form of a badger, but had retained her size. It felt warped being so low to the ground, but to stop with her goal in sight and change back into a being was unthinkable. Crystal formed a shield over her badger body and then froze in mid step.

Taz gagged for air as his vision began to waver. His fingers felt as if something was crawling within them; the skin moving as his short nails morphed into long claws. He flexed his jaw, the skin growing tight and itchy. Before his eyes, formed an elongating snout, the skin covered by fur.

“Crystal, what are you doing?” he tried to ask in her mind, but got no reply. She was panicked, her thoughts distracted by the feel of being bitten. Her body was changing just as his was, the link between their minds bringing the spell to play over both their forms. He felt the panic fade and growled, “Crystal? What did you do?”

“Taz? What is wrong? I was just about to ram the door of the hut. Do you want to get me killed?”

Taz snapped his fanged teeth, sending her an image of his claws grinding against stone. “Are you warped, woman? What in the name of the powers have you turned me into?”

“A badger! Sorry, can’t talk now,” she said, closing her mind as she ran at the door like a huge, furry, battering ram.