Io finally took a moment to take stock of the condition her body was in. She was no longer human. Let's start there. From a teenage girl to a beast. Nothing to freak out over, right? Wrong. Absolutely wrong. She'd been through a lot. Lived through nightmares and even considered a monster herself by many, but this? This was some form of cosmic irony. That's what this was. Io's
Four legs covered in a mixture of obsidian scales and fur, two horns on each side of her head, a muzzle filled with sharp teeth made for ripping flesh from bone, and a strong wolf-like body, from what she had seen in a library that she and the kids had stayed in once. Oh, and a tail! She had a long Draconian tail that, like the rest of her, had an ink-colored mixture of scale and fur.
As if her looks were not enough of a shock, her body was not delicate by any means. Apparently, the powers-that-be decided that femininity was overrated. Her pitch-black scales and fur would make her invisible other than the odd glimmer of moonlight on her scales. Well… that, and she wasn't exactly small. While she was probably close to 180 cm in at the shoulder and easily that length and a half from muzzle to tail. Io confirmed her thoughts with a quick swipe of the tongue. Yep, there were many, many sharp teeth. No wonder the two little monsters were so frightened. They had bumped into a big monster.
Io's shoulders slumped. This was going to make things... Complicated. The girl got up but toppled over with a yelp of surprise. It wasn't easy coordinating four legs and one tail. Nope, not one bit. What followed next was an embarrassing series of frustrating failures.
It was the equivalent of one person breaking the World Guinness Record for twistiness. What was it called? Io's scaled brows furrowed. It was an old earthen game. Twist? Twisty? Twisted? Io's ears flattened and her lips drew up on one side in annoyance. Whatever. She found out exactly how flexible her new body was, how many ways she could trip herself up, and still land on her feet. Quick lesson: don't take walking without thinking about paw-eye coordination for granted ever again.
Io face-planted after she managed to wrap her tail across one of her back legs and her front legs, tying the three together while thinking she'd gotten the hang of it. After Io landed with an oomph, she took a moment to re-evaluate her life's choices and possibly how to walk. Was walking that important? It wasn't like she couldn't wriggle her way could she? Io closed her eyes, and focused, ran a mental step-by-step stimulation this time. Maybe if she just kept her tail still and took one step? No, tails were meant for balance. However, was it balance for larger movements or necessary for small ones? Io could feel her head starting to ache. Ugh.
Io gingerly got up. As much as learning to walk again sucked, she needed to find the kids. So she wasn't human. Whatever. Maybe this form was a reflection of her soul or something else deeply spiritual. Io couldn't help but quirk her lips at her nonsensical musings. Perhaps this form wasn't so ironic after all. A bad situation is only a bad situation if one cannot use it to their advantage. Rule one of survival. Maybe she could at least pick up their scent. There, a pro already. See, she just needed to give herself time to... Adjust. Yeah, adjust to being a completely different species and needing to at least be able to walk within hours of discovering her new state of being. Nothing too difficult, right? The tail, though. Io winced. She'd have to make peace with her tail first.
While she had been struggling to make use of her new body, the little ice cube and flame had gone quiet. The duo now stood next to each other, little black claws interlaced with pale grey and two sets of cat-like eyes watched her clumsy movements. Io cocked her head and huffed at the duo. It wasn't like she had meant anything by it, other than perhaps teasing the two. She had done it before she'd even thought about it. The girl winced, her wolf-like ears reactively twitching back at the prospect of more of that shrieking.
Nothing.
Relieved, Io dedicated most of her attention to the annoying appendage. It flickered erratically as she concentrated on holding it still. Argh. Just stop! No no no! Ack! The more annoyed Io became, the more it slashed through the air. Over and over, she'd take one step forward, one step right, left, and one step backwards. It was less likely for Io to trip herself again like this. She'd get her basics down, and have a decent understanding of how her body moved in the various ways. One forty-five-degree shadow shift later, and Io no longer needed to mentally wrangle her tail into behaving. It still stung though from when Io, distracted by a small creature flittering through the air like a wisp, thwacked herself on the horn.
Now that she could function correctly, i.e. walk. It was time to find the kids. Time to see if her nose really worked, her being a beast and all. Hopefully, it was sharper than a human nose? Most animal noses were. Io's scales furrowed as she pondered. That should be the case. She was obviously a predator. But she was a lizard-mammal mix. Hmm... Then maybe the best of both worlds?
When she had been human, the kids had always smelled like ash and water. So she'll start there. Io's nostrils flared a few times as she strove to find any hint of her siblings, but the only things she picked up were sweet clean air, growing things, and an odd combination of cold and something that almost smelled like smoke but more complex?
Io's head lowered to the ground as she followed the invisible trail until two sharp cries of fear broke her concentration. The sound had come from the two little monsters that had pretended to blend in with their surroundings. Startled, Io's tail rebelled and slapped at her muzzle. Exasperated, Io shoved her tail out of her face and stepped on the damnable thing. There! Io let out a huff of displeasure as she snuffled about looking for those scents once more.
Then she heard it. A little giggle. Io's cat-like eyes went wide in surprise as the ice cube grinned toothily at her. The little flame next to the little ice cube tugged the popsicle behind their back and bared their teeth at her. Io stilled, ears flicking forward, and went still. That looked familiar, like something Dagan would do- BOOOM!
It felt like Io's brain imploded and exploded simultaneously. Of course! If she was not human anymore, then Dagan and Sorcha could be something other* as well? Io wanted to smack herself for being such an idiot. Her tail twitched in response, but Io just put more of her weight on it. Now the only problem she had was how would she confirm that these beautiful monsters were, in fact, her siblings.
Io concentrated on the two little ones and let out a soft huff to catch their attention. Io slunk down to make herself smaller and crawled slowly closer to the two. She knew that this initial acceptance was important. That they acknowledge she was still Io and that they are still her siblings. On the off-hand, if Dagan and Sorcha rejected her, Io would be heartbroken. It didn't mean that she wouldn't love them or protect them, but Io preferred their acceptance to protecting and feeding them at a distance. They were worth it, and so much more. Dagan and Sorcha were the family she had chosen, so, Io waited.
Time passed excruciatingly slowly. The twins wandered around her, Dagan staying between Io and Sorcha at all times. When they finished checking her over, the twins stopped in front of her and stared, hard yellow and curious grey meeting a hopeful black. Dagan and Sorcha stepped backwards in sync, and the silent communication between the duo had Io's paws sweating. Seconds stretched into forever and Io relaxed her weight completely until she laid down. If they needed the time, she'd give it to them.
Eventually, the two came to a mutual agreement. Io's ears twitched hopefully as her tail curled up lazily. Please, Io prayed internally to whatever creature that had brought them here. Io's heart gave out and surged anew as Dagan and Sorcha tackled her. It felt like her being completely reformed at that moment, regardless of the fact that, given her strength and size, their combined tackles were almost impossible to detect. It made Io want to cry from the sheer amount of love and trust that the twins had in her.
So what if she was a monster? Io may not have been able to cry, but her emotions were impossible to contain and she let out an almost inaudible whine. Which abruptly cut off when she noticed Sorcha's and Dagan's pointed ears twitch in her direction. Io's eyes widened as she snorted, her tail swaying happily unbeknownst to her at the unexpectedly cute action. The kids, distracted by the movement behind her, peered around her broad shoulders, looked down Io's oddly scaled and furred body to the tail that was lazily swinging back and forth.
With brain-numbing squeals, they let go of her neck and ran to grab hold of the appendage. Io jumped and turned midway to see the two trying to bury themselves in the inky fur. They met her questioning gaze, eyes sparkling as they petted her emotional tell.
"Io soft," Sorcha said blissfully as she rubbed her face in fluff.
"Io smooth," Dagan responded as he wrapped his small arms around the tail, petting the scales that played peek-a-book through inky fur.
Eventually, the twins "forced" Io to lie down. From that point on, she was petted, scratched, and hugged. It was complete bliss for her. The stress from their previous world tearing itself apart and trying not just to keep the kids alive, but healthy had taken its toll on her.
While Dagan and Sorcha had lost maybe some weight, Io gradually wasted away. Her lean but muscled form became almost skeletal as food became more and more difficult to find. The only reason that she hadn't starved anymore than she had was that she needed the nutrients to keep her strength up in order to keep the twins safe and to locate more food. It had been difficult to listen to their little stomachs' growl when it had taken her forever to get them to a healthy weight to begin with.
To be honest, she just wanted to enjoy the hugs and cuddles. They were alive and whole. Different, yes, but they were together. Anything else she could take of. Io nuzzled each child's cheek, taking a moment to enjoy their sweet giggles. When the twins grew bored with snuggles, Dagan flopped over her back and slid down, sparking another round of play. Dagan tried to use her tail to climb back onto her back, Io jerked away and growled at the two as they got a little closer than she was comfortable with. The two froze and looked at her uncertainly.
"Wrong?" Dagan asked.
Sorcha had a thoughtful look on her face, then almost as if a lightbulb went off, her grey cat-like eyes snapped wide open. The girl let out a huff of anger and she whacked her twin on the back of his head, practically knocking the poor boy off his feet.
"Sorcha! Why you hit?" Dagan roared, rubbing his head.
"Bad," Sorcha stated imperiously, her opalescent scales glimmering softly while her cheeks colored from outrage.
"I not bad!" Dagan retorted sharply as his charcoal-colored skin flushed darkly and his orange scales brightened like a fire burning.
"You touch'd Io's butt! Bad boy!" Sorcha accused. Her cat-like eyes narrowed as she lambasted her brother. Dagan's jaw dropped in affront as he glowered at his sister. Just as quickly as he puffed up in indignation, Dagan deflated.
"Io did I? I sorry. I-" Dagan hiccupped, tears falling as his face turned an even deeper shade of black. In reaction to his distress, waves of heat curled through the air while his scales dimmed as the boy clung to his own arms in defense.
Io nudged the boy until he let go, leaving indents from where his nails had been, and gently bumped her forehead against Dagan's until his heated skin cooled and his orange scales brightened once more. She gave Dagan a few minutes after his breaths had steadied out to make sure that he had well and truly calm down. Io lifted her forehead from his and peered over at Sorcha.
"What Io? I helped, right? I good. No touch'd the butt." She twirled her waist-length cyan-colored hair between grey claws. Io felt a twitch pulse above her brow, wrapped her tail around Sorcha, and place her next to Dagan. Io made eye with Sorcha and nodded her head at Dagan.
Sorcha stuck out her lower lip sullenly and crossed her arms. "Nu-uh. Dagan was no good." Io pushed Sorcha closer to her brother and snarled. The little moonling faced the other and stomped a little foot.
"Brother was wrong. Why I apola-apola-. Why I say sorry?" The little girl refused. Io's ears flattened, and she snarled, baring a fang at her stubborn sister. That is not how this is going to go. Regardless of whether Io could actually put it into words.
Sorcha's reaction was to Io's satisfaction as the little ice cube flew behind Dagan. "Dagan-I-sorry-for-yelling at'chu!" Sorcha rushed out. Her grey eyes widened in trepidation as she checked in with Io to make sure that she said it right. When Dagan said nothing, Io could feel her ears flattening further and her eyes narrowed.
'Oh no, no, no. We are not having this either,' Io thought, and another snarled had Dagan promptly apologizing as well.
Io chuffed her satisfaction with the two. Nothing says, 'new beginning' better than starting on a positive note. Of course, if they did not want to behave, her new form lent itself to some creative ways of dealing with her little ice cube and little flame.
After settling the dispute, Io decided it was time to look for some food. She surveyed the vicinity around them and couldn't help but get excited all over again. This place was paradise! Unlike their previous world, this one was lush with scents of life that teased her senses. A drastic and welcomed contrast from the dry arid dust that always seemed to coat the back of her throat in their previous world.
Io kept her gait as smooth as possible for the little ones on her back. It was difficult given that until today she only had to deal with two legs and now had four. Then there was her massive size and judging from the slight gangliness in her legs, it seemed that like when she had been human, Io the beast, was also in the adolescent stage of her growth.
"Io, I huuuuuungry." Sorcha whined as she flopped face-first into the fur along her back. While in the past they go could days without and as they knew their limit on long they could between meals there was still a limit. Not to mention who knew how long they had been down below the surface, or even how long it had taken Io to dig them out.
"Io, Io, what we eat? Dinner? Bugs? Can we eat bugs tonight?" Dagan questioned, his yellow cat-like eyes sparkling at the thought of actual food and not something canned who-knows-when. Foraging for old canned or wrapped goods had been an arduous but necessary task, since access to vita bars was not an option.
They'd even found a twinkie once. However, nothing compared to the fresh taste of food. Most people ate primarily moldy food if you were an outcast and rotted vita bars or bugs if you were lucky enough and you enjoyed the crunch and gush. Don't judge. Protein is important for growing young ones and pickiness is death if you are not one of the rich.
Besides, the chances of Io successfully breaking into one of the tightly guarded warehouses were extremely low. If caught, officers would take into custody Sorcha and Dagan from Child Collection Services and Io sent to the labs. No matter who it was, the outcome for all three would not be pleasant.
Why would she know that? They made rebels a public example of what happens when one 'does not contribute to the betterment of humankind.' Making it look like they were culling utter villains for the safety of the public, instead of executing those that did not want to be used as lab rats. The Department of Natural Ascension or DNA, was in charge of all phials and every discovery was used to advance their cause for a 'more perfect humanity.' Their success was not solely based on their own experiments, but the phials DNA used to establish connections with various corporations.
Io tuned out to the cantankerous sun and rage-filled moonling as they bickered. Io knew absolutely nothing about this place. So back to square one, learning how to survive. On the bright side, it shouldn't be too hard because this place was positively thriving. Given her surroundings, she should be able to locate a water source and as for their food. Io winced. She didn't know where to start. With the twins or her.
Dagan and Sorcha, however, had different ideas and inched closer towards each other for one of their hangry-fueled brawls. As intent as they were, nothing would put a stop to the destructive duo unless she got involved. Io released a low growl, wrapped up the quarrelsome siblings with her prehensile tail, and lifted them above her back.
"Ahhhh!" The two trilled as they simultaneously stopped their fight and clung to one another. A flash of fang flashed a beastly smirk crossed Io's muzzle at the sudden silence after their startlement. She eventually lowered the two back onto her back and the twins clutched the inky fur that rested along Io's spine.
"Where we go?" Dagan questioned as he scooted up to her back. He didn't stop until his legs dangled on each of her shoulders, his chin propped up on top of her head while he idly scratched the sides of her neck.
Io shrugged best she could. Wherever there was food, but that'd be difficult to explain as she could not speak- hold on. This might work. Io turned her head and licked her muzzle exaggeratedly.
Dagan froze when he glimpsed several white and pointy teeth, but after a moment, he guessed, "Io find food? We eat?" Io nodded her head proudly and then focused on picking her way through a particularly prickly bit of brush. Well, that was a boon to being the size of a horse, Io thought.
"Yaaaaay! Go!" Sorcha cheered, blissfully unaware of Io's concerns or her ability to hear, as the little ice cube's small grey claws dug into Io's fur. What followed next, Io could only term as an awkward charade version of twenty questions.
"What's that?"
Io shrugged, 'Dunno. Never seen that before.'
"Oh, lookit there!"
'Yes, that tree is huge,' Io nodded.
"OooOOoo, look Io, look!"
'Why yes, that rock is very pretty,' Io agreed silently.
"We stop here?"
'Nope, there's no place to take or make a decent shelter.' Io shook her head.
"Why the sky weird?"
'Huh, never knew that the sky could change colors. Weird.' The beast thought as she gazed at the multitude of colors above their heads.
"Where are people?"
'Not here. Hopefully.' Io frankly, had enough of people to last her a lifetime.
"What's that?"
'Ah, that a stick and ooow!' Io's ears flattened, and she jerked the stick out of Dagan's hand with her tail and chucked far away.
On and on the questions popped up as they traveled through the forest. Since they left the clearing, Io had loped for about an hour before they heard running water. During that hour, the twins mercilessly pummeled Io's ears with questions about everything they could see.
From the purple sunset to the grass, trees, and flowers. It was frustrating. Apparently, Io's vocal cords left her with only the ability to create a combination of sounds that ranged from growls and snarls to roars. Not exactly helpful when young children had plenty of questions. It was one thing if it was yes or no. That was easy, but more complicated questions were simply impossible for Io to answer adequately. All in all, she was limited to 'Danger.' 'Go.' 'Stop,' or, 'Yes,' and 'No,' or 'Eh, dunno'. Not exactly the most efficient way to communicate.