Chereads / Lucky the Werechipmunk / Chapter 11 - For the birds

Chapter 11 - For the birds

Corvis had been resurrected so many times he'd lost count. His steady diet of magical objects lead to his frequent demise, but also made his resurrection much easier as his whole body was essentially enchanted. While his body couldn't actually digest the magic laced things he constantly ingested, some of the magic was always broken down and reincorporated into his cells like nutrition.

Corvis remembered what he ate, he also remembered throwing it up before he died. He did not remember someone burying him.

Lucky had related the entire story to Zion including Cerberus taking the object that she had found next to Corvis. Cerberus was fine, but unconscious, so Zion couldn't ask him what he was thinking taking it. However, hearing what Lucky said, and seeing the magic at play was putting enough pieces together that Zion was getting a pretty clear picture, they just needed to confirm some things with Corvis.

"You know you are from the family of some of the most intelligent creatures on the planet, of which rival the intellect of both parrots and chimpanzees. So where do you get off eating this? Have I taught you nothing?" Zion brandished the formerly magical object Corvis had eaten.

"I just wanted to hold it in my mouth." Corvis sheepishly cawed.

"But you didn't, you ate it and then you threw it up like a bulimic. What happened to calling me when you were having a problem?" Zion chastised.

"I'm sorry." Corvis felt ashamed.

"Where did you find this?" Zion set the object down in front of Corvis. "Did you know it was cursed and just think it somehow wouldn't affect you? Do you know what this very nearly did to Cerberus?"

"I didn't find it. It was given to me." Corvis said with a sigh of exasperation with himself over his own idiocy.

"Someone gave it to you?" Zion's eyes flickered with rage as they squeezed their hand into a fist that was inside their metal glove. "Who gave this to you? I want you to tell me everything." Zion's voice was scary. Usually they spoke using the body they were inhabiting. It was very rare they spoke using the voice from their soul. It was an eerie echo that reverberated magic like sound waves, both terrifying and bewitching like listening to a dragon. When Zion spoke this way one couldn't help but comply. It was as if the magic in their soul's voice compelled you like a puppet, like you were the corpse they were animating and not yourself.

In all the years they'd known each other Corvis had only heard them use this voice once, and it was when they had a run in with the Fae King.

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Cerberus was stuck in a dreamlike state. He was lost in a forest at night. The moon never seemed to change. It was always full. There was howling in the distance and growling, but despite the moon, he couldn't shift. He could feel in his body his wolf form wanting to take over, but the transition would never take shape. He could tell there was an enchantment in the forest, but he didn't know how to break it. He cried out for Zion, but his voice would crack and break so that barely any sound could escape.

At some point he started to hear a faint chirp. At first he thought it was a bird, but as he followed the noise he realized it was a chipmunk.

Approaching a clearing Lucky could be seen. She was chirping fiercely at something that couldn't be seen through the dense trees on the other side.

Cerberus felt an odd feeling the closer he got, as if something physically was stirring within his stomach, a weird energy that gave him chills like the air was too thin. When he reached her he still couldn't see what she was chirping at, but the dread in him made his mouth dry.

A rustling came through the leaves as the creature emerged into the moonlight. Its eyes were a haunting kind of placid, a fearless and cold enigma. The temperature around them began to drop as the creature grew near. It's breath forming frost against a magical barrier that separated them.

The creature spoke 4 phrases filled with such layered meaning that Cerberus lost his breath. He woke up gasping for air and screaming for Zion. "I saw Lucky's wereform" were the only words he could manage to get out between breaths.