Venomma flew back to the village as fast as she could. She didn't want to be seen or to let Atohmma realize that she was followed. As soon as she entered the village, she was relieved and she knew no one else knew she was following Atohmma or where she'd gone to. She took some deep breaths to catch herself from the much-acquired information, then she went to her cave.
Atohmma was on her way back, but she was in no hurry, as her thoughts about where she should crash for a few days, lurked in her mind. She had to come up with a believable excuse and also one that would not arouse suspicion from those who always seem to doubt her. She needed to get home to her cave, so she could digest everything that she has been learning and been told of by the Shaman.
Her bed was the most comforting thing, and as she looked at it, knowing she would not be sleeping on it for some days, she sighed. She wondered over the many unknown changes that she had to expect and whilst overthinking she imagined herself being fat. She imagined her eyes getting a different color and shape, her nose becoming longer and may be larger, having to wear different clothing, until she realized she was being very negative about her experience. "What are you doing, Atohmma, snap out of it!" she said to herself. She walked across to her fridge and grabbed something to eat. She sat down and thought about going to Nucamma's village, where, as she was aware, some elves reside, so to her, it was a good place to hideout. She knew no one from his village knew about her or ever saw her before, but not even that was certain. She thought about the old lady's cave, which to her, was too nearby and being by the lake, someone will definitely notice. She thought about going directly to the elves, the home of the intruder, maybe, if she knew where he was from. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. She decided to go to Nucamma's village, speak to one of the elves there, and then, make her way. She planned to find out from one of them, where they originally reside and then she will leave Nucamma's to go there. It was her only logical idea so far, which seemed to be the most appropriate.
There was much to confirm and a lot to do. Atohmma had to mentally prepare herself for the transition and she had to do it alone. There was no one in the village for her to talk to about any of this, or to get the support and encouragement that she knew she needed. She knew Nucamma believed in her and she felt safely confident to confide in him. She also planned to take her pony along, but she was uncertain, whether or not ponies would be allowed in the elven village, wherever it may be. She had no choice at that moment, to decide to leave the pony behind for a while.
Atohmma began packing. She packed a few things she might need and some she may not. She didn't want to forget her journal so she placed that in her bag first. She remembered her toothbrush and comb. She packed an extra blanket and also some scarves. She knew she could hide much with scarves, should she need to. She didn't seem hesitant about going to Nucamma's unannounced. She had to go to his workplace first, speak to him there and then be taken to his village. She remembered having to make mention of the elemental shield, to the natives, so she decided to get that done first thing on the morrow. Atohmma then took a shower, after settling in her mind, her plans.
Over at Venomma's, she couldn't sleep. Venomma was thinking only about Atohmma and what she just witnessed. She laid on her bed, replaying the entire scene and she couldn't believe it. She knew what she saw and heard, but somehow, it was too much of a surprise to her, too much to take in, too much to accept. She had to find a way to deal with it, to pretend she didn't know or to allow what was happening to unfold. Venomma's mind was not at ease as her thoughts were just everywhere. She wanted to spill her newly found information to Orgamma urgently, but she knew that unlike her, Orgamma appreciated and respected Atohmma very much. She couldn't risk her own reputation by being a snitch, especially if she had to tell Orgamma she followed Atohmma out of curiosity or was it, lack of trust. Venomma couldn't risk her friendship with Orgamma, from being the lowest definition of herself. She was too proud of that and too confident to seem weak. She reconsidered and decided to wait for the morrow, to see what Atohmma was going to do and what she will say, eventually to the natives.
Meanwhile, over at the western mountain, the elemental shield was ablaze with activity. If anyone were to witness its transformations, they would assume it was a threat to the entire world there. It seemed frightening. Anyone would have been terrified at its appearance in these hours. It represented the magic and mystery of that realm and it had its own story to tell. Pragmatically, that entire mountain, had its own story. Not only was the shield ablaze, it was also bright, illuminating everything around it. It was liquid and yet solid at the same time. Colorful in the most spectacular shades, and its size expanded and contracted constantly, as though it was trying to make up its mind. There was nothing like it in the history of their existence. The only witnesses to what was happening over there, would have been the owls, and they could only keep that, as a secret. There were no other witnesses beside those owls, Venomma and Atohmma, but the owls, had the opportunity to see the transformation. That mountain was known as the home of the owls and many other nocturnal creatures. Strangely colored snakes and butterflies that glittered, could have also been found there. Perhaps it was the home of the Diamond-Back oracle Cobra.