A Day in the Woods by: Theo Winters Written for ArrowQuivershaft Kawheek ran though the dim woods, his wings pulled tightly against his back. Behind him he could hear the sound of the bandits following close behind, the trees snapping as they forced their way through the low branches. The sounds were growing softer, but the hawk didn't want to take the risk of slowing. He leapt over a fallen log, his wings fanning out to carry him just that much further over the forest floor before he returned to the ground. What he really needed was a clearing, some place large enough that he could take flight.  The sounds of his pursuit slowed and then came to a stop, fading away as he continued to move. He slowed to a trot, then to a walk, still listening for them. When he couldn't hear them anymore he stopped next to a thick tree, panting hard, his beak hanging open as he gasped for air.  The hawk allowed himself a few moments to catch his breath. Around him the forest was quiet; the only sound was the trees shivering in the breeze, send bright spots of light dancing over the forest around him. He stood, enchanted by them for a few moments, watching them start to move and swirl over the ground around him. Then without warning a voice boomed through the forest, deep enough to shake the ground under his talons. "You have intruded on the King's Forest!" The words rolled over the ground, coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time before fading away with a strange echo between the trees. Kawheek jumped back, smacking his back against the tree. "I'm sorry! I was running for my life! I will leave at once!" He protested, his feathers starting to fan out over the back of his head. The voice came again, this time louder. "Punishment has been given!" it called out, the light starting to dance and twist. As they moved they started to rise up off the ground, twirling through the air. "No, please!" He cried out as he pushed himself from the tree. He started to run back the way he came but his feet stuck solid on the ground, bringing him to an abrupt stop. The lights circled around him, dancing over his feathers. With a strange cry the lights dove into him, fluttering under his feathers and vanishing below them. Letting out a cry of shock Kawheek pulled at his feet, trying to break his talons free of the ground, as he did he felt a chill run down his body and over his tail feathers, causing them to twitch in a very odd way. Turning back he looked at his tail, the feathers moving and twisting, starting to press together, growing smaller as the colors began to swirl and mingle. He reached out to touch the strangeness, not feeling the familiar texture of feathers but of fur. The hawk let out a cry of surprise and renewed his efforts to pull his legs free. A new feeling crossed over him, pulsing in a strange manner all around him. It surged over him, making him gasp out, his clothing starting to grow tighter around his body, like they were shrinking. He looked down over his legs, as the soft creaking sound of his clothing was starting to fill the forest. The pounce strapped on his thigh was starting to fray, the straps pulling tighter and tighter. Another surge came over him and he watched as his whole body grew larger, seams popping on his clothing. With the next surge the leather straps of his pounced snapped from the thickness of his leg, dropping it to the ground. Kawheek wrapped his arms around his body, trying to stop the surges as they came faster, his clothing tearing in more places as the canopy above him moved closer, his height growing with his body.  Without warning a new surge ran over his wings. He could feel it over the length of them, all the way down to the smallest feathers. He fanned them out behind his back, stretching them out as far as they could go, and then they locked into place. Another surge came, rushing along them, pressure growing over his shoulders and back. Twisting his head back around he had the misfortune to witness his wings sliding back into his body so quickly that a dozen feathers we sent spinning around in the air. Left behind were patches of fur where his missing limbs should have been. The changing hawk let out a new cry, his voice growing deeper as his neck started to swell. He tried to cry, to beg to stop the changes, but no words came. From his beak, only a growl that echoed through the woods. A new surge ran through his body, his belly swelling out under his feathers, shreds of clothing falling around him to litter the clearing. He reached out to touch the new belly, feeling it as it continued to grow, pressing out around his fingers, swelling out further from his body. As his belly grew the feathers covering it started to pull back into his body, dark brown fur being left behind. He clawed at the fur, trying to find the remains of his feathers as his new weight continued to spread out over his body.  Suddenly his hands twisted and started to swell, fur pushing out around the joints and quickly enveloping the rough skin. His fingers pulled back, becoming smaller as the claws that tipped them became large, turning black as the fur coated his new larger paws. Kawheek's body shook, feeling his weight shift as his back pulled tight, right before his big belly pulled him forward. He tumbled for a moment, trying to catch himself, and catch himself his did. His new paws landed heavily on the ground, the thump shaking through his whole body. He looked back between his arms, the fur climbing up along them to meet the fur on his shoulders. Behind his heavy body he could see his feet changing away, growing into the same large paws that his hands had become. The former hawk shook his head, feathers falling away as the fur took over. He could feel his face starting to change, his beak starting to swell, growing thicker as teeth broke free, the whole inside growing softer with flesh.  Kawheek crossed his eyes, watching his beak vanish into a large muzzle tipped by a large black nose. Without a thought he flicked out his thick tongue and licked the new nose. Pressure started to fill his head as his skull started to reshape, growing larger under the thick layer of fat and dark fur. Round ears grew over his head, rising up and listening to the silent forest. His eyes seemed to grow smaller, fat eyebrows falling into his vision, blocking some of it as the smells of the forest grew stronger, filling his nose and his mind. He tried to fight it, tried to hold onto who he was, but the smells pushed into his mind, changing it just as the rest of him had changed. Thoughts shifted, his mind shrinking away just like his feathers and new instincts starting to grow, taking up the space, taking up all of the space in his mind. The large brown bear let out a cry, the force holding him letting go. He sniffed at the air, and then back at the ground, nosing the feathers and scraps of clothing that lay around him. There was something familiar about the smell, something that his beastly mind thought it should know. A moment later the scent of a deer crossed through the forest. The bear's head snapped up, sniffing at the new scent. He started to follow it, the strange scent forgotten. Behind him the wind swept down, stirring the feathers in the air then whisking them away. -=-=-=-=-=- This story was written and copyright 2009 by Theo Winters, reposting and archiving are allowed as long as this copyright notice and the author's name are not removed. This story cannot be published without permission of the author. The character "Kawheek" is owned by his creator, and is used with permission. Violators will be transformed.