She always loved the skies. Loved the freedom that came with taking to the air and leaving the ground behind you—letting the world melt away. It did not take much to convince herself to shift into something with wings, to take to the sky, and today was no different. When she woke, she first shifted into an antelope, jumping across the Cove with giant, leaping steps, before she reached the water and quickly shifted into a hawk. Her shifts were getting cleaner and cleaner. Easier than before. She was able to connect more in a row without exhausting herself. Able to try on different sizes without so much strain.
Her heart pounds in chest as her wings unfurl and she feels the air rush beneath her.
The flight isn’t her longest, but by the time she lands, she feels exhaustion beginning to settle into her bones. It’s a pleasant feeling though, and she smiles as her body shifts, touching the ground with hoof instead of talon. She takes a moment to shake out her neck, feeling sweat chill the curve of it.
It’s only then that she hears the rasping noise and she looks to the side, where she sees the boy talking to the raven. Her ears perk in interest as she walks closer. “Do birds talk back to you?” There’s almost a hint of teasing in her voice, but it’s drowned out by the genuine curiosity that lives there. There were stranger things, after all, than a boy who could talk to birds. It wouldn’t be the weirdest thing she’d ever seen.
“My name is Breach,” she offers with a wide smile. “I can’t talk to birds, unfortunately.”
Her dual-colored eyes sweep over to the raven, admiring the glossy black of the feathers.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Darla, wasn’t it?”
I want to swim until we both begin to feel the weightlessness sink in