Audrey groggily turned her head to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight, wondering what in the world was going on. Her body kept sending her conflicting signals that she was unable to understand in her half-awake state, forming a heavy fog of confusion that weighed on her mind.

She felt both wide-awake and sleep deprived at the same time, simultaneously ready to run for the entire day, while also exhausted beyond belief, wishing nothing more than to go to sleep for an entire week.

Her body was bursting with endless energy and strength, giving her the illusion she could reach the moon in a single jump. Nevertheless, she was also starving, each of her cells screaming in ravenous hunger.

Shakily rising to her feet, that her wing felt much less stiff than usual, her confusion got worse, as she wondered why the ground was so close to her head. Incapable of making any sense of the situation, she tried to think back and remember how she got her, stranded all alone and feeling so weird.

Her lethargic brain was remarkably unmotivated to provide her with any answers, as only a hazy image of an ancient necklace slowly emerged. Something was missing, as if she had forgotten something incredibly important.

What in the world had happened? Had she eaten one of those funny tasting berries again? But even if she did, she would still be in the caravan. Had she finally been unable to resist and had stolen a drink from Craig’s forbidden collection? Had they really thrown her out as a punishment, as they had promised? But what did all that have to do with that necklace?

“Ah, you are finally awake. Now I understand what people must feel when I start meditating in the middle of a conversation.”

The sudden appearance of an unfamiliar voice made jump so bad, making her lose her fragile balance. A startled quack was all she managed before she fell to the ground with all the elegance and grace of a drunk hippopotamus.

“This day will be remembered for years to come as the glorious rebirth of the dragon queen. It will be recorded in history books, children will playfully reenact this scene, bards will sing your tales, and all of them will mention your inspired first words. “Quack”, they will chant, meditating on the profundities of this word, which no doubt fully reflects the great Audrey’s intellect and exalted wisdom.”

“Mister Spirit! You scared me… You're not being nice… Ouch…”

Her voice grew quieter and quieter as scattered memories gradually resurfaced, and hope lit up in her eyes as she guessed why her body felt so strange.

“I remember you said you were going to replace my blood… I can’t remember anything after that, but when I think about it I feel fear… Mister Spirit, what happened?”

“Nothing much. Everything went according to plan, and you successfully became a first transformation cultivator. Only, the procedure was a little more painful than anticipated, so sealed those memories while you were sleeping.”

Audrey instinctively shivered when she heard him say “a little painful”, but felt nothing more. Perplexed, she ultimately decided that losing painful memories was a good thing, and put the issue out of her mind.

She had more important things to do, such as admiring her new body. Excitedly listening to Avery’s explanations, she flapped her wings, flexed her legs and wriggled her tail, testing her new physique.

Despite her reduced size, she had never felt better. Each of her muscles was bursting with unprecedented strength, forming a pure body without imperfection, with powerful wings capable of carrying her up through the Heavens.

Shae had stopped listening to Avery as soon as he went from listing all the changes she had undergone to lecturing her about his theories about blood qi, and why it empowered her.

She had no time for boring speeches, for the sky was calling her, and she was awaited on cloud nine. Letting out a jubilant whoop, the reborn hawk took off.

With a great kick, her powerful legs propelled her high up in the air, her wings smoothly opening to catch the morning wind. Her dreams coming true, she flapped her wings, effortlessly displacing the air beneath her.

Then as fast as she had ascended, the clueless bird fell straight back down to earth, promptly landing flat on her face.

“I assure you that your feathers are enough to hide my mark. There is no need to further cover it in dust, nor do I need you to help me hug the ground.”

“I, uh, don’t know how to fly… I fell and tore my wing during my first flight, so I never learned…”

She nudged the pendant pitifully, looking adorable as she quietly asked if he knew how to fly, and if he could teach her.

“Why would I know that? I’m not a bird! However, I suppose that I could try to improvise a simple flying technique. I would just have to consider the shape and power of the wings, to control the flow of air…”

Audrey’s eyes quickly glazed over as a long litany of unhelpful ramblings entered her ears, making her regret asking. She tried to interrupt him and ask him different questions, but Avery had already fallen deep in thoughts, and wasn’t listening to anything she was saying, only generously sharing his thought process with her.

She waited impatiently for some time, but when it became clear that he was not going to stop anytime soon, she did her best to ignore him, wrapped the leather necklace around her leg, and started running.

All her troubles disappeared as she marveled at her prodigious speed, feeling the wind rushing through her feathers and crying in her ears, like an old friend encouraging her.

Her dragon legs were awesome, carrying her forward with such ease she found it unbelievable, half convinced it was all a dream. Could it really be her, that hawk who was running across the plains at incredible speed, faster than any bird in flight?

Her heart pounding with delight, she welcomed her new life, losing herself in excitement. She wasn’t a cripple anymore. She was strong, she was fast, and she was free.