Something nudged into Lucinda, partially stirring her from slumber.

“Let me sleep…” she voiced groggily, though her words came out as a series of grunts and oinks.

Another more insistent nudge found her, and was swiftly followed by several more, until Lucinda was forced to open her eyes. Wollow was standing above her, his antlered head faintly visible against the gloomy backdrop that was the night sky.

Right… I’m still in boar form. Ohhh I’m tired. What time is it?

Unfortunately, thanks to the thick cloud cover, Lucinda could see little of her surroundings, and no hint of the moon above. She was entirely in the dark. Shifting back to human form, Lucinda chose to transition into deer after that, and was relieved and thrilled to receive a much clearer picture of the night time world around her. However, the area she and her mentor had camped in was revealed to be slightly lacking in male Druids.

Waflaw’s gone… Bedding and everything! Why didn’t he wake me?

Feeling a slight rush of alarm, Lucinda looked around for any other signs of her mentor, but found none. A sharp bleat from Wollow drew her attention away from the worrying predicament she found herself within. The stag had moved away from where Lucinda had made her bed, and was looking back over his shoulder at her suggestively.

Okay, he wants me to follow him… To Waflaw, I hope. Is he in trouble? Ah, if he is, what can I possibly do!? Anything that can seriously hurt Waflaw would kill me in the blink of an eye… I’m sure he’s fine!

Stowing her worries, Lucinda moved over to Wollow, who began leading them away from the campsite. While Lucinda recalled they had travelled south-east from the forest the day before, without the moon to guide her, and with the hilly terrain hindering vision, she had no inkling of where they were headed. However, things weren’t all bad.

Being able to see in the dark is great! Even if deer vision isn’t that good otherwise…

Marvelling at the sights around her – which would have been entirely mundane under normal circumstances – Lucinda trailed behind Wollow as they journeyed forwards to destination unknown. Of course, while her eyes were not the sharpest within the animal kingdom, her nose was plenty good enough, and before long she detected the familiar scent of her mentor.

“Nice night for a stroll,” Waflaw greeted.

The Druid was sat against a small tree, facing away from the direction Lucinda and her guide had come in. Thankfully, he seemed uninjured and unconcerned, putting Lucinda’s mind mostly at ease.

“Seems a bit cruel of you to tease Wollow like that. You know he hasn’t seen a female deer in some time. Poor guy.”

Wollow let out a short bleat at Waflaw’s words, but Lucinda was far too concerned with returning to human form as fast as she could manage to pay much attention to it.

“I hadn’t thought of that…” she admitted, flushing slightly in the near darkness. “Sorry, Wollow.”

Waflaw laughed quietly at her expense. “I’m just teasing you. Wollow knows all about the Druidic shenanigans we get up to. Still, he did say you weren’t bad looking. ‘A nice shapely rump’ were his words, I believe.”

Lucinda was slightly mortified by the comment, but soon found her own laughter filling the night air, as she just made out her mentor’s amused expression through the gloom.

“Are you done teasing me, now?” she asked. “How about telling me what this is all about? I was happily asleep!”

“Did you happen to spy anything across the way from me as you arrived?” Waflaw replied in answer to her question.

“No? Should I have done?” Lucinda asked, while looking where her mentor suggested. Naturally, with her human eyes, she could see exactly nothing.

Waflaw chuckled quietly in a way that revealed his delight at Lucinda’s failure to notice anything out of the ordinary. “Maybe you should try a form with better vision.”

“How can you see anything?” Lucinda shot back.

“Magic, of course.”

“Of course…”

Not entirely sure of which form to use for the situation, Lucinda decided to switch between her numerous options to find out. She started with bear form, mostly because it boasted the highest base level, and it turned out to be a good choice.

Oh, crap!

Across the rough grassy terrain in front of her mentor, Lucinda spotted something that sent a powerful jolt of fear through her furry body, and it was obvious what Waflaw was directing her attention to.

With her enhanced night vision, Lucinda could see the ruins of some unknown building, whose parts lay scattered about the ground around the main structure. But, that was not what had caught her eye. Rather, it was the pale bodies of the unnatural creatures that lingered around it.

Skeletons!? What are they doing here? Ah… I need to calm down. Waflaw doesn’t seem worried…

Even with that thought, Lucinda had trouble staying her racing heart.

“A lucky find,” Waflaw voiced.

“Lucky?” Lucinda exclaimed, except her reply came out as a low growl.

Shifting back to human form, Lucinda had trouble tearing her eyes away from the distant point. Without her night vision, she suddenly felt even more in danger than before.

“What are they doing here? What are we doing here?” she asked with a rapid whisper.

“As I said, a lucky find. It carries on nicely from our lesson about Druids yesterday. If we can even call it yesterday….” Lucinda could just make out her mentor glancing up at the sky before he continued. “You see, skeletons, and by extension, the undead, are wholly against the natural order. Something we Druids take serious offence to. Does that clear things up for you?”

“You want me to fight those… things?”

“Exactly! I know they look a bit scary, but they’re really not. At least, not these ones in particular. Other undead are a completely different matter.”

“How do I beat something like that? They’re not even alive…”

“Mmm, it is a bit strange, but hit them enough times and they fall like anything else. Of course, if whoever created them was around, they could just bring them back. Fortunately, they’re not.”

“… Are you sure?” Lucinda asked worriedly.

“I am. As is Wollow. So, don’t worry about it. You wanted experience? Well, here you are. With a chance to do some good while you’re at it!”

“Okay…” Lucinda reluctantly agreed.

The idea of experience was extremely tempting, and gradually began pushing away Lucinda’s concerns.

“You’ll help me if I get in trouble?”

“What kind of a question is that?”

“Sorry… I’ll… Give it a go.”

“Have fun,” Waflaw encouraged smilingly.

Shifting to her bear form, Lucinda took another wary look at her distant opponents. There was quite a number of the unholy creatures shambling about, but Lucinda had to admit they didn’t look too dangerous. For a start, she saw only one with any kind of weaponry, in the form of a simple rusty dagger, while the rest were unarmed and unarmoured.

I can do this… I’m a bear, I should be fearless! Status.

Status (Black Bear)

Health

Strength

Agility

Endurance

178

178

27

13

19

Taking some deep, bear breaths, Lucinda forced herself to start moving forwards on all fours. Despite a shaky start, Lucinda soon found some confidence to draw upon, with the same feeling of strength she’d temporarily experienced back in the forest, coursing through her body once more.

Just a few hits and they’ll fall apart? Nothing to be afraid of! There are quite a few of them, though…

Lucinda’s slow and cautious movement brought her steadily closer to the dozen or so skeletons that were still aimlessly wandering back and forth around the area. With a reasonable distance between most of the individual skeletons, Lucinda circled around slightly, to put herself as far away from the armed skeleton as possible.

If they all rush me at once, I’m going to be in real trouble… No, it’s going to be fine, there’s no way they can outrun me. Just as long as they don’t stab me in the back. Or should that be rear?

Sparing only a moment more to consider the locations of her altered anatomy, Lucinda steadied her resolve, and then began edging forwards towards a lone skeleton that was idling around the periphery of the pack. Surprisingly, her increasing proximity went entirely unnoticed, at least until she was only a few metres away from the creature, when it suddenly locked its eyeless gaze upon her.

Ah… That’s creepy!

Lucinda halted immediately, and braced herself for an imminent assault, yet none was forthcoming. The skeleton continued to watch her unceasingly, with its entire bony body frozen in place, most unnaturally.

Already committed to her course, Lucinda took only a few moments more to press on under the creature’s watchful gaze. She moved slowly, while threats of being swarmed still chipped away at her will. But, as the distance between her and her target dropped to around a metre, her concerns were pushed aside, when the skeleton suddenly attacked.

The skeleton rushed forwards with surprising alacrity, closing the gap between them in an instant. Lucinda barely had time to react, as a bony fist descended towards her head. Just managing to pull back, as her mind caught up with the sudden aggressive change in her foe, Lucinda didn’t quite manage to avoid the strike.

A jarring wave of force rippled out from the creature’s natural weapon, where it struck upon her brow. The pain soon followed, along with a noticeable change in her statistical healthiness.

Ah, that hurt!

Even caught off guard as she was, Lucinda managed to retaliate with a strike of her own. Planting three of her legs in the grassy ground, she swung forwards with her right paw in a vicious horizontal attack. The skeleton was preparing for another attack as her incoming blow found it, but was harshly interrupted by a rather sudden change in its overall well being. Namely, its lower left leg flying off and to the side from the force of Lucinda’s hit.

Oh…

The skeleton collapsed to the ground mid-swing, bumping against Lucinda’s furry body harmlessly. Unfortunately, before Lucinda could celebrate, the undead creature aimed another blow at her from the ground, which collided forcefully with her jaw. She grunted painfully under the impact, and was alarmed to see her health drop further still.

With a growl of annoyance, Lucinda lashed out savagely at her opponent. Alternating between both paws, she laid waste to the crippled skeleton’s body, sending loose bones skittering across the nearby ground with every blow. Yet, even with the skeleton rapidly losing more and more of what made it a skeleton, Lucinda took another glancing blow before she managed to completely rampage her way to victory.

Phew… Not so tough after all… And none of the others joined in either…

Backing off from the scattered remains of her defeated enemy, Lucinda moved away from the skeleton infested ruins, and to safety. Shifting back to human form, she healed herself back to full health, and then shifted back to bear again to keep watch over the nearby undead group.

Mmm, I can’t really change my strategy much. Without my night vision, casting spells at them will be difficult. I could use a torch I suppose… Oh… What would happen if I shift with a lit torch in hand?

Ah, anyway, I don’t think I can use any other forms either. Spider form’s poison bite won’t do much against bones. Boars can’t see in the dark. I don’t think deer or badger would be a good idea for combat… Wolf might work, but I don’t imagine it’s better than a bear for smashing skeletons apart.

Oh, well. I’ll stick with this and try to swipe their arms off. That’ll make this so much easier… Then, as long as it’s one on one, I shouldn’t have any problem defeating them all!

Taking a moment more to calm herself after her brief battle, Lucinda circled around the ruins a short distance towards another lone skeleton.

It’s almost tempting to just charge in there… Better not, though.

Carefully engaging her next foe, Lucinda managed to defeat the second lone skeleton with even less difficulty than the first, though not without taking a single solid blow to the midsection. She was happy with the outcome, yet determined to do better with the remaining undead.

Why do they only attack when I get close, I wonder? Can they even see me? It's not like they have eyes…

Engaging another of the undead creatures, Lucinda managed to dispatch it flawlessly, much to her delight. It was much the same strategy she had envisioned after the her first encounter, with her dodging the predictable swing of the skeleton’s fist, before swiping off the offending arm at the elbow. From there it was a simple matter of removing its other arm, before moving in to finish the deed.

Unfortunately, her next attempt didn’t go quite so well, when her first strike failed to remove the creature’s arm, earning herself a powerful blow to the face that just missed her right eye. Demoralised only slightly by the unexpected damage, she fought back fiercely, allowing her to emerge victorious and mostly unscathed just a short time later.

Ah, how do they hit so hard, anyway? They’re just bones…

Healing herself back to full health once more, Lucinda returned to surveying the ruins in bear form. Having defeated four of the creatures, the area was already looking less foreboding, even with the remaining skeletons still shambling about, seemingly uncaring of their defeated brethren.

Lucinda soon returned to the battlefield, having chosen another likely target to dispatch. Her next round of combat started off much as she’d intended, but just as she delivered another arm severing strike to the skeleton in front of her, she felt a sudden blow to her rear, removing a large chunk of her vitality.

Even startled as she was by the joining of another skeleton into the fray, she had the presence of mind to flee and give herself some distance. A quick sprint across the grassy terrain bought her some time, as the two skeletons failed to keep up with her.

Crap… Where did the second one come from?

But, it didn’t last long. Wavering for only a moment, Lucinda steeled her resolve, and stood ready to face the rapidly approaching foes. They came for her side by side, their empty eye sockets boring into her, as their bones creaked noisily.

Choosing her moment carefully, she circled around the one-armed skeleton just as the pair of them reached her, blocking off the intact skeleton, and providing an opportunity for her to swipe out at the injured one. Her attack connected solidly, severing the skeleton’s leg, while she just managed to avoid the swinging fist it had sent at her.

With one skeleton’s movement options vastly reduced, that left only one real threat. Lucinda backed off a short distance more, forcing the two allies to separate. Then, as the second skeleton reached her, she easily took it out with her tried and true method, before returning to finish off the first.

You have reached rank 2 of Shapeshift Black Bear.

You have reached level 4!

Your health has increased by 4 points.

Your mana has increased by 6 points.

You have 10 attribute points to spend.

You have 1 skill point to spend.

You have gained spell: Scorching Orb. Spells Name Description Mastery Scorching Orb Lob a small orb of fiery magic at a distant target. Explodes on impact.

Shaping Steps: 8. Cost: 40% Base Mana.

Attribute: Intelligence 0%

Yay! Now, I just need to get Boar to rank 5 and I can cast spells while shifted!

Taking only a brief moment to read through the status messages, Lucinda retreated to a safe distance and recouped her health with a quick spell.

Status

Name

Lucinda Bazan

Class

Shifter

Level

4

Experience

1%

Health

Strength

Agility

Endurance

130

130

8

10

7

Mana

Intelligence

Willpower

Spirit

169

204

18

18

19

I should leave any important decisions until tomorrow when I'm less tired. For now, I guess I better finish up with these skeletons.

Shifting back into her bear form, Lucinda took a quick peek at her altered status.

Status (Black Bear)

Health

Strength

Agility

Endurance

206

206

36

15

25

Wow… This should be easy now! I bet that new spell would make things even easier, at least if I could see anything to actually cast it at. Oh, well…

Back in the undead filled ruins, there were still a handful of skeletons remaining for Lucinda to deal with. Approaching with great confidence, Lucinda wasted little time in attacking a new target. She was soon slightly disappointed to find out her increased Strength made little difference, as she'd already been smashing apart the skeletons' limbs in a single blow. However, the increased Endurance was a much more noticeable improvement, providing a larger safety net to help her deal with errant blows.

With her first new foe dispatched, Lucinda was about to seek a new enemy, when the sounds of multiple heavy footfalls reached her ears. Tracking down their direction was trivial, keeping her rapidly beating heart under control, less so. Turning to face her fears, she saw three men standing nearby.

“Now, that’s gotta be a first. A wandering bear beat us to our quarry.” a tall, blonde-haired man in heavy armour said.

“Indeed. Though, I highly doubt that’s just any old bear. You know, I’ve always said: ‘Whenever you find an animal doing something bizarre, there’s a Druid involved, no doubt about it.’” a slightly plump, older man in a mix of robes and chainmail replied. Standing in the middle of the three, the man carried a torch-like object in one hand, that was emitting a bright white light in a wide radius around him.

“Don’t see no Druid around.” the third newcomer said, who was gigantic where the first was tall, and equally well armoured.

Lucinda relaxed slightly as she took in the sight of the three men. It was clear to her that they were affiliated with a temple, though she did not recognise the insignia they bore. That along with their words, all but ensured she was safe from hostilities. Or so she dearly hoped.

“Ho, well met,” Waflaw suddenly called out, having come to join the strange night-time meeting that was taking place.

“You see, what did I tell you. That is unquestionably a Druid,” the older man said to his companions. “Well met, Friend. Is that your bear, by any chance?”

“Yes, my animal companion. As you’ve guessed,” Waflaw agreed, before turning to Lucinda with a smile on his lips. “Come here, Lucy.”

Lucy…? Ah, if he wants to play it that way, I guess I can go with it. I’m sure he has his reasons.

With all eyes on her, Lucinda waddled over to Waflaw’s side. Even with Waflaw there, she wasn’t entirely at ease, largely due to the abundance of dangerous weaponry the three men carried. The largest man had a massive two-handed sword on his back, while the slightly less tall man had a vicious looking flanged mace at his hip, that was adorned with spikes along its ridges, and paired with a shield just visible over his armoured shoulders. The weaponry of the older man was but a simple club, not too dissimilar from Waflaw’s, yet Lucinda was almost entirely convinced he was a spell casting Cleric.

“Should we be so quick to trust this fella’?” the largest man said, in his low rumbling voice. “Those that skulk in the dark rarely make for good company.”

“Julm, in any other instance I might agree with you,” the older man replied. “However, it is a well-known fact that Druids are as intolerant of the undead as any of our order.” Offering Waflaw a friendly smile, the older man addressed the Druid. “Pardon my companion. He is not as well travelled as he could be.”

“No offence taken,” Waflaw replied amicably. “You are followers of Groor, if I’m not mistaken?”

“That we are. I am Raerol. My companions: Julm, and Ior.”

Oh, Groor… Of course. He’s the god of light and… Purity? I think…

“Waflaw. Well, I’d ask what brings you out here at this time of night. But, I think we all know the answer to that.”

“Hah, indeed,” the man called Raerol replied. “I must admit I am curious as to how you ended here. Just passing through, perhaps?”

“Sure was. Saw some undead wandering around, stopped to take care of them. How about yourselves?”

“As it happens we are on a mission of some import.”

“I’m not sure sharing the details is necessary,” the mace wielding man, Ior, countered.

“Necessary? No. Harmless? Yes.”

“Hmph, suit yourself.”

“I will, thank you for the input Ior. Now, as I was saying, we have been tracking a Necromancer of some repute. It seems recently she has gained a new acolyte, whom she is training in the distasteful craft through practical demonstration.”

“Ah, I had a feeling it was something like that,” Waflaw said with a slow nod. “These skeletons are truly the work of an amateur.”

“Quite right, I’m sure. Alas, it seems our true quarry is not here. You’ve seen no sign of anyone else?”

“Afraid not.”

“A pity. Then, we will take care of things here and move on.”

“Ah, you wouldn’t mind letting my animal companion finish off the remaining skeletons, would you? We’ve only bonded recently, and I’m still in the process of training her.”

“Certainly, I see no harm in it. In fact, why don’t I help your bear friend here out with a small blessing? Assuming you don’t mind?”

“Not at all.”

Lucinda had been sitting patiently beside Waflaw as she followed the conversation. The source of the small skeleton army was an interesting piece of information, providing a small insight into a class she knew almost nothing about. Playing the role of a friendly animal companion, she remained passive as the Cleric chanted a brief spell to completion over her, and was pleased to note a sizeable increase to her health as it finished.

“She appreciates it,” Waflaw said as the Cleric backed away from Lucinda. “Isn’t that right, Lucy?”

After a brief delay, Lucinda decided to nod in response to her mentor’s question.

“Huh, smart bear,” Ior said.

“Indeed,” Raerol agreed.

“She sure is,” Waflaw said, while smiling at Lucinda in a way that had her suddenly suspicious. “I’ve taught her a number of tricks too.”

I should have known…

“Can she dance?” Julm asked.

“When she’s in a good mood, absolutely. What do you say, Lucy? Fancy giving these gentlemen a show?”

Not happening!

“Grrrrr!” Lucinda growled as menacingly as she could manage in Waflaw’s direction.

Waflaw let out an amused string of laughter. “I guess not. Too bad. Well, how about you tell me of this Necromancer, while Lucy takes care of those undead abominations.”

"Very well, I see no reason why not," the Cleric replied. "A break after our lengthy trek here would be most welcome."

"Great. Off you go then, Lucy. Come back if you need healing."

Fine… I'll do that! Why couldn't he just introduce me as his apprentice…?

With an internal sigh of not insignificant annoyance, Lucinda turned and headed off towards the remaining skeletons. There were four in total, including the knife-wielding creature she most feared.

With all this extra health, I should be okay…

Working methodically, Lucinda soon took care of the three unarmed skeletons one at a time, taking only a single light hit as she fought. Her initial estimations of her power increase since her level up, proved to be not quite accurate, as she did notice it took significantly fewer hits to permanently end her adversaries. And as she faced down the remaining skeleton, and the blade it bore, she was silently grateful for that change.

I’ll just disarm it, and it’ll be over easily!

Taking a few moments to mentally prepare herself, she quietly padded towards her final foe of the night. Like every other skeleton she had felled, her target ignored her completely until she was almost upon it. Lucinda paused only briefly as the dagger-wielding creature snapped its gaze to her, before dashing forwards in a charge of her own.

At the last moment, Lucinda swerved out of the way of the inevitable swipe the creature aimed at her. Her confidence soared as the dagger passed by her harmlessly, which presented exactly the opportunity she’d hoped for. With a return attack of her own, Lucinda brought one bear claw to bear upon the creature’s weapon holding arm, which she hit with a satisfying thud.

Unfortunately, despite her increased physical potency, her blow was not enough to disconnect the bones of the skeleton’s joint as she’d planned. Having succeeded on almost every other attempt at the same gambit, Lucinda was left temporarily stricken with uncertainty. It only lasted a moment, before a sharp stabbing pain forced her back into action.

Ahh, that really hurts… It’s tougher than the others!

Growling through gritted teeth as she fought against the pain stemming from the fresh wound she’d taken, Lucinda dodged backwards as she aligned herself with the dangerous foe she faced. The skeleton was already moving in for another follow-up attack, its dagger slicing through the air towards her. Lowering herself to the ground, Lucinda avoided the worst of it, causing the blade to scrape across her unprotected back lightly, but still painfully.

Becoming increasingly fearful for her own well being with each passing moment, she struck back with her claw-tipped paws. She landed a single solid hit against the skeleton’s right leg, and then added a second. The impact of the latter blow turned out to be enough, where one had proved insufficient, as her foe’s leg severed and went careening through the air, before bouncing along the nearby ground.

The skeleton lost its balance, as she’d hoped, but another kiss of the dagger’s lethal edge still found her, sending waves of new pain flowing through her, even as her health dipped ever lower.

Need to finish this!

Despite her diminished vitality, Lucinda smelt victory on the horizon. Content she could outrun her foe if she took further damage, she began circling its crippled body, looking for openings to exploit. While the skeleton – even with only one leg – was hardly capitulating, as its good arm flailed about in wide arcs, while its other helped drag it through the grassy terrain towards her.

Lucinda waited for her moment, and then pounced, just as another clumsy swipe pierced the air. Using her hefty body weight, she fell atop her foe, taking special care to land one weighty paw upon its weapon arm. It seemed like a foolproof strategy to effectively disarm her opponent, yet the strength of the bony creature surprised her yet again, as it jerked its arm underneath her, almost bringing its sharp implement to bear against her once more.

Fortunately, there wasn’t quite enough leverage for the skeleton to actually threaten her, at least with that arm. A glancing blow from its left fist struck against her suddenly, sending a spike of alarm through her body as her health reached new lows.

It just doesn’t know when to quit!

Anger surged through her, pushing her into a ferocious rage. Keeping her weight in place upon its weapon arm, she unleashed her might upon the creature’s body. With blow after blow, she battered the skeleton’s bones, flooding the area with the mixed sounds of her angry growls, and the solid thuds of her hits. She dislodged several ribs, then its entire left arm. Another few strikes soon separated its skull entirely, but still, the creature struggled beneath her.

Finally, after just a small number of additional, solid hits, the skeleton ceased putting up a fight, signalling Lucinda’s complete victory of the undead force.

Taking a moment to collect herself, Lucinda got off of the remains of her most recent enemy. Glancing around the area, she couldn’t help but inwardly smile at the scattered bones that littered the ruins. They were a testament to her hard work.

A fresh wave of pain reminded her of her condition, and with a grimace, she began towards Waflaw and the followers of Groor.

“All done are we?” the old Cleric asked, as she appeared within the large circle of light his strange torch still projected.

“Well done, Lucy,” Waflaw encouraged. “Looks like you’ve dealt with the undead horde nicely. Let me heal you up.”

“Would you mind if I offered my services in that regard?” the old Cleric interjected as Lucinda padded over to her mentor. “I must admit, I’ve always had a soft spot for furry beasties.”

“Not at all. She’d be honoured, I’m sure.”

The Cleric began a new chant of divine origin, creating a glowing aura of golden energy around his outstretched hand that grew in size and brightness as his strange words echoed around through the area. As the spell completed, Lucinda felt a familiar warmth spread through her body, easing the pain as it travelled, until she felt as good as new, and entirely full of health.

“There. Good work, Lucy,” the old man offered, while gently patting her head.

Damn you, Waflaw…

“Well, we should probably be heading off,” Waflaw announced, with his accompanying smile revealing he knew exactly how Lucinda felt about the physical attention she was receiving. “I hope you catch that necromancer you seek.”

“Thank you. As do we. I likewise hope your bear serves you well in the coming future.”

“I’m sure she will. Good night.”

The group exchanged farewells, before Waflaw set off back in the direction they’d originally reached the skeleton infested area from. Lucinda walked at her mentor’s side, partly amused by the strange encounter, and partly annoyed at Waflaw’s strange idea to pretend she was nothing more than an animal companion.

“They didn’t suspect a thing,” Waflaw said happily, just a short distance into their walk. “Anyway, good work back there. Almost looked like you were struggling with that last one, but I was relieved to see you emerge victorious.”

Of course he was watching over me… I didn’t really doubt that…

With the night-time gloom still persisting, Lucinda remained in her bear form as they travelled. Wollow soon joined them, and before long they were back in the same spot where they’d spent the early portion of the night.

“What was that about?” Lucinda asked, as she shifted back to human form, and sat wearily upon the grassy ground.

“Sorry, just a bit of fun, really,” Waflaw replied with a smile that was more amused than apologetic. “Won’t happen again, I promise,” he added with a wink.

“Mmm, I’m going to sleep,” Lucinda said around a wide yawn.

“Good idea. Let’s do that.”

Checking my status can wait until tomorrow… I’m just too tired to care…

Shifting back to boar form, Lucinda collapsed into her grassy bed, and was asleep in moments.