Finding herself alone once more, Lucinda wasted little time in revisiting her wolf friends, who she was glad to discover were in good health. Although the oath made by Nassach still lingered, Lucinda thought it best to watch over the cave all the same, at least until the following day.

The wolves welcomed her with open arms – or the four-legged equivalent at least – and in many ways it helped put Lucinda’s mind at ease after the highly strained stay she’d spent in the Hierophant and his party’s company. It took some time for the wolves to calm down after the very energetic greeting they’d given her, but once they did, Lucinda was free to take care of some of the more mundane matters with regards to travelling the wilderness. One such matter, was stitching up the small tear that had tarnished her travelling cloak, which she accomplished using the needle and one of the types of thread her mother had very thoughtfully packed for her. Another was replenishing her water skins, an easy task in the snowy mountains. However, Lucinda decided to make the refilling process more interesting by using her Morning Sun spell to melt the snow inside the container Nassach had given her. In such a way, she spent over an hour melting the snow before she was finished, though she was noticeably slowed by the wolves and their sudden desire to consume the free water.

As night arrived, Lucinda shifted into bear form to gain more progress towards ranking it up. Of course, she did so from outside of the cave, and with only one or two wolves beside her to give them a chance to get over the shock of the transition. Then, once the wolves were used to having a bear amongst their number, Lucinda cuddled up alongside the rest of them, and drifted off to sleep very comfortably.

In the early morning of the following day, Lucinda bid farewell to her wolf friends, and left the cave behind. Her plan for the day was to focus back on her real goal in the mountains: Finding an animal companion. To that end, she returned to the second land mark, and then began following the directions she’d been given to reach the third.

About a half-hour was all it took for Lucinda to reach the third waypoint on her bird hunting journey. It was much as she’d expected, a large tree that stood close to the surrounding rock face. The path beyond was little more than a small gap between two sections of rock, and had Lucinda not known about it from the man back in Drepar, she had little doubt she would have missed it entirely.

Squeezing through the tight and winding passage, while taking extra care to avoid damaging her cloak, Lucinda soon emerged before a dense forest. The trees were especially tall and stretched all the way up to the edges of the area that she could make out.

This place is incredible… How many people have ever been here, I wonder?

Lucinda leant back against the rocky wall she’d passed through. With several deep breaths, she took in the snowy forest smells, while her ears and eyes searched for signs of life from within the wooded area.

Oh… Maybe I can find a brown bear here? Ah, but maybe it’s too high a level for me to acquire? Waflaw said they were level 10, which is outside my ‘range’. I guess I can try if I see one…

Time for some more forest exploring!

Pushing off from the wall, Lucinda moved towards the treeline. Even during her brief respite, she’d seen plenty of wildlife going about their business, including small birds flitting from tree to tree, a number of slightly less small four-legged animals darting through the snow, or climbing along narrow branches. She knew the larger birds she sought would almost certainly be nearer the taller rock faces to the north, and possibly the east, however, the desire to mingle with all the denizens of the forest was proving to be too tempting to ignore.

Lucinda didn’t have far to go to find her first forest dweller, though coaxing the squirrel out of the tree it hid within took some mental encouragement that Lucinda helped along with a single nut from her pack. But, she was soon enjoying petting the small furry creature, and especially admiring its bushy tail, at least until a notification interrupted her fun.

Acquire Form failed: Target too small.

Aww, there is a size limit after all… Ah, that means less experience too! Oh, I was supposed to be checking for passive increases.

Status

Name

Lucinda Bazan

Class

Shifter

Level

4

Experience

91%

Health

Strength

Agility

Endurance

190

190

8

10

22

Mana

Intelligence

Willpower

Spirit

216

216

22

21

22

Ah! It’s gone up! I'm so close to level 5 too… Ah, being a squirrel probably wouldn’t be too useful anyway. Still, I wonder what the limit is…

Waving the furry little creature off, Lucinda began hunting for other animals to satisfy her sudden curiosity. A brief search led her to stumble upon a deer, which she knew was large enough, but due to it looking quite dissimilar to her own deer form, Lucinda decided to pet it all the same. Though, it certainly helped that the stag before her had a majestic set of antlers.

“You must be the king deer around here,” Lucinda whispered quietly to the large furry animal, as she ran her hands through its glossy coat. “I hope you don’t mind me intruding.”

Lucinda was fairly sure the stag would, in fact, be less happy with her being there, if not for the mental calming she projected as she waited patiently for a notification of a new form to arrive. She spent several minutes stroking its fur, which was a pale grey in colour, in contrast to the deer she was more familiar with – including her own form, and Waflaw’s animal companion – which had reddish-brown fur. She also observed that the stag was perhaps a bit smaller than Wollow.

When it became clear no new form was to be forthcoming, Lucinda dragged herself away from enjoying the relaxing action that was caressing the deer’s hide. Departing in search of other animals, Lucinda wished the stag a good day, while trying not to think about how she’d eaten one of its kind so recently.

It was about two hours since she’d entered the forest, when Lucinda discovered a large lake that sat within the surrounding trees. It was covered with a thin icy layer, that seemed to have almost melted in the limited summer sun that filtered through the canopy. Seeing an opportunity to clean herself up a bit, Lucinda warily approached the lake, and began projecting calmness with her mental influencing skill even before she knelt beside the shore.

She was in the process of drying her hair – which she’d just washed and brushed – with the help of her highly useful Morning Sun spell, when her eyes were drawn to sudden movement close to the other side of the lake. The creature that emerged from the tress and approached the shore caused Lucinda to freeze on the spot, and her breath to catch.

I found a brown bear… But it’s giant! It looks much taller than me even on all fours… Since when do they get that big!?

Fortunately, the bear seemed far more interested in drinking from the lake, than bothering her, but that didn’t stop her from fleeing as soon as she was able. Glancing warily over her shoulder as she ran, Lucinda was suddenly considerably more eager to finish her companion finding quest. However, not far from the body of water, Lucinda’s hasty travelling landed her in a spot of trouble, when she almost walked over a large cat, who had been trying to enjoy a somewhat early lunch.

A loud hissing was all the warning she got, before sharp claws raked her leg, causing Lucinda to gasp in pain as she stumbled out of the way. Her armoured skirt took the worst of it, but it wasn’t quite enough to protect her entirely. Backing away, Lucinda brought her staff in front of her to ward off further attacks, but the cat made no move to follow.

Taking a deep breath to steady her racing heart, Lucinda backed away further and began projecting calmness to placate the fierce animal that was still eyeing her and baring its fangs.

Ah, even just seeing that giant bear was dangerous…

As the cat steadily relaxed, so did Lucinda.

This might be the cutest animal I’ve ever met! Definitely the cutest one that’s attacked me… It must be a lynx. I think only they have those tufty ears, and it’s not that big for a wild cat.

The animal she was assuming was a lynx, was mostly brown, except for whiter parts under its chin, and along its underside. It was also covered in a great number of small black splotches, that matched well with the black tufts of fur atop the points of its ears. In terms of size, Lucinda guessed the lynx was close to half her height at the shoulder, making it far larger than her own house cat form, but a long way shy of being the largest cat she knew of.

A few minutes of mental calming was all it took for the lynx to mostly ignore Lucinda, and she didn’t waste any time in approaching the animal even as it continued to eat the small bird it had killed. With a few gentle strokes on its back, Lucinda was pleased to see a notification for a new form.

Shapeshifts Name Base Attributes Attribute Bonuses Base Level Rank Bonuses STR AGI END STR AGI END Lynx 17 18 13 1.2 1.3 1.0 3 1 Stalk Stalk (Lynx)

Limit movement to 75% of normal, but become much harder to detect. Costs mana while active, and prevents regeneration.

Cost: 5% Base Mana per Minute

Only level 3… I guess that’s fair. If I can get it to rank 5 quickly I might still find a use for it. Or maybe if I take up thieving as Lucinda the cat burglar!

Lucinda’s giggles seemed to upset the lynx she was still petting, but not overly so. Once she’d recovered, and once the wild cat had finished its meal, Lucinda coaxed it onto her lap, where she could properly appreciate its soft fur with a gentle embrace.

Maybe a lynx animal companion wouldn’t be so bad. I could get used to cuddling one that’s for sure. I doubt Waflaw would be happy though…

After spending a few minutes imagining life with an animal companion other than a bird, Lucinda was stirred from her thoughts by pangs of hunger. In the process of retrieving some food from her pack, a new idea hit her, and Lucinda didn’t take long to decide upon pursuing it.

Shapeshift: Lynx!

In just a short few moments, Lucinda’s body transformed into that of a cat, though one that was quite a bit larger than she was used to. Of course, her newest friend seemed to be quite upset about the sudden change, and began hissing and growling quite fiercely. Fortunately, a healthy dose of calming influence later, and their relationship was back to a less hostile state.

And now to convince her to have some fun!

Focussing her innate ability upon the lynx, Lucinda began encouraging the idea of hunting for food. She began with thoughts of smaller animals, such as rabbits and hares, and mice and rats. Part of her felt guilty even as she suggested the idea, yet another part of her knew it was stupid, as she’d eaten her fair share of the former pair over the years. Her feline friend, however, watched her with a bored expression, reclining on the forest floor and yawning at her in a way that was quite irritating.

Large cats are just as lazy… Fine, we’ll do this the hard way!

Lucinda let out a small growl, and then pounced. Leaping through the air thanks to the powerful kick of her back legs, she fell upon the other cat. What followed was a rapid exchange of paw strikes, as well as a number of bites to exposed areas, but Lucinda’s calming projections that she’d started before attacking, ensured their battle didn’t progress beyond being simply playful.

It wasn’t long before Lucinda found herself pinned down in the dirt by her opponent, where she laughed internally as the other lynx gently chomped on one of her tufty ears.

I guess I need more practice in cat form…

Almost as suddenly as Lucinda herself had pounced upon her target, did she find herself released, and then abandoned, as the other cat darted off into the surrounding trees. Letting her gaze follow the departing animal, Lucinda just caught a glimpse of another fleeing creature, before she lost line of sight.

Oh, now she wants to hunt!

Springing to her feet, Lucinda raced after the fleet-footed lynx and its newest prey. It didn’t take her long to reach them, with the large number of thick trunked trees, along with the other greenery that was poking through the snow, prompting a weaving chase, rather than a speedy one. The target of her fellow feline was soon discovered to be a brown-furred hare, and Lucinda felt only a tingle of doubt as she joined the pursuit.

Winding through the trees with agility that was far beyond the capabilities of her human form, Lucinda soon realised that the other lynx was competing with her, rather than trying to work together. Though, it only served to spur her on.

Lucinda was soon met with an opportunity to claim victory, when the fleeing hare turned into her intended path. But, with only a split second to adjust her speedy pace, Lucinda barrelled over the small creature without inflicting any damage. Fortunately, even with her opponent receiving an opportunity of its own just moments later, it was Lucinda’s second chance that ended their endeavour.

With her teeth sunk into the hare’s neck, Lucinda was beset by conflicting emotions. Excitement and adrenaline from the chase, mixing together with the guilt she felt at ending the creature’s life.

It’s not easy… Even though I only killed it to eat it. It’s just more… real, this way. And so different to helping Mother prepare a stew.

I guess I could still cook it…

Shaking her head in faint amusement at the idea, Lucinda lowered the body to the ground and sniffed it carefully. A sudden worry that her lynx friend might steal her food, brought her head up quickly, but a short look around the area revealed she was alone once more.

Aww, didn’t even get to say goodbye. Cats… They’re all the same!

Lucinda finished her meal before long, and was thoroughly stuffed as a result, as well as surprised by just how much she’d eaten, and at how she felt after eating it.

It’s so weird. Just like with the deer, it’s not tasty, well, maybe a bit, but more that it’s… satisfying, I guess? I’d probably miss sweet food too much if I lived like this though.

Now that I think about it… How does this work when I’m shapeshifted? If I ate raw hare in my human body, I’d probably be sick. But, I was fine after eating the deer and shifting back… And what about appetite? Does it change with my size? Or is it always based on my human needs?

…I guess there are other parts of eating to consider too, but I think I’ll leave it there.

Shifting back to human form, Lucinda helped herself to some water from her pack, and experienced no hints of upset digestion as she did so. With her needs taken care of for the time being, and no friendly animals to occupy her, Lucinda decided it was well past time to start looking for birds of prey. Retrieving her map, she glanced over the mountain range she sat within, but didn’t find much more than a simple depiction of pointed peaks.

Nassach must have had some kind of specialised map. I’m sure he didn’t have trouble finding one, what with all that gold of his.

Tidying her pack back into order, Lucinda took a moment to catch her bearings, before setting off to the north in lynx form. The large cat form was quickly becoming a favourite of hers, though it was an opinion she had to admit was based more on how it felt to be one, rather than the ability or attributes it possessed. Like her house cat form, the lynx form felt graceful, and somehow considerably more so than her other forms with similar agility. Yet, it also felt powerful. Not anywhere near as much as her bear form did, but it was still noticeable.

Maybe cats are just delusional… I could believe that, and I should probably be careful in that case.

A reasonable lengthed and largely uneventful journey through the snowy forest, brought Lucinda to the cliff face she’d been seeking. It was immense in proportion, extending upwards steeply to a distance that almost seemed to rest within the moderate cloud coverage above. It also stretched out in both directions to either side, matching the forest’s edge. To the west, it joined the considerably smaller rock face Lucinda had journeyed through, while to the east, the land sloped further upwards and curved north, severely restricting Lucinda’s vision in that direction.

There must be some birds of prey around here somewhere. Hidden in crevices, or maybe on the mountain tops? I was thinking I’d lure one down with a dead animal of some kind, but maybe I could use goat form instead…

Lucinda took another look up the sheer cliff face before her as she considered her options.

Goats are known for their climbing abilities, and my form should be even better than that… But, it’s really tall!

Then there’s larger predators to consider. A goat should be too big for the birds I’m after, but what if there’s a giant eagle around? Or other giant birds? Maybe monsters too now that I think about it…

Ah… Goat seems like the best way to find what I need, and more fun than sitting here with a smelly corpse hoping the right bird will drop by. Do I risk it?

Maybe I’ll test it for a bit first…

Performing a quick scan of her surroundings, Lucinda shifted into her goat form, and ambled over to the mountainside. Tentatively, she reached out with one of her forelegs, and placed it upon a likely looking spot, then without any difficulty at all, she hauled the rest of her body upwards until all four of her feet were perched snugly and firmly.

Taking only a moment to get over her amazement at the seeming ease of her traversal, Lucinda spied another likely spot nearby, and hopped over to it. She experienced a brief instant of concern as her furry legs left her perch, but once again she landed as safely as she’d intended.

Goats really are good at climbing… It’s like my hooves just stick to the rock! Ah… I really want to keep going…

Her desire to scale the mountainside clashed heavily against her concerns about the potential dangers she might run into while doing so. But, after some deliberation, she decided to go ahead with her goatish plan, at least once she was confident she could climb up and down at a reasonable speed.

It was around a quarter of an hour later, that Lucinda set off on her rocky adventure. Confident in her cliff traversing abilities, she took a few sips from one of her water skins, and then shifted back into goat form to begin scaling the mountain.

The ease with which she’d manoeuvred near the base of the rocky wall did not change even as she clambered ever higher, and in just a short while she reached a spot that was well above the forest canopy below.

Ah, if only my goat eyes weren’t so poor… I’ll have to find a safe place to shift back, so I can enjoy the sights properly!

Encouraged by the exciting prospect, Lucinda increased the pace of her scaling. Despite the seemingly precarious nature of her method of travel, she felt almost no concern for her safety – at least from falling. With her immense field of vision watching out for predators she sorely hoped didn’t exist, Lucinda continued upwards.

Further up, she began encountering nests that were wedged into the mountain, but the few startled birds she met, were far smaller than what she was after. Continuing onwards, Lucinda’s eyes were soon drawn to a small bulge in the rock above her. Adjusting her almost vertical path, she crested over it and was greeted with the sight of a shallow cave, which she wasted no time in stepping into.

Now this has to be a place no one has to been to before! I’m so high up…

Shifting back to human form, Lucinda sat down cross-legged just a short distance back from the lip of the cave. The sight before her was staggering in its beauty, and as she let her eyes wander over the terrain that was so far below her, her eyes moistened ever so slightly.

If only I was good at painting… And I’d brought something to paint with… I could show this to Mother! I’m sure she’d love it. Ah… I guess I’ll have to just try and describe it next time I see her. She must be at the temple at this hour… Maybe I can see Kloip from here?

Lucinda began trying to trace her journey on the landscape below, she started with a reasonably large urban area to the south-west.

That must be Malart. Ah, I wonder if Bryn is still there? Or maybe she’s off fighting more orcs?

Pushing aside the surge of uncertainty she felt at the memory of the Archer she’d met, Lucinda let her eyes roam further across the land.

I think that’s the Forest of Bears. That big rock in the middle looks so tiny from here! Then from there… Ah! That must be it. There’s the mountain that’s north from the town, so that faint grey smudge must be Kloip!

The happy smile that spread across Lucinda’s face diminished slightly as she was reminded of the steps that had led her away from home, but she didn’t let it keep her down for long. Opening her pack, she continued to admire the scenery as she supped on some dried food, and quenched her thirst.

A short time later, Lucinda stood up to shift into goat form and resume her journey upwards. However, as she turned and glanced up the cliff face, something inside the shallow cave caught her eye. Moving inside, she found a painting of a large bird on the side wall near the back, which was only about two metres from the opening.

Aww, someone has been here before… I wonder when?

Examining the simple line drawing didn’t reveal much. It appeared to have been made with some form of orangey-yellow chalk, and had nothing in the way of names or dates, not that Lucinda really expected to find either. After staring at it for a while, a sudden idea came to her.

What’s more impressive, reaching this cave as a bird? Or reaching it as a four-legged animal!?

Using her staff, Lucinda managed to chip off a piece of rock from the inside of the cave, and with it she added her own addition to the wall painting. It didn’t take her long, but the results were less than impressive, and she was unable to stop herself from giggling at the quality of the work.

It looks like a goat… Mostly. Ah, maybe I should take up lessons… Or maybe it’s just not for me!

Shifting to goat form, Lucinda began climbing the mountainside once more, and after the daunting transition from cave to wall, she made good progress. Not far from the cave opening, Lucinda’s ears picked up the unmistakable screeching sounds of large birds. It was a discovery that was equally encouraging, and troubling.

Her climbing brought her steadily upwards, and ultimately, to the top of the part of the mountains she was on. Cautiously poking her head over the top, Lucinda was able to take in the sight of the mountaintop, which was not what she’d expected. The rock above her was a mostly level plain of sizeable dimensions, that almost appeared to be the result of some mountain shearing calamity. However, her confusion was short-lived, as she made out several bird-like shapes, scattered about the uneven terrain before her.

Found them! I think…

Scampering up from the cliff she still stood upon, Lucinda shifted back to human form, and clutched her staff before her in both hands. With her improved eyesight, Lucinda observed the avian creatures with a smile on her face. There were several groups of them, all partially obscured by the dips in the ground they dwelt within, but there was no mistaking their large size.

Inspecting each of the groups in turn, who didn’t seem to be too upset about her sudden arrival, Lucinda concluded that there was only a single species. The birds were white on their undersides, with dark brown plumage on their wings and back, but the most distinguishing feature they possessed, was the bushy crown of paler brown feathers atop their heads.

They look… Okay. Not really cute… Or even fearsome. Maybe they can make up for it with personality?

Having not entirely finished the hare she’d killed earlier, Lucinda had decided to keep the leftovers in the box Nassach had given her. With plenty of birds to tempt with the remains, she began projecting calming thoughts while reaching into her pack to retrieve the offering. Strangely, the birds began screeching loudly even before the opaque box had fully emerged into view. Lucinda felt a slight sense of alarm as the birds became increasingly animated, and began focussing more carefully on the calm she was projecting, at least until a short and deep woosh of noise reached her ears. Lucinda turned sharply to the right, towards the source, and froze as she spotted a massive winged creature plummeting through the air towards her.

Oh, shit! Dragon!?

The scaly winged beast was travelling at immense speed, and was quite clearly headed in her direction. Lucinda had only a split second to decide upon a course of action. She dove towards the cliff edge she’d climbed up from, shifting into her smallest cat form as fast as she possibly could. She landed painfully upon the uneven rocky surface, giving herself a few painful scrapes in the process, but she had no time to worry about such things. Her cat transformation completed in just a few agonisingly long seconds, and Lucinda pushed off towards the lip of the plateau in a desperate attempt to escape her fate. She didn’t need to look back to know she was still being pursued, as the whistling of the wind the beast was displacing made it all too clear.

No! I’ll make it!

She reached the edge, with her heart pounding in her chest, but as she made to leap down to a small outcropping she hoped she could land upon, a heavy impact caught her, sending her sprawling off into the air. Lucinda had only a moment to curse her misfortune, before gravity enforced its will.

With a pitiful wail that only a small feline could produce, she fell.