- Local time
- Today 7:21 PM
- Messages
- 33
- Age
- 33
- Pronouns
- she / they
Several days ago, camped near the river outside of the High Forest...
Pippi sat peacefully near the bank of the river as the sun set in the distance, casting hues of orange and pink over the sky. There was a calm in that moment, one she soaked in happily, unburdened with the knowledge of what tomorrow would bring, or how everything would change. She was still riding the high of being reunited with her family, and felt sure nothing could go wrong.
When the sunset was finally replaced with the twinkling night sky and her companions had all retired to bed, Pippi still remained awake near the river. Removing her boots and socks, she dipped her feet into the cool, rushing water. It had been a long time that she'd denied herself of simple pleasures such as this. As she wiggled her toes in the water and watched schools of fish swim by with the current. Then she remembered something.
Quietly, she trod barefoot back to where her belongings were, digging down into the depths of her backpack. When her hand emerged, she held an item that had fallen to the bottom of her sack - forgotten only by placement, not at all by memory. She smiled faintly to herself, eyeing the mother of pearl buckle of the belt she held, which sparkled under the moonlight.
With renewed excitement, she returned to the river's edge, the sounds of the rushing water even more inviting than before. Just as she had before, she sat down by the bank and dipped her feet into the water before scooting down a bit more and submerging the bottom half of her legs as well. Taking one end of the belt in her right hand she swung it gently behind her to grab the other end with her left hand, situating the green braided cord of the belt around her waist.
For a moment she hesitated. Was now the right time to try it out, with everyone else asleep? What if something went wrong? But then another question crossed her mind. If not now, when? She'd been holding onto this belt, allowing it to collect dust at the bottom of her backpack unused since they'd been in Berdusk. So much had happened since then. When would she get the chance to use it, if not now? Without another moment of hesitation, Pippi clicked the belt into place on her waist, moving her hands away carefully.
There was a moment of peace before the transformation began, almost causing Pippi to believe the belt was a dud, but before she could even finish her thought she felt it happening. She gasped as her legs tugged together began feeling as if they were being pulled and stretched; not in a painful way, but in a strange sort of sensation. She gripped her hands into the wet earth of the riverbank, stabilizing herself as her legs tugged themselves into a new form - a tail.
Pippi laughed in amazement. Where her legs once were was now a tail, sleek layers of emerald green scales that shimmered gold with every catch of the light. It felt both foriegn, yet somehow natural to her. It flopped involuntarily, splashing her and, to her surprise, pulling her the rest of the way into the river and upstream, her head bobbing under the water. Catching herself on a large rock, she pulled her head up and caught her breath, feeling her new tail flapping freely still. Keeping hold of the rock, she tried to focus, reminding her brain that though there was a tail there now, her legs belonged there and she was in control.
After a few minutes of concentration, her tail began to settle. Pippi turned over on her back, floating and moving her body as if she was moving her legs in the water, though this time the tail responded the way she hoped. She smiled proudly to herself, glad that she'd taken the time to do this now so her companions didn't have to witness her clumsy beginning. At least now if she were to use the belt when they really needed, she'd have the trial and error of it all out of the way.
She began swimming with the flow of the river in unison with the schools of fish, letting her palms brush their scales gently as they zoomed past her, clearly more adept with their own tails (naturally so). She quickened her pace, trying to keep up with them for a bit, trying new moves as she twisted and dove her head under the water, not thinking about how far she might be swimming. Eventually she slowed down, taking in the peacefulness of this moment.
Suddenly up ahead she heard a rustling near the edge of the river. Curiously, she continued forward slowly, spotting a beaver at work. She stopped, watching it carefully as it methodically stacked mud and sticks to create a dam, unaware or at least unbothered by her apparent interest. Pippi floated there, watching the beaver work for a while before turning her eyes back up to the night sky, noting the moon was noticeably higher than when she'd started her adventure.
With the beaver giving her no other choice but to turn around, she swam against the current until she grew too tired and pulled herself back up on the bank of the river, her tail still submerged in the water. Her fingers were pruned and the night air chilled her exposed skin, making her even more reluctant to leave the river, though she knew she must. With a final admiration of her tail, she unclasped the belt from her waist and watched it fade away back into her legs.
With a small sigh, Pippi removed her legs from the water and stood back on solid ground, wriggling her toes. Just as the tail had, her legs almost felt foreign to her now. She threw the belt over her shoulder and silently walked the rest of the distance back to camp. When she finally made it back, she tucked the belt back into her backpack, now on top and ready for its next use. Pippi now snuggled into her bedroll for bed, her hair still damp, her skin still cold, but her heart impossibly warm.
Pippi sat peacefully near the bank of the river as the sun set in the distance, casting hues of orange and pink over the sky. There was a calm in that moment, one she soaked in happily, unburdened with the knowledge of what tomorrow would bring, or how everything would change. She was still riding the high of being reunited with her family, and felt sure nothing could go wrong.
When the sunset was finally replaced with the twinkling night sky and her companions had all retired to bed, Pippi still remained awake near the river. Removing her boots and socks, she dipped her feet into the cool, rushing water. It had been a long time that she'd denied herself of simple pleasures such as this. As she wiggled her toes in the water and watched schools of fish swim by with the current. Then she remembered something.
Quietly, she trod barefoot back to where her belongings were, digging down into the depths of her backpack. When her hand emerged, she held an item that had fallen to the bottom of her sack - forgotten only by placement, not at all by memory. She smiled faintly to herself, eyeing the mother of pearl buckle of the belt she held, which sparkled under the moonlight.
With renewed excitement, she returned to the river's edge, the sounds of the rushing water even more inviting than before. Just as she had before, she sat down by the bank and dipped her feet into the water before scooting down a bit more and submerging the bottom half of her legs as well. Taking one end of the belt in her right hand she swung it gently behind her to grab the other end with her left hand, situating the green braided cord of the belt around her waist.
For a moment she hesitated. Was now the right time to try it out, with everyone else asleep? What if something went wrong? But then another question crossed her mind. If not now, when? She'd been holding onto this belt, allowing it to collect dust at the bottom of her backpack unused since they'd been in Berdusk. So much had happened since then. When would she get the chance to use it, if not now? Without another moment of hesitation, Pippi clicked the belt into place on her waist, moving her hands away carefully.
There was a moment of peace before the transformation began, almost causing Pippi to believe the belt was a dud, but before she could even finish her thought she felt it happening. She gasped as her legs tugged together began feeling as if they were being pulled and stretched; not in a painful way, but in a strange sort of sensation. She gripped her hands into the wet earth of the riverbank, stabilizing herself as her legs tugged themselves into a new form - a tail.
Pippi laughed in amazement. Where her legs once were was now a tail, sleek layers of emerald green scales that shimmered gold with every catch of the light. It felt both foriegn, yet somehow natural to her. It flopped involuntarily, splashing her and, to her surprise, pulling her the rest of the way into the river and upstream, her head bobbing under the water. Catching herself on a large rock, she pulled her head up and caught her breath, feeling her new tail flapping freely still. Keeping hold of the rock, she tried to focus, reminding her brain that though there was a tail there now, her legs belonged there and she was in control.
After a few minutes of concentration, her tail began to settle. Pippi turned over on her back, floating and moving her body as if she was moving her legs in the water, though this time the tail responded the way she hoped. She smiled proudly to herself, glad that she'd taken the time to do this now so her companions didn't have to witness her clumsy beginning. At least now if she were to use the belt when they really needed, she'd have the trial and error of it all out of the way.
She began swimming with the flow of the river in unison with the schools of fish, letting her palms brush their scales gently as they zoomed past her, clearly more adept with their own tails (naturally so). She quickened her pace, trying to keep up with them for a bit, trying new moves as she twisted and dove her head under the water, not thinking about how far she might be swimming. Eventually she slowed down, taking in the peacefulness of this moment.
Suddenly up ahead she heard a rustling near the edge of the river. Curiously, she continued forward slowly, spotting a beaver at work. She stopped, watching it carefully as it methodically stacked mud and sticks to create a dam, unaware or at least unbothered by her apparent interest. Pippi floated there, watching the beaver work for a while before turning her eyes back up to the night sky, noting the moon was noticeably higher than when she'd started her adventure.
With the beaver giving her no other choice but to turn around, she swam against the current until she grew too tired and pulled herself back up on the bank of the river, her tail still submerged in the water. Her fingers were pruned and the night air chilled her exposed skin, making her even more reluctant to leave the river, though she knew she must. With a final admiration of her tail, she unclasped the belt from her waist and watched it fade away back into her legs.
With a small sigh, Pippi removed her legs from the water and stood back on solid ground, wriggling her toes. Just as the tail had, her legs almost felt foreign to her now. She threw the belt over her shoulder and silently walked the rest of the distance back to camp. When she finally made it back, she tucked the belt back into her backpack, now on top and ready for its next use. Pippi now snuggled into her bedroll for bed, her hair still damp, her skin still cold, but her heart impossibly warm.