Reborn From the Cosmos ARC 1-The Enchanted Forest-Part 5

ARC 1-The Enchanted Forest-Part 5

“Oh, you’re trembling.” The elf reaches a hand out to cautiously. She touches my skin with the tip of her fingers, cooing in delight. “You’re so soft.” Unreserved, she grabs a handful of . I can feel the pressure but it isn’t painful no matter how much she squeezes. The way I stretch especially seems to delight her.

“I’ve never seen anything like you in the forest before!” The elf scoops up and hugs to her chest, rubbing her cheek against . “How about it, hmm? Do you want to co with ?”

Maybe. That depends on if you can feed . Really, I’m so hungry I would eat dirt if it filled up. I would. Feed , kind elf lady. Please. I will follow you anywhere if you do.

Though, this hug is comfortable. The cloak she’s wearing hides her figure. Her chest is pretty large. It’s like being pressed against two pillows-

No, no. Food. Got to focus on food. I begin to squirm until the elf lets go.

“What’s wrong? You don’t want to co with ?” Her mouth turns down in a pout. I’m just now noticing this but this woman is beautiful. Those big eyes are drilling holes into the heart I don’t have. Poor you. Your life must have been riddled with hardships. Such is the fate of those born blessed. But right now, could you help with my hardship?

I raise my tentacle hands to where I think my face should be and mi eating. The elf frowns deeply but eventually, her eyes light with understanding. “Oh! Are you hungry?”

Yes! I throw my hands up and bounce excitedly. Feed , kind elf!

She laughs at my display and pulls a pack out from under her cloak. “Well, I don’t know if you’ll like them but I have so berries here.” She reaches her hand into the pack and pulls out a handful of bright blue berries. They look tasty but, again, I still don’t know how to eat with this body.

I reach out a tentacle, separating it in two to grasp the berry and hold it up in front of speculatively. If I can see I have eyes, right? And if I can hear, I have ears, right? Even though I don’t know how to use it, I should have a mouth, right? That makes sense. Let’s just try to…put this where my mouth should be. And…push it forward?

Oh. It went through. The small berry floats inside for a mont. Then it dissolves. Taste explodes through my awareness.

Thank the saints, I won’t starve! I quickly grab the rest of the berries and push them inside . They dissolve just as quickly and the sweet juices coat my taste buds. Wherever they are. Whatever. I can taste and these are great. Fresh.

…But they’re really small. I’m still hungry.

I hold out my hands pleadingly to the elf and she sets the pack on the ground. I quickly scoop out the berries but its still not enough. The pangs aren’t so bad but I’m nowhere near filled.

There has to be sothing. Anything else.

I turn around and my gaze settles on the corpses of the wolves. Could I? It’s at. Uncooked at but then again, I’m not human so maybe that’s no longer an issue.

I have to try. There’s nothing else around besides grass and trees. And the elf. Even if I could, I wouldn’t eat her. For one, that’s just disturbing and for two, she was nice to .

I move toward the wolves, which is an experience of its own. Since I’m a blob, I don’t walk. It’s more of a slither but I’m moderately fast. I co to one of the corpses. It’s really big. I can’t just plop it inside like a berry.

Oh, but wait. I can stretch, can’t I? Okay then. Here this goes. I wrap a tentacle over the wolf and use it as leverage to pull myself onto its side. Then I stretch as far as I can. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take much effort. In no ti, I surround the wolf. Once it is fully inside , it dissolves quickly. Thirty seconds to eat the entire thing. Wow. I’m a beast.

And I’m not full. The pangs have stopped but I know I can eat more. Though I was born a noble, my socializing among the servants and the commoners about the manor ensured I have a very good grasp on how scarce resources are for so. If there is food, I prefer not to let it go to waste.

In that spirit, I move to the next wolf corpse. It is even easier to swallow this one. I make quick work of the rest and settle down contentedly. I am still not full. Apparently, I have a huge stomach but I have a feeling that I won’t have to worry about food for a while.

“You all done?”

The elf lady cos over to . Hmm? Did I get bigger? Instead of coming to her waist, I’m nearly at her shoulder. Ooo. That explains a lot. Instead of getting full, I get bigger?

That…could be troubleso.

I want to thank her but I still haven’t worked out how to talk. Instead, I do my little wiggle. She appears to like that as she hugs again. Though this ti, she leans into rather than pulling against her. I take the weight easily and she giggles as her body goes horizontal.

“I’m glad you seem happy now but you could have given so warning before you started eating. Those pelts could have been useful.”

Oh no. I didn’t an to disappoint you. If only I could…hmm. This new body of mine is strange. Really. When I think about the wolves’ pelts, I can feel sothing. Like a nu inside my head. On it is a series of different number groups. I know instinctively that the first grouping is my human form and the second is the wolves I just consud. Uwaa. I really am a shapeshifter.

I want to give the elf lady her pelts for helping but turning to a wolf to get skinned just sounds awful. But maybe…

Focusing on the wolf’s structure, I can differentiate between its makeup. The elf lets go of as fur erupts across my surface. Okay, I can do that. I’ve read that slis can drop a smaller part of themselves to run away when threatened. I kind of look like them. Are we cousins? Maybe I can separate a part of myself like they do?

Yup. I can do that. With a shrugging type maneuver, I shed the skin and a perfect pelt is left on the ground. Yes! That is extrely weird but aweso at the sa ti. This body is growing on . More importantly, I can thank the kind elf who saved .

She hesitates seeing the pelt but I wiggle excitedly, waving at it with my stubby arms. Finally, she pinches it between two fingers and holds it up, amazed.

“Incredible.” She grins down at and pets my head. “You’re the best skinner I’ve ever seen. That ans a lot coming from an elf. You should be proud.”

I am. Elves are considered the best gakeepers in the world. To be praised by one of them is quite an accomplishnt.

“How about it? You want to co with ?”

Hmm. Let see. Follow the beautiful elf who can most likely get out of this forest and on my way back ho or move through the woods by myself and get preyed on by wolves and whatever nasty creatures are in these trees?

I quickly move toward her, wrapping my arms about her waist. The elf laughs. “Okay.” She folds the pelt up and stuffs it into her pack. “Since we’re friends now, we should introduce ourselves. You seem to understand clear enough. My na is Kierra D’Atainna. Do you have a na?”

I was anticipating this. If it is sothing as simple as telling her my na then I can circumvent my speech impedint.

Backing out of the hug, I turn my tentacle into a point and begin to draw on the ground. Kierra leans over curiously, her brows coming down as she reads the characters. “Lourianne?”

I bend in half trying to nod, then draw a line through the top half of my na.

“Lou? Is that what you’re called?”

Ah. Beautiful and smart. Doubly blessed, doubly cursed. You and I are the sa, kind elf. One day, we should drink our sorrows away together.

“Okay, Lou. Nice to et you. I don’t want to start our friendship off the wrong way, but why do you have a human na?”

Yes! What a perfect lead in to tell her I need to go ho. I brush away my na and prepare myself to write out my story…

Then sothing strikes . I have my old body’s template in my head. I can go back to being human.

I am an idiot. Why didn’t I do that ages ago? Thinking about my old form, the nu pops back into my head. I focus on the first grouping of numbers, willing myself to return to my original form. A ripple goes through my body and I can feel myself rearranging.

A second later, I stand up, blinking rapidly. I bring my hands up to my face. They’re back and I grin as I wiggle each finger, the ones bit off by the vicious little dog healed and whole. Looking down, I have normal legs and normal toes.

“YES!” I shout excitedly, dancing in place. I’m lost in my own emotions for several monts. Feeling an intense gaze on my back makes turn around and I rember that I'm not alone.

Kierra is staring at with an unreadable expression. Watching her eyes flick across my skin reminds that I’m naked and my face heats up in embarrassnt as I cross my hands over my chest. “Um…could you not stare at so hard?”