It all started with that stupid dog. If it wasn't for that mutt, I wouldn't be plunging to my death right now. But here I am, hurtling down a black hole, screaming and grabbing at the air, but finding nothing to slow down my fall. And to think, my day was going so well right up until now.
A little bit earlier…
"I CAN'T FIND IT!" I yelled, throwing my clothes left and right, digging through my closet. "Can't find what?" Felspark asked, coming up from behind me. Felspark is a mage wizard, a plant hybrid with green crab-grass hair pulled back, and a small daisy adorned behind one ear. She wore a simple brown sweater and kakis. I pushed my hair behind my long, pointed ears. "My Griffonbane amulet! Every Griffonbane has an amulet that gives us our wings. I swear I was just wearing it, but now it's gone!"
Maybe I should explain myself: My people are a specific type of elf. It's a long story with a lot of lore behind it, but long story short, one of my ancestors developed a link with a griffon, and they were close friends. A goblin tried to kill the elf, but the Griffon sacrificed itself for its master. When it died, the Griffon left behind an amulet. When this amulet was worn, the elf's griffon wings appeared. We believe that every living being has a pair of spiritual wings, which can only become physical when one of these amulets are worn. They're incredibly hard to craft and find. Mine is a family air Lomb that belonged to my grandmother, and if I can't find it, I don't know what I'll do. We elves are a morsel to other fae beings like trolls and goblins, and a grounded Griffonbane elf is a dead Griffonbane elf. My friend and roommate scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Okay, so where do you remember having it last?" I sighed as I put a spider-silk dress back on its hanger. "I was wearing it earlier to-" YIP!
I turned sharply to see a small, white Pomeranian dog wagging its tail at me. How'd it get in here? I noticed something gleaming around its neck- a small gold necklace with a rose quartz gem hanging in the center. My amulet! I crouched down. "Here, little guy…" I beckoned the dog towards me. So, of course, it grew a pair of fluffy white wings, and took off yipping in the other direction. "Hey!" I took off running after as I heard Felspark mutter something about me turning up in a couple of weeks. It's not my fault I'm always taking off. Things just never seem to go right for me, that's all!
I launched out of the window of my treehouse after it, catching a branch, and using the momentum to land safely on the ground. Taking but a second to catch my breath, I ran across the forest floor, chasing the dog for dear life, praying that no large abominations would try and kill me today. I knew that the goblins didn't like direct sunlight, but the Trolls usually came out for lunch at this time. _
I leaned against the tree, waiting for Toby to complete the mission. I suppose what I did was a bit convoluted, but I needed her help. Not even specifically her, I just needed the help of someone besides a human. I'd tried hundreds of human players, but I could never fully fuse with them- not on the level I needed to in order to save him. I needed someone more… monstrous. I heard the clumsy elf stumbling through the forest, calling out for Toby and cursing in the old fae language. I suppose Toby got her attention. Now things really begin.
"Please come back!" I hissed at the dog, my foot catching on a loose root. I know that elves are known for being graceful, and we Griffonbane elves are- WHEN WE CAN FLY. I don't run more than a few feet at a time to launch myself into the sky. And I have strong arms for launching myself from branch to branch when nessicary, but I don't run. The dog hit a branch, that didn't stop it, but slowed it down enough that I managed to catch up to it. I tackled it, wrapping my arms around it gently, not wanting to harm it, but needing that amulet back. We fell- and kept falling, down into a big, black pit that seemed to come out of nowhere. _
I watched from a distance as the elf girl screamed, hurtling down the very hole that I'd fallen down a million times. I stretched out my arms, and popped my neck. I placed my left hand over my heart, and activated my soul power. My body glowed red as I transformed into the soul-form that was needed to make this happen. In soul form, my senses expanded past the boundaries of my body. I could sense the heat every living force was giving off. I could feel the elf girl losing consciousness as she fell down the hole. I could feel Toby flying down, and off somewhere. I could even feel the presence of HIM. Focusing on the elf girl, I flew down to her, and touched her with a spiritual string. Using the soul power, I wove our DNA together, and used her magic to keep the strands from falling apart. Soon, I could feel her presence in my mind- or perhaps, I was in hers now. Our wills fought for control of our new body, but her will won out. She was now the main controller. That was okay though. With this fusion, at least she'd be aware of my presence unlike the normal human players. Soon, we'd wake up together down below in a bed of flowers like we always did. My thoughts became murkier and murkier as I blacked out with her. _
I woke up with a pounding headache. I reached up, and rubbed my head, groaning. My voice sounded weird- a bit higher, and younger, kind of reedy. I ran my hand through my hair, but pulled away confused. I touched it again. It was soft, and fine instead of coarse and thick like it always was. I noticed that my head felt a lot lighter too. I reached back, and found that my hair stopped at the base of my neck, instead of going down my back. Bangs brushed against my forehead. I explored my head, and brushed my ears to find that instead of ending in points like every other elves, they were round, and soft. I ran my tongue over my teeth. My sharp canines had been replaced with dull ones that felt softer like a hard candy. The skin on the back of my hands was softer, younger, and tan. My callouses from years of swinging on tree branches had disappeared, and the rest of my body… I looked down in horror at my pre-puberdecent body. My boobs were practically mosquito bites, my hips were gone, and my ankles and wrists looked tiny, like they'd never held the weight of anything heavier than a toothpick before. Sure, we Griffonbanes aren't all that heavy- we have light bone structures built for flying. But this is ridiculous. I don't understand, I thought to myself. I wasn't expecting an answer back.
Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Hello, Birdy. My name is Frisk.
Another thing about Griffonbanes: We wear our emotions right on our sleeves. I screamed bloody murder, and flipped out until the flower told me to can it.