Piper fell to the ground, rolling slightly as she landed. She scrabbled
over to where Leo and Clarissa had disappeared. Apart from a few splats of
blood on the concrete, there was no sign that anyone had been there. She
looked helplessly at the blood. What was she supposed to do? She was
trapped in an unfamiliar body behind her club, with no way to contact her
sisters. And Leo, her husband and friend, was gone, kidnapped by a
singer/demon thing. How could she save him like this?! She hopped over to
the polished metal. She saw an angry eyed hawk glaring up at her. There was
no way to tell it was also Piper in there. She took a deep breath. She
could do this. She would fly to the Manor, and try to get someone to
understand her. They would look through the book and turn her back.
Flapping her wings, she soared into the air. It was a bit foggy, but that
didn't stop her marveling at the glorious view. She could see most of San
Francisco bay, and the hill surrounding it. She flew over Chinatown,
Mountain Lake, Golden Gate Park and a hundred other places. She forgot
about everything, watching San Francisco from the air. It was the ultimate
freedom, soaring there, watching all the puny people toil away. She circled
higher and higher, into thunderclouds, then dived over the buildings,
watching children and adults glance at her, and slime longingly. She
regained height and floated some more. When she flew over the Golden Gate
Bridge, she suddenly remembered everything. P3. Clarissa. Leo. She turned
hastily around, and saw something that made her heart freeze. The sun was
setting, and the fog was closing in. She wouldn't be able to go home.
* * * Paige woke up with a groan. She was on the floor of the kitchen, aching all over. She frowned, wondering why she was lying on the floor in the first place. Then she remembered. The sound her ears couldn't hear, then the fire. She looked down quickly, expecting to see horrible burns blemished across her skin. What she saw was a lot more shocking. Down to her waist she was fine, but then her body changed. It lengthened into the powerful forequarters of a horse with the same colour fur as the hair on her head. She turned and looked over her shoulder. The rest of the horse parts lay behind her. Paige's eyes widened and she gaped at her new legs. The fire must have done this, she thought. There seemed no other way that she could have changed. She had passed out under the enormous heat. Paige tried to get up, but realized it would be a lot harder with an extra pair of legs. She managed to roll onto her stomach, and heave up onto her feet- all four of them. She very carefully tried to walk forward, getting used to her new limbs. She was just walking through the living room when a yellow fog seeped in. Sniffing the air, she smelt something strange, and frowned. It seemed familiar. It rose, and she backed away, nearly tripping over as she did. John materialized. He blinked at her and smiled. "You look a lot nicer like that, you know." She glared at him, while trying to recognize his voice. She knew she had heard it somewhere. He smiled even more broadly, and Paige thought he might have been cute if his eyes were warmer. "Don't you remember me? No? Oh, I'm hurt." He flapped his hand at her, and blue tendrils like the ones that had got her before leapt out, and bound her arms, legs and mouth. She glowered at him. He used the magic that had encased her in flame, making him her enemy. He walked up to her, his face stopping an inch from hers. Angry eyes stared into smug ones. "You know, you'll make a very good cart horse." His eyes glowed silver and Paige froze. Everything evaporated, except for those terrifying silver eyes. Paige's mind raced, trying to move paralyzed limbs. Her sight was changing. Something big and black appeared in her vision, pushing her eyes apart. Pain washed across her, but soon passed. She wrenched free of his grip, and shook her head to clear it. Her head felt.wrong, somehow. She turned, and there was the creep, smirking at her. She wanted so much to wipe that smile of his face. She lashed at him with her hooves, kicking him in the stomach. He flew backwards into a wall. He slid down it, looking slightly dazed. She charged, intend on crushing him. His eyes widened and he orbed out of the way. She looked around, waiting for him to reappear. Something chimed behind her, and she turned around he orbed in and grabbed her by the leg. He orbed out, taking her with him.
* * * Phoebe opened her eyes. Cole was beside her, staring out the window. "Cole." She said croakily. His head snapped around, and he smiled when he saw she was awake. But the smile seemed false. "What is it?" she asked as he got her a glass of water. Cole glanced at her; then sighed. "Look at yourself." She did. She didn't like what she saw. She was a lot smaller, for one thing. Her head was perched on a small feline body, about the size of a large dog. She looked at the cat parts; then looked at Cole. "You've also got the cat nose." commented Cole, walking back over to her. "How did this happen?" she asked. He held the glass of water to her lips. He told her about what he had heard in the underworld, and Paige. ".and then I came in here, and you were like her. It's been about half an hour or so since you have been like this." Phoebe crawled to her feet, liking the strength she felt in the small limbs. "Let's go and get Paige and Leo. Then we can look at the book." They walked down the stairs, Phoebe finding it a lot harder to go down head first. They walked into the living room. There was a smashed vase, and a large impact mark on the wall. Phoebe leapt forward and examined the marks on the floor. Being a lot closer than normal, she saw thing she wouldn't have seen in her normal body. She also smelt a lot more. "There was a man here. He's about. Thirty. He got injured, then-" her eyes narrowed "He orbed. But he doesn't smell like a whitelighter. There was also a horse-" "Are you sure it wasn't a centaur?" interrupted Cole "How do you know these scents anyway?" "I think it's taking the information from my memory as a human. People smell a lot of things- they just don't take much notice. And yes, I'm sure it's a horse." She frowned "The horse scent just appeared then disappeared. How is that. wait." She moved around, sniffing. She stopped dead, and went pale. "Oh no. No no no..." Cole hurried over to her. "What is it?" Phoebe looked at him, tears in her eyes. "The man. He took Paige's powers. And her. Well, not her... It's hard to explain.He took her humanity with her power. She's a horse. And he took her." She looked at the floor. Cole stood there, worried. It's like Frejack said, he thought nervously. And he hadn't heard from Leo. He turned to Phoebe. "Let's go look in the book." He said gently "We might be able to find some information." He picked up his girlfriend in his arms; then walked towards the stairs.
* * * Paige woke up with a groan. She was on the floor of the kitchen, aching all over. She frowned, wondering why she was lying on the floor in the first place. Then she remembered. The sound her ears couldn't hear, then the fire. She looked down quickly, expecting to see horrible burns blemished across her skin. What she saw was a lot more shocking. Down to her waist she was fine, but then her body changed. It lengthened into the powerful forequarters of a horse with the same colour fur as the hair on her head. She turned and looked over her shoulder. The rest of the horse parts lay behind her. Paige's eyes widened and she gaped at her new legs. The fire must have done this, she thought. There seemed no other way that she could have changed. She had passed out under the enormous heat. Paige tried to get up, but realized it would be a lot harder with an extra pair of legs. She managed to roll onto her stomach, and heave up onto her feet- all four of them. She very carefully tried to walk forward, getting used to her new limbs. She was just walking through the living room when a yellow fog seeped in. Sniffing the air, she smelt something strange, and frowned. It seemed familiar. It rose, and she backed away, nearly tripping over as she did. John materialized. He blinked at her and smiled. "You look a lot nicer like that, you know." She glared at him, while trying to recognize his voice. She knew she had heard it somewhere. He smiled even more broadly, and Paige thought he might have been cute if his eyes were warmer. "Don't you remember me? No? Oh, I'm hurt." He flapped his hand at her, and blue tendrils like the ones that had got her before leapt out, and bound her arms, legs and mouth. She glowered at him. He used the magic that had encased her in flame, making him her enemy. He walked up to her, his face stopping an inch from hers. Angry eyes stared into smug ones. "You know, you'll make a very good cart horse." His eyes glowed silver and Paige froze. Everything evaporated, except for those terrifying silver eyes. Paige's mind raced, trying to move paralyzed limbs. Her sight was changing. Something big and black appeared in her vision, pushing her eyes apart. Pain washed across her, but soon passed. She wrenched free of his grip, and shook her head to clear it. Her head felt.wrong, somehow. She turned, and there was the creep, smirking at her. She wanted so much to wipe that smile of his face. She lashed at him with her hooves, kicking him in the stomach. He flew backwards into a wall. He slid down it, looking slightly dazed. She charged, intend on crushing him. His eyes widened and he orbed out of the way. She looked around, waiting for him to reappear. Something chimed behind her, and she turned around he orbed in and grabbed her by the leg. He orbed out, taking her with him.
* * * Phoebe opened her eyes. Cole was beside her, staring out the window. "Cole." She said croakily. His head snapped around, and he smiled when he saw she was awake. But the smile seemed false. "What is it?" she asked as he got her a glass of water. Cole glanced at her; then sighed. "Look at yourself." She did. She didn't like what she saw. She was a lot smaller, for one thing. Her head was perched on a small feline body, about the size of a large dog. She looked at the cat parts; then looked at Cole. "You've also got the cat nose." commented Cole, walking back over to her. "How did this happen?" she asked. He held the glass of water to her lips. He told her about what he had heard in the underworld, and Paige. ".and then I came in here, and you were like her. It's been about half an hour or so since you have been like this." Phoebe crawled to her feet, liking the strength she felt in the small limbs. "Let's go and get Paige and Leo. Then we can look at the book." They walked down the stairs, Phoebe finding it a lot harder to go down head first. They walked into the living room. There was a smashed vase, and a large impact mark on the wall. Phoebe leapt forward and examined the marks on the floor. Being a lot closer than normal, she saw thing she wouldn't have seen in her normal body. She also smelt a lot more. "There was a man here. He's about. Thirty. He got injured, then-" her eyes narrowed "He orbed. But he doesn't smell like a whitelighter. There was also a horse-" "Are you sure it wasn't a centaur?" interrupted Cole "How do you know these scents anyway?" "I think it's taking the information from my memory as a human. People smell a lot of things- they just don't take much notice. And yes, I'm sure it's a horse." She frowned "The horse scent just appeared then disappeared. How is that. wait." She moved around, sniffing. She stopped dead, and went pale. "Oh no. No no no..." Cole hurried over to her. "What is it?" Phoebe looked at him, tears in her eyes. "The man. He took Paige's powers. And her. Well, not her... It's hard to explain.He took her humanity with her power. She's a horse. And he took her." She looked at the floor. Cole stood there, worried. It's like Frejack said, he thought nervously. And he hadn't heard from Leo. He turned to Phoebe. "Let's go look in the book." He said gently "We might be able to find some information." He picked up his girlfriend in his arms; then walked towards the stairs.