Finally.
Jaina felt like running, but carefully maintained a dignified walk as she and Kalec approached the docks. Early morning sun struggled to break through the clouds. She'd put any supplies they might need into a dimensional fold to bring with them. Kalec kept shooting her looks; one moment all smiles the next he looked somewhat terrified. Jaina knew she looked the same.
It was time to finally enact the spell though.
The math had been checked and double checked. The patterns tested and considered. She'd etched part of the spellwork onto her skin permanently. She'd trained, studied and worried over the details until there was nothing left to do but to actually cast the spell.
At the docks Kalecgos shifted form and she watched intently. He had shifted shape for her several times over the last few weeks so she could take notes, but this would be the last time before she herself attempted the spell she'd created.
She'd created a spell!
Jaina had created spells before; cantrips and artifacts and so forth, but every time drew a new thrill. This work was complex and in depth in areas she had only appreciated academically prior. Eventually she did want to write about it, but for now it was a new and special thing she shared with Kalec alone. That was a little thrilling as well.
Kalec dipped a shoulder and she climbed onto his back. Then they were aloft and heading out over the sea. Kalec created a portal and flew through, emerging over the the snow and ice at the edge of the crystalsong forest. The sun was having better luck here with cloud cover that wasn't so absolute.
The location for their field test was close enough if something went wrong they would be able to reach help in Dalaran, but far enough away she'd have the privacy she needed to focus on her casting. New spellwork, especially conducted by archmages, could attract a lot of attention. It was also a little dangerous, and a responsible mage would minimize casualties.
As Kalec soared to their destination, she tried to pay close attention to what he was doing as he flew, taking more mental notes. If all went well, learning to fly would be included in the next phase of the project.
Kalec landed with a soft crunch of snow under his paws. Jaina was sliding off his back before he could politely dip a shoulder for her. Looking around she thought it looked like enough room. She pulled the basket of supplies from the dimensional pocket and triple checked the contents.
There were a number of healing potions and tonics as well as some emergency dispelling glyphs. Kalec was certain that he could undo whatever potential problem came up, but neither of them wanted to leave anything to chance. There were also camping supplies and food as well as warm blankets and some wands that could produce flares if they needed to stay out for an extended period of time.
She set the bag to the side and then there was nothing left to prepare.
Jaina drew in a breath then let it out slowly, her hands flexing, fingers wiggling. Blood rushed in her ears, her heart pounding. Kalec shifted out of his natural form and stood by her side, so close he was almost touching. He was always there when she needed him to be. She reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it hard. He returned the gesture.
"Are you ready?" Kalec asked.
Jaina blew out a shaky breath, "Yes."
"Nervous?"
"Yes," she said, the word coming out with a giddy laugh. What she was doing would change her; not just her physical body but her arcane aura as well. It would alter her perceptions and even relationships. It was also new and exciting, opening more for her to discover. She'd understand Kalec and his people better. He'd given so much to her she wanted to return some of that support.
Kalec squeezed her hand once more. "The equations check out. You've practiced the components. You have the power to do it," he said, reassuring her and possibly himself.
She nodded and reached up with one hand to touch the necklace around her neck. Where it rested on the new tattoos she felt the strange sensation of both heating and cooling. Through the connection she could feel the leycrystal gemstone which rested on her collarbone. The lines on her back, now fully healed, had responded to the power she'd pushed into the gemstone and the metal lattice which contained it. She'd taken it as a good sign.
Kalec cupped her face in his hands, warming her skin against the chill of Northrend. "Are you certain you're okay?"
She pulled him down and kissed him hard. "You're always caring for me. Thank you." She rested her forehead against his. "I want to do this. It's just a big step, a big change for me, and I'm being silly." She wound her fingers through his.
"You aren't being silly. Many of the changes you've had recently have been unpleasant."
"I am being silly because this one won't be. And because I'm standing around when I could be casting." She laughed and stepped away so she could shuck off the the heavy winter coat she wore.
Underneath she wore a thin shift she didn't particularly care about in case it was destroyed. She could withstand cold given her affinity for frost magic, but she shivered as the chill air touched her skin. She handed the coat to Kalec. If she needed to be bundled into something warm, the heavy, fur-lined coat would serve that purpose well. He kissed her once more, his fingers trailing over the side of her face then stepped away. He set her coat on the basket and resumed his much larger form.
Jaina took one final steadying breath and focused on her spell. Months of work and preparation had led to this moment. Her training with Modera had strengthened her noticeably in both magical ability as well as physically. She'd seen the end of her manapool after being resurrected by the Red Crane in Pandaria. It was far deeper than she'd really realized and she'd been actively working to expand her reach for this moment. Jaina could do this; she could feel it in her bones that she would be successful. Perhaps she was only one of a small handful of mages who could. That acknowledgement was both thrilling and a little bit frightening.
It would be hard initially, even for her. But once she had crossed the threshold, once she had been successful, if it all worked out the way the equations said it would, it would become far, far easier. Spells like this engraved their pattern on a magical aura. Repetition would lessen the resistance until the ethereal grooves were well-worn channels and the spell was as smooth and as quick a transition as the one Kalec or Khadgar made.
As long as she could cross that initial threshold.
Jaina closed her eyes and began to form the flows of energy in her mind, drawing from her own mana pool and forming the energy into the precise patterns she and Kalec had worked together to devise. She began with the foundation of the spell, then expanded into the framework. It was hard work to hold the configuration in her mind, to simultaneously feed it energy, to recall the precise patterns and translate them from paper, ink and glyph into a living arcane force. It was a little bit crazy, and a little unorthodox, but that too was part of what made it exciting. Jaina denied the bubbles of memory that arose, focusing on the spell and the spell alone. The pattern was beautiful as she wove, preparing the energy for inscription. She used the patterns on her back and necklace to help direct, guide and anchor the pattern; the leycrystal was like a fulcrum, allowing her to bend and manipulate the colossal energies.
Her head ached with building pressure and her molars buzzed with resonant power. She gritted her teeth and fought to complete the casting. It felt like an eternity but she knew it couldn't have been but a few minutes.
Trembling with effort, she dredged the last of her power into the final configuration, mentally pushing the energy into the correct flow. It fell into place like a key finding a lock. There was a resonant chime which hit her arcane senses like a great cathedral bell. Suddenly the pressure and vibration ceased as the spell swept her up into its power.
It didn't hurt, but there was pressure everywhere on every part of her body, inside and out. She knew it wouldn't take very long, but in the middle of the energy, it seemed to take forever. Skin and bones stretched uncomfortably and there was a burning, wrenching sensation everywhere. It felt worst at her back, her feet, and the base of her spine. Her head ached. Her vision blurred and greyed as scent and sound assaulted her. Her gums began to throb and she fell to her knees. Flesh twisted, absorbed and incorporated extraplanar mass. She wobbled as the ringing in her ears drowned out everything but the sound of her own racing heartbeat. Stars filled the edges of her vision.
Then it was suddenly over.
Jaina gasped and staggered, head bent. A large blue something entered her fuzzy field of view as she braced herself on the ground. Her head was pounding.
"Jaina?"
Her ears swiveled at the sound and it was the strangest feeling as the muscles moved. Her vision started to clear and Kalecgos resolved into better focus. The first thing she noticed was that her perspective had changed. She looked around and the increased distance from the ground made her head spin for a moment, adding to the headache behind her eyes. She shut them against the feeling.
"Imkay," she said, or tried to say. The words came out somewhat garbled and slurred, as if she'd had too much wine. Her lips were stiff and her mouth felt wrong. She tried again and had better results. "I'm okay." The headache was mercifully receding.
Kalecgos, in his true form, was shifting anxiously from side to side, wings rustling. He was looking her over, his great head darting this way and that, seeking problems or complications he could see. The movement was making her feel slightly dizzy.
Jaina closed her eyes again and got her racing heart under control with some steady breathing exercises Yu-len had taught her. She looked down at her new blue paws then up at Kalecgos. "How do I look?" she asked, the words still slurry but intelligible.
"You're beautiful," Kalec blurted out. His wings rustled and he looked abashed. "I mean you were before. You always are. It's just different."
"I don't think anything is out of place. Is there?"
"Not that I can see. How do you feel?" he asked stepping closer. His wings fluttered anxiously again. He looked different somehow, but there were so many new things vying for her attention, the thought idly slipped by as other new sensations demanded attention.
In answer she took an unsteady step towards him, then another. When she was close enough, Jaina gently rested the side of her head against his neck and sighed. This was one way his people embraced those they were closest with. It was what he mimicked in his very handsome but very not dragon-shaped half-elf form. He made a sound that was surprised, then another which was pleased. He returned the gesture, pressing his face against her neck and nuzzling her gently.
She shuffled closer so her neck was not quite so stretched. She basked in the embrace. Relief washed over her, helping to brush away some of the lingering physical discomfort. Kalec began to make a contented, rumbling, purring noise. It eased her mind and made her feel safe.
"You did it!" he said, excited and pleased, his wings twitching again. She could feel the muscles shift and flex under her nose and cheek.
She had. She'd done it! Excitement was tempered by the head-full-of-cotton feeling. "I feel like I am hungover," she admitted, speaking slowly and carefully. "Talking doesn't feel right."
"Human lips are too mobile," Kalec said, amusement in his voice.
"I don't feel like I'm going to die, so everything on the inside is likely okay. I feel drained but... I don't I feel like I did after the trial, actually." She'd been expecting to feel that wretched but she was glad she didn't; Jaina lifted her head, and her new height was something she was going to need to get used to. "You're still taller." She was perhaps just under half his size she realized.
He nuzzled the side of her head gently. "Losing the mantle of Aspect didn't end up making me any smaller."
"You smell different," she said, inhaling by his neck. "Nice. I couldn't smell you at all before. I think I can smell everything in the area. It's actually a bit overwhelming." She pressed her snout against his scales, letting him block out everything else. "And I can hear things. How do you deal with all this extra information?" she asked. The fog had cleared more and now her senses were being assaulted.
"I grew up this way," he told her. Stepping around so they were side by side, he covered her with a large wing, holding her close. She sighed and leaned against his much larger frame. "Give it a few moments to see if it settles out."
"Okay," she agreed, eyes closed, snout pressed against his neck. Gradually, she got used to the onslaught of information. It was like becoming accustomed to a loud room. She tried not to focus on everything at once, and instead passively existed and let her senses accept everything without trying to focus on all the details. Jaina relaxed.
"Better?"
She nodded. "You told me but I didn't realize." She looked around. The trees on the far side of the clearing were picked out in sharp detail. Further on she could see the mountains clearly, making out details she'd never seen even though she had looked out of her window every day for the past year and seen those same formations.
Dalaran was far in the distance but she could see the details as clearly as if she'd been standing in the city. The colors were weird though. "My sight is better," she said. "but the colors are wrong." She frowned. "And..." A cage of scintillating energy surrounded the city, arching from the crystals atop many of the buildings and running in local ley lines. She recognized the warding network, but she'd not intentionally opened herself to magical sight. "Why is my magical sight open and why isn't everything purple?" she asked. "Why is it shiny?"
"Blue dragons don't have a separate magical sight in the same way humans do," Kalec told her. "If you don't focus on it, the ley lines should fade."
She looked at Kalec, did a double take and gasped; the odd details she'd been too overwhelmed to comprehend before were now clear. He looked almost like a different dragon. His wings were covered in sigils that glowed with arcane energy. More of the same sort of sigil-work had been done on his horns and around his wrists where he'd said he'd had tattoos done in his younger years. Jaina had never seen these before, but now they stood out in shimmering contrast. The change wasn't just the magical additions though; the color of his scales were different.
Jaina had always known Kalecgos to be a lovely deep sapphire color with the shimmering iridescence healthy dragons all had. His underbelly was a pale ice blue that was nearly white. However now, details appeared that she had never seen before. He had a very faint falcon-like barring pattern to his scales where the dark blue fell to an even deeper color she found she could not name even as her mind recognized it as a separate color. On his face too were darker falcon-like edging to some of his scales and a dark mask of scales around his eyes. His wings had natural accents in a second color that she recognized but could not name. And his eyes...
"Why did your eyes change color?"
His eyes, which in this form were normally the violet color of magic, crinkled at the corners, a shared expression among humans and dragons. They were not violet. Or rather, the violet was present but there was so much more subtle depth than she'd never seen before; more shades and colors she didn't have names for and strange scintillating flashes that shimmered. They were lovely - breathtaking really - and just as gentle as they had always been, just not the color she'd expected.
"They've always been this color," he said, kindly. His captivating eyes crinkled at the corners again. He touched her shoulder with a gentle paw. "Here. What do you see?"
He held out his paw and above it he created that pulsing, shifting, magical sphere he'd used to illustrate and illuminate magical patterns when they had first met in Theramore. The spell was the same, she could feel it, but it didn't look anything like the blue-violet energy he'd called before - or rather like his eyes, the original colors were there but there was just… more!The sphere shimmered in the strange, almost reflective colors she did not have names for, the magic far more than blue and violet. It glowed and shimmered and shifted in color, deep and rich.
"W-what?" she asked, the word half garbled with her new lips, stiffer than she was used to, in a mouth full of unfamiliar-yet-not teeth.
He dismissed the globe and nuzzled her. "Have you split sunshine with a prism?" He gestured in the air and the magic whirled and shimmered, blue at the base but with so much more depth.
"Yes."
"What happens?" He pulled a large clear crystal from the air.
"It casts a rainbow."
"Watch," he said with the gleeful 'come see' tone that always emerged when he got to teach. He held the crystal in a delicate grip over the snow. The sunlight caught it and split into the rainbow of colors she was used to seeing... but then it continued on either side before it faded. There were colors beyond violet and red.
Jaina gaped. "You see more colors than I do?"
"We do. And Magic has colors all its own that the other flights can find hard to tell apart." He sent the prism back wherever it had come from. "I wasn't certain you'd be able to see them, or smell everything I can. Can you see farther?" His tail swished, sending a small wave of snow side to side, his wings fluttering.
"I can," she said, looking around. "It's so clear. I can see the wards around Dalaran and make out details on the mountains."
Kalec laughed delightedly. "So your senses are like a dragon's then!" he swooped in and nuzzled by her ear then backed off a few body lengths. "Try to move everything. Start with a few steps."
Jaina nodded and took a few steps forward. It didn't feel like crawling on hands and knees because of course she wasn't. It also didn't have the awkward stance of walking on hands and feet as a human. It was very strange to walk around on all fours and have it be comfortable.
Walking made her very aware of her tail, which threw off her gait. She looked over her shoulder to see her new appendage and was very surprised to see she could look down her own back easily. She stopped in her tracks.
"What is it?"
"My neck doesn't twist this way normally." She looked at him. "I want to see what I look like."
"We should make sure everything is in place," he said, regretfully.
"I want to see, though," she said, taking an excited step towards him.
Kalec studied her just a moment before nodding. He made a tossing gesture with one fore-paw. A mirror image of her appeared in the snow where he'd pointed, it's movements mimicking hers.
Jaina was far more slender than Kalecgos, and smaller. She'd become an adult blue wyrm though, which was good since she hadn't been certain she'd be able to summon enough mass. She was a few shades paler than Kalec as well. Her scales were a range of blues tending towards the color of compressed ice in a Northrend glacier. They shimmered in iridescence as the light caught them. Little markings in the darker flash of color edged some of her scales like the bars and spotting of a falcon. They were different from Kalec's though. She lacked the bold markings along her chest and wings that he possessed. The markings which ran along her head, shoulders and upper chest, fading towards her haunches, were similar to his but far more delicate.
All dragons likely had such patterning, she realized, but she'd never seen them because she couldn't see the colors. Like his eyes or his magic, she'd only seen part of the spectrum. It was a thrilling discovery!
Her claws were icey white and the heavy tip of her tail looked like it was encrusted in icicles. Wicked looking teeth lined her elongated jaws. Her paws didn't fade to almost white as some dragons feet; only the undersides were a more pale color.
Her head was crowned with elegantly curving horns, or at least she thought they were elegant. They were not as thick or as long as Alexstraza's, but the most prominent pair arched away in the same sort of curves. They were accompanied by smaller sets of horns on either side which curved back and down. Truthfully she was pleased she didn't have the curling ram-like horns, always having thought the Queen of the Dragon's horns were the nicer look. A ridge of spikes that looked almost like carved ice ran down the center of her head, starting small then growing larger between the gracefully arching horns then becoming smaller once more as they went down her neck. She had ridges of ice-colored points on her brow, but they were small compared to Kalec's. Her ears were also smaller than his and they seemed to have a mind of their own, twitching and turning to catch every sound. Her eyes had retained the same shade of pale blue, though they were slitted, and had the same soft glow they did when she channeled magic.
And on her back, right at the base of her neck, was the glowing sigil-work and circles that formed the key basis of her spell. The runes and lines looked like they'd been carved into her scales and backplates then sealed. The color of the rune shifted and whirled with a life of its own.
She twisted this way and that trying to catch a look at everything and decided she was pleased with the result. Jaina then faced the mirror image and experimentally opened one wing, then the other. The membrane was the same pale color as her underbelly and like Tarecgosa or Kalec's wings, it extended down her sides to her tail, but it did not reach as far as theirs did.
"This is the strangest sensation," she admitted as she watched her mirrored self open and close her new wings. "It almost feels like another set of arms," she said as she extended one to it's fullest and curled the finger-like ribs, cupping the air. She wiggled the "thumb" digit at the "wrist" then twisted the limb around experimentally before doing the same to the other side.
"You were expecting something else?" Kalec asked. "Also you have fairly decent muscle here. I was half expecting to have you build muscle before attempting flight."
"Knowing how the anatomical structure works and feeling for myself it are two different things," she mused. "I supposed I thought it would be more like a leg. More simple if that makes sense? But the bones in the flight wrist are amazingly flexible." She snorted. It was a flight wrist in the true sense of the word; the term wasn't a misnomer at all.
"Do you want to try walking again?" Kalec asked. "Walking leads to running which leads to flying."
Jaina found herself grinning, or as close to a grin as she could come. She carefully folded her wings to her sides and began to walk in a wide circle. It was wobbly going until she made the effort not to focus on her tail. Then her gait smoothed out and she saw how it worked with the rest of the walking motion.
Jaina gave the limb a few experimental swishes and lost her balance, rear feet pulled out from under her by the momentum of the heavy club. She fell to the snow in a heap with a yelp of surprise.
Kalec gently nuzzled the side of her jaw. "Most dragons grow into their tail bit by bit, but you're not the first to be knocked off balance. Tarecgosa got hers all at once it seemed. She decided that hovering everywhere was better than staggering all over Coldarra."
Jaina sighed and climbed back to her feet, something made more challenging as her wings snapped in and out as she tried to maintain balance. "If I could hover, I think I would. Then I'd only have to deal with the wings and tail."
"Walking first. Then we'll see about running and jumping. Once you can jump we can try takeoffs," Kalec said, gently bumping his shoulder against hers. She staggered a step.
"Kalec!"
"Sorry, sorry. I'll sit quietly." He and settled into his belly on the ground, curling his tail and tucking all four feet under him like a loafed cat. She began to walk a careful circle around him, his long neck allowing him to easily keep track of her progress.
"You're bigger and brawnier than I am," she said as she focused on putting one foot in front of the other in front of the other in front of the other.
"I'm also older which accounts for some of the size," he said. "The mantle made me larger, too. I had a clutch-brother who was built even more broadly than I am though he didn't live to be quite so big. I think you're just built on more slender lines, though." He shrugged, both sets of shoulders rising and falling. "How does walking feel?"
"Better if I don't think about it too much," Jaina answered. "Maybe I should keep talking."
"We'll keep talking then. How did the spell feel?"
"It was harder than I expected and easier. Holding everything at once was hard, but actually moving everything into place wasn't as difficult as I imagined. As for the transformation itself, I felt like I was being stretched. Do you feel compressed?"
"It felt like that at first. Either I've gotten better or I've become used to the sensation over the years." He tilted his head as he watched her walk and the image struck her as funny. "What?" he asked as she snickered.
"You sit like a cat."
Kalec snorted and tossed his head with haughty disdain. "Nonsense! Cats sit like dragons."
She laughed and finished the third circle. "I think walking is working out," Jaina said, attempting something more like a trot. She focused on that for a few minutes, but slowed to a walk again soon after. She was feeling fairly confident in her ability to move around, but the exaltation of successfully casting the spell was beginning to give way to weariness.
"I need a moment," Jaina drew to a stop in front of him then, mindful of her tail and wings, lay down following his example. Truthfully she felt as if she needed a nap, but there was so much more she wanted to learn.
"Given how much energy you channeled I'm not surprised. I hope you'll indulge me and let me cast a few spells?" Kalec said as he rose.
"Go ahead," Jaina agreed. She would sit here and rest a moment and then try to tackle hopping or something. She watched as Kalec cast. It was lovely but she was so tired. She yawned. "You know, the snow doesn't really bother me as much as I thought it would," she said. "It's actually fairly pleasant." She shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position with all the extra limbs before finally finding one where she was half curled up. She just wanted to rest her eyes for a moment, just a moment.
Kalec settled to the ground and curled around her. "As you might have noticed, your reserves of power are severely depleted. I cannot see anything wrong physically. You were able to get up and move around well. You did it!"
His wing went around her easily and she snuggled up closer to his side. "I did." She let out a content sigh. He was wonderfully solid and the wing stretched over her was comforting. His wings were strong, but they were supple, soft and warm. "Then I staggered around like a drunk and fell over my own tail." She yawned. "When do we fly?"
Kalec chuckled. "You're having trouble keeping your eyes open. How about you sleep for a little while then we can see about running and jumping." He nuzzled behind her jaw, just under her ear. "We knew this could be a side effect."
She lay her head down with a grumble. "I hope I don't need a nap every time I shapeshift. It would be," she broke off for another jaw-cracking yawn, "inconvenient," she concluded.
"It will continue to get easier and faster," Kalec reassured her. He began to hum.
"Cheater," she accused, settling in further against his side. He knew how much she loved when he hummed or sang for her. This was a lullaby, the unfolding melody low and sweet, speaking of comfort and safety. It was what he sang when she couldn't sleep, when her mind was too active and couldn't shut down. The slight breeze was held away by his wing and she could feel his heartbeat. Jaina fell asleep.
Kalec continued to hum and nuzzle her as she fell asleep. She'd turned out to be a pretty color; the vibrant blue of compressed ice. As a dragon Jaina was fine-featured and delicate. Her markings were precise little marks. Her proportions were good and hinted at elegance once she stopped staggering around like a drunk who couldn't find her paws. Those paws were a bit large and the sail of her wings hadn't quite grown in which gave her a youthful appearance. Jaina had far fewer horns and spikes than he did, but hers were lovely. They arched gracefully, framing the spikes along her spine. Kalec caught himself imagining what they would look like draped in gold, silver and gems; all gifts from him. Her muscle tone was good and she seemed to have some control over her wings already, though he wondered if she would over-think them once the training focused there.
She smelled divine.
It was her same enticing scent but more now, and she smelled very faintly of him still from the bed they'd shared the night before. It had been years since he'd slept beside a mate. Tyri and he had grown apart years before and both had been content to do so. Kalec loved sleeping with Jaina and making a nest out of the bedding and cuddling with her. There was something soothing about curling up in a little snow nest with a very pretty mate. Now he could do that, too.
She was so dainty! He'd not bothered to adjust his size any. Jaina fit under one of his wings, a warm, snoozing ball of scale. Primal, protective urges had to be fought down because he wasn't a hormone addled drake barely out of his first century. He did give in and lightly groom the scales along the back of her neck. The runemark on her back glowed and shifted, lighting the area under his wing. Jaina shifted and murmured in her sleep, sighing, but did not wake. The expression on her face was peaceful.
She'd done this for him. For them. Kalec pulled the wing around his mate more tightly. His dainty but terribly powerful mate. He'd known she could do it - she was one of the most powerful mages on the planet with control enviable by any blue dragon. At least among the dragons of Aszuna he expected this would accord her respect and admiration - even if it came grudgingly from some corners.
Snow began to fall around them. Kalec snorted and peered at the clouds. They didn't look to be bringing a blizzard or high winds which might disrupt his plans for helping Jaina find her legs. After some critical study he judged that the fat flakes would add to the soft powder and not hinder lessons.
Smiling to himself, Kalec tucked his head back under his wing resting it alongside Jaina. Walking then running and jumping. Then lift offs and hovering. Then gliding and landing. His heart grew wings and beat in his chest in giddy anticipation. If she was amenable they might go hunting together or maybe fishing. Jaina had expressed some wistful longing that the seas of Northrend were so cold. Theramore had been temperate enough she could swim in the ocean - something she'd grown up doing. His beloved seemed to have his same tolerance for the ice and cold of Northrend. If it held then the seas of Northrend would be open to her.
He wondered if she might like penguin as he did.
He dozed, rousing when Jaina woke perhaps an hour later. Her shapeshift had held as designed, a good sign. Kalec hummed a happy tune to himself as Jaina woke up. He shook the accumulated snow off his wing.
"A nap was a good idea," Jaina admitted. She gave a quick nuzzle then rose to her feet. She took a few steps and began to stretch. The happy song died away, forgotten.
Jaina's long neck arched towards the sky and she unfolded her wings out to their fullest extent. Her flight shoulders moved easily, drawing his attention to her back. Jaina's transformation had given her lean lines and coiled strength, the glowing marking only highlighted her inner power, making it visible for all to see. Kalec wanted to feel those shoulders under his paws. The winter sun made her scales shimmer. She was a vision in blue.
Jaina turned that long, graceful neck to regard him. He wanted to nibble down its full length. "What?" she asked.
He'd been staring like a foolish drake. But... his mate was beautiful and certainly he could be forgiven for appreciating the hard work she'd done on her spell. It was a fine translation of her human body.
"What?"
Kalec grinned. He shook off the rest of the snow and rose to his feet "Ready to try something a bit faster?"
She nodded and tucked her wings against her sides. "Lead on."
Running as a quadruped took a few minutes to get used to but after walking it wasn't so difficult. More of the same but faster. Mostly. The tail continued to be something strange that threw off her balance if she paid attention to it and now the wings were getting there too. They grabbed the air if she didn't keep them folded tightly.
Kalec shifted his size so he was closer to her, then demonstrated the next exercise. She was to race around in great bounding strides. They were somewhat terrifying to see him complete, even if she was nearly the same size. A running dragon was possibly more frightening than a swooping one. The fear ran out as he had her start doing quick turns which made her use her tail.
The first run she threw herself off balance so hard she ended up overcompensating and whacking Kalec soundly in the side with the heavy clubbed end. Jaina ended up on her back, paws in the air.
"Sorry."
Kalec winced. "No harm done. Are you okay?"
"Yeah," Jaina said, sighing. She wriggled around trying to get back to her feet. Kalec stared. Feeling foolish Jaina sighed and stopped struggling. "What?"
"Nothing," he said, the insides of his ears turning a dark color. "Try rolling onto your side."
"That won't hurt my wings?"
"If where you are now doesn't hurt then rolling over won't," Kalec said, chuckling.
Jaina eventually managed to roll over. The snow wasn't helping her. She snorted and shook it off, her wings and tail nearly throwing her off her feet again. She crouched down, claws gripping the snow for what little support she could get.
Laughing, Kalec nuzzled her shoulder. "Try it again,"
Sighing, Jaina set her feet. This was better than training with Modera and she'd lived through that. She could do this. Jaina began the drill again. She followed Kalec's lead, trying to match his bounding strides and keep up as he ran over ice and snow, pulling quick turns. Somehow, big as he was, Kalec was able to avoid slipping, sliding or running into trees.
"Why," she gasped sometime later, "am I doing this again?" He'd had her running around for a couple hours now and she was getting the hang of moving.
He was breathing somewhat hard as well, she was gratified to see. He should get some exercise too if he wanted to keep eating sweets the way he did. She huffed. Jaina felt gratified that even he had a to pay the cost for having a sweet tooth sometime.
"Because it's the best way to learn how it feels to do a quick turn without being in the air," he explained, swishing his tail around and making a great wave of snow. He'd been piling snow into a huge drift as he directed her to bound around.
"What are you doing?"
"Snow drift."
"I can see that."
"It will be softer to land on," he explained. He gestured with a forepaw and a violet glow surrounded the huge snowdrift and formed it into a more regular rectangle shape. He settled the cast and the snow remained in place.
Jaina grinned and fluttered her wings. "What do I do?"
"First, watch me." he said, gathering his feet under him. "Watch what I do," he suggested.
She did, watching closely as he launched himself into the air. His leap helped him gain clearance. The massive wings unfolded, the finger-like spans spreading to cup the air and propel him upwards on the downstroke. He hovered in the air, tail twisting to help his wings maneuver him so he faces Jaina watched the motion of his wings slow. Kalec sank in the air before he stopped hovering and landed with a snowy thump.
"Okay, now-"
Jaina launched herself into the air before Kalec had finished speaking. The height she was able to clear was higher than she'd expected. Getting her wings to work right was also harder than Kalec had made it seem. Hauling her body into the air against gravity was hard work. She flapped as fast as she could, but the claws of gravity still had hooks in her body and down she went in a heap, launching a geyser of snow into the air.
Her feet fell through the snow until they reached the hard-packed ice underneath, jarring her bones and teeth. She ended up sprawled on her belly, wings flopped on either side, the wind knocked out of her in a burst of freezing wind.
"Are you okay?" Kalec asked, rushing over. She could feel half a dozen spells roll over her body checking if she'd been injured. "Anything hurt?"
Jaina gasped for air and struggled to her feet. "Just my ego," Jaina said, eyeing the twenty feet of ice now coating the snow. "That was unexpected."
Kalec looked at the ice then back at her. His wings fluttered around his sides. "You can do that too! That's wonderful!"
Jaina flexed her wings to see if anything was out of place but they appeared to be fine. "Okay. Trying this again." She looked up at the sky, glaring. She would do this. She launched herself into the air, wings flapping madly to keep her aloft, but down she went.
Snorting, she tried again, and again.
"Jaina-"
She launched herself into the air but was no more successful than the last time. She fell from the sky and landed half on Kalec who hadn't been able to get out of the way.
Jaina let out a noise of frustration. She gathered her feet but a wing over her back stopped her. "But-"
Kalec shushed her with a soft noise and a gentle nuzzle. "Take a second. Just breathe."
The noise she made a was more of a whine than she'd have liked. "But I'm supposed to fly with you!"
"You will, you will," he said pulling her close.
"What am I doing wrong? Did I make my wings wrong?" She asked. They moved under Kalec's embrace almost of their own volition, but unevenly. She'd tried to match Kalec's effortless motions but failed.
"No, not in the slightest," he reassured. "They are wonderful. Trust me."
"Do I need to build more muscle? What's wrong?" Had she come so far only to fail? Her heart raced, and how strange that it felt the same yet she was so different.
"Hey now, love. Relax. You'll get it." Kalec soothed her with another nuzzle and a soft croon, pulling her close. His tongue rasped against the scales of her neck and jaw. She closed her eyes and leaned in, finding the gesture oddly soothing.
"You don't need to flap so frantically and desperately," he said, his voice soft and kind.
She sighed, head hanging.
Kalec nudged her. "Relax. Try again. Stop thinking so much about what you're doing."
Jaina huffed. "You sound like Modera."
He laughed and heaped more snow before stepping back. "Try it again. And relax."
She shook out her wings and shifted her weight, heart thudding in anticipation. This was something she wanted badly. Jaina closed her eyes and tried to steady herself. She would get it. When she felt a bit calmer she tried again, launching into the air, wings pumping more steadily.
This time she didn't immediately fall.
Eyes snapping open she looked around as she rose in the air. "I did it!" she called back, jubilant. The beat of her wings became unsteady in her excitement and she fell to the ground again, landing in the deep snow drift.
Jaina shook off the snow, looking around for Kalec. "I did it!" she waded out of the snow and shook herself. "Well for a little bit."
Kalec bounded over and gave her a quick nuzzle. "Try it again. Let's get you hovering."
Jaina tried again and this time was very aware of keeping her wings moving in time and together. She managed to remain hovering more than a body length above the snow. It was a lot like swimming. Flailing around without coordination didn't get her anywhere but sure, steady beats kept her hovering. Even after a short time she was getting the sense that like long-distance swimming, an economy of movement would help keep her from getting tired too quickly.
Kalec joined her in the air, his wings moving in great sweeping arcs.
"So what now?" she asked. "Higher?"
Kalec laughed. "Landings first," he said. "Allow me to demonstrate."
She watched as he landed, the movement of his wings changing as he backwinged to slow his descent then land neatly on the ground. It looked simple enough. Except Jaina didn't account for the sudden wind which whipped down from the mountains. She landed in a sprawl with all her feet on the ground more or less at once. At least this time she didn't end up on her back in a heap.
Kalec then had her practice taking off, hovering then landing until she was doing it without too much difficulty. "I think we're going to stop there for a bit," he said.
"But I'm getting good!"
A peculiar look crossed Kalec's muzzle - as if he'd swallowed a lemon.
Jaina huffed a laugh, her tail thumping against the ground. "Well I am getting less bad!"
"That is true but I don't want you to get too tired and hurt yourself. You can hardly keep your wings folded," he pointed out.
Jaina noticed that the leading edges of her wings were trailing in the snow. Truthfully, they did ache with the worn feeling of good exercise. She sighed and lowered herself into the snow, letting her wings flop to either side. Kalec loafed across from her.
"You are doing very well," he said. "I thought we might go fishing."
Jaina perked up. "Fishing?"
He nodded. "You should learn to swim too and that will use different muscles than your wings. We could hunt something else? Or I could hunt for us?" he offered, wings shifting uncertainly.
"I should be able to consume what dragons do and we did extensive spellwork to make sure I'm not hurt by consuming dragon-sized meals. Water does sound very nice," Jaina said, looking at her wings then back at Kalec. "We're a bit far from the ocean though."
"I have that covered," he said, opening a portal large enough for him to walk through. He gathered up the discarded basket and cloak with his magic and whisked them away to a pocket dimension for easy carrying.
Through the haze of the portal's aperture she could see the sea. Jaina crossed over and looked around. They were somewhere on the southern coast of Northrend. Swimming should be interesting.