"Ow!"
"Sorry, was that your leg?"
"Uh-huh. Was that your tail?"
"Nope. My arm."
"Hm."
Claire and Owen had managed to sneak into a large crate that (according to the label) was being flown to Cambodia. Claire had reservations at first, but a long, white feather landed gently on the latch before blowing away in the wind, which was probably a sign from wing-lady that this was the right path to take. Why else would there be an empty stegoceratops-sized crate lying around? Not to mention the lack of security guards . . .
"Owen?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for doing this for me."
Claire could just barely see that he was smiling in the darkness.
"No problem."
She nudged him with her beak.
"No. Seriously. There is not a person alive who would do what you've done. You're the best."
Owen climbed up on her belly (she was, in fact, lying on her back with her plates folded outwards [which shouldn't have been possible]) and gave her a hug.
"I couldn't let anything happen to you. After what happened at the park, I don't think anyone would be sympathetic towards your predicament. No offense."
"None taken."
"My point is, I don't blame you for freaking out. It's a little scary for me too, but I'm not about to leave you, if you need my help."
"I do."
Claire wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug. He smiled and buried his face in her chest.
"This isn't so bad, you know. You're very huggable."
Claire frowned sardonically.
"I'm fat and ugly and green."
Owen shrugged.
"Shrek is fat and ugly and green, and everyone likes him . . ."
Claire rumbled angrily.
"Pro tip: if you want to woo a lady, don't compare her to Shrek."
Owen laughed.
"I guess I should listen to you, now that we're . . ."
Claire snorted.
"Let's not get too confident."
Owen smiled and kissed the ridge of her beak.
"Anything else you want to tell me to prevent a screw-up?"
Claire smiled mischievously.
"Oh . . . I don't know. Sing my praises, bring me flowers-"
Suddenly, Claire felt very nauseous. Owen frowned and sat up on her belly.
"What's wrong?"
"I . . . I think I'm changing back!"
Sure enough, she began to shrink. Owen quickly slid off of her chest, now that he had room to sit on the ground without being pressed against the wall by her voluminous body fat. When she was fully human, he crawled over and felt her forehead.
"You don't have a fever . . ."
Claire nodded woozily.
"I don't think it's an illness. I blame the magic wing-lady for this."
"Well, at least you're back to normal."
Claire closed her eyes and nodded.
"Does this mean we don't have to fly to Cambodia?"
Suddenly, the crate was lifted by some sort of machine. Owen gave a sheepish grin.
"I guess that's our answer."
***TSJWFEW***
"Ms. Spurr! The stegoceratops is on the move!" Bernie yapped as he skittered down the hallway. He found Spurr sitting at her desk, as usual, writing something on a small notepad.
"Did you contact June?" she asked calmly. Bernie gulped.
"No, but-"
"I asked you to contact June."
"Yes, but I haven't found-"
Spurr ripped a page from the notepad and slammed it on the desk.
"These are her coordinates in five hours. You will find her and you will tell her what we plan to do. In the meantime, you are to prevent the stegoceratops and her partner from reaching their destination. We can flush out the Starbearer by endangering her characters."
Bernie read the note.
"June is swimming to Cambodia?"
"Yes. The Starbearer has placed a colony of stegoceratops- real stegoceratops- near an ancient temple so that Claire Dearing may train them to fight in a war against the elephants. Her plan is to reform June. We must make sure that she doesn't succeed. That is why Claire Dearing and Owen Grady must be stopped."
Bernie nodded.
"And what shall I do, Ms. Spurr?"
She gave him an ice-cold stare.
"Kill them."
***TSJWFEW***
Owen smiled as Claire shifted on his chest. She had fallen asleep a few minutes ago, and he had to admit, he was very much in favor of their current situation. Of course, they were still trapped in a crate that was being flown to Cambodia, but if that meant they were on their way to finding a cure for Claire, he was all for it.
Truth be told, he felt a sort of sadness for her. It wasn't pity, exactly, but it made him want to find a way to make her feel better. The expression on her face when she had first revealed herself was enough to break his heart. She was so ashamed, but she really had no reason to be. If what she said was true, and it probably was, the magic wing-lady was responsible for her transformation. Owen didn't really know what to make of this mysterious winged woman, but he was willing to believe Claire, if only for the simple reason that she had been a hybrid dinosaur a few moments prior, which meant that anything was possible.
"Mmm . . ."
She leaned in closer to him, and he rested his cheek on her head.
"Are we still on the plane?" she asked drowsily.
"Yup. You can go back to sleep."
She sighed and laced her fingers through his.
"Thank you . . ."
"You already said that," he chuckled quietly.
Her breathing slowed down, and she fell asleep once again. Owen found himself wondering what would happen if she changed into a dinosaur. Hopefully, it wouldn't happen in a public area, but if it did, he'd have to defend her. Not that she couldn't defend herself with those horns of hers . . .
"Claire?" he whispered.
She opened her eyes.
"What?"
"When you change into a stegoceratops, does it hurt?"
"A little. It's more of a dull ache."
Owen stroked her hair.
"What sets it off? Just stress?"
Claire shrugged.
"It's an emotional thing. Like, if I'm sad and worried about something, it starts. Once I know it's happening, I feel frightened, and I can't stop it."
"Claire, I'm sorry . . ."
She shook her head.
"Really, it's not that bad. I usually just hide in the washroom and calm myself down. Without the help of the magic necklace, though, I'm worried that my willpower might not be enough to change me back."
Owen cocked his head.
"But when you changed back last time, it happened all of a sudden."
Claire nodded.
"I know. That's only ever happened once before. I was in mid-transformation, actually, and it reversed in the blink of an eye for no apparent reason."
"Were you relaxed?" Owen asked.
Claire snorted.
"Oh, hell no! I was on the phone with one of the gardeners. He let one of our multi-million dollar flowers die, and I was scolding him for it. I started changing during the conversation, then stopped just as suddenly."
Owen frowned in puzzlement.
"Weird."
"Weird," she agreed.
They sat quietly for a moment, trying to take it all in. Owen wasn't sure why her little episodes had different mechanics to them, but if he could find a way to suppress the change, maybe they wouldn't have to fly to Cambodia after all. Then again, they were already on the plane, so there wasn't much of a choice.
"Claire?"
"Yeah?"
"This was a terrible idea. Why did you agree to this?"
She sighed.
"I was a dinosaur. I was scared. I wasn't thinking straight. Now that you mention it, it's a little strange that we both decided it was completely rational to go through with this . . ."
"I guess I just assumed that the wing-lady would help us. I mean, we both saw the feather, right? That was a clue. I'm almost positive it is."
Claire nodded.
"The feather, the empty crate, the lack of guards . . . I've been thinking the same thing. She's on our side."
Owen twisted his mouth.
"Why did she change you in the first place, then?"
Claire rubbed her brow.
"I . . . I don't think it was her. I'm remembering lions and tigers-"
"And bears? Oh my!"
Claire rolled her eyes.
"Real nice."
"Personally, I think you'd make a lovely Dorothy."
For some reason, this sent her into a fit of laughter. Owen frowned as she rolled over laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing . . . Nothing . . ."
Owen snorted.
"Weirdo."
Claire smiled and kissed his cheek.
"How long until we get there?"
Owen shrugged.
"Still a long time. I don't think we're even past the States yet. If you wanna curl up again, you're totally welcome to . . ."
She giggled and rested her head on his chest. Before he could put his arms around her, the plane was jostled by a strong force. Claire sat up straight.
"What was that?"
There was another disturbance. It was as if something was grabbing the plane.
"Turbulence?" Owen suggested.
The hull trembled violently. Claire squeezed Owen's hand. As she did, he felt her fingers growing.
"Claire, calm down. There's nothing to be afraid of."
The plane dropped a few feet. Claire squeaked and held Owen tight. She was sprouting horns.
"Oh god . . . What if I weigh us down?" she quavered.
"Relax," Owen said calmly, "Worrying will only make it worse. Even if you change, we'll probably be fine."
Claire whimpered.
"But I'm fat . . ."
Owen gave her a hug.
"No, you're just cuddly. Stay calm. Nothing bad is going to happen."
He said these words right before the crate door swung open. He barely had time to register the fact that the bottom of the plane was missing before he was sucked into the open sky.
***TSJWFEW***
Back in Costa Rica, Lowery Cruthers felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He strutted away from the crowd of survivors, plugging one ear to hear better.
"Hello?"
"Hi! Lowery?"
He smiled.
"Vivian, hi! How are things going?"
"Great! . . . Okay, not so great. I might need help. I was trying to call the police, but I accidentally hit your contact. It's kind of hard to use my phone. I don't have fingers."
Lowery blinked.
"You . . . You what?"
"I don't have fingers. Pay attention. Anyway, I was kind of kidnapped-"
"KIDNAPPED?!" Lowery shouted.
"Yes! Pay attention. I was kidnapped and now I'm being held captive in a weird building against my will. By the way, if you see a girl with long, purple hair, don't talk to her, because she's working for the lady who kidnapped me."
Lowery paced back and forth.
"Shit! Vivian! Oh my god! Where are you?"
"Madrid, I think. It's kinda hard to tell. I'm in a cage."
Lowery ran his fingers through his hair.
"Oh god . . . Oh god . . . Look, I'm going to send help, okay?"
"Okay. I might have to hang up if they come back."
"Who?"
"The people who kidnapped me."
Lowery rubbed his temples.
"Yeah, I got that. I mean who kidnapped you?"
"Well, the blonde lady seems to be in charge. I think she's a witch or something."
Lowery frowned.
"A witch?"
"Yeah, she has magical powers."
Lowery pursed his lips.
"Viv, is this some kind of joke?"
"Naw. It's real. Is there such a thing as an Acristavelafrons?"
Lowery tapped his fingers along the side of the phone in confusion.
"Uh . . . No? There's acristavus and velafrons, but those are two different hadrosaurs . . ."
"Okay. So I think I'm, like, between those."
Lowery's eyes went wide.
"You're being held captive with two dinosaurs?"
Vivian scoffed.
"No, stupid! I am the dinosaurs! I think I'm, like, a hybrid or something."
Lowery groaned.
"Okay, Vivian. This isn't funny."
"I'm not joking. The witch-lady made me a dinosaur. Look, can you just hand your phone to a policeman or something?"
Lowery shook his head.
"Vivian, I'm kind of stressed out. I don't have time for this."
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. With a small crackle, Vivian sighed.
"Alright. I'm going to call you back in FaceTime. Answer me, okay?"
Lowery rolled his eyes.
"Okay!" he said patronizingly.
The line went dead. Lowery rocked back and forth on his feet idly. A few seconds later, his phone rang. He rolled his eyes and looked at the screen, expecting to see Vivian doing some sort of prank. Instead, a hybrid dinosaur stared back at him.
"HOLY SHIT!"
"I told you!" Vivian stressed, "So, can you send help now?"
Lowery squeaked and nodded quickly.
"Good. Hurry up, okay? I think they plan to feed me to the shark-bat."
Lowery blinked.
"Shark-bat?"
"YES! SHARK-BAT! PAY ATTENTION! GOD!"
Lowery's lip quivered.
"Okay . . ."
There was a clanking sound on Vivian's end of the line. She turned her head and gasped.
"Gotta go. She's back. Don't let me get eaten, okay?"
"Okay?" Lowery squeaked.
Vivian slammed her foot on the phone to end the call. For a moment, Lowery stood frozen in place. The other survivors marched to and fro, completely oblivious to his predicament. Slowly, he lowered his phone and frowned in determination.
"Okay."
***TSJWFEW***
Claire screamed as she tumbled through the clouds. She was still changing, and although she didn't know the exact physics of falling dinosaurs, she assumed that this was a very bad thing. Not that she'd survive the fall as a human, but still . . .
"CLAI-AI-AIRE!"
Owen grabbed her tail before she could drift too far. She flung him forward and caught him with both arms, holding him against her chest like a panda might hold a clump of bamboo (while also falling to its death).
"OWEN, I'M SORRY!" she screamed.
"FOR WHAT?!"
"WE'RE BOTH GONNA DIE BECAUSE OF ME!"
"THAT'S NOT TRUE! IT'S MY FAULT FOR SUGGESTING THIS!"
"DON'T BLAME YOURSELF! NEITHER OF US COULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING!"
Owen frowned.
"NEE-THER OR NIE-THER?!"
"DON'T QUESTION MY PRONUNCIATION WHILE WE'RE FALLING TO OUR DEATHS!"
They held onto each other tightly as they fell. Owen looked at Claire with tears in his eyes and pulled himself forward as far as he could manage without slipping from her grasp. He put both hands on her cheeks and pressed his forehead against her front horn.
"CLAIRE! I LOVE YOU! IF WE'RE GOING TO DIE, THAT'S ALL I WANT YOU TO KNOW!"
"I LOVE YOU, TOO! I'M SORRY YOUR CORPSE WILL BE FOUND NEXT TO A BIG, FAT DINOSAUR!"
Owen shook his head.
"WE'LL BOTH BE SQUISHED BEYOND RECOGNITION, BUT FOR THE RECORD, I DON'T MIND! YOU'RE THE MOST GORGEOUS DINOSAUR I'VE EVER SEEN!"
"YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY MEAN THAT!"
"I DO! YOU STILL LOOK LIKE YOURSELF, ONLY YOU'RE A DINOSAUR, AND-"
Claire wailed.
"OWEN, WE'RE GONNA DIE!"
"I KNOW! I THINK WE'VE ALREADY MADE THAT CLEAR!"
"HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO REACH THE GROUND?!"
"I HAVE NO IDEA, BUT I'M NOT ABOUT TO WASTE OUR LAST FEW MOMENTS TOGETHER!"
He leaned forward and kissed her. Despite the fact that they were about to be pummeled into a pancake-shaped pile of blood and intestines, she let herself get wrapped up in the gesture. She was so wrapped up, in fact, that she didn't notice the rapid vibration that spread across her back, almost instinctually. It was Owen who first came to the realization that they weren't exactly falling anymore. He pulled away from her mouth and peeked over her shoulder.
"What the hell? . . ."
Claire's plates were flitting back and forth in sequence as nimbly as a ladybug's wings. Somehow, this was causing them to hover in midair.
"You can fly?" Owen gasped.
Claire's jaw dropped.
"I . . . I can fly . . ."
Owen frowned.
"Why didn't you TELL me?"
"Hey, I'm just as surprised as you are!"
Owen climbed up her snout and sat comfortably on her face, using her horns as armrests.
"Well, this is oddly convenient. Do you mind setting us down somewhere?"
Slowly, Claire adjusted her plate-beats so that they were able to reduce their altitude at a steady rate. As the ground grew closer and closer, Claire scanned the prairies for a safe place to land. There was nothing but open fields for miles.
"Well, at least we didn't land in any major cities," Owen muttered.
"Not that anyone would be afraid of 'Cowzilla' . . ." Claire sighed bitterly.
"Hey, don't say those things. You're a perfectly lovely hybrid dinosaur," Owen asserted, patting her cheek gently. He pulled away when she rumbled in warning.
They landed gently, parting the yellow grass as they made contact with the sweet, sweet ground. Claire's plates grew still, and she took a deep breath. Owen slid down from her face and looked around.
"Well, there aren't a lot of options from here on out. Wanna wander around aimlessly for a bit?"
Claire nodded.
"I think that would be best. I don't know where we are, but we'll need to find food and shelter."
Owen gave her a quick glance.
"What if you can't change back?"
"You'll have to find a place to stay, and I'll wait nearby. There's enough grass here to fill me up, if need be," she said with a trace of reluctance. Owen looked at her sadly.
"Claire, I don't want to force you to eat grass . . ."
Claire shrugged halfheartedly.
"It doesn't need to be grass. I can find some berries or flowers-"
Suddenly, she shuddered.
"It's happening again . . ."
She shrunk down to her regular size. When she was done changing, Owen helped her to her feet.
"You okay?"
Claire nodded.
"Yeah . . . It's just weird that I've had two quick changes in one day."
Owen smiled.
"Well, at least this means you won't have to eat grass."