The wide open country was just the same as it always had been, aside from the strange hues of light from the new sun. The green shade sometimes shifted into purples, or even oranges as if reflecting a world in flux at a very fundamental layer. A squirrel-girl and harpy walked down a path, looking around. They didn't have to travel that far to reach the wide open spaces from the suburbs, but it was still interesting at how suddenly, there were no buildings at all. Few farmers were around too.
The scent here was prevalent of nature. Lilly could smell other animals, water, trees, sources of food... she never knew any of that before her transformation.
"I don't know about this Lilly, we're going awfully far from the school" said Hannah walking alongside her. The young harpy walked barefoot, just like her new friend. She noted with some strange kinship thought, that neither of them could really wear normal shoes, although she wondered if Lilly could wear those big heals the grown-ups wore some day. Still that would be denied to the harpy, who had such.. vicious claws instead.
"It's only for a little while. We're just looking around." The squirrel girl said confidently. In truth she was feeling maybe a little worried. After all she had not been down this path since she was older.. and...with her family. Also she was a male. Still there was nothing to worry about, these were perfectly civil roads. Though she was a child now... it was hard not to feel a little nervous.
"Hey- look up there!" Said Hannah suddenly as they gazed up in the sky.
Lilly and Hannah felt the instinct to quickly rush down into the bushes, at the sight of a silhouette in the sky. They couldn't help but admire the sight. It seemed to be some kind of dinosaur, the flying kind. It was close enough to tell she was female. She looked like she was hunting, She swooped down to suddenly jump upon an animal on the ground, some distance from them.
Both Lilly and Hannah cringed hoping it wasn't a 'people' animal... fortunately it really was just a wild animal. Given how they had animal traits though, it was still a little cause for concern. The predatory creature seemed content to fly upwards once more, continuing her hunt, with the two children still struck in awe at the sight.
"She was flying," Said Hannah... "Will I ever... could I?" The harpy looked amazed for the first time. She had not seen many creatures gifted with the ability to fly, and it always seemed to come at a price. For harpys they tended to lose their hands. But it did nothing for Hannah's fear of heights.
"Why are you so afraid of heights anyway?" Asked Lilly curiously still hunched in the leaves.
Hannah shook her head. "I- I dunno. I just can't look down whenever I see I'm so high cause I might fall an'..." she trailed away finding it hard to explain.
Lilly couldn't help but wonder of the other 'predators' in the area. Was coming out here really a good idea? But they were people, just like them.. they wouldn't...
Suddenly she felt something pull her twin tails. "Ah!"
Lilly and Hannah jumped out of the bush grabbing each other in fear.
"Hehe. Hello," said a wolf-boy grinning.
"Bruce!" Lilly yelled at him. He had been grabbing her tails all day. Even after the teacher put a stop to it he still did it! Just what was with him?
"I heard you were going to explore, so I thought I'd follow you." The wolf boy grinned again.
"I don't need any 'elp from you!" said Lilly adamantly. Why was this wolf always following her?
Hannah looked in bemusement between the two, but still smiled. "I think its good to have him with us."
The wolf boy approached them, his tail wagging clearly very amused. His silvery fur glistened in the light of the countryside. "So what are you doin' sneakin' around here?" he asked. "There's not much to hunt here. And you ain't exactly predators anyway." Though he did take a sidelong look at Hannah. A raven could be considered a predator, when that size.
"We- er- I was gonna try and teach Hannah to fly," said Lilly.
"Cool," said the wolf. "You can count on me to protect you."
Lilly rolled her eyes. Boys were so... weird! (wait.. what?) "We don't need protectin'!"
Bruce's ears dropped a bit downward. But he perked up a little more as he approached closer. "The wilds are a little different now. There's all kinds of weird changed people here. But I know a bit more then you about it so I can keep you safe." The young boy nodded eagerly.
"I-Is it really dangerous?" Asked Hannah.
"Naw, not with me around" grinned Bruce once more. He flexed his arms as if to show just how strong he was. Of course he was just a kid too.
"He's just bein' funny" Said Lilly. "There's nothing dangerous here. I've been here lots of times." Though she kind of wished she had Jenny here.. or Artemis. They could use a magic girl- she stopped at that. There was no point in relying on magic! They got on fine without it before, they can still do so. Though what if they ran into this... enemy? It wasn't likely... but she couldn't be ruled by fear. Even if she was aware of greater things then her now. She had to meet the new world on her own terms, to see what she could really be... if anything at all.
"But what about that Dinosaur?" asked Hannah.
Bruce nodded. "I see her huntin' around here all the time. She's safe if you aint her dinner." He chuckled again.
"Okay.. come on then," Said Lilly. She was still mad that Bruce was with them, but having a boy around did bring a little relief...
Adam felt quite happy, to know she wasn't alone in this. Meeting another Harpy was strange. Surreal even. Yet, that was the species she belonged to now, right? Yet... it still struck her, the way she described herself as a 'non human person'.
Why did those words send such a chill down her body? Suddenly she understood why the television became incessant about the issues in dealing with the changed,and the rights everyone had. Of course everyone still had 'human' rights in some way. Law was always being updated, as well as the personal freedoms and liberties a person had. She was still a person! Did she think too much about being human? Maybe she should focus on simply being a person instead, like Sarah.
"You're day dreaming Adam," Said her boss.
"Oh- Sorry," said the harpy blushing. "I was just thinking."
"Yeah I know. It takes a lot of getting used to. Your doing really well though. Honestly, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you continuing to mind the store. I think it helps people see a bit of normality too."
Adam smiled a bit at that. It was nice... for herself as well as for other people, to be able to go into a store. Perhaps to buy the latest game, or just to browse... these were all very normal activities that people did before the sun change. It was also a really good thing to have. Routines just felt... good. Not always but the freedom to be in one was certainly not something to be dismissed.
"I have a few contacts by the way," said Adam. "Making an airtight box is easy. But getting power is not. However we could use magnetic induction to charge up batteries... just like an electric toothbrush," said the Harpy.
The crocodile grinned. "So we put everything in a waterproof box, ship it with some kind of waterproof adaptor to charge it... could be done I suppose. Still leaves a power source though as a problem."
Adam nodded. It was still a way to go before they could get their products under water... but if they could, their store would be one of the best in history. It was just so amazing a thought to consider... could an ordinary person really just put all this together and create a new market?
Anxiously she continued her work.
Leslie Gordon knew this was dangerous. It was untested and ... what if it went wrong? He glanced at his wife, who gave the same look of concern.
"Are you really going to try it?" She asked.
"I want to visit my friend in the hospital, and this seems a good a time as any."
"But..."
"I tested this suit with normal light. It doesn't allow any light at all in the inside. We're going to sell this to the non-changed as a way to interact with everyone else." Slowly Leslie put on the suit. It looked a lot like a boiler suit, the way it covered up everything, including his hands. With the hood on, it suddenly looked a lot like a scuba diving suit.
Finally, Leslie put on the mask. It was made of a one way glass like material, that was really a very carefully cut plastic. No light was able to enter into his body, even though he could see everything else on the outside. The suit had two layers in it, just in case the first layer failed... it was tough but not indestructible.
Mrs Gordon suddenly laughed. "You look hilarious," she said smiling.
Leslie took a few careful steps. It wasn't perfect, and sure he might look a little odd to people... but in theory, he could stay human and be in the sunlight. This was a good chance to visit his co-worker in the hospital. "I'll be back soon," he said.
Mrs Gordon rubbed her pregnant belly slightly, feeling a kick. "I think the little one is also worried about you," she said shaking her head.
"I'll be fine, really dear... I'll only be a few hours.
