Sada listened, entirely focused on her friend's every word. She had never seen Dedrei's eyes so serious, brightened with the intensity of what she imparted. Her features were no longer animalistic, but that quickly changed. Once she'd instructed Sada, she stepped back.
And she began to shift.
All in the same moment, Dedrei's nose broadened and flattened, her canines grew sharper and protruding, her claws lengthened and thickened, her antlers receded. Dedrei's long, pale hair shortened and thickened into a lion-like mane, her hands broadened into paws, and a tail sprouted above her glutes. Then Dedrei was curling over to stand on all fours as her body grew, her legs lengthening and thickening as slabs of muscle developed in her flanks, shoulders, neck, and back. Her skin became fur spotted like a leopard, and her feathers, which were light yellow in her Spiritkin form, filled out along her flanks and legs and took on hues and patterns of every color—green, blue, yellow, striped, spotted. Her tail, which was as long as she was, filled out and feathers sprouted from it as well. In just a matter of seconds, Sada was no longer staring at a tall, supple woman with antlers, but a feathered leopard as tall as her chest. The only remainders of Dedrei were the flowering vines, which were still tangled into her mane, and her brown eyes like pine bark after a rainstorm with their diamond pupils.
Despite the impossible transformation she'd just witnessed and the fact that there was a chest-high leopard staring at her just feet away, Sada felt no fear. She nodded to Dedrei, then after holding her gaze for one more second, a second weighted with an unspoken urging for her to be safe, the Druid bounded away on silent paws. The chimydra had drawn near to them in the time Sada had rested, and she could once again feel the vibrations its clawed feet sent through the earth with each pounding step. Dedrei would now follow those tremors, along with the stench she claimed the Beast to have, until she met it in its path. Then she would prove as a distraction while Sada searched.
Sada had confidence in her friend's strength, especially in what seemed to be such a powerful form, but a part of her felt guilty for allowing Dedrei to run headlong into danger while she ran about gathering supplies. Had Father been there, he would have been fighting the chimydra before they could stop to formulate a plan. But she was not her father. And she knew that if he was there, he would also tie her to a tree before allowing her to go anywhere near the Beast. And so, she reasoned, doing as Dedrei asked was doing a great service, one greater than the Duke would allow her to.
I'm sorry, Father, she thought, and then she went away from where Dedrei had gone.
. . .
Dedrei
Dedrei didn't bother with silence as she went to the Beast, though she made little noise in this form regardless. The leoteryx was one of her strongest forms in both senses: she had spent nearly a year with a family of them, learning their ways and customs, and it was an easy form to adopt. The big cat was also known for its stealth and ferocity, especially when defending its young or its pride. And so it was with complete focus and confidence that Dedrei tracked the chimydra as it tracked Sada.
She had not liked the girl upon their initial encounter, and that was now something she berated herself for. She had acted in the same manner that Fairfolk acted toward the rest of the Spiritkin, with haughtiness and arrogance. It was true that her identity as a Druid compelled her to aid the girl, if not in finding the Elf king and a path home, then at least guiding her to sustenance and out of the Dell. But her duties did not require her to converse with Sada, nor answer her strange questions and entertain her strange comments, like those ones about her head and stomach, or when she asked what her favorite leaf was. And they did not require her to care for Sada. And yet she found herself doing all of those things. It was also true that her identity as a Druid compelled her to reconcile this evil presence in their world. But that wasn't what fueled her forward with such urgency, and such anger. Instead, she found herself urgent to reach this Beast because she feared what would happen to the girl if she didn't.
The Mother of Druids, Queen Woia, taught of balance and peace and love, even toward humans. All Druids knew Elt's history with the humans and their realm, but still they were called not to hate the mortals. Woia taught them this specifically; even if they had not been fellow creatures with the breath of life in them, they were distantly related to all Spiritkin, and one should not hate kin. And yet Dedrei and a few others had found themselves harboring disgust for the human race and their evil actions; the corruption and harm they had once brought to Elt, and still brought to their own world and each other. But—even though the dirty part of Dedrei despised herself for it—she found her companionship and time with Sada erasing that disgust. Sada could certainly talk too much, and she had no true concept of how the world worked, but she was a light in a world of darkness. Even in a balanced realm like Elt, she shone.
This chimydra sought to put out her light, and so Dedrei sought to put it out of its misery and end its abominable existence.
She smelled the stench, one of rotting flesh and mildew, before she saw the Beast. But it came into view shortly after. It no longer ran—it had grown too tired; it was still a baby after all—but it carried on in Sada's direction all the same. Each of the heads swung around madly, as if they all sought something different. But the body they were all conjoined to had one purpose, to kill Dedrei and Sada, and it seemed that none of the heads were powerless to stop that. Perhaps they all wanted it.
The abomination of a head saw Dedrei first, and when its watering green eyes locked onto Dedrei's she immediately stopped, sank into a crouch, and snarled. It was less of a decision and more of a visceral reaction to the monstrosity. The tree cat whipped around to face her next and matched her snarl, its hackles raising around its striped face, made even angrier at the sight of another wildcat. Then the deer stared at her blankly, nostrils flaring. It was a wonder it didn't die of panic at or soon after its birth, being situated next to the head of an animal who by nature wanted to kill it. Oh well, Dedrei would take care of that.
The Beast stilled its pounding walk, claws sinking into the soft earth. Dedrei's gaze switched between the three pairs of eyes—green, brown, green. Her nostrils flared against the stench of corruption. The Elven girl smiled pitifully and the tree cat hissed.
Dedrei leapt.
. . .
Sada
The adrenaline had left Sada and been replaced by calm; she had been given careful instruction, and now she had a purpose. She would be able to complete it without fretting. She even sang as she walked to do Dedrei's bidding: 'Seek out a large leaf or a hollow piece of bark—mind that it is without holes—and then find yourself a pond. The caelicorn, should you chance upon her, can guide you to one. Gather as much water as you can and then return to me. Go slowly so that you do not spill; there is no need to rush out of worry for me.'
Sada had found Sarana, or rather, Sarana had found her. As she walked along a path adjacent to the direction Dedrei had gone, she'd seen a blur of cerulean between the trees, then the gleam of the filly's golden horn, and then she was whickering softly to Sada. A sense of relief radiated through her body, made stronger by the share of it coming from Sarana through their Mindspace. Sada had dropped to her knees and hugged the filly, then a sense of urgency was filling her mind and she quickly stood, brushing off her dress, and continued on her way. She had updated Sarana on her quest, not certain that the connection they shared would inform the filly of such information; she certainly was not aware of all of Sarana's thoughts. The filly understood her unspoken request immediately and moved off at a trot, glancing back with a watchful eye every few moments to ensure Sada was following. She was, and it was only by dropping all ladylike appearances and scrabbling over roots and rocks on all fours that she managed to match Sarana's pace.
For once, Sada didn't feel the need to fill the silence by talking. She certainly noticed the silence, for even the birds and creatures of the wood were not talking their usual chatter, but she was content to hear only the shallow panting she produced and the shoof of her dress as she slipped down off a boulder or root. She could not move as silently as Dedrei or Sarana, but as she spent more time in the forest, Elt taught her how to move quietly, to move without disturbing it.
She liked the silence now. Usually, it made her uncomfortable. Silence when you received guests meant that what you had to offer was not entertaining enough for them. Too much silence when the Duke was lecturing meant you were not paying enough attention to his words, and you would be reprimanded. Silence between friends meant a rift was growing between you. But silence now meant Sada could simply be with the forest as it guided she and Sarana to water, and it also meant that she could hear if the chimydra came for her.
She could no longer feel tremors in the ground signaling its hunt for her, but she heard its cries every so often. They were typically the yowls of the tree cat, sounding more defiant than agonized. Every so often the deer would raise its voice to scream alongside the feline. She never heard Dedrei's voice, whether it was a cry of pain or a shout of anger or rage, but she knew that her friend lived because the chimydra did not advance, and Sarana never quickened her pace or turned in that direction except to swivel her ears that way ever so often. Sada had not known Dedrei long, but already she felt close enough to the Druid that she believed she would feel it in some way if she met death, or found herself with a grave injury. Logically, this was not likely; there was magick in Elt, but she possessed none of it, and even if she did, she didn't know if it worked in that way. But still, the idea was enough to keep her from worrying overmuch for her friend. She followed Sarana's golden tail through the forest, mind set only on finding water and nothing else.
They came to a puddle shortly, and Sarana stopped and pointed to it with her horn, just in case Sada had not seen it, she supposed. It was a shallow scrape in the ground, but it was clear, and it would do. It was only when she dropped to her knees beside it that she realized she had neglected to find anything to collect and carry it with.
"Oh, fiddle a farrier!" she cried. "I've forgotten the most important bit of the instructions!" But as she was getting up to search for a leaf or piece of bark as Dedrei had told her, she saw something strange.
Standing nearly eye-level with her on a loop of root to her right was a short mushroom. At least, she'd assumed it was a mushroom, because it was the same shape and size and color as one, with a brown cap and a tan stem, but it had chubby arms and short legs, and black eyes and a hollow mouth peeking out below the cap. It gaped at her, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, and Sada gaped right back at it.
"Hello," she said, and she was so close that her breath rustled the large, black and white flower it was holding, nearly blowing the mushroom fellow off the root. He made a few squeaking and grunting sounds and somehow his eyes widened even further, then he thrust the flower forward at her. "Is this for me?" Sada breathed.
The mushroom person said nothing, only shoved the flower forward again. Gently, so as not to frighten him, Sada took it between two fingers. As soon as she lifted it away, the little creature stumbled backward and with a squeak, fell off the root.
Sada sucked in a breath and leaned over the root, searching for her little friend. She saw him among the leaf litter, lying on his back with a hand to his mushroom cap head, looking dizzy. Two other mushroom people were crouched around him, and they stared up at Sada with the same expressions of absolute bafflement the first one had given her. Sada reached down to help the fallen creature up, but he flinched away and one of his companions batted at her fingers with tiny fists. She withdrew, whispered a thank you, then went to the water.
The flower she'd been given was large and shaped like a bell, with a hollow space inside. She thought it looked similar to a honeysuckle flower, only ten times as large and spotted black and white like a cow. Sada still felt no real panic, but the sense of urgency was strong in her mind, urging her to hurry back to Dedrei, and she hastily dipped the flower into the puddle. Sarana was ready and waiting to lead her back to Dedrei and as soon as Sada stood, she made off at a trot toward the direction the Druid had gone. Sarana never stopped to scent the earth or cock her head and listen, and Sada wondered how she was able to track their friend. She would have to ask later. For now, she put all of her focus into ensuring the water never spilled from the flower.
Sarana had briefly explained the nature of a chimydra to Sada as they'd sought the water. The chimydra was a Beast that was a combination of several animals with multiple heads of different species, and while they were not friendly, they were never so abominable as the one they now faced. When Sada asked, Sarana had said that the thing which made this creature so evil was the fact that it had a Spiritkin head. It had never before been seen on a chimydra, because chimydras are Beasts. Beasts and Spiritkin do not mix. It would be the same as animals and humans mixing. The fact that this chimydra had somehow been born with an Elven head was the reason both Dedrei and Sarana were so eager to destroy it. Sarana's disgust didn't need to be conveyed in words: it emanated so strongly through the bond that Sada felt almost as though it was borne of her own heart.
The way chimydra were defeated, Sarana had said, was by targeting each of the animal heads' inherent weakness. If one or all of the heads were cut off before this requirement was met, they would just grow back, and become fiercer with each regrowth. Only after defeating each aspect of the chimydra would its body as a whole be destroyed.
Sada did not know how they would use the water to defeat the chimydra, but she assumed it was for the tree cat, considering cats in her world did not like water. The Eltic felines were probably not so fond of it either. How they would destroy the other animal aspects, Sada did not know. She did not even think to consider it. Dedrei would take care of that. All Sada needed to do was bring the water, and then she would receive further instruction from the Druid, and she would then obey those directions.
She and Sarana worked their way through the forest at a trot, and despite the fact that Sada stared only at the flower as she ran, taking care not to jostle her arms, she managed not to trip. They reached Dedrei quickly. Even if Sada had not had the filly to lead her, she reckoned she probably could have found the Druid and Beast by herself; the tree cat's yowling could be heard even from the pool of water, and only grew louder and scratchier as they neared. When the monster drew into view, the screeching was so loud that it was all Sada could do not to drop the flower and cover her ears. Instead she ran straight to Dedrei, her face contorted in a cringing wince all the while. Dedrei was crouching before the monster still in what she had called her leoteryx form, feathered tail swishing.
Before Sada could get close enough to the Druid to ask what to do with the water, Dedrei bared her long yellowed fangs and growled. The sound was feral and guttural enough to stop Sada in her tracks. She skidded to a halt in the moss, cool water splashing onto her hands. But she hardly noticed in light of what was taking place before her.
Dedrei was a fearsome sight to be seen. With her hackles raised and her mane bristling, she was the size of a bear. Her claws dug gorges into the earth, and her eyes were brilliant with fury. Sada thought that if she was standing in place of the monster, she would probably faint at the sight of Dedrei as her opponent. The chimydra did not seem intelligent enough to feel such fear, however. There were deep, wet gouges across its dark chest and forelegs where Dedrei's claws had marked it, and yet it danced before the Druid as though it had not been harmed, and faced no threat of further injury. As the Druid growled and roared, the tree cat yowled defiantly back. Yet its screech was pitiful when compared with Dedrei's.
But it was not the tree cat or the leoteryx that Sada watched.
Beside the cat head, the deer was wide-eyed with panic. Its nostrils flared so widely she could see the red of its blood vessels lit by the sun. Its brown eyes, so unlike Dedrei's now, were ringed with white and rolling every which direction like the wheel of a carriage, and its mouth was open and panting and foaming white. Yet Sada knew it was not from soap mouth, but rather a much deadlier disease: mortal fear. As if to demonstrate Sada's very thought, the deer head began jerking back in any attempt to flee from Dedrei. But the lizard body and the other two heads were stubborn; the chimydra held its ground despite the deer head's panic, even going so far as to swipe at Dedrei. When it did, the Druid snapped her powerful jaws at the outstretched lizard hand, and the chimydra immediately jerked it back. If Sada hadn't known better, she would have thought Dedrei looked disappointed that she had not been quick enough to snap off a knuckle or talon. The chimydra tried to dodge to the side, then, to reach Sada, but Dedrei cut it off easily and it retreated. The tree cat snapped its puny teeth at the Druid in her fierce form, but Dedrei had eyes only for the deer. Her lips curled upward in what looked like a gruesome feline smile as she bared her teeth and growled again.