After two long days and nights of travelling, arguing, and running, they had finally hit the next town, a small settlement surrounded by forest. Cináed, partway through the trip, had been completely exhausted, and as a result had let his magic fade from his appearance, reverting back to Aella’s form. The only difference (other than the enormous attitude jump) to tell it was really him was the shiny metallic color replacing Aella’s blue-grey irises.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEcEEM3JVlX
He’d noticed Luna watching him every so often, and she finally said, “Your eyes are strange. Almost like a human’s, only you know, silver… well, I guess it makes sense.” 696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7KgCNCzQF
“Eh? What makes you say that?” The eyes in question flickered to her as he turned to face her in his saddle.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc0k2HoCXgk
“Weeeeeell, you’re a shapeshifter, so you have to take the thing’s form, right? … Do shifters even have their own form? I mean, why humans…?” She trailed off, looking a bit dazed.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7slk2ajvt
He was kind of at a loss at her question, but answered anyway. “Uh, yeah. Shifters do have their own forms, in a way… it’s a bitch to explain. They just learn how to look like humans, because most spend the majority of their lives on Earth with humans, y’know?” He shrugged. “And the color, that’s easy. It matches our magic. There’s a lot concentrated there - we rely on sight a lot. Bright light changes whatever eye color we chose to that, ‘cause it’s reflecting off the magic instead. And it usually glows.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPE17lQGrk
“Ohhhh…” Luna paused, crossing her arms. “I guess it’s kinda like our world. Everyone is like a human, but Fia says that’s because humans accidentally cross the portals and, you know, breeding happens! So unlike this world, and I guess your world, almost everyone has magic, but they don’t have a choice for human form. Oh! But if you don’t have magic, technically some species can transfer parts of their magic! Like witches… and …and some elementals?” She rambled on about the subject, then finally stopped to breathe. 696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDryiO3eOqK
“Huh.” Seeing as he had no experience with their world, he was pretty curious. “Don’t get me wrong, though. The shifter’s dimension is completely made of magic. Everything. Even shifters can’t put up with it for long.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9QXgSQwcz
"Everything?!" she gasped. "That’s so… uh…" She seemed stuck on the word to use, then just gave up and grinned.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTj6tyt1J6
He nodded. “I know.” Redirecting the conversation, he asked, “What’s your world like?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvKCqbh8GE5
She looked up, eyes glazed in thought. “Well, I guess it depends on where you go! My island was more…” She narrowed her eyes, getting stuck on the word again, then shrugged and gave up. Then she smiled again. “But there was a ton of trees and vines and birds and prey! Neoma’s land is pretty neat too, like, it’s in the middle of all the climates, and it’s huge! Not as huge as Fia’s… but it’s in the center of a ton of climates! So their land is full of elements and elementals!”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalzINqOaJw
”So does their element depend on where they live, or is it random?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmgFpzPZjv
“Mmhmm!! On the island, anyway!” She paused again. “On Fia’s land its more witches, and fairies, and other things like that… well, fairies are kinda elementals too… Oh!” She continued. “But there’s bigger kinds of creatures, and a few smaller ones!” 696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXzygLt6I8
”So who’s Fia?” 696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oIp8x9cdf
“”She’s our friend and the keeper of portals on our island! She sets up portals and where and when they go places - she’s a witch!”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXLBizydCn
”Huh. You guys need to go see her to get back to your world, then?” he asked, wondering if this witch was at the destination Neoma had been so vague about.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6E1ncI1t9p
“No, we know the destination to go to! Neoma’s sister, Ee, was messing with the portals and sent us through…”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvycLlZKFls
He grinned a bit. “Bet a certain bitch wasn’t so happy about that.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJN7yHm9zav
”Heard that!” Neoma growled.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3tvjTStge
“Good.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsFDAXcfoZ
She giggled. “She’s going to killlllll her!”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmR0iOjsQ6p
”Hah, sounds fun.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUssYbLEzJ
”I like Ee, though…” Luna pouted a bit. “Her lap is reeeally warm…”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94cu1ISe5N
He was quiet for a few moments, then abruptly changed the subject. “What about you? You’re a familiar, right?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ67MCNsPRNl
She thought for a second, then nodded excitedly. “Yeah! Well, technically, not everyone in my village is a familiar, but almost anything can be a familiar, so…”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUJFR0dHGv
”What’s your village like?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIs8Kceet2
Luna kicked her legs off the horse, accidentally hitting it once, and patted its shoulder with a mumbled apology. “Well… it was different than this! I mean, there was conflict between the other clan and us, and a little conflict inside it, but they weren’t really accepting of outsiders… no, that’s a lie. As long as you could hunt, you were good…” She gave a short hum, conflicted in her thoughts. “We had a different ranking system!”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1gFoT9tOp
”How?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63V4tAAku2
”Well, there was the head family, but I guess that’s everywhere… There really wasn’t anything under that, though. The normal population, then the prisoners.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTnbDM5NlLK
”Sounds pretty simple.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFKA9PJAbb
She nodded. “And the prisoners could become part of our village if they worked it off, or they could choose to go home after they worked enough.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡraEEaKMKro
Huh, that was surprising. “You guys would just let them go?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0uLH2hJgOE
”Well, the village didn’t like each other, but we weren’t total jackasses - the prisoner could have a family! The amount of work they had to do depended on the crime against the other tribe. If it was something like murder or stealing another tribe’s children, then they probably would be dead when they got back home. Bad leaders were kicked out, too. If they did evil things, then they were evil people, and obviously couldn’t lead correctly. And a corrupted leader makes a corrupted clan.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIDudEFOMW
Truest statement he’d heard all day. He nodded. “Doesn’t sound like that bad of a way to live.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcyiaVSQwj
Neoma shifted uncomfortably, glancing over at the two. Luna only nodded happily. “It was!”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61JRl83dsG
”Was?” The shifter looked over at her.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpYAuVaf5R
She bit her lip and nodded. “Was. What’s your home like?!”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IYbT52BhN
He blinked at the switched topic, then hesitated. “Eh… like I said earlier, shapeshifters pretty much just live here on Earth, so..” He half-shrugged.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTgYeVGP3i
“There’s a pretty much to that, though,” she prodded, smiling.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTn5nWtVkq
”Not all shifters do. I do.” He gave her a flat look, much preferring for her to drop it.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7QXSG7NA6
”Oh.” She pouted. “But Earth’s boring!”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmTgYtQZf7
”In your opinion.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5X4eLRzMlO
”In a lot of people’s opinions!”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SpiRGyAsG
”Not in mine.” Better than quite a few places he’d seen. (Including the ones by accidental force, but some of those were cool, too.)696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZOt3Mj1Wc4
She pouted again, glaring. “Well, your opinion’s stupid.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAqB2T243Vf
He raised an eyebrow at her. “I can say the same for yours.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9GAmQj6tG
”Oh really? If you shapeshifted in front of a lot of people in this world, they’d burn you at the stake! In our world, it’s totally normal and accepted!”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡboXbiQuQm6
He started to smirk. “Shapeshifters don’t usually have that problem, though,” he pointed out. “First, we’re practically impossible to corner, and if we are, we can still escape. Second, you can’t burn one of us to death - most wouldn’t burn, period. Hell, I’ve shifted in front of people just for fun. It’s hilarious, they freak out. Sometimes, they pass out.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lSmVHIX6c
She had a blank face, then stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms in defeat. He grinned, and she started to giggle.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysjUamJoR6
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* * * * *696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ERfnqK4xz
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Just before they’d entered the town, Cináed had shifted back out of Aella’s appearance. Now he was back to his reddish-haired form, although tired-looking.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgKTLdz6Zm
Neoma had changed her shadow horse to look more normal, which had caused a lot of bucking and protest and had taken a few minutes and calming gestures.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjuYR2z0iE
He looked over at the elemental. “So. What’re we even doing here?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaxqaeQwVF
“Well, we’re heading up to a small town. It’s where one of our portals are located.” She looked down, glaring at the ground.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImOx6jQYdc
”We spending any time in this town?” he sighed.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEx8GkqrOIi
“Besides getting more food, no.” She looked down at Luna, who was walking around the horse’s feet, nimble enough to not get stepped on. 696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmtHMyrZAqD
“Good.” Luna paused her playing to look behind them, then darted under the horse again. He glanced at her distractedly, then went back to looking around.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Oo5bvWnhM
Neoma rolled her eyes, pointing to a store “Stay here okay?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnn9E3Guw6o
“Why?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRFSazvxhx6
“I’m not talking to you, asshat. I’m talking to Luna.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KYePkaVUZ
“Yeah, I know that,” he grumbled, annoyed. “Why’re you leaving her there though?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8hjcuHlTmT
“Because we’re going into the store to get food.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLRSDkf4O1q
He huffed. “Took her last time. Whatever, let’s just hurry.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAhVLLWUnqv
“Yeah, yeah.” She jumped off the horse and tied it to the pole, leaving Luna to curl up next to it. He did the same, muttering something under his breath.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5QMayWHps
Neoma walked quietly into the store, looking at all the foods they had set out. Cináed followed a few steps behind, looking a lot less interested and mostly just glaring at either the floor or Neoma’s head. She didn’t seem to notice, as she was looking over the food. “Pick whatever the fuck looks good.” 696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6rZ9tVGmq
He gave her an irritated look. “Can’t you pick yourself?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9SBycLmY1
“‘Course, but you have to eat sometime.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNBX53mr7n
“I don’t CARE what I eat,” he complained. “Unlike some people, I’m not picky.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyo1nUbHjO
She scoffed as she began to pick up a few fruits. “Riiiight.”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbI8PUH1IhU
A short while later, the two had managed to get a decent amount of supply and approached the counter. After showing it all to the shopkeeper, Neoma pushed some shadow money toward him - it was something she had been working on for awhile, and it was finally to her standards. The man didn’t see any difference, at least.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJwoZyhJkS
Outside, Luna was completely immersed in her thoughts until Neoma spoke. “You okay there?”696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYBhFqx8Zx
The familiar jolted up, purring in response, as Cináed quickly untied his horse. Neoma followed suit, and they rode out of the town with Luna trotting ahead.696Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHfLKMDTyf
Penana
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