A KNIFE IN THE WOODS // Transformation

YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE A MAN
I THINK, THEREFORE I AM.

The burnt wastes that barrier the Desert and the Jungle seemed much more at home for the demoness. Burning stumps were a reminder of her old home, the dark world she once ruled over. One she resided in with other demons and dark gods. It was a golden age for her. But darker thoughts plagued her as she walked the dead forest.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted something. It was only there a moment, but it looked distinctly familiar. The memory felt like a dagger, but the pain was gone as she pushed the memory away. Again, she walked the dead forest. And again, something appeared in the corner of her eyes.

She turned quick enough to see it, and then wished she didn't. The body of her lover, all bloodied and gored out with a hole in his chest, stared at her. Mezrith knew it was just an illusion. But still, the ripple of pain and mourning that raptured her body made her cry out. The noise was a strangled one, and her claws dug into the earth beneath her, suddenly larger and sharper, and scaled.

"You're dead... I know you are! Stop tormenting me! Please!" She pleaded, black saliva seeping from her jaws as her fur became tougher, becoming that of scales. The visage of her lost lover was gone, but the anguish she felt continued to fuel this transformation.

Anguish became physical pain, and she braced herself for the finishing touch. As bones snapped and forced themselves into new shapes, she let out a gutteral cry. Her tail became longer, skull elongated - she lost her 'hair' and ears, which was always a loss to her, and her forepaws became grasping claws while her hind paws became three-toed feet. Therapod.

And then the pain ceased. The irritator heaved a heavy sigh, saliva dropping onto the ground below her - nine feet below to be precise. A low humming noise left her as she looked around, claws grasping at air.

— Reggan