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.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59YdPTLLKT
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.” 634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn5G1FW3wS5
“Eh? What makes you say that?” The eyes in question flickered to her as he turned to face her in his saddle.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFWz7OlvnY7
“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.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9S8RftuJC
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.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2SCKNSuOC
“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. 634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JLx8pE8cc
“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.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzLIcQKlXS
"Everything?!" she gasped. "That’s so… uh…" She seemed stuck on the word to use, then just gave up and grinned.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhpdYbAIFR
He nodded. “I know.” Redirecting the conversation, he asked, “What’s your world like?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zWEi5rZIr
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!”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ90Wg7DQ6D4
”So does their element depend on where they live, or is it random?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cyPFRUTBu
“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!” 634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMdeslA8Hl
”So who’s Fia?” 634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgjCtg4qx6
“”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!”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmUXjJsdve
”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.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmdXuEAaUl
“No, we know the destination to go to! Neoma’s sister, Ee, was messing with the portals and sent us through…”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuf6L9Rmgx
He grinned a bit. “Bet a certain bitch wasn’t so happy about that.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCvx02digsp
”Heard that!” Neoma growled.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfKO4mKWrfz
“Good.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw9f1geiEBF
She giggled. “She’s going to killlllll her!”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJfIl4q9JG
”Hah, sounds fun.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvthMkDiDG3
”I like Ee, though…” Luna pouted a bit. “Her lap is reeeally warm…”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ709X8I36l
He was quiet for a few moments, then abruptly changed the subject. “What about you? You’re a familiar, right?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFizsuTGfKW
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…”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJtnfXlM8OU
”What’s your village like?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKnwqnZLq3
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!”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0t8oVyFqEN
”How?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHQItFs0HH
”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.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugMaCjvHw5
”Sounds pretty simple.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldctasRtWj
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.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUK1KpKmsy
Huh, that was surprising. “You guys would just let them go?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3UIoVOLw2F
”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.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOK0X4YI3c
Truest statement he’d heard all day. He nodded. “Doesn’t sound like that bad of a way to live.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPl09FYKvP3
Neoma shifted uncomfortably, glancing over at the two. Luna only nodded happily. “It was!”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgk5K2s3wyZ
”Was?” The shifter looked over at her.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIUbdYfupb
She bit her lip and nodded. “Was. What’s your home like?!”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7opq11OGPY
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.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡowMhTXyrhd
“There’s a pretty much to that, though,” she prodded, smiling.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa34P5bwClA
”Not all shifters do. I do.” He gave her a flat look, much preferring for her to drop it.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnWY1XVhL16
”Oh.” She pouted. “But Earth’s boring!”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUiwHo1b1s
”In your opinion.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLFqql7JsZ
”In a lot of people’s opinions!”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEYn5fslYB
”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.)634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0J4x3Ls5jA
She pouted again, glaring. “Well, your opinion’s stupid.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1pw7Lp7BF
He raised an eyebrow at her. “I can say the same for yours.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRuVgEcqyp
”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!”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMKqmEkuUbB
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.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtqBTKUPFod
She had a blank face, then stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms in defeat. He grinned, and she started to giggle.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyQ9HQgYD5
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* * * * *634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCvOqxXdTP
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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.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYJp9ph4UI
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.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYaRr497mhj
He looked over at the elemental. “So. What’re we even doing here?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTw1SVnyBOj
“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.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRenzzpmShh
”We spending any time in this town?” he sighed.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmEuHWOOfE
“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. 634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhqRDHuYEQ
“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.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeUW7XIsYk
Neoma rolled her eyes, pointing to a store “Stay here okay?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vA2EJjkB4
“Why?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjKSk5pekg
“I’m not talking to you, asshat. I’m talking to Luna.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbX0PpP32P
“Yeah, I know that,” he grumbled, annoyed. “Why’re you leaving her there though?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPmnrnui71s
“Because we’re going into the store to get food.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFg84NZB8N
He huffed. “Took her last time. Whatever, let’s just hurry.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZodJ7ZcSz9
“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.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy73NcScG7L
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.” 634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5d2kaJnrfR
He gave her an irritated look. “Can’t you pick yourself?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ArCgsgVOf
“‘Course, but you have to eat sometime.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXPsaTZur0
“I don’t CARE what I eat,” he complained. “Unlike some people, I’m not picky.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡky93SC4oV9
She scoffed as she began to pick up a few fruits. “Riiiight.”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUnYwhFvC0R
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.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqGR0S5DbU
Outside, Luna was completely immersed in her thoughts until Neoma spoke. “You okay there?”634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbpGL3xfV4
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.634Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQPF149cwb
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