I was like a giddy teen sneaking out of home when eight o'clock came and Talow came knocking on my door.
I didn't tell Darvin where I was going. I didn't want him to blow up at me or think that I was running around after agreeing to move my belongings in with his.
We weren't even a couple, but I felt like I was already cheating on him emotionally.
"You ready, spaghetti?" Talow grinned when I went barging down the stairs to the door I flung open.
I looked back to see Darvin peering around the top of the stairs in confusion before I closed the door and joined Talow.
The Base was silent, but Talow walked with no fear. He passed me a noodle cup that had already been peeled, flavoured and boiled.
"Try to be quiet until we get outside" he whispered to me "you don't want to disturb Cosmo."
"You named that thing?"
Talow smirked and shook his head, holding a finger to his lips.
I was brimming with anticipation all the way to a named door Talow led me to and ushered me inside of. I just stood there in confusion while he carefully closed it so slowly that it didn't make a noise.
He gestured for me to follow him upstairs and to the wall on our left where a couch sat that he dragged aside. A piece of painted sheetboard was there that he slid along to reveal a hole.
"We are trying to make it smaller to make it less obvious" he explained when we both put down our noodles on the couch and dragged the sheetboard "but for now, this is someone's abandoned couch room.
I looked around to see nothing else in here. The place was empty of any life being here.
"With all these doors, there's bound to be rooms that are missed" Talow swept an arm across the vastness "unless you physically go checking each room, you won't know. Old names that haven't been ripped down stop people poking around."
He crawled into the hole and I bent over to see him following the dirt tunnel to the end where it pulled upwards.
I positioned the board and squeezed around it so I could try and move it back into place and crawl behind Talow.
The dirt was moist and dragged along my legs scuffing through it. I groaned out in disgust when my hands reached out to the spot under the opening in the roof and sank into mud.
"Careful!" Talow called down to me "it's been raining!"
"Really? No way!" I bit back as I wedged my body up against the mud wall so I could slide my way to my feet and be helped up by Talow.
I was coated when I stood beside him who wasn't much better. He snorted and giggled at how destroyed my clothes were.
"Could have taken the tunnel" I complained and recoiled at the wetness bleeding through my pants all down my legs.
"And not know about the other ways in or out?" he scoffed at me "where is your sense of adventure?"
"Back where...." I jeeked a thumb to the hole before my stomach dropped and I rushed to it to look down at the mud "....back where we left the noodles! Ah, fuck!"
"No dinner then" Talow shrugged while smiling.
His voice wasn't serious at all. He had another plan.
"So, if you had to have anything in the world, what would you want to eat?" he asked when I ran over to walk alongside him.
"There was this shop down the road that had the best potato scollops; Shack Shop" I drooled at the memory "other than noodles, potato scollops with chicken salt were my favourite things to get. I could have put them out of business."
"Out of something like Pad See Ew or roasted duck?" his voice lifted in surprise "just takeaway scollops?"
"I don't have refined tastes like you obviously do" I rolled my eyes at him "where the hell have you been eating at?"
He shrugged and turned us towards a grassy ledge that overlooked a winding road below. There was a tree to the right with a bush nestled at its roots.
"Wait here."
He disappeared beside me without another word. It was disorientating seeing it up close. All I could do was sit down beside the tree and wait.
It was nice out here, despite the cool air making the wet mud on my clothes slowly freeze my skin. The grass was also damp, but it was hardly a bother compared to everything else.
Talow was only gone for a few minutes before he reappeared beside me with a white paper bag and a takeaway container.
He startled me at his sudden appearance, which made him laugh. He sat down beside me and peeled off the lid of the container to release the plume of steam and fragrance of peanuts and shoots.
"Pad See Ew" he turned it so I could see the stacked noodles inside "the food of the Gods."
It did look good. The thick noodles glistened from the oil used to fry it that slipped from the plastic fork Talow tried to scoop them up with.
I opened my bag to see it wedged with potato scollops drowned in the yellow salt.
"How?" I gasped when I pulled one out to bite into it "no shops would be open at this time."
"I have my ways" Talow grinned and slurped up the noodles he stabbed.
We sat in silence with our food. I was overjoyed at having a taste of something familiar that stirred warm memories through me of when things had been easier.
I couldn't get that back. There was no point in waiting energy into something pointless.
I should just focus on the reason why I was here with Eagle's son. Then I could unleash this thing inside me and wedge myself into some sort of system inside the Base that didn't have me still scrounging around as a nobody.
"With your demon..." Talow spoke through his mouthful before I could "....you got a name for it?"
"A...name?"
I was meant to name this thing?
"Sure!" Talow placed down his food "you're seperate, aren't you?"
"Together" I mumbled back.
Seperate would have been better. That way I could have my body and dump the spider somewhere far, far away. That or find a way to kill it for good.
I'm guessing Talow didn't have the problem I did from his question. Lucky guy.
"I called mine Pear."
"Pear? As in the fruit?" I questioned.
"I was young and starving. Seemed like a fitting name."
I jabbed a scollop towards him before taking a bite of it.
"Go on. Show me your precious Pear."
He smiled at me and closed his eyes.
I watched him, still eating while I did.
I didn't know what to expect. Everything around here had been horrifying so far. I'd seen a man's face split in half and hands come spewing out of another's mouth. Talow's couldn't be much different than that.
But he didn't change. His body remained the same as a glowing blue light sprouted from his chest, pulling further upwards like a twisting cord.
The cord became the tail of the creature that formed from it, splitting the single tail into three that spiraled around the main one still tethered to Talow.
Its body was slender and plumped up with feathers. It had gigantic wings hanging from its sides that had become its arms. The longest feathers easily reached past the side of the ledge we sat on. They had to be about the length of a van. 105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9588qxZGB
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The legs were still shrouded in feathers but were equipped with deadly looking claws that curved like white sickles. 105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuohyNdC7j0
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The head that turned towards me had me startled. It looked just like a exposed bird skull except for the eye sockets. They had curved cracks running below them that resembled the scar Darvin had gouged into his face. 105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCb9Iv6SzVy
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Despite its dangerous talons and scary skull, the creature was the most majestic thing I had seen here.
It just hung there, enjoying the weightlessness that it flipped around in with shrill coos of delight.
"It really is cute" I marveled up at it "compared to what it had to contend with."
"You should see her when she's pissed off" Talow grinned up at it twisting it's way up into the air "imagine all that but much bigger and a lot spikier."
All I could see was a paralysis demon hovering over Talow as he lay frozen in his bed beneath it.
What a nightmare it was then. I don't know if dealing with a giant spider was a blessing compared to it.
"Your turn" Talow flicked his fingers while tugging his demon down by the tails to stop it from sailing further upwards.
"Ill give it a go" I sighed when I got to my feet "I haven't exactly done this before."
"Oh, you should have seen me the first time it happened" he waved my concern aside "I freaked out and tried to run from it! But, you know, the tails..."
He tugged them again to make the demon weave down to snap at him. He just laughed and stroked the skull that crooned under his touch.
It couldn't be that bad, surely. All I had to do was just focus on it and let it come out.
"Get some space" he brushed me away "stand out in the open there and just focus on relaxing."
"Relaxing?" I shot back when I ventured out further "there's no relaxing with this thing!"
"Figure something else out then!" he smirked when I turned to face him and watch him resume his dinner.
Okay, focus.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, shaking my arms and legs to really loosen them up.
Relax.
I breathed out and tried to let the stress unwind with me. 105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9EprMHoD3
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My shoulders sure were tense. I could feel the wet mud down the front of my legs that were frozen from the air.
I wonder what being covered in fur would be like? Would I be warmer or colder?
"Tonight would be nice" Talow teased.
"I'm trying here" I grumbled back.
Maybe if I focused on something similar?
The spider itself? The one I saw stalking in the darkness and that had tore my heart out? Or something else? Darvin, maybe?
Darvin was a nicer thought. The first time I saw him Turn had been both shocking and amazing. The way he just did it so easily and stood there to let me bombard him with questions on every part of him.
I smirked to myself and had a newfound admiration of the man I had blown off so easily. I'd have to ask him how he did the changing thing so quickly. He shifted from spider and back like it was nothing to him.
But he had been born like that. The only focus he had was turning human, not the other way around.
"Oh, shit" I heard Talow gasp out "don't open your eyes, but it's disgusting."
"You think?" I shot back and threw my hands up "I'm trying to turn into a fucking spider of all things!"
"Yeah, well, it's working" he replied "keep doing what you're doing."
Was thinking of Darvin really helping me that much?
OK. What else?
The night he had danced for me, even though he was so conflicted and confused about it. It had been so beautiful and majestic for something so big and with that many legs. 105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0uFDAwM9w
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And he had the same fan thing mine did too. We really were alike....
"Ok, you should look now" Talow called out "but take it easy."
Had it really worked?
I fully expected a shattered vision to greet me when I looked down to see long, hairy legs where mine should have been.
But, wait. Weren't these my arms now?
And there was four of them. I flexed them, feeling my heart jump when they responded perfectly.
They were just like that spider. Black hair covered me with swipes of brilliant deep blue up each arm.
I turned around, feeling all of my arms and legs pattering around to turn me in a circle. I tried to see my legs but couldn't even twist to see behind me.
How did I know if it had fully worked?
The fan. I could feel it blanketing me somewhere at the back a few meters back. It was wierd that I could feel my arse but not know how far it extended behind me. The fan was like a warm and squishy balloon just resting on me, waiting for me to manipulate it.
How did Darvin do it? Did he just think of lifting it and it did?
Lift, arse flap, lift!
There was something tightening at my back, and I turned again to try and see it unsuccessfully.
"You really can't turn your head, huh?" Talow marveled me "that's sucks."
"You're telling me" I sighed back and moved my leg up to try and prod at the fan "is it working?"
"The flap thing?" Talow pointed "yeah. It's pretty cool."
I grinned and filled with triumph when I lowered my leg down again so I could puff myself up proudly.
I was acing this thing! This was easy!
"Give it a test run!" Talow urged and yanked down his demon frantically to stuff it back into his chest before it could properly react "let's see how fast you can go!"
"Alright!" I breathed excitedly and turned to face the way we had come from. The grassy landscape stretched around here as far as I could see. It was perfect to really test this thing out.
"I'll race you!" Talow slapped my back leg and strode up beside my arm "you ready?"
I bent down, fuelled with determination and cockiness.
"Ready!"
"Go!" Talow called and took off.
I bolted after him but felt like I was dragging a tonne of weight behind me that scuffed the fur along my arms and legs.
Right. I had eight of these things now.
Talow was pulling ahead. I locked my eyes on him and carefully moved my back legs forward and my front legs outwards. My back arms stretched back while I moved the front ones outwards.
I was moving as a crawl. Talow looked behind him to see me inching with fierce unrelenting will and laughed.
"Now just speed it up!" he cupped his hands around his mouth "you got it!"
I did have this!
I nodded and leapt forth, speeding things up.
Forward, back, back, forward. Back, back, forward, forward.
I felt my leg stamp onto my arm, cutting it. With my arm pinned under my leg and with me trying to pull it outwards, I was yanked back and felt all the arms and legs collapse.
Talow came rushing back to try and help push me upwards while I dug in both my arms and legs to lift. Now I had to figure out the other four.
I planted those too, lifting myself up yet again in the same motion to become airborne again.
So I had to do everything twice. That was a pain. And with these damn seratted claws on the end of each if them, it was going to be a painful reminder if I messed up.
"You gave it a go" Talow praised with a pat on my arm "I wouldn't even get that far on my first go."
I knew he was just trying to cheer me up, but I still felt the sting of defeat prickling at my eyes.
The sting of tears even extended across to where my cheeks should have been. It felt like this whole new face burned with shame when I chose to look at the ground instead.
I couldn't walk. I was stuck in this spot that I could only turn on. I didn't even know if I was doing that properly.
What an idiot I was. I should have thought this through.
"I think I need Darvin" I mumbled out to Talow "he knows how to do all of this. I can't just be expecting to be like this every time I turn back."
"It would make things tough if you couldn't even defend yourself or even run away" he thought "he should be in the room?"
I nodded, trying to figure out how to sit myself down. My body was getting sore already and I was certain I could feel the back arm stinging with blood.
"I'll bring him right back" Talow ran his hand over me as my eyes started to blind me again with tears "don't go anywhere!"
"Very funny!" I snapped back when he took off running and disappeared once more.
This fucking sucked. I really needed to sit down.
To hell with it.
I buckled my front arms to smash my face into the ground, doing the same to my back legs I carefully folded under me one by one.
This would make getting up even tougher. I was a jumble of crossed arms and legs all twisted over and under each other.
I was a sitting duck. But, at least I was comfortable.
Darvin was in a panic when he appeared with Talow who went over collect the uneaten food and dissappear again.
Darvin came rushing over to me, caressing my face and looking me over to try and find why I was folded on the ground.
"I need you" I choked out in embarrassment "I don't know how to work this thing."
He stopped searching for injuries and stood at my face to look down at me, covering his mouth to stifle a laugh.
"You are honestly so silly" he giggled down to me "I guess I can teach you. I had more trouble trying to walk like this than anything."
"Yeah, but you were born with eight legs and a hundred eyes" I huffed back as I pulled each leg out from under myself to carefully lift upwards again "I really need you to help me with this. Please."
"And I will" he reached up to pat my arm closest to him "I'm not going to just leave you like this."
I felt relief wash over me all at once. Solanine would have left me to fend for myself, but Darvin was not that arsehole. He had a heart somewhere in that spider body being created before me.
I felt my insides flutter when the familiar fire spider peeled itself from the destroyed Skin and rose opposite me. He made it all look so effortless while I was rooted in place and too scared to stumble again.
"Look at you" Darvin marveled as he moved around me to take in every inch "looking good. Stand tall."
I straightened. He stood beside me with a snort as he straightened too to measure himself.
"I'm still taller" he bragged, knocking my front leg with his "I want you to copy me while being confident in yourself like you are now. Don't be all hunched in; it makes you look like a sick and dying creature."
OK. Stand tall.
"I want you to follow in my footsteps" he continued and started stomping a track in the grass ahead of me wherever his legs fell "this should help you be aware of where you are walking."
He turned around at the end of his short track and returned to my side, smiling.
"Ready?"
"I think so?"
"Good" he grinned and extended the first leg to place it down "copy what I do. I'll go slow for you."
I found the pit in the dirt that my leg nestled snuggly into. I grinned to Darvin who was ready with his next movement.
"Your first two legs are like your normal ones" he pointed out as he placed down the second slowly and I followed him in the holes.
"Your next two will do the same as the front two, but opposite" he explained and lifted them to branch them outwards "if your left is out in the front, your right should be out in the one behind it."
This was already starting to get complicated.
"What about the other ones?" I worried as my body stretched forwards uncomfortably.
"The third row should mimic the front two. They walk like you normally do."
Darvin lifted both the front and third legs to demonstrate. I felt the holes in the dirt scrape against my legs trying to find thier places in them.
"And your last ones will copy the second ones" he lifted them to place them down "when you put it all together, you'll have a nice walk cycle."
He watched me fumble my back legs into the holes without tripping over the third row still deciding whether to move or not.
"This is hard" I whined.
"It'll get easier with practice" he reassured me "it took me a while to figure out how to walk on two instead of eight without big pauses between movements. All you have to do is switch it and allow for more movement."
"Like walking four times for every step?" I frowned down at the ground Darvin crawled over beside me "you make it look easy."
"And so can you" he encouraged, knocking my third row back when it tried to move with the second "you just need a bit of faith."
"And luck" I mumbled bitterly when he reached out again to stop the back ones slicing up the back of the thirds.
"First and third" he planted his down "second and fourth."
"First and third" I mumbled as I followed his movements "second and fourth."
"There you go!" he cheered "you did one full step!"
I grinned wildly, trying to achieve the same results while mumbling the mantra under my breath.
"Remember how it feels when you do it too" he pressed when I fumbled the second full rotation "that way you know what to copy when you want to achieve the same results. First, third, second, fourth."
I felt like a damn robot; probably looked it too. My movements were clunky and my legs were so tense that I couldn't focus on the way they felt when I forced them to move. 105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP80vGk4cAj
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I just wanted to make Darvin proud by getting to the end of this hole patch he had created. He was being patient now, but what was to say he wouldn't start to lose it when I wasn't running with ease like him in the next few hours?
"You're making me feel like a proud father all over again" he beamed at me "I think humans have the same feeling when they find thier little stumpy legs for the first time too?"
"Something like that" I brushed his words aside while keeping my focus on my movements.
He continued to take in the scene of my struggling with great pride. I think I even heard him sigh happily at one point.
He sounded like he was infatuated.105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gfxK7IOvn
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I was just trying my best not to stuff up. I wasn't even doing anything spectacular to make him behave this way.
Now that it was just the two of us, maybe he felt like he could?
"You are doing great!" he called out as I steadily made progress away from him "nice view!"
"Stop looking!" I groaned back to him and tried to pull the fan down over the rest of my abdomen.
His thundering legs caught up to me in no time and Darvin started to glow again while continuing to watch.
"What is with you?"
"Nothing" he grinned "maybe when you learn to walk, I could teach you how to dance?"
His fan flipped up and he slowly rounded around the front of me with a laugh.
He was playing with me; really throwing his true thoughts out there while disguising it as banter.
"I think you'd be a great dancer with all your dark colours" he added while dropping the show for me "tall, dark, and handsome."
I snorted at his compliment and felt my gut clench at the flattery.
He really was going all out. It was so much to take at once, but I liked it. 105Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMHosbYfVT
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He was making sure I knew how he felt. I didn't know if I had feelings as strongly as he did, but I was loving the attention. It made me feel... wanted.
Was he doing all this because we were the same now? He was definately being very open compared to before I died.
Darvin was lighting up the place just as the sight of me. His body pulsed and flared as it kept track of every movement from my front.
He wanted me. I could feel it in the tension between us.
"Maybe we should call it a night?" he piped up when i continued onwards past him in absolute focus "pick up on this tommorow?"
Dissapointment hit me hard. I really wanted to achieve more than just a few measly meters. My expectations may have been a bit too high, but I just felt like I wasn't living up to this glorious image Darvin was already expecting of me.
"It's getting late" Darvin reminded me when I inched on "you can go ahead; I'll be right behind you."
I stopped at last.
"What about you?"
"I'll catch up. I just need to.... take a walk."
The way he was hesitating was suspicious as fuck. He cringed when I expressed my doubt through noise instead.
What was there to think about out here? And where would he even walk to?
He took my glaring silence as an opportunity to scurry off quickly, leaving me there in the empty, dark field.
Now all I had to do was figure out how to get back into my body alone.
How was I supposed to do that?
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