naughty laugh before popping out on a cloud of dust.
“Damn. I already miss the bastard,” I sigh.
Eliph rests a hand on my shoulder and smiles down at me as I tilt my head back to meet his eyes.
“Do not worry, my love. I have no doubt that he will return to torment us,” he whispers in my ear as his arms come down around me in a warm hug. “In the meantime, shall we go home?”
“Home…” I sigh. “I suppose we are not talking back to my condo. Harriet would scream over this.”
My mate gives me a perplexed look and shakes his head. “Not yet, but soon, I promise. For now, we go to our grotto. Once we’ve re-established our tie to the well then we can return to your home for a short visit.”
I scoot in closer, and he wraps his arms around me reflexively with a sound of contentment.
“Like a honeymoon. I like that. So, the question now is: am I riding or walking?” I ask with a playful grin as I pull out of his embrace and catch his hand with mine, tugging him along after me.
My mate’s laughter is sweet as he reels me in and plants a kiss on my lips. “I was thinking of running. Call to your fetch form, my love. Know that you are a unicorn now and embrace the change,” he instructs as he draws back to give me space.
I press my lips together to hold in the squeal of excitement as I close my eyes and stretch out my mind into my magic… and find my other form waiting there. Although the shifting of bone and muscle hurts, the pain doesn’t last, and when I open my eyes again, I’m staring down at a midnight coat. Curious as to the rest of me, I drop my head and see a long, dark mane that sweeps down to hang close to my eyes in a feathery light caress.
Astounded, I lift my head to the sky and luxuriate in my new form. My nostrils flare, my ears turning to catch every sound. Everything is sensitive and sharp in this form, and I find that I want to explore them all—every scent and sound in my new world, every sight.
A soft brush of a muzzle against my neck catches my attention, and I turn to see my mate’s loving gaze. He nips at my neck as he sidles up to me, brushing the larger bulk of his body against mine. Turning my head to look back over my backside, I smile inwardly when I lift my tail and give it a flick.
This is so much fun! I enthuse.
Well then, let’s try your fetch form out, Eliph challenges as he takes off ahead of me.
My laughter rings clear as a bell through my mind as I take off after him, my gallop wild and ungainly, but swift. Before long, I’m creeping alongside him and then everything starts to blur as I feel the magic at the center of me respond. I lift my hooves a bit higher, slowing myself only slightly but not enough to stop the change.
My mate nudges me with a shoulder, his breath billowing in silent encouragement.
Don’t panic… Now we fly.
Gossamer wings of energy extend around me in a deep violet, and as they fan, the world opens up around me as I travel effortlessly. The forest around us has dissolved into crystalline magic as we seem to come just shy of moving between worlds. This isn’t the void, but it’s starry ether as we become a part of the world that we travel through. Everything is sparks of magic, even beneath my hooves, which provokes a joyous laugh from me.
I’m dancing on stars!
My mate’s happy laughter chases me as we race each other, our horns glowing with our magic until the world expands once more and a beautiful sight comes into focus.
Tall trees stand everywhere, many of them bearing bioluminescent mushrooms that glow like small staircases up their sides. Wild vines packed with blooms fall from trees and brush, and flowers and berries grow all over. And at the heart of this is a great pool of glowing water beside an ivory keep. The little two-story castle at the opposite shore is covered with roses and honeysuckle, and the sight of it draws me in even as a spiral of mist rises from the pool in welcome.
Hooves flashing, we splash into the pool, our bodies twisting in a playful frolic,