Zeydaan decides to take the shortcut down the mountain, Night Fury style. Story by  AxiomTF

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The weather up here was frigid, to put it mildly. Large evergreen trees scraped the sky around land, with long, crisp blades of grass coating the ground, with the occasional bolder protruding out from the Earth. Much of the land was coated in condensated water, with millions of little droplets clinging to much of the plant life. The sounds of wildlife were mostly drowned out by the howling on the wind, which shook the branches of the trees to-and-fro, as a group of interdimensional adventurers made their way up a long, winding dirt path to their destination - a picnic spot with an amazing view.

The members of the Hawkmoths team had planned on having an outdoor picnic together, though the typical park or lakeside venue had unfortunately gotten a bit dull for them at this point, especially considering the fantastical worlds and dimensions they frequently found themselves in. No, this time, they wished for something more exotic, though it seems as if being up the side of a Nordic mountain was pushing it just a little too far.

They had gotten here thanks to the help of Zeydaan, and their fancy dimensional portal making skills. As their paws pressed against the dirt, trudging up the mountain pathway, they knew that once the crew got to their destination, this short outdoor excursion would be well worth it.

At the front of the group was Alvis, who was carrying two large hampers in either one of their robotic hands; they didn’t have much use for the food inside personally, but they were still happy to spend some time with their fellow team members. Following close behind them were Ashley, Lilith, and Zachery - the former pair had been engaging in some casual nattering all the way up the path, whilst Zach kept to himself, having been too preoccupied with keeping himself warm, as even three layers seemingly wasn’t enough to block out the coldness of the alpine air here. Finally, at the very back was Zeydaan, who carried a smaller cooler filled with ice, and a large, freshly picked haddock fruit that they’d got the other day, hoping to smoke it around the fire. Their thoughts lingered on their friend, Iffy, who was busy handling a personal project back at home, and was unable to attend with the rest of their team today; Zeydaan hoped they were doing well, at that moment.

“Jeez Zey, could you really not have made the portal any closer to this spot you were on about? I should have brought my trekking boots with me, if I knew you were planning on us having a hike there.”

Lilith jokes, her head pivoting to face her wolven friend as they keep walking simultaneously, mud squelching under their feet, as they traverse over a slightly waterlogged section of the pathway. Her joke makes Zeydaan chuckle softly to themselves.

“Hey, I thought you said that you were thinking of getting a bit more toned the other day - losing a little around the sides? Besides, nothing beats a country walk Lilith. Trust me, this is all part of the experience!”
“Oh yeah, there’s nothing like a hike through the middle of nowhere in the blistering cold… you can’t beat this. I mean, I thought it might be fun to stay home and have some hot chocolate together, but nooo, this is much better, of course. Ugh… I stopped being able to feel my toes around half an hour ago.”

Zach interjects sarcastically, prompting Lilith to roll her eyes, and Zeydaan to smile cheekily - he never had done well in the cold, though fortunately for him, they had just come upon an opening ahead! The trees gave way to a patch of land that led to a sheer drop-off. Even without peeking over the edge, the Hawkmoths could tell that it must be a long, long way to the ground below. Aside from that, the view was everything that Zeydaan had hoped - absolutely breathtaking. Without a canopy of leaves and dense foliage blocking the sun any longer, rays of sunshine breached the fluffy clouds in the sky and shone down upon the crew, providing a very slight amount of warmth for them all. It was enough to make the climate much more comfortable for them.

“Now then, shall we get that campfire and grill set up?”

Ashley asks, unrolling a large, flannel patterned picnic blanket that she’d hauled up the pathway, before laying it out flat upon a drier portion of the grass. The group look around at each other, their eyes jumping from person to person, waiting for someone to bring forth the requested campfire. However, all that came was a rather awkward silence.

“We… we did bring the grill, right? Guys?”

Still, there is silence, as a deflated groan escapes Lilith’s lips.

“You’re joking, right? You guys are seriously not telling me that we left the damn thing back home? After coming up all of this way!? Well… that’s just great.”

Zach sighs, as the crew look around at the area in disappointment… before then turning to face Ashely, and idea popping into their minds at the very same moment. She looks at them all for a moment, wondering if she was missing something, before she realises what they were all thinking.

"No. No, there’s no way I’m doing that, you lot. I'm not gonna go fire dragon because someone forgot the bloody stove. And besides, my powers are-"
“An ancient draconic tradition, only used for the greater good and not for cheap tricks or convenience - we know."

The group reply in unison - all except Zeydaan, that is. An idea had begun to brew in their head, as they lay their cooler down, and open it to retrieve the contents inside. The fruit is slightly slimy to the touch.

“I guess we really should have stayed back at home… there’s not really much else to do around here. Though we still have some free time today… is anyone still down for that hot chocolate?”

Zachery suggests, as the group collectively nods in agreement.

“Welp, at least we got some exercise out of this! I suppose the walk back down the pathway will be a bit more pleasant too, with it being downhill for the most part… plus there’s certainly nothing wrong with working on our calves!”

Ashley jokes whilst stretching, as the picnic blanket is rolled back up after a few stray blades of grass get dusted off by Alvin. Zeydaan pauses for a moment, turning around and looking back at the cliff, then down at their fish, before facing their friends once more as they get ready to depart back to the portal.

“Actually guys… I think I might hang around here. You go on.”

Zach looks at the wolf, giving a rather bewildered glance at them, as he holds his thick parka coat tighter around his frame in an attempt to trap more of his body heat inside.

“W-What? What’re you on about, Zey? Why on earth would you wanna stay here? I mean, I know all of that fur must insulate you well, and keep you more toasty than yours truly, but aren’t you… y’know, bloody freezing right now!?”
“I’m rather cold at the moment… but not for long…”

Zeydaan explains, once again looking down at their fish - its scales shine in the sunlight, with the coldness of the area doing well to keep it nice and fresh.


“It’s been a good while since I’ve had a break from… well, life in general. I think this’d do me a lot of good, honestly.”

Zeydaan turns around, confused for a moment, as they observe the concerned faces of their friends staring back at them. They think for a brief moment, before catching on to the probable cause of their worry.

“Oh! Sorry - I didn’t mean it like that. I just fancy a break from stress… routine… that sort of thing, you know? I have something planned which I can handle myself - it’ll just take a little bit of magic and concentration. Don’t worry, I’ll be back in around a fortnight, if that’s cool with all you lot?”

They clarify. The rest of the group smile, not saying anything, as they exchange quick glances.

“Alrighty then… have fun, I suppose! We’ll meet you back in Mailor. We'll let the menagerie know, and set a fortnight timer- usual protocol, if you don't make the rendezvous… though I’m sure that you already know that.”

Alvis adds, before they turn and begin heading back down the cliff side, towards the interdimensional portal that the crew had made in order to get here. Zeydaan watches them for a little while - the wind blowing their fur from side to side, as the sounds of their friends footsteps treading against the dirt pathway fade gradually, until they reach the portal. One by one, they hop through it, until the last member of the group hops on through to leave the wolf alone.

Finally… some proper quiet.

Zeydaan savours this for a while, concentrating on the sound of the wind blowing, and some birds chirping away in a nearby oak tree. Nature surrounded them as far as the eye could see, and it made for such a lovely respite… away from the hustle and bustle of regular life. This feeling of tranquillity triggers a gentle smile to spread across Zeydaan’s face, before they return to the edge of the cliff, and take a seat there - their legs dangling off of the edge.

The unusual fruit upon their lap looked far from appetising. Of course, Zeydaan’s initial plan had been to cook, season, and serve it to their friends, as a part of the now aborted picnic session. But now, this would serve as the catalyst for their transformation - their temporary escape. Right now, Zeydaan was planning on becoming a Night Fury for a while. The area was perfectly suited to becoming such a beast, and since they loved seafood so much, the wolf’s fishy fruit would make for the perfect trigger. Of course, they had to first bite-off a mouthful of it, in order to trigger the transformation, and in their current state, it certainly won’t taste the best.

Nevertheless, the unpleasant taste would only be temporary, and well worth doing in order to spend some much needed, care-free time as a mighty dragon - a Night Fury. With that in mind, Zeydaan lifts the haddock fruit to their snout, and takes a large bite out of it. They scrunch their eyes shut, trying to chew it quickly, but thoroughly, before gulping it down; with this act completed, their transformation would begin momentarily, as they stand up and look down over the cliff…

They take a deep breath, and jump.

The wind rushes past their hair, as the wolf plummets down - the side of the rocky cliff whizzing past them, at least from their own point of view. The ground beneath them was obscured by a blanket of thick, fluffy clouds that resembled white cotton candy, and from this height, they seemed to be stationary down there, making it seem as if Zeydaan wasn’t falling that fast.

They didn’t have a great deal of time to ponder this fact, though, as their attention was then drawn to how tight their clothing had become… the sleeves of their thick, winter coat felt as if they were now a size too small, as the inner lining squeezed the wolf’s arms. Both the amount of fat and muscle contained within their body had begun to increase at an alarming rate, though any discomfort that this was causing was smothered by the thrilling sensation of falling. The wind blasting their body, the cool, crisp alpine air around them, along with that sinking sensation in the groyne… it was a real rush!

“WOOOO!!”

Zeydaan calls out, plummeting down with a big, silly grin smeared across their face, as they reach to unzip their jacket, and throw it aside. They briefly consider the fact that they probably should have just asked their friends to take it home with them, before jumping; it’d have saved them losing a coat, but it was far too late for that at this point. Besides, they could just buy another when it was needed.

Underneath their fur, large, black scales begin to grow and spread, layering themselves over one another as this pushes out the many hair follicles that cover their body. The rapidly shedding hair forms a trail behind them as they fall - much like a comet, and its tail. With each passing second, their body grows an inch wider and taller, as for a moment, their eyes sting. Zeydaan shuts them, their claws starting to lengthen during this time, as by the time they’re opened, they now see through brand new emerald green eyes. Blessed with improved, draconian vision, the clouds below can be seen in incredible detail…

It isn’t too long into their fall before the trousers which clung around the legs of Zeydaan give way, as they are torn apart to allow their growing hind legs some breathing room. Their new muscles bulge and swell, whilst their tail, now hairless and smooth, lengthens considerably. Stretching to around ten feet tall within a few moments, Zeydaan rolls over in the air to get a better look - out of their new skin, two ridges protrude out of opposite sides at the very end of their tail. These slowly develop, getting larger and larger until they’ve formed into fully-fledged tail fins, the appearance of which somewhat resemble the wings of a bat!

The wolf-dragon hybrid flicks their tail up and down, and then side to side, finding that they still have complete control over it, as their hands begin to grow more girthy. An unpleasant assortment of cracking and popping noises emanate from that region, as their bones reshape. One may assume that this would be a highly painful experience, however, and fortunately for Zeydaan, the process feels oddly pleasant - even ticklish! After a while, either one of their hands has been moulded into the thick, chunky ends of their new front legs, complete with shiny, razor-sharp claws that could probably cut through metal.

Every single area of their body felt powerful… their musculature having been bulked up in all areas by this stage of their metamorphosis, as this feeling of power provides a real high for Zeydaan. This experience was shaping up to be everything that they had hoped for, and more!

Their ears remain large, in relation to their head, though the ends became less pointy - more rounded. Their old fangs seem to get even sharper, as the width of their skull expands outwards. Two small flaps push out from their jawline on either side, as at this point, no more fur remains on their body - even their long hair has been removed, leaving only jet black dragon scales in their place.

A loud cracking sound echos out from their back, as their spine snaps and contorts to force Zeydaan into a new stance - one which would have them walking on all-fours once they were on solid ground… and on that note, Zeydaan had passed through the thick layer of clouds that they had spied a little bit ago. Of course, they had been too distracted with their transformation to notice the sizable distance they’d travelled whilst falling… the ground below could still not be observed, with the fog around them being too thick to see past, even for their improved eyesight.

Zeydaan worries as to if they should have transformed before jumping, as two large nubs poke out of their back. They lengthen quickly, stretching out before thick skin spreads out from these protruding limbs. This quickly culminates in a set of wings bursting out, and not a moment too soon! At last, the rocky ground comes into view - flying towards their face at terminal velocity, to be precise. Their wingspan is immense, as it spreads out and traps the air beneath them - woosh!

The former wolf pulls up, their new wings and body feeling so natural to them, as they flap their wings and rise above the floor before they could greet it with their face. It’s rather hard to form a smile in this new form, but if they could, Zeydaan would most certainly be sporting one at this moment. The view was awe-inspiring… unlike anything they’d seen before, even considering the many fantastical places they’d visited in their life.

They let out a mighty roar, before feeling heat rising out of their body, down their throat, and finally out of their mouth as a ball of plasma shoots forth! They pump their wings, gaining altitude as they soar over the forest below them… this truly was the good life, and Zeydaan couldn’t wait to take advantage of their new form! Maybe by catching some fish first… their transformation had really made them work up an appetite!