Anima Chapter 3
#3 of Anima
The morning was lukewarm, and there was just a light hazing of fog. I tried to keep myself calm but riding in the car was not the most relaxing activity now with a tail of stiff feathers hanging behind me. I had to sit in the front passenger seat with my body turned to face more towards the car door than the front of the car. The seatbelt rubbed on my arm, and any bumps would force the tail upwards or sideways.
If I knew my day would be like this, I would have just stayed in bed, and it's not exactly how I would choose to start any day.
"You ok, hon?" My mom asked me
"I uh, I'm doing.... I think." I said back.
"Do you need the AC turned on? Is it too warm?"
"I'm good, I just.... Just need to get out of the car soon," I said but was interrupted by a bump in the road, shoving my tail up as it pressed against the seat.
"Aaah!" I said, wincing at the sudden jolt of pain.
We pulled into the Doctor's office. My mom pulled up to the door. I tried to step out of the car as gracefully as possible. Which isn't too easy when you're stumbling around trying to stay upright. Not the most challenging thing, but my pants were the most prominent issue. My tail started just below my waist, and my jeans had to sag halfway down my butt to allow my tail to freely move. The problem isn't that my butt isn't covered; that part is taken care of by my feathers. It is a problem that my pants keep wanting to slide down as there is nothing round for them to grip around. The elastic of my boxers does a decent enough job of keeping them tight against me, but sometimes the pants would want to drag my boxers down as well.
I held my pants up with one hand as I made my way into the office. I walked in the door and saw someone already talking to the receptionist. I waited behind them as the door came to a close. I could see long grey ears hanging from the side of their head. Looking somewhat like the ears of a donkey or mule. They finished up and walked to the waiting room. Just as I went to step forward, I felt a painful pulling from my back. I turned my head to see that a few feathers had caught themselves in the door. I pushed it open to free the feathers and reached down to rub the sore spot.
"Watch the door! It wouldn't be the first time someone got a little stuck," the receptionist said, giggling a bit.
'It's got a bit of bite to it."
"No blood that you can see? Don't want you breaking a bloody one on us now," She said jokingly.
A bloody one? I don't think feathers have blood; I don't think I've ever seen blood on bird feathers.
"Do you have an appointment?" The receptionist asked.
"I called in a little bit ago. Had a change last night and was told to come in as soon as possible last time."
"Oh, you must be Lyall then. If you don't mind, I'll just need you to fill this out for me" She handed me a clipboard with a few questions and a drawing of a person standing in a 'T' formation from a few angles. I started with the questions, and most were pretty simple.
WHEN WAS THIS CHANGE FOUND?
HOW LONG AGO WAS YOUR LAST CHANGE?
ANY KNOWN TRIGGER EVENTS?
IS THE CHANGE PHYSICAL OR MENTAL?
WAS THE CHANGE CAUSED BY AN ENCOUNTER WITH ANOTHER LIVING BEING? HUMAN, ANIMAL, ETC.
WILL YOUR CHANGE AFFECT YOUR DAILY LIFE IN ANY MAJOR WAY?
HAVE YOU BEEN DNA TESTED?
PLEASE CIRCLE THE AFFECTED AREAS BELOW:
Below that was the drawing of the man with its arms held out. I circled the butt of the picture and the face. I handed the clipboard back and was asked to take a seat. While sitting, I looked over at the small table next to me. It had small pamphlets on specific changes and others about support groups. One of the pamphlets had a man with a face covered in grey feathers. Some of them went upwards, sticking straight up with colors fading to black. The front had text that read:
"Raw meat and carrion. A guide for predators and scavengers".
I picked up the pamphlet, and inside was pretty nasty. It spoke of eating raw meat and had photos of what to watch for. It also taught me that carrion is just another way of saying roadkill or things that have been dead for a while. It had information on finding sources for purposefully "aged" meat, as the pamphlet kept referring to it.
"Lyall?"
I heard a voice coming from the room, and I looked up to see the nurse holding the door open. I followed her in, and we began with a few questions as we walked. They were almost all just repeats of what I filled out on the papers in the waiting room. We reached a small examination room, and I was ushered in. Once inside, she closed the door and sat at the small counter. I jumped onto the exam table but was quickly met with a smashed tail and jumped back up. For this next attempt, I sat on the table sideways and let my feathers hang off the side of the table.
"So what's new today, Lyall?" She asked with a pen, ready to start writing.
"This morning, I woke up and found this" I put my hand on my tail, almost making a petting motion. The downward motion felt great, and without thinking, I pressed my fingers in between the feathers and made a combing motion. I did this twice before realizing the nurse was just staring at me. I pulled my hand back and sat it on my lap.
"I see. Is this the first time it has appeared for you?"
"First time. Only this and my eyes as far as I can tell," I answered back
"Well, I'll need you to go ahead and strip down for me. Just leave all of your clothes on the exam table for me."
I stood up and began taking my pants off. Once I was now standing fully naked with my hands covering my privates. The nurse took some notes and then walked out of the room. I was just left standing naked in a small white room. After a few moments, I dropped my hands to my side. Growing tired of covering myself up for no reason. The DoctorDoctor walked in. After a few moments of surprise, I quickly covered myself again.
"Lyall! How have you been this week? I see you had a new change." Doctor Leslie said while taking quick glances at the papers in her hand.
"Yeah, it has me worried. I thought it would take a while until the next one."
"Normally, the first few can be quicker than the rest. The first week or so is usually the quickest for natural changes. You shouldn't see too many big changes this quick from now on. By the way, you don't have to cover yourself in front of me. You wouldn't imagine the things I see every day." She started to put on gloves and had a small metal stick, roughly the size of an ink pen.
She reached down and put her hand around my tail. Running the feathers through her hands. I'm unsure what she was checking for, but it was relaxing. Feeling almost like a massage. After running a few feathers through her hand, she stopped and took some notes.
"I'm going to need to check under your tail. Believe me when I say it will be a bit uncomfortable, but we need to know if your digestive tract has started changing. It will feel cold for just a moment. But I will need you to stand up for me."
I hesitated. As if I wasn't uncomfortable enough just being in this room naked. I stood up, and she gave a hand motion signaling me to turn around. She got down low, and I felt her lift my tail up slightly. I could see a small amount of light being shown up at my rear.
"It will be cold for just a second. Just bear with me, Lyall."
She used her small metal pen-looking stick to inspect something. I'm unsure what she was looking for, nor would I dare ask. She stood back up and started writing notes again. I wasn't sure if I should turn to face her or if I should just stay where I was.
"Oh, you can take a seat now. I promise we are done with the awkward stuff." She said in a straight tone. "But I will need a few X-rays to confirm a few things. I'll have them bring the portable unit."
She walked out of the room, leaving her documents behind. After a few minutes, she returned and took X-rays of my chest and lower abdomen from a few angles. She told me to go ahead and get dressed back up. She was reviewing the images on the screen and writing more notes.
"Ok, so it looks like you had a bit more change than we originally thought. The lower parts of your digestive system have partially changed along with the start of a cloaca. Nothing huge, but just something we will need to keep an eye on." She turned to face me as she spoke.
"Digestive system changed?" I asked, completely confused about what this all meant.
"Hawks don't really eat cooked food. Your digestive system will eventually change to accommodate raw meats. It's normal, but you will just keep eating like normal until it's further changed. Not unusual, really."
"And that other thing?" I asked her
"Hawks like other birds and even reptiles have a different....way of expelling waste. Nothing really looks different, but it may work a bit differently. Just get seated no matter what you think you need to do."
"So pee sitting down? That's no problem, I guess," I said, not really understanding what she was saying.
She handed me a document holder plum full of stuff. I peeked inside, and it was filled with various forms and pamphlets. Easily over 50 sheets of paper.
"As you have some free time, take a look at some of the stuff inside this. It will have info about lifestyle changes and future planning. It's easier to start thinking about the future now than wait." She explained to me. "But other than that, unless you have any questions for me, you are free to go."
"No, I'm alright," I said when really I had a million questions for her.
She walked me up front and gave some papers to the receptionist. I checked out and made my way outside. Where my mom was waiting for me. She pulled the car up, and I climbed in.
"Any news?" My mom started
"No, just a few extra feathers" I know I promised my mom I wouldn't lie, but frankly, I am a bit embarrassed to talk about all the inspection work the Doctor had to do.
Trying to position myself in the car where my tail was free while also fighting my pants from falling down made for a bear of a time. Eventually, I got situated in a way only describable as 'good enough. We made our way out.
"Do you want me to drop you at the other house to talk with David?" My mom asked
"You mean Damien?"
"That's the one. I can drop you off, and you can let me know if you need a ride home," she said
My mom has herself convinced it is no longer safe to use my road bike for everything. I can't blame her, as the thought of getting my tail feathers caught in the wheel did not sound like a great time. But at the same time, I didn't want her to have to drive me everywhere.
"If you don't mind dropping me off. I think I should talk to the guys."
As much as Damien and the crew say they are not a support group, I feel they are the only ones who will understand. My mom went from not wanting to associate with hybrids to living with one quick, and I just feel like the crew would understand a bit more.
We pulled up to the address, and I saw 2 cars parked out front. The Honda minivan Nash was driving and a small Ford car I had not seen yet. I got out of the van and said my goodbyes to mom as she drove away. I walked up to the door and could hear some talking. I opened the front door and leaned in to see 6 heads turning to face me.
I could see the usual Nash, Damien, Matthew, Benji, and Rylie. But I didn't recognize the sixth. He was a bird hybrid of some kind. He had a long back beak and deep blue and white feathers covering his head and neck. His arms were covered in the same dark blue feathers, looking almost as if his arms were painted with fuzz.
"Lyall! Great to see you yet again. We have a new guest for you to meet." Damien ushered his wing-arms to the other bird. "This is Jeremy. He's new to us and maybe stopping by from time to time."
I expected a bit of silence, but immediately I saw his beak hinge open.
"Hey, Lyall! The guys were telling me about you! I hear you started changing a few days ago, right? I've been going for about 3 weeks now and just found out about you guys!" His voice was going a hundred miles per hour, and I was still trying to process the first thing when he started on the second.
"I'm gonna be a Kingfisher and have already started my plans for when I fully go. Found a nice creek on a golf course with plenty of fish and nice water" Not skipping a beat, his voice was full of excitement and joy.
I was still trying to put what he was saying together. I think Rylie picked up on my confusion and jumped in.
"Yes, that's nice, Jeremy. But remember what we talked about earlier." Rylie was giving him a glare.
"Right, right. Don't talk about fully changing in front of the kid with hawk eyes."
Nash brought his hand to his face in embarrassment.
Matthew said quietly, "Hawk eyes Jerm. Hawk eyes"
Jeremy stared a bit confused at me. Before realizing what Matthew was saying.
Damien stopped towards me. "Lyall, do you need to talk? I see a little something extra there." He glanced down at my body.
"Want to go upstairs?" He asked, but he was already starting up the steps.
I followed him up, and we walked past a few doors in the short hallway. Each one had a name written on it. Each name corresponds to someone who lived here, starting with Benji, whose name was just written in pencil. Followed by Nash, Rylie, Matthew, and finally Damien. We walked into his room, where he guided me to a chair. It was a rounded saucer chair, but it had a cutout circle with a zipper. I sat down, and my tail poked through the zipper hole.
Damien took a seat on the bed. He let out a large sigh, took a deep breath, and started.
"First things first. What happened, dude? I know you didn't have that yesterday." He was pointing below the chair.
"I don't know, man. I just woke up to this. It wasn't there last night." I said back to him, leaning back into the chair. "It's been more of a pain to deal with than I thought it would be."
"You'll get used to it. We all have to deal with it at some point" He was raising his arms up to show his feathers growing down them. "You learn how to manage and keep on going. But it won't be easy at first."
"Yeah, at least my feet and hands are still normal," I said, thinking of Kole's hands and feet.
"Feet, I could lose those pretty easily. But my hands? I'm good." Damien said jokingly while wiggling his gray hands.
"Heh, I guess that's all that changed. I know there was some concern about digestive stuff. They said not to worry about it yet."
"Food is where it gets entertaining. Wait till you get to try raw for the first time! But be glad you are not stuck with insects. Nothing like being afraid of your meals." Damien said while looking up, laughing a bit.
"Are you... eating bugs?" I was wondering if he was joking or serious.
"Not yet, but that's pretty much the majority of meals for Ivory's," He said. "Bugs and worms all day. But maybe I'll keep the headaches at bay."
"Ivory's? I thought you were some kind of crow?"
"Nah, crows are all black and gray. I'm a bit of a special case, you could say." He had a bit of a funny look as he said it. "Ivory-billed woodpeckers haven't been seen since the 1950s. Or at least not any non-hybrids."
"What does that mean then?"
"Well, once I fully change, I could be the last male specimen of the species." He said, looking up to the ceiling. "Pretty much my future is planned for me."
"You mean you'll be researched? Or like what?"
"Well, I'm not the only person to become an Ivory hybrid, and their thoughts are that the species could possibly be reintroduced. Technically I have a say, but once I go fully, it's not like I'd be able to stop 'em" Damien sighed.
"They keep telling me I'll be remembered as a key to saving an entire species thought to be lost." He said in a sarcastic tone.
"That's harsh, dude. But if you don't want to, why don't you tell them you don't want to?"
"It's a gray area right now. Technically it's me. But I'll also be completely indiscernible from a natural woodpecker. So they argue if my mind is still there and if it's not, what would keep me from doing what the woodpecker wanted?"
We sat in silence for a moment after that downer of a conversation. I just kind of looked at Damien as his mind was trying to find the next thing to say.
"I think maybe I should embrace it. Maybe I should be happy to be able to help. But is that really me? They take samples and tell me I personally would be saving the ole Ivory. But am I really doing that?" Damien looked up and had a look of realization. "Well, enough about me. I didn't mean to get on a tangent there. I just needed to get some time away from Jeremy."
"You mean the new guy?"
"Yeah, he seems fine, but I worry about Benji being around him. Don't want Benji getting any ideas he may regret."
"Regret as in...?"
"Jeremy doesn't seem concerned. Honestly, it's borderline like he wants to finish changing. With all this going on with Benji, he doesn't need to make rash decisions."
"How long has he been changing? Jeremy?" I asked, trying to remember what he had said.
"Two weeks. Only two weeks, and he's let himself go this far. I get I'm supposed to help him, but he's not even trying to prevent it. I mean, sometimes people give in later, but he is just sprinting like it's a race!" Damien started to get a bit heated.
"Have you tried talking to him? Maybe he is just confused?"
"Yeah, he has himself planned out already. He even went as far as to get permission to live at the Lake Bend golf course once he is fully changed, and he really seems to be sure of it."
"Maybe he is just excited. Does he have a home life or anything?" I asked, just reaching for some answer.
"I don't know. Even if he didn't, with Benji's mom dying, I don't know how Benji will handle it. The last thing I want is him speeding through, thinking it will fix things."
"Benji's mom?"
"Yeah, he doesn't know, but realistically his mom is not coming home" Damien dropped his head and closed his eyes. "She specifically asked us to look after him as she is all he has. He doesn't know, but his room will be permanent here, and it's just gonna crush him to find out."
"I.... I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. I brought you up here to talk about you and just derailed it. So let's try this one more time. I swear I'll stay on topic!" Damien said, looking me in the eye. "So about your new addition, I think we might be able to finally know what you are now. So I guess that's a good thing, right?"
"Perspective is everything, Ivory," I said jokingly.
"If you say so, Red," Damien snarked back. "Nash guessed it right when you first came in, and I think Rylie was thinking Red-Shouldered."
"Sorry, but I still don't know what you mean."
"Red-tailed my man. Nothing has an orange tail like it." Damien stood up while pointing at the tail hanging below the chair.
"The orange eyes and orange tail tell it all. Luckily it's a local species which makes everything a bit easier." Damien said. "You have any questions that I could help you with?"
"Not really. I might later, though," I said back. "We should probably head downstairs. Before anyone gets too worried."
He stood up and offered me his gray hand. I grabbed it, and he pulled me to my feet. Stumbling a little, the tail flared out and bounced back and forth.
"I guess it's functional, too" Damien chuckled a bit.
We walked back down the stairs. In the main room, there was the entire group, including Jeremy. He was talking to Matthew, but I could not hear what about. The way his body language looked....wrong was getting to me. His head turned in quick, purposeful movements with no motion wasted. The top part of his head was covered in dark blue feathers, with white ones extending down to the bottom of his neck. Past that point, I could see the start of more dark blue feathers with the same ones also covering his arms up to his hands. They only had feathers on the back side, and each finger was normal.
Rylie was sitting with her clawed feet propped up on the table in front of her. Each of her yellow toes ended in a long, curved claw. Her legs were covered in white striped feathers at what would be about her knee. Her tail extended down and was tucked in a small gap in the couch. The opening led out to behind the sofa, where I could see dark gray/black feathers hanging out. Up to her waist was covered with the stripped feathers. She sat and browsed something on her phone. Every once in a while, she would move one of her clawed talons in a closing motion.
I sat down on the barstool near her chair. She put her phone down and looked at me.
"Spin that around once for me, would ya?" She said, motioning with her head.
I swung the chair around once, spinning around on top of it.
"Damn, looks like Nash was right." She then turned to face the other side of the room. "Nash, you were right. He is a red tail and never thought you would get it right."
I could hear Nash in the other room.
"We can't just ever believe what little Nash says!" He called out, joking with her.
"Sometimes you gotta let things go to his head. A broken clock is right twice a day," She said loudly.
"Yeah, yeah, just because you were wrong," Nash yelled a bit louder.
"I shouldn't work him up. But it's just too much fun to see his little temper." Rylie was giggling to herself. "You've just gotta try it sometime. Even when he's right, you can get him going."
I chuckled. I saw Rylie adjust herself in the chair. Shifting left and right, sinking further in.
"Does it....your tail.... give you any issues?" I asked her
"What, my tail? All the time! It was the breaking point for me to leave my dorm. You wouldn't think much, but we really can't flex them like other shifters can. They are just long sticks that hurt to sit on."
"Do you mind me asking, how did you keep your pants from falling?" I asked. "I know it's an odd question, but it's a pain for me."
"Well, I didn't have to worry about that for long. At the same time, my tail came in, the plumbing changed, and feathers grew in. Instant invitation to no pants 24/7 anywhere. Did take a while to get used to not wearing anything I could feel. But no one really cares as long as you are covered up. Think of it as nature's pants."
"Oh, so you went from no tail to tail simultaneously with your legs?" I asked her
"Yeah, then the feet and legs finished up. I seem to be just changing in big chunks. Heck, you have just eyes and a tail. Imagine if both of those happened in one day. Unless something else changes, it's not too far off from me." She started to ask
"No, everything else is just fine." I quickly answered, "Well, those and a start of a clo-something."
Rylie tried to hold in a huge laugh. "You mean cloaca? That's a pretty big one to miss."
"Is that a bad thing to have?" I asked, super confused at what was funny.
"That would be the plumbing changes. I wouldn't talk too loud about it in public. Did they tell you anything about it?" Rylie said, still laughing.
I was embarrassed, still not knowing what that really meant.
"You ever take biology in high school?" Rylie asked, "Birds and lizards are a bit different."
"I guess I didn't pay enough attention, haha" I tried to laugh it off, but I was still slightly embarrassed.
"Don't worry, dude. You'll be an expert on feathered things before you know it." Rylie said, looking somewhat sarcastic. "So you still living at home?"
"Yeah, I originally planned to live at home until college was finished."
"But things changed, right?" Rylie said
"More than I would have guessed," I said, looking down at myself.
"You could always move in here. Dame's always trying to get more folks to move in. I think it keeps him sane, new personality and stuff," Rylie said in a quieter voice.
"I don't know. Even more lifestyle changes would be so quick."
"It is, but it also can help you cope. I refused to move in no matter what Dame said. Then once the tail came in, it became much easier here. Everything is already set up to... accommodate." Rylie said, looking around the room. "I couldn't imagine trying to open doorknobs with wings for hands. It's the little things."
I looked around the room. I never really thought of it, but every door had French door handles. Most chairs were either stools or had the backs opened up, and everything was with hybrids in mind.
"Maybe," I said
'Maybe what? Maybe move in?" Rylie responded.
"I just... would need to think about it. Was that really the reason you moved out of your dorm, though? Is the tail really that bad?" I asked
"It was part of it. Other... things changed too." Rylie sighed to herself. "We shared a dorm with a Labrador hybrid as well. When that time of the month came around, she would cover herself up, and it didn't really seem like a big deal. I couldn't, and living in shared spaces, there was no real privacy."
Rylie took her legs off the table and planted them on the floor the best she could.
"Like I said before, birds do things differently. Instead of the usual stuff, I would.... Well.... Lay an egg." Her face turned a light red. "I couldn't help it. It was just what my body did. The others felt.... Uncomfortable and had walked in on it happening on a few occasions. They told me I had to quit as it was disgusting to see. But I had no way to stop it. It just kind of happens."
"So they kicked you out?" I asked
"No, but I didn't want it to come to that. I talked to Damien about it, and he again offered for me to move in here. It was really my only other option." Rylie said in a sad tone. "But I like it here. Damien, Matthew, Nash, and I all try to stay sane. Talking to the same 3 people as your only social interactions can make you a little crazy."
"Don't you have any friends outside here? Any family?" I asked
"Not really. My parents quit contacting me a few months after my changes started. My friends just kind of fell out when I stopped going out in public. Hard to stay in contact when you never see them." Rylie said with sadness. "But hey, I do get you guys to hang out with."
Just as she finished that sentence, I heard someone shout across the room.
"Jeremy! You can't be doing that here!" Damien shouted.
I turned to see Jeremy with a complete bird's head talking to Matthew. As he heard Damien, he turned to look at him and let out a sound. It was like a rapid clicking sound, and the feathers on his head rose as he made the sound.
"You can't be forcing yourself to change like that, Jeremy. One of these times, you won't be able to go back!" Damien said. To say he was pissed would be an understatement.
"Erhrhrhrhrh," Jeremy said as his face began to reappear.
When it finally stopped changing, his face was almost identical to how it was earlier. Long black beak, deep blue and white feathers. This time though, his eyes were jet black. Looks nearly blank at a glance.
"See, I'm all good! You guys can't be afraid to try it. As long as you're quick, it's no problem!" Jeremy said.
"All good? Go check out your eyes, bird brain." Matthew said, laughing to himself.
Jeremy pulled out his phone and looked at it. He turned his head from side to side, getting a good view.
"I think they look pretty good! Really helps to have the eyes to match the beak." Jeremy said, happy as can be.
"None of this concerns you? Each time to go, you get closer and closer to finishing." Damien said, not really looking for an answer.
"You guys worry too much. You need to just embrace it and let it happen." Jeremy said, still playing off like no big deal.
Damien just shook his head at him and walked back to the other side of the room with Nash. I turned to look at Rylie, and she sighed with her eyes shut.
Quietly, she said, "We are gonna have our hands full with this kid. I've never seen Dame this angry at someone. And Jeremy just keeps pushing his buttons."
She pulled out her phone and was browsing again.
I looked around the room, and Benji was off to the side alone. Sitting up on a barstool messing with a Rubik's cube. I walked over to him to see if I could talk to him.
"Yo, Benji" I said to him.
"Hey, dude. You ever solved one of these?"
"I can't say I've tried. Yourself?"
"Not on my own. But I've always wanted to solve one without a guide. Gotta get it done soon." Benji said, continuing to rotate sections of the cube.
"Why soon? It's not going anywhere," I said back to him.
"It's not. But I won't have these babies for long" He held up his fingers and wiggled them.
I felt dumb for not realizing what he meant. I didn't say anything back to him until, after a few moments, he handed it to me.
"Here, you give it a shot. But if you solve it, don't tell me how!"
I gripped the cube in two hands and rotated it. It clicked into place, but as I went to rotate the top in a different direction, it bound up and would not turn. I pushed harder, but the cube slipped out of my hands and onto the floor. I started to reach down before I was interrupted by Benji.
"Oh, I got it!" He said as he reached his blue foot down to it. The clawed feet wrapped around the cube and lifted it up. Once it was up higher, he reached down and grabbed it from his foot. He then tried to hand it back to me. "It's not the greatest quality one. All the parts have to be lined up just right, or it gets stuck."
"Nah, you've got this dude," I said to him. "You have a better chance at it than I do."
"It's not really that hard, and it's all just about finding patterns." As he turned it, he said a white plus shape was on the bottom.
"I can get the one side all white using the same little pattern. But the other sides I can't seem to figure out" He continued to rotate the sides. "Each time I progress, I mess it up and start over. But each time, I'll make it closer to solving it."
I sat and watched Benji work more of the cube before starting over with the white cross when he made a wrong move. Each time he either got a little closer or messed it up and started over.
"So you're not in school right now?" I asked him, trying to make small talk.
"Supposed to be. Mom pulled me and has me doing online classes. She was worried about what other kids would say." Benji said as he kept spinning the cube.
"Were you in school when you started changing?" I asked
"First change happened at home while I was sleeping. I woke up with feathers on my butt. Mom was worried and had me start Christmas break early."
"So what about your feet?" I asked
"They came around during a camping trip. Mom thought going outdoors would be helpful for me. I was walking to a shower house, and they started having a burning feeling. I pulled my shoes off, and after a few minutes, they were like this!" He held up a light blue bird's foot.
"Which is harder, the tail or the feet?"
"The feet. The tail I got used to after a few days. The feet are just always in the way. Walking just feels weird now," He said, looking at me. He then looked down at my legs.
"Hey! When did that happen!" He was pointing at my tail.
"Last night. It's been quite a day." I said to him.
"It gets easier. Mom thought my life was over when my tail showed up. But we kept going, and she does everything she can to make it easier." Benji said, getting quieter while still twisting the cube.
"She sounds great," I said back to him.
He turned to look at me and leaned in.
"I know she isn't doing well. I'm young but not dumb." He whispered to me.
"I'm not sure what Damien has told you, but I know she isn't going to be around much longer" He sat down the cube and looked at it on the table.
"Nash gets me. He understands." He turned to look at me again. "You understand, right?"
"I understand. But I think they are just trying to help you." I said back to him.
"Yeah, but I don't need it." He said, shrugging.
Just then, there was a yell. I looked over to see Matthew's stool he was sitting on falling back. He reached for Nash's stool and grabbed onto it. Nash was quick and jumped down from it as both Matthew, and the stools fell to the floor.
He hit the ground with a loud THUD.
"So much for being there to catch me," Matthew said, laughing at Nash.
He started getting back up off the floor.
"The difference is I know when to stop leaning the chair on its back legs!" Nash quipped back.
Jeremy, Rylie, and Damien were all laughing at the altercation.
"Crisis averted y'all! Maybe Nash will finally get me to stop leaning on the stools." Matthew said, picking the stool up. "Or maybe I never learn?"
Just as he let go of the stool, one of the legs fell off, making it fall over again. It hit the ground with a heavy THUNK. He stood there staring at it.
"Never mind, it decided for me. No more stools for this guy!" He said laughing
This, of course, made the whole situation funnier, and everyone was having a good laugh when an odd but familiar sound came from Jeremy.
"Erhrhrhrhrh!"
It became instantly silent. After a few moments of silence, Nash finally broke it.
"Was that you?" He asked, looking at Jeremy.
Jeremy looked as shocked as everyone else. He opened his black beak and attempted to speak.
"Erhrhrh"
He quickly reached his hands to his face, then to his neck. With his hands feeling his throat, he tried to talk again but was only met with the same sounds.
"Erhrhrhrh"
He pulled his hands off his throat and moved them quickly, pointing at it and making the same sounds.
"ErhrhrhRHrhrhhrhRH!"
He frantically started moving towards a framed mirror on the wall. He started squeezing his throat as if he was feeling for something. He closed his eyes and stood in silence. His crest bobbing up and down with his breathing. After a moment of that, he opened his eyes and tried again.
"Erhrhrhrh!"
"Woah, Jeremy! Calm down, dude! Take a seat before you get yourself too worked up." Damien said to him.
He stumbled over to the couch where Rylie was now standing. He sat down and slowly leaned over onto his side, with his arms in front of his face. His long black beak poked between them. His chest was moving in rapid jerks. Rylie ran to his side and said something to him quietly. She said something else, and we could see his head nod after everything she said.
Rylie stood up and looked over at us with a serious look.
"He lost his voice." She said plainly as she walked closer.
"He'll be fine. Just a bit stressed right now over it," she whispered as she walked by.
It was shocking to see him go from seemingly enjoying the changes to crying to himself on the couch over them. Damien walked over and talked to him a bit. By talking, it was really a one-sided affair. Damien would ask a question, and Jeremy would either nod yes or no.
After a bit, Jeremy stood up and walked upstairs with Damien. Everyone else was silent until we heard Damien's door close.
"I guess that's what happens if you play it loose," Nash said. "You hate to see it, but you can't play those games. We all tried to warn him."
"Play with the kingfisher and get the belt," Matthew said
"Damn, that's a horrible thing to say," Nash said while also finding it funny.
"Yeaaah, don't say that in front of him" Rylie also finding it a bit funny.
"What was that sound?" Benji asked. "I've never heard that before. Almost like a squirrel or something."
Matthew turned to Benji, "A kingfisher, according to him. I'm going to be honest; I have never heard of such a thing before now."
Benji then looked forward. Before turning back to Matthew.
"What do toucans sound like?" Benji asked.
"Oh, I don't know," Matthew said.
We all stood around for a bit, discussing if any of us actually knew what a toucan sounded like. Rylie did some searching on the internet and found sounds for a belted kingfisher and a toco toucan. The kingfisher sure sounded just like Jeremy, and the toucans made a much different, almost croaking sound. She also found that belted kingfishers exist in our area, and they just are not as common. We then looked for info about Benji and where toucans are found.
After a while, Damien came downstairs alone and stopped by the couches where we were all sitting and talking.
"Jeremy is going to stay here tonight. He isn't really in any state to go out alone. I think he will just crash on the couch, and he may need a ride home tomorrow if you don't mind, Nash," Damien said, looking over at Nash.
"No problem. I have to run out tomorrow anyways, and picking him up is along the way," Nash replied.
"Great," Damien said, turning to Benji. "Benji, I think we may want to go out tomorrow."
"You want to go out? What for?" Benji was confused.
"I think you may want to visit your mom soon. I'll come with you though" Damien sounded like something was wrong.
"I can take him. It's no problem to make two runs," Nash said to Damien.
"No, I need to go with him. His mom asked that I do," Damien said with a bit more force.
Everyone could tell it was pretty serious based on his voice.
My phone vibrated. I pulled it out while adjusting my pants and keeping them on my waist.
"Should I swing by soon?" A text from my mom read.
"Anytime, just let me know when ur here," I sent back.
I tucked my phone away. I looked around, and everyone was ready to split and go their ways. It was getting dark, and I think everyone was prepared to sleep.
"My mom is on her way. It was great seeing y'all again, and I'll probably be over tomorrow if that's alright." I generally said to everyone.
"You're welcome here any time of day, rust butt!" Nash said back.
"Remember what we talked about, Lyall. You can come here whenever you want. Think of it as your second home," Damien said.
"Thanks guys. I'll be over tomorrow then," I said as I started to turn for the door.
I walked out the door and into the night. I never really noticed it, but I could not see for the life of me in the dark. A stark contrast to the daytime, where it felt like I could see forever. At night it was all just an empty black void. I could see headlights coming down the street. The car pulled up, and I could see the cabin lights on. I tried to make my way towards it but was having trouble seeing the ground in front of me. Instead of a graceful walk to the car, it was a slow, unsure, stumbling mess.
I opened the car door and started to try and situate my tail along the side of the seat.
"How did it go tonight? Anything interesting?" My mom asked.
Still trying to get comfortable, I replied, "Interesting? Yeah. But it was a pretty nice night."
"Interesting? You'll have to tell me about it." She said in a curious tone.
"I will, I promise."
I was finally getting myself in the seat. I thought about what Rylie said. Maybe moving into the house wouldn't be the worst thing. But I don't know if I could really have that conversation with my mom. I know life at home is going to be a bit difficult. But with skipping classes and the thought of just dropping out, maybe it would be best for both of us. But I'd have to have that conversation sooner rather than later.