Clare-Dragonfly (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
clare_dragonfly) wrote2011-03-14 01:55 pm
clare_dragonfly) wrote2011-03-14 01:55 pm
Metamorphosis
Title: Metamorphosis
Word count: 694
Rating: G
Prompt: origfic_bingo G1: wings
Notes: Possibly overly influenced by Addergoole. I may post this as a bonus story at my site at some point.
Adora stretches the wings uncertainly. They feel wet and heavy against her back, lying there lifelessly, but as she finds the muscles that attach to them and flex, they lift away, and seem to gain energy, though they are still heavy. “Are you sure this is the way it’s supposed to be?”
Lal laughs, not unkindly. “No. But I was expecting something like this. You were a caterpillar before. Now you’re a butterfly.”
She grimaces and stretches again, wincing at the unaccustomed pain in her back, where the muscles have been barely used. “I’m not a butterfly. I’m some kind of half-butterfly creature.”
“We should get you outside.” Lal reaches for Adora and she allows herself to be lifted, both of Lal’s hands around her waist. This is different, too; she used to be smaller than this, small enough that Lal could lift her, with some difficulty, in one hand. And she used to like it, but now it feels uncomfortable, constricting. She doesn’t squirm, though. She can already see the daylight and it makes her feel breathless.
Lal stumbles a little coming out of the cave and quickly sets Adora down on a moss-covered rock. The sun comes down in a shaft through the trees and warms her. She barely notices Lal turning away, shading her eyes and building up her glamour. The sun feels wonderful on her face and even better on her back. She flexes the wing muscles again, and this time she can really feel them lifting away, catching the air and becoming lighter. She can’t take off quite yet, but now she can feel the power in her wings and knows she’ll be able to soon.
Lal smiles at her, her hands and teeth changed, her eyes gaining the white parts that human eyes have. Adora touches her own eyelid, wondering what her eyes look like. She’ll have to find a mirror. “You’re not going to want to live with me anymore,” Lal says wistfully.
That gives Adora a pang. “I still want to…” She stretches her wings again, turning around carefully. Her feet are sensitive, too, now that they are so different, but the moss is soft against them.
“You don’t belong in a cave. That’s all right. You can spend your time with Derwen. You’ll like her, I’m sure.”
“But how will I…”
Lal holds out a hand to stop her. “You’re an adult now, Adora. That’s what this means. You can do whatever you want. I think the only thing to worry about is what you’re going to eat.”
She hadn’t thought about that. She looks around the woods, anxiety building in her gut. She recognizes some of the plants that she used to like, but none of them look like food anymore. She climbs carefully down from the rock and walks toward one of the bushes, still stretching her wings as much as she can. She plucks off a leaf—it looks so much smaller now, and she’s amazed that with her new hands she has the strength to actually release a leaf from its bush—and sniffs at it, then takes a careful nibble from the edge. The taste is sour and makes her stomach heave. She spits out the bits in her mouth and throws away the rest of the leaf.
Lal laughs gently. “See? Everything changes. I don’t think I know what butterflies eat…”
Adora thinks about it hard for a moment. “I want sweet things.”
“Perhaps you should make friends with the bees, then.” Lal bends down, extending her hand to Adora. “Come, let’s meet Derwen.”
Adora almost steps into the hand, then hesitates. Her wings feel strong. There’s no wind down here to touch them, but they’re twitching about anyway. “I think I can… oh!” The words are barely out of her mouth when her wings seem to take on a life of their own. They lift her away, off the ground, up past the top of the bush and then past the top of Lal’s head.
She spirals upward toward the ceiling of trees, toward the blue sky beyond, laughing. Maybe change isn’t too bad after all.
Word count: 694
Rating: G
Prompt: origfic_bingo G1: wings
Notes: Possibly overly influenced by Addergoole. I may post this as a bonus story at my site at some point.
Adora stretches the wings uncertainly. They feel wet and heavy against her back, lying there lifelessly, but as she finds the muscles that attach to them and flex, they lift away, and seem to gain energy, though they are still heavy. “Are you sure this is the way it’s supposed to be?”
Lal laughs, not unkindly. “No. But I was expecting something like this. You were a caterpillar before. Now you’re a butterfly.”
She grimaces and stretches again, wincing at the unaccustomed pain in her back, where the muscles have been barely used. “I’m not a butterfly. I’m some kind of half-butterfly creature.”
“We should get you outside.” Lal reaches for Adora and she allows herself to be lifted, both of Lal’s hands around her waist. This is different, too; she used to be smaller than this, small enough that Lal could lift her, with some difficulty, in one hand. And she used to like it, but now it feels uncomfortable, constricting. She doesn’t squirm, though. She can already see the daylight and it makes her feel breathless.
Lal stumbles a little coming out of the cave and quickly sets Adora down on a moss-covered rock. The sun comes down in a shaft through the trees and warms her. She barely notices Lal turning away, shading her eyes and building up her glamour. The sun feels wonderful on her face and even better on her back. She flexes the wing muscles again, and this time she can really feel them lifting away, catching the air and becoming lighter. She can’t take off quite yet, but now she can feel the power in her wings and knows she’ll be able to soon.
Lal smiles at her, her hands and teeth changed, her eyes gaining the white parts that human eyes have. Adora touches her own eyelid, wondering what her eyes look like. She’ll have to find a mirror. “You’re not going to want to live with me anymore,” Lal says wistfully.
That gives Adora a pang. “I still want to…” She stretches her wings again, turning around carefully. Her feet are sensitive, too, now that they are so different, but the moss is soft against them.
“You don’t belong in a cave. That’s all right. You can spend your time with Derwen. You’ll like her, I’m sure.”
“But how will I…”
Lal holds out a hand to stop her. “You’re an adult now, Adora. That’s what this means. You can do whatever you want. I think the only thing to worry about is what you’re going to eat.”
She hadn’t thought about that. She looks around the woods, anxiety building in her gut. She recognizes some of the plants that she used to like, but none of them look like food anymore. She climbs carefully down from the rock and walks toward one of the bushes, still stretching her wings as much as she can. She plucks off a leaf—it looks so much smaller now, and she’s amazed that with her new hands she has the strength to actually release a leaf from its bush—and sniffs at it, then takes a careful nibble from the edge. The taste is sour and makes her stomach heave. She spits out the bits in her mouth and throws away the rest of the leaf.
Lal laughs gently. “See? Everything changes. I don’t think I know what butterflies eat…”
Adora thinks about it hard for a moment. “I want sweet things.”
“Perhaps you should make friends with the bees, then.” Lal bends down, extending her hand to Adora. “Come, let’s meet Derwen.”
Adora almost steps into the hand, then hesitates. Her wings feel strong. There’s no wind down here to touch them, but they’re twitching about anyway. “I think I can… oh!” The words are barely out of her mouth when her wings seem to take on a life of their own. They lift her away, off the ground, up past the top of the bush and then past the top of Lal’s head.
She spirals upward toward the ceiling of trees, toward the blue sky beyond, laughing. Maybe change isn’t too bad after all.
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