"Do you think we should help her?" Eurydice asked her Otaku. She didn't understand what had happened, but she had felt the pain, and pain was something she understood too well.

"Who?" Anaera responded, still somewhat dazed.

"Celly!"

"Well I don't know. She's an enemy, but still... I don't know what happened. Besides, I don't think that girl would ever need *my* help. I don't think she's dead. Of course, all my senses could be out of whack. It's best to leave her with her friends." Anaera's argument was a tad confused, but her conclusion was sound. Eurydice sighed, but didn't insist that they help the erstwhile loony.

"What shall we do, then?" Eurydice questioned.

Anaera didn't answer her. The other woman was busy being fascinated by her own skin. Eurydice couldn't blame her. Anaera's skin was doing a strange dance. The color kept shifting to a shimmery, dark blue-gray and insisted on sprouting feather-like projections. It was mesmerizing.

"I think you should try out your lycanthropy, Nae-nae. Let's see what your form is," the Guardian suggested.

"I don't know how it works," Anaera answered, instantly knowing that she wasn't quite correct. She *did* understand how to do it at an instinctive level, but it was something so new and she had just woken up less than an hour ago. She took the Helmet off, put it back into HammerSpace, and began, "Well, here goes..."

Anaera's skin stopped wavering. Instead, it continued in the shift from translucent flesh to the other form. The color went fully to the shimmery dark blue-gray and sprouted scaline feathers all over. Her body lengthened and shifted. Her limb elongated and thickened, while feet and hands turned to broad paws terminating in long black, razor-sharp claws. Half-way down, the feathers on the limb were replaced by rough, spiky fur of a slightly lighter, less shiny shade. Her spine reshaped itself to a quadrupedal configuration and large wings emerged from her upper back. A feathered tail also began emerging from her rump. Her head increased in size in proportion to the rest of her body. Her hair looked as if it were sucked up into her head while her ears moved more to the top of her head, and lengthened. Her face lengthened and the tiny featherlets around her eyes were black, forming a sort of mask. In a heartbeat, the shift was complete.

Eurydice beheld a creature beyond fantasy. It stood only about five feet high, but it had a wingspan of twelve feet, and possesed nearly three feet of tail. The feathers of the wings and tail were larger than the others and were lethal. Each one was flexible, but sharp and strong enough to slice through metal. As she watched, it lowered and collapsed its tail like a fan and folded its wings. The action revealed the head of the creature, which looked rather like a llama's, actually. There was a back, raccoon-like mask across the face, and the flight feathers were black tipped. The creature was dark all over, so the eyes were a highly arresting feature. The eyes were featureless -- just twinkling dishes of a light periwinkle. Eurydice giggled. "You're soooo cute!" she told her shifted Otaku.

Anaera's new, alien features expressed indignation. She voiced her displeasure in a liquid trilling speech. *I was hoping for something frightening!*

"Hm, well. I'd say you got something deceptive instead. Can you do anything cool, like breathing fire?"

*I dunno.* Anaera felt a power inside her. She opened mouth and expelled the power.

She breathed water. It shot out with more force than a fire hose. Anaera hadn't the least idea where it came from in this body, but there it was. The water struck an opposite building, puncturing it's wall, and showering everyone in the street below with spray. Anaera cut off the breath.

"Wow," Eurydice breathed, as she shifted into her human form to assess the damage better.

"Hey!" the Otaku and Guardians below yelled at the same time, looking up.

"Well, the jig is up!" Eurydice exclaimed. She was clad in sturdy leather pants and a close-fitting blouse of linen. The purpose of the strong pants was explained by Eurydice's next words, "Now, give me a ride and we'll join the others!"

Anaera cocked her head, looking her altered Guardian over. The nymph's body was short and thin -- no heavy load. *Okay,* Anaera trilled her assent.

Eurydice mounted up, careful of the sharp wings. Anaera launched herself from the roof and extended her wings. They glided gracefully down to Main Street, but Anaera was new at this. She botched the landing and they ended up in a pile in front of Roger.

Eurydice giggled at the musicians astonished expression. She couldn't resist. She reached up, tweaked his nose, and said, "Hello kitty!"