Clever-for-Food looks dubious, but willing to try. She shifts up, passing quickly by Hispo and pausing at Warform, then inhales and scrunches up her face, lowering to Glabro. There she crouches, her knees bent and her hands on the floor. Dirty blondeish brown (both in color and unwashed-wise) hangs short to the base of her skull and into her eyes as she peers around with suddenly sharper vision. She snorts in surprise.
Piddles thumps his butt down and watches the proceedings with a doggy grin.
Shadow Eyes chuffs. You have done well!
Clever-for-Food shifts her weight enough so as not to lose her balance as she lifts one former paw to stare at it. She lowers her face towards it, sniffing first, then running her (now shorter and a lot less mobile) tongue across it. She makes a throaty huff of surprise.
Piddles cocks his head and watches. There's a bit of sad, yet fond, recollection in his eyes.
Shadow Eyes nuzzles his packmate. I see myself at times like this as well.
Piddles nuzzles back, a mischievous glint in his eye. Yes, but you did this as a wolf, not in the sillyhumanbody. Cold! Unbalanced! Wobbly! Unnatural! He lolls his tongue in a grin.
Clever-for-Food is just way too busy exploring herself to be aware of the other two Gnawers. Turning her head almost upside down, she checks out her furless underside, then does finally succeed in losing her balance and half-sits, half-falls onto one hip. She oof and slides down the rest of the way, laying there on her side a moment.
Shadow Eyes pads up and nuzzles the girl. He whines a bit. Back, back down to dog.
Piddles pages all: EEEK! Cold nose! Cold nose!
Clever-for-Food's hand moves over her flat chest and dirt-caked belly before she looks to Elan. Her tongue appears and runs well above her lips, and her head shifts the slightest bit to the right as she attempts to perk now-immobile ears.
Piddles wuffles in agreement, and makes doggy talking noises. Back down, be warm, think familiar.
Shadow Eyes /thinks/ she can understand us, still. He looks to Piddles, the real expert here.
Clever-for-Food's wide brown eyes go to Piddles, then she closes them and scrunches up her face. Taking a deep breath in, the shifts up, then all the way back down again. Peeking with one eye, her tail starts wagging as she finds herself back in her familiar lupe form. She bounds up, suddenly able to stand again.
Piddles flicks his lop ear forward and cocks his head. Some, yes.
Shadow Eyes nuzzles Clever. You did good! Very good!
Piddles bounds to his feet, stubby tail wagging. He kowtows playfully. Good!
Clever-for-Food's jaws are opened wide in a grin, then she bounds past Elan and starts up the stairs, woofing at Piddles in passing. More practiced now, she gets all of her paws working together as she climbs.
Shadow Eyes tries to move past Clever, and keep her here.
From afar, to Piddles and Clever-for-Food, Shadow Eyes gets Sally flashbacks...
From afar, to Piddles and Shadow Eyes, Clever-for-Food giggles.
Piddles follows her. Nono, come back! he arfs. Not done yet!
Clever-for-Food stops as her way is suddenly blocked by Elan. She looks past him to the door. Want to make work! Try! She wiggles happly as she wags away.
Shadow Eyes nips again. No, not yet. Bad men out there. Very bad, who look for shifters. You will stay with us until you learn more. There will be lots of food.
Clever-for-Food's ears dip down at the nip and she backs off a step. Looking past Elan once more, she asks, Can't try?
Shadow Eyes flicks an ear. You will have plenty of opportunities for that, yes. Later. He flicks his ear again. Hell, she has to learn about time....
From afar, to Piddles and Clever-for-Food, Shadow Eyes needs to go on to bed. Night. :)
Piddles wuffs. Try here, not out there. Bad people, bad people hurt and kick and run over in big loud metal boxes, or put in cage. Stay with us, we feed lots, make warm.
Shadow Eyes goes home.
Clever-for-Food's ears lay back at Piddles' words, yet she doesn't give up. She looks behind herself, then trots over to one of the old dressing rooms and stands before the door.
Piddles lolls his tongue and settles himself between her and the exit, subtly. Yes, mirror, shinything fun.
Clever-for-Food gives the mirror only a quick sniff, then lowers her head, closing her eyes as she tries to shift again. It takes a moment, but then she's moving up past Crinos and back down, stopping at Glabro again. Balanced on all fours, she stares at the door expectantly. Her image gets hardly a glance, as flat and scentless as it is, and therefore uinreal, as it is.
Piddles cocks his head. Think smaller, barer, less hair. You aren't all the way there yet.
Another headshifting: a flicking of a no longer expressive ear as she continues to stare at the door. Finally she reaches out and places the back of her hand against it, still waiting.
Piddles cocks his head the other way.
As that does nothing to open the door, she turns her hand around and places her palm against it. Her head is tilted, and she watches the door expectantly through her own hair.
Piddles groks, finally. No, that is not the way to open this door. Some doors, it works. That thing that sticks out from the door. You must wrap your paw around it and make it turn.
Clever-for-Food looks back at him over her shoulder as she listens, then she leans in to sniff at the indicated doorknob. Her tongue darts out to taste, then she draws back and lays her fingers flat against it. Again she waits.
Piddles wuffs. Make your toes bend. They bend very easily in this form. They are called "fingers" now. Make them bend around the knob... the thing you have your paw on now. Oh, the paw in this form is called "hand." The front paws, that is. The back paws are "feet".
Clever-for-Food's tongue runs across her now-flat muzzle again, and she does as directed. Bouncing a little with excitement as her fingers do curl, she waits for the door to open to her, as it properly should for a two legs.
Piddles edges closer and studies her hand. Tighten your 'hand' on the 'knob', make sure that it is tight in your 'hand.' Now, keep your hand tight. Turn your toes out away from your body.
Her tongue remaining out, she pants lightly across it. Concentrating, she does as directed. Her eyes widen as the knob turns, and she looks over to Piddles in surprise, then back to the door. She shifts her weight again, goosebumps raised along most of her bare body.
Piddles whines eagerly. Yes! Yes! Now push... GENTLY. Do not put your body against it! You will fall if you do!
Clever-for-Food exends her arm, but unfortunately her body follows through and she unbalances. She totters, but her center of gravity is off and she falls forward, not quite catchig herself with her hands. She seems little bothered, though, as she peers into the wonder that is an opened door.
Piddles wuffs and trots over to lick her face in congratulations.
Clever-for-Food's mouth opens further into what would be a canine smile if she were, well, canine at the moment. Closing her eyes, she shifts again, quicker than the last time. In short order, she's back in lupe again. Did it! Made it work!
Piddles nuzzles. Yes! Yes! Very good!
Clever-for-Food bumps Piddles happily, then bounds around him once before setting off to explore the newly opened room.
Piddles follows, grinning and wagging his stubby tail.
Back to home.