User blog:Gnomehunter/Metamorphosis

Larva

Herbert hurried down the stairs from his small room in the knights quarters. Making his way to his new commander’s chamber. When he got to the door, he took a deep breath, and opened the door to see the stern-faced man staring at the door in front of a wooden desk.

“Sir Herbert. You’re late”.

“Begging your pardon, commander. I just joined the order this week”.

“Never mind. You’ll find your way around soon enough. Sit down. It’s time for your first assignment”. Herbert took the chair, and sat down to face the man. “Now, normally, you’d be sent out to assist people close to home, or in nearby towns. But we have a more difficult job, in one of our most remote settlements. We can’t be sending all of our men so far away, but we have reason to be concerned. Acrestle, have you heard of it?”

“No sir, I don’t believe I have”.

“Not surprising. Our smallest settlements are the ones we have to be most concerned about, and yet they’re the ones you hear least about at the academy. Monsters often prey there due to how unlikely they are to be found. It’s been too long since we investigated the place. One man staying there for a week or so ought to be long enough. You stay there, speak to the locals, take some time to survey the area, and report back. If you see any sign of trouble, you are to assist them, or flee and report back if necessary. Understood?”

“Perfectly”.

“Good. Pack your supplies. A horse will be prepared for travel”.

---

Gathering a few necessities, Herbert  rode out of the city and onto the road that would take him to his first mission. For days he traveled, stopping to rest at night and resuming early in the morning. A little over a week, and he began to notice the signs of his destination. As his map had indicated, far off the road he would have to cut through an innocuous field, then break through some thick brush and finally arrive on the other side. The brush seemed to extend further than he had expected, but he broke into a clearing after leading the horse on foot. There was a clear path before him, and as he followed it, he thought he heard rustling ahead. But nothing in sight. At last he reached a small collection of houses and other small buildings.

“It’s like the town doesn’t want to be found”, he said. One of the doors opened and out stepped a woman, middle aged, and dressed in plain work clothes. She wore a big smile as she went out to greet the visitor.

“Sir knight! Our people have been wondering if we might receive a visitor from the Order. How fortunate that it would be today! We have a spare room prepared for the occasion. We can also care for your horse”.

“Good day, madam. Sir Herbert, at your service. Quite the welcome, it’s a shame that nature wasn’t as amicable”.

“Apologies, sir Herbert. We’ve done our best to keep the entrances clear, but it just keeps growing back. We couldn’t spare so much labor from all the other work that needs done”.

“And may I have your name?”

“Jinna”.

“Pleased to meet you, madam Jinna”.

They walked to the central hub of the small village. The horse was led to a stable for two, one space already occupied. Herbert was led into a small home with a single room, containing a bed and a space for preparing food.

“Sir Herbert, we would love it if you would join us for a small welcome party?”

“A celebration? I don’t think I could trouble you with such a thing for my sake”.

“Please, we insist! Many of us would love for the chance to ask about life in the city. The children have never even gone as far as the road. It would be our pleasure”.

“Then I suppose I can oblige”. Herbert smiled gratefully. That night, he sat around a great big fire with the rest of the villagers. There were barely 500 people among the men, women and children, all crowding around to ask about his training or the sights of the city or the monsters he’d fought. But as he tried to explain that he hadn’t even encountered a monster in the flesh, he watched Jinna separate from the crowd. Trying to pretend he hadn’t noticed, he tried to keep an eye on her as she vanished into the woods.

That night, Herbert lay in bed, sound asleep, when a great big noise startled him awake. Trained to sleep lightly, he pulled on his boots and ran out the door. Glancing across the ground, one of the houses had its lights on. Instead of rushing to the source, he tried to find the point at which Jinna had snuck into the woods. Behind the buildings, out of sight from the main entrance to the village, he surveyed the treeline. Nothing but thick brush. Doubling back, the lights were off. He returned to his room, vowing to keep an eye out.

---

For the next two days, he chatted with the villagers, trying to familiarize himself with their routines and their way of life. He watched the kids play, he tried to help the people with their work, but they refused. And he kept an eye out for Jinna or anyone else who might sneak into the treeline. On the third night, he awoke to the same sounds that had startled him earlier. A loud thud. He sprang up and into his boots, and rushed as silently as he could to the house whose lights were on, the same one that had caught his attention earlier. The lights flicked off, but he burst through the door. He could make out the faces of a few men, mortified at being caught.

“Gentlemen? Might I ask what you’re doing at such odd hours of the night?” They looked at each other and back at him, and finally, one of them feebly offered an answer.

“Begging your pardon sir...just a friendly game of cards”. He pulled out a pack of cards from his pocket. A pile of stones sat on the table. Herbert smiled, then broke into a fit of laughter.

“Ha! My man, of all the silly things to get caught with!” He continued to laugh at their confusion. Then continued. “The Chief God, bless her soul, forbids gambling. Promotes reckless behavior, greed, envy, all sorts of nasty things. But there isn’t a single knight who hasn’t had a little fun with it in his training. Myself and my fellow trainees, we used to bet with chores and training. Extra rations, whatever little privileges we could find. Get it out of our systems, and use it to better model the teachings of the Order. You fellows can do the same. See it doesn’t become a habit, or a distraction from your obligations, yes?” The men exhaled deeply, and Herbert could see their relief. “Now then, I must retire. As should all of you”. He waved, and closed the door, walking back to his home. “Not as clever as you thought you were, lads”, he muttered. Thinking about the heavy book he had spotted in the corner of the room, flung to the side as if they’d been trying to hide it.

---

On the fourth day, Herbert began to ask about the surroundings of the village. “Surely, a village this far out would be highly vulnerable to monster attacks?”

“Not particularly”, a man replied, as he chopped wood. “We have the dense woods behind us for miles, never seen a sign of life out there but the animals we hunt. The entrance is well hidden. We’ve always said the forest protects us from prying eyes, the Chief God protects us from anything else”. He beamed with pride as if he had come up with the saying himself. Herbert thanked him and moved on.

“That can’t be right”, he thought. “Monsters can smell humans from their mana”. He started asking around for Jinna, the only one who seemed to want to speak with him at length, but he was informed that she was gone foraging in the woods. That night, Herbert put his suspicions to the test. He holed up behind his home, silently watching the treeline. He stayed vigilant for 1 night, then another, then on the 7th night of his visit, in the hours of the dawn, he caught Jinna as she slipped out of the forest. “Madam?” He spoke up, and she nearly screamed as she looked toward where he had hidden, around the corner of the building. She froze, staring and not making a noise. Herbert stepped into full view, holding his sword to the ground. “I don’t wish to harm you. But I’ve been conducting investigations around here. Illicit activities in the dead of night, a rural village free from monsters, and a certain resident sneaking out when no one else is looking. Tell me where you were going”.

“You can’t...Please, just leave us be”, Jinna replied, almost on the verge of tears.

“You’re hiding something. Perhaps all of you have been in on it. I’ve got a mission and I’m not going to abandon it. Show me your secret. I can leave the residents alone and return to my duties. Or I can call in assistance”. Resigned, Jinna nodded, took a shaky breath and led him through the undergrowth. The branches were thick and left for little space to walk. But, after forging ahead, a path magically appeared, and they followed it into a great big meadow, surrounded by the forest. Herbert took a deep breath and almost coughed at the thick demonic energy in the air. Enormous flowers were blooming, including large buds which seemed to refuse to open. Bushes bore heavy fruits which he had only seen in the books about the influences monsters could have on the land. Taking all the sights in, he looked straight at Jinna. “I am going to start by exterminating what I can by myself. If all fails, I may need to bring more people to finish the job. In the meantime, I don’t wish for a lady to see such things. Return to your home. Tell the others if you wish. It won’t make a difference to me”. Jinna nodded, straightening her face as if she had suddenly acquired an enormous amount of willpower.

“Must you carry on with killing those who’ve never done you harm?”

“It is not whether they have done harm, but that they might”. Jinna retreated. When she was gone, he walked towards the center of the field. He slashed at the fruits, cutting them down. He cut flowers carelessly. “I can’t do this by myself”, he said aloud. “The whole place needs to be burned and purified. If there are monsters, executed. He took another deep breath and coughed. “Curse this infernal air!” He found his strength waning, and staggered toward a tree, unsure how close it was to the entrance. Poison? Magic? He couldn’t tell what it was, but as he tried to sit on the ground, his nostrils were overloaded with an overwhelmingly sweet perfume.

---

Herbert opened his eyes, tried to sit up, but stopped when he realized there was someone laying on his chest. He tried to sit up to drive off his attacker, but his strength was still gone. He was also almost entirely unclothed. The thing on his chest began to squirm, it was soft and squishy and he almost laughed at the way it was rubbing against his chest. Then the thing moved, a great green blob, and he saw that it appeared to have a human face, a head and body attached to the green body. It reared around to face him, the small black eyes looking right at him.

“Oh, you’re awake”.

“Who? What…”

“I’m told I’m a worm.

“A worm? A kind of monster?”

“Mmm. I guess”. It spoke with a light, airy tone, one that would sound just fine coming from a young woman. He looked at the body, to see that it resembled a small caterpillar. Little barbed feet gripping onto his sides. He wriggled from the touch.

“I’m so hungry”, she said, looking at him. I was going to look for leaves, but they told me there was another way I could get sustenance”.

“Who’s…” She leaned over and pressed the humanlike part of her body against his, the rest of her body squirming. “What the hell are you, hmm!” His underwear was gone. She pressed her face against his chest, nibbling on it, making pleasured sounds until she reached his face and devoured his mouth. Herbert tried to cry out as she kissed him better than he’d ever been kissed in his life, her mouth probing his, tongue slipping inside, as if she was trying to find his taste. She released it with a smack, making the most satisfied smile. Herbert tried to catch his breath.

“They were right. That is pretty nice. But there’s something else I’ve been told about. Are you interested?” Herbert tried to shake his head, but heard himself answer instead.

“Please”. He heard the better judgment screaming in his head, this was a monster here to devour him, or steal his soul. But whatever she had just done, he was sure she could do more of, that it might feel as good as the kiss. She turned around to reach for his lower region.

---

Finally getting to his feet, he looked around to see it had gotten quite dark. The woman was laying on the ground, dozing happily. His clothes were nearby. His sword was gone. He dressed, tried to return to the village. Found himself staring at the girl on the ground. He patted her head, and she seemed to smile. He looked at her petit upper body, somehow still almost as wide as his own. He walked back to the village path, trying to leave quietly and failing. Poking his head into the clear, he saw no one around. It was quiet. He crept back to his home, and when he opened the door, two men tackled him to the ground. He fell from two solid punches to the gut, and they pinned him down by his arms and legs. Herbert tried to recover from the attack, and Jinna stepped out, wielding his sword.

“Sir Knight”.

“My lady! Quite an unbecoming look for you. And this ambush”

“Don’t give a damn whether I look like a lady, or whether we behaved honorably. You came here to slaughter our people. Where’s your honor?”

“Your people? Ridiculous! I was here to seek out monsters-” He tried to protest.

“So you’ve seen our little hideaway?” She started to bind his arms and legs with heavy rope, and when they finished, the men stood up. “Thanks boys. Get the elder. I’ll take it from here”. She leaned over. You inquired earlier in the week whether monsters attacked our town. Put things together. How could a little place like ours survive so long out here without any protection?”

“Must have already met the monsters?” He realized aloud.

“That’s right. Near to full integration. Some kids too. But you wouldn’t have noticed. She knelt down so she could look into his eyes. “You said you were here to take the monsters. Would you take our children too?” Herbert couldn’t answer. He saw an old man approaching, one whom he had spoken to on the first night.

“Jinna, thank you for your work”. The man said. Clove? Was that his name? He spoke up as he looked down at Herbert. “Sir Herbert. Jinna ran straight to us when you found the meadow. We took what time we thought we had to plan, but it seems like you took longer than expected”. He laughed. “Some of the villagers were prepared to take your life. But monsters, they don’t like the taking of lives either way, so you’re spared. Besides, reckon someone’s expecting you back in the city. Can’t have you disappearing entirely. Your horse was let go. Took quite a while to scare it off. We have your gear. You're to take what you can and leave, immediately. Hopefully, in the time you have to get back, we’ll have time to flee”. Herbert tried to answer. He was seated upright, and freed from the bindings. Escorted by a group of villagers, and Jinna, he managed to put his pack together. As he stepped out of the doorway, he found his voice.

“You will allow me to stay the night”.

“You’re not in a position to make demands”, Jinna replied.

“Just this night. It is just a little over my expected stay. I will leave at first light. But I cannot defend myself in the dark”. Finally, the elder nodded.

“One night”. Herbert was allowed to lie on the ground with several villagers taking turns watching him. In the morning, he was woken up hurriedly, and loaded onto the village’s other horse, carried out of the village blindfolded, and dropped unceremoniously on the ground. There was a clang from the sound of his sword, and the rider took off. Herbert took stock of his surroundings. Short grass all around him. No sign of the road. After thinking carefully, he decided to walk back in the direction that the rider had left. Hopefully, it would take him near the village, and at least he could find the road.

Hours passed, but Herbert could not tell if he was any closer to Acrestle. The sun beat down on his body, amplified by his light armor, he had little water, and he was unable to put his attention on finding the way to any destination with the one thing that had been lingering in his mind since the morning. The lovely green worm, the girl that he’d laid with. She was all he could think of. He longed to see her dopey smile, kiss her one more time. As the sun set, he tried to make a spot for himself to rest. But that night, he was jolted awake by the sound of loud howls. Standing up, he grabbed his sword, and waited to see what would appear. From the darkness came 6 human figures, all of them women with beastly ears and tails, and furred arms and legs. Clearly werewolves. One of them spoke up.

“Alright ladies, circle him. He looks ready to fight”.

“And just what do you plan to do?”

“We’re going to take you back as our mate, of course”.

“I think not. There’s someone else I’ve already got in mind”.

“Well we’re not about to give up such a good man like you so easily”, the lead said, but as she finished Herbert heard something from his rear. He whirled around and smacked the attacker straight in the torso with his sword, and she fell to the ground. Keeping an eye on the front, he waited for their next move. The pack began to circle around, lunging at random intervals to try to catch him off guard, but he remained still, only returning attacks. With five wolves felled from minor injuries and a sense of fear of his retaliation, the lead wolf lunged forward, slashing at him with powerful claws. He struck back, trying to get a clean hit. She ducked and dogged faster than he could swing, and as she moved in to strike, he had an idea. As she struck his chest, he braced himself for the impact, grunted, and slashed his sword at her arm. She cried out in pain, and he struck with his whole body, knocking her to the ground. He leaned over to hold the sword to her throat. She stared at him in fear.

“What is your name?”

“Bella”.

“Bella, I will spare your life, and your pack, and in return I need two favors”.

“What do you want?” She asked, clutching her arm.

“There’s a hidden human village somewhere around here. I need you to lead me there. But I need to be sure not to alert them to my presence. And the second thing, much more difficult. I believe there may be some more knights like myself making their way to the same place. I need to know when they’re near”. He walked over to his pack. “I have some bandages”. He handed them to her.

“What do you want us to do all that for?”

“There are other monsters living near the village. I must see one of them again. The knights will likely eliminate the village, and its people”.

“Can we take the knights for ourselves?”

“If they show up, then it makes no difference to me”.

---

For days after, the wolves scouted the area, and when they located Acrestle, Herbert was rather embarrassed to discover it was in an entirely different direction than where he had been traveling. They traveled at night and slept in the day, and when they neared the entrance, Herbert had them stop a ways away, near the road so they could see anyone who might be coming near. After days of waiting, Shelia, one of the pack, shook everyone awake.

“Hey! Wake up! Someone’s coming!” Herbert and the rest of the pack tried to blink away the sleep in their eyes, rushing for cover. They watched as four knights rode in on horses. They headed straight for the hidden entrance, and Shelia snuck in after them.

“Ugh! This entire village reeks of demonic energy”, one of the men declared.

“Didn’t they send in one of the new men here to investigate?”

“Yes, but he hasn’t returned in weeks. Something got him, or he abandoned his duties. Break into the houses. Round up anyone left. We’re going to burn this place to the ground”. Shelia gave a low howl from her hiding place, calling the rest of the pack. They swarmed in after her, Herbert in the rear. He watched the wolves leaping at the men, 2 to 1. He strolled over to one of the fights and brought his sword down on the man’s head, knocking him to the ground.

“Herbert! Get the last one!” Bella shouted, as she tried to fend off one of the men.

“Last one?”

“He went to one of the houses to look for people!”

“Mother of-there’s only 3 men here!” He raced off in the direction Bella pointed, and spotted one of the houses with a door open. Racing toward it, he ran inside, seeing a man holding a sword up to a group of people cowering against the wall. Herbert brought his sword down on the man’s head. The two wolves collected him, and he faced the group of people. “Folks, I apologize for my intrusion. But I couldn’t leave this place alone. I will now go to see that the remaining men are subdued”.

Walking back to where the fight was, he saw the wolves had won, the men relieved of their weapons.

“What the hell is wrong with you!”One of them shouted at Herbert. “Your job was to eliminate the monsters, not join them!” Herbert shrugged.

“I had a change of plans. I learned to love them, as you will too. Now tell me, what was your mission?”

“To eliminate the threat of monsters, of course. If the village had turned, execute them. If there was demonic energy present, burn it”.

“Hey, is this all you needed us for? We’d like to get moving”, Bella interrupted.

“Just a little longer”, Herbert answered.

---

“You came back”, Jinna said, looking at Herbert.

“That’s right. I couldn’t get the people out of my mind. Or even moreso, a person I met in this village”.

“Who? What compelled you to return when we cast you out so abruptly?”

“It was a small green worm. A monster, I’m sure. Met her in the field”.

“So that’s what caused you to take so long, then you must have found our secret”, the elder mused.

“That’s right. And I must see her again. But...what is everyone doing here? I thought you were planning on evacuating?”

“How could we? Jinna replied bitterly. We knew we had to escape. But there are too many of us. Young ones, old ones. We have nowhere to go. This is our home”.

“There could be more soldiers coming”.

“Then what are we to do?”

There must be some way. What if a smaller group forges ahead? Seeks for a way to get out, and the rest wait here? I will remain here, and help defend against any future attacks”.

“Would you really do that? For us?”

“Certainly. It’s the least I can do for bringing trouble to your doorstep”.

“Then you should go see that girl of yours. I’ve met her myself. She showed up a while ago, not bothering anyone, just munching on leaves. But since then, she’s started to ask about you”. Jinna pointed him to the field. Herbert made one more diversion, seeing that the men were relieved of some fire starting materials, and waved the pack off. Hurrying to the field, he breathed in the thick scents of the flowers and plants. He soon spotted the woman, hiding behind some shrubs. She turned when he approached, and grinned, inching towards him. Herbert scooped her up in his arms, and embraced her, planting a kiss on her lips.

“I was looking for you”, she said.

“I’m sorry I ever had to leave. I don’t ever want to be apart from you again. Would you tell me your name? I am Herbert”.

“The lady who comes here calls me Anise”.

“Anise, my dear. I’m afraid more trouble will be coming our way. But we’ll be able to deal with it together”.

As it turned out, Herbert was far more useful leading the first scouting party through the forest. On a particular expedition, they arrived at a hive of honeybees, who agreed to help the villagers rest and travel onward to a larger monster settlement. Herbert remained in the village after that, helping people gather what they could, and seeing them off as they began to migrate out. The last group consisted of Jinna, the elder, and a few others. They looked around at their home, sorrow in their eyes.

“Do we really have to burn it?” Jinna asked.

“I think so. If more soldiers come, they’ll see nothing but ruins. It will convince them that the job is done”.

“And if nobody comes this way again?”

“Then it can be rebuilt, repaired”.

“Then we’ll leave the rest of the job to you. I couldn’t bear to do it myself”. Jinna led the remaining group out of the center, as they all took one more look at their home. Then they entered the meadow, and slipped through the path left behind. Herbert bid them farewell, and returned to the town where Anise was. He walked through each house, taking one last look through each house, trying to appreciate the places where people had once lived. He called out, in case something had gone horribly wrong. He began to light the fire starter, and deposit it within the buildings. He stayed nearby to watch the fires burn out. Then he left, carrying Anise over his shoulder. He took one last look in the meadow, and began to burn the plants and grass. The fire went for several days, somehow never passing the thick treeline. When it was over, he mourned the destruction of such a beautiful place. Then he trekked into the woods. But as they neared the hive, Anise nudged him.

“I want to go somewhere else. Where we can be alone. My time has almost come”.

“Time for what?”

“Time to grow. To change”.

“Well, you have been eh, growing a lot”. Herbert thought about how much she’d been eating, how much more attention she had sought from him. He complied with her wish, carrying her away from the hive, walking aimlessly through the trees, until Anise decided they had stopped at a suitable place. He stripped at her request, and she lay across his body.

“Things are going to be very different for a while. But I promise you’ll be fine. You’ll be with me”, she said, with more clarity than he’d ever heard.

“I’ll do whatever you need”, Herbert replied, kissing her again. Anise made herself comfortable, then began to spew a sticky secretion from her mouth. It covered Herbert’s chest, spilling onto the ground. He began to squirm, but she held him in place. More poured over his body, until it pooled around him, and began to harden. She started to cover herself, and soon it began to envelope the couple. Herbert tried to keep his breathing even. As the covering neared their heads, he took one last look at the sunlight streaming through the branches. He took a deep breath of fresh air, and looked at Anise. The cocoon finally began to close over his head, and finally it stopped, sealing them both up entirely.

--

C O C O O N

--

Imago

The boy opened his eyes, trying to hold his breath while immersed in the pool of liquid. But as he slowly shifted his head, unable to move anything else, his sights fell on the girl. She, with whom he’d spent more time than he could recall. Her typically relaxed expression grew into one of sharp focus, and she beamed from ear to ear as she looked at him, reaching out to him and kissing him deeply. His breath gave out but he was sucking in large mouthfuls of air, filtered through the pool. He tasted something else, too, from the kiss. His body was filled with energy, and he reached out to her, to embrace her, caress her soft body as much as he could. He could only think of her as they began to reach out for each other in their private little world.

---

A man and woman walked through the doors of the school, down the hall and straight to the office. Inside they greeted the secretary, spoke to her of their business, and sat down to wait. Soon, a tall, stern looking man stepped out of a doorway behind the desk.

“Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings, I presume?”

“Yes, hello, Mr. Goodrich?” The man stood up to greet him.

“I am he. A good day to you both”, he replied, shaking both of their hands. “Why don’t we sit down in my office?” He led the visitors into a small room where he sat behind his desk and gestured to two chairs, which they took. “Now, I would like to thank you both for coming, so that we may all discuss the current academic performance of your son, Clark”. He looked up to the parents. They both returned his gaze as if waiting for him to start. Finally, Mrs. Rawlings spoke up.

“Well, Mr. Goodrich, I don’t think there’s much to speak about. We were...both my husband and I were actively involved in informing Clark’s teachers of his current predicament, why he can’t currently attend classes. I think we’ve done about as much as we can on our end”. Mr. Goodrich frowned.

“Yes yes. Your son has gone off in some sort of enormous cocoon, busy with his...girlfriend? You know back in our day we only had to deal with students missing school because of drugs, now they’re off having copious amounts of intercourse with some alien creatures from another dimension”. He looked utterly dismayed at the mention of the topic.

“I don’t know if the amount of sex has changed much, but at least the number of teen pregnancies have gone down”, she replied.

“Oh, then how fortunate for all of us”, Goodrich replied sarcastically. “I don’t see how this serves as an excuse for your son’s absence from all classes for nearly three. Weeks”.

“But we’ve explained it already”, Mr. Rawlings said. “A note to every one of his teachers! It’s part of the lifecycle of his partner, and he’ll be back as soon as that phase is over”.

“So does every student get to take a month long vacation for some changes in their lives? We can’t just allow any student to skip school whenever they please.”

“I don’t know! But how many students are skipping school at that frequency? Clark has been an attentive and studious boy for most of his years here. We’re just asking for him not to be penalized for these circumstances. Let him take time to come back to classes, pick up on the work he’s missed, and I assure you he’ll be back to full attendance as if nothing happened”.

“Clark is welcome to do what he can to make up for lost time when he returns. But I am not giving him special considerations. He will play according to the rules of my school and my curriculum”.

“It’s been five years since mamono integrated”, Mr. Rawlings answered.

“And what does that have to do with-”

“Five years and you, this school is still dragging its feet on acceptance of the necessary changes to our entire damn society?” Mr. Rawlings and Goodrich both stared each other down.

“And what do you propose should be done in this school?”

“I don’t know! Adapt? Accept that things are different? I don’t claim to understand everything about these monsters! But our son met one and now that they’re undergoing some sort of change, we decided we’d deal with it however we could. You’re the one who’s refusing to make allowances”.

“I still have a school to run”.

“And monsters make up some of your students!”

“I hardly see how other students are relevant to your son’s case”.

“Well, you’ve blatantly refused to accommodate them”, Mrs. Rawlings interrupted, looking as if she’d been waiting for the opportunity. “I heard from one of the parents, some sort of seal people. They wear sealskin to keep them warm but their daughter was explicitly banned from wearing one in school.

“Hmph. The sealskin did a rather poor job of covering the young lady’s body. It was a distraction to the other students-”

“BULLSHIT!” Mr. Rawlings snapped, and stood up to his full height, glowering at the principal, who stood up to try to meet him. “That’s literally the same garbage administrators have been peddling since when we were in school and they sent students home for exposing their bra straps!”

“And were they not-”, Goodrich’s voice rose,

“They were not! A pitiful excuse, nothing but a prioritization of boys’ education over girls! Distractions my ass! That selkie couple offered to mend their daughter’s skin so it would meet your standards and you still refused! Nothing but a desire to enforce your petty little rules! Things are changing, Mr. Goodrich, and one day you may find yourself left behind!” He sat down, fuming. The principal followed. His secretary glanced into the room, and Mrs. Rawlings glanced between all three.

“Are you finished, Mr. Rawlings?” The principal asked.

“I am”.

“Good. Then I will repeat my decision. I will not offer your son Clark any other privileges or considerations for his tardiness or his academic performance. I will, of course, not let this exchange affect my opinion of him as a student. I can control my temper. But rest assured I will make the same judgment as I would any student in a similar situation. Grades to match his level of achievement, and failing that, he may need to repeat a class. Will that be all?”

Yes, Mr. Goodrich. Thank you for your time”, Mrs. Rawlings answered, giving him a tense handshake to end the meeting. The couple walked out of the office, thanking the secretary and leaving for the parking lot. “I think you took that too far”, she said to her husband.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have shouted”.

---

“Knock knock knock”. Two boys stood on the doorstep, when a man answered the door.

“Hi Mr. Rawlings. We’ve come by with his class work”.

“Thanks boys. I’ll take care of it”.

We wanted to know if we could see Clark today?”

“Sure can, he’s out in the backyard. Still no sign of changes though”. The kids thanked him and ran around the side of the house. There, in the middle of the yard was a great big cocoon, the kind one might see from a caterpillar, except it was the size of an adult human. They looked at it in wonder, as they had every day since Clark disappeared inside it. Cautiously, one of them poked it, feeling the tough shell-like exterior. Mr. Rawlings stepped up behind them. “Tough thing isn’t it?”

“Have you tested it anymore?”

“Well, I’ve tried giving it a good tap, but the book we got recommends it be left undisturbed. I don’t want to be the one to cause trouble”. They continued to look at it, circling around it, though it didn’t seem to differ from any particular angle.

“Will you tell us when something happens?”

“You’ll be the first to know. We appreciate you both coming to visit Clark. I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear about his friends’ visits”.

---

7 weeks from the beginning of the whole thing, the sun rose upon the side of the house that the cocoon rested on, and cracks began to appear throughout the cocoon. It slowly started to open, and a pair of hands reached out to tear it in two. A young girl stood up, stretching her arms toward the sky, beaming with joy from the feeling of the sun on her face. Antenna uncurled from her head, and a pair of large wings started to unfurl from her back. She stood for a moment, then knelt down to pick up the young boy who was laying down, fast asleep in a puddle of fluid. She stepped carefully onto the ground, testing her body, then carried him easily across the yard, and sat down again, resting his head in her lap. She smiled, content to let him rest a little longer. Soon his eyes started to open, and he shielded them from the sun, blinking blearily. They opened wide with shock when he looked at her.

“Mmmmmmmmm, good morning sleepyhead”, she said gently, stroking his head.

“Ugh. Uh. Annelita??????” He gaped at the stunning sight that greeted him.

“Mhm. It’s Anne, you know.”, she replied, picking him up so he could sit in her lap, and so she could reach him better. She pulled him into her arms, squishing her significantly more prominent chest, and beheld his simple but handsome face. Then she kissed him, something they had done countless times before. Her soft lips lingered on his own, as her narrow tongue maneuvered into his mouth for a taste. Clark held her closely, trying to get a feel for her new body. Then they parted, breathless and grinning stupid. She leaned over to push him gently onto the ground, so that she could spread her colorful wings, allowing him to take in her new body as she knelt over him. “Clark, darling. I want you to get to know my new body. And we both need time to dry out. How do you feel?”

“Uh, great. Amazing”.

“Hmm, tell me how you feel when we’re done”, she whispered.

---

As the sun rose higher in the sky, Anne kissed Clark once again. But now it felt different, a welcome return to the conscious world, a thank you for his decision to join her, and all that he’d done before. A promise that things would only get better. They stood up, stretching, and walked to the door of the house. Clark stood sheepishly behind Annelita, as she draped her wings around her body. They knocked, and both of Clark’s parents answered, barely able to contain their excitement when their son and his partner stood before them. They waved the kids in, sending them both up to Clark’s room for some clothes. There was nothing that quite fit Anne, but they managed to make do with some of his clothes. They rejoined Clark’s parents, who both smothered Clark in hugs.

“Clark! I’m so glad to see you again!”

“Ah, mom, I wasn’t gone”.

“It felt like it! Almost two months! I had no idea what was going on in there!”

“We’re glad to see you again, son”, his father said, embracing him and patting him on the back. Then they turned to Anne.

“Anne, honey, I’m glad to see you too”. She twirled around to show off her lovely wings, then bowed.

“Thank you mother”. She leaned in to embrace Mrs. Rawlings, who gave a start at the greeting. “And father”. Mr. Rawlings smiled, and offered his hand, which she took so she could shake appreciatively.

“You took care of Clark, right?”

“Of course! Just like I said I would!”

“That’s all we asked of you”. Anne beamed again, and returned to Clark’s side, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“You both must be hungry”, mom said.

“Don’t we need to get to school?”

“Ha. You can both take one day before getting back”.

“And what did Mr. Goodrich say? Weren’t you going to meet with him?”

“I’m afraid he wasn’t interested in making any changes”, his father answered.

“Your father had a little shouting match”, his mom added.

“I don’t think he was going to change his mind anyway”, he said crossly. “Your friends have been bringing your work home every day, real good kids, they are”. He walked into the other room, ruffled through a cabinet and brought out a big pile of papers.

“Woah. That’s a lot”.

“Listen Clark, your principal made it clear he isn’t going to be helping you. But we will. We’ll do whatever we can to get you through this school year. We’ll look for a different school if we have to”. His mom reassured him.

“Do we really have to worry about school?” Anne asked. “Now that I’ve finished all I want to think about is being Clark’s wife”. She giggled.

“Well, we still want to see Clark have a good background, learn some important skills for his development. As do you, Anne”. She made a disheartened face at the final comment.

“My parents left me all alone to grow up by myself. They were never worried about me learning silly things”. The two parents looked at each other, then at Anne, both trying to understand the way she had grown up, even though they had already heard the story.

Clark strolled into class the following day, to the great surprise of his classmates and friends.

“DUDE!” Jake shouted, jumping up and running over to the door.

“What’s up man?” Clark asked, bumping fists.

“Uh, you were gone for a while!”

“Hey Clark!” Frank said as he stood up to high five his friend.

“Hey! I heard you guys were visiting me for the past few weeks. Thanks”.

“Yeah, uh, we were wondering what was going on”.

“Uuhhhhhh…” Clark hesitated as he tried to answer but was interrupted.

“Mr. Rawlings, I’m glad to see you back in class”. His teacher, Ms. Fitchburg, spoke up from the front of the class, giving him a genuine smile.

“Good morning, Ms. Fitchburg”.

“Is Anne with you as well?”

“Hello Ms. Fitchburg”, Ann responded, peeking shyly into the class. Heads turned and there were audible gasps as she walked into full view and everyone had a chance to see her new form.

“Holy shit”, Jake mumbled. “Be careful who you call ugly in middle school”. Nearly every student looked like they wanted to talk to the two, but Ms. Fitchburg had signaled for class to start.

“So”, Frank said as they ate lunch. “What happened while you were gone?” Jake and several other kids who had sat down nearby all leaned in to try and listen over the buzz of conversation.

“Hmm. Well, I can’t really remember. It’s kind of blurry. But...We were in a cocoon, waiting for Anne to change form…”

“For almost two months? How’d you eat?” At this, Anne spoke up.

“Oh, it’s really simple actually. When a greenworm enters the stage of metamorphosis, she brings her husband in the cocoon where she feeds him and provides him constant pleasure- '' there was a shout of voices as the rest of the table decided they would rather not get a detailed description at lunch. As they all finished for the next class, Jake leaned over to speak to Clark.

“But dude, I remember when she was just a little worm, took so long to get from one place to another, had trouble in class, you sure put up with a lot to get here today. How do you feel now that she’s so hot?”

“Well first of all, Anne has always been hot”, Clark replied, walking off hand in hand with her.

Sitting in the corner of the library, Clark was doing his best with the geometry problems, but it almost felt impossible. Weeks of work from one class, on top of all the other classes he had, on top of the daily workload they received from each class. He put his head in his hands on the table. Anne patted his head from the other side.

“Do you want to take a break?” She laid down one of her books, an assignment in her English class which she was progressing through quite smoothly.

“I just feel like I can’t ever catch up. So much work to make up, so much more to come”.

“Hmm”. She stood up and walked around to stand behind Clark, so she could hug him. “Whatever you do, I’ll be right behind you”. Clark looked up to smile at her and she snuck in a kiss before returning to her seat.

“And what about you?” Clark asked.

“Hmm? I already told you, I’m happy to be wherever you are. I don’t need to worry about my performance in school. But I’ll try as much as I can since your parents seem to care”.

“Yeah, well, they’re still sort of concerned about how there’s no one looking out for you like they are”.

“Back in our own world, many mamono didn’t live with their parents. They grew up entirely by themselves. That’s how I was”.

“Do you ever miss them or think about them?”

“I never knew who they were. Doesn’t bother me. Maybe more mamono will grow up in similar conditions that humans do right now. But, I’m just glad to be with someone who cares for me. And your parents, of course”.

---

It was two weeks after Clark and Anne’s return to school that they were waved into the office one morning. When they looked at the secretary, something seemed different about her.

“Hi Ms. Allan”, Clark said, unable to stare at anything but her new set of horns.

“Good morning students”, she replied cheerily. “Nothing to worry about up here, I’ve just undergone a few changes. The new principal has a list of students she’d like to speak to before the assembly today, and you two are on it”.

“New principal?” Anne asked. The door to the principal’s office opened, and a tail stuck out of the door, waving as if inviting them in. They cautiously followed, and inside were surprised to find the room had been made several times larger. Inside was a woman, clearly some kind of succubus, by her monster features. She reclined on a chair which seemed to be made of black goop, and spread a large pair of white wings behind her. Anne squeaked in shock at the sight of the woman. “Good morning madam!” She even bowed. The woman chuckled softly.

“Good morning my dear. Lift your head, there is no need for such formality. I’m here as your principal. Well, superintendent for the county, but I’m still just here to speak to you as students in my charge”.

“What happened? Who are you?” Clark asked, stupefied by her appearance.

“Your former principal, Mr. Goodrich, was giving a less than satisfactory performance in adapting his education to the needs of the mamono student population. So he’s no longer in charge. There will be a general announcement this morning, but I have a number of students that I’ve made a point of speaking to personally. In your case, I understand you’ve both fallen significantly behind due to your recent metamorphosis?”

“That’s right”, Anne answered proudly.

“Then rest assured both of you will be given as much assistance as you need to complete the year on time”.

“Well, thanks for that”, Clark answered, unsure of what else to say.

“My pleasure”, the lilim said, waving them out with a smile.

“Did she give us a name?” Anne asked as they walked down the hall.

“I guess not?”

---

Robert Goodrich was fuming. He had awoken at 6 sharp as he did every day, enough time to prepare himself and collect everything he would need before driving to the school and arriving before students. But instead he found his door and windows blocked off entirely by some sort of black goop. The door wouldn’t budge an inch. Nothing passed through the windows, requiring him to turn on lights to see. He had a faint inkling that a monster might be behind it all, but was unable to confirm or seek help from outside. Somehow his cell phone reception was blocked. As the clock ticked toward midnight and he decided to go to sleep in the hopes that things would be different in the morning, he heard a snap downstairs. Snap? Like a crack or something. Carefully creeping down the stairs, he stepped into the room to see a monster woman of some sort, great white wings and tail and horns and sitting on a large black orb of slime which was currently dripping on his floor.

“Are you the one who’s been meddling with me?” He asked, glaring straight at the intruder.

“Goodness, Mr. Goodrich, you are a tough nut to crack”. She chuckled at her joke.

“I don’t see what’s so funny. Completely locking me up in my own home”.

“I apologize for the delay, Mr. Goodrich, but I was very busy making rounds at the schools trying to get to know everyone”.

“BUSY? What do you think I had to do! I have a school to run too!”

“Not anymore. As of yesterday you were relieved of your duty”.

“On whose authority?”

“Well, mine. The school board helped, but they’re all different members as well. It was simple. You have done an admirable job in the education field, but you refused to adapt to the needs of your mamono student population. The least you could do was understand their needs”. She stared at him, perched atop her orb, and he had no reply.

“So that’s it? After 20 years of work trying to get kids through school, I’m fired without input or even prior notice?”

“Well, not exactly. We understand that this type of change is unprecedented for most humans, so I have a variety of offers for you in the way of job security and familiarization with mamono”. She handed him a pile of fliers. He flipped through them, noting all the jobs and work required for administration, just the thing he had experience in. He noted the high salaries, and that all of them seemed to involve close contact or cohabitation with a different monster.

“At the risk of being offensive, I’m not interested in fraternization with your kind, or being given free jobs”.

“That’s fine, too. Make note to any employers that you were relieved of duty during the Lilim restructuring project and I assure you that you won’t be penalized as such”.

“I have to start writing applications? I haven’t written one of those in years. This was supposed to be my career!”

“Well, I did have offers for you, but you refused them. So that’s what’s left”.

“I guess it is”, he replied dejectedly.

“Take this number. Call it if you ever truly need help and want to reconsider my offer. I will be sure to give you offers as I have now”. She handed him a scrap of paper with a normal phone number.

“What’s your name?”

“We lilim give names out on a need to know basis”. Goodrich was silent. “Will that be all?” He nodded, shoulders slack. The monster vanished, taking with her the goop that was covering his door and windows.

Robert Goodrich sighed and trudged toward his bedroom.