by Gavin Green
*
"Where is he?!" Brody barked again.
Kate pointed over his left shoulder, and said with a trembling voice, "Brody... sparkles."
He spun and saw a short man, but nearly as wide as his height. A furry vest down to his knees, revealing bare, thick arms covered in coarse, dark hair. Then there were the stranger's large, bright orange eyes, and tusks that jutted from the corners of his lower lip. He looked to Brody like a squat barbarian, but obviously a fairy - another damn trespassing fairy.
Kazimir saw the fire in the big man's eyes when he turned, apparently looking for any outlet for his anger. Unsure whether he was allowed to put the man down or not, the morpher first issued a warning. "Leave now before you come to injury," he said in his rough, strange accent.
Brody trembled with seething fury, and clenched his hands hard. "You damn fairies don't get it, do you?" he said with a snarl as he walked toward the blocky fae. "This is my home, and you fuckers aren't welcome!"
Seeing that the verbal warning didn't work, Kazimir tried for more a more intimidating tactic. With the human only a few strides away, the morpher shifted into his other form. Transforming, he became a huge boar, five hundred pounds and five feet tall at the shoulder. His pelt was bristled, colored black and mottling to tan on his underbelly. The orange eyes remained as before, but the tusks grew to a lethal six inches and jutted out on either side of his big snout.
With almost a skid on the packed gravel, Brody came to a stop. Without taking his eyes off the huge beast, he called out, "Kate, get inside!"
Stifling a gasp, Kate reached a trembling hand to the door. Just then, the dogs thrust past her, jostling her into the door frame. Led by Honey, the three rushed out, barking viciously with foam flecking their lips as they joined their master and formed a semi-circle around the boar. The dogs kept their distance, snarling and snapping with their hackles raised.
Kazimir hadn't expected battle before he arrived, but certainly wasn't going to shy from it. If they wanted a fight, he was happy to oblige. The words the man yelled at him before were only noise as battle-lust filled the morpher's mind.
He settled in pose to charge the big human, but then hesitated; the man's hands were grey, and a fine dust fell from them when he re-clenched his fists. Kazimir remembered seeing that affectation from a few trolls on a battlefield, those strong with the stone gift. The morpher's pause allowed one of the dogs to edge in closer from the side, but was brushed back with a grunt and swipe of tusks.
Brody saw the beast swing his head at the advancing Keller, who dodged back and resumed his frenzied snarling. With the hulking boar's attention momentarily diverted, Brody took two quick strides in with his fist cocked back.
Kazimir turned back just in time to receive a hammering blow between his eyes. Surprised as well as stunned, he stumbled back on unsure hooves. The man was yelling again, but the words were distant. As his vision cleared, the morpher came to the conclusion that the man was a troll in good human manifestation. Judging by the power of the blow, he must also be a large one.
Just as the two opponents prepared to press the combat, they both noticed that the dogs suddenly quieted and sat, their snarls mixed with whines. Brody took a step back in confusion. Kazimir, still thrilled for battle, unexpectedly heard a soft, feminine voice in his head. "Calm your heart, warrior. The conflict is not warranted. Ease yourself. Slow your pulse. All is well. Ease yourself."
The soothing words had limited effect, but enough. Kazimir looked about warily and saw a petite form standing not far off in the near field, hidden from mundane view. In boar form, his olfactory senses were strong, and gave snorting sniffs in her direction. The morpher caught faint scents of wild grass and lilacs, but also hints of stone hearths and Lore breezes.
Kazimir shuffled a few more paces back and resumed his human manifestation, such as it was. He eyed his opponent, saw he was in calm but alert pose, and turned once more to the hooded fae who stood out in the tall grass. He quickly vaulted the low field-stone wall and strode out to meet her, fading from Verden sight as he did so.
