A Song for Winter: Creature Self

     It was only supposed to be a simple scout mission on a portal that was just discovered a few weeks prior. A quick in and out to get the lay of the land and determine if the locals were friendly. William had a team of mages open a portal for him and with a quick breath, he stepped through into the unknown. As he transversed the portal network something felt off as though this portal was connected to a place where the rules of reality worked differently. Besieged by a splitting headache William howled in pain as it felt like his body was tearing itself apart from the inside. This was a new kind of excruciating pain William had never felt before that caused him to blackout.

 

    When he awoke, William felt as if he had been thoroughly beaten to a pulp. His head spun and his body felt heavier than normal. William tried to stand but his legs wouldn’t work like they were supposed to. With a frantic glance around William found that his body was much larger than it was before and covered in new pure white fur. Through a strained effort and a little bit of stumbling William managed to stand on his four legs and stumble to a nearby body of water. The reflection in the water wasn’t that of William’s but rather that of a massive one-eyed winter wolf. William knew of these magical beasts as he had fought them before but now he was one.

 

    After he taught himself to walk on four legs efficiently, William set about trying to find a way off this portal stop. He didn’t like being transformed into a winter wolf at all. The body was heavier and unwieldier than William was used to plus he didn’t have thumbs anymore. Strange colorful flowers dotted the ice plains around the new winter wolf as he traveled hoping to find any sign of any other beings that could help him get home. As night fell William found a group of various humanoids being attacked by a linnorm. 

 

Without even thinking about it William charged the linnorm in his new winter wolf body. Knowing the frost breath of winter wolf was going to have no effect William opened his mouth wide and went for the throat. Caught completely off guard the linnorm tumbled and rolled with William’s teeth tearing into its throat. Rolling in pain the linnorm tried to coil itself around William but he had anticipated it would try and planted his rear legs firmly on its snake-like body. William used all his strength as he held his legs firm and tore the linnorm’s head off with his teeth. Luckily this was a younger one or else that would have never worked anywhere as well as it did. The people William saved cheered and celebrated their new savior as a portal opened up before the winter wolf. He didn’t stop to enjoy the celebration as he ran through the portal while he vowed to send someone else to map this portal.