Eli's shadow

Chapter 1

After Eli came to, there was a short freak out period.
"Oh my god!" Ok a long freak out period. Eli, in his new body, was currently hyperventilating into a paper bag, with Trixie and Kord comforting him while Pronto awkwardly stood there. Eli wasn't really bakeable to hear what they were saying, but he was suddenly pulled into a hug by Trixie. The close contact forces him to register his surroundings and he notices his sense of smell is a lot stronger. Being able to smell the stench of Pronto or Kord after a long day isn't new, but Trixie was different. Her scent calmed him down. He didn't know how to feel about that.

Trixie lets go of a very confused Eli while Kord picks up the conversation. "Ok. Now that everyone has calmed down, let's think about this." While his teammates try to brainstorm ideas, Eli re-enters the bathroom to get a better look at himself. What he found in the mirror was stunning. His face was basically the same shape, just slimmer, more feminine. His hair, rather than dark blue, was now pitch black with glowing red tips. His skin was now black, with the familiar glowing marking along his body disappearing below his shirt. Speaking of, his body has slimmed down. A lot. His short, which was form fitting the day before, was now baggy around his lithe frame. He turns his head slightly to note that his ears had become pointed, almost cat/elf like. He looks down and sees that his legs are the same shape as normal, which elicited a sigh of relief. He turns back to the mirror and opens his mouth to see that his teeth are sharper, especially his canines that have elongated into fangs. He turns his back to the mirror and notices two things. First of all, he has the same pouches the Shadow Clan do lining his back, five on each side of his spine. Secondly, he has two tails. Not one, two. He looks in the mirror and gauges his whole body. It wasn't just his face, but his entire body seemed skinnier. Deciding to check one last thing he quickly listens for his friends to make sure they weren't approaching before looking down his pants. Apparently Shadow Clan have natural covering.

Deciding to address that another day, Eli exits the bathroom to check on his team. "What do we have so far?"
Trixie answers. "We think it was the Darkwater that did this, but we have no idea how or why." A
Pronto chimes in. "Maybe the Shadow Clan know." Everyone's turns to him. "What?"
"That is," Eli rasped, "actually a good idea."
Pronto preens. "Thanks. I have my moments."

The Shane gang are in the garage mounting their mechs when Eli remembers his tails. Looking down, they're a bit too close to the gears for comfort and horrible visions of the possible future flash before his eyes.
Eli sighs. "We have a problem here."
Kord huma and looks at Eli's (thankfully five fingered) hands. "Care for a ride?"

And that's how we find Eli with his arms around Kord's neck while they ride for Shadow Clan territory. Eli's slugs are with Trixie for safety. Eli was wearing a tarp to make sure no one saw him.
Eli calls out over the rushing wind. "You know riding a mech and riding someone riding a mech. Very different experiences."
"Don't worry, we're almost there." Kord replies.

They finally make it and slow down as they enter the dark cavern.
Pronto huffs. "I see their hospitality is still the same." He suddenly hears growling above him and looks up to see Shadow Clan Shadow-walking in. "And by that I mean it's amazing. Five stars. Hehe."
The Shadow Clan start circling them while Trixie pulls up next to Eli. "What now?"
"I didn't think that far ahead." He admits. "I was just going to give one of you the Shadowtalker."
He hears a raspy voice. "Who dares trespass?"
Eli is shocked. "Who said that?"
Pronto looks around confused. "Who said what?"
Eli thinks about what he just heard. It sounds familiar. "You guys didn't hear that?"
Trixie is confused. "Eli, no one said anything."

Wanting to rest something, Eli steps out from under the tarp, causing the Shadow Clan to break into hushed whispers. He steps in front of the Shadow Clan chief, who towers over him. "Do you know what happened to me?"
The Shadow Clan chief scowls down at him. "You are not welcome here, corrupt hybrid filth!" The chief hisses in Eli's face, causing him to stumble back in fear. Many Shadow Clan start loading slugs into their tails.
Pronto trembles. "I don't like this."
Eli jumps onto Kord's back. "Let's get out of here!" They quickly make their escape before things could get violent.

On the way back, Eli couldn't stop thinking about what the chief said. 'Corrupt hybrid filth? What does that even mean?' He tries to think of anyone who might know anything. After a while, he realises the only people who might know anything are his parents, and with his dad gone, that only leaves one option. 'Guess I'm going home.'