Thanatophobia

14-Meeting

 "But-" Stacii said, her eye darting around, "We can't see her, she is downright crazy!"

"We have no choice though!" Emilee sighed, "We don't know what Oliver even is at this point! It's for their own good."

"I'm against it." Stacii said, "We shouldn't take them there, and that is final."

"But sisters?" Isie said, voice trembling, "I know Ube is a little crazy and that might be dangerous for them, but it's what Oliver needs. They deserve to know what they are, no matter what."

"That is smart." Stacii sighed, "Okay you three, let's go."

We all took a trek across the forest, and started to climb up the mountain, the one that had bones and lots of leaves. We stopped at a weird edge in the southern face.

"Where is it?" I said, Isie grabbing at my hair.

"Right..." Emilee said while moving a weird screen off the cover of the cave, "...Here."

I was struck with the smell of lavender and bergamot incense and the sight of many wax candles burning on every edge and crack of the cage startled me. A lady was sitting at the end, her eyes looked un-occupied, and her face was just bone. Her face reminded me of the skull of a dog or wolf as she stopped humming and stared at me. Her brown antlers and the tear and diamond markings on her skull drastically changed color when the cover was sealed at the start of the cage.

"Hello Emilee, Stacii, and Isie- Oooh! A newcomer!" Ube said, her blank and hollow eyes staring at me, "And who would you be?"

"My name is Oliver Xernom." I said, "And I-"

"Oliver! That is a lovely name!" Ube said, re-adjusting her glasses. "I sense a stressed aura around you, Oliver! Why is that!"

"I Just want to know what I am becoming," I said, slowly, "More like what I am turning into."

"Oh!" Ube said, her empty gaze meeting mine, Then she yanked one of the feathers off the side of my face, "There!"

"Ow!" I winced while rubbing the side of my head, "Why didn't you give me a warning!"

"Shh," Stacii whispered as she kicked me in the shin, "She is helping you."

"Hmmm," Ube said, her voice trailing off, "Your animal looks to be a sun conure or something."

"Okay," Emilee said, impatiently, "So what does th-"

"Shhhhhhh!" Ube said loudly, "This is them, not you."

"Okay." Emilee said again, "Bu-"

"Shhhhh!" Ube yelled, then her voice got calmer, "Welcome to the shaman culture, Oliver!"

"Huh," Stacii said, confused, "What does tha-"

"Shhhhh!" Ube demanded, "Why do you girls intend on interrupting this poor young shaman?"

"About that.." I said, confused, "How can I be a shaman when I used to be a human?"

"Well, a bunch of key factors play into it, like you being a species of bird, but the most-"

"Get to the chase lady!" Isie screamed, "We don't need a full on-"

"Be quiet you little grasshopper." Ube said, "The reason being is that when I sensed death, I also sensed your same energy that time. You set the heart back to running and comforted that soul."

"Uh?" Stacii said, "Why does tha-?"

"Shhhhh!" Ube spoke, "Anyways, I also sense another soul living in your mind. I think it's the same-"

"Yes Ube, it is the same person who died. He just stays in my mind because the purgatory isn't his thing right no-"

"What the hell?!" Emilee screamed, "You-"

"Shhhh!" Ube said, louder, "Saying that is true, you are quite powerful."

"Uhm?" I said, quietly, "And how does a human transforming gain magic."

There was silence after I said that. Ube's eyes gained green rings, and her skull gained more random markings. Her antlers started to glow white as she turned to me.

"I don't know." Ube said, her cold face showed concern, "But I will find out."

Then after she said that, my head started to blare in pounding knocking that caused me to fall to the stone ground, my hands to my ears. I looked at the three as they just looked at me, pitifully. Instead of just laying on the floor, I tried to get up. My legs felt brittle and my torso tightened. I stood up, then took my hands off my ears. Ube just stared at me with a shocked expression.

"Oh my-" She said, her ears twitching, "I mean- uhm- what?"

"What just happened?" Isie said, her face written in terror, "Did- did you torture them?"

"No- no, not really," Ube said, readjusting her glasses once again, "That spell I did, typical humans and animaterai would never succeed in blocking it. That meaning..."

"So? I'm just 'special'?" I said, twirling the feathers on the side of my face, "No explanation? Just 'special'?"

"Oh, Oliver..." Emilee said, her face gaining cultures of concern, "We will figure this out. Trust us."

"Okay!" Ube said, returning to her previous form, "I will get my people to working on it, young shaman."

Then, tons of little skeleton rats came out of the deeper crevices of the walls and scurried out. The three's faces were priceless as Isie climbed up onto a wall to hide. Ube's laughing was manic as Emilee looked at her in pure concern. The rat surge stopped, and it left the room with a dead stench.

"So.." Ube cheered while holding up a plate, "Who's hungry!"