ORPHEUS

Chapter 22

Katherine felt overjoyed as she browsed through the white, ivory and shimmery gold fabrics on the rack. She also needed to find ribbons and shoes as instructed by Orpheus, he had insisted she look like a proper bride. He had ventured to the blacksmith across the steet for their wedding bands and left her to look for fabric on her own. Besides how much trouble could she get in a few moments.

She fingered a particularly lovely pearl colored fabric as she thought about her announcement yesterday. She truly hadn't meant to blurt it out, but the words had just flowed out of her mouth. She had gotten lost in the Orpheus induced moment. But then she recalled why he had induced the moment in the first place. He was trying to distract her from the thought of her first transformation.

She gulped, anxiety creeping through her being. She knew she looked unsettled by the looks of concern the elderly shopkeeper was giving her. Katherine attempted to give her a smile, one she feared came out too shaky.

She sighed. It was inevitable, Orpheus had told her. She would have to go through it on way or another. She was curious, but more worried, about when it would happen. She hoped she the need to turn demonic didn't strike her during her wedding.

She selected a white silk fabric and a see-through golden lace, enough to embellish, for her dress. She had a few golden ribbons and a pair of lovely pearly slippers. She was going to make an elegant but fairly simple gown, symmetrical and wide shouldered, for she saw no need to become overly fancy. She hoped Orpheus would like it. Their wedding would be a small affair, they would say the vows and exchange rings and that was that. Nonetheless it would be one of the most important moments of her life.

As she thought of Orpheus and the future they would share, she could feel herself changing for his sake. She would do anything for him, even if she had to give her life to acheive it. Mayhap, now that she would develop 'Abilities', she would be able to protect herself so he would not worry as much.

She paid the nice old lady a gold coin and decided to go look for Orpheus. She spotted the smith's workshop across the street and headed towards it, excited to tell Orpheus about the dress she had planned to make.

Her fingers merely made contact with the patterned iron gate, when she felt a hand wrap around her, covering her mouth and hauling her to an allyway adjacent to the smithie's.
Katherine attempted to scream to no avail. Her muffled scream sounded like a whimper as she clawed at her attackers hands. She could see her heels digging into the ground, her slippers had slipped off and her feet were scraping against the coarse gravel. The slight pain was nothing compared to the ache in her heart. Her eyes watered as her captor dragged her further away from Orpheus. Sweat broke across her brow and her she could hear the pounding of her heart, as she struggled, her satchel broke off from where it was hanging on her shoulder and fell to the ground.

No, she screamed mentally, Orpheus!

Her captor threw her roughly on the ground and clouds of dust flew around as she scraled her elbows and knees on the dirt floor. She looked up at the person, only to freeze in horror.

Wings.

She saw large, black scaley wings. And she was horrified. The were spiney and there was a sheen to them. All she wanted to do was close her eyes and crawl away. But she forced herself to look at the winged creatures face. She sucked in a breath. It had red eyes. Demon she thought, remembering the little things Orpheus told her about. Upon looking closer she could see black horns and navy tinged skin. Alright, not just a demon but an ancient demon at that.
She screamed when she realised that she could, she opened her mouth and released the mose shrill, high pitched screech she could, hoping Orpheus could hear her. The creature only looked down at her, in tattered black rags, red eyes glinting in the darkness.

"Hybrid" the creature said. His coarse, croaky voice making her shiver with dread. He inhaled, as Katherine would when she clung to Orpheus. She heard him let out a low rumble which further spiked her pulse.

"ORPHEUS!" She tried again. Her lungs heaving with the force of her call along with her elivated fear. Then she heard the only thing that could possibly be more terrifying in this situation. Then she witnesses the most pain she had ever experienced in her lifetime.

...Snap!

Then explosions of pain along her arm. Another loud snap. Then another.

Katherine, no longer caring about the demon looming over her, wirthed in pain on the floor. All her bones were breaking and all Katherine wished for at the moment was relief. She was suffering. She opened her eyes, only to be confused by the red haze that had taken over. She felt sticky, thick droplets run down her cheeks from the corners of her eyes. She looked down at the source of the pain.

Her arms.

They had gotten longer and her fingers took up a horrible boney shape, unlike her usually chubby figure. Her nails had sprouted talons, it burned when they emerged. She could feel the skin tearing to accommodate them. Katherine released another scream at the horror of the sight, wanting to get away from it, but not being able to escape her own body.

Her Transformation, she realised belatedly as another bone broke, this time in her spine. It seemed like a long withdrawn process and the demon only loomed over her waitching with interest. Katherine could only wirth in pain as her she felt her body shatter and reshape.

"Katherine!" She heard faintly, as if through water. She then heard clanks of metal and sound of fabric being ripped and flesh being sliced. She could not see anything due to the red taint that had taken over her vission making her blind to the world. She arched her back as she felt the skin along her midriff stretch. Her insides were up in flames as she clawed at her own stomach, seeking relief. Again she let out a loud wail.

She was surely die before the cursed transformation would be complete.

______________________________

Orpheus almost panicked as Kathy let out a gut wrenching scream and her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she passed out. He had heard her call to him, but it had taken him a few moments to locate her. This was not how he expectded her first transformation to go, he thought as he rushed to her, stepping over the demons torn wing. He had managed to injur him beyond repair, as the wound from the ripped wing wouldn't heal and he would die in time. But before he could decapitate him, he had escaped through a shadow portal. Orpheus knew that Kathy would be discovered, the mystical world would know about her come tomorrow morning.

He would worry about that later. Now all he was concerned about was Katherine jerking occasionally from the pain of her bones reforming.

He took her in his arms immediately, feeling the her shoulder-bones poking through her dress sharply, where her wings would emerge in later hours. He winced at the sound of skin tearing. Maybe not much later with how fast it seemed to be taking place. Glanced down at her again as he ran out of the alley, stopping at the opening. He heard a few of the people in the market gasp and exclaim, he paid them no heed, it was a supernatural town after all. He could see that her skin was darkening into a reddish hue and he could see her fangs poking through her purple tinted full lips, when the sunlight hit her form. Her eyes had slanted, and if he could see her irises, he knew they would be red, as red as the tears of blood running down her face. Her midriff was exposed, due to her cloth stretching over her as she grew taller and more muscular. He wantes to halt and look at the taut muscled stomach but refrained. It was not the time to be perverted. He thought, shaking his head.

He could not have her on a horse, with her transformation taking place. She would be bouncing and with her bones already snapping, he shuddered at the thought of it.

His shadows, which had already curled around her torso, straightened out on his back and unfurled as wings, they stretched until they were twice his size, then with a powerdul jump he sliced through the air, wings propelling him, and headed home as fast as possible.