Gifted Pelt

Chapter 18

There is a ripple and the ringed seal becomes Tonraq, who swiftly pulls his reforming coat around his shoulders. Astrila clambers up to the top of his iglu and assembles the ventilation cover, listening as Kōri stops below.

"Why won't she respond to me? It's like she can't hear me. I can barely keep up with her enough to not feel the separation pain as well. Why is she doing this?"

Tonraq observes her as she finishes her task and slides down the iglu to continue on before he speaks. "She isn't in control right now, her magic and instincts are."

Kōri frowns as he is forced to follow her, only for Tonraq to walk beside him. "Why has she lost control?"

"Her body is still adjusting to the change, and her magic has taken over. I don't know how long it will last, or why she has lost control, we can only try to keep you close to her until she regains control." Kōri sighs and tries to move faster, only for Tonraq to pull him back. "Shift, silly boy! You'll be faster in your other form going over this snow."

Kōri winces at having forgotten that and shifts into his seal form, causing Astrila's invisible self to smile at him as her body continues on towards Kayi's iglu. Kōri truly does look like a giant baby harp seal. Despite the slow speed of the seal form, Tonraq was right. Seals would move faster over this deep snow than humans ever could. As Astrila's body approaches her father's iglu, her magic speaks to her again.

"Look. Do you see?"

If Astrila was in control of her own body at the moment, her face would be pale. "His iglu is covered. He'll suffocate!" In that instant, when she sees her father's covered iglu, she stops thrashing to get out of that caged corner of her mind.

"Not yet, but he would have if you had remained in control. This is why you had to move quickly."

"Then why didn't you make me come straight here, if he would have died?"

"If I had done that, more would die. This is the only way for everyone to live."

"Help him!"

Astrila's magic sighs. "That's what I'm doing."

She scrambles up to the top of the iglu, wiping away all of the snow covering the ventilation shaft. It isn't the snow layer that is covering it but an inopportune pile of fallen snow instead. The moment the snow is cleared away, Astrila can hear coughing from within as the smoke spirals back through the shaft once more. Her father hoarsely calls up through the shaft, and from the sound, Astrila can tell that he was by the entrance trying to get out and that he was close to passing out from smoke inhalation.

"What's going on up there? Thank you for clearing the snow away from the shaft!"

Astrila's magic doesn't let her respond, but Astrila is immensely grateful when Tonraq does. "Astrila is going around sheltering all the ventilation shafts! Can you get out of the iglu in your other form?"

"Give me a moment!"

Astrila can hear the slight sound of snow shifting away as Kayi makes his way through the wall of snow. She isn't surprised that he can do that, seals are well known for making dens in the snow layer. She sees him emerge from the snow, if only because of his dark pelt. Once he is fully out of the snow he ripples and returns to his human form. He looks at Kōri and Tonraq and speaks, a frown present in his voice.

"What is going on? You two look worried." Tonraq points to Astrila as Kōri shifts back to his human form. Kayi shakes his head. "You told me that she was making sure all the ventilation shafts are clear. Why is that worrisome?"

Astrila hears a sigh from Tonraq, but Kōri is the one to speak. "Her magic took over her body."

"That can happen?"

There is indeed a worried sound from Tonraq. "Yes, but it is very rare because most selkies are strong enough to fight back against their instincts and retain control."

"Why did she lose control then?"

"Her body is still adjusting to the appearance of her pelt and her magic, which gives her magic greater strength until she finishes adjusting. Her magic wanted to take control tonight, so it took that opportunity and did so. I would guess that Astrila still tried to regain control, likely upon hearing Kōri in pain, but the magic took it back. Astrila isn't even able to fight now, she's too exhausted already."

Astrila scowls. She's not exhausted, she's just locked up in her own mind. She turns her attention away from that when Kayi speaks again. "Will she be able to regain control?"

Astrila sees Kōri frown before Tonraq continues. "I believe so, but I don't know when. Even so, when she regains control, she might-"

Astrila's magic takes that moment to make her body slide down the iglu and relinquish its hold on her mind, releasing Astrila from that caged corner. She looks out through her own eyes for a split second before she blinks and feels her knees hit the snow as she falls unconscious.
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Do you think her magic was right to do that, to take over? Will it happen again? What does this mean? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading, and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.