Silver Jungle

Chapter 11

I'M SORRY! I'M LATE! SCHOOL IS KILLING ME!

Dra rubbed her hands together, her enthusiasm lost on Dani. "So, are you ready?" She asked, her eyes alight with excitement.

"For what?" Dani asked his sister, suspicious of her excitement. He was in too much pain for this. His plaques were bad on his stomach and arms, itching and flaking off. Even getting out of bed this morning had been incredibly painful. He wasn't convinced that the bath had helped him at all, and he was starting to worried.

"We are gonna get you to transform for the first time, little brother." She replied.

"Um, how about no?" Dani answered. "I don't want to become a snake, and then not know how to transform back."

Dra rolled her eyes. "It doesn't work like that. We aren't snakes that transform into humans. All Silver Mage shifters are humans that happen to be able to turn into animals. When you become hurt, or sick, or anxious, you naturally transform back into your origin, a human."

"So, I'm a snake until you step on my tail." Dani deadpanned.

"No." Dra corrected. "You're a snake until you decide to freak out."

"But you just said-!"

"Hush now. Watch me." Dra said, and sat down on the jungle floor. Sitting with her legs tucked under her, she pressed the palms of her hands together, and shut her eyes.

Dani sat down next to her, and copied her, but didn't close his eyes. He continued to watch her, waiting for something, anything to happen. Dra breathed slowly, and then suddenly made a finger guns sign, pointed at the sky.

Dani was still staring intently when Dra's skin started to transform into thick golden-white patches. Her arms began to fuse to her side, and her legs started to fuse as well. Dani yelped, jumping back, then cursing himself. Maybe he'd broken Dra's concentration.

But no, his sister was a medium length snake on the ground, with glittering gold-white scales that enhanced her green-yellow eyes. Dani gasped, watching as she turned and he saw large, iridescent feathered wings sprouting from her back. A ruff of the same colored feathers gathered beneath her jaw. Slowly, like she was trying to remind him that it was Dra, and not a random snake, she opened her mouth, revealing long fangs that started dripping a yellowish substance.

Poison.

Dani gazed in awe are her. "How can I do that?" He asked quietly. "Teach me?"

"I have been waiting for you to say that for a while." Dra's voice issued from her snake mouth, hissy and acrid.

"Ah!" Dani yelped, surprised.

"If I could roll my eyes, I would. You idiot." Dra deadpanned. "So, close your eyes and focus on your heartbeat. Duh-du, duh-du, duh-du." she mimicked the beat of the heart. "Use it a rhythm to pump your power from your soul into your heart, your limbs, your head. You've been suppressing your power subconsciously for your entire life. This might be harder for you." Dra cautioned.

"I can do it." Dani muttered, trying to find the beat of his heart. He thought of where his soul might be, inside his stomach maybe? Where would one find their soul?

"Our ancestors believed that the soul was found near the heart, and if you tried hard enough, you could receive longevity and power from the gods." Dra advised, like she knew what he was struggling with.

Dani stretched his being, his thoughts, deep into his body, picturing the silver flecked blood that coating his heart, and then pictured a heavy presence near it.