"Perhaps we should take upon our [Sapling Forms] to not draw any more attention." KiAera's ears perked as she overheard Saptal's and Sapshorla's conversation.
"Oh?" Sapshorla exclaimed. "Brightness, Sapkin! It'll make us smaller! Otherwise, we might not fit into wherever KiAera is taking us."
"That's what I was thinking! C'mon! Let's get started!" Saptal exclaimed.
The Zeozons nodded in unison before closing their eyes simultaneously as they concentrated. After several seconds, they suddenly began to compact and compress, shrinking rapidly until they became much smaller compared to their original sizes.
They now stood roughly around a meter each instead of towering over everyone else like before...
KiAera watched quietly as the two giant Sapkins turned into miniature trees, their bodies becoming slender and shorter than before. In their so-called [Sapling Mode], the Sapkins had a flower based outward appearance; a leafy flower atop their head, leafy arms, and root-like legs. Last but not least, the two wore something akin to a comfortable wooden shawl draped around their shoulders.
"Well... This is unexpected... But I'm glad that you guys are willing to follow me." KiAera smiled brightly as she glanced towards Saptal and Sapshorla's new forms.
Their cute faces now consisted of three eyes in a triangular formation; both Sapkins gazing down at her expectantly.
KiAera approached the two Sapkins before peering up to them. She tilted her head as she studied their new forms. "So... What exactly happened to you guys?" She inquired.
Saptal chuckled lightly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well... You see... Whenever we're in our normal form, we're usually quite large compared ta other creatures... However, when we shrink down to ourwa smaller size, we can get about easier! It's perfect for avoiding being spotted by monsters, especially when hiding in the undergrowth," He explained before grinning broadly. "Plus... We don't need ta worry about accidentally hurting anyone accidentally either," He added as an afterthought.
"Yep! It's really useful for keeping safe!" The tinged, light pink Sapshorla chimed in as she nodded. She seemed more animated compared to her usual, laidback self previously. "Also, our powers are still active in this form, so we can still use them if we need ta," She added cheerily as she hopped excitedly with Pi Osseod in her arms.
KiAera smiled softly at them before turning towards Amber, who stared at the Sapkins's new condition with wide-eyes.
She held her hand out towards Amber, beckoning for her to approach. "Ready?" She asked as she glanced towards Amber.
Amber's laughter bubbled through the air as she skipped towards KiAera. Before KiAera could react, Amber grabbed onto her nape and with surprising strength, expertly tossed her onto her back with a playful "LeeLee" whoop. KiAera landed with a soft plop, finding herself perched on Amber's fleecy back.
"Yahoo!" Amber exclaimed with another whoop of her lengthy neck. "Leelee ready!" She bounced in place, causing KiAera to wince slightly at the sensation.
"Settle down, Amber." With a gentle touch, KiAera wrapped her arms around Amber's neck, her ears instinctively curling around Amber's shoulders like reins, keeping herself balanced. "You're fine with me being up here, right?"
Amber glanced back at KiAera and gave her a toothy grin. "Mmhm!"
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Riding an ostrich-like creature was not something she had ever imagined doing, but here she was, embracing the experience as if it were perfectly normal.
KiAera smiled softly at Amber. 'Well, if she's fine with this, then perhaps I shall make proper reins when we return to the Crystal Shelter.'
With that thought in mind, she focused her gaze towards Saptal and Sapshorla. "I guess we're all ready then," She stated as she adjusted herself comfortably on Amber's back. "Let's go!"
Saptal grinned as he vigorously nodded. "Aye!"
Sapshorla's hearty laughter filled the air, while Saptal chuckled softly under his breath.
KiAera felt a light blush creep onto her cheeks as she realized the two Sapkins were watching her with keen interest. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she gathered her composure.
"Okay then... Let's go..." She announced as she raised her hand into the air dramatically before pointing towards the direction of where she left the Crystal Shelter. "To the Crystal Shelter!" She exclaimed before kicking Amber gently on the sides.
Amber let out a loud, joyous neigh before galloping forward, her powerful strides kicking up clouds of dust behind her. Saptal and Sapshorla followed suit, running alongside her with their root-like legs propelling them effortlessly forward.
KiAera closed her eyes briefly as she focused on maintaining her balance atop Amber's back, her ears firmly curled around the LeapLeap's neck. She could feel every step that Amber took beneath her; each stride strong yet gentle, smooth yet powerful. It was exhilarating to experience such a unique form of movement.
'It's almost like flying,' KiAera thought to herself as she allowed herself to enjoy the sensation for several seconds.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself staring at the Sapkins, who were running alongside Amber while glancing towards her curiously every so often. She blushed lightly once more.
'This feels weird...' she thought, averting her gaze shyly. 'But... Maybe... It won't be so bad having companions like these after all... Perhaps... Maybe I could even get used to this, eventually...'
As she pondered over the matter, she realized that she was actually looking forward to spending more time with these four creatures. She couldn't help but smile brightly at them.
"This feels amazing," KiAera exclaimed excitedly before grinning broadly at them. "Thank you all for this experience!"
The two Sapkins, along with Pi Osseod, exchanged a glance before returning KiAera's smile with equal cheeriness.
"No problem!" Sapshorla replied as she continued running beside Amber. "We're happy ta help! Anything fer our friend!"
"Aye! Ya should've just told us that ya wanted ta ride one of us earlier instead!" Saptal added teasingly.
KiAera chuckled lightly before shaking her head in amusement. 'If only it could always be like this...'
"Well, maybe we should do this again sometime, right, Saptal? Sapshorla?" KiAera suggested as she fondly patted Amber's neck.
૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა
★ Saptal the Sapkin's Bond:
Bond Created!
Budding Stranger -★ Budding Companion!
૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა
૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა
★ Sapshorla the Sapkin's Bond:
Bond Created!
Budding Stranger -★ Budding Companion!
૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა
The two Sapkins exchanged looks once again before bursting into laughter. "Ya sure ya aren't a Merecritt, KiAera?"
KiAera laughed along with the two Sapkins before focusing her attention towards her current task; returning safely towards the Crystal Shelter alongside her friends.
໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა૮꒰⸝⸝★ ̫ <⸝⸝꒱ა
"K-KiAera... What... What is... This..." Saptal muttered, his voice shaking in both astonishment and terror, his mouth gaped as his three-eyes stared in shock at the sight before them.
KiAera looked at her companion with a questioning expression on her face, clearly perplexed by the sight before her as well. She and the others had arrived into the glades where the Crystal Shelter resided. Despite this, the upgrades she tasked GamaGen and the Plelepun to do to their home had drastically altered it from its previous, almost simple appearance from that of a full-blown igloo.
It was massive now, dwarfing all the trees around them and standing almost five stories tall. The entire thing was made entirely of crystal, from top to bottom and all the way around. Even the doorway had been replaced, instead opening up in the shape of a large triangular shape. The whole thing shimmered beautifully under the light of the sun.
But one question lingered... Why the hell did it look like her?! Well, to be more exact—the head of her Merecritt-self, with the addition of the arcs being two big, taut rabbit ears... and a flaming tail, for some reason!
The Sapkins peered down at her, staring at her suspiciously. KiAera frowned slightly., burying her face into hers ears.
"This is not what I asked them to make... I look like some kind of egotistical lunatic..."