Falling through the air was now a familiar sensation to our pitiful protagonist. As such, instead of fearing for his life, he rather took the time to observe the surroundings as they became clearer. Falling like a meteor, he was beginning to see the outlines of land below him - through the cover of the clouds.

When he finally exited the curtain of mist, he was high above a plain of markedly varied natures. Separated by seemingly arbitrary lines, the land below had four distinct areas - distinct by the very colors dominating them. One was a land of lakes and rivers, winding through and between one another in peculiar ways that made no sense. Another was a land of fire; ash spewing from the underground, as molten rock carved lines through the landscape. A third was a land of thick forests, so thick, in fact, he could no see the underground for trees and shrubbery. The fourth was a simple plain, where rocky columns stood interspersed with one another.

The only structure he could see from his vantage was placed at the exact point where all four areas met in the center. There, upon a raised plateau, stood a magnificent, classical castle with huge battlements, a wide inner bailey, and a solid inner keep. On its myriad towers a banner fluttered gently in the wind, although he could not see what it was from this distance.

He did not have too long to admire the wonder around him, for he was quickly reaching the ground. With only a slight hint of fear, he collided with the earth beneath, landing in the wide plain. Although the impact was significant - hollowing out an indent in the ground and sending cracks through the surroundings - he only had to keep foremost in his mind that the fall would not harm him. And indeed it did not.

Rising from his initial landing, he could finally take the time to observe the new form he had acquired. He was somewhat humanoid again, with feet, chest, and two arms, but that was where the familiar features ended. Instead of flesh, his body was grey and brown, looking more like dirt than anything else. In truth, it was dirt. This he confirmed with a hesitant stroke of his grey hands. It felt like he had been covered in a rocky exterior interspersed with soft clay.

Touching his face, he found he had no real features. He obviously had some kind of eyes, but he felt no mouth, nose, or ears.

Well, at least he had rid himself of the form imposed upon him. He was free to take control of his shape and take a suitable name.

"You're getting used to this, aren't you?" A squawk from his side made him look at the little bird of paradise that came floating gently down towards him. Upon its small head was a ridiculously crooked top hat.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"You were Besos? What is the name of that form?" He said, instinctively ignoring the fact he currently had no mouth. His voice was like the grating of rocks against one another, or a very dry rockslide.

"This is the form of Poppy, I am the curious one."

"Curious, huh? I guess I should take my own name as well."

Poppy landed on his sturdy shoulder and tilted its head from side to side, "A name you must take, yes. Choose."

He looked at his rocky hands, trying to think of something. This would be the first time he truly named himself - perhaps that was important? No matter, he should just say what popped into his head.

"Since my form is rock and dirt, I suppose I should just go with Dirt."

"A simple name," squawked Poppy, shaking its beautiful coat of feathers.

"Is that bad?"

"No, simple is just simple. Sometimes simple is better."

Satisfied, Dirt began to study their surroundings from his earthly perspective. He was in the plain, stretching out around him in an almost endless maner. He could see the outlines of the other areas though, water to his left and fire to his right. He could also see the castle in the middle, standing proud in the strange landscape.

"Where should I go?" He asked without thinking.

"It doesn't matter where, only that you go somewhere," the bird answered, speaking in a near monotone - impressive for a bird.

"Of course it doesn't," he said and shrugged. If there was no preference, he might as well go to the center and take a look at the castle, seeing it was the only actual structure around. Maybe he would find someone there.

Stepping forward in his new form, he found it a sluggish experience. He had been agile as a lizard and powerful as a dragon. Even with the strength he felt in his limbs, he was unable to move fast due to his stiff joints. Placing one foot in front of the other demanded a huge effort, which somehow was beginning to exhaust his rocky stamina.

Still, he made progress. Setting off in a straight line, he was approaching the large columns that were the landmarks of this massive plain. Each were at least four times his own height, and covered in rocky bulbs that looked almost like unbloomed flowers.

When he approached the first column on his path it began to shake as soon as he stepped into a certain diameter. Where he stopped, Poppy jumped off his shoulder and flew towards the column, circling it a few times before settling back on his shoulder.

"Do you know what it is?"

"No. You should go closer. I want to see what it does."

"And what if it's dangerous? I'm too slow to run."

"Don't be boring -chirp! Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I'm not sure I ever had one..."

"Well, you should get one. Go get, I tell you -chirp!"

Looking at the absurd bird with the top hat, Dirt knew it was right. What else was there in this plain but these columns. He should figure out what they were now, rather than later. With that conviction, he stepped forth.