As it turned out, attempting to turn into another thing was a complicated process. This was not helped much by it needing a lot of magical energy to begin the process. This was almost all used up front, but as River told her over two hours, it was a lot less to maintain.

By the end of the two hours, Freya was showing some talent.

"Your arm here? It's not fully right. A real rabbit would be able to tell the difference, but it's different for us. Also, everyone always forgets to make sure that the back of the head fully transitions. I had a problem with that and I used to become an otter with feathers on the back of my head."

Freya has felt an all-around change as she spent her red mist on her attempts. It felt like she was trying to paint a masterpiece with maquillage.

"It's just so much," Freya said, panting, "I hope that the burrow entrance isn't as difficult."

The raven had a pained expression which gave Freya all she needed to know.

"Oh come on!"

"It's a lot easier to use magic in the burrows or even in the valley of the red mist. And you become more efficient the more you train."

River had mentioned the druid circles training grounds and headquarters.

"You held that form for days on end, and it's… it seems like it's nothing for you."

"If you become a druid, it will feel like nothing to you."

Freya paused, picking a feather out of her fur from a previous attempt to become a Bluejay. The feather was real.

"Shouldn't this go away when I turn back? It's just an illusion isn't it?"

River smirked.

"That's real. You partially became a Bluejay, but it looks like the feather molted off you in that short time."

Freya looked at the feather in her hand. It was made from her energy. Sure it took all of her breakfast but she had created something new.

"Now before you go thinking this is a good idea- don't try to corner the market on feathers. It is not a good use of your time or energy."

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Freya nodded. If she was going to be eating a ton of vegetables and rolls each time she wanted to wild shape, she would be racking up a huge bill.

Once more she focused on becoming a Bluejay as she munched on her lunch spread.

Her arms shifted, becoming lighter and her bones underneath the skin tried to compensate as they too changed. She was farther than she'd ever gotten in a minute when her tail transitioned.

Her fur turned a deep blue before changing into feathers all around her. She reached out to make sure it was evenly around her head and…she dropped forward.

Her torso wasn't ready and between her legs becoming lighter, the ground accepted her with a thud.

Freya gasped, finding a beak where her mouth was.

She squeaked but it came out as a squawk. Then all of a sudden she could see the mesa. She could see far away.

Her mouth felt dry and River handed her some water.

"Your first full transition. It's a pity that I don't have any clothes for you to wear-oh wait I do!"

River pulled out a Bluejay-sized cloak, placing it around the wild-shaped mouse.

Freya struggled to get it together but with her new fingers, she eventually got the motion down. Inside her, the roar of energy needed to wild shape transitioned to a bubbling brook.

"What’s next?" Freya said, her voice high-pitched and nasal.

"Flying lessons."

***

Flying lessons were the most terrifying thing Freya had experienced since her terrors the night before. More terrifying than starting her own business, it was even worse than the argument she had been mulling over about Holly.

She’d taken River’s lead and it turned out that it was hard to speak when one was flying. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t hard to speak, but the distances made communication difficult. The two birds flew a lazy corkscrew pattern around the Uki estate, then River flapped her wings towards the mesa itself.

River followed.

With every flap of her wings, she grew more and more confident. Her vision was stronger, with her eyes wild shaped into that of a bluejay she found that she could make out some details from frankly an absurd distance.

River flapped towards the mesa as the two rose the many stories up. From here, the ground dropped away as she beat her wings faster and faster. The yellow rock was bright in the sun.

As they reached the top, River settled into a slow descent and landed gracefully.

Freya steeled herself, willing her body to do what felt natural. She’d had all this practice flying, and getting off the ground and…

Freya slammed to the ground, nearly bouncing past the druid in front of her.

“Owwww!” She said, bringing a wing to her head, then she accidentally punched herself in the beak.

Freya rolled over, her entire outfit covered in yellow rock dust and dirt.

Her eyes spun.

River ran up to her

“Freya! Say something! Are you feeling okay?”

Freya grunted.

“I suppose my mother had a problem with flying like this, huh?” Freya said, trying to be chipper, “And before you ask yes I faceplanted, no I didn’t learn how to land and yes you should probably lead with that.”

River cracked a smile. The cloud of dust blew off the two of them.

“The vision, that explains how the aviary is always impeccably dressed, if everyone can see every little crease that is a little off from this far away.”

Freya grinned back at River. She knew.