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I can still taste it.
“I know, Tony.”
That thing was foul.
“I know, Tony.”
Am I supposed to have this tingly feeling in my shoulders after drinking that potion? It’s starting to crawl up my neck and—
“Anthony!”
Right. Sorry.
The small wyvern stalled in its fidgeting and fell silent. He dug his claws into the soft soil beneath him and watched his mage continue to work through the instructions scrawled on the parchment he held. Tony sat in the middle of a field, surrounded by a meticulously-placed circle of stones. He didn’t know what type they were…some kind of limestone, maybe. Each one of them had a small sigil carefully carved onto its face. Sitting on each side of Tony were some small poultices filled with various items that he didn’t really understand. He had learned a lot about spells and magic in general during his year with Loki, but he was still a novice at this stuff.
Tony watched in fascination as Loki worked. The talented magician began to chant as he drew more sigils in the air with a familiar length of metal that Loki commonly used to amplify his power. Tony swore that he saw smoky outlines of the magical characters suspended in the air just for a moment, though he couldn’t be entirely certain that his eyes weren’t just playing tricks on him. Any other time he would have questioned Loki about it, try to figure out what was going on and why and how, but now really wasn’t the time or place for a magic lesson. A dim light from the corner of his eye caught Tony’s attention, and the tiny wyvern turned to get a better look. His small eyes widened as he realized the light was coming from the circle of stones, the sigils upon them lighting up one by one, spreading out around him.
I hope they’re supposed to do that, he mumbled to himself as he watched the chain of small lights encompass his position.
Loki glanced up at Tony, sending his familiar an impatient glare that could probably level a decent-sized town, and continued to follow his chant.
Tony lowered his head and shrugged his small shoulders as a makeshift apology for interrupting. This was important; he needed to keep quiet, less Loki lose his concentration. Who knew what disasters might happen if his wizard went and said or did the wrong thing at the wrong time. Their last attempt to return Tony to his old self hadn’t exactly turned out well, and the poor wyvern had been sick to his stomach for a week afterward. Not to mention the time before that when Loki had nearly lost his arms in favor of his own set of reptilian-looking wings due to come magic mumbo-jumbo that had backfired spectacularly. Maybe the eighth time was the charm, though. Tony hoped it could be, but he didn’t dare get his hopes very high after their string of bad luck. The curse on him was stronger than either of them had anticipated, and Tony was beginning to wonder if all the effort was worth it.
Tony shook his head and neck, trying to get rid of the tingling feeling creeping under his scales. The motion, though, only seemed to exacerbate the problem, as the uncomfortable sensation started to travel down his back, limbs, and down his tail. He shivered, the wyvern feeling distinctly unnerved when the sensation began to crawl up the back of his skull and up under his chin.
Ahh, Lokes? Tony ventured, daring to speak as he felt the strange sensation of his own eyeballs somehow go numb. Loki?
The mage ignored him, his eyes closed and the blue markings on his face beginning to glow as the man worked to simultaneously amplify and focus his power on the task at hand. Tony heard a small whine escape his throat as he pulled his tail around himself, as he was oft to do when needing an extra bit of reassurance.
The stones around him continued to glow and, to Tony’s amazement, began to lift from the ground one by one, hovering near his eye level. Then, so slow that he at first thought it was an illusion, the stones began to move. They circled him, moving counterclockwise and growing faster by the second. Loki kept chanting his spell, one hand now held out toward Tony as wisps of thin, green smoke emanated from his palm and fingertips. The magician opened his eyes, their beautiful green replaced by a brilliant red that covered the body of his eyes entirely.
Tony startled at the abrupt change, suddenly thinking maybe this had really been a bad idea.
The collection of stones spun, faster and faster as Loki’s chanting grew louder, the man nearly yelling by the end. Tony squinted as a light began to wash out the world around him. He looked around, unsure where the light was coming from, until he caught sight of one of his wings from the corner of his eye and realized that the brilliance was, somehow, coming from his own scales. The wyvern yelped as he looked down at his glowing form, beginning to panic as it encompassed him entirely. Tony closed his eyes against the blinding light, hunching over as the tingling throughout his body intensified, now accompanied by a strange sensation of heat intermixed with blasts of frigid lightning strikes across his surface. The tiny creature whined as he tried to comprehend what was happening.
Tony grunted, winced, and shuddered as a strange feeling of sickness came over him. He felt stretched, twisted, like a doll being fought over by a pair of waring children. His entire being ached, a series of near-excruciating pops ringing in his ears, like metal hitting glass, shattering walls he hadn’t been aware were there. He felt weak, dizzy, and his limbs felt so…heavy.
All at once, as though waking abruptly from a dream, everything stopped. A chain of faraway thuds reached his ears, but otherwise the world felt unnaturally quiet. Tony slowly opened his eyes as the tingling sensation faded back into nothingness. Dirt and a solitary patch of struggling grass lay beneath him, just as before. Somewhere, far away it felt like, he could hear what must be Loki breathing. Heavily, clearly exhausted from his efforts, but breathing nonetheless.
Tony dug his small foreclaws into the ground, as if to let him know that, yes, he was really here—and, amazing—still alive, but something felt off. The motion didn’t feel right. The dirt felt…stronger…more resilient to his touch, and his claws, they… Tony felt his brow furrow slightly at the realization. He flexed his claws again, mentally analyzing the movement. There were too many points touching the soil beneath him…too many digits. He pulled his head back from where he had hunched in nervous fear, widening his field of vision, and looked down. He began to tremble.
“L-Lokes?”
Tony felt his entire body tighten at the sound, the automatic sensation of feeling his jaw and tongue move, the air from his lungs escape to the outside world carrying his message along with it.
“Oh…oh my gods.”
The familiar stared down at his hands. His five-digited human hands that clung to the dirt like his life depended on it. Tony shifted his weight back, soon finding he was no longer standing, but crouched to accommodate limbs that had grown much longer than they had been in years. No tail waited behind him, no webbing from his arms to allow for flight. No scales, no snout, no fangs, no nothing!
“Loki!”
Brown eyes as wide as saucers fell upon the mage, the man kneeling tiredly on the ground a few feet away with a faint smile on his face as he saw the result of all his hard work.
“Hello, Tony.”
The newly restored man smiled. “Hi.”
Tony slowly attempted to get to his feet. After being largely on all fours for little over two years, he found himself unbalanced as he tried to stand on two legs once again. He teetered, arms stretching out and flapping, as if to use his now-lost power of flight to keep himself upright. Amongst his useless flailing, Tony felt a warm pressure on one of his arms. He looked up to see Loki, suddenly quite close beside him with one hand on Tony’s arm and the other outstretched should his familiar need further assistance.
Loki swallowed. Tony did likewise. The mage slowly pulled back once he was certain that the newly transformed man could stand under his own power. Tony took a moment to regain bearings he had thought lost forever, and carefully took a step forward. He smiled as his growing familiarity of the limbs’ movement that began to come back to him.
“By the gods,” Tony whispered as he walked forward, no destination in mind, simply wanting to feel the sensation again after so long.
He only traveled a few feet before turning around, barely wobbling now, and starting back the way he had come. His pace increased in speed as he went, mirroring the familiar’s growing excitement over the wonderous transformation. Tony began laughing, nearly racing back and forth as the reality of what had happened finally began to hit him. He looked down at himself, hands running over the old scars across his chest that he had once been so embarrassed to show, up and down his arms, and finally to his face.
“Holy shit!” he cried joyously, voice bubbling with laughter. “I still have my beard! And my hair! Holy shit, Loki, I have hair again!”
The beard was more of a goatee, evidently frozen in time when he was cursed from the feel of it, but Tony didn’t seem to notice. He was back. He was human. And he had hair, and he was upright, and he was himself again!
“Ah…Tony?”
“Oh my gods. Oh my gods,” the familiar breathed, his hands frantically pulling at his hair as he paced to and fro, eyes wide and his smile stretched as far as it could be. His face was starting to hurt, but he paid it no mind. “Loki, look at me!” he yelled. “I’m me again! We did it! You did it! Look at me!”
The wizard had a small smile on his face, eyebrows arched in amusement as he watched his familiar dash about like an excited child. He traveled back to where he had left his pack, stooped down to collect his blanket, and returned to Tony with the thick fabric draped over his arm.
“I can certainly see you,” Loki chuckled.
Tony smiled brightly. Loki briefly let his eyes flicker downward, then immediately snapped them back up to Tony’s face. He nodded toward the ground and, curiously confused, Tony followed his mage’s gaze.
“Oh,” the transformed man realized after a moment. Tony looked up, a lopsided smile on his suddenly flushed face. “Sorry. Uh…a couple of years without pants and I guess I lose all decency, huh?”
“Indeed,” Loki agreed in amusement as he threw the blanket around his companion’s bare shoulders. His hands lingered there as the pair studied one another’s face. “You are…shorter than I imagined you to be.”
Tony just smiled and shrugged. “Beauty like this had to have some kind of limitation put on it, right?” he joked as he pulled the warm fabric around himself, suddenly quite aware of the chill in the air.
Loki swallowed. “Indeed it does,” he repeated. How do you feel?
“I feel great! I—” Tony frowned suddenly, mouth twisting as he thought, skewing his goatee ever so slightly as he did. After a few seconds of silence he shook his head. “I can’t do it anymore.”
“It?”
A hand slid out from under the blanket. Tony gestured between his out temple and Loki. “The mind-talking thing,” he clarified. “It just comes out…like normal.”
“There is no need for it in this form, I would suppose,” Loki explained. “You may be able to reclaim the ability with practice.”
That made sense, Tony supposed. Still, it was strange to hear himself speak again. Really speak, out loud like a regular person. A human. By the gods, he was human.
“I…I can’t even begin to repay you for this,” Tony said quietly as he gazed up at his mage, his best friend. When Loki tried to interrupt with a shake of his head, he quickly cut the magician off. “No, no, I mean it. This is…I never thought this would be possible. Thank you, Loki.”
“You…you are very welcome,” the mage replied simply.
Tony shuddered, a strange feeling stirring in his stomach. He shivered, though no longer cold. Loki’s brow furrowed in concern.
“Tony, are you al—”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t know?” Loki echoed.
“I don’t really feel too—” A violent shudder traveled up Tony’s spine.
Loki quickly closed the small distance between them, letting Tony fall against his arms as his familiar lost his balance. Tony groaned from the churning sensation in his stomach and dropped his forehead to the mage’s shoulder.
“Just relax, Tony. It is your stomach, yes?”
He nodded against the taller man, too dizzy and nauseated to look up.
“All is well, Anthony. Allow yourself to relax. Don’t fight it; that will only make it feel worse.”
“What’s happening?” Tony choked out, panting now.
Tony shivered again as another lightning bolt of pain and cold shot up his spine. He winced, closing his eyes as that stretched, twisted feeling began to return. An undefined pressure began to press against his spine, radiating out to his limbs. No, no…it couldn’t be. Tony clung to his mage, his strength seeping from his body. He could feel his legs giving way underneath him. Loki slowly sunk to the ground with him, easing his familiar into a sitting position and gently rubbing Tony’s back. The shorter of the pair leaned into the soothing touch and did his best to focus upon the sensation to steady his breathing. Tony whimpered, a soft whine escaping his lips as the vertigo overtook him and forced him to close his eyes.
After a few long minutes, the disturbing sensations subsided. Tony breathed a sigh of relief and allowed his shoulders to relax. He relaxed against the comfort of Loki’s presence, slowly opening his eyes again and allowing them to readjust.
“Tony,” Loki’s soothing voice whispered into the evening air. “Are you alright?”
Yeah. Yeah, I…
Tony froze. His head snapped up and he looked around, soon realizing he was looking up at his mage’s face. Looking up far more than he had been a moment ago. The small wyvern screeched in agonized frustration, flapping his wings and hissing at the air as he stumbled back and began tripping over the suddenly enormous blanket that surrounded him.
“Anthony. Anthony, look at me,” Loki urgently commanded, gently touching his familiar’s wing with one hand and Tony’s scaled cheek with the other. “Please, Anthony.”
The wyvern gazed up at the magician, a saddened whine still emanating from his throat as he met the man’s emerald eyes. Loki gave his companion a sympathetic, yet supportive smile, and gently rubbed his thumb over Tony’s smooth cheek.
“Do not fret, my friend. Hope is not lost. The chains of your curse were broken, and cannot be reforged.”
I hate to break it to you, Lokes, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’m small and scaly again.
Loki hummed in response, earning an annoyed huff from his familiar. He petted the creature’s head to calm Tony as best he could.
“It took a lot of energy to break through the confines of your curse, Anthony. There was little left over from either of us to sustain a human form for very long. But that will change. There is not a doubt in my mind that the period of which you can become human will only lengthen. I promise to you, Tony, that you will be human again.”
The pocket-sized wyvern whined softly, but nuzzled his short snout against Loki’s side. His mage carefully wrapped him in their blanket, lifting Tony to hold the creature to his chest. The wyvern gripped the wizard’s shirt with his short claws and allowed himself to find comfort in the other’s touch. He rested his cheek against Loki’s chest and sighed.
I’d almost forgotten what it felt like, Tony admitted. Walking, talking, having hair, fingers, being…tall.
He could practically hear Loki’s amused smile when the mage said “Tall according to what standard, my little wyvern?”
Shut up.
Loki gently stroked his familiar’s back. “In a day or so, I can show you how to focus your energy. Without the curse’s barriers in place, you should be able to return to human form on your own. In the meantime, it may be best if we head into town for the night. I don’t quite like the look of the clouds coming in, and tomorrow we will need to peruse the local shops anyway.”
What for? You hate shopping.
Loki held his familiar close to his chest as he slowly, carefully stood and walked back to gather their things for the short journey.
Well, the mage answered, If the citizens of Marvella hold to the same opinions as others in the region as far as modesty is concerned, it may be easier to find clothing for you while in wyvern form rather than waiting until after you have transformed again.
Tony chirped out a laugh. Okay, magic man, you have a point. He sighed, finally emotionally recovered enough to escape the blanket in Loki’s arms to crawl up to the magician’s shoulder instead. It feels weird to think I need to go looking for clothes again, he admitted.
“Would you rather take up the mantle of a nudist, then?” Loki teased.
Gods, no! I just mean…well…
“I understand, Tony. And I am happy for you.”
The wyvern looked down at Loki’s face, happy to see the man smiling so brightly at him. He curled his tail around the mage’s collar and nestled comfortably on Loki’s shoulder to get ready for their hike. He had been human. And he would be again. Loki had done the impossible…just for him.
Hey, Lokes? he asked as the mage picked up his pack and started back through the thin layer of trees to find the path into town.
“Yes, Tony?”
Thank you. For everything.
The man hummed, a smile at his lips. “You are quite welcome, my friend.”
Tony pressed his cheek to that of his companion. He wrapped one wing around the mage’s shoulder and the other hooked around Loki’s neck. In the distance he could see the small lights of Marvella. He hoped they would have a nice shirt in red. After wearing the color on his scales for so long, he had grown rather fond of the color.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A few months on, the pair found themselves in yet another clearing. The night was crisp, the sky clear, and the two men stretched out across the slowly dampening grass to watch the constellations above. Loki had made no movement to set up a tent for the night, and Tony had made no motion or comment to the contrary. The night was pleasant and the stars were beautiful. Loki casually adjusted the pillow behind his head while his companion laid out on the grass beside the mage’s bed roll, hands cupped behind his head and one ankle slung casually over the other.
“It is a beautiful night out,” Tony said quietly as he gazed up at the stars.
Loki hummed in agreement. “That it is. It is a shame there will be so few like it to follow before the season begins to change.”
Tony almost made a bitter remark about not needing to hide in barns or hay bales to keep warm this winter, but thought better of it. That chapter of his life was well in the past now, and memories of such awful times weren’t what he wanted to think about on such a nice night. Unfortunately, that short moment of a single thought had, evidently, been enough to turn his mind to more dour thoughts overall. Such was his lot, it seemed; once his mind started down a particular path it grew too enthralled with it all and wanted to explore it to the end despite himself.
He listened to the mage beside him, to Loki’s calm and even breaths. It was nice being here with him, his mage…his best friend. Yeah, his best friend. Tony let out the soft breath he was holding, watching the specks of light that twinkled in the sky far above him. He had asked Loki about them once. The answer had been beyond his understanding at the time…something about worlds beyond theirs stretching out into infinity. It was one of those things that made perfect sense, yet simultaneously felt far beyond anything that could be possible. Maybe that was why Tony was so fascinated. Fascinated with stars, with magic, with Loki. Especially with Loki.
“I will miss our nights like this,” the magician breathed in contentment, oblivious to his familiar’s wandering mind.
“Yeah,” Tony replied after what felt like too long of a pause. “Yeah…”
The man lightly chewed on his lower lip as he listened to their dying camp fire crackle behind their heads. Tony dared to give his partner a side-glance for the briefest moment. Loki was staring up at the sky, a peaceful smile on his lips and an orange glow cast over part of his face from the nearby flames. The rest of his features comfortably hidden in shadows. Tony folded his thoughts over in his head, his anxious impulsivity battling with what little he had that could be considered his better judgement.
“How do you see me?” he blurted out.
The calm of the night evaporated around him and, out of the corner of his eye, Tony could see Loki turn toward him.
“What do you mean?”
The man swallowed, fixing his eyes on a random star overhead so he could better focus on speaking. “I’m your familiar, right?”
“Yes.”
“And…” Why was this so difficult to ask? “We’re friends, right? Am…am I right? We are friends, too, aren’t we?”
The surprise could be heard in Loki’s voice. “Of course we are, Tony. Is everything alright?”
Tony somehow managed to sigh despite the heavy weight that had been pressing on his chest. He forced himself to look over at the mage, a small pang of guilt twisting in his stomach seeing Loki’s look of intense concern. The other man had propped himself up by his elbow to better face him. Tony removed his hands from behind his head to, instead, nervously ball them in his tunic at his front.
“I…it’s just…” Ugh. Why wouldn’t the words come? “I’ve been thinking. You know how dangerous that is, right? Me thinking. Well, I’ve been thinking since you found that spell for me, I mean.” Oh, gods, he was already rambling. “Thanks again for that, by the way. Having thumbs again is pretty nice, even if I can’t have ‘em all the time. Better than nothing, right? Thumbs or flying, whatever I’m in the mood for. Best of both worlds, right?”
Tony glanced over at Loki again. The mage gave him a patient, silent nod, encouraging him to continue. Okay, right. He needed to get back on track. Thank heavens Loki was used to his nonsensical interludes when it came to more important topics of discussion.
“I don’t…” Tony wet his lips. “I don’t know how to process everything.” Tony turned his eyes skyward again to shield himself from Loki’s gaze. “I’m your familiar, yeah, but…I don’t really know what that means anymore, I guess. What with the big paradigm shift once we, well, you broke that witch’s curse on me and all. I guess I don’t really know what all this—” He gestured to his current form. “—means for…us.”
There was a heavy silence that followed, and it made Tony’s stomach churn to try and tolerate its presence. He shouldn’t have said anything. Not that he really had said anything, at least nothing that had made sense. For the first time in his life, words were truly failing him and it made him feel exposed. And very, very stupid. It was a humbling feeling, but Tony didn’t care for it one bit.
“I pride myself on my intelligence, Tony,” Loki said quietly, interrupting his familiar’s mental spiral, “But I’m afraid I don’t quite understand to what you are referring.”
Tony shifted uncomfortably where he lay. “Sorry.”
“No need. I simply wish to understand. You were delighted to have your human form returned to you, so why does it cause you such anxiety now?”
Tony let out a breath he had been holding. Reluctantly, he turned his face back to his mage. “H-how do you see me?” he repeated, unsure how else to phrase the question.
Loki gently shook his head resting on his palm.
“What I mean is…” Tony groaned and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes for a moment, just enough to summon dark spots to his vision for a few seconds before he dropped his hands back to his chest. “I’m a man, but…well, I was a man. Sort of a man now. But not really. Some of the time, anyway. I’m your familiar…a wyvern. J-just a dinky little wyvern who can look human once in a while. We’re friends, but…but I’m still…” He sighed again, quieting for a moment to force down the strange stinging sensation in his chest and the uncharacteristic stiffness he felt in his jaw. “What am I to you?” he asked at a near-whisper. “D-do you see me as a man or…or an animal?”
Both were again quiet, though briefly.
“Anthony,” Loki said softly after a moment to consider the question. “I see you as Anthony.”
Tony frowned and looked at him.
“You are a wyvern. And you are a man. And yet, you are neither,” the mage explained. “You are my familiar, but also my friend and traveling companion, no matter your form. I could never see you as just an animal, nor as a mere man, because you are so much more. You are above them both. Anthony, you are unique, a category all your own, and you are a being I am forever grateful and honored to know. You are Anthony, and that is how I see you.”
Tony stared at Loki in disbelief, quietly letting his mage’s words take root so he could begin to process them properly.
“Never doubt yourself, Anthony,” Loki added. “I am proud to have you as my familiar, as my friend, and as my companion.”
Tony gulped, unsure if he dared let his mind wander where it so desperately wished to tread. “Really?”
Truly, Loki responded with an affectionate smile. I have lost count of how many times I have thanked the gods for allowing our paths to cross.
Tony felt the tightness in his chest begin to dissipate. He could feel his cheeks begin to swell at the mage’s words. He wanted to respond to Loki’s sentiment, though he was unsure what to say. He had yet to get the hang of communicating telepathically with Loki while in his human shape, though he got the feeling that, somehow, his mage knew exactly what he was failing to put into words, because Loki was smiling now, too.
“It is late.” The mage yawned after a minute of quiet between them. “Shall we sleep?”
“Yeah. Probably a good idea…”
Loki laid back down on his bed roll and pulled a blanket over himself. Tony watched the mage’s face as they settled in for sleep. Tony rolled over toward him, feeling the familiar, faraway tingling that trickled down his spine as he did so. The small wyvern arched his back, stretching before he crawled closer to his mage. Loki raised an arm to allow Tony access to his bedding, and his familiar lazily curled into a ball beneath it. Tony wrapped his tail tightly around himself as Loki lowered his arm and blanket to ensure his partner would be warm through the night.
The wyvern let his eyes drift once more to the heavens, watching the twinkling lights above for a few moments longer. With a wide yawn, Tony settled in for the night, resting his chin against the warmth of Loki’s neck.
Good night, my Tony. Sleep well.
Good night, Lokes.