Lauren Rivers had wandered into the strange town populated by unusual creatures, of a kind she had never seen. Brought to Sedona by the need to find an artifact rumored to be able to locate immense natural energy sources, she had come alone to avoid attracting attention. She knew that Chris, Topaz, and Kyle would come after her eventually, but for now they did not even know she was gone.

The creatures seemed to keep away frm her, for the most part. She knew as she walked along the street that she was being watched. Eyes were visible from every window, and even though the streets were empty, she felt their presence.

"Hello?" she asked, calling out to see if anyone would answer. For a moment, the eyes disappeared, and returned a moment later.

Lauren's hooves clopping along the pavement were the only sound other than the rustle of the leaves. She sniffed the air, and did not detect any scents other than the faint smell of day old bread. Her ears perked as footfalls skittered around her.

Whirling around, she heard no one. She formed a sphere of water in her hand, backing up under an awning. "Stay back!" she cried.

Suddenly, a humanoid shape dropped down beside her and bit her arm. The attack was so sudden and savage she hardly had time to register the action. "ARGH!!!" She felt an elbow to her right temple, and before she could focus her eyes the figure was gone.

"Damn it." She looked at the bite marks, the rows of teeth making small bloody imprints along her flesh. She licked it clean for lack of a better disinfectant, and wished more than ever that she had her mate's healing powers at her disposal.

Lauren cursed, and resumed walking. She had gotten barely a block when suddenly a wave of disorientation passed over her. Her body shivered violently and she collapsed to her knees. Frightened, she was about to scream for help when she remembered that she had seen no one but these half glimpsed creatures.

At first it was only a shiver, but suddenly her hands changed, sharp claws appearing at the end of her fingers. She grunted in pain as the bones in her feet restructured, splitting from one toe into five. Her speech was robbed from her as her mouth and face changed shape. Slowly her ears lengthened, becoming long and curled at the end. Even the smallest sound she could now hear with perfect clarity. Her tail was the most terrifying, as it grew to several times its size, truly heavy enough to balance her body's weight.

Once the transformation had finished, she tried to stand, unsteadily leaning against a store window. The sight shocked her. "My hands, my feet... What am I? My body... I've got to find help, some way to reverse this..." She was one of the creatures she had only half seen in the shadows. The only familiar parts of her that remained were her diamond mark and her blue hair. If not for that and her clothes, she might have doubted her very identity. Lauren attempted to walk on this altered feet, her legs refusing to obey her commands, every step a struggle.

Night would fall soon. She could only hope she found some help before she found herself alone in a strange place in a transformed body...

Art by  omadaun
Crux species belongs to  malluch

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Time Lapse of the Artist Drawing the Image:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeqH.....ature=youtu.be