Chapter 3: Help comes when least unexpected
A soft breeze swept across the grasslands. A small deer-like creature was running after the herd after it had been left behind. It had the usual mammalian features and of course, it was considered quite a snack to most predators. Hence, they usually flocked together. The little foal had gone off wandering without regard.
Bamboo smiled, his lush green fur quivering with excitement as he watched the little snack prance around. He was a young adult male lavel, just past adolescence. He was now beginning to take up male responsibilities which included hunting and safeguarding the security of their clan.
Mostly, he would go off for periods, as long as there were no attacks from other lavel clans and the vasils were kept at bay, they would thrive. This was one of such seasons, there was plenty to go around, no reason to fight. He had been feeling slightly hungry, and seeing the small deer, he readied himself.
The Wind betrayed his presence, and the foal sniffed him, causing it to take off in the opposite direction. Oh such futile efforts, thought Bamboo, as he powered his powerful hind legs forward, catching the foal with little effort.
"Wait!! Wait!!"
Startled, Bamboo dropped the little foal whose neck he was about to break. He had never heard of foals speaking before. Deciding that maybe he had just imagined it, he drew closer the target. The foal seemed to have realized that running away was useless, and had Bamboo put much thought to it, he would have realized that the idea of the foal having such thoughts was also absolutely preposterous.
"Wait... hold on!" The little foal said once more when it noticed Bamboo's approach. It then began to transform, making Bamboo run his eyes confirming that he was seeing the right thing.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, which was a few minutes, the little foal changed shape to that of a vasil youth. Noticing the change was done, Bamboo sat down and examined the small creature. He could now make sense of what had happened more or less.
This vasil must be a skin-changer. This had once been a common super ability prevalent among the vasils, but soon after the effects of the yellow sun began to diminish due to the world's revolution, they were less common and the ability was more precious. Anyone found with any ability was treated as a precious commodity to their clan and species, to promote their growth and supremacy.
To commoners like Bamboo, such beasts were too far out of reach. All he was concerned about was protecting his own and forging his way through life as a member of a community. He never dreamed of such a fortuitous encounter. Pondering on how to cater for this, he wondered how he would go about handling it.
"I know what are you thinking," the little vasil said, "I am not sure if you know this but I am not as valuable as you think?"
Bamboo had been contemplating this. He had thought of capturing the little thing, but every story he had ever heard about these nasty little shape-changers was that they could escape anything, given their transformation characteristic. Hence, he was thinking of a way to keep it contained.
Yes, he knew the best way would be to take the little thing back to the clan and ransom it to its clan, and given its value, they would pay without any issues. Alas, that plan might not be as promising as he thought.
"What do you mean?" Bamboo asked it.
"First of all, the name is Barcova, may I know what is the name of my captor." The vasil was eloquent, relaxed. He seemed to be completely assured nothing would hurt him. Seeing the natural relaxed charisma he had, Bamboo also relaxed. He could see that the captive understood his position and wouldn't try to wiggle out of his grasp, yet. After all, they were known to be extremely clever.
"I am Bamboo, now speak, what do you mean?"
"I am on a mission my friend, a mission to transform this our beloved world, and because of what I speak of, many have been against me. However, I believe I am right, this is right, we can do it!"
"What the hell are you blabbering about?" Confused, Bamboo looked at Barcova with a quizzical look.
"I am sick and tired of the hatred and contempt that exists between our two great races! We have always been at each other's necks, ready to rip each other to shreds at the slightest provocation. As if that is not enough, even among each other, we slaughter each other for greed and power, all over its just killing and more killing, to what end?"
Barcova finished that passionate speech with all the right emotions all over his face, yet inwardly he was smiling. These damn lavels were so dumb, all he had to do was come up with a stupid reason to give the creature pause.
Barcova had always been a misfit, and when he awakened his shape-changing abilities, he made sure to never tell anyone about it. While being kidnapped by a backward lavel clan was no threat to him, his secret would be exposed. He was an accomplished thief and con artist, able to waltz in and out of areas unseen.
Today of all days, he had to check on his loot. Of all the journey he usually made, this was one he had to be most careful of. He did not want to attract any attention, so he changed into a vulnerable foal, but how could he have known that he would be targeted by a lavel. At least it wasn't some mindless creature where he couldn't bargain or cheat his way out of.
Bamboo couldn't make heads or tail what this little thing was saying, so he just nodded on stupefied. However, he wasn't a simpleton, he understood the little thing's intent. All lavels knew the disdain the vasils had towards them. This led to an intense hatred towards each other. It was always the same, the vasils were the smart ones, the lavels were the strong ones.
Needless to say, there was the superiority complex the vasils had over the lavels, hence they always tried to trick the enemies using cheap tricks. Though the inferiority complex the lavels felt ran deep, they were never as dumb as they seemed to be. The vasils considered them simpletons, but they were smarter than that.
Barcova was disappointed. Had his speech been too complex for this simpleton? He was expecting some form of reaction to his passionate speech, but to his shock, the beast was simply nodding. While he had been in his speech, he hadn't noticed as the beast was closing the distance and before he could react, its massive paw was a whisker away from his neck. A wicked smile appeared over Bamboo, and he spoke one word, "Try anything and you're dead!"
Well, that didn't work, Barcova thought. Luckily for him, that was not the only plan he had. It was just a small attempt to buy time at the most. His most amazing ability was not just to shape change.
What people didn't know is that he could take on shapes that were much smaller than he was. The problem was, where did all that mass go to. He didn't just compress. He had a unique ability to open a mini-dimension where he could fit all his mass, and even hide his vital organs, making him indestructible when he chose a smaller animal. Instantly, he changed to a mouse and scurried away, using his agility.
However, with all his speed and caution, he couldn't understand how he was suddenly in the grasp of the lavel once more, this time, his tiny mouse figure surrounded by the massive paw grasping it.
"You know, I could just toss you into my mouth, like a snack."Bamboo said, and he seemed to consider it. However, as though he was taking a moment's pause and rethinking his action, he turned away and walked towards the clan lands with his prize. He smirked inwardly, knowing that he had to strain to catch the damn thing.
Unknown to the two, they had an unintended onlooker, one who could not only remain hidden while listening in on their conversation but one who could also hear their thoughts and understand their idiosyncrasies. Just by monitoring the two, he could understand their place in society.
Neither one was any special. They never stood out in their respective communities. Bamboo may seem strong to Barcova, but he was nothing special. His elder cousin, Hasilo, was the star of the community, built like a mountain, he could power his way through anything, and for someone that big, he was also incredibly fast. In every festival, he could bring down his targets with a single swing of his paw.
Barcova had always been a weasel, and he never really tried to hide it. He was small, but his cunning and smarts would get him away with most things, though it usually led him to a lot of trouble most times. Annoyed by being caught, and somehow managed to have his plan to escape seen through, all he could do was wait. He still wasn't in any danger, so he decided to bid his time.
Thinking back, he remembered how he had first acquired his shape-changing abilities. He was trying out as a first-time thief, or rather, burglar. Unfortunately, it hadn't gone as well as he had hoped, and before long, he was cornered. The last thing he was thinking as he gazed unto the bright yellow star that shone brightly at him, all he wanted was to become small and disappear.
That's when it happened. Almost as if the star itself was guiding him, he felt his mass being engulfed into a secret dimension and soon became a mouse. Quickly scurrying away from his pursuers, he found shelter where he could.
As soon as he found some safety, he tried to make sense of what was happening to him. He was more than thrilled to discover that he had actual magical abilities, things that he had only ever heard about. Any good vasil would go to the superiors and announce his good fortune, where he would be showered with riches and resources and training and blah blah blah. That was was not him, he was never a joiner!
Yap, this was it. He was to forge his path, and maybe someday, he would become the ultimate head, a king. He had never thought that far ahead before, and when he started thinking about these, he couldn't help but daydream. It was a daydream, for even the king has abilities, but it was a pleasant thought nonetheless.
He then embarked on changing his life. He was a skilled thief, and an accomplished conman, he could talk his way through most things. He still maintained that weasel demeanor, after all, that was who he was. A schemer and con artist. He slowly stored away his hidden treasure and kept to himself.
Now the two had the misfortune of being locked on by the most dangerous predator on their world, and they didn't even know it yet. With a smile, Dane cooked up a plan on how he could infiltrate and take over these two civilizations. Of course, with these two unwitting aids, he could begin his work.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone