((Thread for
@Midnight (Xyntharia) and
@Ickedu (Tiel)))
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It was a pleasant day in Essyrn.
Well, of course every day was hot here near the Moraki Desert, especially around midday when the sun burned from directly above and the sand and stones had lost all the coolness of the night. But today, a kind breeze had sprung up and blew lightly over the city.
Obviously the people inside the city walls would not feel much of it. But outside the city, in the Niafi River Delta, the weather almost could be called pleasant.
Nonetheless the fields and paths along the river were quiet at this time of the day. Like every day, everyone that had a chance to rest took the opportunity and retired to a shadowy place until the hottest hours would be over.
But some animals took the chance to roam the fields and riverbanks without being disturbed by the farmers or merchants. A flock of cockatiels had landed on a field near the water. It consisted of about 40 birds, and most of them were engaged in picking the largest grains out of the crop. But then suddenly a warning call could be heard from one of the watcher birds, and in an instant the whole flock was lifting off and flying away, their grey-and-yellow feathers glittering in the bright sun.
Their flight lead along the riverbanks to the western side of the river delta where the estates and mansions of the more wealthy merchants were situated. They flew over the houses, gardens, warehouses and places, until they reached an exceedingly beautiful estate. It was bordered by trees along the outside, blocking the view into the estate. A single light-colored road that led from the golden front gate to a huge, exquisite fountain right in front of the manor, separated the large garden in two parts. On the one side, the garden was filled with beautiful flowers and natural growing bushes, as well as trees throughout it. Small mammals, reptiles like snakes and lizards, as well as birds had made their homes in this garden. It was well kept enough to make it look presentable, though the plants were mostly allowed to grow freely.
On the other side of the road there was a small, beautiful river. Around this river there were many herbs, vegetables and fruits grown to be used in medicines and meals. On this side, the cockatiels landed at the shore to refresh themselves with the clear water. Only Tiel elided the cool water for the moment. It would not satisfy her thirst while she drank in her cockatiel form, and she usually didn't change in the presence of the flock, to not scare the other birds. So she took a stroll away from her flock and the river.
She spend some time hopping and fluttering through the garden. But then another thing caught her attention. An appetizing smell found its way to the cockatiel and drew it to another side of the garden to a small bush. It was obviously tended well, no withered leaves or weeds could be seen around it. And it bore the most amazing fruits that Tiel had ever seen.
The fruits did not look very special, they were oval, their color reaching from dull yellow to dark red, but they had the most amazing, inspiring, delicious aroma Tiel had ever smelled. She had to examine this further and without much effort her small cockatiel body began to grow and deform. Her beak and crest disappeared, and the more she neared the size and form of a human, the more the feathers regressed, making place for gold-brown skin, the feathers forming into a grey and yellow scarf, until finally a young woman stood in the garden, her skin gold-brown, her hair a bright yellow and clothed in a simple dress wrapped out of her scarf.
As extraordinary this transformation basically was, it did not appear unnatural or strained, but fluent and simple. Tiel too did not think more about the transformation. It was normal for her, the only thing she knew. And anyway, she wanted to feel, see and taste the fruit that had such a high allurement to her.
Without hesitation she picked one of the fruits and took a hearty bite.
And then... she couldn't stop anymore.
The fruit was the best she had ever eaten and she could not imagine that anything else might somehow compare to it.
Tiel didn't eat very fast. Quite the contrary she savored every bite, but there were not a lot of the fruits. So soon she had eaten all but two of them, when she suddenly heard a sound of another creature in the garden and turned around startled.
