White one transformation 10
The creature padded on wide, silent paws, it’s white fur a star contrast to the black sand of the shore. It had been enjoying the past few months in the company of a young Icelandic princess, basking atop the deck of her ship in the gentle sunlight as the vessel rocked across the seas. Unfortunately, last night they had been hit by a storm and the shape-shifter had been forced to blow his cover. As lightning struck the ship, the fox leapt over the edge to plunge down towards the sea, unnoticed by all but the teenaged royalty who called desperately after him. Her cries of fear and despair died in her throat, though, as she watched what looked like wings extend from her pet’s back. They were wings, she realized a second later, and with wide eyes, she began to realize that they hadn’t stopped growing. While the fox… if it could even be called that, was further from the ship now, it had not faded into the distance at all. In fact, she was positive her friend had grown to the size of a horse—no, a house! No… even bigger than the ship, now, the creature arched up into the sky and turned on a point in the air, shockingly graceful for his size.
He remained suspended high in the night sky for a moment, held in place by the fading momentum from his transformation. His majestic, eagle wings spanned at least three times the length of the ship, poised in perfect synchronization on either side, their stark whiteness clear as day against the dark of the night. His muzzle had shortened and broadened, now forming the elegant picture of a lion’s face, though his ears remained fox-like— long and tapered. The bridge of his nose flat and straight, casting an exotically powerful silhouette as he turned to face the sinking vessel. His body, too, was stronger now, with the broad shoulders of a tiger’s build and forelegs to match, though, the lower half of his body was less bulky and more aerodynamic. His tail was long and graceful, composed of white feathers that shifted ever so slightly to adjust to the powerful winds in the air as he balanced hundreds of feet above the sea. Elegant, curled markings were faintly visible on the tips of his wing and tail feathers, which perfectly mirrored the sigil of the princess’ kingdom on the flags of the ship, which were now torn and rugged in the wind.
The young girl gasped, frozen in the faint beam of light from the shifter’s glowing white gaze. He let out a low growl that carried across the waves and to the ears of the passengers, somehow comprehended by all who heard it. ”Prepare yourselves.”
His wings lowered once more with a thunderous clap, and he tilted forward, starting back towards the boat at a downward angle. With one more earth-shattering wingbeat, he was hurtling towards the boat with his wings half-folded to his body, its large majesty now dwarfed by the alien’s massive shadow.
As he drew closer, he extended his wings, catching himself on the air just long enough to reach around either side of the ship with his forepaws and grasp it between his legs, his claws sinking into the wood with unnerving ease for a better grip, though, he was very careful to not pierce through the interior walls. With three more powerful strokes of his feathered appendages, they were sailing thousands of feet above the earth’s surface. His flight was surprisingly smooth, from that point on, for the passengers of the ship, even as he set them down gently on the shores by the castle in the early hours of the morning. After making sure they were situated, he hovered above the sea long enough to shrink down to just a bit larger than a lion before landing gently in front of the princess. He chuffed gently at her saucer-eyed look of wonder, nudging her arm amiably. Once she recovered a bit of her composure after the shock of the night, she threw her arms around his neck tearfully, thanking him repeatedly as her parents watched from afar, a mixture of gratitude and wariness in their tired eyes.
Noting their exhaustion, the creature took a step back from the princess, giving her another nudge of reassurance. He decided not to speak again, for fear of causing a fainting episode, but she seemed to understand his intent. Wiping away her tears, she brought her hands around her neck and untied the leather band that held the stone pendant hidden under the neckline of her dress. With glistening eyes and a sad smile, she lifted the token over her savior’s head and let it rest around his neck.
The griffin-like creature bowed his head in graceful thanks, his long tail sweeping the ground behind him as he turned and leapt up onto the edge of the beached ship, turning back to look at her once more. With a soft rumble of a farewell, he leapt into the air, catching himself on the air and soaring upwards into the sky. And there he travelled across the continent, sailing over volcanos and glaciers and unintentionally scaring quite a few herds of horses until he reached the opposing shore and came to rest gracefully on its coal-colored sands.