I thought the princess was just going to let me fall and die, but I was wrong. She wanted to torture me first. Just seconds before I hit the ground, she swooped in swiped me back into the air. Her talons stabbed into the back of my neck and I could feel blood seeping into my fur. She flung me around a few times and I sensed that her anger had been replaced by delirious excitement. I was a helpless toy to be tossed around like a plastic bag in the wind.

The princess' laughter filled the sky augmented by her tiny bird form and the rushing winds. It was ridiculous for a shifter to retain so much power and strength even after transforming into such a small body. "Where are those silly flames now, Sin? Were they so weak as to be blown out by the passing breeze?" she cackled.

She latched onto the top of my head, and I could feel one of her talons slice my right ear. Her vicious playtime was leaving fresh scars all over my body, and it burned me up inside. I'd have to see Jake's worried frown later when he found them. He'd probably say something dumb like, "I leave for two minutes and you go running through a giant thorn bush." He'd shake his head sarcastically, but he would be genuinely concerned and stress about each scar for the rest of the day.

This princess was making life more difficult for both of us, and I had to put a stop to this violent game of hers. Rising up from the pit of my stomach, fire filled my lungs and throat. I tilted my head up to the royal bird and released the largest burst of flames I could summon.

An actual shriek tore out from the princess' beak as her body was covered by fire. Her talons released me immediately, and I could only grin at the sight of burning white feathers as I began to fall back.

A moment later, the wind swirled and chilled. A burst of energy extinguished the flames instantly and the glowing falcon seemed to shrug off the damage. But now, there was fury in her tiny neon green eyes again. The game was over, and she wanted me dead rather than humiliated.

Without showing any struggle, the princess' wings grew and expanded to the size of an eagle. The wings glowed intensely for a moment before flapping downward. A fierce wave of cold wind shot down at me and accelerated my fall like a wind turbine.

I could instinctively tell that I'd die painfully if I hit the ground at this speed from any height, but the princess had made a mistake. She had given me time to learn the winds, to think clearly, and to get angry.

I started shifting into a form that I had never taken seriously before because it was too difficult. I let heat pour through every cell in my body. Every strand of hair on my skin lit up like a match as it converted into a feather. My form shrunk somewhat and reshaped to turn my arms into wings and my feet into talons. I could never decrease my body weight enough to fly before, but now -with the heat and fire pouring out all around me- I could finally make up for it.

I stopped falling to my death and started flying back to my life.

*sneaks in an update before work* lol

I am sorry for the hiatus after a cliffhanger. it really feels like the last month passed me by in the blink of an eye. I can't say exactly how quickly I can put together the next chapters. But if there is one thing I can promise, it's that we will see this story through to the end! <3