“Man, this weekend’s a bit of a washout…” Jordan sighed to himself, looking out at the rain cascading down the window. He had planned to make a trip into town to grab some stuff, but with how heavy it was coming down, he felt it would be better if he waited until a break in the weather to do so. “Might as well see if there’s anything good on the TV to pass the time.” He got up from his bed, making his way down to the front room. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he heard a frantic knocking at his front door. “Hrm?” He paused for a moment, another round of loud knocking following on. “OK, hold on, you’re going to break my door down if you don’t hold off a little bit!” He unlocked the door, which swung back and nearly hit him in the face from the knocking. “Whew, I was starting to think that no-one was in!” A female voice called out. Jordan looked at the figure, a large, tall, humanoid raven staring at him, beads of rain running down her feathers. “Either that or I’d gotten the wrong house!” “...Shade?” He cocked his head, confused by the sudden appearance of his witchy friend. “What brings you here?” “I thought I’d swing by and pay you a visit!” She stepped in, talons tapping on the wooden floor, the avian casting a spell to dry herself off. “That and with everything going on, I kinda forgot about your birthday the other month, didn’t I?” “Oh yeah… I remember you sent a message the day before saying you were gonna swing by on the day, but you ended up being a no-show. Was a little sad, as I had a few friends visiting, and I think you would have more than likely taken the party to the next level if you had turned up!” “Yup, sadly I had a few issues arise on the day that unfortunately stopped me from showing up. Haimogwen may have slightly trashed the place with one of his experiments, and myself, Amatsu and Dusk had to clean up the mess he made!” “Aaah… I’m gonna guess that’s not the first time he’s caused you some trouble?” “Not at all. I’d be lying if I said that some of his mishaps weren’t entertaining, but he REALLY knows how to pick his times with the most spectacular fails!” She laughed. “Still, it’s nice that you were able to show up, even if you’re about a month off the mark. Sorry the weather’s not any better, either, it couldn't have been much fun for you to travel in the rain.” “Doesn’t quite beat how wet and windy it can get over in the UK, but it was manageable.” She shrugged. “Anyways, is there anything I can get for you, Shade, or is this trip a little more business-focused.” “I’d love something to eat, but I think it can wait until I’ve done what I needed to do!” She turned towards the human. “And I think you probably know just what that’s going to entail, don’t you?” “If I had to guess, you’re gonna turn me into some kind of animal?” “Bingo~” Shade winked. “Well, I’ve got nothing else planned for today, so I’m fine with that!” He chuckled. “Perfect!” She moved closer to Jordan. “Normally I’d take a few opportunities to spice things up a little, but since I’ve run a little bit late, I thought you’d appreciate it more if we just got straight to the point. Though I wouldn’t worry too much, we’ll get to the fun part a little later on!” “Odd, it’s not like you to pass up on a chance for fun. You’ve got other places to be?” “Mmhmm, there’s a couple other people in this neighbourhood that I need to get to as well, but I’ll try and keep things swift with them so I can get to you properly tonight~” “I’m sure I won’t mind the wait, will make it even more fun when we get to it!” “Oh, you know it!” Shade raised her talons, violet-tinged magic flowing around them. “I’m ready whenever you are!” “Should I get out of these clothes?” “Your call, there will be some growth involved!” “Right… guess I can leave these ones on, they’re a little on the old side.” Jordan nodded. Shade chuckled as she flicked her wrists, the magic being flung into him, sending a shudder down his spine. It didn’t take too long for it to take effect, a pins-and-needles sensation spreading through him, hundreds of small quills poking through his skin, blossoming out into dark-brown feathers. The skin from his elbows down to his hands dried up, turning a dark yellow, the middle and ring digits merging together into one, sharp claws sprouting from his fingertips. “I keep forgetting just how quickly your magic gets to work!” He looked at his arms, watching the feathers spread. His shirt felt tighter already thanks to the growing coat of feathers, but this was further compounded by his muscles developing slightly, biceps swelling, causing the sleeves of his shirt to tear. His pectorals grew larger as well, his stomach gaining a slight amount of muscle, but largely growing out slightly rounder, the added mass, shredding his shirt down the middle. “Oh, I can easily make it slower!” She watched, helping him to remove the torn shirt. Jordan could feel a bump pressing against the base of his spine, his legs bulking up, causing his trousers to strain. “If I had a bit more time on hand, I’d have taken my time with it!” The sides of his trousers tore apart, thick, feathery haunches showing through the mangled fabric. A tail burst out the back of his pants, long, deep-red tailfeathers spreading out behind him, standing out nicely from the brown that had taken over most of his body. He gave his rump a shake, watching his tail swaying about. “Not bad~” He smiled. “Mmm, I can only imagine the amount of KFC you’d get from THOSE drumsticks!” She teased him, making him wince. His lower legs scaled over, his heels rising upwards, the middle toes fusing whilst the big toe relocated to rest behind the lower part of his foot, deadly curving talons emerging from the scaly digits, an additional spur emerging from his heel. “Let’s maybe NOT make jokes about serving me up for dinner!” Jordan chuckled nervously, looking at his feet, curling his new toes. He could feel his hair falling away, a spiky red comb taking its place among the feathers, ears shrinking away into tiny holes. His mouth went numb, teeth merging together inside of it, a broad, yellow beak pushing its way out past his lips, tongue longer and thinner to better fit it. His eyes moved to the sides of his head, turning an orangey-yellow to close out the changes. “What, I like a bit of chicken, and I AM a carnivore, after all~” She cawed playfully, stroking the side of Jordan’s beak. “But don’t worry, I’m not interested in eating you THAT way!” “I should hope not!” He smirked, taking a moment to look over himself. The changes had happened a lot quicker than he had hoped, but he couldn’t argue with the end results at all. “Though I have to wonder, what made you go with a rooster? Normally when it comes to avian transformations, you tend to stick to chocobos, gryphons, and most of the bird Pokémon.” “I dunno, I guess I figured you’d love to experience what it’s like to be a giant cock?” She said with a laugh. “And what better way to experience that than by becoming a big ol clucker!” “I kinda have a feeling that you’d use that to misconstrue someone else's wishes if they expressed a desire to be that?” “You know it!” She winked. “I’m not about to turn someone into another person’s appendage, so that’s the best they’re gonna get from me!” “And if they were left disappointed?” “Very few people are left disappointed by my services, so thankfully it’s rare that I get a complaint.” She said. “Now then, I’m going to have to head off and take care of some things, but I should hopefully be back within three or so hours. We’ll have the real late-birthday fun when I get back, sound good?” “Yeah, I think I can wait that long!” He clucked. “Good, see you soon~” She crowed, using her magic to open the window before flying off. “Now if this rain would let up, that would be appreciated…” She added as she left. “Heh…” Jordan took a look at his reflection in the glass window of the display cabinet nearby, silently admiring the big, burly rooster that Shade had turned him into. “Hope she’s not too long, otherwise I might have to start practicing my morning wake-up routine!” He laughed.