(Baldur's Gate TF, F to Owlbear)

In hindsight, trying to become a Displacer Beast had been something of an overreach.

Trying to grow and control a tail alone was an achievement for most first-time shapeshifters, let alone the additional limbs or the sensory tentacles they sported. Most Druids’ journals that had detailed such a change advised picturing an additional head beside one’s own, that would shift into these tentacles over time. They distinctly failed to mention the fact that this was an advanced technique unsuited for beginners.

Shadowheart thought about this now, looking at a face she was used to seeing in a mirror, not on the shoulder next to her main head. Her main head! Just that thought on its own was a shock, let alone having to picture her body turning into some panther-like creature.

Wild Shape was supposed to be a simple spell. Even if she was just learning some Druid tricks now, it shouldn’t have been too complex for a skilled Cleric. Well, at least, that was the theory. The practice, on the other hand, was intoxicating.

There was no other word for it, having double the sense of smell, sight, hearing, taste… She didn’t even know she had a taste until her new tongue played along her mouth, savoring the sweetness she didn’t even know her saliva had.

Of course, when Shadowheart’s original head started to shift, this only got worse.

The journals had understood one thing in particular: Wild Shape felt almost like lucid dreaming. There was a delicate balance to picturing the changes and accomplishing them, without shaping too much too quickly. Too little thought, and her form would remain largely unchanged. Too much, and she would overreach and she would snap herself ‘awake’ and revert back to her real form.

Right now Shadowheart was trapped between trying to focus on what it would feel like to have a rakshasa’s head and witnessing her face change with her new head. She could see her ears flare, widening from their elven tips into something distinctly feline. She both felt and heard her snout extend, wet pops accompanying the growth of her jaw.

But the fur… Shadowheart’s human head couldn’t help but smell a musk that her memories associated with a rather unceremonious retreat. Her pulse quickened, and she tried to re-center herself. She needed to focus. Maybe growing the additional paws, and thinking of her own hands becoming paws would help.

Her fingers would need to bulge, thick pads letting her race across any environment. They would need to be big, thick, heavy paws that could support her weight even though there were four of them… Or six? Did she need to count the back two?

She watched her own changed head snarl in distress, and despite her misgivings, her changed head’s eyes opened to see the shock on her normal face. It was too much like a nightmare she’d had involving mirrors, and with that the spell overloaded and her body snapped back into its normal form like a bowstring releasing itself.

Though she imagined a bowstring might not necessarily feel as much pain as she did, having her two heads merge back into one, while returning her feline head to an elf’s lean visage. It was like biting the inside of her cheek, but everywhere on her head at once, and she collapsed in a heap, letting out a miserable squeak which she was very glad nobody could hear.

Yes, a Displacer Beast would be too much for her. … But what of an Owlbear?

xXx

Shadowheart waited for the cover of night to try again, this time surrounded by her party. She’d barely been able to escape their notice for the first attempt; there was no way she’d be able to leave them again.

And, in truth, her recent failure had left her a little rattled, and having them around calmed her—though she’d never admit as much. Well, possibly to Jaheira, given that the druid was one of her reasons for even trying to cross-class.

Shadowheart closed her eyes, centering herself again. Inside her own tent, things felt safer. She was sure she’d be able to do this.

She kept one arm out before herself, beginning with that. An Owlbear was a large, strong creature, with feathers thicker than most animals’ fur. She’d start there, with a dense, tufted coat of downy quills to call her own.

Shadowheart’s body tingled with the energy of her mana, which flowed towards her outstretched right arm. Small pinpricks of pressure marked the start of these feathers, though each sharp sensation was followed by a tickle as her plumage bloomed.

She cracked an eye to see that it was working, much to her relief. Some of the quills, the ones from her elbow to her armpit, were longer than the rest, more pronounced. They swayed slightly when she moved her arm experimentally, but didn’t tug at her skin as she’d expected.

Next up would be her hand. Unlike her attempt to grow a Displacer Beast’s paw, this would be far simpler. She pressed her index and middle fingers together, curling them along with her other fingers and her thumb. She envisioned them merging, hardening, thickening into a claw—no, a talon. It would be dark, glossy, sharp…

As Shadowheart focused, her imagination became reality. Her skin hardened and joined with her nails. The creases of her knuckles were replaced with a smooth sheen, and the tips of her new digits grew sharp. She tapped one experimentally, marveling at the feeling.

It was, in many ways, as she’d expected. Just like stroking a gauntlet, she couldn’t directly feel the touch of her unchanged fingers. But she could still feel the impact through her new talons, and could follow the motion of her fingers along them.

Her palm bulged with a thought, darkening and thickening. It spread her fingers further apart, widening to the point that she’d be unable to use any tools. It would need to be thicker, more leathery. Almost…

Shadowheart beamed, then focused on growing her arm to its new proper length. Twice the size, in both length and width. She could feel her bones growing under her arm, pushing out her swelling muscle. Muscle! Her new biceps limited how much she could bend her arm. She’d gone from being able to bend it and touch her shoulder with the same arm’s fingers to having her claws just a little out of reach, trapped by new, firm muscle.

Her shoulder on the other hand, cracked with relief, like stretching a tense joint. It would have so much more range of motion now than ever before. Shadowheart gave it an experimental roll, smiling at how unusual it felt.

She let the change sweep down from her right arm in a stripe, towards her left leg. White feathers covered her like a robe, and she leaned back to lift her thigh off the ground. It bulged as she did, growing more than just muscular—it was bulky. After all, her new body was built to handle winters without any need for food or shelter.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was just how normal her changing leg looked. There was no reversal of joints, no real stretching aside for the difference in size. Sure, her calves were a hair smaller than she was used to, but other than that they were much as she’d pictured.

Her foot, however… That was a different story entirely. It flared out wider like a flipper, growing the same thick pad on its underside as she’d taken for her hand. Her toes lost their feeling one at a time, sharpening slightly into small clawed tips. It tickled, and for a moment she lost herself to the changes, letting them sweep up her chest.

Shadowheart was getting bigger, stronger, massive even. Each breath she took inflated new lungs capable of fueling a form bigger than some wagons. She pressed her lips together, willing them to stretch into the pointed beak of an avian. They did, going numb and then spreading that numbness to her nose.

Her eyes widened at the sight of a prominent, sharp beak growing in her peripheral vision. And in her surprise, she roared.

Honestly, Shadowheart hadn’t anticipated just how much volume her new lungs gave her, or the fact that her vocal cords had changed with them. She also didn’t expect the screech that undercut the sound of the ursine roar in her throat.

Immediately, the camp came to life. A magical light burst through the darkness of night, accompanied by Gale’s frightened voice. A number of others soon accompanied his, as Shadowheart’s companions raced to prepare themselves.

“Was that an Owlbear!? How did one get so close!”

“I don’t see it!”

“Does anyone need healing?”

Shadowheart panicked, trying to get the spell under control, to at least give her voice back. She stumbled to her feet, but the unexpected awkwardness of their size difference sent her stumbling into the side of her tent.

“It’s got Shadowheart!”

“Hold on!”

<I’m okay!> She snuffled and growled miserably, earning a loud bark of laughter from Jaheira and a dumbfounded gasp of shock from Halsin. Of course the two Druids knew how to Speak with Animal. Though that might have its own uses… <Please do not attack the Owlbear!>

The former recovered her wits first. “Hold on, you lot! I think the resident cleric has some words for us… Or perhaps not.”

“What are you playing at, aren’t we in danger?” Karlach’s voice called out.

Shadowheart tensed as the canvas of her tent was torn from her, revealing an amused Jaheira and the stunned faces of the remainder of her companions. Then the spell overloaded, and Shadowheart yelped at how the extra height her leg had gotten her vanished abruptly, dropping her onto the ground posterior-first.

“Girl, you’ve some explaining to do,” Jaheira smiled, which eased some of the bite of her words.

Shadowheart groaned, tucking her knees to her chest to give her some modesty, and worked out how to best describe herself to her companions.

xXx

… Honestly, the explanation hadn’t been as difficult as she’d thought. She’d barely gotten out “So you know how I like animals-” before a mutual “Ah” of understanding filled the glade. Better yet, that was followed by a gratifying amount of encouragement… Then a rather extensive lesson on Wild Shape that left her head spinning.

“So, do you understand?” Halsin asked gently. Of course, after his extensive discussion of shapeshifting, even the gentlest of questions felt like a genius trying to comfort a confused child.

“Yes,”’ Shadowheart lied unconvincingly.

Jaheira placed a hand on her shoulder, offering her a kindly smile. “Don’t worry, everyone gets it in the end. It’s like learning how to swim.”

“Fairly certain my sister died that way, drowning and all,” drawled Asterion. He earned a small unsure shiver from Shadowheart and a biting glare from the remainder of the party. “Joking, joking. You’re all so dreadfully boring.”

“Ignore him, you’ll do fine. We’ll offer all the instruction you require,” offered Halsin.

Shadowheart chose not to tell him that didn’t help either, and instead closed her eyes to focus once more. Some of his advice had been good, if only for another’s description of how the sensation of change would feel.

“That’s good, your mana is already moving correctly,” Jaheira said softly. “It’s easier if you imagine things all at once, so start with the growth.”

The experienced Druid’s words calmed Shadowheart, and she focused on some of Halsin’s advice as well: ‘don’t just envision, create. Plan your changes as they happen; not before.’

She did. She felt her entire body creak, growing larger, posture hunching. The grass tickled her feet as her stance spread. Bones expanded, muscles grew. She didn’t just feel large, she felt powerful. It was like she could shake the earth just by walking alone.

But there was a bit of a draft…

Feathers swept their way across her body, so familiar now that they merely tickled, with none of the pain. She shook her head, feeling the long quills tousle just like hair. They were dense and warm, but made her look rather silly without the claws to match.

“She’s doing well.”

“Hush, you’ll distract her!”

Shadowheart smiled, her lips hidden by feathers. One by one, her fingers went numb, sharpening, curling. Her toes did the same, digging small furrows into the grass beneath herself, grass which only flattened further as dense pads bulged from her soles. She felt them stretch from her palms as well, and fell forward onto them.

A little to her dismay, the world did not in fact shake. But it did leave a resounding thump echoing pleasingly through the forest. More importantly, it felt good. Her hips and shoulders spread, letting this stance be just as comfortable as standing.

“Just trust the changes. If you don’t know, the magic will guide you.”

Shadowheart nodded, taking in a deep breath and holding it. She felt her throat bulge as she did, and the longer she held her breath, the more she could feel minute changes to her spine popping and shifting her posture.

Then she roared, bellowing out a wordless, proud cry. Her face warped as she did, head rounding, a proud curved beak taking the place of her nose and her lips. She shut her beak with a loud clack, and played her dark tongue along it. It was much smoother than she expected, yet at the same time it held some unexpected small ridges.

It was a much like the backs of her own nails, or maybe even her claws now. She hadn’t taken a good look at them. On that note…

Shadowheart finally opened her eyes, and saw a new world. On all fours, her bulky body was at the same height as her natural form was, but everything looked… Sharper. It was like every moving object had an outline to it, and left rippling afterimages with its motion. This clarity came at the cost of a little color from the world, which was a small thing in exchange for her new sense of smell.

“Well? How does it feel?” Halsin’s woody aroma preceded his motion, as he walked before her. Before she could react, he’d reached his hands under her chin and scratched at a spot she didn’t know she had.

Pure pleasure flooded her world, and she shuddered from head to toe, a small and avian churr rumbling in her throat. He might have been a terrible instructor, but he certainly knew how to treat a wild animal.

“Now that the spell has been properly cast, it is stable. You no longer need to focus on it,” Jaheira said, “and you can shift forms as naturally as you would dress yourself.”

Shadowheart didn’t doubt her. All the same, she had no desire to change back just yet. She felt good like this, even powerful. She wanted to experience more, at least for a little while longer.

The new Owlbear reared up onto her hind legs, marveling at how tall she was, feeling the warm summer breeze rush through her plumage. This was a tremendous step for her, away from her old life as a Cleric of Shar, and towards one closer to the animals she so adored.