I woke up feeling incredible—cozy, comfy, warm, as if I was lying in a soft bed. But I wasn't. There wasn't even a blanket. I felt dizzy, so I decided to sleep a bit more because it was just too comfortable.

Then my mind clicked and I clucked.

I looked down at my body. Feathers. Brown feathers covered my entire torso. I touched my head—partially feathered, though my red hair was still there. I looked at the back of my hands. Feathers were sprouting between my fingers, though my palms stayed bare. I twisted around to see my ass. My tail had grown bigger during the night. The feathers at the tip were black, like someone had dipped them in ink.

I searched for my cloaca and found it buried deep in the feathers. Hidden. Almost private. I stood up, and the sensation was strange—being feathered made me feel more like a chicken. Unfortunately, the room didn't have a mirror.

I looked around. Rayan was still asleep, but he was feathered too. Black feathers covered his chest and back. His tail had grown even bigger than mine, with iridescent green and blue feathers mixed in. He looked beautiful, in a strange, animal way.

Then I looked at Jane and Jake. They had fur now. Gray fur, covering their bodies like they were wearing coarse blankets. I swallowed. They looked like oversized animals already. The room smelled like a barn. The hay around my nest was stained with white paste—bird shit, most likely from Rayan during the night.

I looked down at my nest. It was big, carefully shaped, with my egg lying in the center. Some feathers had come loose and were woven into the edges. It looked like a real chicken nest. I felt shame and pride at the same time. I didn't know what to do, so I just sat back down in my nest, settling over the egg. Somehow, it felt right. I should sit on this egg. Be a mother to it.

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A little later, everyone woke up. They were shocked at how much we'd changed overnight. Jane stood up slowly, her hooves clicking against the floorboards. Her face was still mostly human, but the gray fur covered her arms and legs, and her donkey ears twitched constantly.

"We have to hurry," Jane said. "If we already look like this... the wise woman lives two …