Free Fireclaws - Search for the Golden by T. Michael Ford Page A

and attractive human features with a small button nose. When she saw me, her eyes grew very wide, and she nervously tried to smooth out the wrinkles in the dark green shift she wore over threadbare leggings.
    When she shifted her gaze to the Earth Mother, she started to stutter, “M…My…” Then her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped to the ground, instantly transforming into a large black bunny rabbit. The creature had its eyes closed tightly as it flopped over on its side and kicked spastically as if it were having a fit of some kind.
    Stifling a laugh, I looked askance at the goddess, who winced and remarked, “Hmmm, her first impression skills need some work, I will grant you that.”
    “What is she?”
    The Earth Mother looked up from watching the display on the ground and sighed. “She, my young Druid, is an anomaly…a mistake…an abomination…a freak of nature, if you will.” She caught my shocked expression. “Oh, don’t worry, I mean that in the nicest possible way. Much of my best work starts out that way; its how new species come to be.”
    “But...”
    She smiled innocently. “I will be going now, Ryliss; you should have more than enough to do for a while. Keep up the good work. I do believe your other companions are becoming anxious.” At the last word, her image folded, changed, and shrunk down to a small gray dove, which then flittered off into the larger trees beyond and disappeared.
    A few seconds later, Naurakka stalked into the clearing with a cackling and very excited Andea riding on her back. I reached down and scooped up the rabbit, cradling the poor shivering creature in my arms.
    “Excellent! You found me a morning snack,” Naurakka sent across our bond.
    “No, this isn’t an ordinary rabbit,” I returned, trying to massage the creature out of its state of shock. The big cat moved closer and sniffed Daphne experimentally.
    “It smells edible enough. Is it dangerous? I heard about this bunny once that lives in a cave that killed many…”
    “No,” I interrupted, talking out loud, “she’s not dangerous; at least, I don’t think so.”
    “Who’s not dangerous?” Andi said, still astride Naurakka.
    “Well, that’s the thing, I’m not sure what she is, Andi, some sort of shape shifter. Right now, she’s an unconscious bunny rabbit.”
    Finally, rubbing the back and feet of the creature paid off, as I saw her eyes slide open languidly; at least until they fixed on Naurakka, whose panting face was still just inches away. Suddenly, she became wild in my arms, struggling to escape, but I had a firm hold on her body and my other hand held her long ears like a vise.
    “Enough struggling, Daphne! Naurakka isn’t going to eat you!”
    “Well, maybe later,” the puma sent archly, as Andea slid gingerly off her back onto her feet. Huffing, the big cat moved off to the shade at the edge of the meadow and stretched out. As soon as the puma was out of immediate sight, the bunny started to elongate and become heavier, until I had a girl in my arms, with her fingers interlaced around my neck and her face grinning up at me.
    “Thank you for rescuing me from the ferocious beast. Kiss me and I’m yours forever!” She laughed, her dark eyes sparkling in the morning light. “But…oww, next time, mind the ears!”
    “Ummm, before we get to that ‘yours forever’ part,” I said doubtfully, lowering her feet to the ground and removing her clinging arms, “what are you exactly?”
    A flash of sadness crossed her features and she dropped heavily to the ground, drew her knees up, hugging them, and buried her face in her arms. “No one ever takes me up on the ‘kiss me and I’m yours forever’ offer. I’m just pathetic. None of the other nymphs have this problem. They all have brave, handsome knights searching the woods for them, and believe me, they get a lot more than a stupid kiss! Then, of course, they have to parade them by my poor sad little tree and show how