Fakiru Week 2013 - Balance

After they had set out for clothes and found old rags to drape over their new bodies, the first thing they had to do was get used to the new mechanics. So they found a secluded spot at the beach at the bottom of a cliff, and there Fakir began to coach Ahiru on how to put her newfound limbs to use.

“It’s simple after you get used to it,” he said, holding his hands out several feet across from the redheaded girl. “Just put one in front of the other and repeat.”

Ahiru wobbled and grabbed at a nearby rock from the cliff to prevent herself from falling to the sand, her knees quivering. “That’s—easy for you to say.” She pouted. “How come you’re already so good at it when I can’t even stand up?”

“Idiot. You’re the ones that got us into this mess. The least you could do is keep practicing and stop complaining.”

“’M not complaining.” She stuck her tongue out at him.

“One foot at a time,” he reminded her. “And the feet are at the bottom; the things in the middle are your knees.”

“I—I knew that!”

Slowly, agonizingly, Ahiru continued holding herself against the solid rock, her limbs unstable and quivering. When she was just a few steps away from her goal she abruptly tripped, falling forward with flailing arms. “Uwah—!”

“Hey!” On instinct Fakir tried flapping his tail to speed forward and catch her, but—damn, he didn’t have that anymore. What was meant to be a rescue turned into two awkward teenagers crashing into one another and landing in the sand. They each gave a small groan of pain, sitting up and swatting away the dry sand sticking to their skin.

“This is going to take a while.”