Complete And Otter Madness

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon would be lying if he said the thought of being able to get some time hanging around in one of his favourite of his forms wasn’t a rather exciting one. Since the little meeting with Midori a week ago he’d been looking forward to this get-together, although it did fill him with some nerves too. He’d never actually helped anyone out with their own shapeshifting before and he was admittedly a little anxious that he might do or say something wrong, especially since in this case the other person was another staff member that he had come to have a real respect for.

The water in the Hammel pool was a little cold as Devon dived into it but it was refreshing after a day of running around after the kids in the art classroom. Devon had always been a pretty confident and capable swimmer even in his usual shape, and thanks to the general pathetic state of his muscles and joints it was one of the few physical activities he could enjoy without worrying too much about the after-effects.

He had arrived at the pool a little early and swam a few lengths to keep his mind distracted and off the thoughts of the potential things that could go wrong. After five minutes or so, as he was halfway down one lap, he caught sight of movement and looked up, offering a bright smile to the woman that stood by the poolside. Treading water in the middle of the deep end, Devon gave a wave to Midori. “Hey. I wasn’t too sure you’d actually come… I’m glad you did, though!” he quickly added. Slowly swimming towards the side of the pool, Devon hauled himself out onto the edge and sat there. “I’m… not entirely sure how you wanna try this out.”

[Midori Hawkins]

This... was a bit of a stretch for Midori. In more ways than one. For starters, she hadn't even been sure she would be around for the proposed meeing day and time. She could be called away at anytime - and she had been, earlier in the week. Thankfully the recruitment had been staightforward. Alumni parents, fairly discreet power. It had all made for an easy trip.

There was also the matter that it had been a while since she'd tried a new form. In te past week she had studied the shapes of otters carefully, and hoped she had a decent grasp on it. There was no doubt in her mind that she would ache later, but the idea of adding a new mammal to her comfort zone was exciting. Besides, how much fun would Tory have in a kiddie pool with an otter?

She had finished her reports earlier than expected, and with Tory still with her brother's place, she was in no real hurry. So, off to the pool she'd gone to meet up with Devon. Hopefully he had some kind of advice. And her research paid off.

... If all else failed, she might just have to revert to a dog and paddle around.

She was relieved to see the pool was empty, save for one art teacher. Mii watched him for a few moments, lifting he hand in greeting when he spotted her. "I asked you," she reminded him with a little smile. "It would be terrible manners to stand you up now." Eyeing the water, she wasn't terribly sure it was a great idea to start there. She didn't want to drown because of incoordination of new feet. "Mn. Do you mind if we attempt on land first? A drowning otter probably isn't the goal, is it?"

[Devon Wentsworth]

It had been several years since Devon had tried a new shape himself, but he wasn’t entirely sure there were any others left that he could try. Unlike Midori his range was rather limited and whilst there were possibly a few variations of the basic shapes he could probably try, he was sure he’d covered all the main branches of the mustelidae family tree. He could completely understand why she might be a bit concerned, especially since he was hardly a well-known or respected skills trainer, and he had to admit that as much as there was a part of him that was worried, there was also a part that was thrilled that she seemed to trust him with this.

Had there been anyone else in the pool Devon would likely have asked Midori if she wanted to reschedule, or maybe just move their practice away to somewhere else. If anything did hiccup here he highly doubted she would want an audience to see it, but his phone was nearby the side of the pool so he could quickly and easily summon help if it was needed.

“You only asked because I suggested it, if I remember rightly” Devon said with a soft laugh, legs clothed in knee-length dark grey shorts dangling into the water. The way she phrased it brought a soft involuntary smile to his lips, and he idly swung his legs in the water.

Devon caught her eyeing the water warily and he nodded in agreement to her statement. “Yeah, I think on land would probably be the best bet.” He gave a small shrug, trying to come off as nonchalant but it didn’t quite work with the slightly awkward note in his voice when he said “If you do end up in the water, I’ll catch ya before ya drown.”

Fidgeting slightly with the checkerboard stud in his ear lobe, the awkward tone remained as he added “do you wanna… get changed or something first, maybe? I don’t know if you can change your clothes with you or anything…”

[Midori Hawkins]

There had been a point in Midori’s life that had seen her experimenting with all manners of small mammals. Oddly, otters had never crossed her radar. She’d liked her comfort zone, which was a particular dog shift, but during training had been encouraged to branch out. She had done so, but most of the time it was under duress from her fellow shifting student, Willow. Still, this was going to be an experience, if nothing else. She just hoped it would go well.

She smiled at him and shook her head. “You might have planted the idea, but I still asked you.” Therefore, she wins.

She really should have thought to bring her swimsuit or something. If things went disastrously, well, then she could just swim in her natural form. The problem was... well... she’d never really mastered the whole ‘shift with your clothes’ thing. It hadn’t been a big deal growing up – she’d just learned to be discreet about it. Something that might be challenging now.

This apparently could have been better thought out.

“Good to know,” she managed with a little shake of her head. At least he was willing to do that. It made her feel a little better, if nothing else. “I’ll try to be more graceful than that.”

She flushed slightly at the question and shook her head. “I never got the hang of that part of it. But I think I studied their forms enough to handle it. It’s just... I don’t know. The movement won’t be all that familiar.” She eyed the change rooms. “Do you want me to just go for it?” She motioned to the girls’ change room. “I guess if I don’t come out in ten minutes, send a search party?” She was trying so very hard to keep light hearted about it, because if she didn’t, she’d probably just worry more.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon would be lying if he said the thought of this didn't unnerve him slightly, but he was also burdened with a massive curiosity that wanted to see this through and see if Midori could manage a shape that came to him so easily. He would never push her (or anyone for that matter) out of their comfort zone, but for as much as he was being reassuring he was also hoping she would have the nerve to at least try.

Besides, it would be pretty awesome to be able to hang out with another shifter in animal form and still be able to talk to them.

Giving a soft laugh, Devon's shoulders shrugged lightly. “It's kinda hard not to be graceful in the water. It's awkward and flaily at first, but they kinda just... float, once you've got the hang of it. Learnin' to use your tail's the hardest part.” He gave a reassuring smile. “You're gonna do just fine.” And if not, well... They'd consider that once they got there.

Changing with his clothes was a skill Devon had luckily been blessed with, but one he had never quite been able to perfect. He got most of it right most of the time, but there was still always backwards T-shirts, socks on his hands and other hiccups that he'd never quite been able to iron out. Not to mention that he went through ear-studs at quite a frightening rate. So even if Midori did have that ability he would still be able to understand her hesitation, and he nodded his head slightly. “I want ya to do whatever'd be most comfortable for you.”

Devon could tell Midori was nervous, and he gave a small nod and kicked his feet slightly in the water. “Take your time, and yell if you need anythin'. I'm not goin' anywhere.”

[Midori Hawkins]

Devon wasn’t the only one on edge about the whole thing. At least he was comfortable with the form she was going to try out. She was going to try to relax about it, because it was no good worrying. She’d only end up shifting while she wasn’t relaxed, and that would lead to a fantastic amount of aching once she changed back. At least she had Advil in her purse.

“Any other form you want, I could probably make it graceful.” She grinned, trying to portray more confiedence than she actually felt. “Comes from years of dance classes when I was little.” Still. A new form had many avenues that could lend to things going wrong. “I promise I’ll try not to drown.” Of course, promises were always easy to say, and not always so easy to keep.

At his encouragement, she disappeared into the locker room and set her purse into a locker. Her clothes, well... they’d be fine in a changing stall. The pool was likely going to stay fairly quiet. Once she found one far enough in the back she felt safe, she closed her eyes and concentrated. The familiar twinges and aches started to form in all the right places as her body grew smaller. It took longer than normal, which she expected.

What she didn’t expect was the feeling of the world moving. It was like being very, very dizzy and still trying to walk. The little otter somehow found her way back out of the suddenly very large room and back to the pool, following her nose more than anything else.

As she scuttled out onto the deck, she felt her feet going one way and her body another. Stumbling a few steps, she made her way in a drunken fashion to where Devon was sitting by the water. Though she was still wary, there was something inviting about the water. Maybe Devon was right. Maybe she’d just... float.

Her feet scuttled faster under her slightly wobbling body, and she felt herself brush slightly against Devon before skidding towards the water. Her tail flicked from side to side as she attempted to rudder herself to a stop, but it wasn’t working. Unless Devon caught her, she was going to catch her watery doom before she’d even been an otter for five minutes.

This was what she got for trying a new form.

(Splatt I love you and my coworker told me she needed to fall in the pool. This was as close as I dared tread!)

[Devon Wentsworth]

Whilst Devon was sometimes grumpy about the fairly limited range of his forms, he also realised that it did come with some perks. He knew the forms he could take inside-out, which always made shifting itself a little easier, and he did still have enough variety to meet most of the needs he could have for a shape like them. Sure it would be awesome to be able to fly like a bird or be as intimidating as a grizzly bear, but weasels could get in places that a lot of other animals couldn't and no-one in their right mind would take on a honey badger or wolverine. And who didn't think otters were adorable, really?

Why am I not surprised you're a dancer?” Devon's tone was amused but gentle as he spoke, the Brit idly kicking his feet in the water. She liked horses and generally seemed to be rather quiet but proper, in his logic it only made sense she was a dancer. “And don't worry, I wont let ya drown. I'm a fairly decent catch when I need ta be.”

As Midori went to go and try to transform Devon waited patiently by the poolside, but as the minutes seemed to stretch out into an eternity he began to slowly get anxious. What if she had slipped on the damp floor in there? What if she'd gotten stuck? What if she was hurt? Making sure his phone was nearby just in case, Devon decided to give it just a few more moments before getting a search party to go see if she was okay. Thankfully it didn't come to that.

Smiling brightly as the little otter wobbled out of the changing rooms, Devon spoke encouragingly. “Congratulations! It's good to see ya, I was starting to get worried. You did a great job.” He laughed softly, adding in a joking tone “That look suits ya.”

As Midori wobbled towards the water Devon watched her closely, and as she brushed against his side he put his hands out to form a barrier to stop her dropping into the water, gently scooping her up around the middle and placing her back on the deck. It felt so wrong to be handling her like that, and his voice betrayed his awkwardness. “Errr... Ya might wanna get walking right first; you'll need control of your legs to swim properly.”

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori might have actually given something to limit her range. There were a lot of small mammals that came under her power, and she didn’t think she’d ever try them all. She was most comfortable in the canine and feline forms, that was for certain. This otter business... it was a little unnerving, but at least she had Devon with her. Worst case scenario, well, he could go for help. And might have tips if something happened.

She managed a little smile, however shy it came across, and shrugged. “I haven’t done it for years, mind you.” Sure, she could if she wanted to, but she hadn’t actively done classes for years. “So I’m not sure why you’re not surprised.” If he said something about her being graceful, she’d seriously have her doubts. Especially since he’d really only seen her chasing after her son before now. “I’m trusting you. Tory might be a little upset if you let drowning happen.” Hopefully instincts wouldn’t allow for that.

His words of encouragement were nice, regardless of the fact she felt like she was wobbling on unsteady heels. If she had been in a dog form, she would have wagged, and a cat form might have rubbed up against him. But otters... how did they express their happiness? Well, maybe she’d figure it out. Or ask Devon, once she was in a speaking capacity again. For now, all she had were her drunken actions.

Her little legs paddled in the air momentarily as she was lifted and put back onto the safety of the deck, and her little head cocked as she peered up at Devon. It was probably safer to just not move, so she more or less... sat. Awkwardly, but she did it, and watched Devon in a near-expectant way. If anyone was the master of otter movement, it was probably him.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon’s answering smile was soft and reassuring despite the slight anxiety knotting in his stomach. He knew the fact that she was trusting him with this was really a big deal, especially since they’d only known each other a relatively short time, and he was well aware that if anything bad happened it would be on his head and his conscience. For as much as he was a playful jester, Devon knew that for this at least he had to be grown up. “Alright. I promise I wont let you drown, for Tory’s sake if nothin’ else.”

When Midori wobbled out onto the deck Devon could kind of appreciate just how difficult it must be for her. His first few transformations had been badgers and wolverines so he had gotten used to the heavy built compactness and their odd ambling paces. He supposed Midori was in much the same way; she was used to the upright, compact posture of canines. Otters, ferrets and the like were nothing at all like that and they moved completely differently, something that could take a little while to adjust to. They were basically slinkies with legs attached.

For as massively awkward as he felt picking her up and putting her back on the deck, Devon couldn’t help but chuckle as her little legs continued to try to run as she was lifted back to safety. It was a rather endearing sight and he smiled softly, laughing at the look she gave him. “All right, gimme a sec.” Moving so that he was sat fully on the deck, Devon concentrated and began to feel all the usual aches and twinges as he shrank down and altered into a rather familiar shape.

The river otter was one of the largest of the forms in Devon’s range and was a fair bit larger than Midori’s current size, but that would make it a lot easier to help her if anything did go wrong. Devon’s first few ottery steps were a little wobbly as he adjusted but then he trotted confidently to the other end of the deck before turning and hop-running back towards her, demonstrating the long, low gaits. Anyone overhearing them would hear the large male otter start chirruping and chattering towards the smaller female, but Midori would understand him clearly. 'Just try and keep your head up a bit ‘til you’re used to it, it’ll help keep your centre of balance back and stop ya tumbling forward.'

[Midori Hawkins]

The somewhat reassuring expression on Devon’s face was needed, really. It really had been a shamefully long time since she had tried a new form, so any kind of reassurance and help she could get from him was greatly appreciated. “I’m sure he’d thank you if he was here,” she assured. Actually, he was probably more likely to climb all over Devon and hug him to death before insisting that he wanted to swim too. But she was going to leave that part out.

Devon’s assessment was absolutely correct. Many of the mammals she was familiar with were rather upright, and balanced. This was... so, so not right. Her body was too long, and her legs were too short. It was making a mess of walking, and it was all she could do to not fall over.

She waited for him to answer her unspoken question, and scuttled backwards, turning her head as he transformed himself. She wasn’t sure about others, but she’d always felt like shifting was mostly a private thing as your body contorted in ways it wasn’t supposed to. Once she heard the skittering of paws, she glanced back up and was surprised by the sheer size of him. Were male otters really that much bigger than females? She’d never noticed before. Apparently, she hadn’t paid that close of attention.

Her little ears pricked as he scuttled away, and she watched his skipping gait as he came back with interest. What surprised her more was the chirping noise that came from him. She understood him. She’d never really had another shifter that could do similar enough shapes to try communication. This little discovery was thrilling. “I feel like a slinky,” she chirped back. “Head up. Right.” She tried again, this time hunkering down in a way that, she hoped, would propel her into the skipping run.

... Well, it propelled her. Into falling over sideways in a most ungraceful way. Midori shook her head and made a frustrated chirp noise before picking herself back up. Okay, the skipping run clearly wasn’t for beginners. Instead, she lifted her chin and scuttled as close to the ground and the wall as she could, so as to prevent another pool incident before she was ready. It took a bit, but after a few series of runs back and forth across the deck, she began to acclimatize to her new stubby legs. She even managed to fumble her way into a clumsy skipping run back to Devon, looking at him with her eyes bright. “I think I’m getting it!”

[Devon Wentsworth]

Devon could completely sympathise with her finding initially learning to walk like that difficult. Even he sometimes found the first few steps in these forms wobbly and awkward. Sure being quite so dexterous and flexible had its perks sometimes, but trying to run when your front legs were so very far ahead of your back legs was complicated to work out.

If asked why Devon would struggle to say quite why he was so okay about shifting in front of other people. Sure there were times when he would avoid it (like in front of his students for example), but as a general rule it didn't really bother him who saw him changing. Sure he could imagine it might be slightly uncomfortable for them to see but it was thankfully a fairly quick process for him now and it very, very rarely went wrong. Perhaps it was simply from years of changing just to irritate Cade, or to persuade a particularly pretty someone that yes, she really did want to take the pretty drummer home with her because look at the cute otter!

The huge otter form felt oddly comfortable to Devon and he trotted around easily once the initial wobble was out of the way. He'd always loved swimming even as a young kid so the chance to do so in a body that was so ideal suited to it was always a thrill, and with his heightened senses the look and scent of the water was drawing him towards it like a moth to a flame. He made himself be patient though, and he kept out of the way as he watched Midori trying to work out how to get her stubby little legs to synchronise. “It sometimes helps if you think of it like a slinky. That same weird rocking movement, back to front.”

There had only been one time in the past when he'd met another shifter that he could communicate to like this so it was just as big a thrill for Devon as it was for Midori. It was exciting, and as he trundled off again to give another little demo of the skip-run he made an odd little wordless chattering sound just out of pure exuberance.

Devon tried not to chuckle as she stumbled gracelessly, he really did, but the soft sound slipped out of the otter regardless. He watched from the poolside as she continued trying to get the hang of it, and as she skipped back towards him Devon reared up onto his back legs, front paws tapping together like he was clapping. “You really are! Bravo! You're pickin' it up much quicker than I did.”

[Midori Hawkins]

First steps in any form other than human often proved to be tricky. Especially new forms that were so different from any other that you had previously taken. The legs were too far apart, and it was confusing. Logically, she knew where each limb was, but trying to coordinate them was a hell of a hard thing to do. This was why she ended up compromising and scuttling low to the ground.

Midori didn’t often shift in front of people, unless it was a sudden shift, rather than carefully planned. She’d watched Willow shift enough during training to know that it probably wasn’t all that fun to look at, so she generally removed herself in order to do it. Devon didn’t seem to care, which was refreshing, if not a touch odd. Still, she had let him have his privacy until his paws hit the deck.

His advice seemed to help as she focused on making her body form a rocking motion rather than the normal bouncing, even gait of a dog or cat. It made it easier to keep her body in a straight line, rather than skittering sideways again.

As she skipped back to him, his sudden rear made her jump and flatten to the deck in a sort of ducking motion, unsure of what he was doing. The clapping motion made her ears perk up slightly in interest, and a hint of a smile appeared on her little otter face, tail flicking from side to side like a dog’s. “Does that mean we get to swim?” She still didn’t feel 100% comfortable, but the water seemed to almost beckon, and her little furry body wanted to be in it.

[Devon Wentsworth]

It was both equally odd and exciting to be able to talk to Midori like this. It was such a rare thing, to be able to chatter to someone else not merely in a different language, but as a different species altogether. He had sometimes been able to talk to an actual, real mustelid while he was shifted but it was often difficult and awkward; their dialects were often tricky to figure out and it gave him one hell of a headache after a while. That is of course not to mention all the ones he had tried to talk to that had ended up ignoring him, trying to fight him or otherwise being less than ideal conversationalists.

Devon hadn’t expected Midori to spook as he had reared up and he quickly ducked his head low, using his huge powerful tail to balance himself. He was about to apologise but she seemed to settle again very quickly, and he smiled as she attempted to wag her tail like a dog would. “Don’t see why not. No time like the present, right?”

Trotting towards the steps of the pool Devon used his head to indicate for Midori to follow him. He could have easily just dived into the water from the pool edge but he figured it would be both easier and safer for Midori to take the steps until she had learned how to make her legs and tail work properly – and more importantly, until she had figured out how to control her breathing in the water.

After hopping slowly down the steps Devon slid into the water and paddled out a little way, making sure there was plenty of room for Midori to get in but so he was still close enough to be able to help her if she struggled. Rolling onto his back, Devon floated easily with his front paws resting on his torso. “It’s lovely and warm.”

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori had never had much success in vocalizing with other mammals when shifted. Body language, she could both read and mimic at this point, but vocalizing was usually a no-go. Though even the body language tended to go to the wayside at times. Tail wagging, for example, tended to go all the way across her range as a sign of happiness, despite the fact that it had the opposite meaning in cats. Sometimes it got her into trouble, but most of the time she was with people, and people she trusted at that. Unless she was hissing at her brother in a feline form, tail wagging in any form tended to be a good thing.

... Like now. She was wagging away like a dog because she was happy, not because she’d lost control of the appendage. At least Devon seemed to understand, especially as he agreed to swimming. It was what she had been most eager to try. Besides, if things went poorly, well, he’d said they float, right?

She followed after him, opting for her lower to the ground scuttle rather than attempting the skipping again. It was slower, but she made it to the steps. After cocking her head and watching Devon slide in gracefully, she deemed it Not That Difficult, and followed suit.

It didn’t seem so bad as her paws touched the steps. Even when just her back feet touched, it didn’t seem scary.

Of course, it never did until you couldn’t touch at all . As her toes left her security on the stairs, she began an almost frantic doggy paddle away from them. Her body was oddly buoyant, and though she wanted to float, she felt like if she didn’t kick her feet, she might drown. Cue flailing legs, thrashing tail, and generally looking as graceful as a baby hippo as she attempted to swim. If she just relaxed, she might have realized that she could float just like Devon, but at the moment common sense wasn’t exactly at the forefront of her mind. Non-verbal squeaks of semi-distress were called out as she continued to generally fail at being an otter in a spectacular way.

[Devon Wentsworth]

Even though Devon was technically still a human, there was something about this form that yearned for the water. When he took the shape of an otter it seemed like every cell in his body was calling for him to find the nearest pool or lake and dive headlong into it. It was the same when he took the form of a stoat or a badger; he wanted to find the nearest cool, dark tunnel and run into it, despite the fact that doing so would no doubt result in a severe anxiety attack. Devon wasn't sure how much of the urge was actually a real thing and how much of it was psychological on his part, in the sense that he thought it must be there, and so it was. Either way, it had always fascinated him.

As Devon floated easily on his back he made sure to stay close to the steps and kept his eyes on Midori. He could well remember just how frightening that first swim was and he was ready to help her out if she needed encouragement or a gentle shove in the right direction. He had very much not been expecting her to flail quite so wildly the moment her back paws left the safety of the steps.

Devon quickly rolled back onto his belly, closing the short gap between them in moments with one quick beat of his powerful tail. Her erratic flailing made it very difficult to get too near her without the risk of getting scratched, and he couldn't shift back to help her either. If he tried to shift while he was in the water there was a massively high chance that he would accidentally breathe in and drown as his body warped and distorted. He doubted there was enough time for him to be able to scrabble out of the pool, shift and get back in without panicking her even more.
Oh fuck it...

Closing his eyes so she couldn't accidentally claw one of them out, Devon ducked below the water and swam beneath Midori, coming up under her and using his much bigger frame to lift her front end up and out of the water. Trying to ignore the flailing legs terrifyingly close to his head, Devon paddled hard with his forelegs and was just about able to get his muzzle out of the water long enough to squeak “Calm down and just float!”