Hello friends! Thank you so much for all of your kind words. I must sincerely apologize for the long pauses between parts. I actually wrote half of this new part only a day after the previous one was posted, then completely forgot for a while. I might as well say that this is my first time writing a ski lodge, but I'm planning to see this to the end and finish the story. There just might be longish pauses between parts, but hopefully I'll get better at this. So thank you so much for your patience! Now, onto the next part…

Part two, Day two

Crow stood in the shadows, guilt clenching his body like a steel trap. He watched as Pangolin and Moon Wolf entered the forest last. He watched as Moon Wolf stopped and clutched at Pangolin's arm weakly. "S-something's wronnnn-" Her words slurred into silence and she collapsed against Pangolin, who fell moments after.

Crow's unseen eyes scanned the guests, all lying in the dirt. He sucked in a breath, sorrow rippling through his body. He had to do this, for them and everyone else. As much as it pained him to hurt them, there was no other way. 

"You must find your gemstones," he whispered to eleven still bodies. "Only then will you make it out."

He paused, a chill tingling up his back. Something was wrong, one of the guests was not right. Their mind wasn't where it was supposed to be.

That person awoke in darkness. "What's g-going on?" They said, staggering to their feet. All they could see was a tiny pinprick of light, as if it was in the far distance. They tried to move their feet, but their body didn't respond.

"Ah, finally." A voice said softly, seeming to come from everywhere all at once. There was something very wrong with this voice. It was like a jumble of people all speaking at once, soft and hard, high and low, with a deep tone after each word that seemed to echo endlessly.

"I need you to do something for me, young one." The voice went on and the person realized with horror that they were the one speaking, the strange words leaving their lips. Their brain felt clogged and empty.

"The Crow Keeper is trying oh so hard to get what he wants. But he's not the only one with magic. So what do you say, friend? Will you do what I ask of you?"

The voice faded away and the person's mind cleared. But something had changed. Something had broken. Their mind and thoughts were different and twisted. Wild and hungry. Feral eyes opened in the dark and they smiled.

"I would love to."

Books jolted awake, rain spattering on her face and into her eyes. For a few moments, she stared up at the dark leaves above her head and the gray clouds peeking through. 

Something was off. Everything was too sharp and chiseled, her vision perfect. Except she couldn't feel her glasses on her face. Tingling feeling shot through her body, chasing away the sleepiness. Her whole body felt off.

She wrenched herself into a sitting position, white wings pressed into the wet ground. Books stared at her clawed talons and stick-like legs.

Am I asleep? In a sudden movement, she jerked her head around, till she was looking almost completely behind herself. What is even happening? How can I be an…owl? She wondered frantically, feeling slightly dizzy. There was another feeling as well. Something she could only describe as instinct. A pull to find something, an urgency she couldn't ignore. It was an uncomfortable feeling. 

Books noticed that she was surrounded by other animals, all lying still and quiet. Crow was nowhere to be seen and all of their bags were neatly stacked against a tree. They weren't at the edge of the forest anymore, but completely surrounded by trees, no clearings to be seen.

A small squirrel suddenly awoke, eyes opening wide. As Books watched, all the other animals woke simultaneously and suddenly, as if they were thrown awake.

A small black bird with sunset colored wings let out a shrill cry. "What's going on?! Why does my body feel so weird?" Books winced slightly. Whatever was going on, it wasn't just her. That bird had just spoken in Artimis's panicked voice. 

Beside Books, a deer stood up easily and shook herself, antlers swaying gently. She stared down at the other animals, soft yellow eyes wide.

"Wait, you're all shapeshifters too?" Parody asked, stamping a hoof in surprise.

"No! I mean, I'm not at least," Peri said nervously. She was still lying on her back, a brown owl staring fearfully up at the sky. Books watched as Parody scrunched up her snout and then relaxed slightly. 

"I can't shape-shift right now," she muttered quietly. Then she cleared her throat. "Nobody panic-" Parody began, when one of the squirrels interrupted her in Celine's accusing voice.

"Did you do this to us? If so, you'd better explain yourself now."

"I don't think that's shape-shifting how works…" Books said quietly.

"It's not," Parody replied in her soothing voice.

"At least we're not hurt, or at least we're all alive," Hawkstar said, a soft brown hawk struggling to sit up.

"Then how are we all animals? Is this a dream or something? Did Crow do this?" Celine demanded, dark eyes blazing.

"I don't believe any of us knows the answers to those questions," Pangolin said gently. They laid on her side, red fox paws clenched nervously. "M-maybe we should listen to Parody. Sounds like she's experienced with transforming."

Parody nodded importantly and stepped delicately over Silver, who was a sleek gray squirrel lying on her back. Parody stopped when she was in the center of mismatched animals and cleared her throat. "I know you're all afraid, but we shouldn't panic yet. Yes, we've all transformed….somehow. And yes, Crow appears to have abandoned us. But we can get through this upsetting matter! I am what some would call a professional shape-shifter. Now listen closely, I'll teach you how to move your bodies." 

Parody separated them into groups of sorts, beginning with the four legged creatures, walking them through their new abilities and bodies. Books was incredibly grateful to have her, otherwise she wasn't sure what they'd do.

When Parody moved on to the birds, the sky was dark gray and the rain was coming down even harder, a thundering ruckus of a thousand tiny footsteps. Parody showed Books, Peri, Artemis, Hawkstar, and Perine how to work their wings, how to walk, and even how to flutter a few feet off the ground. It would take a bit of getting used to, but Books felt massive relief now that she was finally able to move.

"Thank you so much, Parody," she said gratefully, shaking out her wet wings. Everyone else echoed her thanks and Parody bowed her majestic head.

"Does anyone feel kinda weird? Like there's this pull inside of you?" Moon Wolf asked, her brow furrowed in concern. "Like you really have to take care of something, but you just don't know what it is?"

"Yeah, I do actually," Sam said, eyes widening, while Peri nodded anxiously.

"Me too," Books admitted. "Does anyone else?" She was met by everyone nodding.

"Let's think about this later," Hawkstar said, fluttering a few steps forward. "We have to get out of this rain, maybe we'll even find Crow if we go deeper into the forest."

"What about those cabins he mentioned in the invitation?" Perine asked.  

"I'm starting to suspect those were made up," Pangolin said softly.

"Only one way to find out, let's grab our bags and go," Sam said, trotting up to the pile and grabbing their bag in their mouth.

There was a bit of a problem, as the smaller animals couldn't carry their bags, but the bigger creatures such as Moon Wolf and Parody were able to carry a few and eventually they got it all worked out.

"Let's go," Hawkstar said, leading the way deeper into the forest. Everyone followed behind, a caravan of animals. They had no idea what awaited them in these dark, rain-soaked woods.

They had no idea that someone strange and wild walked among them.

Alive: 11

Dead: 0 

Oooo! This was a VERY interesting twist. Was not expecting that! Great job so far, can't wait for more!

EEEEEEEEEKKKK!!!

Any more room? SUPER cool, btw.

Wow, this is so interesting!

Whens the next story?

Hello, friends! *Panicked sounds* It's been a while, huh? *Laughs nervously* Um, anyway…

Hello Starr Brighte! Lovely to meet you! Unfortunately, the guest slots are full and the plot in my head doesn't really leave any room for more guests. I'm sorry. I'm also sorry for the EVEN longer pause. Gosh, I'm so bad at this. Anyway, let's get into it: 

Part 3, day 2

Artemis hopped along behind Silver as the group followed Hawkstar, who seemed to be wandering somewhat aimlessly. Artemis was still unsteady on her new legs and almost tripped several times, stumbling over small sticks and rocks.

"Everything's so big," she muttered under her breath, looking briefly up at the towering trees. Silver glanced over her shoulder at Artemis and gave somewhat of a smile.

"Not what we imagined this trip being like, huh?" She said in a joking sort of way.

"You mean turning into animals and getting abandoned in the forest? No, I totally knew this would happen," Artemis deadpanned, attempting to hide her nervousness. Silver chuckled, a squeaky, squirrel sound, like a door in need of oiling.

"Yo!" Hawkstar suddenly called from up ahead, stopping. Sam, who'd been close behind, crashed headfirst into Hawkstar's back, knocking the small hawk over.

"Sorry about that," Sam said quickly, stepping back and accidentally dropping the bags they had in their mouth.

"Eh, it's fine," Hawkstar replied, struggling to get back up.

Artemis gave a quick glance around where they'd stoppped, her head moving almost robotically, jerking around quickly. The trees here all seemed to take a step back, the sky overhead shown clearly, gray and cloudless, with just the hint of sunset. There were small hills sloping around the edges of this clearing, several burrows dug into them. A few trees had long branches that reached out, empty bird nests balanced on the ends.

It looks like a bunch of animals could live here. Is this meant for us? Artemis wondered. 

Hawkstar had gotten up and stepped to the side so everyone could see her, although by now everyone had started to wander a bit. "Maybe we should stay here? There's plenty of places to live," She looked around briefly. "It honestly kinda seems it's here for us."

"That's what I thought!" Artemis called.

"Before we get too comfortable, let's quickly take a look around," Parody said, as everyone began to mutter amongst themselves, agreeing with Artemis. "We should make sure no animals already live here. The smaller of us should check the dens and if you, uh, birds can try to check the nests."

The clearing was suddenly filled with activity as everyone began to move. Moon Wolf poked her head into one of the dens, while Celine bounded into another. Parody dropped the bags she was carrying and strode around the clearing with long steps, peering around the trees.

Artemis hesitantly flapped her wings and her light body began to hover off the ground. Somehow, by flapping wildly and attempting to steer her body, she made it onto one of the tree branches. She gave a tiny squeak of delight. "I just flew!" She breathed, fluttering her small wings with excitement.

She examined the nest on the branch with her in quick, twisting head turns. It was empty, the sticks perfectly interlocking with each other and the bowl shape was flawless. Artemis wasn't an expert on birds, but this seemed human-made. Odd.

She carefully fluttered down from the tree, her feather light body gracefully landing beside Pangolin. "From what I can see, the nests are empty," Artemis said, craning her neck to look up at Pangolin's foxy face, who nodded thoughtfully. 

"All the dens appear to be empty too. I don't think any animals have ever lived here."

Parody called over from where she was standing in the middle of the clearing, one hoof raised. The soft evening light reflected on her coat, giving her an ethereal, autumn look. "Everyone gather around, please."

The others did so, crowding around her. Parody glanced up, where the sun had almost left the sky and dim blue was settling over everything, "So," Parody began, her voice seeming to tremble just slightly. She cleared it and continued. "I think we should stay here, at least for tonight. There's plenty of room for all of us to sleep. Now our biggest concern is food." 

Sam stepped forward, golden eyes glowing. "Some of us have to eat meat. That means, er, hunting animals, doesn't it?"

Moon Wolf let out a panicked yelp and flattened her ears. "What? NO! I'm not doing that!"

"But you'll starve!" Sam protested, tail swishing.

Parody shut her eyes for a brief moment, then opened them. "Nobody has to eat meat. Shapeshiftering is a confusing thing; I don't really understand it to be honest. But I've been plenty of carnivores and I could eat whatever I wanted." Everyone seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief all at once.

"Thank goodness," Moon Wolf muttered, while Peri took a calming breath.

"Then what are we looking for?" Sam asked, tilting her head.

"Berries, I suppose?" Parody said. "But do not eat any until we've examined them. We should probably split up, cover more ground. Just be incredibly careful and scream if you need help."

Artemis felt a surge of hot fear bolt through her, but quickly remined herself that she could fly out of harm's way.

Slowly, everyone separated. Perine slid silently into the forest, while Celine scampered in the other direction. Artemis randomly chose a direction and headed that way, hopping slowly through the forest.

It was almost totally dark now, but she could still see fairly well, skirting around small sticks and rocks.

As she went, she became vaguely aware of a strange humming in her head. Artemis stopped, but the feeling continued, a vibrating pull. A few blinding flashes of dark light blinked across her vision, seeming to come from inside a nearby bush. She stood silently, listening fearfully, her heart pounding rapidly. Should I call for help now…? No, this is probably nothing. She took a few cautious steps toward the bush. The humming got stronger and the blinking lights set off again. Three flashes, shining in rapid succession. She moved towards it again, suddenly feeling helpless and overwhelmed. Why am I moving closer? I don't even want to! "WHA?" She said loudly, but not loud enough for anyone to hear her, unless they were very close. 

As if her body was its own being, she stepped into the bush, dark leaves covering her head. And then she stopped moving.

Sitting in the dirt, glowing like a dark moon flecked with stars, was her gemstone. The one from The Crow Keeper. But as she looked closer, she saw that it wasn't the same. This one still had the crimson bird, but it glimmered too much to be her's, polished to perfection. It was also her size, small enough to fit in her beak.  

What..? She carefully scooped it up in her beak. It tasted like earth and tingled strangely. Artemis hopped out of the bush and placed it on the grass. "Are you mine or….? But if so, how did you get so small?" 

A twig snapped.

Artemis shot her head up and looked around wildly, stepping a few steps back.

"Terribly sorry, Artemis. But I can't let you have that," A voice said from deep in the shadows. It almost sounded familiar, like one of the other guests, but as if someone else was speaking over their words, making them sound corrupted and strange. 

"W – who's there?" Artemis choked out, ready to fly, wings spread.

"A friend, I suppose you could say. Sorry it had to come to this." Another twig snapped, this one even closer.

Artemis whirled, wings flapping crazily, hopping madly. She lifted off, but it was too late. Someone slammed into her back, knocking her harshly to the ground. Artemis had just a moment to scream before sharp pain stabbed her in the back and all went dark.

The last thing she saw before fading away, was a murder of crows land in a nearby tree, watching with black eyes. 

A scream echoed through the forest.

Moon Wolf's head shot up from where she'd been sniffing and her ears pricked forward, instantly picking up where the scream had come from. She bolted through the forest, huge paws pounding.

When she arrived, the others were already there, having been closer.

"What? What's going on? Is everyone okay?!" Moon Wolf cried, trying to look around Parody, who was frozen with shock.

"Oh my gosh…." Silver whimpered, backing away, her tail puffed and standing straight up. Parody slowly stepped to the side and Moon Wolf saw what everyone was looking at.

The grass was wet and sticky, glinting in the moonlight. Something small lay still and silent, wings splayed and reaching. A black streak in the grass. It was Artemis. 

She was dead.

Alive: 10

Dead: Artemis

May the crows leave her to rest in peace.  

this is so great.. Darkling?