Vanessa Takes Flight! (Patreon)

Disclaimer: This is technically a repost from Hannah's old Patreon, but considering it's not gonna get much use cause of the merger, I thought it'd be a shame to lose it, so I'm reposting it here so a wider audience can enjoy this very sweet story! Also includes some art but... it's a pretty old drawing, so it's a bit lagging in quality compared to newer stuff, still a nice pic tho!

Also, I asked Hannah if she wanted to say anything and her only response was "Hi~" so take that as you will~

(Girl to Bird TF)  

(Fire Emblem: Sacred Stones)

“U-Urgh… Ack, w-where am I…?” It had been so… excruciating only a few moments ago, indescribable pain flowing from every corner of her body. And the way it had happened was so idiotic, she shouldn’t of been so careless, especially after Moulder had warned her to fall back! But alas, her life was extinguished when a second maniacal brigand swung their axe directly into her back, a wound that was potent enough to kill, and soon enough, did just that. So then why…

“Why am I still here, in this… void…” It was pure shadow, suffocating with its pressure, it felt horribly chilly as well… There were no other signs of life either, was this just… afterlife? A land of nothingness, where she'd have to live in the darkness alone, with nothing to do?! No, this can’t be! She had just been deployed on this mission, she was supposed to be a great aid to her comrades, not live trapped in this… hell! What could she even do?!

“I just wish… I wish I could fly with them again…” And as soon as those words were finished, the space shifted to a blinding white and… in an instant the female rider had vanished, unknowing to her wish being granted.

The cerulean sky above was shimmering, the jade grass beneath was flowing from a slight breeze… Birds were chirping their beautiful songs. She was back, the Freilian woman was back and… alive! Vanessa’s heart was soaring, she just wanted to sing and shout and-!

“Chirp, chirp!” Huh?! D-Did a bird make noise at the same time? But then… Why could she have sworn that it had come from… her. The nerves got to her, causing her to look down, and she immediately regretted it. Because her somewhat modest chest wasn’t what she saw, all that was there… were green feathers. Her chest. Green. Feathers.

“What? No… Nonono! This… Isn’t happening!” But it was. It was happening and Vanessa couldn’t see it any other way. It felt impossible, unnatural, it shouldn’t exist but she was now a-!

“Ooh, look at this cute birdie!” The sound of a fellow human’s voice distracted the green-haired woman for a second, turning her eyes to face… a large looming pair of legs. Limbs that were quite familiar, alongside the high-pitched voice that had cried out in the first place. Tilting her head up, the conclusion was clear as day, but yet still unbelievable. In front of her face was Lady Eirika, Princess of Renais and her commander! But wait just a second, did she say ‘birdie’?!

“No! Y-You’re wrong! I’m not a bird! Lady Eirika, I’m Vanessa, a newly joined soldier in your forces! Please, you have to realize that! I know we haven’t spoken much but-!” The giggles of a giant girl cut off the green feathered sparrow as she spoke, it just felt horrible! That clueless royal was laughing at her, not knowing how awful it is to be stuck like this, no more than an outdoor creature! And in the middle of some unknown woods too! Not a village in sight, aside from the ones that were so recently destroyed by the same bandits that ended her human life! But one thing was for certain, this was Lady Eirika, and only she could-?!

“Gah, what was that?!” Some rock-sized objects were suddenly flung in her direction, though to a human, Vanessa supposed they would be ‘pebble-sized’. Still, it was rather jarring, why did the blue-haired woman even do such a thing?!

“Here’s some of my raisins, little one~ Lucky for you, I’m not too keen on them, so if you’re lucky, maybe this can be your breakfast from now on? Ah, but I guess we won’t be sticking around much longer, we do need to move camp soon, it isn’t right to linger after a funeral either…” A few tears slipped from the woman’s eyes, Vanessa only now realizing that they were reddened beyond belief. It couldn’t be easy, having to command an army and watching your comrades die… Well, dying is far worse though, as the now-bird girl was very much aware. And part of her wanted to see her former self but… that would be extremely jarring, looking at a corpse of her old self….

Still, there was now a slight problem. The princess was currently awaiting her to eat these dried-up fruit. And Vanessa very much disliked raisins, especially filthy raisins that were now lying on the dirty ground! But… For her former commander, and because she was starved, the Frelian woman pecked at one of the black shriveled-up berries and ate it reluctantly. It tasted exactly the same as it would have with her human tongue, a darn shame since she had hoped it would taste better to a bird.

”Clap, clap, clap~” The once sad-seeming princess was now looking delighted at the sight of her eating these disgusting things, it really was a hard choice to make, eat more or watch this woman become depressed once more. But in the end, the sparrow decided to eat more than half of the dirty raisins, ignoring the overly muddied and larger ones. And it was honestly nice in a way to be praised by Eirika, even if she’d rather it be as human once more. But now that her bird stomach was quelled and the food mostly eaten, Vanessa could finally try and-!

“Lady Eirika! We should get going! Grado soldiers are going to catch up if we stay around here anymore!” The voice of the force’s strongest warrior, Seth, came ringing about the forest, and it sent a shock through both girls’ systems, startling the pair of them!

“Coming, Seth! Let me just gather the rest of my belongings!” Wait, what?! They’re leaving already?! No, this can’t be! Vanessa felt overwhelming panic, fear, every emotion that was negative all at once somehow! This can’t be happening! She didn’t want to be a bird but being a bird on its own?! That was far worse! What was she gonna do?!

“Well, I enjoyed our short time together, cutie~ Grow up big and strong for me, okay? I’m sorry I won’t be able to feed you my raisins all the time, but I bet worms and bugs taste just as nice to a birdie like you!” W-Worms?! And bugs?! Worms and bugs?! But the raisins tasted the same as when she was a normal girl, how would…?! No! Nonononono! That was not happening, Vanessa would stomach a million raisins before ever eating a… a slimy yucky worm!

“Take care now, I’ll miss you~” And with that, the princess began to walk away, the now-animal woman trying to keep up on her two talon-legs, but they were significantly inferior. And soon enough, Eirika was exiting her vision, was this really how it was going to end?!

”No, she can’t leave me like this! To a life as a simple songbird?! I won’t allow it, I won’t!” And as if things clicked into place, her body moved on instinct, Vanessa’s unfamiliar wings becoming familiar just like that, and within a split-second… She soared. Soared sky high, looking down at all her human comrades, and to them, was nothing more than a bird in the sky. For that day and… the rest of her newly-begun life.

It wasn’t pleasant for the former pegasus rider, being nothing but a bird for the rest of her days. It made those former jokes of wanting to fly with her pegasus seem ever more cruel, since now she could finally fly but her former mount had been apparently set free after her death. Really, aside from just observing, what more could Vanessa hope to accomplish? It’s not like a soldier would be defeated by a lil’ bird, right? So all she could do was rest around Lady Eirika’s tent, eating all the tasty scraps she flung to the green feathered fauna.

And as the bird went to bed early on some random evening, dreaming about one day being human again, the princess made an aloud remark that the once-human creature would have loved to hear…

“This loyal bird sure does remind me of Vanessa… Especially with those beautiful grassy green feathers of hers… I hope this little one stays around for a while though, Vanessa’s time was far too short… Live on for her, birdie, live on~”