Wings of Change

by Mechawrecker

Rating: mature
Tags: Sex, Violence, Alternate Universe, Gallus, Romance, Thriller, Changelings, Porn, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Ocellus, Fetish, Queen Chrysalis
Length: 5719

Surrounded by others, yet completely alone. Gallus and Ocellus know this better than most.

Griffons selfishly cling to their coin, not caring if others around them starve. Changelings collect love for the hive, never asking for their own slice of the cake.

So why do the two feel so similar?

Cover art by waterz-colorxz

Entered into Dezmo’s NSFW Contest

Published 2022-09-01 06:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-09-01 06:40:00 UTC

The Deal

To most, the sound of their stomach dissolving its inner lining would be terrifying. To Gallus, it’s Tuesday.

After another unsuccessful day of begging, borrowing, and stealing from his fellow avians, what’s a hungry griffon to do but go back to his roots as a bird of prey.

The rustling of leaves briefly overtook his stomach's disquieting gurgles as Gallus stalked through the underbrush, eyes searching desperately for anything of sustenance. “I know I’m hungry. Message received!”

Straining to see in the dimming light, his beak widened into a triumphant smile, only to fall as the berries he’d been foraging came into view. Instead of sweet, delicious blueberries, Gallus’s claw wrapped around a stem of deadly nightshade, nearly identical to its safe, nourishing cousin.

“You’ve got to be plucking kidding me,” he hissed, chucking the toxic berries into the woods. A sharp pain from his stomach signaled its displeasure, causing Gallus to double up.

As his body burned what little energy he had left, a light scratching brought him back to reality. Whipping around, his eagle eyes locked onto a particularly fat squirrel, lazily climbing after its late-night feast.

Gallus felt his tongue drench in enough saliva to put out a wildfire as just the thought of fresh meat made his belly rumble with the tremor of an earthquake. Crouching low to the ground, his claws slunk forward, always overlapping with his hind paws to avoid disturbing the nearby brush.

Muscles tensing, his nostrils flared with excitement as his prey came into striking range. The scent of woodland critters overwhelmed his heightened senses, honed from the desperation of nearly starving to death. Just a few more seconds and he’d be feasting better than King Grover himsel–

WHAM!

Instead of soft fur and warm flesh, Gallus’s talons crashed against the hard carapace of something much more durable than any squirrel he’d ever known. Flailing away from his assailant, he flapped his wings with all the force he could muster, relying on pure adrenaline to take to the sky.

As he tumbled to the ground, he caught the bushy, brown tail of the squirrel disappearing into a tree trunk, sentencing him to yet another day without a decent meal. Fighting back the urge to screech, he spread his wings and readied his talons to eviscerate whoever had tried to steal his prey. “That was mine, you chick of a–”

He stuttered as his attacker shook its– her head to stare back at him with an expression of deep dislike. Despite hearing stories from the fletchling bullies that used to scare him, he’d never met an actual changeling as most tended to keep themselves hidden to feed and avoid conflict.

His amazement was soon replaced with fear as she emitted a loud buzzing noise not too different from a swarm of aggressive flash bees. Stamping her hoof, she crouched into a battle stance and hissed, “Who are you!? Why did you attack me while I was hunting!?”

In between bouts of stunned silence and terrified shaking, a spark of indignation flared in Gallus’s chest. Years of stubborn griffon pride overtook his more logical thought to bail and made him shout, “Me!? I didn’t attack you! You’re the one that attacked me, you rotten piece of Swiss cheese!”

The changeling’s eyes narrowed as her buzzing grew louder. Concentrating her magic, she felt her limbs elongate, her body widen, and muscles grow until she resembled the terrifying image of a buzz bear, claws, teeth, and stinger all primed to attack.

Gallus barely had time to react as her newly grown mass charged him head on. Diving to the side, he winced as she crashed into a tree, ripping its roots from the ground in one clean sweep.

Searching around for an escape route, he felt his stomach lurch as she spun around with a dexterity beguiling her size. Seeing no way to outrun her imposing form, he put on his best battle face and readied himself for a fight he surely could not win. “I-Is that all you got!? I can do this all day!”

The changeling hesitated for a moment before rushing forward, throwing herself at him with the recklessness of a raging bull. Gallus pulled back his talons, ready to lash out the moment she got within striking range, but before he could take a swing, she vanished.

Instead of being stampeded, something small and light impacted his chest fluff. Knocked off balance, he reflexively shoved the surprise embrace away as if afraid of catching some fatal disease. “What are you-”

He broke off as her tiny frame began shaking uncontrollably, spasming on the cold dirt ground. Her coughing fit made him recoil as memories of sick griffons forced their way into his head, making his stomach feel somehow emptier than it already was.

Fighting the urge to gag, he staggered away from her, making sure to hold his breath to avoid catching whatever illness she carried. Covering his beak with his wing, he sputtered, “Great Grover! What in Tartarus is wrong with you!?”

The changeling panted for a few more seconds, desperately enduring the gut-wrenching pain in her abdomen. After the worst of the agony passed, she licked her cracked lips and whispered, “s-starving…”

Gallus paused as she began clutching her belly in vain. The pain in his own stomach flared up at the familiar sight, and he felt his scowl soften with whatever passed for sympathy in Griffonstone. Lowering his wings and talons, he adopted a gentle frown and muttered, “Aren’t we all. Thanks to your little stunt, neither of us are getting dinner tonight! You’re a little too buggy for my taste.”

The two creatures sat there, each trying to ignore the gnawing sensation in their empty bellies. After an unspoken moment of understanding, he asked, “You on your own too?”

The changeling looked up in surprise before considering her options. Glancing at his sharp beak and wicked claws, she replied, “No, I’m with my hive. We number in the thousands, so don’t get any ideas.”

His eyes widened as he imagined thousands of terrifying bug ponies transforming into a menagerie of wild and dangerous creatures. In spite of his better judgment, he exclaimed, “Thousands!? How are any of you hungry with that many hunters? You must be loaded with food!”

Her wings gave an irritated buzz as she shot him an affronted glare. “I don’t eat food like you do! We feed on the emotions of other living beings, and that fat, happy squirrel would have fed me enough to get back to my hive.”

“Emotions?” Gallus said, blinking back his surprise, “The only emotion I’d be eating is the knuckle sandwich the shopkeeper will feed me if I call his wife a bald eagle again.”

His plumage puffed out in spite of himself as the changeling let out a cute giggle devoid of her usual predatory buzzing. Smoothing out his crest feathers, he cleared his throat and continued, “I’m Gallus, starving griffon extraordinaire. You got a name, or should I just call you bug butt?”

Staggering to her hooves, she put on a weak smile and replied, “You can call me Ocellus. I’m sorry for crashing into you. That squirrel was the only food I’d seen in days, and I wasn’t paying attention.”

Gallus blinked at the sudden apology. “Uhh, yeah! No problem, I guess…”

The awkward moment drew on with Ocellus staring at him, a hungry look in her pearly eyes. A nervous chill ran up his spine as he noticed her sharp fangs and jagged horn, still honed even without her magic.

“Well, I guess I should go,” he started, giving his wings a test flap. “I’m sure there’s something else to eat around here. Good luck with whatever it is you’re–”

“Wait!”

Ocellus reached out a perforated hoof, desperate to keep him from flying away. Sensing his growing trepidation, she hurried, “I know this is a lot to ask, but may I please drain some of your emotions? I don’t think I’ll last another day if I don’t eat something soon!”

Gallus let out a squawk of protest. “Drain my– hell no!? No way I’m letting you suck me dry! You’ll eat my soul after you pry it out of my cold, dead body.”

“I’m not eating your soul, just some of your emotions! You’ll replenish whatever I take soon. Promise!” Recalling her infiltration lessons on griffon society, she offered, “And I’m not asking you to do it for free. If you let me drain some of your emotions now, I’ll use my disguising magic to bring you some solid food.”

His stomach let out a loud rumble, begging for any source of fuel. Cursing his body for revealing his desperation, he retorted, “How do I know you’ll hold up your end of the deal? I’m guessing you don’t have anything on you right now.”

“You don’t,” Ocellus said plainly, “But judging by the ribs showing through your feathers, I’d say you don’t have much longer than me. If you had any better options, you wouldn’t be rummaging through the forest, burning calories in a longshot bid at catching prey on an empty stomach.”

Gallus’s beak fell open as her sound logic shut down any hope of negotiation. Biting his tongue, he let out a resigned sigh and chuckled, “You’re a lot smarter than you look, bug butt. Alright, do what you have to, but don’t leave me looking like a raisin!”

Closing his eyes, he sat back and braced himself for whatever nightmarish method it took to suck emotions out of his skull. His jaw clenched as an overwhelming sense of dread washed over him, preparing for the unbearable torture.

“EEP!”

Instead of pain, he felt something warm and wet caress the tip of his cock. His wings involuntarily flared out as the shock paralyzed his whole body, unable to escape the gentle ministrations.

Gazing down at her prostrate form, he gaped as Ocellus unashamedly took his shaft into her mouth, swirling her tongue over the tip with the skill and dexterity of a professional streetwalker. “W-What in Grover’s name are you doing!?”

She glanced up, cock still in maw, and shot him a confused look. “Eew shad teu drein eyor lov, rigt?”

Still recovering from her performance, he took a few shallow breaths before stammering, “You never mentioned there’d be a blowjob involved! I thought you’d just use magic!”

Ocellus rolled her eyes before pulling back, making sure to stroke his cock with her hoof to keep his erection up. “That’s how changelings drain emotions. We feed off the love other creatures have for each other, and one of the easiest ways to get it is through sex. Can we continue?”

Gallus tried in vain to form a coherent sentence, which ultimately ended with a gargled, “Uhhhhhhhh…”

Taking that as a yes, she bent down to resume fellating him, eager to consume the love stored in his aching balls. As the head of his cock tickled her throat, she used her magic to elongate her neck, allowing her to reach all the way to his base and beyond.

“Mmmnngg,” he moaned, unprepared for her magic touch. Being a homeless street rat never made him popular with the ladies, and Ocellus’s professional talents quickly brought a familiar tingle to his groin. “Fuck! Ocellus, I’m gonna–”

The words had barely escaped him before he exploded into her gaping maw. Ocellus easily took every drop of his pent up load using her newly extended neck to keep him hilted all the way through his climax. As his ecstasy grew, he unleashed a torrent of pleasure and lust into the air, which she quickly clung to and began draining as it flowed out of his frail, shaking body.

Gallus moaned as lightning bolts of pleasure shot up his spine. Unable to endure his sudden release, he fell onto his back, quivering from the intensity of his orgasm. “Ooh, fuck! That feels so… so…”

As the pleasure slowly faded away, a slight stinging began creeping up in its place. The pain and pleasure fought briefly for control before the pain overtook any pleasurable feelings in his cock. “Hnng! Uh, Ocellus? What are you doing?”

His stomach dropped as her eyes, once pearly and clear, now bore the look of a crazed animal devouring its prey. Before he could do more than yell, Ocellus grabbed his claws and pinned him down with a strength only a fully-fed changeling could possess. “Feeeeed…”

The unbearable agony of having his love sucked out caused his hind legs to contract. Beating hopelessly at her overbearing form, he writhed for what felt like hours until he could take no more.

As his vision faded into a sea of black, he let out one last, desperate cry and wondered if anyone would come looking for him, already knowing the answer.

Author's Note

Heyyy, I know this one is kind of intense, but I wanted to write something a little different from the usual fairy tale happy ending deal. Don't worry, I won't go all nightmare moon on you.:rainbowlaugh:

Perspectives

Gallus’s eyes flew open as a drop of water hit his beak. After a moment of bleary confusion, memories of the previous night came rushing back, along with a sudden burst of vindictive fury. “That plucking insect!”

Jumping up, he frantically scanned the smooth walls of rock and stone surrounding him on all sides. Readying his talons, he checked himself for injuries and hissed, “I knew I shouldn’t have trusted that backstabbing piece of dragon dung! Now she’s going to feed me to her buddies until I’m a dried out husk of–”

He broke off as a beam of sunlight illuminated the cave entrance barely 15 feet away. Before he could beeline for the exit, the wonderful, delicious scent of apples wafted through the air, causing his briefly dormant stomach to flare with the ravenous appetite of a griffon on three days without food.

All logic aside, Gallus crammed the mystery apples into his gaping maw, barely bothering to chew as the satisfying crunch rang out like music to his ears. Only after he devoured over half the bushel did he pause to wonder, “Where in Equestria am I?”

As he stared around the empty cavern, a slip of paper he’d tossed aside from the apples grabbed his attention. Praying the word ‘poison’ didn’t appear anywhere on it, he unfolded the note and read,

Hello Gallus,

I’m so sorry for draining too much of your love last night. It was never my intention to take advantage of your trust, but my hunger got the best of me. If you still want to continue with our agreement, meet me in the clearing tonight, but I completely understand if you do not want to see me.

Sorry again,
Ocellus

P.S.
Please enjoy the apples I left you! I made sure to get the extra sweet ones from the pony farm.

Gallus blinked as he reread the note, positive he must have missed some underhanded trick or ploy, but nothing in the letter tipped off his instincts honed by years of living in Griffonstone. Such a heartfelt, genuine apology almost made him want to believe her.

Almost.

Gazing out the cave at the orange-stained sky, he pondered her proposition. She may have knocked him out, accidental or not, but the apples he’d eaten had been undeniably real. For all his misgivings, finding somecreature that wouldn’t take advantage of him in a moment of weakness was more than he could've hoped from his fellow avians.

As the setting sun disappeared into the treetops, Gallus padded into the open and turned towards Griffonstone. Confident in his decision, he folded up her letter and tucked it under his wing, promising to never involve himself with changelings again.

Better a hungry griffon than a dead griffon.

“What in Tartarus am I doing,” Gallus mumbled, picking his way through the undergrowth. As he neared the clearing, he again questioned his decision to continue their arrangement, but his instincts had kept him alive so far, and something about Ocellus made him want to go back, regardless of the inherent risks.

Crouching low in the brush, he observed Ocellus sitting alone in the clearing. Scanning her surroundings for any signs of an ambush, he jumped as her voice cut through the otherwise silent forest. “I know you’re back there! You can’t hide your emotions.”

Silently cursing his massive oversight, he emerged from the underbrush, face slightly red after being called out. “Just making sure I know what’s waiting for me.”

She giggled at his slightly ruffled feathers before pulling a bag from behind a boulder. “I’m sorry again for what happened last night. That was the longest I’d ever gone without love, and I lost control for a moment. I hope this is enough to make up for my mistake.”

Gallus balked as a mountain of canned fruit, preserved grains, and other goods fell onto the ground. Picking through the treasure trove of delicious foodstuffs, he exclaimed, “Where did you get all this!? Did you rob a grocery store or something?”

“Of course not!” she hissed, “I’d never rob anycreature! I disguised myself as a pony and went to a local food bank. They were more than happy to give me whatever I needed.”

Bitterness flashed through Gallus’s mind as he imagined how easy ponies lived while griffons like him starved on the street every day. Scooping up all the packaged supplies, he joked, “It’s a shame changelings can’t eat food like this. You guys would be set for life!”

His gaze wandered to her abdomen where her ribs now glaringly stuck out. Narrowing his eyes, he pointed to her slight frame and asked, “Are you hungry again? You looked stuffed last night after you fed on my lo– emotions.”

Occelus blushed and covered herself with her wings. “I didn’t eat your love! I just stored it until I reached my hive so I could deposit it into our collective coffers. Every changeling must give a certain quota of love to the queen before receiving anything for themselves.”

Gallus furrowed his eyebrows. “Woah, woah, hold up! You have to give your hard earned food to some dictator before you get a chance to eat? That’s such bull!”

“It’s not bull! It’s cooperation,” she retorted. “Working together as a unit and splitting our collective supply among everyone ensures that no one is left behind and everyone survives the night. It’s efficient!”

“And how’s that working out for you?”

The next words died on Ocellus’s tongue. Struggling to process his question, she stuttered, “W-what do you–”

“I mean,” he pressed, talons clenching into the dirt, “you go out every day and put your life on the line to scrounge up food while some high and mighty queen sits on her throne crapping out eggs, and she gets the lion share of the food. Don’t let them take advantage of you like that! You deserve better, Ocellus.”

His intense glare pierced her hard exterior as a wave of heat flushed her cheeks. Ocellus’s eyes widened at the true, untainted compassion flowing directly towards her, which she eagerly lapped up for herself. Noticing his amused expression, she blushed even deeper and exclaimed, “I-It’s not just for me though! There are others in the hive that I’m sure need the love more than I do, so I’m ok with just getting what I need to survive.”

Adopting a soft smile, she brushed a feather out of his face and praised, “I can’t imagine being alone without the support of my hive. You’re truly amazing to have survived this long on your own in such an unforgiving environment like Griffonstone.”

Gallus could have sworn the seasons just changed with the heat that flooded his cheeks. Puffing out his chest fluff, he brushed some imaginary dust off his feathers and bragged, “Yeah, I am pretty awesome, aren’t I? Griffon number one!”

Ocellus let out another giggle before pulling him into an embrace. Gallus stiffened at the sudden contact, his blush deepening the closer she approached. Leaning into his twitching ear, she let out a breathy sigh and whispered, “Now that you have your dinner, how about we get started on making mine?”

Heart beating with a mixture of apprehension and anticipation, Gallus pushed her back and stammered, “How about I take the lead this time? I know last time was an accident, but still…”

Ocellus’s face fell slightly but quickly recovered as she got on all fours and presented herself. Bending down to give him a better look, she teased, “You better get moving then! This changeling is hungry for some griffon tonight~”

Blood rushed to his groin as the sight of a presenting female activated his primal male instincts. Careful not to scratch her chitin, Gallus grasped her deceptively soft haunches, marveling at the lines between her tough exoskeleton and plump backside. “Mmm, this griffon’s eating well tonight.”

“EEP!”

Ocellus let out a high-pitched, girly squeal as his tongue lavished her warm pussy. Whipping around, she stared in surprise as his beak pressed into her backside, giving her clit soft, gentle kisses. “Mmm, I thought you’d be too eager for foreplay. Guess I underestimated you~”

After a few minutes of gentle licks and quiet moans, Gallus broke away from her surprisingly tasty honeypot and lined himself up. His cock gave a few angry twitches, desperate to sink itself deep into her inviting pussy. “You ready for all this cock, bug butt?”

Instead of responding, Ocellus pressed her hips backward, sinking herself onto his unprepared rod. Gallus let out a surprised squawk before gripping her flank and shoving her chest into the ground. “Nuh uh, I’m in charge tonight. You’re going to lay there like a good little girl and take it!”

Before she could even breath, Gallus pulled his hips back and slammed deep into her, causing their thighs to slap together. Ocellus felt her pussy stretch around him as a surge of pleasure and love flowed throughout her body, overloading her brain and reducing her to a moaning, quivering mess. “Oh, fuck! More, Gallus! Fuck me harder!”

Not one to leave a lady waiting, he repeated his hip thrusting motions before winding back a claw and spanking her soft, supple cheeks. As he admired his handiwork, a familiar tingling began rising in his cock, threatening to cut his pleasure early. “F-Fuck… I’m getting close!”

“Already?” Ocellus teased, pushing back against his thrusts. “Where’s all that bravado from before? Will I even feel anything?”

Gallus felt his nostrils flare at her demeaning tone. Pulling back his hips, he bit down on her carapace as he hilted inside of her, spraying her warm, tight pussy with a copious helping of griffon cum.

Ocellus quickly latched on to his burst of lust, resisting the urge to drain him dry. As her belly slowly filled up with his burning lust, she found it much easier to siphon off his emotions than the last time they made love.

Once she had drunk her fill and he could take no more, the two collapsed into a sweating, panting heap. Gazing affectionately into each other’s eyes, Gallus let out once last breathy sigh before passing out, undoubtedly exhausted from two nights of being drained.

Slowly staggering to her hooves, she lifted his prostrate body with her magic before placing him on a branch to keep him safe from predators. As he lay there, helpless in her magic, she was overcome with a strange desire to curl up next to him and sleep there for the night, but quickly quashed that feeling out of obligation to the hive.

Giving him one last affectionate giggle, she turned away and began the long trek back, wishing for the first time to stay with her prey till morning.

Author's Note

Aww, cute! Where can I find me one of these?:fluttercry:

Alone Together

Ocellus’s legs still ached as she approached the entrance to the hive. Imagining meeting Gallus again tomorrow, she giggled into her hoof before making her way towards the entrance chamber. “He makes me so full…”

Glancing at the guard stationed by the gate, she raised a hoof and called, “Hey, Arista!”

The guard raised his spear and began charging his horn. “Who are you!? How do you know my name?”

Ocellus raised her hooves and took a step back. “It’s me, Ocellus! I say hi to you almost every day when I come back to the hive.”

The guard lowered his weapons and resumed his sentry post. Giving her a dismissal wave, he ordered, “You know where the storage room is, Drone. Deposit your quota and return to your pod immediately.”

Sighing at yet another day of being ignored, Ocellus plodded towards the harvesting pod. As she passed by other changelings, several other drones stopped to stare at her with some even licking their lips as they tasted the virtual ocean of love she had stored within her carapace.

Cringing at the unwanted attention, she hastened to join the queue of hunters depositing their quotas. Just as she managed to find a spot, a regiment of three guards surrounded her as their leader shouted, “Halt! You’ve been summoned by order of Queen Chrysalis. Follow us to her chamber immediately.”

Everyling in the room froze. A wave of dread flooded through her as her knees began to tremble, frantically searching for any reason she'd be singled out. Taking an instinctual step back, she did her best to hide her fear and stammered, "A-Are you sure the Queen wants to see me?"

The guards' expressions hardened as they closed in around her, blocking her way to the exit. Seeing no other choice, Ocellus reluctantly fell in line as she was marched away from the other hunters. The moment they were out of sight, a loud buzzing emanated as the others began predicting what horrible fate lay in store for the Queen’s latest victim.

Every changeling knew what awaited those that received a personal summons from their ruler. Each hoof step rang out like a death bell, signaling one less breath she had before inevitably meeting her maker.

Glancing at the guards herding her towards her doom, she stammered, “Do you know why I’m being summoned?” None of the soldiers bothered responding, instead quickening their pace to ensure they did not upset their Queen by being late.

As the Queen’s throne came into view, Ocellus couldn’t help shrinking back from the large, imposing black stone, even though it didn’t affect her own magic. Kneeling before her ruler, she bowed her head in submission and quavered, “Y-You summoned me, my Queen?”

Queen Chrysalis peered down at her with cold, calculating eyes. Without saying a word, the Queen lit her horn, and Ocellus felt the familiar sensation of being drained of her stored love. As her personal stores grew smaller, the gnawing pains in her abdomen returned, even surpassing the normal hunger of a changeling her size.

Just as her legs were about to collapse from under her, the Queen relented, ending her feeding session with barely any love to spare. Peering down with narrowed eyes, Queen Chrysalis hissed, “Where does a meager drone like you find so much love? Not once, but twice have you outperformed hunters many times your senior. Your Queen does not tolerate secrets.”

Ocellus trembled under the Queen’s intense stare, hoping desperately that her emotional concealment lessons had paid off. “No secrets, m-my Queen! I have been training hard under the command of my pod leader and have managed to drain two bears of their love.”

“Training?” Queen Chrysalis pressed, unconvinced of her explanation, “What training could a grub like you have done to take down creatures that normally require an entire squadron of guards?”

A bead of sweat ran down Ocellus’s cheek as she frantically searched for an excuse. Deciding it was best to tell a half-truth, she revealed, “Well, I waited to strike for when the bear was mating with another bear and siphoned off enough love while it was preoccupied.”

Queen Chrysalis’s eyes narrowed even further, straining to find the slightest hint of deception. After an eternity of tense silence, she stood from her throne and hissed, “You are lying! Concealing secrets and deceiving your queen are both crimes punishable by death. Guards, take her!”

Ocellus’s eyes widened in terror as a swarm of guards decended on her position. Seeing the mass of wings, spears, and horns primed to rip her apart, her flight instincts shapeshifted her into a tiny mouse as she beelined for the exit.

“Fools!” Queen Chrysalis shouted, firing a blast powerful enough to knock out a few guards caught in the splash radius. “Do not let her escape, or it’s your heads!”

Sprinting through the underground labyrinth, Ocellus bobbed and weaved through the constantly shifting corridors, desperate to keep ahead of the small army hot on her tail. Outlining the fastest path to the exit, she dove through a closing passageway and into the entrance chamber where a battalion was already waiting for her.

“Don’t move, prisoner!” The captain shouted, horn primed and ready for combat. The entire line of guards stood firm, spears poised to strike at any moment. As they waited, the gate behind them began sealing shut to prevent her escape.

Feeling her strength waning, Ocellus made a last ditch breakout attempt and transformed into a buzz bear before charging straight at the changeling line. Most of the guards had the sense to get out of her way, but the captain held his ground and fired a bolt of magic, hitting her square in the leg.

A surge of pain ripped through her like a hot knife through butter. Losing control of her transformation, Ocellus reverted back to her normal form, just barely outside of the font gate. Before the guards had time to regroup, she staggered to her hooves and took flight, fleeing to the only other place she knew to find help.

Gallus stared into the night as he finished off another apple. Readjusting himself in the treetop he called home, he tossed the apple core into the woods with a satisfied smile. “Delicious.”

As his eyelids began to droop, the craziness of the last few days finally settled in his mind. A week ago, he’d never have believed any creature would come to his aid when he needed help, but now he did, and a changeling nonetheless!

Turning over to better sleep, he imagined how it would feel to never struggle just to scrape by, never feel completely lost and alone in the world, wrap his wings around her cute, little frame and hum into her ear. He could almost hear her now–

“Heeeeelp!”

Gallus’s eyes shot open as a familiar voice broke through the silence. Whipping around for its source, he scanned the forest floor as a flash of magic cut through the air like a lightning bolt.

Reeling back from the blast, he flew towards the source of the scream, terror painted across his normally cool features. As he traced his path into the woods, he noticed several familiar landmarks along the way, all leading to one specific spot. The clearing.

Broken trees and snapped branches lay scattered about the ground as scorched craters left by magic blasts marred the once beautiful forest. Before he could mourn the destruction of his meeting spot, a harsh voice rang out, “Give up, prisoner! There’s nowhere to run! You will comply with our orders or be exterminated!”

Ocellus staggered from a nearby bush covered in deep gashes and bruises. Before she could react, another magical blast brought her to her knees as three more changelings emerged, each sporting an arsenal of weapons, armor, and magic. “Yield now, prisoner! We are under orders to bring you back dead or alive. Choose wisely.”

Gallus’s talons clenched on the branch he was hiding on. Sizing up the soldiers, he knew he stood no chance against three professionally trained and equipped changelings, even if he did get the drop on them.

As the patrol surrounded Ocellus and prepared her restraints, she peered directly into the treetop he was hiding in and whispered, “Help me, Gallus…”

He froze.

Every reasonable, rational, intelligent fiber in his body screamed for him to ignore her cry for help. His griffon instinct urged him to think about his self-preservation and how stupid it would be to pick a fight he knew he couldn’t win. For Grover’s sake, he’d only known her for a few days! Why should he risk his neck just because she’s having issues with her hive?

Gallus felt his claws slacken their grip around the branch, his wings spread wide to take flight, the rush of wind as he took to the sky…

And the crunch of metal as he bulldozed one of the guards.

He didn’t know what made him do it, but one moment he’d been flying away from the clearing, and the next he was on top of an unconscious changeling with two more glaring at him. “You dare attack a member of the hive guard, griffon!?”

A blast of magic took another guard out of commission as Ocellus appeared behind them, somehow still standing after her viscous wounds. Realizing he was now outnumbered, the final guard let out a frustrated hiss before transforming into a bird and taking off into the night.

The two of them panted for a moment before Ocellus collapsed, completely exhausted after being hunted all night. Glancing up at his concerned face, she mumbled, “I wasn’t sure you would come back for me…”

“Neither was I,” Gallus admitted, remembering how close he was to running. “Something just made me want to help you, like I couldn’t stand the thought of leaving you behind. Something like…”

But he didn’t need to finish his sentence. As he spoke, something warm, sweet, and delicious flowed from his body, practically begging to be consumed by a hungry changeling.

Ocellus smiled as she latched on to his offered love. She knew they were still a long way from anything serious, but they both finally found someone that cared about the real them, and maybe that was enough for now.