I tried going back to the sanctuary, but on Alpine's orders I'm not allowed back in until I've morphed for the first time unless it's an emergency, so I've been staying with the Morphwing Pack for a while. After my little stunts with the dragon hunters the pack are more than willing to have me around, so as long as I live by their rules I'm allowed to stay as long as I like.

My days have been spent hanging out with Selene, Asher, Melanite and Adriana, who I've gotten quite friendly with, as well as learning more about Morphwings, like how they can stretch their wings out to a larger wingspan to properly wrap other Morphwings inside, though the wingspan retracts back to normal afterwards.

My birthday will be tomorrow now. Apparently I'll start morphing at midnight tonight and be done by midday tomorrow. It turns out that it's possible to sleep through some or even all of the morph, so I've decided to tire myself out before midnight and have been at it all day.

"You should really get some sleep," Adriana suggests. "It's getting close to midnight." "True," I agree, knowing it's time to settle down now. "Stylive, no curling up with me tonight," I tell my Deadly Nadder partner, knowing what she does once I go to sleep each night here. "I'll need space for this."

She nods and licks my face, then goes off to lay in Asher's nest, which he's letting us stay in despite my arguing that he shouldn't. He only won that argument because he's moving into a new cave with Adriana anyway.

But tonight the two mates are here, ready to witness my first morph. They've been flying and running and chatting with me all day, but they're wide awake thanks to something I introduced them to; coffee. I don't get it much since coffee beans are expensive due to their difficulty for my usual traders to acquire, but I figured they needed the boost.

Selene is also under the effects of coffee and watching me like a hawk while in her dragon form. Probably because soon enough I'm apparently going to sprout wings and a tail. I can't exactly blame her.

She cocks her head at me and flutters her wings, asking me if I'm ready. I nod. She licks my face before wrapping her wings around me, enveloping me in a soothing blackness that radiates warmth and safety. The lids of my eyes soon grow heavy as I lose consciousness.

The last thing I register before I'm completely asleep is a strange tingling feeling in my shoulder blades.

When I wake up my whole body feels heavy, like I gained a million pounds while I slept. Selene is in human form in front of me and I sense four other presences around me. "She's awake," Selene says. Stylive, Melanite, Asher and Adriana come into view.

I try to lift myself up but I can't move. I feel so... weighed down. I can't move. I can't speak. I'm paralysed.

Selene seems to catch onto my panic. "Don't worry, it's only natural," she tells me in a soothing tone. "You won't be able to move until the morph is complete. It's to prevent you from hurting yourself, that's all. You only have an hour and a half left until midday. You're doing great."

Satisfied, I shut my eyes again, willing myself to sleep again and getting a result. Morphing must tire you out, I guess.

When I'm woken up again, it's because I'm being lightly shaken. "Indigo," a familiar voice whispers. "Indigo."

"Indigo."

"Indigo."

"Indigo."

Slowly I open my eyes, my body feeling lighter than earlier. Everyone is still there, though this time they're all in dragon form. "Can you understand me?" Selene asks, causing me to blink in surprise.

"You completed the morphing process," Selene grinned. "Take a look at yourself, Indi."

I slowly get up, my new limbs making it hard for me to find my balance. I struggle to stand up on four legs for a moment, but quickly get the hang of it and look around, seeing the world from a different angle.

I test out my new wings and tail, figuring out how to move them. It feels like second nature, as though I've been doing this all my life. It's such a strange yet satisfying feeling.

I look to my tail, moving it into a position where I can see it properly. My deep cobalt scales are tinted with a pretty violet colour. I roar in approval, surprising myself with how I sound just like a dragon now. Well, I guess I should've seen that one coming, but still.

"What do you think?" Asher asks me. "It's strange," I reply, working out how to speak properly after a few seconds of silence. "It will be," he nods. "But you'll get used to it. It's surprisingly easy to adjust."

He starts to smirk. "Happy birthday, by the way. We got you a present."

I cock my head. "Really? Never gotten one of those before... unless piles of half-eaten fish count."

Asher chuckles, the sound rumbling through his throat. "Well I can promise you that it's not half a meal. It's something way better."

He turns to Adriana, who walks over. "You're so gorgeous, Indigo!" She says excitedly. "Thanks," I laugh, feeling even safer than usual around them in this form. I can let loose completely.

"Here, we got you some of this!" She says cheerily, holing up something in her tail that carries an intoxicating scent. "What is it?" I ask.

Smirking, she lays a pile of dragon nip on the floor. "It won't make you completely docile, but you'll enjoy it just as much as any other dragon," she said. "Try some!"

I burrow my newly acquired snout into the blades of dragon nip and inhale. The scent is unbelievable. I  take a blade of it in my mouth, pulling up just early enough to catch Melanite munching along with me. The second she realises I'm looking she scrambles away. I snort a little at her, slight wisps of smoke fluttering into the air above my nostrils.

I chew the dragon nip cautiously before swallowing it down. It tastes delicious! No wonder dragons likes this stuff so much!

"This is... wow..." I say to the others, who laugh at my reaction. "Glad you like it, sis," Asher smirks.