It was a long time later when he landed in front of the inn. He’d found the sustenance he needed, but more than that, he felt as though the flight had cleansed his mind. He felt refreshed and at peace. A dim glow in their room at the back showed that Flame Song was still up. He passed the night clerk who was dozing behind his counter and climbed the stairs to their room. He found Flame Song reading a new picture book she’d bought to Littlespark. Flame Song pointed to each word as she read it and the girl followed along intently. Aidan wondered how long it would before she started to read. She wasn’t even three yet, but she seemed to be paying a lot of attention to the words on the page.

The night passed comfortably, and the following day all three slept soundly. Just before sunset they left the inn and headed home. The next night saw them across the barrier mountains and passing just to the east of Coppertop. As they made their way north across the plains Aidan swooped down and flew close to the ground so he could talk to Flame.

“I’d like to stop in Coppertop and talk to Belak for a bit. Do you mind?”

“No, that’s fine with me,” said Flame. “What for?” she added, curious.

“Oh, I have my reasons,” said Aidan.

Flame knew the futility of trying to pry answers out of Aidan when he was being cryptic, so she didn’t ask any further questions. But her curiosity was eating at her. What could Aidan need to talk to Belak about that he hadn’t needed to discuss with their dwarven friend on the way up?

It wasn’t long before they reached the dwarven city. The sky was just beginning to lighten as they arrived. They had to wait for the gates to open at sunrise. They both could have flown over the walls, even with Littlespark, but they knew that many of the dwarves didn’t trust Aidan, and had long ago decided to do everything they could to avoid arousing any further animosity. Besides, Belak would probably still be asleep. He was an early riser, but not that early. At last the sunlight spilled across the landscape, hitting Copper Top tower, which gave the city its name, before sliding down the walls and reaching the plains below. The huge gates slowly opened, moving on oiled hinges without so much as a squeak. The trio proceeded into the city with Littlespark still perched on her mother’s furry back and Aidan walking next to them with one hand on Flame’s shoulder. They threaded their way through mostly empty streets to Belak’s house, which was also his workshop.

Aidan knocked firmly on the solid wooden door of Belak’s home. From inside a grumbling voice could be heard. “One minute, one minute. I’m only just out of my bed. And who’d be calling at this ungodly hour I’d like to know.” The door was flung open and Aidan found himself looking down at the gruff face of his friend, one of the few people the diminutive aerian could look down at.

“Why Aidan! Flame Song! And your little kitten. What brings you three to my door this early? Or this late as it may be for you?”

“I’ve a small favor to ask of you, my friend.” He looked at Flame Song and winked, then leaned over and whispered into Belak’s ear for some time. Flame pricked her ears and listened, but she couldn’t quite make it out. She was itching with curiosity by this time.

Belak grinned hugely and said, “Aye, of course!”

Then Aidan lifted Littlespark down off of Flame’s back. “Spark, love, do you mind staying with your uncle Belak for a while?”

“No, I like him,” she said, with childish frankness.

Belak grinned at the little girl, who was still in human form and still wearing her new dress, having refused to change out of it. “I like you too, lass,” he said.

“What is going on?” burst out Flame.

Belak laughed, and Aidan grinned and said, “It’s a surprise. Belak has agreed to watch Spark while I show you something.”

“Show me what?”

“Now if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise,” said Aidan, his grin growing even broader. He was enjoying this, knowing very well that Flame had as much curiosity as the proverbial cat. “Come on, we need to be outside the city for this.” He spread his wings and motioned for Flame to follow him. She shook her head, half in amusement, half in frustration, and blurred into aerian form, her own white wings contrasting vividly with her fiery hair. Aidan took off skyward and she followed. He headed north, in the general direction of their home, but stopped and landed on a grassy hilltop long before they reached it.

“Now will you tell me what this is all about?” asked Flame as she landed next to him.

“It’s easier to show than tell,” he said. Then he pulled something out of his pocket. “I got this in Snowcap, I even paid for it instead of stealing it. I figured since it’s something magical that might be a good idea.”

“Magical? What is it?”

Aidan grinned. “A single use shapeshifting spell,” he said, and slipped the ring on. Immediately his form shimmered and blurred. When the shimmering cleared Flame found herself looking at a firecat, the first time she’d seen one, other than in the mirror, for several decades.

“That felt distinctly odd,” said Aidan, his voice still sounding the same, though now it issued from the throat of a huge white and orange feline. He twisted around, trying to get a good look at himself. “Too bad I still won’t show up in mirrors,” he added. “How do I look?”

Flame’s own form shimmered, and a moment later her eyes were level with his. She looked at him and smiled a feline smile. “You look amazing. Though…” she suddenly laughed, “You’re still smaller than me.” Which was true. Aidan was now roughly the same size as his wife, but his build was still a touch slimmer and he was the tiniest bit shorter. His coat was thick and striped with a pattern of fire-like markings similar to, but not the same as Flame Song’s. The fur around the sides of his face was longer, and he had a thick ruff that wasn’t quite a mane around his neck. His tail was longer too, and more thickly plumed. He twitched it, finding the extra appendage rather odd. Not having wings was strange too. He’d once been a normal human, entirely flightless, but that felt like a lifetime ago. All at once he wanted to try out this new shape.

“Catch me if you can!” he shouted, and took off down the hill. He stumbled a bit at first, adjusting to a quadrupedal balance, and Flame caught up with him easily. He soon got used to coordinating four legs at once, and they raced side by side over the grass. Aidan laughed in sheer delight. Running like this was almost as good as flying!