claws.

that's the first thing. catching against bedsheet fabric as i pull the covers up, over me, over the shark, trying to blot out dreary 1pm seeping around the curtains.

snout.

that's the second thing, as i hit myself in the face. adjust. pull the covers enough. curl up. feel the tail fall out, thump the ground. pull it back in, under.

cold. ears. expressive, tuck them down, under. fully concealed, now. warm.

feel... fur. softness. underlying strength, relaxed, finally not tight-wound. new legs. new shape. more claws.

stretch. arms, again. the more the merrier. wings. weighty. warm.

deep sigh. deep relief. deep, rumbling purring. this is right.

words can wait. the world can wait. this is right.

this is right.

this is right.

this is right.