The large white Goddess landed on a pile of rocks and then jumped down to stand beside them. She scented the air, but couldn't feel the presence of larger animals. There were traces of lion, warthog and elephant, but the scents were old so she should be safe to do some experimenting."Right, you need to get off if this is going to work," Veri said. To an observer it must look as if she talked to herself, but after a few heartbeats a triangular head poked out from behind a wing and the massive snake slid down one of her front legs. It looked at the Goddess with unblinking eyes and then slid up on one of the sun warmed rocks where it arranged itself into a cosy pile.
Veri watched him coil up just so. He looked relaxed and not annoyed, and that was probably a good sign. She'd seen the other kind of coiling just before nearly getting bitten, and she'd learned not to provoke her companion when he took a pissed off stance. The snake was probably not poisonous, and even if he was, she was fairly sure he couldn't kill her. It was more likely that he'd manage to strangle her, but she wasn't worried about either. Why would she be?
"Here goes," she said, both to the snake and to herself.
She closed her eyes, not because she had to, but because she found it easier to concentrate on the change. After decades of practice she didn't find shapeshifting hard anymore, at least not when she shapeshifted into a lioness. She had even done it with her snake companion wrapped around her neck and that was a bit tricky. Today she wanted to try something new, however, and she had a feeling things might get weird if she didn't focus fully. She was sure every God had some embarrassing shapeshifting story from their youth. Those that didn't must have short memory, or they must be lying to themselves.
When she was satisfied with her work she opened her eyes, trying to get a feel for what she'd accomplished. Her perspective had changed, but that was expected. It felt strange, but not strange in a "oh, wow, I must have broken something"-way. She met the eyes of her companion up on the rock. He flicked his tongue and she mirrored the movement without thinking. Veri wasn't prepared to the way the air tasted. Her sense of smell was very good, but it had another dimension when she wore this form. Interesting. Very interesting. In fact, it was so interesting she had to taste the air again. She also seemed to be able to sense heat in a way she hadn't before. It was hard to put words on what was different, but it sure was.
To try to move without legs felt both strange and completely natural at the same time. All parts were there, somehow, but she used them in a different manner. It was hard to sort out how it felt, so she pushed the confusion aside and just moved. She managed to slither up among the rocks without incident.
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