Rocki had to buckle into her seat again while Kofi landed the ship. She couldn't stop staring at the planet, which was made of sand and mountains—as she found out when they got closer. The mountains were a light purplish-brown color and the sand they rested on was pure white, giving the place an ethereal aura.

The ship approached a huge compound that looked like it could fit a village. It was a boring building, long, white, flat, and square, but its size was so large Rocki was still in awe of it.

They landed on top of the roof, next to several other ships. There were people, valicarans, on the roof as well. It looked like they were taking care of the other vessels, but they stopped to stare at Kofi's ship when he gently alighted it. Rocki couldn't help but stare back. It was strange seeing so many people with wings milling around.

"Here we are, blue eyes," said Kofi, unbuckling himself, then coming around to her to help her stand, although she rejected his outstretched hand with a silent glance. Her legs were a bit shaky when she got up, but her balance was still fine.

Kofi escorted her to the door. Rocki almost stopped him from opening it but caught herself. Can I breathe the oxygen out there? She mentally shook her head at herself. I'm supposed to be descended from two different kinds of alien that live on this planet, of course I can breathe the air here. She steeled herself as the ramp lowered, still half expecting the air to be unbreathable.

Kofi grandly gestured for her to go first. She adjusted her glasses, then stepped onto the ramp, taking her first breath of alien air. It was warm, but not heavy, permeated with the smell of metal and dirt.

As she descended the ramp, something sent a shiver across her entire body despite the warmth of the planet. Her shoulders involuntarily twitched. Heat flooded through her, driving her faster down the ramp and onto her knees on the roof.

"Rocki?" Kofi was suddenly beside her as she gasped for breath. "What is it? What happened?"

She couldn't answer. She whimpered harshly when pain hammered into her upper back like an entire box of nails. Her hands curled into fists, chipping her nails against the concreate-like roof as she shook.

The murmurings around her from the other people were too loud. They invaded her ears like crashing waves, with no distinguishable words, just incomprehensible mutterings. The air was suddenly too heavy with the harsh smell of metal and thick dirt that seemed to coat her tongue.

She groaned, resting her head on the roof as her shoulders tensed, covering her ears with her hands. The pain multiplied, burning into her. It felt like the skin on her back was about to burst open.

Light whimpers accompanied every rapid breath she took as a migraine pounded into her head, taking up so much space she couldn't think. All that was there was pain. Tears flooded her eyes as the pain on her back became unbearable and she shouted in agony. Sounds roared in her ears so she could hear nothing but a loud wave of indistinguishable noise as her headache battered against her skull.

Her back split open.

Not her entire back. But something ripped on her shoulder blades in a surge of pain. Something burst from the slashes, she could feel the foreign objects stretching high above her. The pain in her back settled to a steady ache, although her head was still beating mercilessly. Her ears were ringing louder than any school bell she had heard while blood pooled in her mouth. She had bitten her tongue.

"Rocki ...?" Finally, a sound she recognized. She raised her head slowly, blinking hard when her eyes refused to focus through her glasses. Someone kneeled in front of her. Probably Kofi. She spit the blood in her mouth off to the side, refusing to swallow the bitter liquid. Her breaths were heavy but slowing now that the pain had lessened.

Her tongue brushed against one of her canines, but it didn't feel right. For a moment she thought she had chipped it somehow in her struggle, but that wasn't it. It felt ... longer. She pressed the pad of her thumb against the tip of her upper right canine, wincing when it poked her skin. A bead of blood appeared on her finger. Her wide blue eyes slowly raised to look into Kofi's.

He was only a few inches away from her face, looking at her with the same shock and confusion she felt. Her eyes blurred, unable to focus for too long, and for a moment she thought she would pass out but managed to stay conscious.

"Are you ..." Kofi started hesitantly. "Sorry, I didn't ... we weren't sure ..." He couldn't seem to finish any of his sentences.

Rocki dropped her head back to the cement with a groan, gripping her hair as if redirecting the pain in her head would take it away.

Something moved on her back. It was attached to her. She could feel the muscles moving, making her shoulder blades burn.

Her head snapped up and she spun around as best she could while lying down. She could feel whatever it was on her back hit Kofi and hurried to face him again. It was still on her back. She scrambled to her feet, almost falling over in her haste, but was caught by Kofi, who managed to straighten himself in time. She looked over her shoulder, and her eyes widened even more as she slowly looked back at Kofi. She slowly moved her muscles in her back, testing the new ones that had erupted. She heard and felt the appendages move.

Wings.

The air left her lungs and she couldn't seem to draw any more in. She backed away from Kofi, somehow still aware of their closeness despite everything else that was going on. He reached towards her, ready to catch her if she slipped. Her arms tucked against her chest as she moved her wings again, feeling the new muscles ache as they stretched out.

She directed one to her side so she could see it. It was very similar to Kofi's, only slightly more brown and darker. Her fingers reached out tentatively to brush the leathery wing. It was cool against her fingertips, it seemed thin, but the skin was tougher than she had anticipated. She shivered at the feeling of touching a new part of herself.

Her eyes turned to Kofi, blinking as they tried to focus. "How did this happen?" Her newly elongated teeth rubbed against her lip as she spoke.

He shook his head. "I don't know. I've... never seen anything like that before. You look... valicaran."

"She does indeed." One of the bystanders stepped forward, black eyes staring at her intently. "How are you feeling?"

Who is this? Rocki eyed him for a moment, then raised a hand to her temple. "My head hurts. My eyes won't focus. My back is sore." And in case you haven't noticed, I've sprouted wings. How do you think I'm feeling?

His eyes narrowed a bit, thinking. "I see. Come, we'll take you to a healer and if you feel better afterwards, we'll talk." He gestured with his hand for us to follow him, then started walking away, the small crowd that had assembled parting for him.

"Allow me, my princess," Kofi said with a grin, regaining his usual ambiance. He stepped forward and scooped Rocki up quickly in his arms, walking before she had a chance to protest, although she did wince when her tender shoulders moved.

"Put me down," she said, not grabbing him around the neck like her instincts insisted. I don't want to encourage him.

He ignored her, striding through the crowd of valicarans, who were whispering to each other, seemingly in awe. Several of them reached out to touch her leg or brush her wings, each softly murmuring the same word.

"Phyari."

Rocki tried to slide her legs out of his grip to stand on her own, but he was holding on too tightly, so she resigned herself to being carried for now. No need to make a scene in front of a crowd. Although, him carrying me is a scene in itself. "What are they saying?" she asked, craning her neck to look over his shoulder at the people as she was carried away from the gathering.

"Phyari," Kofi said. "Savioress."

Rocki wished her eyes would focus so she could see the faces of the people behind them. They seemed so reverent of her. It made her uncomfortable.

The valicaran in leading them opened a hatch in the roof, revealing a set of stairs. He gestured for Kofi, and subsequently Rocki, to go first. Kofi only got a few steps down before the ache in the brunette's back started up again. She tried wiggling in his arms to find a better resting position for her wings, but it only caused more pain.

"Put me down," she said. "You're hurting me."

This time, he did as she requested, carefully leaning over to set her on her feet, although she didn't miss the way his hand slid up her thigh when he straightened. She descended the stairs herself, feigning more confidence than she felt and pretending her head wasn't pounding like a toddler with a spoon.