It was two hours later and Autumn had convinced me and Karina to snuggle with her on her bed while the four of us talked and waited for our trainer and new teammate to join us in the infirmary. It was kind of nice except for the fact that wearing my sword was making it hard to find a comfortable position and snuggling with them both was getting me turned on, something that was a little bit new and still made me a little self-conscious. Still, I could get why the Fay were so big on physical affection.

I had also taken the time to familiarize myself with more of the features of my nanites and my NCI, Connie. I was not going to call her my conscience so I was trying to forget all about that little awkward screw-up. “What time is it, Connie?” I mentally inquired. The others had told me the first time that I asked Connie something out loud that Sira had told them that we didn’t need to give the commands vocally, we just needed to think it since our NCI’s were literally in our heads and designed to respond to our thoughts.

-= The current local time is 3:27 pm, Snow. Would you like a digital timestamp overlaying your vision for future convenience? =-

-= Request confirmed. Overlaying optical digital timestamp. =-

Okay, that was just weird. I could now see in the corner of my vision a blue display saying, “3:27 PM” and no matter how I turned my head it stayed in that spot until I frowned and shook my head. “Okay, Connie. I really don’t need that right now. I could see it maybe being useful for some things but I don’t want it there all the time, it seems like it could be distracting.”

-= Disengaging optical digital timestamp. =-

It was then that I heard movement outside the door that exited the infirmary to the hallway. I wasn’t the only one with sensitive ears, so Autumn was scrambling to get to her feet along with me while we untangled our bodies and Lisbet giggled at our antics as she stood up herself. Karina just looked at us in confusion, “What’s up?”

“Noise outside the door,” Autumn whispered in a hushed tone as we both managed to extricate ourselves and get to our feet. As soon as Autumn and I were standing and watching the door and she had whispered those words, Karina quickly shot to her feet as well. None of us wanted to give my grandmother any more possible reasons to be angry with us.

It wasn’t our trainer. It was a tall and slender brunette Fay who, from her weapon and clothes, I figured must be an Angel. She was leading a group of eleven girls and as the door slid open I could hear her saying, “…and this is Infirmary One, where you girls will be staying while the Angel Elixir works its magic. The boys will all be across the hall in Infirmary Two. Sira will come to retrieve each of you individually when it’s your turn to be processed. Find a bed and get yourselves settled in, girls, we will be spreading out the doses so that not all of you are recovering at once and it will be a week before all of you recruits can be given your doses and have the time to fully recover.”

They were coming our way and as some began to choose beds that hadn’t already been taken by us, one of the girls, a Human-looking girl with long blonde hair seemed to notice us and asked the Angel, “Are you sure this is the right room? There are Angels in here.”

The Fay woman looked us over and smiled before shaking her head. “No, they’re recruits, just like you. I was told that we had some who got here early, Sira must have given them their doses and issued their weapons while we were all waiting for the weather to clear enough to be able to fly here.” She made her way over to us with several of the girls who had claimed beds in tow. “Greetings, recruits. It’s good to see some more girls here, these poor girls thought that they were going to be outnumbered by the boys two-to-one for this year’s class. I am Morning dew in the light of sunrise, but most everyone just calls me Dew.”

“May the blessings of the forest spirits be upon you, Morning dew in the light of sunrise. I am Autumn Dawn, and this is Lisbet Angora, Karina Lorelei, and our team leader, Snow Bengal. We have one other girl but she is currently with Sira and receiving her dose of the Angel Elixir,” Autumn offered formally, with a sweeping bow to the elder Fay.

When Autumn came to my name Dew gave me an appraising look. “Related to Abbadine Bengal no doubt, I can see the family resemblance and a little bird told me that she is back from her long absence.”

“Yes, she’s my grandmother,” I replied uncertainly. “She has raised me since my parents died.”

“Well, I expect that we will see great things from you then, Snow,” she said with a smile as her eyes lingered above my right shoulder where the large hilt of my sword that was visible.

No pressure, huh? “I’ll… ummm… do my best,” I offered nervously.

As luck would have it, that was when my grandmother arrived with Heather. Dew looked over at her entrance and smiled. “Abby! It’s been a long time. Girls! I’d like you all to meet Archangel Abbadine Bengal, she was the first Angel. Abby, would you like to say a few words?”

My grandmother did not look happy about being put on the spot like that but nodded before clearing her throat and then speaking. “Look around you, girls. These are the people that you will be training with and fighting alongside. You will see one another at your best and your worst. You need to trust one another, to have each other’s backs, and you need to be worthy of that trust. Being an Angel, fighting Demons, and keeping our secrets can be a heavy burden but it’s a burden that you can all make lighter by sharing it with one another.”

Dew nodded in agreement, smiling at the Archangel before adding, “With that in mind you will be starting to build those bonds and that trust starting now. Those of you who aren’t in bed going through your transition into Angels may be asked to volunteer in helping to care for those who are going through their transition. It is a messy process, they will be in pain and unable to do anything for themselves until the Angel Elixir has run its course. This is your first lesson; to care for one another with dignity and respect and to trust your classmates to do the same for you while you are vulnerable.”

“You have all been assigned to training teams,” my grandmother said, speaking up again. “Your teams have been assigned trainers. Dew and I will be amongst those trainers. Once you have been fully transformed and have recovered enough to get out of bed you will be taken to get clothes that will fit and your new weapons. The weapon you receive will be determined by Sira and it may not be the weapon that you want but it will be the best suited to you and you will become accustomed to it in time. You may even grow to love it as much as I do my own.”

She said the last while looking directly at me and I couldn’t help but sigh in resignation. Her point had been clear, this monstrous sword was my weapon and I had better get used to it. With the speeches now out of the way she guided a slightly woozy-looking Heather to the bed beside my own and laid her down. Then my grandmother tossed me one of the backless gowns that I had worn when I was in bed going through my changes. “Huh?” I asked in confusion.

“Help Heather to get undressed and put that on, Snow,” she told me in a tone that said clearly that she would allow no arguments. “Since the two of you have gotten on so well so far, you’ll be the one caring for her until she’s fully changed and recovered. Think of it as a trust-building exercise.”

Heather looked as shocked as I was, and just as unhappy with the situation too since she shot me a withering glare. She wasn’t looking too good though; she was perspiring and clenching her teeth in what was probably pain. I knew from recent experience just how fast those nanites could take effect and how shitty that they made a person feel while doing their thing. As my grandmother turned and went to talk to Dew once again I sighed and asked Heather, “Is your dress tied in the back?”

“I don’t need your help!” she hissed angrily, though I noted that she was keeping her volume down so that our trainer wouldn’t hear it. She started reaching around her back but couldn’t reach whatever was securing her dress and the effort was only increasing her obvious discomfort.

I sighed, rolled my eyes, and muttered, “Oh for the love of Kasala, just let me give you a hand. I’m not happy about this either, you know.” I moved behind her on her bed and saw the tightly secured ties of her bodice and started working on unfastening them. Obviously, she hadn’t gotten into that dress on her own, she was probably used to servants helping her with stuff like that. Finally, I managed to loosen everything enough so that I could pull her dress off, leaving her only in her boots and a bra and panties that looked much fancier than those that Sira had made for us.

Next, I tugged off her boots and the stockings underneath, neither of us saying a word or even looking at one another any further than necessary. The clothes were so pretty, it was a shame that she likely wouldn’t be able to wear them again, though that really depended on how much she ended up changing physically. Then, I unfastened her bra and let her slip out of it since I was warned that we shouldn’t sleep in them if possible.

With her now mostly naked, I handed her the gown to put on and then tied it in the back with enough room in case her figure changed a lot, I knew all too well how uncomfortable it could get after changing if tied too tightly. “There, now get under the sheets and I’ll cover you up. Just don’t expect me to tuck you in or sing you a lullaby.”

“As if I would want to listen to your yowling,” she said with a sneer. She did do as I had asked though.

I covered her up and then joined my grandmother to ask, “Did Sira give her something for the pain yet, or do I need to go see her about that?”

“Sira already gave her something, we were told that it should kick in soon and Sira will come to give her another dose in four hours. You won’t have to worry about that. Just talk to her once in a while, hold her hand and let her know there’s someone there for her and when Sira comes in she’ll show you how to give her a sponge bath and anything else that you’ll need to do,” she told me gently. “This isn’t a punishment, for either of you. There’s no room on a team for hatred or division, not if you plan on staying alive. You need to learn to put that behind you because you will need to be able to depend on one another.”

As expected, it was nearly a day and a half before Heather’s changes were complete. Her breathing became less labored, her face was no longer scrunched up in pain, and she fell into a more restful sleep. Autumn and I were snuggling and watching over her at the time but my teammates had all been taking shifts helping me to watch over her, talking to her and holding her hand, and keeping her clean and as comfortable as possible. Sure, it was supposed to be only my responsibility but we had talked it over as a team.

She might not be a welcome addition to our team but our trainer was right that Heather was one of us and we all needed to build trust. The others had all watched over me while I was changing so it was only fair that we did the same for Heather. So, since I was going to be watching over her the whole time they decided to work in shifts assisting me. They also brought both mine and Heather’s meals and helped to keep my mind occupied so I wouldn’t fall asleep and miss something important during my vigil.

Caring for a person like that wasn’t easy or pleasant and I was grateful that the others had done so for me for three days. It required such intimacy at times. She was in pain and barely lucid the whole time and with all of the sweating we had to give her several sponge baths. Because she needed her energy we also had to feed her and make sure that she got plenty of fluids, which wasn’t easy with her in too much of a daze to cooperate fully. At least we didn’t have to try to get her out of bed to relieve herself since the nanites were using everything possible to not only fuel her changes but provide any extra mass needed for them.

During one of her check-ins on Heather and the other girls who were going through their changes during the same period, Sira told us that it gets really messy if someone is losing a lot of mass. That mass will be not only expelled as hair growth but through the bowels as well. I was glad that our biggest problem was feeding her. Not many people lose a lot of mass during the process though, usually, just people like me who are going from a male body to a female one.

Heather was definitely gaining mass though. It was hard to tell with her in bed but it looked like she was going to end up a little taller and she was without a doubt getting more muscle tone, though there didn’t seem to be much change in her figure. I was also surprised to not see any animal or obvious demonic features developing since she was probably like me and closer to whatever near-Demon heritage that she had with those bright pink eyes and hair. That was explained not long before her changes were complete.

It was just before midnight on the day after Heather had been given the Elixir and Autumn and I were giving her another sponge bath as she slept restlessly. I was trying to just get the job over with when I heard Autumn mutter, “I don’t know if I should be happy or disturbed by this turn of events.”

“Huh?” I asked, looking up from where I was carefully washing Heather’s legs. The Fay motioned me closer and pulled aside the matted curtain of thick pink hair, revealing an ear that was just like her own; long, pointed, and tilted backward along the side of her head. Heather was apparently turning into a Fay. I could sort of see it in her face too; it was slightly more angular, her features were softer and more delicate too. “Well, if it’s any consolation, Autumn, I think that when she wakes up she’s going to be of mixed feelings too. I doubt that any of them are going to be happiness though.”

“You think?” she replied sarcastically. “I just hope that we don’t have to spend any time with other Fay any time soon, her royal grouchiness would be an embarrassment.”

“Well, then I guess as you are her teammate, that you are going to have to teach her to be one of us,” Dew said, startling us both. She, my grandmother, and the other female trainers had been taking shifts watching over us girls so that one of them would be on hand in case there was an emergency of some sort. The fact that she could sneak up on us like that with our senses said a lot about her. That or we were really distracted. I do admit that I was trying, unsuccessfully, to ignore my enhanced senses while I cleaned Heather and my newly sensitive nose objected to the smell of sweat and body odor in the room.

I could see my new Fay friend about to voice an objection but she stopped herself, likely figuring that it was a fruitless endeavor. She lifted one of Heather’s eyelids, revealing that her pink eyes now had slit pupils as well, and let out a long sigh before responding to Dew. “Yeah, I guess so. At least it’s not that uncommon for Fay to have strange hair and eye colors, they just have a strong connection to the forest spirits, but a Fay like that would be expected to know our ways. If we have to go to a Fay village for some reason and she doesn’t at least know the basics, she’s going to stick out even more than her hair and eyes do among the Humans.“

“And it is hard to keep secrets when everyone’s eyes are upon you,” Dew agreed with a sage nod.

It wasn’t long after that that Heather’s pains began to ease and she fell into a deeper and more restful sleep. She seemed to be finished with the changes so Autumn and I went to lay on my bed and watch her from there. We fell asleep snuggling and watching over her, but that wasn’t surprising for me with my lack of sleep the night before while watching over her. I could see why the Fay were so big on that sort of thing, it was very relaxing.

I awoke with Autumn’s twitching and pointed ear tickling my sensitive nose. She smelled so nice, and for a moment I considered just lying there and enjoying the companionship for a while longer. That is until I heard a soft and musical voice mutter, “…practically all over each other in public. Don’t they have any decency?”

I opened my eyes and found that the voice, though unfamiliar, was coming right from where I thought it was. Heather was glowering at me and Autumn from her bed. I took a deep breath and tried to be the better person. “Good morning, Heather. It’s good to see that you’re feeling better, we kind of fell asleep watching over you after you started sleeping peacefully. Would you like to go for a shower and to have a look at your new self in the mirror? You probably have time before breakfast.”

She ignored me, or at least my words. “There are rules against relationships, you know,” she said with a sneer.

“No,” I calmly replied. “The rule is ‘no sex’. We were cuddling while watching over you and we’re just friends. The Fay are very physically affectionate to those who they care about, it’s something that you should get used to.” I could barely keep the smile from forming on my lips.

The former princess let out a very unladylike snort of indignation. “Some of us have more important things to do than ‘cuddle’ with your pointy-eared girlfriend.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that, Heather. I think that you have more in common with her than you think,” I said trying to hide a satisfied smirk. “Now let’s go get you showered and into a robe so you can have some breakfast and go see Sira for some clothes and your weapon.”

“Is that an order, Wing Commander?” she spat venomously.

Okay, I had had about enough of this. I got out of my bed and stomped toward hers, ready to pull her out of it if need be. “What is your problem with me?! I haven’t done anything to you!”

“My problem is that you’ve been just handed everything because you’re Archangel Abbadine’s granddaughter, little miss perfect! She put you on this team, made you the team leader, and I heard that you didn’t even have to be tested like the rest of us!” she shouted back at me.

She was jealous of me? I was stunned, but not stunned enough to dull my anger. “Handed everything?! You egotistical bitch! You don’t know anything about hardship! You were raised in the palace, had every need looked after, people to dress you, a family! You were put on this team only because you demanded it, Princess. Because you get everything that you want! My grandmother raised me because my only other family was killed by Demons! I grew up with a body that I hated and this was my chance to change it and be happy for once, and you’re ruining it! I don’t even want to be the team leader! And the only reason that I wasn’t tested was that I fought a Demon and won before coming here! I’ve shed blood, sweat, and tears for this! I took care of your spoiled ungrateful ass the whole time you were in that bed too!”

“You think I had it easy?! I was hidden from the public and haven’t been able to leave the palace since the day I was born! When my sister was born I was told that I would never be Queen! My only choice was to become an Angel! I grew up hearing stories about them, especially your grandmother! From the moment I found out that this was my fate I wanted her to come to the palace and teach me but she left for you!” Heather snapped back furiously.

I clenched my fists and looked around us. Our shouting match had woken not only our teammates but many of the other girls in the infirmary as well. I felt bad, this was no place to be shouting at one another. I took the robe and clean gown that Sira had left for Heather and shoved them at her while telling her in a carefully controlled voice, “Shut up and listen. We’re going to the lavatory so you can get cleaned up and have a look at your new self before breakfast. That’s an order.”

Heather was seething and after snatching the clothing from my outstretched arms she stormed toward the lavatory with me and the other girls following close behind. It was then that I came up with the name for our team since we were told to think of one. Storm Wing. It seemed appropriate given how things were going so far.

We arrived to see Heather staring at her reflection in the mirror, her pile of temporary clothes dropped onto the edge of one of the sinks. “I… I’m…”

“Yeah, you’re a Fay,” Karina finished as Heather stared at her eyes and ears.

“It’s not like you’re the only one in the group,” Lisbet added. “Though I doubt that you’re going to be as huggy as Autumn.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I don’t know how I’m going to get anyone to believe she was born one of us, especially other Fay. Her first name is okay, if I can figure out another name other than Wilson that sounds more Fay-like. Maybe Heather Blossom,” Autumn put in thoughtfully.

“I had to give up the Wilson name when I came here,” Heather spat. “We can’t have people thinking that some demonic-looking Angel is part of the royal lineage. I understand why, but it still hurts.” For a brief moment there she looked vulnerable and I felt bad that we couldn’t get along. She covered it up quickly though and turned toward the shower in a huff, removing her dirty gown as she went.

We all finished our morning showers and quickly got dressed, put our weapons on, and headed down to the cafeteria to meet our trainer for breakfast. Heather wasn’t very happy when my grandmother reinforced that Autumn would be giving her Fay lessons. In fact, she thought it a good idea that we all learn more about one another’s people so Autumn would be teaching all of us the basics while teaching Heather more in-depth during our spare time. The name Heather Blossom also stuck.

After we ate, our trainer took Heather for a tour of the complex and to get her clothes and gear while the rest of us were left to our own devices. It was over an hour later that Connie informed me. -= Incoming communication request from Archangel Abbadine Bengal. Do you accept? =-

“Sure, Connie,” I quickly replied.

-= Connecting call. =-

No sooner had she finished informing me of that, I heard my grandmother’s voice speaking to me. -= Snow, I’m done with giving Heather the tour. I want the four of you to come down and join us in the training room. It’s time that those of you with close-quarters weapons start practicing with them. I know Lisbet doesn’t have one but she should get used to watching combat and looking for openings to use her weapon. =-

“Yes, Wingleader. We’ll come right down. Is there anything else?” I responded vocally since I couldn’t just think it like when engaging Connie. We actually had to speak so the nanites could pick up and transmit our voices. We could apparently send some form of text messages via our NCIs though.

-= That’s all, Snow. You four get down here so we can get started. Wingleader out. =-

-= Call terminated. =-

I sighed and turned despondently to my teammates, who had all started watching me the moment that I started talking about something completely unrelated to our conversation. “We’ve been ordered to go to the training room. Our… uhh… trainer wants us to start getting used to using our weapons in close combat.”

We made our way to the elevator and requested that Sira take us to the armory level where we quickly made our way to the training room to report for duty. I noticed something wrong immediately upon entering the room. Heather was smiling. She turned toward us and it quickly morphed into a satisfied smirk. That’s when I noticed the weapon she was holding, the long shaft and blade at the end were very familiar. It was the G-2 Shadowstrike, the same weapon that my grandmother used.

“Look what weapon I got issued. Isn’t it great? And nobody knows how to use this weapon better than our Wingleader, so I’m sure that she’ll be able to teach me personally. I wonder who’s going to teach you to use that big eyesore that you’re wearing,” she taunted.

I snarled at the satisfied look on her face and the venom in her tone, my ears flat on my head and my tail bristling. I reached behind my shoulder to draw my massive claymore, holding it between us one-handed but not feeling any strain from its weight or cumbersome length. I was done with her attitude. If that bitch wanted to go there, then I was more than happy to use my ‘eyesore’ to slice her to ribbons.