Crystal and Cole blinked and looked away, their eyes once again adjusting to the darkness. Vanessa stood there laughing at them.
"My, what a fine pair of egg layers I soon will have for my farm!" Vanessa screeched. Maybe due to Vanessa's presence, Crystal's transformation was speeding up. Feathers quickly spread across her breasts and arms. White fuzz crept onto her rapidly pointing face. She clawed furiously at the dirt with her feet, which, like her brother's, were turning bright yellow. Her legs began to feel thick.
Crystal looked from Vanessa over to Cole. He was clucking and running about, a new crop of tail feathers putting him one step closer toward being a chicken. Cole crammed his fists into his armpits and stuck out his elbows to form chicken wings. Muscle groups under the skin on his back split and reformed. It started to resemble the flapping of wings now, instead of just movement of arms up and down. Cole realized what he was doing and stretched out his arms, trying desperately to stay human.
Unlike Crystal, he had kept his human face and overall human shape. He was still pretty skinny, too. For now. Crystal wondered how much longer he would be able to control his chicken instincts. Vanessa turned toward him and pointed. Cole stopped running where he stood, a sudden pressure nearly throwing him off balance. He squatted in the dirt and began to lay a second egg.
"No... I'm a guy, I can't lay... eggs..." Sweat beaded on his forehead as he strained. Tears welled up in his eyes from the shame. Plop. The egg slid out and landed on the grass. In a panic, Cole stuck his arms back under to form his wings. With a running start he tried to fly away to escape. Cole actually lifted himself off the ground, tucking his legs up under himself for a few seconds before landing. Cole kneeled on the ground, hungry from the exertion. He started picking more seed up off the ground, wings held back for balance.
Crystal seethed with anger. Anger at Vanessa for changing their bodies against their will. Anger at herself for failing to protect Cole. "Change us back right now, or..." Crystal faltered. Her eyes flickered to an old harvesting scythe behind Vanessa, leaning on a fence. Crystal knew Vanessa never would. All of her birds were former humans, she reasoned. Crystal was just stalling, waiting for the right moment.
It was working. Distracted, Vanessa pretended to consider for a moment, before screaming "NO"! She turned to Cole, who was still kneeling on the ground, to lay a third egg. Even under his feathers, he seemed to blush from embarrassment as he forced the egg out of his new body. "Crystal... help..." He was groaning, the unfamiliar exertion seemed to drain more of his energy. Cole's red hair stuck together sloppily, halfway between hair and comb.
Plop. The egg hit the ground. Vanessa laughed so hard, tears streamed down her face. Crystal, in her anger, seized the moment. She dove to the ground, grabbed the scythe, and before Vanessa could fully turn to look at her, Crystal was on her feet, swinging wide and hard.
The severed head of Vanessa flew to the ground, crumbling instantly to dust. Black smoke curled up from her body as it withered and cracked. Cole, having regained his senses, stretched out his arms and jogged over to his sister. "Vanessa must have been ancient..." he mumbled, kicking at her husk with an outstretched talon. It ripped off a shred of leathery skin, which stuck to his claw. He awkwardly dislodged it. Crystal gave him a dirty look, but smiled at him anyway. Cole managed a weak smile in return, feeling a little less self conscious.
Crystal sat there for a while, resting, hoping that their curses would unravel upon the sorceress's death. They had no such luck. However, their transformations had stopped completely. After about ten minutes Cole became bored and ran around again, flying short distances. With each try he improved his distance, tucking his yellow legs up under himself and sticking his long neck out for balance. After another ten minutes, Cole absently stuck his face into the ground again, eating birdseed to regain energy. He began to cluck blissfully, raking the dirt with his talons. The other chickens in the yard fled from the six foot tall interloper.
Crystal heard the noise and noticed what was going on. She ran over to him, waving her arms. "Cole, what are you DOING?" she yelled. Cole blinked a bit, clucking softly. Coming out of his daze, he turned to face his sister. "I... was hungry. I just started eating... I don't know how much longer I can control this..." he whispered, burying his face under a wing. "I'm so scared..."
Gently, Crystal spoke to him. "Cole, I think at this point you are more chicken than human." His face fell. "You were much further along than I was. That's why I think I am not showing as many... signs as you are. Let's hurry and search Vanessa's house, she may have an old book or something we can use to change ourselves back."
Cole nodded stoically. "Before I'm completely chicken, you mean. Not human at all." The siblings made their way to the foreboding ranch house to begin their search.