They had been lucky. The Roc had taken to the elephants, and had practically ignored them. As the herd dispersed and the Roc deviated it’s course, Drake let out a sigh of relief. Aspect seemed to be looking for a place to settle as they slowed their pace, and she seemed to decide upon a tree not too far off of their path. He followed, and as she perched, Drake landed and let his wings disperse in a small burst of flames.

He took a moment to catch his breath, hunching over and holding his chest. He could feel his heart still pounding, the raw fear very much so still making his blood race. But they were safe. He took a few deep breaths, willing his heart rate back down, and then looked to Aspect. It could have been a lot worse. It almost was.

Aspect seemed to be trained on a surviving group of elephants that had grouped together not far off. She announced that she had a plan, and he nodded. “Go for it,” he stated, walking over to the tree and sitting under it “I still need a few minutes.” She dropped to the ground, and her form once more started to shift.

Drake watched as it grew bigger and bigger, forming into the shape of the elephant. Her ability would never cease to amaze him. With a smile, he waved to her as she went off to meet with them. The sounds of their trunks trumpeting soon changed to different forms as Aspect grew more comfortable shifting between forms. Drake had closed his eyes and semi-dozed off; the multiple transformations had worn him down more than he had expected.

It wasn’t long before he felt something approaching, and he opened his eyes to see the group of elephants coming towards him, with Aspect in her human form riding on one of their backs. He stood up, grinning. “You’re quite the amazing woman,” he said as she told him to hop on.

Without another word, he clambered up the side of the elephant, apologizing as he got to the top. “Hehe, thanks!” he said, patting the back of the elephant. “It’s definitely appreciated.”

The hide of the elephant was unlike any she had ever felt before.  It was both rough and yet soft at the same time, with deep ridges like that of an oak tree. Each step sent a ripple through the massive muscles and she was able to feel them move beneath her legs. The head was massive, her feet didn't even reach all the way down to the bottom jaw of the creature. The ears were huge and in proportion to the rest of the body, they were so big they covered her legs like large leathery blankets. The elephant stopped near Drake and she felt the muscles brace to stop. The inertia of the creature must have been immense and she was grateful that they didn't often run, she didn't believe much except for a huge wall would be able to stop it.

Aspect looked down at Drake as he called up to her. She smiled and extended her hand as he climbed on behind her. Once he was settled he tapped the elephant lightly on the back and it turned around and rejoined the herd. The process was slow, but she sensed the elephants had great endurance and it wouldn't be too terribly long before they got to the lake. "This is incredible," she said looking back at him. "I've never ridden another creature before." She shifted back into her small cat form and stood upon the creature's skull. She could see for miles being up so high. She was hesitant to look over the side and see how high up they were.

"I see why people like this. It's a lot easier and saves so much effort." She sat down contently on the elephants neck. If it had noticed a difference when she changed forms, it didn't react. She rocked back and forth gently with each great stride. The animals all moved together as she looked across the herd. Some of them were smaller than others, some bigger than the great elephant they rode upon. She watched with perked ears and peaked interest as she saw a little baby holding on to the tail of its mother to keep from being separated. Even though it was very young, it stood almost as tall as her.