New Appearance

The moment we stepped into Turry's shed, I stopped in my tracks. "Turry?", I ask, unsure. "Moo!", Turry mooed loudly then rushed towards me. This was Turry, there was no doubt about it. Though his appearance changed, he was still the same cuddly Taurus. "Wow, you look different. What happened to you?", I asked. "Moo! Moo!", Turry exclaimed, but of course I couldn't understand.

Before anything else, I properly examined him. Not only did his hide change colour from deep red to almost black, he became bigger too. His horns grew longer, and got a bit twisted towards the tips. That sort of change was surely unexpected, which explained my parents' grins. "Dad! Mom! What did you do to him!?", I shouted from the shed.

"Surprised? Well, you shouldn't be really. After all, any living being has its limits. Your Taurus is no exception. He simply reached the Outer Limits stage. Of course, we helped him a bit, but you also took very good care of him. I'm pretty sure this is the first Taurus to ever reach the Outer Limits stage", my father's explanation came from outside the shed.

"Turry reached the Outer Limits stage?... To think my Turry would be this great. I have to show him off to others!". That was really great news. Turry became much stronger than before, he would be a great help during my future travels. "Oh! I almost forgot due to this pleasant surprise. Turry, meet Curly. She's a pine marten and my friend. We'll be living together from now on. Curly, Turry is really nice to others, I'm sure you two will get along", I introduced them.

Curly cautiously jumped from my shoulder onto Turry's back. He didn't mind at all, but looked left and right trying to get a closer look at her. "Hehe, give him a chance to see you. He can't turn his head that much, you know?", I said with a chuckle. Curly first made herself familiar with Turry's back, before jumping down and appearing in front of him. After a few sniffs, he slabbered her in saliva with a single lick.

"...Hey, you're covered in saliva, don't… Lay on my neck…". Curly did it on purpose, just because I chuckled. "Anyway, you'll get familiar with each other as time passes. Next time, I'll be sure to take you with me. The Endrosian Empire is really big and different. You'll like it there", I said. "Moo!", Turry seemed to like the idea.

"Hehe, his appearance isn't the only change. Sit on his back and ride around. You'll see the difference", father proposed. "Ha, I'd do that without you telling me. Come on Turry, it's been awhile since we rode together. Show me how much you've grown", I said. Turry moed happily and pointed at the saddle. He was as eager to show me, as I was curious.

After mounting Turry, curly decided not to participate. "What's wrong? Are you afraid?", "Arf!", she barked then quickly made her way to my father. 'Yea, he's like an animal magnet for sure. She doesn't even feel suspicious around him… that marten', "Suit yourself, I'll have some fun alone… Alright Turry, let's take it easy at first. I want to feel the difference", I said.

Turry made his way outside, then slowly increased his speed. We ran around our houses and whatnot, while Turry's speed seemed relatively similar to his past self. "This seems so easy for you right now. In that case, let's go a bit faster!", I exclaimed. Turry increased his pace. The speed wasn't something he could've reached before breaking past his Outer Limits. That wasn't his top speed though. I was about to praise him, when his speed increased even more. His acceleration made me lurch backwards, surprising me in the process.

'What the…?'. Turry wasn't just fast, he was extremely fast. My eyes had a hard time adjusting to the scenery, while he ran around in circles. Behind me, a dark red blur followed us… It was us, but moving so fast we were becoming blurry. That speed wasn't something my movement technique could catch up with. Turry was simply extremely fast.

Turry slowed down after a while, then stopped altogether. He was visibly tired, but able to stand and even run at a slower pace. 'I get it now. This sort of speed has its costs... Just what sort of things did dad do to him?', I asked myself. "He's fast, right?", father asked me once we stopped. "Take a rest, and eat something... I can tell he used a lot of energy for that. What exactly did you do to him? I mean, this sort of speed…", I asked.

"Well, I taught him how to use his energy properly. This is a sort of technique, if you will. I wouldn't call it a movement technique, but your Taurus is able to double his speed for a short period of time. That of course uses energy, and he can't maintain it for too long. Don't worry though, this doesn't have any side effects. Of course, under the condition he doesn't overdo it", he explained.

The two masters came to check Turry out as well. They were really impressed, and called him a magnificent creature. Master Irwin had a hint of jealousy on his face. He seemed to like Tauruses, and how much they could grow. "What? Jealous? Hehe, you ain't getting him", I gloated. "Actually, are you interested, Irwin?", father asked suddenly. "Dad! I'm not going to give him away!", I berated him.

"Hear me out, no need to panic. Your Turry is a male after all, so he has a few babies too. I mean, you didn't introduce him to any females, but we did. He's a strong father, so his kids have a chance to reach the same stage. Of course if they are raised properly. We have access to six offspring, so giving one to Irwin wouldn't be a problem. Besides, your Taurus is very lively. He can make many more kids", father explained.

This was really new to me, but also a bit wrong. "You can't give away his kids… Would you give away your daughter or son? Besides, where are they?", I asked. "They're in Apium, growing up well. Tauruses aren't like Humans, Furians or even Shades. Male Tauruses breed with many females. They aren't attached to their kids like we Humans are, that's why your Turry doesn't miss them. He's fine on his own. Actually, he cares much more about you, than about his offspring. Since he can make more of them, but not more of you, right?", father said.

"Your father's right. That is the case with most animals. Whether it's wolves or bears, this same thing happens. Leaders of the pack or sleuth have access to many females. They produce many offspring, therefore don't pay much value to them", master Irwin added. I glanced at Turry, but he didn't seem to care at all. 'This is kind of weird… Though if he's not going to miss them, I mean what's the harm'.

"I like your idea, Nex. I'll gladly take one off your hands. Though you have to let me choose. I want to make sure the best one belongs to me", master Irwin said. "By the way, what about the wolves? You were supposed to bring them in here, but I don't see them", I asked. "Oh! Yes, they are here. The pack simply left to hunt, after all we have to keep them trained. If they sit around and do nothing, they'd be nothing more than large dogs. The pack should be back in a while", father replied.

"What about my friends, uncles, aunts and so on. Are they doing well?", "Yea, everyone's doing well. You'll get to see each other one day or another... Anyway, you stay here with your mother. I'll take Irwin and Yater to Apium. Oh, and go say hi to Frosty as well. He's been missing you too, even though he pretends to be asleep right now". Just as my father said that, a subtle growl came from Frosty's direction. "Sure, I'll go talk with him right now". The two masters and my father bid me farewell for now, while I grabbed Curly then headed to meet Frosty.