"The other reason we moved," said Raven, "was that I was bullied at my old school."

"Because of the girl's clothes?" asked Shrillikina. Raven nodded.

"But you decided to live as a girl...."

"It doesn't work like that in wolfkin society," Raven said. "People know you by your smell. No matter how you look, you're a boy in a dress."

"You told me the first day that you were a boy!" exclaimed Freydis.

"But you didn't know," said Raven, "until I told you. That was my choice."

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"That makes sense," said Lumpikith. "I jive with that. I'm enby myself."

Raven looked mystified. "What does that mean?"

"Short for N.B., non-binary."

This did not clear Raven's confusion. Lumpikith said, "It means I'm not a boy nor a girl. I'm kind of in-between. Or rather, sometimes I'm a girl and sometimes I'm a boy. It really depends on the person, but I don't fit the mold, so to speak."

Raven blinked. "Then... maybe I'm enby too?"

Lumpikith laughed. "You only just realized?"

"I don't really get all this," said Freydis, "but I'm fine with you guys as you are."

"Thanks," Raven replied. "But I do have a long-term goal...."

"Oh?"

"Yes. In the deepest part of the dungeon, there's a magic item that can transform me into a girl. If I become a great mage and an adventurer, one day I might find one...."

"Are you talkin about the T-Gurl Bracelet?" asked Fluffdusti. "My dad has hundreds of those things...."

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Raven stared at Fluffdusti. "I'm sorry - what?"

"It's a cursed item," said Fluffdusti. "Wyrmhaven Deep is a very popular dungeon. People sell cursed items to my dad. He runs a shop - Dustbunni's Cursed Items Junk Shop. It's also a pawn shop, and a dungeon lost and found. Any cursed item found in Wyrmhaven Deep, dad's got dozens of 'em."

"Seriously?" asked Raven. "A bracelet that can make me a girl?"

"Sure. I can bring one tomorrow if you like."

Raven swallowed. "Um... I guess?"

Raven stared at the silver bracelet. "Is this really it?" he asked.

Fluffdusti nodded. "It looks exactly like a Bracelet of Power, which can double your strength and endurance. That's how they trick ya. But look at the demon's eyes under a magnifying glass. What do you see?"

Raven examined the intricate design. "There's... a female symbol?"

"That's the clue. This one's actually a T-Gurl Bracelet, see?"

"So if I put this on..." said Raven.

"You'll become a girl," replied Fluffdusti.

Raven stared at the bracelet long and hard.

"How long does it take?" he asked. "Is it instant?"

"Not exactly," replied Fluffdusti. "You wear it, and it won't come off. You transform slowly over the next 24 hours. After that, the symbol reflected in the demon's eyes becomes a formless blob. At that point it's basically junk. You can remove it and throw it away."

"What are you waiting for?" asked Freydis. "Put it on!"

"I'm not exactly sure," said Raven, "if I WANT to be a girl...."

Fluffdusti threw up her hands. "What? I thought it was your entire goal to find one of these T-Gurl Bracelets?"

"That," said Raven, "was mostly mom and dad's idea. I liked wearing girl's clothes, and I didn't want to be a wolfkin warrior, and they just assumed... I never actually said...."

"Then you DON'T want to be a girl?"

Raven shrugged. "Maybe? Probably? But what if I try it and I don't like it?"

Fluffdusti laughed. "You DID hear me say my dad had hundreds of these yes?"

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Raven blinked. "What do you mean?"

"If you don't like being a girl," said Fluffdusti, "then you can use a T-Boi Bracelet and become a boy again."

"I can? Will that work?"

"Of course!" Fluffdusti smirked. "Do you think I haven't tried it myself?"

Raven was stunned. "You have?"

"You bet! Lumpikith too. In fact, Lumpi changes gender every other month...."

Lumpikith laughed. "I DID say that sometimes I'm a girl, sometimes I'm a boy...."

#microfiction