Ember and Pulse crossed the bridge to the far side of the river to pick wild strawberries.
Ember had been watching them since they were little and green. Now they were juicy and ready to be picked!
Then the sun went behind the clouds and it started raining. Ember sat on the ground and threw the basket for strawberries over her head.
Pulse tried not to laugh, took the basket off of her head and threw his arms around her. "It won't last forever," he reassured her. But Ember didn’t believe him. It would never stop raining.
And then the clouds parted, the sun came out. Ember stopped crying and looked at Pulse. “Strawberries?” He asked.
But Ember had other plans. She jumped up and ran into the river. Floating on her back, looking up at the moving clouds. And then she felt something on her stomach. It was Pulse! But he wasn't human anymore... now he was a little brown duck. He quacked at her playfully.
Without a second thought, Ember turned herself into a frog and hopped onto Pulse's back.
Pulse quacked with surprise and delight and then became a fly and landed flat on Ember's green back.
Ember gave him a side eye (frogs are really good at giving side eye), flicked out her long, pink tongue... and ATE HIM!!!
But Pulse wasn't going down without a fight! While he was in Ember's froggy tummy he transformed into a swan. The frog shattered into a million pieces of silver glitter and reassembled as a swan swimming next to Pulse.
They swam quietly down the river.
Then Ember became a great blue heron and took off out of the water. Pulse morphed into a raven and followed her into the sky.
Pulse pecked at the great blue heron teasingly and Ember changed one more time into a bald eagle. They soared through the sky doing flips and turns and nose dives.
Until they were so tired they collapsed on the ground together. Human once again, laughing in the wildflowers.