"I don't - I don't think I like it." Her instincts were starting to overpower her again. Era wanted to run, she wanted to fly away. This was uncomfortably different. She was used to feeling small enough already. Now she was utterly defenseless. Her lip quivered and she couldn't see beyond her immediate fears to the importance of what Emi was explaining.
"No. No! I don't like it. Humans are mean and cruel. And the man shot at me just because he wanted my scales. He could have killed me. He would have killed me and never even thought twice about it! Humans aren't wonderful. They're terrifying!" Era was getting herself quite worked up. Had she still been a dragon, her tail would have been lashing. As it was, all she could do was flail her arms.
Her tail was gone.
Her tail was GONE.
With a commanding tone born from fear, Era demanded, "Put me back. Put me back now!" Though had Era been more reasonable, she would have had to admit that returning her form at this point would be a bad idea. She was too emotional to be safe this close to the town.