As the hair built up into a body its grip on Al strengthened, thick and thicker swathes of hair wrapping around him and tearing him from his brother's grip: but where before it only fell and reformed at the strike of blade now it responded, half-recoiling and half-writhing whenever a blow landed on what might have been an arm -- a shoulder -- a torso --

The rattling sound that surrounded them coalesced with the hair, focusing until it sounded clearly from a rapidly-forming head. Still the shape was built of hair, still it seemed to hug the ground in a wretched contortion, but more and more it was humanoid: human-shaped, but twisted, assembled incorrectly.