[private] i hear the voice of rage and ruin; wolfbane

[Wolfbane]

The world yielded to his whims, now. In the beginning the sense of tenuous existence he lived in, one where he was constantly fighting himself to maintain shape or color, overwhelmed him completely. Wolfbane found he couldn’t remain in the company of other horses for extended periods of time, couldn’t trust himself not to react when he felt anything less than relaxed. He was constantly tired and constantly trailing Lepis, using her and her magic like a crutch when he needed it. But now… now it was simply a matter of what he wanted and the shape of his body would shift to suit his needs.

Did he wish to stay quiet, undetected? Then his hooves would split into soft, padded paws and he would glide like death through the fog and heavy ferns. Did he want to feel true speed? Then he could arch his back and mold his bones into a haunches-heavy creature, one that supported itself on thick forelegs and ran with blinding speed. He could fly faster, swim deeper and farther, smell and taste and see more than any one creature ever could.

The world rose up to meet him and every step he took was one perfectly placed. Wolfbane no longer blinked or breathed without purpose; he was a wholly new animal designed to be the apex of every other animal known in this world. He even garnered from Eyas (right before she’d disappeared) that Wyrm had unlocked the ability to take on the body types of animals long since extinct.

With more practice, Wolfbane could resurrect what even fate itself longed to bury in the earth.

And yet, he’s still surprised by the eagerness haunting his wife’s gaze. Lepis seemed hungry to have her old husband back - the Wolfbane who’d chosen love over duty and honor. She wanted something that no longer existed and like Gale, she wasn’t ready to let the old Bane die. Her nest-mate stared back into that waiting expression, a small part of himself lamenting that he was losing the ability to even want to care, and answered her request with a flat, “If you wish.”

The heavy sounds of his tread as he came alongside her thudded to a stop. Wolfbane glanced once at the way his partner stood waiting and flicked his ears: the motion traveled through his body like a tsunami of cramping muscle and skin, causing him to groan softly while a faint popping noise inside his fleshy core signaled that he was shape-shifting.

Bane leaned back, clenching his jaw through the pain while a blank expression of otherworldly concentration overcame him. His chest thickened, causing his forelegs to spread apart from another. Both of the blue-and-gold appendages shrank and melted into the bony, top curve of each wing, leaving him balancing in a half-rear and flapping to keep himself upright. The semi-horse took flight immediately, bobbing slowly into the air above while the rest of his transformation took place.

In the end, Wolfbane turned himself to a near-bird. He was still gigantic, with the fully-plumed breast, hind talons, and even feathered tail of some exotic jungle bird, while his neck and head remained nearly the same, save a different color. He looked like an unnatural melding of peacock and stallion, going as far to narrow his facial features and round his eyes to mimic that of an avian creature. This was more Wolfbane than the horse-skin he wore to make others feel comfortable around him. This was Lepis’ husband, the one who experienced the world in ways she couldn’t. Perhaps, he reasoned as he circled slowly, seeing him like this would make it all the more clear to her.

“You went to visit Heartfire, didn’t you?” The sound of his question broke the ice, higher and more … screechy than usual.

@[Lepis]