Fate - First Reply Releasing Your Wild Side

[Vulpesen]

It was a rare occasion that Vulpesen spoke to his master in person, but not altogether impossible or non-existent. After all, a warlock pact had terms beyond that of the mortal half. In return for his service, Vulpesen had requested the power to to join the ranks of the Wilders, those that could become one with nature and bend it to their will. Unfortunately, saving slaves and sailing ships didn't do as much as one would hope in teaching those skills. Certainly Vulpesen could hone his skills in the act of his duties, getting plenty of practice as he defended himself and others. But re was little educational value beyond the occasional reward that was in more than money. As such, Vulpesen had followed his bond to his master upon the promise that he might learn one of the abilities that he desired most.

Now, standing before the shadowy fox in a remote grove of the Ixchel Wilds, Vulpesen greeted Varos with a respectful bow before listening to him speak. "Its good to see that you made it hear safely. I hear the winds have been howling on the seas, and that there have been whispers within the portal stones. I wonder, have you heard them yourself?"

Vulpesen nodded to this, straightening his posture to a proper elven regality. "Aye, I've heard it. Its strange, and speaks of something coming, though I don't know what just yet."

Varos nodded and stepped forward, his pads moving silently across the leaves with not so much as the slightest crunch. "Then we'd best get you prepared for it. Go forth and learn the ways of the wilds as you so desire. But for now, sit and learn. I have secrets to impart so you'd best listen close."

 

[Vulpesen]

Following his fey master with his eyes, Vulpesen watched magical power streamed from the trees around them into Varos. Slowly, the fox shifted, rising up to stand on two legs. His fur shrank away into flesh and his snout widened and pulled back into lips. For every second, Vulpesen had the sense that the shade could have done this in a heartbeat, and thus he paid extra attention to every vibration in the weave, every sensation that Varos projected through their bond, and every order that his master's body changed.

'Can you feel it? The hum in my bones? That shudder in my stomach?"' Varos asked as paws stretched into fingers and his trail shrank towards his body.

"I do. It feels strange. Its like being shaken, like your body is in the very center of a quake."

'Beware. If you do this slowly, your body will adjust. Like evolution, the change may be imperceptible. Unseen until it is over and you see what was before in comparison to after. If you rush, that evolution may appear as mutation. Your bones break, your flesh rends, and your organs dissolve and burst into being. It can be excruciating. Speed will come with practice." It wasn't until a few moments later that Vulpesen realized that the speech had ceased to touch his mind, and instead, Varos' voice had come from his own lips, formed with his newly created vocal chords.

"Understood," he replied, suppressing a shudder. Varos' vivid description made him wish he could make his stomach dissolve before it emptied itself before the powerful being. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Yes. The more familiar you are with a form, the easier it will be. Spend time with what creatures you wish to take the form of. Eat of them and with them. Study them. To take this form is to change not only your body, but in some ways, your mind. But beware the claim of the wilds. Nature's instincts are strong and the unwary will find themselves caught in them. Insects are easy to form into, but I have known many a wilder who's lives were spent as a six legged vermin enslaved by the hive's call." Stepping closer to Vulpesen, Varos lifted a palm, causing the grass to crawl up his form to create verdant trousers and a tunic. "Strike the balance between independence and instinct. Ease of form with utility.

 

[Vulpesen]

Closing his eyes, Vulpesen worked to heed his master's advice. Thinking back on all the creatures in his life, there was one that came to mind. With a deep breath, a memory came to him. Muscle and fur. Power and fang. Eyes like liquid gold and a dark maw, crimson from the spurt of blood. The smell of earth mingled with smoke and blood.

It started slow, but he could feel it. His body shrinking down as he remembered that day. The instinct didn't come to him... it merely strengthened. Protect the pack. His face lengthened and his cloak shrunk to his flesh before bursting into lush onyx fur. Pain blossomed in his mind as the bones of his feet shrunk and dissolved, his nails lengthening into claws. The fusion of his clothes felt like boiling oil melding with his flesh. 'Varos!'

The cry for help was responded to instantly and the pain of his body lessened, though Vulpesen watched as the immortal before him nearly buckled form the pain. "Focus! Control the change! Expect it! If you know what's coming, your body will prepare!" Varos growled, biting back a yelp of pain as he took his bond-mate's burden. The pain was excruciating but at the very least, it would give insight to how Vulpesen might improve his form.

 

[Vulpesen]

Gritting his newly fanged teeth, Vulpesen dug his claws into the ground and focused. 'Muscles and bones. They must change,' he thought. He knew the joints and shape of a wolf's legs and so he focuses on it. Rather than his knees snapping back in grotesque agony, he guided them into place, letting his legs ease backwards before focusing on other parts of himself. Turning his attention to his melding and shifting body, he worked to set everything where it should be rather than let it fall into place. The process was far slower, and certainly uncomfortable, but little by little his pain receded.

"That's it. Do not be guided by your haste. Trust the instincts but guide them into place. Nature will provide you with the pieces. Its up to you to set them where they must be," the fey guided, pacing around the warlock. Within moments of the words leaving Varos' mouth, it was over. Vulpesen now stood proudly in the clearing, a midnight wolf with golden eyes.