There, at last, was the flood of questions he'd been expecting, and he would have grinned merrily if he'd been wearing his human shape. Instead he snorted, tossing his head in amusement and approval at her curiosity. I'll start with Attuned and we can go from there, he said, a chuckle underlying his mental voice. Remember those four races of humans I mentioned? Those of us who come through the portals find ourselves remade, in a way, by the passage through them, so that we fit in to Caido better. We fall into one of those races, whether we will it or not, I'm afraid. Attuned are one, though, that have the power to change their shape between human and animal. For some, it is only one animal. For others, it can be several, as they become more used to what they are. But when in our animal forms we have the ability to speak to other Attuned through a mental link. There was so much more than that, but it seemed more than enough to begin with, and he tilted his head at her with a smile in his eyes, even if his equine face couldn't even begin to manage the expression. Since only Attuned can hear each other through that mental link, and you can hear me... I assume you are one as well.
Her other questions were a bit more personal, and some of his humor faded to solemn courtesy as he pawed the ground thoughtfully and considered his answers. Some share an animal shape, but I have no idea what yours is. It could be a horse, or a mouse, or a bird, or a cat. Or something else entirely. I have seen snow leopards and owls, elk and lions, hawks and wolves, hummingbirds and raccoons. When you are ready, seek inside yourself, and you will discover your own animal. He considered her for a moment longer, then gave a regretful shake of his head, mane flying. As for my other shapes, though some people are quite open with what they can be, it was... not something spoken of openly in my family, on my world. Nor am I comfortable transforming in front of others. Call me eccentric, but those are parts of myself I do not easily share with strangers, until friendship has been earned. He paused a moment, then dipped his head in wry acknowledgment. Or unless an emergency arises that a different shape could help with.
Her other questions were a bit more personal, and some of his humor faded to solemn courtesy as he pawed the ground thoughtfully and considered his answers. Some share an animal shape, but I have no idea what yours is. It could be a horse, or a mouse, or a bird, or a cat. Or something else entirely. I have seen snow leopards and owls, elk and lions, hawks and wolves, hummingbirds and raccoons. When you are ready, seek inside yourself, and you will discover your own animal. He considered her for a moment longer, then gave a regretful shake of his head, mane flying. As for my other shapes, though some people are quite open with what they can be, it was... not something spoken of openly in my family, on my world. Nor am I comfortable transforming in front of others. Call me eccentric, but those are parts of myself I do not easily share with strangers, until friendship has been earned. He paused a moment, then dipped his head in wry acknowledgment. Or unless an emergency arises that a different shape could help with.
