Acerbic, harsh, angry tones reverberate around me, through me, as Korbin's anger evidently gets the better of him. Apparently this sort of thing is something I'll have to get used to since apparently I can hear them now.
Or - wait, what?
My adrenaline levels have been on and off a lot recently, the random, anxious muscle spasms as my body lets itself down only to rev itself back up again cause me to shiver, despite the warmth of the room and the deer upon my lap.
I've been in emergency situations before. I've dealt with high-stress situations before. I can get through this. Right?!
I want to reply to Korbin, but, now with the knowledge of his deafness (and on an empathetic level, I now understand why his emotions are the way they are), I simply nod numbly, hoping that my apologetic expression and genuine concern convey enough that I'm sorry - I wish I knew - I want to help -
Then Loren drops a bomb on me and that's when my brain starts jumping from thought to thought rather quickly again. I want to question him, to doubt him, to deny him, it's impossible, I want to say, and yet…-
I shiver, not just from the nervousness in my muscles this time, but from a cooler patch on my lap - the beautiful Astra has evacuated her position upon me, and I am left feeling a bit lost, adrift, though my body hasn't moved at all.
I do my best to take in what the honey-badger-man has to say-think, and I again focus on my mental strength to force a sort of calmness over me. I see the chaos of everything that has happened, and I remember my friends calling me a Vulcan - a logical mind amidst the shitstorm that is life.
I find clarity within myself. I recognise something… different. Not foreign, exactly. Just… undiscovered.
I don't know exactly how much time has passed - likely about half a minute - where I have been sitting still, silent, tall, my focus not on any of the others in the room, but elsewhere - within.
And then it happens.
It's a smooth, quick process. This surprises me, more than anything else at the moment: just how fast I can shed my old body, the one that has been me since I was born, the one that has taken me from infant to child to boy to a (young) man. No longer does tanned skin wrap itself around me, or messy hair grow from my scalp. No longer do my long legs drape over the edge of the chair, my arms resting upon the armrests.
It is a strange sensation, overall. But not completely unpleasant.
First, I seem to shrink, or perhaps my limbs seem to fold in on themselves a bit, as my mass becomes less (though I suspect the power behind the tight muscles that become apparent increases), and my vision becomes sharper, and everything changes.
I take a deep breath in, my new and improved olfactory senses revealing a whole new world to me that I never knew existed before. I twitch - this time, I twitch my tail, an extremely overly long appendage that appears to have grown. I am still sitting upon the chair, though now my posture is that of a feline, with my front paws placed flat before me, and my haunches crouched down behind them. I tilt my head as I look at myself, and recognise the creature that I have become with some ease (I'm a vet, remember), clouded leopard.
"Cool," I "say", though I haven't quite realised that's what I've done. My internal emotions are oddly calm, despite everything that has occurred, and scientifically, logically, I know it's because I am probably suffering from some level of shock - but also, I have just realised something that every vet on (my) planet would want to experience, and I cannot help the deep satisfaction that outweighs everything else in this moment.
I look to the other three in this room, seeing them in a new light with my feline-vision and senses, wondering idly what else they might have in store for me. First thing's first, however: "Korbin," I address the raven as directly as I can, not really knowing how to 'aim', so just pushing my thoughts out there. "Thank you for your help. I hope I can repay you in kind one day." I hope the sincerity of my words is apparent, the genuine gratitude obvious, to them.
I stand, flexing muscles that weren't configured that way just before, an odd amusement at how I must look bubbling up within me as I deftly hop down from the chair to stand before the honey badger. I stretch my newfound body, flexing all of my toes and paws, feeling these strange new sensations, watching from the corner of my eye as my muscles ripple down my spotted pelt. With a soft mental chuckle, I look to the honey badger with the same gratitude in my eyes.
"I appreciate your help too, Loren," I offer, my emotions hinting at the certain despair I would have been in had I not been fortunate enough to meet these fine men.
"If I may be so bold - I'd love to know more. Whatever you have to teach me, I am willing to learn." Though exhaustion is no doubt evident, I urge myself to stay focussed, to greedily absorb whatever they have to offer me, to learn and grow and hopefully deal with the fact that this is it - this is my life now.
ooc: I once again must plead forgiveness for the absolute WALL OF TEXT
Or - wait, what?
My adrenaline levels have been on and off a lot recently, the random, anxious muscle spasms as my body lets itself down only to rev itself back up again cause me to shiver, despite the warmth of the room and the deer upon my lap.
I've been in emergency situations before. I've dealt with high-stress situations before. I can get through this. Right?!
I want to reply to Korbin, but, now with the knowledge of his deafness (and on an empathetic level, I now understand why his emotions are the way they are), I simply nod numbly, hoping that my apologetic expression and genuine concern convey enough that I'm sorry - I wish I knew - I want to help -
Then Loren drops a bomb on me and that's when my brain starts jumping from thought to thought rather quickly again. I want to question him, to doubt him, to deny him, it's impossible, I want to say, and yet…-
I shiver, not just from the nervousness in my muscles this time, but from a cooler patch on my lap - the beautiful Astra has evacuated her position upon me, and I am left feeling a bit lost, adrift, though my body hasn't moved at all.
I do my best to take in what the honey-badger-man has to say-think, and I again focus on my mental strength to force a sort of calmness over me. I see the chaos of everything that has happened, and I remember my friends calling me a Vulcan - a logical mind amidst the shitstorm that is life.
I find clarity within myself. I recognise something… different. Not foreign, exactly. Just… undiscovered.
I don't know exactly how much time has passed - likely about half a minute - where I have been sitting still, silent, tall, my focus not on any of the others in the room, but elsewhere - within.
And then it happens.
It's a smooth, quick process. This surprises me, more than anything else at the moment: just how fast I can shed my old body, the one that has been me since I was born, the one that has taken me from infant to child to boy to a (young) man. No longer does tanned skin wrap itself around me, or messy hair grow from my scalp. No longer do my long legs drape over the edge of the chair, my arms resting upon the armrests.
It is a strange sensation, overall. But not completely unpleasant.
First, I seem to shrink, or perhaps my limbs seem to fold in on themselves a bit, as my mass becomes less (though I suspect the power behind the tight muscles that become apparent increases), and my vision becomes sharper, and everything changes.
I take a deep breath in, my new and improved olfactory senses revealing a whole new world to me that I never knew existed before. I twitch - this time, I twitch my tail, an extremely overly long appendage that appears to have grown. I am still sitting upon the chair, though now my posture is that of a feline, with my front paws placed flat before me, and my haunches crouched down behind them. I tilt my head as I look at myself, and recognise the creature that I have become with some ease (I'm a vet, remember), clouded leopard.
"Cool," I "say", though I haven't quite realised that's what I've done. My internal emotions are oddly calm, despite everything that has occurred, and scientifically, logically, I know it's because I am probably suffering from some level of shock - but also, I have just realised something that every vet on (my) planet would want to experience, and I cannot help the deep satisfaction that outweighs everything else in this moment.
I look to the other three in this room, seeing them in a new light with my feline-vision and senses, wondering idly what else they might have in store for me. First thing's first, however: "Korbin," I address the raven as directly as I can, not really knowing how to 'aim', so just pushing my thoughts out there. "Thank you for your help. I hope I can repay you in kind one day." I hope the sincerity of my words is apparent, the genuine gratitude obvious, to them.
I stand, flexing muscles that weren't configured that way just before, an odd amusement at how I must look bubbling up within me as I deftly hop down from the chair to stand before the honey badger. I stretch my newfound body, flexing all of my toes and paws, feeling these strange new sensations, watching from the corner of my eye as my muscles ripple down my spotted pelt. With a soft mental chuckle, I look to the honey badger with the same gratitude in my eyes.
"I appreciate your help too, Loren," I offer, my emotions hinting at the certain despair I would have been in had I not been fortunate enough to meet these fine men.
"If I may be so bold - I'd love to know more. Whatever you have to teach me, I am willing to learn." Though exhaustion is no doubt evident, I urge myself to stay focussed, to greedily absorb whatever they have to offer me, to learn and grow and hopefully deal with the fact that this is it - this is my life now.
ooc: I once again must plead forgiveness for the absolute WALL OF TEXT
Chulane
fridooh & whimzi @ deviantart
