Something had been trying to work its way through his thoughts lately, a wriggling little reminder that he had seen Remi call hawks to help him out before. Jigano had never even thought to try such a thing in his foxform, which still felt like a natural extension of his abilities as a kitsune that he assumed he still had the same limitations, even though he no longer had the extra abilities that had been his birthright.
Now, though... now he had a form with wings and a beak. A form that didn't feel quite so personal, or so part of him, though he realized how silly that sounded. At least it was a form he hadn't been born with, and so it felt more like a spell than a part of his heart and soul that needed to be hidden away from those that might use it to wound him.
It also gave him a freedom he had never fully grasped before, not even the few times he had clumsily flown in human shape under a Fly spell. He still lacked the grace that Remi's hawk form did, but who needed that when he had a voice that could mimic so many sounds and even simple speech? But there was something he did want to try, and so while a man walked through the Settlement and onto the path to the forest, as soon as he was alone it was a white-feathered raven that flew into the blooming forest and found a perch on a fallen log. He croaked quietly to himself for a moment, then raised his head and focused his will to call any birds within reach to come to him.
The songbirds, singing their hearts out to attract mates and give warning of the white corvid, ignored him completely, but a raven, two crows, and a magpie came on black-and-white wings to investigate him, and for a long moment the small murder simply looked at each other with bright, curious eyes.
Though Longnight had robbed him of the habit, now that warmth and light had returned to the world, so Caiside returned to the woods. It was truly one of the simplest pleasures he had, and one of the only ones that had not been taken from him when he had been snatched from his own world. His other form (his divine form a stubborn voice inside of his head still insisted) still felt right, more natural than his more human form.
Natural or not though, even Caiside couldn't justify the waste of time without pretending it was for something else. His excuse today was that he was looking for shrines, or other evidence of the Gods. A weak excuse, but not entirely out of the realm of possibility. There had been little holy places scattered everywhere around his own world, tucked into secret places, and given what he had found in his research, Caido was at least similar in that sense.
It had been a long, fruitless walk so far. No signs of Gods, but... the woods were too nice to write off as a complete waste. Birds were singing, the sun shone through the leaves and warmed the dark fur on his back. It was peaceful. The sound of birds wings broke the peace, his ears swiveling towards the sound before his head did, too slow to catch anything but the briefest flash of black wings. Another flutter came from behind him, and this time he was ready to see the flutter of black wings, heading to the same spot. Well. One was coincidence, but two was a pattern, and one that he was going to follow. Carefully picking his way through the brush, he came upon a murder, in a sense.
A white raven sat upon a log, seemingly the leader of the small group of birds. Caiside felt like even more of an interloper in comparison to it, his own dark hide a stark contrast to the albino bird. It looked at him with an intelligence he was immediately suspicious of, even coming from a raven. He dipped his head in silent greeting, then remembered something Jigano had told him. If this was another attuned, he should be able to communicate with them. It was worth a try, if nothing came of it then only he would know he had been foolish.
Greetings, friend. Caiside pushed the thought out, unsure of hoe exactly this worked. He dipped his head as he spoke his silent greeting, a second greeting, and sign of respect.
Though they had come at his call - corvids all and only, he noticed curiously - no attempt to make them do anything specific to his will earned anything other than a derisive cawing. He was trying to figure out what to do next - ask, rather than command? - when their little convocation was interrupted by a magnificent stag that stepped into view shortly after the arrival of his last magpie. Sleek and dark and powerful, the king of the forest seemed to almost recognize him...
And then the great, antlered head bowed in what could only be greeting and Jigano fluttered his feathers in sudden anxiety, suspicion blossoming to defense as he tried to wrap his thoughts tight and shut out the voice that slipped insidiously into his mind, intrusive and uninvited and--
familiar?
Caiside?! the blue-eyed raven returned in shock even as he cawed, flapping his wings in agitation. The murder around him rose in a flurry of wings, adding their harsh voices to the chorus as they swirled up around the stag to take refuge in the branches up above.
The immediate reaction of shock and fear was not what Caiside had been expecting in response to his greeting. His surprise at that was nothing compared to the familiar voice in his head. Surely, it couldn't possibly be Jigano. He would have mentioned something, anything about it, wouldn't he? Caiside cast his mind back through their conversations, searching for some hint that he had missed. Nothing came to him, but... there was no reason to hide it.
Slowly, Caiside raised his great head, golden eyes focused on the white bird before him, the only one that hadn't actually flown away in a panic. His ears flicked back and forth while he thought, trying to wrap his mind around this strange new revelation. There had to be a reasonable explanation, but judging by the other attuned's reaction, it wouldn't do to just demand answers.
I'm sorry to have interrupted your meeting. There was a vaguely amused dryness in his tone, though he stayed just aloof enough to still be calming. I didn't expect that to work, if I'm being honest.
It was Caiside, he realized belatedly. Hadn't the man told him that he had a stag form? One with smoldering antlers? Well, the fire might have been taken from him, but the reddish cast to the bone echoed the memory of fire when the dappled sunlight hit them just right. Embarrassed by his outburst the raven began to preen his ruffled feathers back into place, mind racing.
He flinched - visibly - when the other man's voice tore past his flimsy defenses and ripped into his mind again, and paused with one wing half-lifted as he settled mussed feathers. Slowly, shoulders hunched, he turned his head to face the stag again - and looked up. And up. Which did not help his flash of anger and resentment at having his mind invaded yet, even by one he counted friend.
But... Caiside was a friend, as Remi had not been. And unlike Remi, Caiside knew whose mind hid inside the pale animal's form. The realization didn't dull his paranoia completely, but it took some of the edge off of his instinctive anger and urge to lash out. He didn't reply to the apology immediately, but instead fluffed his feathers and fluttered his ungainly way up to a low branch so they could speak at more-or-less eye level.
I am... not comfortable, having others in my mind, he finally said, pulling up his feathered body to its full, dignified height. On my world I had the power to prevent it but here..." Here, Attuned had none of the powers of a mage capable of deflecting prying thoughts. Here, it was considered normal... which made Jigano all the more isolated for his outlander aloofness. Still... it is good to see you looking well, he managed with a ghost of his usual graciousness.
Caiside didn't understand the reaction he was causing, but Jigano was clearly startled, and upset, every time he "spoke". That alone was enough to keep Caiside carefully silent, even his body held carefully still. After what felt like an entirely too long stand off, the pale bird shifted, Jigano flying up to a position on a much higher branch. One where they were eye to eye, which Caiside immediately felt bad for. He could have moved to meet the other halfway, kneeling down to make their difference in stature less apparent.
Jiganos explanation only made him feel more guilty, kept Caiside quiet for a moment longer. He considered his words, and tried to keep them as brief as he could. I'm sorry. I had never considered my voice would be ill received. His head dipped again, the gesture apologetic this time. It wasn't a transgression he understood, but the other man was his friend, and his actions were not made more acceptable by the fact that he hadn't though they were harmful.
A snort left him at the comment that followed, he could all but hear the warm smile that accompanied the words, though circumstances did dampen it somewhat. I am as well as I can be. He confirmed, before asking a question he wasn't able to hold in any longer. What where you doing with those birds?
Caiside hadn't been certain his voice would be received at all, it had sounded like, which made Jigano feel a little guilty about his reaction. The ex-demigod hadn't known he was Attuned, much less known that the raven was unhappy with mental speech in any form, and his 'mistake' had been honest and innocently made. That didn't make the telepathic communications much easier to bear, but it did quench some of the anger he was feeling, enough for him to regain a little of his poise. The apology did even more to soothe his ruffled feathers, and though it felt like pulling teeth to do so, he allowed the mental rapport to continue with a veneer of courtesy laid over his anxiety.
He shifted restless feet on the branch beneath him, talons opening and closing around the smooth bark as the conversation continued. But... as much as it galled him, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise? He had begun to consider what would be needed when the barrier fell. An exploration party - several, in truth - would need to be sent out to scout the area around the Hollowed Grounds, and what better disguise than Attuned-shifted animals? But they would need to communicate somehow, and if he intended to join them he would need to open his mind to them at least a little ways...
The only other Attuned he was certain of for sure was Remi, and even if the boy were not in mourning he was not one that Jigano would wish to practice this with. Caiside was his friend, and perhaps a future guildmate, and what more could he ask for, really?
After several long moments of silence the raven fluffed up his feathers and un-hunched his shoulders a little, letting out a quiet croak - resigned acceptance, though he didn't think Caiside spoke Corvid. Trying something I have seen another Attuned do, he admitted, his voice slow and a little reluctant at first. A... sense... for lack of a better word, that I can call other animals like myself to come to me. I tried calling 'birds' but the only ones who came were crows and ravens and magpies, so there seems to be a limit to it. He couldn't shrug, but he flapped his wings briefly before refolding them against his back. It's only recently that I felt like I could do this, though. It is... strange. A little like how my abilities as an Oracle increased over time on my world. Perhaps a gift from Rae, though... supposedly none of the Old Gods have influence here, aside from the actions of their appointed shepherds.
Caiside felt a nervous energy grow in him, building more the longer Jigano was silent. The other man had been his first friend here, and perhaps the truest he'd had in the last few years. For this to the thing that drove a wedge between them would be.... upsetting, to say the least. He pawed the ground with a hoof, and flicked his ears, trying to work away the anxious restlessness settling in his limbs. He had no way of knowing what was going on in Jigano's mind, of where they were going to stand after this.
Slowly, the white bird before him seemed to relax, straightening up and ruffling his feathers. Caiside nearly sagged with relief at the sight, pleased he wasn't going to lose a friend, at least not immediately. The explanation made him cock his head, heavy antlers exaggerating the motion somewhat. I didn't realize that was something attuned could do. It seems to be a rather... situational ability though. The idea of it was no less interesting. He wondered briefly where his limit would lie, how similar a creature he would be able to command? Surely a deer and an elk were more similar than a raven and a songbird?
At the second assertion had him cocking his head in the other direction, wondering what kind of thing could trigger it. I've never heard of power simply growing over time. Not like this at least. The idea that he could simply gain a new power, without work or a deal of some kind with a more powerful deity, seemed like an impossible fantasy. The idea that this had been a gift from a god was much easier for Caiside to swallow, and he found himself nodding along to it up until Jigano shot it down himself. Perhaps this simply has to do with a new... comfortableness with your form? Caiside suggested it delicately, not wanting to offend the other.
Do you think you could get them to do things for you? Caiside asked, wanting to change the subject quickly after his second misstep of the conversation. And he was usually so good with words.
For once Jigano didn't notice a companion's anxiety, too caught up in his own spiral of ingrained habit and instinctive refusal of anything resembling mind-to-mind contact. By the time he pulled himself out of it, forcing himself to try and overcome years of paranoid defenses against such mental intrusions, Caiside had settled - reassured by Jigano's own body language as he steeled himself to continue the conversation telepathically.
Yes... I suppose if no creatures are close enough to 'hear' a call it won't do much good, the raven agreed, with a ghost of his usual wry humor riding in his mental voice. Though there's usually a few crows around somewhere... or magpies at least. Someone like Caiside might find it more difficult, though, Jigano had to acknowledge. He croaked thoughtfully, shifting his weight again at the suggestion that things had recently become more comfortable. That's... an idea, he agreed, turning it over in his head. A good one, in fact. He'd never tried to call other foxes for help. Other... canines?
They seem willing to listen, but not particularly willing to obey, he said, hopping a little closer along the branch. Which, if you're familiar with magpies and crows... probably isn't a surprise, he finished wryly. Caiside was being almost gentle with him which... part of his pride prickled at, but a larger part of him appreciated. Does it sound like something you could do, once? On your world?
Caiside perked up when Jigano said it was a good idea. Of course it was, it was something he’d come up with. If it hadn’t been good, or at least thought out, he wouldn’t have said it. Well... thought it. The whole idea of this was still strange to him, thought not entirely alien. It was strange in how limited it was.
I’ve never known crows, only wolves. I can’t imagine they’re any easier to work with though. There was a laugh in his mind the followed the words. Crows had always made Caiside a little bit nervous, if he was honest with himself. They were too... opportunistic for his tastes, and they lived in the backdrops of some of his worst moments. In fact, Jigano’s pale form had been one of the rare exceptions to his usual fear.
Caisides thoughts, and bad memories, were driven away like startled birds as Jigano’s next words entered his mind, immediately bringing with them memories of happier times. I could never.... command animals. Or be understood by them. I knew others who could, it was simply a skill that... eluded me. Now annoyance tinged his words, though it was quickly brushed off. Even in my Divine form, I simply spoke, and was understood. I can understand why this is something you’d want to avoid.
You've known wolves? Jigano asked, curiosity piqued - almost enough to forget how tense this method of communication made him. Intelligent wolves, you mean? Stranger things could happen... he'd known a telepathic squirrel, once. Admittedly, it hadn't started out as a squirrel, but Oni was a fair hand with a polymorph spell and it was better than leaving the shipmind to slow madness and eventual death.
The raven croaked softly to himself, considering the possibility of talking animals on Caiside's world and finding it fascinating. He was no druid, to speak with animals...
Well. He hadn't been, once upon a time. Now, apparently, that had changed, as with so much else. As things had for Caiside, his friend who had fallen so high from power...
But he was getting his feet under him - all four of them, by appearances - and moving forward rather than wallowing in what he had lost. Perhaps if you practice, you may find that some of those skills are yours after all, now? he suggested, a hint of his old slyness in his mental tone as he turned Caiside's suggestions back on him. In truth I dislike the... ah, potential for sharing secrets that aren't mine to give away, he admitted, his tone sobering once more. I have made oaths, to never speak of certain things that I have learned, and... the potential for 'rifling' thoughts is not one I wish to flirt with. He hesitated, then sighed, flipping his feathers in agitation as he turned his head to regard Caiside from a single bright blue eye. But... I am glad that you found me like this today. I do not know that I would have sought this out on my own... and I needed to. He sighed again, the sound rattling in his throat as he forced his way through his unease with their method of communication.
With the Spire's Guardian gone, it's only a matter of time before we gather ourselves for an attempt to enter it, and bring down the barrier, he said somberly. There's much work to do before that happens, but once it does, and if it is successful... we need to think about what comes afterwards. We have accounts of a great forest beyond, to the north and west, with magic and perhaps even other races not currently found here in the Hollowed Grounds. I think we should send scouts to investigate it... and what better scouts than those who can turn into animals, to blend in or flee without causing alarm to any we might come across until we have a chance to determine if they are friendly or not? He croaked, talons opening and closing on the branch in a physical manifestation of the anxiety he normally hid in his human form. Would you consider joining me, if the time comes for it?
Intelligent is being generous. Caiside sighed, almost shaking his head. A man I was... close with had a curse on his family. The lucky ones could change their forms between man and wolf, with none the wiser in either shape, but the unlucky ones were stuck between shapes, in varying degrees either way. I had to work with a few of them more... wild ones, on occasion. Those tasks had always turned into messes, though they had never exactly been intended to be clean, in any sense of the word. He's actually who I mistook you for, when we first met. From behind, and at a distance, you look very similar. Luckily there's no resemblance in the front."
If he was able to roll his eyes, he would have at the sly tone in Jigano's "voice". In this form, all he could do was snort, and let his laughter through in his tone. A lot of things are different here, maybe I should give it another try. Maybe his powers would grow differently here. After all, it wasn't as if anything else worked the way he expected it to.
All the laughter stopped as Jigano grew serious again, Caiside leaning in just a little. You don't need to worry about me. I'm not hypocritical enough to go prying in your secrets when I still have ones I won't share. Nor would I try to violate the trust between us. The other man was someone he considered a friend, which was not something Caiside could say he had many of. He intended to be the best friend he could to Jigano, and not rifling through his mind was luckily a very low bar. If it helps to grow more comfortable with a friend, then I am more than happy to help you with that. I'm sure I could help if you wanted to work on defenses, or anything like that, as well. Not that he knew if attuned could learn to use mental defenses, but trying didn't hurt.
The thought of the strange barrier coming down, and opening this place up to whatever laid beyond was interesting, and something Caiside hadn't realized had become feasible. I would love to help with that. I even have experience in being a scout, and spy. And in forests. Truly, this sounded like a task that had been all but custom made for him, and he couldn't be more excited about the idea of it. Have you spoken to any others about this yet?
Ah, the curse of lycanthropy, the raven bobbed its head, fitting Caiside's description into a term more familiar to him. That head cocked to the side in amused curiosity at hearing that his friend had been 'close' with this werewolf, but he sensed that it would be awkward to pry for further details. A dear friend, a brother-by-oath, a lover... The latter might be a little awkward, though at least this distant man didn't share his face!
Jigano fanned his tail, a rattle of amusement in his throat as Caiside 'reluctantly' took his own advice. It doesn't hurt to try, he pointed out. But... then again, maybe it did. Trying to pry through someone else's mind and memories, for instance...
But Caiside was swift to understand, and noble in his reassurances. Jigano didn't trust easily, and especially not when the sanctity of his mind was at issue, but he did relax a little. The ex-demigod was his friend, and the offer was... well. Not exactly welcome but since he had already begun he appreciated the chance to continue. I'll take you up on that, he thought back, somber but a little wry. Hopefully we won't have to use it anytime soon!
Jigano perked up at Caiside's experience, hopping a little in his excitement. Perfect! he croaked. You're the first I've approached. There aren't many Attuned that I know... most seem to be as wary of revealing themselves as we are, he admitted wryly. Remi, the young alchemist, is one but... he hesitated, then fluttered his wings again in another approximation of a shrug. I hear he is taking care of Ronin's orphaned baby. The captain who fell in the assault on the Spire, he clarified, uncertain if Caiside had ever met the man.
With the other man growing more comfortable now, Caiside stepped forward, closing some of the distance he had left between them. Though it wasn't really something that mattered, being close enough that they could have this conversation in their speaking voices seemed more natural to him, and would hopefully serve to put Jigano a little more at ease as well.
Hopefully not, but the practice will be good. Caiside agreed, finding he sorely missed the little things he would normally do in a conversation, all the little pieces of body language that he normally took for granted. I was going to suggest we could share stories while we did it, but I think they'd lose much of their excitement told silently. Another snort replaced the short laugh that would normally follow his words.
Caiside felt a fooling prick of pride knowing that he had been the first to be asked about this. The very practical reasons for it mattered less to him than the fact that he was first, though he quickly focused back on Jigano, not wanting to miss anything of importance. I believe I met Remi, and some of his other shapes, the same time I met Samuel. The news that he had adopted a child was a surprise, he had seemed... rather immature, if Caiside was being honest. Still, it wasn't his palce so he moved on. I had heard there was a casualty. Hopefully what comes next will be kinder, and we can move on with no losses. He had never gotten the chance to meet Ronin, but a life lsot was still a life lost, and it was to be treated with respect.
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