>>5935946Indeed, the lion-head of your chimeric companion is nosing at you with the feigned half-interest of cats everywhere, while the curly-horned ram’s head beside it chews at your black locks. Even the snake-head peers with curiosity over the shoulders of the other two, creating much the same effect as a domestic cat’s inquisitively-curled tail; it would still be a stretch to call your tremendously-large chimera ‘cute’, but to YOU he will always be that little three-headed baby you bought at the fair, all those years ago. You immediately wrap him in a hug, burying your face in the thick and shaggy mane which pours over his shoulders, and stroking each of his faces in turn.
“Oh, I missed you so much,” you whisper, and Muffins struggles free from your grasp with several distinct animal-sounds of complaint.
“Tips?” Pearce calls out. “What’s going on over—HOLY Heavenly FUCK!”
The shout of alarm breaks your spell of thoughtless joy at having been reunited with Muffins, and you look over to see what the matter is. What you see is your friend Logan Pearce, staring wide-eyed at the midnight-black pelage of a certain bear-sized wolf, who had been standing silent as the grave and watching you snuggle your pet, Illuminated now by Pearce’s <Mage’s Torch>, Oncyth turns his great head and opens his cavernous maw, revealing rows of ivory daggers and letting loose a growl like an earthquake.
“Easy!” you shout, leaping to your feat and running between the two before things get out of hand. “Easy now!”
The commotion has by now roused the Thief—if he was even asleep—who appears with a wicked-looking curved-and notched knife in one hand, and pupils narrowed to predatory slits. Izzy and Costella are not far behind, Costella peeking out of the tent and clutching it to her like a shield, Izzy struggling past her with a shout of:
<Summon Elemental! Summon Elemental!>
Twinned manifestations of fire and lightning appear, each massive and barely humanoid, exploding into being from their respective realms of creation.
“Banish those!” you hiss. “It’s fine! Everything’s fine! Oncyth, change BACK! What is WRONG with you?!”
Even as your other allies half-lower their guard and Izirina snuffs out her elementals, Oncyth obstinately refuses to return to elven form. You glower at him, but the wolf shows now aggression, nor repentance. Rather, he simply turns his head upwards. You follow his gaze, and…
“Oh,” you say sheepishly, feeling a little foolish, for you only now realize that the moon is fully aglow in the sky.
You make introductions as best you can, given Oncyth’s own inability to introduce himself. The others relax at this—well, except the Thief, who seems (perhaps understandably) intrinsically uncomfortable around a 1200-pound hypercarnivore of mysterious origin. Lamenting your half-rested state, you nevertheless all remain awake until dawn’s first light.
