A crow--out of place in the jungle, really--landed on one of the outermost trees baring the Pitt's markers. Ze landed on a low branch, pecked at an unripe papaya still on the tree, and screamed. Damned fruit, always either unripe or too ripe. Never as it should be.

The crow screamed again. Ze beat zir wings, screaming and kicking the fruit, and then descended to the ground. In less than ten meters down, the crow shapeshifted into a sleek jaguar. Even so, ze landed in perfect poise on all four paws.

The melanistic feline's ears flicked back against zir head. Why come here? Ze needed a place to rest and chatter amongst sentient creatures. It'd been a hot minute. Ze had not touched civilization in months—if not a year—depending on whether the brief stay in Elysium counted. All of that searching turned up nothing, and Vale would’ve preferred to call such endless traveling wandering for the sake of wandering.

Because it was too painful to think on personal failure. Zir refused to see the truth; ignorance clouded zir present as much as the past, and what a terrible road ze walked down.

This road, in particular, was scorching hot. Even in the shade of the jungle trees, the humidity settled over fur like an unwelcome second layer. Flopping against a tree, ze hissed and scratched the back of zir head against the bark, arching zir spine and getting the mother of all backscratches. Might be worth sticking with this bloody group, simply for access to their heavenly trees.

But it was still too hot. With a lash of zir tail, Vale’s body shivered from nose to tail-tip. The melanistic pattern shook itself out, replaced almost instantaneously with a leucistic coloration. Vale gritted zir teeth, dreading the next burst until--pop. Bat wings tore out of zir back, covered in goop and fresh joints crackling. The additional limbs formed the ticket, and the knot of nausea deep in Vale's stomach unclenched.

Finally, Vale started cooling down. Even after all this time as an animal, the temperature regulation problem fucked zir over. Too used to sweat. How stupid ze'd been, taking sweating for granted. Stay hydrated and you can walk forever! Not at all the same in animal bodies, even using an avian form.

"Is someone going to greet me with water already?" Vale called out. Zir tongue stuck to the rough of zir mouth, and ze grimaced. "I am tired and thirsty."

“I would think that’s obvious,” Vale grumbled. Zir head tilted, more similar to avian behavior than feline, and the jaguar looked up at the eldritch abomination. “Oh you are an interesting one. Sexy.”

Zir wings shivered, opening wide across zir back. The fresh goop slid between zir shoulder blades, dripping down to the ground from the edges of the leathery wings. Red eyes glanced over the monstrous creature, flashing from mutation to mutation.

The jaguar’s tail twitched erratically, the bones solidifying and crunching together until a skeletal tail remained. Ze smirked, wiping the back of a paw against zir face. “Don’t worry. I can’t mimic much else from you.” Zir smirk grew; it was rare thing, to encounter a strangeness zir shapeshifting refused to copy.

“I am Vale. I am also tired and thirsty.”

Cattle lead forth to the slaughter, docile in their inability to comprehend, limitation mind was bound within a false comfort. Yet, within hands bearing the tacky covering blood left in cloying wake, they held the hammer, primal and long dormant awoken hunger.

It cried out within the land a two beated step tread with a flair of grace unbefitting one more build of pale, raised scar tissue than unblemished flesh, jagged slash cut along the harsh planes of her visage the grin she wore. "You tryna muscle in on summa me action." The rolling of gravel along pockmarked surface, a dark, grating rasp bearing the damage years had wrought upon body and mind alike. Momentum drew her to halt by side of towering monstrosity, a creature familiar even as mind grappled with concept fitting only the unravelled depths nightmares offered, brief the diversion of attention to one who sheltered beneath.

Savages those who adorned the self imposed lines where ownership was discarded, yet with kindness were strangers treated, if only to a point gauged the value in inclusion. "Sure am glad ya can't be Lover Boy here, lil ol' heart can't take 'nother un." Jest that she spoke with a fleeting grin, singular the eye that roved along oddity before, display a mere party trick but one pleasing all the same. "Got sum jerky if ya got da teef fer it, Changeling."

The skin on Vale’s face softened and oozed. The fur sloughed off first, then the muscle and goop drip drip dripped down zir white skull. Vale’s red eyes flicked over the approaching animals. Disappointment. Ze heard the Pitt contained monsters. These little tiny animols were cute enough to eat.

“Whore?” Vale’s red eyes slid to the half-fish one first. Zir dry tongue lolled out of zir maw, licking at the squish still stuck to zir bonehead. “Unfortunately for you, no amount of money or resources in the world would entice me to fuck you, fishbait.”

The tongue licked over zir exposed teeth. The jaguar’s wings fluttered, and Vale took the waterskin without comment. After ze drained it, head craned to keep the water from running down zir teeth, Vale passed the empty skin back.

“Thanks, Jack,” Vale said, after an impolite pause. “I can hunt for myself.”

Vale stared at the third, until zir dry eyes melted down zir face, too. “I can acquire anything’s teeth,” ze said. Vale would’ve smirked, but the muscle and skin all fell to a heap between zir paws. “I’ll try it. At some point.”