{With apologies to HungryCentaur and Praexon! As much as I try to avoid retroactivity, the addition of Praexon's details as to what's in the stable precludes Chrrou from re-mounting Rihyan just yet, so I'd like to 'take that back' as it were...}<br/><br/>Chrrou has to chuckle, dipping his head at Lin's puzzlement and concern. "I guess you're right. It'd be terrifying to have a<span style="font-style: italic">trained animal</span>like Heshaar, but... what we are is different. She and I have a... a bond." He struggles for words briefly. "I guess I've never really explained myself. How much do you know about druids?"<br/><br/>Dismounting and calling the dire wolf and transformed treant closer, the rodent grins in relief-- he was sure nothing would happen to them or he wouldn't have left them there, but there was always the chance-- but his intention to get them immediately ready to go fades into concern at the sight of the newly-present razor and scent of kobold. Starting to reach out to scratch under Heshaar's chin and give Nocke a reassuring pat, Chrrou stops short, fumbling briefly with his paws as he turns back to glance in confusion toward Rihyan. "...Something happened while we were gone. I don't mean to keep you waiting, but I need to find out, I'll try to make this quick..."<br/><br/>[Chrou casts<a class="postlink" href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/speakWithAnimals.htm">Speak with Animals</a>; 11 minute duration]<br/><br/>"<span style="font-style: italic">Heshaar! What happened? Did that kobold come back?</span>" Heshaar doesn't seem upset, so he's not too worried, but kobolds have been well-known to carry poison before; one never knows.<br/><br/>"<span style="font-style: italic">...And you,</span>" he rumbles fondly to Nocke, almost in apology; at the time, he hadn't considered how terrifying it might be for the treant to occupy a body like this one for so long, among such dangerous companions, when he was so used to towering above all else. "<span style="font-style: italic">Are you holding up okay?</span>"<br/><br/>{The spell description doesn't make any mention of whether communication to animals occurs in one's normal language or an 'animal language', so I don't know whether those present would know what he's saying, though they wouldn't know what responses were made.}<br/><br/>{Normally I'd've tried not to post something requiring a DM response in a situation like this, but it's hard to think of Chrrou wanting anything but to know what happened. |D Sorry!}