(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/99/61/d9/9961d910b63db1c849b088e59f1ce7fe.jpg)<br/><br/>Zaruk gave a nod. "You flatter me, stranger." The way he said it made it sound mysterious, distant, perhaps even a little cold. In truth, Zaruk's mind had already been racing to think of a number of different solutions to Alden's problem. So much so that he forgot that Alden had just told him his name.<br/><br/>Zaruk brought the box over to one of the tables and lifted from underneath the table a jar full of a clear liquid. When he opened the jar, the smell of preserving juices filled the air. He dropped the cockatrice's body into the preservation jar and sealed it shut.<br/><br/>Abir pulled up one of his brother's pillows and sat down on the floor next to his bed.<br/><br/>Zaruk grabbed Abir's arm, pulled him to his feet again, and lightly smacked him with the pillow he'd just been sitting on. "Transfiguration potion, you say? And need a cure for it... hmm..." Zaruk scratched his chin through the cloth covering the lower half of his face. "What did you do? Transform people into animals?"