[A paw presses over their heart, short talons tickled by their feathers, just as gently placed as any touch Rue would offer.

Maybe Casey understands being an owlbear even better than they do.]

I - [It's true. The turtle, the kraken, the cats down at the cat cafe - Speaking to them was just like speaking to anyone else. Why wouldn't they assume an owlbear would be exact same? Why does that realization feel like a punch to the gut?]

I don't know why I never thought of it before. I feel foolish. It must have been easier to deal with that loss thinking otherwise, believing she was only a beast. [Their own paw, massive in comparison, rests over Casey's.] I have worried briefly of what would become of me if the magic that changed me left, if I returned to what I was before.