36th Howl | backdated to April 17th, evening [Audio]

[professorwolf]

[A polite and somewhat embarrassed British voice comes onto the network. Someone still doesn't have a camera for his laptop. Someday, someday....]

Randall here. Ah, I meant to do this last month around this time, but I got a bit distracted....

I went away last month for spring break, which, lucky for me, happened to coincide with my changes for the full moon. Ah-- to newcomers, as I know we have many, I'm a werewolf. And a biology teacher at Locke high school. Pleasure to meet you.

[The embarrassment fades into something more professional, as he gets back on point.]

Anyhow. I went away with a couple of friends to test the changes to Locke's pulse boundary, and how that would affect my own changes and memories. Nick and I went away again this month. I'll admit, we didn't remember much the first time, but enough to at least keep us going. I didn't change for the nights around the moon, like I do while I'm here in the city, but I did change on the full moon... just not all the way. Teeth, eyes, a little fur, and certain aggressive impulses that are otherwise out of character for me-- enough that I definitely needed those friends to keep me in one place, and definitely enough to make us all believe that something worse would have happened if I'd stayed here. So leaving the city... really isn't entirely enough to keep uncomfortable abilities at bay, for those interested in such things, but it does help, if you take precautions.

[He pauses to sigh and gather his thoughts, after that, then finishes with:]

Interestingly enough, when we left again this month, we remembered the entirety of last month's trip on top of what vague memories we retained from the city. That did make everything a bit easier, this time. I know some of you will probably find that useful to know.

Comments

[espigeonage]

Months. The worst part is just a few weeks and I think that's finishing up. Thank God. You have any idea what it's like to comb your hair and start bleeding?

[professorwolf]

Months? Really? That's terrible.

[Including the bleeding part! He hadn't realized molting came with bleeding.]

Regular birds don't molt for that long, do they? Or do you think it's part of your changes, and it won't be that bad going forward?

[espigeonage]

Yeah, I just got these, it's stupid to replace them already.

[He lets out a breath loudly enough to hear.]

No, actual birds take weeks to months. The shorter the period is, the more severe it is, the more likely there'd be bald patches and stuff.

[professorwolf]

[Like those chickens with their bald patches.]

Are they coming in differently? Or is there no... visible change, to the new growth feathers?

[Because the molt, he supposes, could be part of a pulse change, couldn't it? Sorry, Julien, he's a scientist, and that's intriguing him despite his worry for his friend.]

[espigeonage]

[With the chickens it's the pecking order, actually. Given more space and things to do they're less inclined to pull out the feathers of low-status birds. /fun fact]

They're a little different. Tiny color shift, I don't think other people notice... And the flight ones aren't as soft.

[A fledgeling's feathers all came in at once, which is stressful and difficult. Normal molts are more gradual and more resources can be safely devoted to it.]

[professorwolf]

[Except when it's the dominant bird with the most bald spots... mun's mother has chickens, heh :) ]

Perhaps it's preparing you for being able to actually fly. The way my healing started off with taking all night, when the full moon changes began, and now it's only an hour or two.

[espigeonage]

[true, chickens are weird!]

I can sort of fly already. Not all that well... More skimming or gliding. I can't flap that hard, and I'm so big.

[professorwolf]

Can you really. I suppose that's how you managed falling off the roof, during the Wise Snake business.

[He sounds a bit amazed, though he hadn't put that together like this until now.]

Have you tried a lot of it?

[espigeonage]

Yeah - I landed badly, but nothing broke.

[Julien sounds weirdly dispassionate about that.]

Here and there. I prefer not to have a bunch of people staring, so, options are limited.

[professorwolf]

I imagine you'd have to get outside the city a bit, to manage it... since you don't see well at night, right?

[He can completely understand not wanting to be stared at. Even if there's a little silly part of him who wants to ask if he can watch, sometime.]

[espigeonage]

Not in the least. I can see stars and the little marks people's hands make when they touch things, in the day, but at night I might as well be blind.

Anyway, some parks work. Fields. It's better if I have something to jump off, though.

[professorwolf]

I imagine getting yourself off the ground to begin with would be the problem. Does a running start help, like with airplanes, or is your body simply not bird-like enough yet to get proper lift?

[espigeonage]

Hnn.

['Yet'.]

It helps, especially if there's wind. I can jump pretty well too.

[professorwolf]

[Yeah, he's kind of assuming the end result here is "bird". Or at least "harpy", which still would suggest further changes. Sorry, Julien.]

Do you enjoy it? Flying, I mean. Or gliding, as the case may be.

[espigeonage]

[Julien can't entirely be in denial here, but that doesn't mean he likes to hear about it.]

A bit.

-Yes. [He decides to keep it prosaic.] It's better, of course, if there aren't a lot of people around to stare. I've gotten better at landings and steering.