i will forget to give this a real title, watch me

[Malkin]

Malkin just… stares at the colt as he begins to cry. There’s a quick glance around to see if there’s anyone, anyone else who can deal with this instead - but no such luck. Where did the mother go? What was her name again? He continues to stand there when the colt takes a step forward, ready to come up with all kinds of promises about how they’ll find his mother when the colt stumbles. Malkin balks, reaching out with his head to try to catch just a second too long to really be polite, and his eyes widen at the moment of change. When the colt shifts, Malkin does too. He’s so startled by the sudden change of horse into vegetable that his entire body seizes up and in a flash he has himself turned from horse into lop-eared rabbit. Still the same rich maroon colour, though - with the same bright teal eyes. Why always with the rabbit? Malkin wonders with frustration as he sticks out a fuzzy paw to tap the gourd-that-was-his-son, his small button nose twitching. Knowing full well he's not about to leave, rabbit-Malkin settles down next to the gourd and waits. Although he was expecting it to happen eventually, and tried to steel himself and his jumpy nerves against it, when vegetable becomes a foal again his body shifts too. Instead of looking up from the ground he is towering from above now - a great maroon bull moose, crowned with rich brown antlers. Well, this was a slight improvement. If there had been any doubt that this foal was his own, that doubt is gone now. Surely only his family would be cursed by something so ridiculous. Hoping that they have stemmed the pattern of shifting for the moment, Malkin’s parental instincts finally kick in and he lowers his massive head to the height of the hyperventilating child. “Hey, don’t worry about it. You weren’t out for too long.” He considers attempting to nudge the kid or something but ultimately decides against it. “This sort of thing happens in my - our family. My mom did it too. You’re the first to become a gourd though.” That great antlered head tilts to the side and a smile finally thaws and shines in his eyes. “I’m Malkin - I’m your dad.”

image by Reitro

@[Florian]