Mazikeen moves so that she is on Bolder’s other side - so he does not have to look at the rabbit he has placed on the ground when he looks at her. It takes some extra effort now, to try to think of these things that were once instinct. To remember what it is to care for someone. She’ll move the rabbit later, not wanting to leave the boy alone just yet. That much, at least, comes easily. He says he's alright and she's thrilled about that - a little unsure, but that's to be expected. But he isn't sobbing, isn't heartbroken, and that is a good sign.
When he asks if it’s bad that he’s okay she shakes her head immediately and gives him an encouraging nudge on his shoulder. Or, she hopes it is encouraging and that it does not feel as stiff to him as it does to her.
“No no, of course not. Part of shifting, for those truly talented at it, is dealing with the instincts that come with the shapes. Those instincts are not good or bad, they’re just part of who we are - just like shifting is.” This almost sounds like it could be true, Mazikeen thinks to herself. She had never felt the clash of instincts when she was learning to shift - had never been swayed to kill. That had come later and from a different source entirely. Now when she hunts, she does so because she enjoys it and the shapes she wears are merely tools.
But this, of course, is not what she tells Bolder. Instead, concentrating on making her voice soft but firm “A wolf killing isn’t evil, it’s just being a wolf. It’s no different than flying as a bird or wagging your tail as a dog.” And she does so now, in an effort to make him smile. “And when we shift, those things become true for us too.” She pauses for a moment, considering, and then asks “Does that make sense?” She hopes it does, she isn’t sure what other explanation she’ll be able to pull out of thin air as quickly.
@bolder