Seeing that the Great Eagle had no intention of attacking him, Kael breathed a sigh of relief. But then he realized sothing even more surprising.
"You can speak? I an... I can understand what you're saying?"
The Great Eagle's sharp eyes showed a strange expression.
"I am a ssenger of Manwë, King of the Valar, and the King of All Birds. Naturally, I can communicate with all winged creatures."
"But what are you? You look like an owl yet carry a distinctly human scent."
"I'm not a... wait, that ca out wrong..." Kael felt his thoughts becoming muddled after the transformation and quickly tried to explain himself properly.
"I'm the wizard Kael. When Gandalf and the others crossed the Misty Mountains before, you gave us a ride. Do you rember?"
Recognition dawned in the Great Eagle's intelligent eyes. "Ah yes, I rember you. That wizard who traveled with Gandalf. You were the one who slew Azog, the Orc King."
"That's right, that's ." Kael nodded, relieved to be recognized.
"But how did you take on this bird form? I distinctly rember you being human."
"This is a magical transformation that allows to beco an animal. It's called Animagus."
"Fascinating. It sounds similar to the abilities of the skin-changers."
Intrigued by eting a wizard who could transform into a bird and communicate with them directly, the Great Eagle extended an invitation for Kael to visit their mountain ho.
Following the majestic bird, Kael soared to their dwelling place. A dramatic cliff platform stretched out not far from the High Pass and the ruins of Goblin-town, where massive rock ledges created natural shelves in the mountainside.
Enormous nests dotted the platform, masterfully constructed from thick branches layered and interwoven together. The interiors were lined with finer twigs and soft feathers, so even padded with entire Warg pelts for extra comfort.
Landing gracefully on the nest, Kael felt as though he had entered a realm of giants. Massive Great Eagles surrounded him, their intelligent eyes watching with obvious interest and curiosity.
The Eagle King himself welcod Kael's arrival with regal dignity.
These magnificent birds possessed remarkable intelligence and could understand both Elvish and human languages, though they lacked the ability to speak them directly. eting Kael, a wizard who could transform into an owl and communicate in their own tongue, proved to be an extraordinary novelty.
The Great Eagles brought mountain fruits as refreshnts, even catching a half-dead Warg as a more substantial offering. Their enthusiastic hospitality left Kael feeling sowhat overwheld by their generosity.
Throughout the nest area, recently hatched eaglets could be seen. Even these youngsters dwarfed Kael in his current form, chirping with vibrant energy and constant activity.
However, one particular eaglet caught Kael's attention. This lonely creature appeared painfully thin and weak compared to its robust siblings, its cry barely more than a whisper.
The poor thing looked congenitally frail, completely unable to compete with its stronger siblings for food and eating far less than the others. Its parents regarded it with cold indifference, showing no intention of providing any special care or protection.
Kael frowned slightly as he observed this heartbreaking scene. He understood the harsh reality of survival of the fittest in nature. Ordinary eagles would typically abandon or even consu their weakest offspring.
But Great Eagles were an intelligent, noble race. Would they truly follow such brutal practices?
Still, this remained the Great Eagles' internal family matter, making it inappropriate for him to interfere.
The Eagle King, seeming to sense Kael's troubled thoughts, released a heavy sigh.
"We Great Eagles must survive in these treacherous Misty Mountains, battling Wargs, Orcs, and countless other dangerous creatures every single day. Only the strongest among our people can hope to survive in these unforgiving peaks."
"The weak are inevitably destined for elimination. Perhaps returning early to Manwë's loving embrace would be the most rciful outco for such unfortunates."
"However, if you, Wizard Kael, feel moved by compassion, you are welco to take this poor child with you and provide him sanctuary. This might represent a new beginning for his life."
"You want to take him away?!" Kael couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could there be such a casual situation involving the adoption of children?
The Eagle King nodded solemnly. The eaglet's own parents showed no objections whatsoever to this proposal.
Kael gazed at the thin, pitiful eaglet, montarily at a loss for words.
"Little fellow, would you be willing to co with ?"
Transforming back into his human form, Kael pulled jerky from his pocket to offer the hungry youngster, addressing this eaglet who couldn't be more than three years old.
Great Eagles had exceptionally long growth periods, with their infancy lasting much longer than most other species. However, even at such a tender age, the eaglet could clearly understand Kael's words.
The chronically hungry youngster's eyes brightened dramatically at the sight of food. When his siblings attempted to snatch the jerky away, he quickly devoured it with desperate speed.
Then he looked thoughtfully between this kind bird-person who had shown him genuine kindness and his indifferent parents along with his frantically competing siblings.
Finally, with what seed like mature determination, he nodded his acceptance.
Kael made the decision to take the eaglet under his protection.
To accommodate his new companion, he used the Extension Charm to magically expand the internal space of a leather pouch to a diater of ten ters. This represented his current magical limit, but it provided ample living space for the growing eaglet.
Along with his new ward ca a special nest, graciously gifted by the Eagle King himself. According to the royal bird, this was the very nest where the Eagle King had once hatched and grown to maturity, crafted from the most fragrant mountain woods.
Additionally, Kael received an impressive collection of gifts from the Great Eagles: pristine feathers perfect for wand cores, Warg pelts suitable for cushions and warmth, and delicate eggshells that could serve as valuable potion ingredients.
After expressing his heartfelt gratitude and bidding farewell to the generous Great Eagles, Kael transford back into his owl form. Grasping the enlarged pouch containing both eaglet and nest, he continued his eastward flight.
anwhile, within the magically expanded space of the pouch, his new companion was enthusiastically devouring every scrap of food stored in Kael's supplies.
For a youngster who had never experienced a truly full al since hatching, nothing in the world could be more important than food! The little fellow, who instinctively considered anyone providing sustenance as a parent figure, felt no sadness about leaving his birth family. His entire focus remained dedicated to eating.
Kael soared over the towering peaks of the Misty Mountains but chose not to fly directly toward the Lonely Mountain. Instead, he circled above Beorn's distinctive dwelling before gracefully landing.
"Who goes there?" Beorn's keen senses detected the aerial visitor. Seeing what appeared to be an ordinary owl, he maintained appropriate caution.
However, when the owl touched down and seamlessly transford into human form, Beorn's wariness instantly evaporated.
"Beorn, wonderful to see you again!" Kael called out with a warm smile.
Recognizing his visitor, Beorn's weathered face broke into a genuinely pleased expression.
"Well, if it isn't Kael himself!"
"Was that your animal form just now? If we skin-changers didn't all transform into great bears, I might have mistaken you for one of my own kinfolk."
Kael smiled and nodded enthusiastically.
"I happened to be passing through the area, so I thought I'd drop down for a visit."
"This is the Animagus transformation I recently mastered, though I can only beco ordinary animals. It hardly compares to your incredible transformation abilities."
Beorn shook his head in disagreent, his voice tinged with envy. "I'd give anything to transform into a flying creature! That's infinitely more impressive than a lumbering bear that can only run along the ground."
"Please, co inside and make yourself comfortable. Since you departed from here, we've heard absolutely nothing. You must tell everything that's happened during this ti."
Since his gracious host had extended the invitation, Kael certainly wouldn't refuse. Moreover, he had co with the specific purpose of consulting Beorn about transformation magic.
He hoped to gain valuable insights from observing the skin-changer's bear transformation that might help him upgrade his own Animagus abilities.
Kael wasn't entirely satisfied with simply becoming an owl. His ambitious dreams involved possessing more powerful magical creature Animagus forms, such as phoenixes, thunderbirds, dragons, or unicorns.
Of course, since his current Animagus took the form of an avian owl, he would logically rule out completely unrelated animals like dragons and unicorns. After all, no matter how much an owl might evolve, it could never possibly beco a dragon or a unicorn.
Instead, powerful flying magical creatures like phoenixes and thunderbirds might offer a slight possibility for evolution. After all, wasn't there an old saying about sparrows transforming into phoenixes? Perhaps owls could achieve sothing similar.
Though it seed like a wildly unreliable concept, if successful, the rewards would be absolutely enormous.
Phoenixes possessed true immortality. Once they aged or died, even if struck by the dreaded Avada Kedavra curse, they would be magnificently reborn from their own ashes. Such an ability was beyond anyone's wildest dreams.
Second in desirability was the Thunderbird. These majestic creatures possessed the incredible power to control weather patterns, summoning lightning storms at will, and even had prophetic abilities to foresee approaching danger.
Settling comfortably in Beorn's cozy cottage, Kael recounted everything that had transpired during his absence.
Upon hearing that Thorin had completely lost his sanity due to dragon-sickness, Beorn snorted with cold disdain.
"Those dwarves are perpetually greedy and foolishly blind. Even if that cursed treasure tainted by dragon magic served as the trigger, isn't this ultimately his own failing?"
Beorn had never harbored much fondness for the dwarven race. His willingness to shelter them previously had been purely because both groups shared common enemies.
Now that Thorin had descended into madness, Beorn viewed it as entirely self-inflicted punishnt.
However, Beorn showed little interest in the dwarves' current predicant, instead focusing his attention on a far more fascinating subject.
"Did you truly subdue that legendary dragon?" Beorn asked, his eyes wide with absolute disbelief.
Kael had grown accustod to such expressions of amazent and smiled while nodding confirmation.
"This is utterly unprecedented, absolutely incredible!" Beorn exclaid, gazing at him with profound admiration. "Being capable of subduing an evil dragon... before long, your na will echo throughout every corner of Middle-earth!"
"I imagine you'll soon earn a truly glorious title. Perhaps 'Dragon-Binder'? Or maybe 'Master of Smaug'?"
"But personally, I think 'Dragon Knight' suits you perfectly, since you're now the only being in all Middle-earth who can command a dragon!"
Beorn was already enthusiastically brainstorming potential future titles for his remarkable guest.
Seeing Beorn playfully discussing his possible future reputation, Kael seized the opportunity to consult him about the fundantal principles behind skin-changer transformation.
To this inquiry, Beorn shook his head thoughtfully.
"Our skin-changer transformation abilities stem from ancient ancestral bloodline inheritance. Legend claims our forebears were ordinary humans dwelling in the Misty Mountains who gained the power to beco bears after receiving sacred blessings from nature spirits."
"I cannot say whether this tale holds truth or remains re folklore, because transforming into great bears feels completely natural to us. We awaken to these abilities at a certain age. Unfortunately, I know very little about the actual chanisms involved."
Kael had ntally prepared himself for this response and wasn't overly disappointed by the lack of technical details.
However, he still requested a special favor from Beorn. Could he witness a transformation firsthand to see if he might discover any useful insights?
Beorn readily agreed to this unusual request.
But before beginning the transformation, he needed to remove all his clothing. Beorn's tamorphosis differed fundantally from Kael's Animagus ability. It wouldn't magically integrate garnts into his changing form, aning clothes would be completely torn apart during the process.
So Kael could only attempt to maintain professional composure while observing the naked man before him, ntally repeating that this was purely for research purposes.
Oh, how dreadful! His eyes were definitely going to need healing after this ordeal! Kael silently lanted his predicant.
Once Beorn had prepared himself, he began the intense process of emotional adjustnt. As though summoning righteous fury, veins bulged prominently on his forehead while his muscles visibly twitched and convulsed.
He breathed heavily and clenched his massive fists. His entire body rapidly expanded in size while thick black fur sprouted across his skin.
Finally, a colossal black bear the size of a small house stood majestically before Kael's amazed eyes.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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