Origin

"What do you mean?" asks Tony

"Well I suppose only you turned into a human Tony, but it was already a surprise that you both can speak even if it is inside of my head. Now you just casually became a human and I don't understand what's happening." I start to ramble.

"All males can shift from their human form to animal form." Logan states. I feel the confusion he directs my way.

"And thought communication is necessary to speak in animal form." Tony adds as if that would explain how it's possible.

"No man or boy I ever knew could shift let alone anyone at all being able to communicate with thoughts" I blurt raising my voice to a pitch I hate using. It sounds hysterical to me and I know it has to sound worse to them.

"Hey Logan ever heard of an area that doesn't shift and has a different way of communicating?" Tony walks over to me as he asks with his hand reaching out to touch me but I flinch away.

"No. Not even an area that's undiscovered. The United Search Organization for Population Maintenance has already search all the lands and has been making routine patrols for over 100 years. " Logan says slowly as he paces on our left glaring at Tony.

"Then I wonder if it is actually true" Tony puts his hand up and takes a step back.

"Hmm?" I tilt my head at Tony as Logan comes within my arms reach and stops.

"I heard tell of a rumored clan that has a legacy of calling those from other worlds." Tony turns around to open the large bag he brought in.

"If that's the case we wouldn't be facing a population issue." Logan has clear distain in his voice and he proceeds to sit next to me. Population Issue?

"Well, I heard that it has stringent requirements." Tony has begun to pull cloth bundles that he unwraps and reveals to be a glass jar.

"Such as?" I reach out and start to pet Logan. Wait he can be a human too should I not pet him? But just the head should be okay I used to do that to people I who had soft hair.

"It has to be a member of the clan that that can preform the ceremony during the first shift. It requires a verbal chat and a circle drawn by the individual. If that weren't difficult enough the ceremony doesn't guarantee a female will arrive nor that they will arrive anytime soon. The person they summon will arrive at some point in their remaining life and that will be when they can sense the person to begin to look for them." By this point he has a dozen glass jars all in line and has stated a new line.

"Look for them?" Logan lays his head on my lap. It's so fluffy!

"The person will arrive on the world. They cannot specify where." How many of those jars does he have? That's the third line he just completed? Oh now it's a pot he pulls out, was it just 3 dozen glass jars? "If they are summoned somewhere unsafe the summoner will be injured and if they don't come to this world the summoner goes there with them." Man Tony is really describing some fantasy stuff.

"How do they even know it works?" Did I say that for them to hear?

"No matter how difficult it is their clan members can average 120 year lifespans they can remember the failed ceremonies where a person just up and disappears before their eyes or suddenly has a broken leg." The average lifespan? And what is he doing to the bag?

"Supposedly they even have a member who wasn't a female but a successfully summoned male who came from a world that cannot shift or communicate by thought. I always thought it was a story but the traits line up." Oh it was a metal pole that was in the lining of the bag probably for support but why did he pull it out.

" If someone shows up we will know it to be true" Logan closed his eyes and seems to be leaning into the petting but I don't feel purring. Do big cats not purr or is it because he's actually human, sort of?

"The entire clan would show up so it would be very obvious" Tony pulled three poles an now two metal things and he's putting them on either side of the fire pit a flat side down then the surrounding rocks go on top of it.

"Not that there's many of them left only 30-40. They travel around often as no matriarch has taken them in" I guess they must be base pieces as he inserted metal poles in it.

"They passed though years ago so they would likely take quite awhile to get here." More metal pieces these he puts on top of the poles that are standing up making the third pole be supported between the ones standing.

"I gotta say the weirdest thing about them is the side effect of doing that ritual" he added a hook to the pot and suspended it from the poles.

"Side effect?" Is he going to cook? Are there spices in the Jars?

"They use the energy from shifting to summon a person. Because they do that mid shift they sacrifice their ability to shift forever having only part of them human and the other their animal forms." Admittedly he had my attention there.

I had to ask, "What is their animal form anyway?"

"They're a goat clan" Half goat half person? I can tell he's purposely only giving me a small piece of information, but it is interesting.

"What part of them is goat?" Did Logan fall asleep?

"It differs from member to member. Some have only horn or perhaps the face of a goat. Fur on a human body. Eyes with goat pupils. It is most common for them to have a human upper body and the lower body or just the legs of a goat."

I couldn't help but laugh at that.