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Helo love, for your shape shifter AU, does shedding season hit Jaskier as well in his various forms? đâ¤ď¸
Shedding New Light
Ship: Geraskier
Rating: T
Summary: In which Geralt discovers something new about his shifter boyfriend
Set after the first part of my shifter!Jaskier AU. You only really need to know that Jaskier is a shifter that can turn into many different animals, and he's just started dating Geralt during their first winter at Kaer Morhen together.
_
Geralt was used to waking up in uncomfortable places. It was all part of the witcher life. If he wasn't caught out in the rain and the cold, then he was being thrown out of inns and brothels at dawn. Travelling with Jaskier had made things a little easier, but today, Jaskier was the problem. Geralt woke up struggling to breathe, a lump of coppery thick fur lying on his chest. He growled and tried to shove the wolf to the floor but it didn't help. Jaskier snorted in his sleep and rolled onto his back, four paws in the air.
"Get off," Geralt grumbled to no avail.Â
The shifter was either dead asleep or being a stubborn little shit. Only the gods could tell which. Sighing, Geralt started to run his hands through his boyfriend's fur. It was thick and warm, a perfect cover in the cold winter nights that plagued Kaer Morhen, but when Geralt pulled his hand away, tufts of fur stuck between his fingers.Â
"What the fuck?" He muttered more to himself than Jaskier.
Another few seconds of stroking through Jaskier's fur had chunks of the coppery strands all over Geralt's bed. It floated through the air, dancing in the streaks of sunlight that were bursting through the window. The bastard was moulting.Â
"Jaskier!"Â
The shifter snorted.Â
"Jask, get up!"Â
Blue eyes finally fluttered open, narrow as they peered at Geralt, clearly displeased. One large paw smacked Geralt in the face, and then Jaskier was asleep once more.
It took another five minutes, and the promise of a hunt to get Jaskier to finally wake up and slide off Geralt. By that point, Geralt was near bursting for a piss, and he was covered, head to toe, in wolf fur. Usually he loved to wake up beneath his lover, but choking on dog hair was not the death that he'd imagined. Geralt glared at Jaskier, who was sitting next to him, wagging his tail, and then rolled his eyes.Â
"What am I going to do with you?"Â
Jaskier howled, pouncing up at Geralt. His paws landed on Geralt's shoulders as his tongue lapped at Geralt's face, rough and slobbery.
"Yes, yes. I love you too," Geralt sighed as he scratched Jaskier behind the ears. More hair floated down to the ground as he did so. "Can you change into something a little less hairy?"
Jaskier let out a low growl, mouthing at Geralt's chin, and then with a crack of bones, shifted into a robin. There was a flurry of feathers as he flitted around the room. As far as Geralt was aware, robins didn't even moult during the winter months, and yet wherever Jaskier flew, feathers fell behind him. He chirped happily, and then landed on Geralt's head. A single feather floated down. Geralt huffed. The feather landed on his nose and he blew it away.Â
"What about human, Jask?"Â
No sooner had Geralt spoken, than he found himself with a naked bard perched on his shoulders. Jaskier barely fit in the room without hitting his head, and after a few awkward seconds of shifting and rearranging, he was settled in Geralt's arms.Â
"You, sir, are grumpy in the mornings," Jaskier grumbled, poking Geralt on the nose.
"Only when my boyfriend is moulting all over my room," Geralt countered.
Jaskier scoffed. "Rude!"
Rolling his eyes, Geralt ruffled Jaskierâs hair only to be greeted with another cloud of hair. âUrgh! Fuck!â
In response, Jaskier just cackled before capturing Geraltâs lips with his own. The kiss was chaste, and the taste was unpleasant, but Geralt still found himself smiling against Jaskierâs lips. Love was new and exciting. Even if he was covered in hair. But heâd promised to love Jaskier in all his forms, and with all his weird and wonderful quirks. The moulting was unexpected, but it was something he was willing to live with.
Geralt finally finds his child of surprise - or rather, she finds him - but Cirilla isn't alone, beside her is a majestic lion with familiar blue eyes.
(on AO3)Â
Ever since the events that occurred after the dragon hunt - events that he didn't want to think about, since it made him lose two of the most important people in his life - Geralt focused his mind on one task: find his child of surprise.
He could feel all the pieces falling into place, knowing what he would find her, that this was inevitable, but even so he did everything to make it happen as soon as possible, because every passing day, every hour, minute or second was a chance that she would be in danger and Geralt didn't want to see anyone else get hurt because of a mistake he made.
He hadn't thought about what his relationship with Ciri would be like, or where their meeting would take place, but he could say with certainty: that was not what he expected.
Cirilla found Geralt in a forest, just after the witcher finished setting up his camp, he heard footsteps, not far from where he was and reached for his sword. Human, he realized, but not alone, something was with them, an animal. A dog, maybe? He was ready for figh if they were some bandit, but all he saw was a child.
A girl with her hair hidden by the hood of her cloak, with bright green eyes that widened when she saw the witcher. Geralt didn't have time to relax his posture and she was already running towards him, hugging him. He returned the hug awkwardly, but feeling that finally he could rest. Months of searching and finally she was here, Cirilla, his child of surprise, alive - shivering slightly in his arms, but safe and sound.
Their moment was quickly broken when Geralt heard something and hid the girl behind him, sword pointed towards the noise.
His eyes wide, facing the second thing he heard moving around, for a moment he had forgotten that an animal was nearby and, well, it wasn't a dog... he never would have guessed what it really was.
In front of him, majestic, with a calm expression and intense blue eyes was a lion.
A lion?! This kind of creature didn't live in these forest, didn't live even close to the region where Geralt was. He held the sword firmly, waiting for the animal to attack.
"Donât!" Ciri said, running to the lion, Geralt's heart stopped for an instant, but he didn't have time to move and the girl was already holding the animal in a hug "He's my friend!" she said, looking at the witcher as if daring him to say something against it.
Geralt looked at the scene in front of him, his child of surprise hugging a predator, an animal of the species that originated the nickname of the queen of Cintra and he would laugh if he wasn't so astonished that the fucking lion was calmly watching him while the girl caressed its ears.
"Friend?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, his voice making it clear that it seemed absurd, Ciri nodded, Dandelion laid on the forest floor and the girl sat down next to it- to him, still running her fingers through the lion's mane.
âDandelion found me in the forest, they were trying to capture me but IâŚâ she stopped talking, pressing her lips, the lion moved his head to the side, pressing his muzzle against Ciri's palm, she gave a small smile âNow, he keeps me safe.â
Geralt nodded, obviously he had a lot of unanswered questions, but said nothing, he wouldn't take away from the girl the only thing that made her feel safe, not with everything that was happening around her.
As the days went by, Geralt got used to the sight of the princess and the feline together, the group walked through the forest on the way to Kaer Morhen, the witcher's idea was to avoid civilization as much as possible.Â
He and Ciri didnât talk much, but that didnât mean there was silence during the day, the girl talked a lot to the lion, the animal walked beside her most of the time, listening to her and, strangely, seemed to understand what she was saying. Geralt, more than once, approached to see if his medallion vibrated and tried to check if there were any traces of magic from the animal and the feline seemed to know what he was doing, looking at him intensely, twitching his ears. Without any proof that the lion was nothing more than an ordinary animal, the witcher avoided getting in his way, there was something familiar in the lion's eyes, something that made his chest tighten and he didn't quite understand why.
"You were at my parents' betrothal, weren't you?" Ciri asked one night. Dandelion was lying next to the girl, his eyes closed, but the movement of his ears making it clear that he was paying attention âNo one ever told me the whole story. Not even Dandelion."
Geralt raised an eyebrow "The lion?" he asked and the girl laughed softly.
âNo, not the lionâ she ran her fingers over the animal's mane, amusement shining in her eyes as she looked at Dandelion as if they had an inside joke âThe bardâ she explained, and Geralt unconsciously straightened up, paying more attention to what the princess was saying.
âDandelion always performed on my birthdays, one day he found me in the garden when I was running away from a lesson. He was playing a song I never heard before and when I asked him he told me it was about a hero, the White Wolfâ Geralt swallowed, pressing his lips, the nickname felt like someone poking an open wound, but he said nothing "He told me that neither the song nor the story about the hero was finished, so I was supposed to keep it a secret" she laughed, shaking his head "Now I know he just said that so grandma wouldn't find out that he was telling me stories about you."
The witcher nodded, watching her smile at the lion, his eyes now open and fixed on him, studying him intently.
"But there are stories that not even he told me" she said "Like my parents' betrothal."
"So you want me to tell you?"
The girl smiled "We don't have a bard here to do this, do we?" she said, winking at the lion and Geralt could have sworn that if animals were able to roll their eyes, Dandelion would have done that.
"Funny that you mentioned a bard" the witcher said, Ciri and the lion raised their heads paying attention "It's because of one that the story begins."
And Geralt told her everything that happened that night and sometimes Ciri interrupted him to ask some questions, he noticed Ciri's expression change when he mentioned Calanthe and Mousesack and how the lion approached, laying his head on her lap to comfort her.
"It was a bigger mess than I thought" she said, frowning, fingers caressing the animal's mane.
"At least no one would forget it so soon" he said and Ciri chuckled, before tilting her head slightly to the side and look at him.
"The bard that was with you" she said and Geralt felt a lump start to form in his throat "What's his name?"
He took a deep breath and looked away - a bad choice because he was caught by the blue of Dandelion's eyes and that, for some reason, made his heart beat faster than usual.
"Jaskier" he said, there were few seconds when he enjoyed saying that name again, after so many months, but then: guilt and regret weighing on his chest like every time he let himself think about what happened on the top of that damn mountain.
"What happened to him?" Ciri asked.
"I made a mistake" was Geralt's reply, the girl frowned.
"That's it?" she said "Then, you just have to try and fix it."
The witcher shook his head "It's more complicated than that."
"Why?"
"I'm a witcher, there's no place for a human in my life."
"I'm a human" she said firmly.
"And my responsibility because of another mistake I made" he replied without thinking.
She stood up quickly, surprising Geralt and the lion that previously rested on her lap.
"So I'm a mistake?" she said, her voice an octave higher, looking at him with narrowed eyes.
"I didn't sa-"
"I didn't ask for it!" she ignored his attempt to explain "I barely know you and yet you're my destiny, but I'm here and you've a place in my life now and I think it's selfish of you not to give a chance to the people who're giving it to you!"
Geralt looked at her in surprise, for a moment it seemed that she wasn't talking only about her, but he didn't said anything, she huffed and turned away.
"Where are you going?" he asked, standing up when she started walking out of the camp.
"To the lake" she replied "I'll be back in a few minutes" he had no chance to argue, Dandelion got up, going after the girl and Geralt knew that she would be safe with the animal and that she wouldn't lie to him about coming back. He just didn't expect the sad and disapproving look in the lion's face...
Geralt spent the time alone thinking about what to do, he could hear her, since she wasn't far, she was talking to Dandelion, but he couldn't understand the words. He took a deep breath and let himself think of something that he had forbidden to cross his mind months ago: he wanted Jaskier to be here with him, he would know what to say not only to Ciri, but to Geralt as well...
Then, he suddenly lifted his head, listening intently, thereâs another voice coming from where Ciri was... Quickly rising from where he was sitting, sword in hand, Geralt ran to where the girl should be.
When he finally reached the lake, he couldn't hear the voices anymore and all he saw was Cirilla looking at him with wide eyes and clearly trying to hide a smile.
"Are you alright?" he asked, sword still in hand, looking from side to side.
"I am" she replied, raising an eyebrow "Why are you here?"
"I heard voices" he said, finally relaxing realizing that there was no danger around, he looked at the girl "Where's your cloak?"
She shrugged, smiling at him "With Dandelion."
"And where's Dandelion?"
She giggled, just like earlier - before he told her about the betrothal - as if all of that was a giant inside joke âHe'll be back when he's ready.â
It didn't make sense, but Geralt didn't ask, since Ciri was already walking in front of him, towards the camp.
They both sat in front of the fire, in silence. Cirilla tapped her fingers on the trunk she's sitting on, looking up and watching the stars, she took a deep breath.
"Look, I'm sorry" she said "I shouldn't have called you selfish."
Geralt shook his head.
"You weren't wrong about that" he said and the girl turned to look at him. "I'm sorry too, I just... I'm not good with people. Or talking.â
"Thatâs okay" she said smiling at him "I know youâre trying" He smiled too and she went back to watch the stars in a comfortable silence.
And Geralt could feel something something growing in his chest, warm and very much like what he felt when sitting in front of a fireplace while listening to Vesemir and Lambert arguing, while Eskel is reading a book beside him, a feeling he only felt with those he called his family. He knew that this was what he and Ciri would be. Family.
And perhaps more soon than he expected...
But peace is always short lived.
Cirilla was going to get her bedroll when Geralt motioned for her to stop moving and be silent. There was something in the forest. No, Someone. And it wasn't only one person.
They were surrounded.
It was faster than he expected, the men who came towards him while he drew his sword, he shouted for Cirilla to run, but the girl didn't get far, being caught by two men who appeared on the other side of the camp. She managed to get rid of one while Geralt stabbed the man in front of him, narrowly deflecting two other men who were trying to hit him, the fact that they were wearing armor making it difficult to deliver a direct blow that would take their lives.
The one who was with Ciri raised a dagger, probably to threaten to kill her if the witcher didn't stop fighting, but he didn't have time to say a word, Dandelion, finally back to the camp, roared loudly and dragged the man by the leg, before ending the his life with his claws. Then, the lion was in front of Ciri, ready to attack anyone who dared to approach the girl, giving Geralt an advantage thanks to the confusion over the sudden arrival.
They could win the fight, the witcher thought, between sword blows and furtive glances at the lion that attacked with claws and teeth. They could win.
If it weren't for the archer.
Geralt felt more than he saw the arrow that stuck in the side of his body, but - thanks to years of training - he didn't falter, sword firm in his hand, he could go on until the last man fell, but there was something more. Such a wound wouldn't be enough to make his legs tremble or his vision to darken at the edges. He was able to look quickly at where the arrow was stuck, seeing a yellowish substance dripping with the blood.
Poison.
Realizing it made his body stop working properly, he dropped to his knees in front of an enemy - only one move and the man would cut off his head.
He started to lose consciousness, but before he passed out he heard a cacophony of sounds. Cirilla screaming loudly, just like Pavetta at her betrothal, the roar of Dandelion, the sound of steel against steel and of falling bodies. And after that, nothing more.
âCiri, give me that potionâ he heard a voice, it sounded low, as if it was far away âYes, that oneâ Geralt felt something touch his lips, but he had no control over his body or enough strength to open his mouth or his eyes "Come on, Geralt, you have to drink it."
He used all the strength he had left to swallow the liquid that was carefully poured into his mouth.
"He'll be fine?" someone asked. Ciri, he recognized, feeling relieved that she was alive.
"He will, princess. He will." the voice said and he knew that voice, he knew well the voice that never failed to fill his chest with a feeling that he never had the courage to name, but it can't be...
Ciri continued to murmur quietly to the person who was with her and Geralt could slowly feel his body returning to his control - he also realized that the poison wasn't strong enough to kill him, only to leave him unconscious for a few minutes and that the potion he drank was more for the pain that would certainly follow.
"He's waking up!" Cirilla exclaimed excitedly and she was sitting next to him, but when Geralt opened his eyes, it wasn't the girl the one leaning over him.
He saw blue, intense and beautiful blue, blue from the same eyes that had been watching him since the moment Geralt found his child of surprise and the witcher finally understood why the lion's eyes looked so familiar.
"Hello, Geralt" Jaskier said and smiled brightly at him.
⥠if you enjoy my work, you can support me & buy me a coffee â
The day began like any other for Jaskier, waking up alone since Geralt had left him by the mountain's side. But something felt off; Jaskier realized he was significantly shorter than he remembered and had paws â he had turned into a cat by some strange twist of fate. In the blink of an eye, he was human again.
It appeared Jaskier had gained the ability to transform into animals, yet he had no control over the process. Spending a week as a cow, narrowly avoiding slaughter, was far from enjoyable. Sometimes, his transformations were incomplete, like sprouting a tail during a performance, causing utter embarrassment
Realizing he needed magical assistance, Jaskier sought help. However, luck wasn't on his side when he transformed into a goat, only to be purchased by a witcher bound for Kaer Morhen. During the winter there, Geralt was in for a surprise when the goat he intended to slaughter suddenly transformed into his bard.
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Horse!jask so he can gossip and bond with roach (like in that fanart??)
The Gossiping Mare
Part 8 of my shifter!verse. It takes part after Trash Panda!
On AO3
Fan art referenced is by @spielzeugkaiser. This is my own AU so the rules aren't quite the same, but the art definitely helped inspired this one!
_
Autumn had come sooner than Jaskier had anticipated. His time as a professor of Oxenfurt was drawing to a close and he would finally be back on the road again. The best part was he would no longer be separated from his boyfriend for weeks on end whilst he was out chasing monsters and men. But naturally, Geralt was late. Jaskier had packed and unpacked twice already, and having spent the morning as a falcon circling the city, he was displeased. Geralt was only just crawling towards Oxenfurt, a griffin's head tied to Roach's bags.Â
Picking at his feathers, Jaskier huffed and peered down at the streets below. Colourful bards were dancing and performing in the square, feathered hats and silk clothes. They weren't bad, but they weren't nearly as talented as Jaskier had been at their age. Still, they were only human. He preened a little and tilted his head as Roach finally trotted through the gates.
As Geralt glanced up at the looming building of the university, Jaskier spread his wings and took off. The wind caught underneath his wings and he glided, circling as he gently fell towards his witcher. He cried out to get their attention and then, after checking no one else was looking his way, Jaskier shifted, clattering against the cobbles with his newly formed hooves.
With a whinny, Jaskier trotted around bumped his head against Roachâs and to his delight she called back to him. As before, he wasnât clear on any words that the mare was trying to say, if words even really existed, but instinctively he knew that she had missed him. He let his tail flick out behind him as Geralt dismounted and hit the floor nimbly. Geraltâs fingers through his mane was like heaven - the soft murmur of his voice in Jaskierâs ear. But before Jaskier could melt into Geraltâs touch, Roach stamped her hoof, demanding Jaskierâs attention.
Oh, wasn't that interesting?Â
Geralt had apparently been a misery guts all summer without him. There was something in Roachâs tone that Jaskier was trying to figure out. The exasperation⌠the worry?Â
What had his witcher been up to?
By the time they reached the stables, Roach had finally gone quiet. It was heartwarming to know that sheâd missed him, and Jaskier did his best to tell her that he felt the same. Then, as soon as the stable boys left them alone, Jaskier shifted. He flung himself into Geraltâs arms, the witcher grunting under the weight.Â
âJaskier,â Geralt hummed, pressing a kiss to Jaskierâs forehead. âI missed you too.âÂ
But Jaskier huffed as he buried his face into Geraltâs neck. âYouâre in trouble, mister. What have you been doing to worry our darling Roach?â
Geralt groaned, dropping Jaskier gently to his feet. âSheâs such a gossip.â
âShe cares about you.âÂ
Despite his obvious embarrassment, Geralt smiled, his face lighting up as it always did when his mare was involved. It wasnât a surprise. Jaskier had known from the day heâd met Geralt that the witcher was more comfortable around animals than people, and he adored his mare. Still, Jaskier rolled his eyes.Â
âAnd I care about you too. I love you.â The witcher blushed and pulled Jaskier into his arms.Â
A murmured âI love you tooâ was whispered into Jaskierâs shoulder. At least now Jaskier would be there with Geralt on the path, protecting him, loving him, always by his side. And soon they would be back to Kaer Morhen for winter, with their pack - their family. Together.
For @kueble who wanted kitten (not cat) Jaskier for my Shifterverse!
Feat deaged Jaskier!
Previous
Rated: T
Ship: Geraskier
On AO3
_
Curses. Geralt really fucking hated curses. It was bad enough when mages tried to target him as a witcher, at least he had some immunity... but Jaskier was vulnerable. Of course it had been entirely the shifter's fault. He had been acting really childish, taunting and teasing the mage in a way that would obviously end poorly. It was times like that when Geralt realised that Jaskier really was just eighteen, no matter how mature he seemed most of the time. A tragic childhood had forced him to grow up early, which Geralt could relate to, but he was still just a teenager... or at least he had been.Â
Geralt's boyfriend was now... well... a boy - more a toddler. Gods knows. Geralt hadn't had to age kids in years. He wasn't cut out to be a parent.
Bright blue eyes peered up at him, and Jaskier's bottom lip quivered as he started to cry. Tears rolled down Jaskier's cheek and he held his arms out, reaching for Geralt. It seemed as if his mental age had regressed along with his body. Just what they needed.
"G-geralt?!" Jaskier whined, red faced and snotty already. "What have they done to me?!"Â
Well... that should have been obvious. Geralt sighed, squatting down so he was nearer eye level to the young shifter. His clothes were hanging off his small body, his trousers around his ankles and his shirt around his shins. He looked more innocent than Geralt had ever seen him, and he was overwhelmed with the instinct to protect.
"I think you've been deaged, Jask," Geralt murmured, trying to be as reassuring as he could but it wasn't easy for a witcher with two swords and armours not to be intimidating to a child, and Jaskier burst into tears once more.Then with a crack of bones, ginger fur burst over Jaskier's skin and he fell to the floor with a pathetic mewl. It was Jaskier's usual cat form, Geralt recognised the markings... but he was tiny.
Geralt very gently picked up the kitten, feeling a little like a bear in an apothecary shop. Jaskier fit into the palm of his hand, and his usual loud meows were squeaky and high pitched. He seemed unsteady on his paws, tripping up as he tried to clamber up Geralt's arm to his shoulder. That was at least something that hadn't changed.
"What am I going to do with you?" Geralt sighed, reaching up to scratch the tiny little kitten behind his ears.
Normally by now Jaskier would be purring contently on Geralt's shoulder, but instead he was making quiet hiccup sort of noises in between his squeaky meows. The curse had distressed the bard more than usual. Gone was the cocky bastard that Geralt had come to love, and in his place was a shy and vulnerable child who was now relying on him to set things right. Unfortunately, the mage was no longer an option... but hopefully it was a curse they would be able to break together. If not, then Geralt might be bundling Jaskier back up to Kaer Morhen for the spring. Hopefully Vesemir would still be there and they could put their heads together.
But for now, Geralt would look after his baby feline friend to the best of his ability. That meant for now, finding food that would be okay for Jaskier's stomach until he decided to shift back into a human, or at least a slightly more steady animal. That and lots of affection. Geralt knew he needed to comfort Jaskier as much as he could, especially with his more childlike mind. So he plucked the kitten back off his shoulder and brought him to his face. Before he could change his mind, Geralt placed a kiss on Jaskier's forehead, right between his fluffy ears, and then clutched him tightly to his chest.Â
"We'll figure it out, Julek. I promise."
Jaskier mewled again, this time a half purr croaking out. The sound was one that Geralt always loved but he'd never been so relieved to hear it, but before he could really enjoy it, Jaskier's bones cracked again and it was like he popped into a wolf cub. It was quicker and less controlled than his shifting as an adult, startling Geralt. Another pop like crack and Jaskier was a bear cub. In the back of Geralt's mind, he smiled, wondering whether Jaskier would shift into a viper, griffin or baby crane next. It seemed that his shifter friend really did have some kind of infinity to witchers, but instead Jaskier settled back as a kitten and then promptly fell asleep, purring softly in Geralt's arms.
Part of my Shifter!Jaskier Verse - This one doesn't stand alone very well.
AO3
CW: Poor mental health, depression, hurt/comfort
_
The search for Yennefer wasn't going well. It hadn't been ever since the Temple of Melitele, but Jaskier had to know more. His entire past, his family, even his own race were a mystery to him, and whilst he'd spent many years thinking he was okay with that... it plagued him now. The idea had been planted in his mind and now it consumed his every thought.
Who was he?
Were there others like him?
But another winter came and went without success. His bond with Geralt had settled, the pair of them getting more and more used to the storm of emotions racing through each other, but that didn't mean it was easy. Jaskier still yearned for something just beyond his grasp, and with every day that passed without a sign of that blasted witch, he felt his energy draining. It wasn't like the feeling he got when he hadn't shifted in a while, but... it was comparable. The fatigue, the constant need for something that he couldn't fulfil... but his skin didn't itch and he didn't feel like his body was on fire. Jaskier just felt... empty, and there was nothing his mate could do or say to help.
Those that said witchers had no emotions were clearly idiots. On days where Jaskier could barely contain his own anxieties, he was easily overwhelmed by just how much Geralt did feel. At his best, Jaskier was good at navigating the bond, far better than Geralt. He could block off the witcher when he needed space, or project his feelings and surroundings to the point where he could almost verbalise words... not quite but it was close and he was sure it was possible. Perhaps if Geralt had been a shifter it would have been easier, or if Jaskier had had a mentor and not had to work every bloody thing out on his own. Right now, Jaskier was not at his best, dear Lillit, he wasn't even half way there. The bond was out of control. He was out of control.
The world was spinning around him in a haze of too much emotion, or not enough. Fuck, it was hard to tell.
It was hard. Everything was just... hard.
So Jaskier shifted to a wolf, his first form outside of human, his most natural, his favourite, and there he stayed. He padded next to Geralt wearily, not really paying attention to the world as they made their way across the Continent for what felt like the hundredth time in the last two years. How was one mage so bloody hard to find? Jaskier had foolishly thought that she would be interested in him, just like she had been when he was a child. He shuddered, pressing his nose into Geralt's hands as violet eyes flashed in his mind.
"We'll find her," Geralt hummed, his fingers delving deeper into Jaskier's fur and scratching behind his ears in a way that usually made Jaskier's leg kick out because it felt so good. Now, it just felt... okay.
It was as if the world had lost all its colour. He couldn't remember the last time he'd picked up his lute to compose, even when he had felt comfortable in human form. It was driving him mad, this cloud that had fallen over him was sucking the joy out of all his favourite things... fuck, even Geralt. When was the last time they'd kissed, made love...
Jaskier huffed a sigh and dropped down on the path, resting his snout on his paws. He could feel his mate's gaze burning down on him, and Geralt's concern was a heavy weight through their bond, but he didn't speak. That was a blessing, even if he could reply, Jaskier wasn't sure he had the words.
Instead, Geralt just sat down next to him, keeping a hand in his fur and then he began to⌠sing? Jaskier glanced up at his mate with a soft whine, nuzzling into Geralt's side and then resting his snout on Geralt's leg. Slowly, he let his tail beat against the ground to let Geralt know he would be okay. He wasn't yet, but he would be, especially if Geralt stayed by his side. The tune Geralt sang was unfamiliar to him, and the witcher's voice, whilst lovely in its own way, wasn't very skilled, but Jaskier was completely captivated by his mate's performance. His ears pricked up even as Geralt stumbled through the lyrics of what sounded like some old forgotten lullaby. He mouthed gently at Geralt's free hand, the warm earthy scent of the witcher grounding him.
When the song was over, they fell back into silence, watching the sunset behind the trees, and longer still as the stars began to shine in the sky. Geralt pulled his cloak tighter around his shoulders, shivering without their usual fireplace. Jaskier barked as he climbed into Geralt's lap, pushing his mate back onto the path as he buried his muzzle into Geralt's hair.
"Jask," the witcher sighed, his fingers stroking through the fur along Jaskier's spine.
Another bark rang out in the night, and then Jaskier licked at Geralt's face and neck, the scar that marked the witcher as his and his alone. Their hunt for Yennefer might not be over, and Jaskier would have to live another day in the never ending darkness, but he had Geralt. Even if Yennefer had no answers for him, he would always have Geralt.
That was enough for him. It might not always feel like it, but Geralt was enough.
