“Your plan is foolish, but since you are so insistent, I will help you.” A young woman with long black hair that was tied into a neat ponytail and captivating green eyes said as she removed the excess clothes that she wore, not afraid of showing her scars to her son.

“You know that I am a godbound now mother. I have to experiment with my powers and see what I can do.” Hearne said as his mother stretched her body, knowing that this would be very hard, but she was willing to carry out this ridiculous plan.

“I understand, just don’t start crying to Grandpa once you get a cut,” Hearne’s mother said as she brandished her knife.

“Now tell me once you’re done so we can get this over with.” Hearne’s mother said as she got into a combat stance, ready to fight.

“I am ready Mother, do your worst.” Hearne said as he told his loyal peregrine falcon to perch atop a high tree to watch the fight, sensing that her son wasn’t done, Hearne’s mother watched as her son entered a trance where it felt like he was looking at her but he did not really ‘see’ her and while his body was unavailable, she knew where her son’s mind was, he was in the skin of his loyal falcon and they watched her, waiting for her to fulfill her part of the plan.

His mother made the first move and attacked Hearne’s body with her knife in an attempt to end it quickly. However, his body managed to dodge the attack, albeit a bit slowly, according to their standards. Nonetheless, there was nothing that they couldn’t improve in the year before Hearne reached adulthood and left the nest. And so Hearne watched from atop a tree as his mother attacked his body while he controlled it in the body of a bird, truly a series of fortunate events.

Hearne had a dream that he was his loyal falcon. Through her eyes, he saw many landmarks that he could only dream of witnessing, such as The Golden City of the Grey Dunes, The Island Nation of Lunaria, and The Ice Palace of the Frozen Wastes, among other magnificent sites. When he woke up, his falcon was at his side, and he eagerly asked her where she had been. She answered and told him about all the places she had visited, which were the same places that he had dreamt of. Believing that he had accidentally developed a new ability, he tried to do the same thing intentionally.

With the falcon’s permission, Hearne attempted something he never thought possible - entering the bodies of animals. His falcon had agreed to be his first test subject. However, he did not know how to do it, so he simply stared at her until he suddenly found himself inside the body of his falcon but he soon found that he could not control his new body which Hearne deemed as a sign of his inexperience which was an error he sought to correct and that was why he told his mother about his ability.

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While his mother wasn’t a godbound like him, she had helped him master this newfound ability to where he could move his actual body which is why he asked his mother for help with this as she is a competent warrior and she had his best interest at heart so it did not take much convincing.

After several days, this routine had become the new normal, and the results proved themselves. Hearn had more control over his body besides just dodging and he had gotten quicker too, but his mother had noticed something that he had not given enough thought.

“We need to put you on a very tight leash.” Hearne’s mother said with a mischievous smile on her pretty face, still under the presumption that Hearne still had the same sense of humor as before.

“Speak clearly mother, you know that I have outgrown the use of sarcasm.” Hearne said seriously, his face never changing from the stone-cold mask that he had grown accustomed to wearing so that he would not lose control of his divine power.

“Of course, your newfound power gives you newfound responsibilities and you must attend to them but never forget to have a little fun. After all, life is too short for you to be serious all the time.” Hearne’s mother said as she playfully pushed her arm on his side, trying to get an expression on that immovable mask that used to be a face to no success.

“That may be true for you Mother, but I am a godbound now. I will live a far longer life than you can ever hope to live, so I say to you, Mother, cherish every moment of your mortal life." He had become so adept at wearing his stony mask that when he realized his mother would pass away of old age while he would remain forever young, he only shed a single tear.

“Of course, the reason I started this conversation is to ask you to put restrictions on your skinchanging ability.” Upon hearing her son's words, Hearne's mother grew serious. She had attempted to make light of the situation earlier, but now the gravity of her mortality weighed heavily on her. However, amidst the fear that had been unleashed within her, she found comfort in knowing that she would be reunited with her late husband when she died. This realization gave her the strength to face her mortality with courage and grace.

“What restrictions would you like to impose, mother?” Hearne asked, distracting his mother from their morbid conversation.

“There are three restrictions that I would like to impose on you”

Hearne’s mother continued, “One, you must not eat human flesh while skinchanging, Two, you must not mate with an animal while skinchanging and Third, you must not skinchange into another human being.”

As Hearne considered these limitations, he realized their significance: they were in place to protect his humanity and prevent him from descending into the primal state of the creatures he possesses. Understanding this, he nods his head in agreement.

Soon after, a very aged man with grey hair and dull blue eyes comes out of the bushes looking for something.

“Herne, is that you?”