Oliver's head snapped to peer at Lior, his eyes blinking in surprise. "No!" he reassured Lior, and then laughed apologetically. "Sorry, it's--I know it's not nice to hear," he admitted, barely thinking of his own pain. He felt bad the poor kid had had to hear all that. But-... "I'm okay," he assured him, and ruffled his wings as 'proof.'

After a moment he'd caught his breath and the pain--though it lingered in sharp aches throughout his body--had mostly faded. The memory of it was far worse, and he tried to push that away even as he waddled to Lior and squatted low. "You could ride on my back--my feathers are warm but I don't want to drop you so only do that if you can hold on! Or I can carry you in my feet. And that'll be warm, too," he assured; he'd have no issues keeping Lior tucked up close to the down of his belly. At least, he didn't think he would; it wasn't something he'd practiced, but he had glided around in his other form and done much the same with his hind legs, in the past.

But he left the method of choice to Lior nonetheless, his blue eyes brightening now that the worst of it was past.

@Lior

Lior hesitated briefly, not able to easily forget the sounds, but they accepted the reassurance at face value. It didn’t occur to the baby alligator that Oliver could be lying.

Despite their definite excitement at the idea of meeting another alligator, they waited more patiently than they could usually manage. For all their enthusiasm, they didn’t want Oliver to be hurt. “How did you do that?” Lior asked now that their concerns had been assuaged. “Change shape, I mean.”

When given the options, Lior considered both. Their own feet were not the best at gripping most things, and when they needed to hold something they usually used their jaw. But they didn’t want to hurt Oliver further with their teeth.

“You can carry me in your feet,” Lior declared. “Just- be careful?” They weren’t exactly familiar with flying, and the idea of falling was a bit worrisome. Like the idea of being stepped on, but worse.

That said, they skittered closer to the other so that Oliver could easily pick them up.

@Oliver

Oliver hesitated at the first question. "It's--a special kind of magic, I think. Have you ever heard of the Wishing Stone-?" He paused, and then held out the fore edge of one wing. His gemstone gleamed there--green-tinted black Onyx--but now a new color sparked and streaked through it. These were golden-laced dark pink, a foreign gemstone, something unnatural and bright. "It looked like--do you see those pinky-yellow parts?" The owl peered earnestly at Lior. He almost... felt bad, guilty, over the complete answer; to have a gift that others did not felt selfish, somehow. "Lots of us made wishes, before the stone went to sleep. I wanted to help others and--it gave me this power, but... I saw things, too." He didn't elaborate, briefly giving his owl-head a strange and bobbing shake, as though trying to dismiss it. It looked weird in the avian form. "It's nice to have but I feel bad because I think I'm the only one-? Who can do it, I mean." He'd never met anyone else who could change forms at will, like that.

Even if it did hurt like hell.

"I'll be careful," he went on, his tone reassuring. If it came down to it he'd sooner harm himself than Lior--he'd protect the child with his life, without thinking. "If you need me to slow down or go lower or stop or anything, just say, okay? It's fine if you do." The same reassuring notes were accompanied by one large black foot splaying possibly not so reassuring talons toward Lior; but they'd attempt to curl around his body, not--thankfully--into it. It was just one foot, for now; once he had Lior safely in the careful grip of one set of toes (two facing forward, two back) he'd take flight, then add his second foot for stability.

"Ready?" Oliver asked, half-crouching and spreading his wings.

@Lior