"It's not forever," Jude assures him in a murmur, leaning into the touch, same as he would when he's furry. Leans in closer, bumping cheek to cheek. Resting there.

And yes, he's flickering. Slowly, slowly becoming a soft glow.

"We pack-bond with other shifters, and even humans, given long enough. Riftwatch will anchor me."

It's not the same. It'll never be the same. But it doesn't have to be. Jude isn't fragile, and what might hurt him won't break him, or so he tells himself.

"If there's some grand plan, it brought me here," he assures Mobius, drawing back to give him a steady look. A beat of a pulse, something under the skin that clings to him, a warm glow of calm.