Chapter Text
Jaskier stretched in his bed that was built of a nest of blankets with some flowers here and there, the cool air made him shiver as he heard the bell signaling that it was now night. Jaskier had gotten home in time to see most if not all his family members but he only said his hellos due to how tired he was, he slowly sat up, his body of course had change when he walked back into the gate, his skin had gone pale now his arms, neck and legs were covered in deep lapis blue and gold sigils of the moon and stars, while his hair slightly darker with strands of deep blue that faded into a soft but deep violet, his eyes were still blue but with flickers of gold but his sclera was a black. Jaskier slowly changed while looking around his room.
When he first got home he noticed that at least nothing had changed, his room still had the black colored walls and furniture, he had decorated his walls and ceiling with different colored ribbons and beads much to his fathers amusement… Jaskier looked at his full body mirror to see his dark clothing with different colors to give it some life, his eyes met the half-finished sketch of what he wanted his mask to look like caught his eye, a reminder of the upcoming spirit animal ritual. He'd always been skeptical of such things, but the memory of his mother's spirit tiger, a playful companion of his childhood, made him reconsider, he never did it because he feared somehow Geralt would know that Jaskier had been lying about being human but that doesn't really matter anymore...
A sudden jolt of memory brought him back to the present. Today was his bonding day with Lynx, his twin. Lynx had been pestering him for weeks to join him on a bone-collecting expedition. He’d finally relented, more out of a desire for peace than genuine enthusiasm. Lynx, with his wild, untamed spirit and an insatiable curiosity, was a force of nature. They were the one who had discovered they both innate ability to communicate with birds, a talent they had gotten from their mother side, Jaskier softly sang a soft song as he slowly walked out of his room to the halls of his childhood home, he saw paintings of his family and the stars, he ran into family members and was about to ask if anyone had seen Lynx when he suddenly saw them running towards him full speed, the young fae had thrown themself at him while he let out a yelp (that he would deny) he heard them ramble about how he had a went on a journey while Jaskier was gone.. While his twin who had shorter hair and pale almost ice blue eyes instead of Jaskiers sea blue ones that was the only difference between the two, Jaskier watched as his twin dragged him to the woods while rambling
"I need bones that like call to me," Lynx declared, their voice filled with an urgency that bordered on desperation. "Grandmother words, not mine."
Jaskier chuckled, his eyes scanning the forest for potential finds. "Might actually join you this year," he replied, a hint of curiosity in his voice. Lynx's reaction was immediate, a whirlwind of excitement and disbelief.
“REALLYOHMYSELUNE!!!!DOSEMAMAKNEW?!?!?”Jaskier didn't even blink used to his brothers fast speech, Jaskier smiled shaking his head before he says
“No, I wanted to surprise her, what do you think mine would be, I hope for a pretty bird or maybe a small cute one?” Lynx smirked as he wrapped his arm around Jaskier shoulder and simply said
“A toad to match your lovely voice!”Jaskier placed his hand over his heart in mock hurt before saying
“Then we both would have a toad to match since we both have lovely voices!”
Lynx let out a squawk while Jaskier quickly ran while Lynx picked up mud and tried to throw it at Jaskier a playful chase ensued, laughter echoing through the trees. Their search for bones led them to the colder reaches of the forest, a place that seemed to resonate with both Jaskier and his twin on a deeper level; they both went on different paths. As Jaskier looked he found, nestled amidst a patch of dandelions and snow, he found the skull of a snow leopard. The beauty of the creature, even in death, was undeniable. As he cradled the skull, he felt a strange connection, a pull that hinted at something more profound.
Returning to their meeting point, Jaskier found Lynx with a smaller cat skull in hand. A shared look passed between them, a silent understanding of the strange journey they were both on.