Fionna looks at Marcus, raises an eyebrow, and walks back inside.
Éogan sighs and looks around. «Hugh,» he shouts, and listens to hear if there is a response.
The bear continues to walk off, seemingly not hearing him.
Wait, a bear? We don' have bears. Has it swam from Scotland? Do they have bears?
Éogan is slow to realise, but when he does, he starts running towards the forest, where he saw the bear disappear. «Hugh,» he shouts, «you did not say good bye.» As he clumsily breaks into the branches, stumbles and scratches his cheek, he shouts again. «Hugh, you promised me another story.»
Hearing the crashing and breaking branches and shouting, Hugh finally notices that someone is trying to follow, and turns around. Seeing the bard who seemingly had nothing to do with his problems, Hugh shifts back to human form, and speaks from a distance. "I have to go. I made a terrible mistake and the magi here are planning to kill me. It's probably best if you aren't friendly to me, they may consider you a traitor."
«What is it with you magi? So quick to make enemies.» Hugh asks with puzzlement. «Are you really one of the Diedne?»
Hugh shakes his head. "Not at all. It's a big misunderstanding. But it didn't seem worth the risk of death to stay and try to explain."
«If you give me a moment to pick up a small pack for the way, you can tell me as we walk. I'll make a poem about you.» Éogan waits for some sign of approval before he runs to pick up the essentials, to join him.
Hugh looks concerned. "Are you sure? If you come with me, you probably won't be able to come back here. I was planning on traveling as a bear for safety, but I can transform you too."
«Really? I have never tried that? How does it work? What do you do with your pack when you transform?»
"Well, I don't really carry anything, but I'll transform your pack too. As far as how it works, I just... cast the spell on you."
«There's a first thing for everything.» Éogan smiles with excitement. He disappears for only a brief while. His «pack» does not amount to much. A travelling cloak, a water skin, and things like that. When he returns, he approaches Hugh, full of anticipation, «so how do we do it now?»
Hugh says, "After we transform, we won't be able to talk. Just follow me. We have to journey some way, I will make your transformation enduring, we will hunt deer on the way. I hope I'm not a fool for trusting you, but I was raised to live for stories, and leaving you behind would make a poor story indeed." Hugh motions and chants in Latin. He touches Éogan, and for a moment the bard is a big wolf, a lion, a small drake, a bear, a huge boar, a horse... and then he is only a bear. Hugh then transforms himself, without the same elaborate procedure, and shuffles off in the direction he had been going before.
«Can I unchange when I need to,» Éogan asks anxiously.
[Assuming he asked before the casting since I didn't give a chance.] Hugh shakes his head. "No, but I can dispel it, just draw an X on the ground with your claw if you want me to remove the spell."
«euh,» stutters Éogan as Hugh casts the spell. His face changes from anxiety, through surprise, into confusion, when he takes the first clumsy steps on four feet. It takes some getting used to, that. He watches with awe as Hugh turns.
Éogan was clumsy with two legs, and twice as clumsy with four. He struggles to keep up with the seasoned bear in front of him, but he does his best, and prays that Hugh will wait.
Hugh is impressed at Éogan's bravery, and he is patient, though he tries to hurry as much as Éogan can, until they get further from Vigil.
Thrilled with feeling of magic through his veins, the bear toddles pleasantly along.
You travel for days, following the route Fionna gave Hugh, before arriving at a small hamlet which Hugh at least hopes is Tir Chonaill.
He may need to wait until the next morning, but whenever it is morning, Hugh will make sure that they arou out of sight of the town, then he will transform himself again, this time into a corpulent man with red hair and a moustache; and casts another spell, laying his hand on the bear and dispelling the shapechanging spell.
He looks at Éogan and smiles. "Call me Bruce. How was your trip? Did you enjoy being a bear?"