"Aw, offend your mommy, did I? Or is she your girly?"
Adam wasn't sure whether to be offended, embarrassed, or both. For the second time in what felt like as many minutes, he was left to process his thoughts. He may not have known what to think, but he did know how he felt when Gilligan rudely told MacKensie to sit down and shut up; terrible for bringing her along on this hike. As she left for the spot with an audible "Hmph!" the Druid did what he was told and sat down also, removing the articles of clothing the grumpy elf had asked him to.
Okay, meditation. That made some kind of sense, he thought as he listened to the explanation, maybe he won't be-
The red-eyed man felt the impact of Gilligan's spell as it hit him; he was visibly startled, wondering if this bitter man had snapped before calming down once the old elf's further instructions indicated that yes, he was still in possession of his mental faculties, even if he didn't care about his capacity for kindness. Close my eyes. Okay, I can do that.
The concept of a "spirit animal" was completely new for Adam. If clearing his head was what it took, then he would do his best to do that. It certainly wasn't an easy process, but it was helped by two things; the first was that he had worked through most of his issues related to the Hillocks last night. The second was that Gilligan was actually helping him. For someone "not interested" in teaching, he had done exactly as Glee said and took a chance on someone who had only been casting for a few days. The older Druid would probably tell him to "let it go" though, so that is exactly what the younger one did.
Yes, it was tough to be completely meditative. Thoughts popped up in his mind, from the more serious "what if the water ninja comes back?" to the less life-or-death question of "what does MacKensie think of how I look without a shirt on?" Less life-or-death to those not named Adam Phillips, at least. He felt like he would make it though; he just had to keep trying. There would be time to consider all of these things after he learned to shapeshift. And apologized to MacKensie for not insisting she stay at the inn.
And the effort paid off. As the sun set, what rose up in the younger Druid's field of vision was quite surreal, even for Mytheria; a black bear, just like the ones he had seen back home. The difference was that those ones weren't translucent with a light blue color. A "black" bear in name only, he might have joked if this was less serious. Instead, with his eyes shut and complete certainty, he spoke.
"You're my spirit animal."