Here’s part one/chapter one of my creature!jaskier and cat!jaskier fic! Hope you enjoy! AO3 link! Also if anyone has a title suggestion I’m open to it!
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The morning had started as it usually did for Jaskier. He woke up to his grumbly Witcher forcing him out of bed at an ungodly hour and stumbled around the room to pack his belongings so Geralt could prepare Roach. He heads down stairs after he’s finished to get them breakfast before they got back on the path.
There’s some sort of commotion behind him as he’s waiting for the women to bring him their meals and of course, the bard turns to see what’s going on. Some sort of magic hits him square in the chest and the inn, including the two mages fighting goes silent. Geralt comes rushing in, sword in hand, ready to swoop in and save his bard. The two mages instantly start sputtering out apologies when faced with a very angry Witcher who seems more intent on checking over his bard than murdering them at the moment.
“Jaskier?”
It was a single word but Jaskier, of course, knew what he was asking.
“I’m fine, Dear Heart.” He reassures Geralt, stroking his cheek gently. The Witcher’s medallion vibrates causing them both to look at it confused. “I suppose we’ll keep an eye out for any nasty side effects?” Jaskier suggests with a small nervous smile.
Geralt grunts and nods. They eat quickly and start on their way, eager to get out of town before more damage could come to the bard.
As the day progresses, Jaskier starts to feel a bit...odd. His scalp felt tingly and so did a spot above his tail bone. He thought that maybe his glamour was slipping but a quick check in the mirror he kept in his pocket showed that wasn’t the case. He swallows nervously, choosing not to mention it to Geralt in favor of not worrying the man prematurely.
Jaskier lets out a startled yelp when he feels something start growing under the hat he’d shoved on his head that day, cutting off the song he’d been humming abruptly. Geralt stops, raising an eyebrow at the bard.
“Ah...it’s nothing, darling. There was a bee! Thought it was going to sting me!” He exclaims, gesturing wildly as he tries to throw the Witcher off his scent. “Excuse me a moment, love. I’m going to pop into the trees for a moment to relieve myself. Been drinking a lot of water today and all.” He says, backing towards the tree line when he feels something start to grow where he’d felt a tingling on his tail bone.
As soon as he’s out of sight he tugs off the hat, feeling his head to find two fluffy ear shaped mounds. “Oh no.” He exclaims, pulling his breeches down until a bit until a matching fluffy brown tail pops free. “No no no..” he mutters, feeling the tail. This was a nightmare.
A branch breaks in the direction he’d just come in and Jaskier’s head snaps towards the sound.
“Jask? Everything alright?” He can hear the worry in the Witcher’s voice and he felt terrible for not responding but he was frozen as the Witcher comes into the little clearing Jaskier was standing in. His fear of being rejected by his love and anxiety over being seen as a monster spike.
The bard resists the urge to curl in on himself as the Witcher gawks at him, feeling a bit hurt. “Look, I wasn’t expecting to grow ears today either so if you could just not... look at me like that, it would be fantastic.” He grumbles, looking anywhere but the wolf Witcher.
“Jask—“ Geralt starts, moving towards the bard but stopping when he flinches, feeling an ache in his chest. “Jask, I’m not going to hurt you. Let me see.”
After a moment the bard nods hesitantly, his new tail flicking nervously as he’s approached. The Witcher’s gentle hands brush over his ears, carefully examining them. “I’m a freak now, Geralt! I can’t preform like this! I’ll become the laughing stock of the continent!” He cries, ears pressing back against his head as he tears up.
Geralt pulls him into an embrace, kissing his forehead reassuringly. “We’ll figure this out, Jask. Just breathe. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He murmurs. They’re both silent for a minute as Jaskier sniffles against Geralt’s chest, relief quickly replacing the anxiety and fear of rejection. “I think they’re cute.” He says, running a finger down the back of one of the ears, causing the bard to shiver. “Geralt—“ he breathes, pulling away slightly. The Witcher in question smirks, letting him go. “We’ll look for a mage in the next village but we need to keep moving. It’s still a few days out.” He tells Jaskier, taking his hand and leading him back to the road.
Roach looks up at them when they reappear and huffs, seemingly unsurprised by the bard’s new features. They continue on until the sun starts to set and then Jaskier sets up camp while Geralt hunts for dinner. The cool late summer breeze felt amazing on his ears and his tail flicks behind him happily as he stacks the fire wood and rolls out the bedrolls. It was odd having ears on the top of his head and not where they normally were and part of him dreaded going into town again. He pulls out his mirror to examine the ears more closely, sitting on a fallen log. He gasps, heart picking up slightly when he realizes that his eyes had changed slightly as well and now resembled his wolf’s.
He takes a deep breath, reminding himself that he was fine and that his glamour was holding. It was just the spell. He jumps when there’s a noise behind him, spinning around and hissing. He blushes when he sees the source of the noise. Geralt’s mouth twitches lightly as he fights the urge to smile at the bard. “Just me, little lark.” He murmurs, putting down the rabbits he had caught.
They eat in silence, Geralt glancing at his bard occasionally, worried. After dinner, Jaskier worms his way onto the Witcher’s lap, rubbing his head against him lightly and purring. Geralt holds the bard, smiling softly. “Are you scenting me?” He asks softly, a note of amusement in his voice. “Shut up. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jask responds but smiles up at the Witcher. “Come on. Let’s get some rest. We’ll need it to get as far as possible tomorrow.” He says, gently pulling Geralt to their bedrolls that were right next to each other.
Geralt pulls the bard down into his gently and pulls the bard to his chest when he doesn’t argue. “I don’t mind the ears, Jask. Even if you have to keep them for a while while we figure this out.” Geralt murmurs into the bard’s hair, watching the ears flick as the bard thinks. “I almost lost you once because I said something out of anger and it will take more than some extra extremities to scare me off.” Jaskier smiles, feeling the pull of sleep starting to drag him down. He knew he was safe in his Witcher’s arms and whatever happened when they got to the next mage, they’d deal with it together.
Tag list and/or people who inspire my writings : @geraskier-trashh @thecomfortofoldstorries @bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher @faeleverte @darkverrmin (anyone who wants to be tagged in the next part, let me know.)