"As you like," she agrees. "You have many more memories of being Audrey than of being Sophia, at present.

"We must hope that you will eventually be able to obtain experience as a ruler, but first we must deal with the one calling herself queen, and sitting on the throne which should be yours."

"'Should be mine' is putting it a bit strongly, don't you think? Until today I was a nobody. Now I have illustrious parents and an interesting history involving amnesia, which doesn't matter one whit to whether I should be in charge." 

She pauses. "... not that I'd mind, but too many people tend the things they're supposed to care for poorly. If nothing else I should meet the leaders of the Resistance first."

"That, ironically, is evidence in favour of your competence as a ruler," Everless says. 

"Were you supremely confident in your right to rule, I would be far more reluctant to assist you to power."

She resettles herself more securely on Audrey's shoulder. "Now, perhaps we should begin to retrace our steps?"

Audrey nods, and turns back towards the path. 

...it is still there, right?

The path is right where they left it.

However, just as they reach it, a hideous screech rings out, and a massive beast drops out of the sky to bar their way. It's at least three times Audrey's height even on all fours, with ragged leathery wings and thick grey-green hide. Its claws scrape the ground, gouging out large strips of turf.

It roars in Audrey's face, giving her an excellent view of its black tongue and yellow teeth. Some of the fangs look nearly as long as her head. Its breath stinks of rotting meat, and its eyes seem to be aflame with some inner fire.

... that is perhaps the very definition of 'not a good sign.'

She takes half a step backwards before she recovers her wits, then pauses. 

"... Hello?"

"Back away, slowly," Everless whispers in her ear.

"Do not make eye contact, and make no sudden moves."

The monster screams in Audrey's face again, sending her hair flying back, and then sniffs her.

It draws in a huge breath that blows her hair forwards again, and then rears back a little so it is not quite as close. The overpowering stench recedes a little.

Okay, okay she still has all her limbs, this is good. 

She takes another slow step back. 

"... can you understand me?"

It blinks its massive eyes several times, shaking its head ponderously.

After a few seconds, it dips its neck in a cautious nod, and takes a half-step away and to the side.

She stops, closes her eyes for a moment, takes a steadying breath. 

"Have I offended?"

She looks at its... not eyes, neck? She needs to see if... it? Let's go with that, if it nods again.

Leaning in, it sniffs at her again, then seems to come to a decision.

The huge creature looks at her, and deliberately wags its head from side to side in an approximation of a headshake. 

It makes the screeching noise again, but quieter. It sounds like a creaky door.

Oh. Oh, good.

... okay, so then why is it here? 

"Do you want to... show me something? Somewhere?"

This produces more screeching and creaking noises, varying in pitch and duration. 

It begins to pace back and forth across the path, gesturing aimlessly with its wings until one catches on a branch and gets twigs poking through the membrane. 

The monster screams, rearing up on its hind legs for a moment and thrashing about with its tail. The other wing is held carefully out of the way, close to its side. 

Okay, something not good and important, but this is going to take more communication than she has. 

... also someone should do something about that branch. 

"...Everless, are you feeling brave enough to extricate that wing from the tree?"

Still whispering as quiet as she can, Everless hisses, "You want me to help the Jabberwock?"

Recovering her composure a little, she continues, "I feel compelled to inform you that this beast is responsible for seventeen deaths and twenty-three life-changing injuries over the last decade, and will no doubt continue to be responsible for many more."

Audrey doesn't dignify Everless' whispering by lowering her own voice. It's rude to whisper about people you're standing in front of. 

"Did anyone try talking to the Jabberwock before? It's smart enough to answer questions with a nod or a head shake, did anyone try treating it as anything other than a beast? Starving, hurting, isolated people who get treated as monsters by everyone tend to make bad decisions."

"You...may have a point," Everless admits after a pause.

Hesitantly, she flaps off Audrey's shoulder and onto the tree, hopping from branch to branch to get a better view of where the Jabberwock's wing is caught.

"I think this may be a task for opposable thumbs," she diagnoses, "at least if we wish to avoid causing further damage. Can you see any blackberries around?"

Audrey quickly surveys the environment. If nothing berrylike is in evidence, she supposes she'll just have to climb the tree.

While there are no berries immediately in evidence from Audrey's viewpoint, the Jabberwock makes a noise that sounds surprisingly like an 'aha', and cranes its neck down to tear a spray of blackberries off from a nearby tangle of brambles. Holding the thorny stalk carefully between its teeth, it offers the berries to Everless.

She takes one delicately, using one claw as a counterweight against the stem to pull it off, and eats it.

The small body of the raven begins to blur and expand, mostly retaining the dark colour but taking on an entirely different shape. Wings shrink and lengthen into arms, legs stretch out, the beak shrinks as ears grow from the enlarged head.

Within no more than a couple of seconds, a sleek grey raccoon is balanced in the tree where there was previously a raven. 

Thanking the Jabberwock belatedly, she sniffs around its wing, inspecting it more closely than she had dared before. Eventually, sneaking worried glances at the beast every few seconds, she begins to manipulate the twigs holding the wing in place, working some of them free.

Audrey smiles and gives a thumbs-up to Everless.