The Animals of Arkham Files

In Arkham Files, the characters from Caffrey Conversation acquire new skills. Neal is a linguistics scholar, Peter an archaeologist, Mozzie an astrophysicist, and Elizabeth a neurologist. But people aren't are only characters in our series as Penna pointed out in her post, The Animals of Caffrey Conversation. Animals feature prominently in my Arkham Files stories and they too have enhanced abilities.

Several of the characters have pets. Only Satchmo is from canon. Mozzie's cat Betelgeuse is original to the series. Dogs and cats have an advantage over humans. They are able to see some alien species like nightgaunts and chittaks that are invisible to humans who don't have algolnium. Meropians are also able to influence them telepathically. Satchmo and Betelgeuse can communicate via images to Lavinia. Since Neal is part Meropian, he too has the ability although he is just beginning to be able to take advantage of it.

Several alien species have advanced telepathic ability, including chittaks and shilkas. Neal was able to communicate easily with shilkas on Merope. With Lavinia's chittaks, he's not had as much success. Communication has been limited to the exchange of images.

Shantaks were introduced in The Locked Room. In Time Crystals, Neal discovers that like shilkas, they're capable of advanced communication. Neal speaks with them directly and has no need for telepathy. His language abilities are similar to that of the hero of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, Randolph Carter, who could communicate with zoogs, cats, and ghouls. In Arkham Files, I provided a scientific reason for Neal's language ability—Celaenian DNA he inherited from his grandfather. As his alien components strengthen, he may be better able to access Meropian and Celaenian abilities. The day he can communicate with the chittaks as well as Lavinia can't be far off. What other possibilities await? Peter wondered if he was communicating to yaks. Other species may also be responsive.

Of course, not all animals are friendly. Tirelia has many dangerous species, among them zoogs, nightgaunts, cthyllas, ghasts, and gugs. Will Neal's gift allow him to communicate with zoogs? What would a nightgaunt want to talk about? Gideon Talmadge told Neal in the final chapter of Cinereous Skies that Neal has the most powerful gift of all—language. Was he thinking about the ability to communicate with animals? I asked Lavinia, and in typical fashion, she claimed I wasn't ready to know.

Time Crystals on Archive of Our Own
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