It was actually Jube's voice, the panic within it that first penetrated Kes's mind. Jube was scared. Years of reaction was to console and protect him.
"Jube?" was what she wanted to say, but then another transformation happened, a crow becoming a man.
Lupo seemed to understand some kind of distress was happening, so trotted over to her to try to do something.
Her legs felt shakeyas the man began to talk, speaking as if this was normal. She had to keep calm.
"Jube," she said, fighting to keep her own voice level. "It....it's going to be okay. You need to listen and calm down."
She thought, her mind feeling distant from her body and her voice, that she must be on auto-pilot. Some part of her had taken over, and she found herself reliving a moment only a a week before, when her body had flung itself at him to reassure him. Was this years of looking after him, a response as ingrained into her being as pulling a hand away from scolding water?
Her mouth was telling him is would all be fine and to listen to this man. She didn't even know this man, but something told her to trust, for the moment.