As Brian passed through the center of town, a chicken flapped up onto a horses back. Then the horse and chicken came up to Brian. The chicken said, "You're here to see the wizard, right?"
Brian stammered, "Y-yes."
The chicken gave a stern warning. "I'd turn back if I were you. The wizard already cursed everyone in town. We used to be a village of animagi, able to change into animal forms at will but the wizard has cursed us so that we now have to take the forms of animals for at least twelve hours every day. The wizard is not to be trusted."
Brian stammered again, "ah-I s-see."
The chicken scolded, "You're planning on visiting the wizard anyway despite my warning. Just what we need, another stupid adventurer rushing in without any plan. I'll add one more warning. The villagers and I are planning a mutiny against the wizard. If you get in the middle of it, we will stop you permanently. Some of us can still take the forms of deadlier animals. So the choice is yours. Either let the wizard curse you into an animal, get yourself killed by one of us, or turn around and go away, fool."