He is stubborn, Melanie will give him that. To be fair, he's not the first person here to be surprised that Nikolaos can change his shape, since it doesn't seem to be a thing that other dreamers' animals can do. But he's the first person to see it happen right before his eyes and then deny that it was real. He won't believe that this is a dream, but he will believe she's some sort of magician who can change an owl into a squirrel.

She opens her mouth to protest that it wasn't some sort of trick - being strapped to a wheelchair for most of your life makes it sort of difficult to practice sleight of hand - but Nikolaos beats her to it. His patience, it seems, has worn thin. He leaps to the ground and resumes the enormous dog shape he was favoring earlier. Sitting down, his head is about level with Melanie's, and he turns to give her a deliberate little nudge with his muzzle. "I told you he wouldn't believe it," Niko says. Then, to the stallion, "And why haven't you said anything?"