Oh hey that's true, you're not actually talking, talking. Huh.

[Complicated, Shiro. Who knew shapeshifting into an alien lion-shaped warship via inexplicable magic could carry so many complicated questions.]

Maybe you should test it out. The growling. ...and the texting. [Come on Shiro give him this. He asks for so little. ...okay that's not true at all.]

But at the very least you could probably start a communication if you needed to for any reason. If you were in that form and in trouble.