[$] The Hunt (w/Mute <33)

[Mute Black Sheep]

AutumnrainChaos

"I'm starting to really question why they would torture me with you." Corvo muttered as he tended to the fire. Fife was starting to get on his nerves. He really disliked Fife since they both unofficially met each other. There was no real reason for his dislike towards him. Just something about him that rubbed him the wrong way. They've never really been near each other until now and haven't exactly said more than a few rude comments and words until now. From what he had gathered from others, Fife was very smart and witty. Somebody that could make quick decisions and thought about their choices. As far as he knew, they were complete opposites. That was a perfect reason right there why they could have been put together for this.

With both of them, they would balance each other out. If they could just get along. Corvo jumped back, falling back on his a**. He stared into the blue then violet fire. "You... a*****e! What's wrong with you?! I was right in front of it! What am I supposed to question? Your sanity? Because I've been doing that since we left!" Corvo almost grabbed the stick with the hare on it to throw at him. That would be a waste of resources. He wasn't expecting it, it had just scared him. Corvo had overreacted to what Fife did but he had no idea about Fife being a magic user. There weren't very many wolves that used magic at all. At once it was often forbidden in most clans. There were only a few elders in their clan that used magic, that Corvo knew of.

Once he calmed, Corvo stood there for a moment before sitting back down, silent now. The stress of all of this was already wearing him thin. Wolves like him, he could deal with. Fife was very different.  

[AutumnrainChaos]

Mute Black Sheep

"I am not insane," he snorted, turning his head away, but that was the end of that. For the rest of the evening, he'd say very little to Corvo, except when he'd state he'd take first watch. He moved to sit on a stone near the warm fire and stared directly into the night, eyes gleaming from the moon.

Now he had time to think.

Corvo was... interesting to say the least. They'd barely spoke with each other, that much was true, but to be put together meant that Corvo had some special talent. If not, then a rookie would've been shoved with him instead of this cranky pants wolf. His nostrils flared. Had he heard about him? He'd known few things about this boy, really.

For one, he knew the other had difficulties Shifting. That needed remedy. For another, he was sure he'd heard the other was the top of his class.  

[Mute Black Sheep]

AutumnrainChaos

They both ate in silence, only the sound of the popping and crackling of the fire and the sound of the wind between them. It was completely dark and Corvo was already growing tired when Fife said he would take the first watch. Fair enough. He didn't argue, just simply pulling the bed roll from his pack and got into it. It was chilly enough to curl up inside of it. He laid with his back to Fife, arms curled under his head and face tucked into the crook of his elbow. Like every night, sleep didn't come easy.

The light of the fire danced on the trees in front of him, shapes coming out from the shadows with every flicker and shift in the flames. Despite the way he acted and the things he said, Fife's words stuck with him. Why did they put them together? Fife could cook and clearly was a magic user while he had survival instincts. Anybody had that though, so why him? They clearly weren't friends and clearly didn't like each other. There was either more to this or Fife was just over thinking the beta's cruelty. Though... this was the next alpha they were looking for. This was of the utmost importance.

After a while, the sound of the fire and actually the others breathing helped lull him to sleep. If it wasn't getting to sleep that was hard, then it was the nightmares. They weren't about anything in particular and he often had a hard time remembering them in the morning. Only bits and pieces stuck with him when he woke. He kicked a few times in his sleep, clutched at the edge of the bedroll and ground his teeth in his sleep. The wind blew the leaves in the trees harder, carrying with it scents from all over. There was nothing alarming in any of them, but they did wake him from the short sleep he had gotten.

From where he lay, he could hear Fife breathing. Good, he was still there. A small amount of comfort even if he didn't like him. There was nothing else to do now. Even if it was a few short hours, it would be enough until tomorrow night. He sat up, setting out of the bedroll to put a little more wood on the fire. "I'll take this watch." It was all he would need to say to him. From where he sat, he could feel the heat from the fire.  

[AutumnrainChaos]

Mute Black Sheep

"You've barely slept," stated Fife, standing up and stretching his back. He stared at the other for a moment before switching places with him. Quietly, he'd sit and eat the little bit of food that he'd left over for this particular reason, choosing not to sleep quite yet. No, he'd eat and watch Corvo instead, in silence.

For at least a few moments. "You have nightmares," he stated softly. There was no mocking in his voice whatsoever, just genuine sympathy. "I'm sorry. May I ask... as of what?" Getting chummy? Well, since they were stuck together for who KNOWS how long, they might as well, right?  

[Mute Black Sheep]

AutumnrainChaos

"I'll be fine." Corvo pulled his knees close to his chest, resting his arms on both as he stared out into the dark tree line. There was a bit of annoyance when Fife went to eat instead of sleep. This would be easier if the other would just leave him alone. The cold wind chapped his lips and turned his cheeks pink. He scooted closer to the fire to warm up. "So?" Corvo clenched his teeth, this was not a subject he wanted to ever get into with Fife. "Why do you want to know?" He snapped at the other, moving a little closer to the fire again. The male remained silent for a few moments.

"I don't know. I never remember them when I wake up." It wouldn't hurt to just talk to him, would it? It would make the night go by quicker. "Sometimes its about the others. I hear enough of their s**t, it's no surprise."  

[AutumnrainChaos]

Mute Black Sheep

He paused mid-bite. "Never?" he asked, "But yet you know that they are sometimes about the pack-members?" He shook his head and brushed his hands together to clean them off. "If you want to remember them, I can help you with that." He put his finger tips together and they began to glow a dim blue. "I know a lot of spells." He yawned, using the back of his hand to hide it, fangs visible.

"I can also help with your shifting," he said. "Good night."  

[Mute Black Sheep]

AutumnrainChaos

"Not the details, no. Just faces sometimes. Most time they're faces I've never seen before." Corvo leaned back, placing his hands on the dirt for support. The heat from the fire warmed his skin from the cold wind. "What?" Corvo looked over to Fife. He slowly sat up as his finger tip began to glow blue. "N-no. I think that's the last thing I need right now." He scooted further away from where he had been sitting. Once again, he began to question why he had been stuck with Fife. This was the first real exposure Corvo had to anybody that could use magic. "Again, the last thing I need. We're looking for the next alpha. We're not here so I can watch you and your magic tricks."

When Fife yawned, he relaxed a little. The man's finger tips stopped glowing blue and his yawn meant that he would be going to sleep soon. Though with those words, Corvo gasped, eyes widening."What? What do you mean you can help me?" Corvo was on his feet, walking quickly to Fife. "What do you mean? How?" Corvo shook Fife by his shoulder. "Tell me!" He growled out, glaring at the man before him. For once he was taller thanks to the other sitting.  

[AutumnrainChaos]

Mute Black Sheep

"No need to shout," he said softly, brushing the other away. He pointed upward at the sky, motioning to the moon. "When the moon is full next, I will help you. But I can't before that. Full moons, our kind are at their strongest." He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. The full moon was almost an entire month away, as they'd just passed a full moon only a day or two before. Fife settled himself against his pack, since he'd packed nothing else. Then, a moment later, using his magic with a clap, he procured a small,yet incredibly comfortable, tent.

Well, that explained the lack of travel gear. He could just summon it with his magic. Why carry it when it'd come to you at the drop of a hat? He peeked an eye up at the other. "Go to your post, go on. Wake me at dawn and we'll start out again." Carefully, he let his long hair fall out of its plaited nest and settled to sleep.

This relationship would have to work to find the Alpha, and in order for it to do so, he had to make sure this boy was a proper wolf. Once they managed to drag the young prince back, they could go their separate ways again. He paused and stared at the tent. But he'd made a promise for a month. He rubbed his nose. So even if they found the prince before the month, he still owed it to the other to help him. And if they DIDN'T (oh gods that had better not be the case), well then he would easily keep his promise.

It was a lot to process. Still, it was pretty obvious that neither one was looking forward to spending an entire month together (or longer).  

[Mute Black Sheep]

AutumnrainChaos

His hands were moved off of Fife's shoulder, and immediately as the other pointed to the sky, Corvo looked up. He could see countless amount of stars and a waxing gibbous. Almost an entire month away. The full moon was the closest he got to transforming every month. It was only during the harvest moons and blood moons that he actually got to transform. They were the most painful thing he experienced every year. Hid body never got a chance to get used to the shifting so they usually left him stuck inside and unable to join the rest of his pack. Nobody but his family had seen him in his transformed state.

"I'm going to hold you to that." Corvo stepped away from Fife. "If you try to go back on it, you can be sure that I'll hunt you down." Instead of a thank you, Fife received a threat. He was far away from Fife when the tent appeared out of no where. Corvo frowned at it and scoffed. Great, so he was the idiot who over packed. The male sat down, with a glare to Fife as the man treated him like a child, at least he felt like he was. Corvo mumbled to himself, Fife only reminding him why he disliked the other.

Corvo spent most of the night looking up at the sky and sniffing the air. Almost a full month away. Corvo had assumed that they would be finding the soon to be Alpha before then. They boy couldn't have gone far. Scrawny. Small, he was actually about Corvo's height if not a tiny bit taller, and a little naive. The little Alpha in training couldn't have gone far at all. It was a little silly to think that he could have traveled a long distance. From what Corvo heard, what little he knew about the prince and what he assumed, the kid was sheltered. Kept inside to be taught the ways of the Alpha. Of course the bodily training would come at a much later time. The kid wasn't anywhere near being old enough for that though, he couldn't have been.

Corvo watched the sun rise, feeling the beast within him calm down as the moon set. Before Fife was awake, he left to hunt something small that could be cooked up quick. Being unable to transform to hunt, Corvo got used to hunting as he was. He had been trained hard because of his handicap, it all paid off though. The meat cooked over the fire, Corvo turning them over. "Good morning, sunshine. Get enough beauty sleep there?" He pulled the meat off the fire. "Eat so we can leave."  

[AutumnrainChaos]

Mute Black Sheep

"There is no need to be so snippy," he stated, taking what was given to him and thanking him softly. He ingested the meal quickly and then snapped his tent away. "If you desire to sleep in a more comfortable location, just let me know. I have no problem sharing." He stretched his arms over his head and yawned. "Shall we?"

Traveling was going to be a pain. Getting out of these woods took a week to begin with, and as they progressed, they saw less and less signs of the young Alpha. They were almost a month in and finally they saw signs. Fife paused. By now, his hair was a mess, his clothes disheveled and he needed to shave. He licked his lips and let his fingers touch the marked trail. He inhaled the scent of the trail and then took a taste. A moment later, he spit to the side with a snarl. "Dammit!" he growled.  

[Mute Black Sheep]

AutumnrainChaos

There wasn't a high chance that Corvo would be asking Fife for a tent to sleep in, let along share one with him. He honestly didn't care how stubborn he was being or how much of a bitchy a** he was to the other man. Maybe once Fife kept his promise and fixed him, then he'd be a little kinder to him. Again, there was no real need for this general dislike. Though as the days turned to weeks and weeks to almost a month, Corvo's patience was wearing thin. Especially with Fife. There were a few moments though that he was actually a decent person with him.

It all was beginning to feel hopeless now. There was no scent or sign that the young Alpha had been anywhere near their area. The streams were scares and the caves had only a little water for their water skins. Corvo only bathed once or twice, it was all they could find to use. The trees hadn't thinned out much at all since they entered the forest. Clothes dirty, worn and torn in a few places. Hair messier than their clothes. Corvo scratched at the scattered hair on his face. It stuck mostly to his jaw line and even then it grew only in patches really. "What?" Corvo question Fife when the man stopped. His back ached because he was too stubborn and proud to ask to share the tent, and really he had been an a** to Fife the entire trip, so naturally, he was still pissy. "What? What is it?" Corvo stopped scratching his face to sniff at the scent.  

[AutumnrainChaos]

Mute Black Sheep

To be fair, Fife didn't blame him for his irritance. It was terribly annoying to be going out this far, to be doing this and having no luck. He stood up and rubbed his lips with the back of his hand. "This trail has been cold longer than we've been searching for him." He growled a little under his throat and looked up to the sky. Nostrils flaring, he moved closer to Corvo and nudged him gently with his elbow. "Come on. The moon is almost full. I have to keep my promise."

And to eat. They had to eat. His stomach growled angrily as he stuck his nose to the air and smelled out their dinner. He was having little luck and getting frustrated. A snap of his fingers caused a fire on the ground for them to warm up with. He rubbed his face. "Can't snif out anything... Need to eat before I can show you how to change." He picked at his clothes. "And we need water."  

[Mute Black Sheep]

AutumnrainChaos

"You've got to be kidding me!" Corvo moved to the spot that Fife had just been sniffing to smell for himself. As Fife had said, the scent was old, hardly even there. "Damn. It's been almost a month and that's no where near fresh." Corvo ran a hand through his hair. "Dammit!" He kicked the nearest tree. "What?" He felt the exhaustion start setting in now that he knew the Alpha was no where near them. At least they were going in the right direction. Corvo looked up when Fife mentioned the moon being almost full. "Huh, so you weren't lying." Corvo grinned, moving from the scent. No, he didn't think that Fife would lie to him, but it was a creeping fear that had him worrying some nights.

Corvo stepped from the fire as it appeared, bending down slightly to warm his hands. "I know how to change, it's that I just can't." He stood back up, setting the pack down. The furs that they gathered were tucked away inside. "Leave dinner to me. I'll catch us something." Corvo rolled his shoulders before sniffing the air. There wasn't a whole lot there, but he could pick up something faint. In a moment, he took off running, leaving Fife behind. Despite being unable to transform during a full moon, it still filled him with energy and the same basic instincts that the others had. Corvo found the rabbit holes. It was the same thing they usually ate, but it was meat.

After a while of digging then chasing, Corvo returned with three rabbits, dead and holding them by the ears. "I don't have much water left, but there was a small stream not too far back I can go get us some water. Hand me your water skin." He grabbed his own before holding his hand out. "Skin those while I'm gone." While leaving to get water, Corvo started up at the sky, a smile coming to his face. He hoped that this was the last full moon he'd be stuck like this for. To sleep in his wolf form, hunt in it, travel in it. It was everything he had been wanting since he was young.

It only took him a few minutes more to fill up their water skins. "Here. So, tell me what's going to happen first."  

[AutumnrainChaos]

Mute Black Sheep

The rabbits were roasting by the time he returned. His eyes glimmered in the firelight. "You'll break bones," he stated, "as your body changes, trying to rearrange itself. The first it happens to any one, be they pup or adult new to this, it hurts. But, since we are what we are, you'll heal." He rest his cheek in his fist. "Then, you'll notice everything more than in this form. The sounds, the smells... even the feel of the earth is different between paws. You are more connected to the earth as a wolf than as a two-legged humanoid." He looked up at him and straightened himself.

"For you, you'll grow lustful," he shrugged his shoulders, "rather, everyone grows lustful near the full moon, but for the first time, you'll have a hard time controlling it. As pups, it's easier. They usually lust for adventure and rough play. As adults, however, our minds lust for physical contact, blood, hunting, and everything you can think of. The hardest part is learning to control that lust. It'll take a few tries, but once you've gained control of that, you've gain control of your wolf." He stopped. "Does this make sense to you? Even if you knew all of this, do you actually understand it?"  

[Mute Black Sheep]

AutumnrainChaos

Corvo ignored the rabbits roasting on the fire, his eyes were trained on Fife. The male sat near the fire, opposite of the other. Nothing else mattered right now, all that mattered was this. Everything that made him feel trapped, held back, ashamed, embarrassed. The one thing that made him feel less like a lycan and more like a human would be shed here. He would be the wolf he was meant to be and not this shell of one. "On the harvest and blood moons, I've always been trapped in that stage. My bones ached, everything felt like it was always just about to break and shift. It never did though. Those nights I would always just lay in bed and listen to everybody else outside." It was hell for him.

"Yeah. It does, but how can I change if I haven't before? I can't just will myself to change. Believe me, I've heard this all before. Before every test they've done on me to try to get me to change. It always failed and it was always just another disappointment. I... I don't want this to be like all those times." Corvo looked Fife over for a moment. "How can you get me to change when I've already tried everything?" Corvo was skeptical as Fife went on. More of him grew worried and less excited about all of this. What if Fife couldn't help him? After being promised, it would crush him. "I just don't want to be disappointed again." All excitement left him as he met Fife's eyes.