You strolled down the street, your hands clasped behind your back, a scaple twirling between your nimble fingers. You were out of uniform, dressed in nothing but casual pants and a midnight blue sweater, with your lover's pin glittering on your chest. You still wore your gloves, though.
And while to others, you may have appeared to be lost in your own thoughts, your tail swishing behind you, your eyes were scanning the crowd of trolls around you with practiced precision.
Too young, too old, that one sneezed, that one is with others... No, no, no! You needed a proper specimen. It was a hassle to fetch them yourself, but a lack of assistants had left you no choice but to do your own hunting. It was almost nostalgic, you mused.
You paused to observe a troll across the street, assessing them, when someone collided with your shoulder. Immediately, you leapt away and swept into a low bow, tail curling against your leg.
"My humblest apologies, I did not mean to..." Your words died on your bifurcated tongue as you looked up. Oh... They were perfect.
"Mr. Nakey will you please get off the counter-" Gehero huffed, exasperated, as he came back in after setting the "Yes, we're open!" sign out. He'd just opened the Inn for the evening, and his meow-beasts were already determined to cause problems.
He gently shooed the furless meow-beast off the bar as he passed, and the sweater-clad cat yowled indignantly, stalking off to the tower on the far side of the dining room.
Shaking his head, he crouched behind the bar to count how many clean mugs he had left when he heard the door open. Surprised, he stood up, beaming.
"Hi! Welcome to the Sleepy Meow-beast, how can I help you?"
Another pair of full moons. A clear, frosty night; winter always stubbornly stayed longer than its welcome in the mountains. The smell of the forest surrounded Vornik as he sat in his private clearing, naked. Waiting.
The first transformation had been forced, and frightening. Now he waited, willing to give in when the moons were high enough.
It hit the moment he saw them, but it didn't hurt. Instead of the rip and roaring pain, he was washed through with warmth. Taking a deep breath, he rolled onto his knees and fell forward, allowing the transformation to take over.
When he emerged from his private clearing, it was as a howl-beast monster- a creature between troll and beast, with a pair of crescent-moon horns. As he joined his howl-beast brethren, a scent on the wind made him pause.
Blood, he realized; troll blood. Alarmed, he whined, dropping to all fours and darting through the trees. He slowed as he neared the source, lingering just within the treeline as he spotted the wounded troll. What were they doing here?
(angsty, tw for implied bodily harm. I'm sorry it's so long I really got into it dhsjjddjssj.)
Thunder rolled overhead, drowning out his frantic footsteps as Fayroe ran through the rain.
They'd run away from the hive again.
His arms burned, his eyes burned, both for different reasons. Mud and rain water splattered his boots as he dodged blindly through the streets.
They'd been seeking their hideout, but the pain and their fear had disoriented them. They wandered the roads, desperately looking for someplace they recognized.
He was exhausted, hurting, soaked and shivering. Persephone was curled up in his pocket, safe and warm, but she wasn't happy about being scooped up out of her cage with no warning.
They'd been running for nights now. They knew they'd be found again. They ways were. But for now, they were free. Free and miserable.
His throat ached. His eyes burned. His arms stung. His feet were sore.
Finally, desperate for respite, they wandered into a side street. The hives on either side had overhangs, sheltering the narrow way from the rain that was steadily mounting into a full on storm.
Fayroe fell against the wall and slid down it, probably scuffing the patch on the back of his jacket, but he didn't really care at the moment. He pulled his knees up, his fins wilted as his throat closed up on him.
Sitting in a filthy alley was so far beneath him, but at the moment he felt lower than a grovelling rustblood's belly. His arms hurt.
Thunder cracked loudly overhead, the sound reverberating through the channel. It made him flinch and jump, instinctively covering his head.
That was when he broke. A sob rocked through his throat and chest. Then another. Another, and they kept coming. Pink tears streamed down his face as he dropped his head to his knees.
He was in so much pain. Not all of it physical. He was so tired. Persephone wriggled out of his pocket and he scooped her up, clinging to her and pressing his face into her fur.
"Please..." He croaked, unsure who he was calling out to.
Ashhur slid his gloves onto his belt, before pulling his poncho on. It was while he was adjusting the cloak that Hounding walked in.
"You goin' out somewhere, Cullbait?" He asked, in the process of tying his hair up.
"For a," Ashhur paused, looking for the word, "walk." He said before he rose and headed for the door. Hounding shrugged and wandered away. Ashhur slipped outside into the cool night, shutting the door behind him before drawing his hood up.
He headed through the quiet streets, down to the shore. He glanced around, before pulling off the poncho, letting his fins flair in the night. He turned towards the water, ready to run into the surf, but froze at the sound of footsteps on the sand behind him.