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Surviving in Shadows [Saria & CharlotteV]

Max was on the verge of opening his mouth, protests sitting right on the edge of his tongue, but before he could say anything...Kithiel was there.

It took Max a moment to realize the way the wolf was walking. Slow. Tired. Weak. Even in the darkness, the wolf still looked bright white, but now...his fur was matted. Dark. Blood.

Max sighed a little, pressed his face up against Lucas' chest, willed his heart rate to go down. He was going to be fine. They could handle this. It was just one more little dip around the pot holes of their lives. "Yeah," he murmured. "We're okay."

He doubted that, but they were better off than the wolf at least, who looked like he'd kicked some serious ass so...that probably made them safer. At least for the time being. "You alright?"
 
Kithiel stared at Max a long moment, sensing the beginnings of a tether, but it wasn't complete. It was still dangerous and he used what little bit more magic he could dredge up to wrap a shield around Max, hoping it would keep the darkness at bay until he recovered. Until they all recovered. He slumped further into the ground, ears and tail drooping. Don't go out of the shielding... Keeping it up and functional would delay his healing, but they had to take every precaution.

Lucas glanced around them and felt the magic around them, twitching as it reminded him of the trap they'd walked into, but at least this one would keep them safe. Maybe. "Kithiel...?"

Do not let him be taken. Kithiel closed his eyes and slipped into a trance. His ears twitched every so often as he listened for danger.

Lucas growled softly though those words were comforting. At least his brother wasn't completely claimed... "You heard him. Stay inside the magic bubble," he mumbled. There were some words he never imagined he'd be saying.
 
"Magic bubble," Max mumbled sarcastically, and then started laughing. He couldn't stop, after that. He figured half of it was adrenaline and half of it was redirecting fear, but he just...kept laughing, over and over, burying his face deeper into his brothers chest to muffle the sound. By the time he finally stopped he was almost out of breath. "What even is our lives?"

He sat up finally, shivered a bit in the cold since he'd pulled off all his layers. It'd been a long day, and he was exhausted, but...he didn't want to go back to sleep. He could feel the magic shielding them...shielding him, and it wasn't that he didn't trust it...he just didn't want to take the chance.

His fingers moved again, tracing over the whelps left on one of his arms, but it didn't have the same effect this time. They hurt, but not in a magic way, in a 'got scratched by a freaking weird dragon like kid with no fucking mouth' way. Who even knew that was a thing?

"Well," Max mumbled, and sighed, before falling over again and resting his head on Lucas' shoulder. He didn't have any qualms about being clingy anymore. All his secrets had been laid out bare...if Lucas told him to get off, he would, but until then...he was going to damn well seek out the comfort he wanted.
 
Lucas kept hold of Max through his freak-out and would have joined him if it didn't feel like he was the only one in a state to notice if anything else strange happened. He eyed the marks and shifted enough to grab their packs, rummaging through them until he found what was left of their first-aid kit to get the marks tended and wrapped. He wasn't sure it would help, with them being made by magic, but at least they wouldn't have to see them. The wound on his shoulder from Kithiel still ached sometimes, but it was healing, even if it was leaving behind a strange mark as it did.

He leaned back against the tree and settled his arm around Max again when he pressed close again, keeping his eyes on Kithiel. He looked weak and hurt, and the strange link between them was barely even there. He wanted to help, but how the hell was he supposed to help a magic wolf? He didn't dare try to share his own magical energy or they'd all be in a pinch. "Anything we can do to help?"

Kithiel sighed, too tired to even respond. Making mental contact usually took little effort or energy, but as drained as he was, it was too much. There wasn't much they could do anyway, as exhausted as they all were. He could feed off excess energy, but there wasn't much of that to go around unless they were going to start humping and giving off sexual energy.
 
Max held out his arms obediently as Lucas fixed them up. He'd been so distracted by everything he hadn't actually noticed them hurting until they were being covered with goo and spray and bandages. The cold came with a comforting relief and he nodded a little in thanks.

Kithiel was oddly quiet...it was kind of unnerving, but Max understood. They'd all been drained, of energy, of magic. It's been a hard, long day and they were weeping the consequences of his actions. "He's probably thinking yeah you can shut up and let me get some rest for once or, ya know, go the fuck to sleep so you won't get your stupid asses in anymore trouble. Either one of those works, I'm sure."
 
Lucas sighed and hoped there came a time when they wouldn't have to bandage each other up every few days. Preferably soon. He snorted quietly and had a feeling Kithiel wasn't quite thinking either of those things, at least not first and foremost, but he didn't comment on it, mussing Max's hair instead. "Or more like when I'm healed, I'm ripping you both to pieces." He was certain that thought was in there somewhere and he'd be fighting off a wolf in one way or another, but at least they were all recovering enough they'd at least survive.
 
Max laughed again and rested his head against his brothers chest, then before he knew it...he was fast asleep. He hadn't waned to, or even meant to, but exhaustion had won him over. That time, nothing in his dreams bothered him. It was blessed silence, and pure black behind his eyelids.

The morning came with a sun that was too bright, even through the trees, and he wined pathetically in an attempt to make it go away, curling up tighter into Lucas and pressing his face into the mans shirt. "No," he murmured. "Don't wanna."
 
Lucas drifted to sleep against the tree with his arm wrapped around his brother. He didn't quite sink into a deep sleep, he rarely could when they were sleeping outdoors, and especially not when they were in a state for easy picking. By the time the sun was up, his back was aching and his arm was asleep. He groaned quietly as he woke up to Max curling into him, lifting a hand to run through his brother's hair, lingering there a moment as he pressed his face into Max's hair. He didn't want to wake up either, but they needed to see how bad Kithiel was and if anything was coming after them.

"Come on," he murmured, yawning and mussing Max's hair. "Up," he added half-heartedly, reluctant to let Max go even to get up. He was warm and so long as Max was close, he knew he could keep him safe.
 
Max didn't want to move anymore than Lucas actually wanted him to, so he stayed put for a little while longer. There was only one place he ever actually felt safe, regardless of their setting, and that was right where he was. He was reluctant to move. But he did, eventually, with a sigh and a groan as he stretched out. They'd both slept mostly siting up, and while he was sure Lucas had it worse, his back wasn't too happy with him at the moment.

The day seemed mostly normal though, quiet, chilly, not like impending soon was about to come down on them at any moment...which didn't mean it wouldn't, actually. His arms ached a little where they were bandaged, but it was kind of a leftover pain, so he rubbed them a little but didn't worry.

In the sunlight, Kithiel looked awful. His normally brilliant white fur was now a matted mess of rusty brown, and Max let out a low whisper at the image of it. "Damn."
 
Lucas grimaced when Max finally moved, shifting and hissing softly as various parts of him started to come back to life and he felt a few pops. He'd already seen the wolf and the state he was in and tried not to look at him any longer than he had to. He sighed when he heard Max and glanced towards Kithiel again with a wince.

Kithiel slept deep, healing far slower than he should have with his depleted energy and magic. The cuts and gashes looked days old instead of fully healed like they should have been by now and his fur was a dim grey beneath all the dried blood. He was slumped where he lay, ears drooped though they twitched at the sounds of them stirring.

"We should let him rest." Lucas glanced around, feeling the low thrum of magic from the barrier that had held through the night. He wasn't sure they should risk leaving the protection and got to his feet to stretch, reaching for the packs.
 
Max could hear the protest Lucas' body was giving him, and he actually felt a little bad, winced slightly as he looked back at his brother. The older boy was focused on the wolf though, and Max nodded along with his decision. There was no point to wake the wolf, at least yet.

The magical protection had lasted the night, and was maybe a little stronger, so Max wasn't too worried. He himself was feeling a bit stronger too. Not enough he was willing to run a marathon, but a little bit. He ran a hand through his hair before turning to his own pack and pulling out a water bottle and an old teeshirt that actually already had water on it.

He crossed the little area to the wolf before sitting down and placing a hand between his ears. "Hey, it's just me," he said, because he had a feeling sneaking up on a creature that powerful wasn't smart. Then he sat back, poured some water on the cloth, and went to work gently scrubbing the red out of the fur across Kitheil's face. He came clean with surprising ease, so Max kept at it, running his fingers through the knots and doing what he could at least for the time being.
 
Lucas rummaged through for some of their rations, finding some dried fruit that still looked edible and nuts, slowly pacing around the circle to work his legs as he ate a few handfuls.

Kithiel growled quietly and stirred as he felt a hand on him, baring his teeth before he woke enough to realize who was touching him. His ears laid back a moment, smelling a lingering taint on Max, but he wasn't fully tethered. Not yet anyway, as far as he could tell. He heaved a sigh and closed his eyes again, twitching as he let Max clean his face. Thank you... A soft rumbling purr-like sound escaped him after a few moments as he drifted back towards sleep.
 
Max had never really been an animal person. As a child he'd always kind of been afraid of them, he'd even cried one time when a damn turtle crawled over his foot, and as a teen...well, running away from dogs was scary enough a grown man would piss their pants. But Kithiel was starting to grow on him...even if he probably hated his guts, which Max didn't blame him for, not really.

But right now, despite the gore and the wounds that were still open, Max wasn't...scared. Kitheil's fur was soft, and he kind of wanted to nuzzle his face in it on a better day, and the purr he let out made him smile like an idiot. "You're welcome," he murmured as a response, even though he was sure the wolf was fast asleep again.

He had enough water it wasn't going to hurt him to lose a little more, so once he finished with Kithiel's face he moved to his back. A lot of the blood there seemed to be his own, and he had to go slower so he didn't accidentally hurt him.

"Luke," he said when his brother got closer. "I wanna bite." Then he opened his mouth expectantly, given that his hands were tainted a little red at the momet.
 
Lucas watched Max with Kithiel and was glad the wolf didn't try to bite his brother, or even growl considering how weak he still was. He raised an eyebrow at the open mouth and squashed down the brief flash of wanting to put something other than food in it. He moved towards Max and held out a few nuts to drop into his mouth. "How bad is he?" he asked, squatting next to them and watching Max work, grimacing at how much blood there was caked into the fur.

None of the wounds were still bleeding at least, but some looked like they could start again given half a chance. A normal wolf would have been dead by now. He sighed and offered Max some of the fruit. "Hopefully he can move by tomorrow." He didn't like being sitting ducks in the least, especially when those bastards or... anything from the other side could track them fairly easily.
 
Max took the offered food gratefully, even though it was only a little. He was hungrier than usual, probably from wasted energy, but he could deal. "It looks worse than it is," Max answered. It was actually true, but that didn't mean Kithiel was well off by any means. The more blood Max managed to clear away though, the better it was. The wounds were healing, even though it was slow going.

"Hopefully," he agreed, more than happy to get the fruit too. He finished up what he was doing and ran his fingers through a couple of knots. The wolf looked better. Not as...vibrant, but better. He sighed a little and leaned over against his brothers shoulder. It was quiet, and that always kind of bothered him a little, which was why he talked so much generally. "He really looks like he went through hell, huh?"
 
Lucas propped his leg up as he settled in next to Max, resting an arm over it as he continued feeding the both of them. "He probably did," he murmured, sighing as he glanced around. At least the sun was up. It always felt safer with sunlight. Now that he was rested and had enough energy to properly think, he tried to figure out how far they'd gotten. The strange tug toward the east was still pulling toward the east, but it felt stronger. He just hoped it was as safe a place as he'd been expecting for the past several weeks.

"We may as well go through our packs and toss out anything we don't need. Doesn't look like we're going anywhere for a while." He didn't like staying put, especially outside, but they all needed the rest.
 
Max sat in the quiet for awhile despite himself, mostly enjoying what could count as breakfast that Lucas was feeding him, even after he could probably eat it himself - his hands were still dirty, but he'd eaten with them in worse conditions before. He frowned a little as he watched the wolf just breathe, wondering what he actually had been through. He knew enough though. Knew that it wasn't good.

When Lucas mentioned their packs the teen sighed but nodded, dragging himself to his feet and pouring a little extra water onto his hands before wiping them off as much as he could on his jeans. Then he sat down in front of his bag, turned it upside down, and let everything in the main pocket fall free. He had a lot more comic books than he'd realized.

"Where are we anyway?" Max asked. "I mean...do we even know where we're like...going?"
 
Lucas grabbed his own pack after sealing up the food, pulling everything out and arranging everything in neat piles. It was mostly supplies and gear, weapons, food. The only personal items he traveled with were the second set of clothes and a few worn and tattered pictures of them with their mother when they were far younger.

He glanced up at the question and shrugged. They hadn't really known where they were going from the beginning. Trying to find a settlement of civilization that still accepted strangers was looking more and more like a pipe-dream. Honestly his last hope of being able to find a place to actually sit still a while was the pull to the east. If that turned out to be a bust, he wasn't sure what they were going to do.

"Other than whatever's calling to the east? No. If we hadn't had those trackers on our trail, we might have stayed in the last city a bit longer."
 
Unlike his brother, Max wasn't neat and tidy. His stuff ended up in piles, but because he threw it there, letting it slump together. He was down a knife, probably stuck it in something and forgot it. He seemed to vaguely remember that, but it was annoying nonetheless. He hummed non committedly at his brothers answer while he stared at the stuff he was pulling free. He carried more than he thought he did, honestly. It'd been awhile since they'd cleaned their stuff out.

He picked through the food he had for a moment before lifting up anything that looked questionable. They very rarely had food go bad, especially in this day and age, it wasn't like the shit still laying around had an expiration date, but if things got opened an unfinished sometimes they had a problem. That was rare too, though, and anything he had checked out.

He looked up to ask his brother something - maybe if that pull was stronger or not so he could at least get an idea of where they were. Not that it really mattered. But he got a little distracted by the stuff his brother was pulling free.

He half crawled over to the piles, reaching for one of the photographs. They were old, long faded, and Max frowned as he smoothed one out under his fingers. Lucas was the only one with pictures, because years ago Max had gone into a fit and tried to throw them out. He was glad he hadn't been allowed to, now.

"I'm starting to forget her," he muttered, drawing a knee up to sit his chin on. "Little things...the sound of her voice, the way she laughed. I can still remember the way she looked but...I guess that'll fade too, eventually."
 
Lucas glanced up as Max picked up the pictures, chest tightening as he glanced at the ones his brother was looking at. "You have her laugh," he said, voice soft and maybe a bit strained. They didn't talk much about their family or the life they'd left behind, the life that had been ripped away from them. Sometimes he wondered if the faint and fading memories he had of Before were even real or if they'd made them up in order to cope. "Not your 'I'm being a shit' laugh, but your real laugh," he added, giving up on trying not to use foul language around Max. He was old enough to start swearing and honestly it made things a bit easier, being able to swear once in a while.
 
Max snorted out a laugh, not looking up as he leafed through the images. One of his favorites he was about five in, on Lucas' shoulders, grinning brightly at the camera, missing his front too teeth. Lucas looked mildly annoyed, the way he almost always had when Max was that age. Their mother was sitting on the ground beside them, smiling fondly. They both looked a lot like her, actually.

He couldn't remember her laugh. It was one of the first things that went, which was weird because it seemed like she'd laughed a lot, he just...the sound wasn't there. He liked the idea that he shared that with her, though. That maybe...maybe that was something he could hold onto. "I'm always being a shit," he muttered, turning the photo around so Lucas could see it better. "That's exactly what you're thinking right here. That's totally your 'Max is being a shit' face."
 
Lucas laughed quietly, reaching out to run his fingers through Max's hair. "Yeah well, I've gotten used to it. And that's my 'gods his bony little ass is digging into my shoulders' face." He smirked and reached for a few of the photos still in his pack. One of them was blurry enough it was barely identifiable as them, but he remembered when it'd been taken. He'd helped build a tire swing in the tiny park near their home and made the best attempt at spinning Max around hard and fast enough to make him sick before hopping onto the side and hanging on. He vaguely remembered being the one to puke his guts out, but it'd been worth it.
 
Max smiled a little at the feeling of fingers running through his hair, shifted forward a bit when Lucas pulled more photos out. It'd been awhile since he'd looked at any of them...and even longer with any real detail. When he'd been younger, it'd just been too hard, felt too unfair. He didn't remember it the way Lucas did...it hardly felt real, sometimes. He knew this life better. But right now...it was nice. It hurt a little, somewhere deep in his chest, but it also felt...okay. Soothing, almost.

He rested his chin on his brother's shoulder, cracked a smile at the blurry image in the older boys hands. He remembered that day, remembered a lot of stuff that happened with Lucas around. "Whatever. You like my ass and you know it." It was a bold statement, and sounded a little odd once he put some thought behind it, but as usual...Max spoke without thinking They were only about a good day off of spilling secrets about just how they felt about each other, and Max had been waiting for the weirdness to settle in...he may have just started it.
 
Lucas blinked at the comment, tensing a bit as he struggled to find a way to respond, to crack a joke or brush it off, but... he didn't. He let out a slow breath and relaxed again, hooking his arm around Max. "Maybe." He switched through the photos, most of them were of one or both of them, but there were a few with their mom, holding Max with Lucas leaning against her back. He found the one with just her and Max, her cheek pressed against his with her arms around him, and handed it over. "This was always one of her favorites," he said, squeezing Max with his arm. "You can keep it with your things if you want."
 
Max easily took the photo that was handed to him, smiling fondly down at it. He could see why she'd liked it...it was pretty perfect. They were both looking at the camera, smiling like they'd had a particularly wonderful day. Max's smile was wide, those teeth that had been missing filling in, hair brushed back from his eyes. His mom looked beautiful beside him, and Max may have had her laugh...but Lucas had her smile. He held onto the photo fondly, pressed it to his chest, and nodded a little. "Thanks."

They didn't talk about this stuff often, didn't throw out fairly flirty comments either, but it wasn't...as weird as it could be. "I'm glad you kept these."
 
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