Amongst the Rocks (Missedstations & Zurii)

Ayden’s teeth chattered, hands clutching at the thick coat around him. Stupid didn’t even begin to encompass how idiotic he’d been, thinking he would be okay one more day in the mountains. His hunting trip had been more or less unsuccessful, he’d come up with nothing. He’d caught a few rabbits, but they only made up for one or two dinners, nothing sustainable to take back home. Ayden had been hoping for some fur, caribou or deer pelt, and if he was really lucky some sort of mountain cat.

But after three days meandering around and shooting at bunnies, the other men he’d come out with had headed for home. Looking back on it, Ayden should have listened to them and gone too. But since they’d given up with nothing under their belts, he knew he himself would be ensured for a good market rate if he could come back with some nice furs. And so, being the stubborn and sarcastic person that he was he had decided to stay one more day.

Yeah, not his best move.

Ayden squinted through the hazy mist of the snow storm, eyes on the rocky haven ahead. The small outcrop would provide shelter, for at least a little while.

As soon as he reached it he settled into a nook, sharp stones jutting out around him, open downwind so that the gale couldn’t hit him. Gingerly he opened his pack, searching for a blanket to lay out which he promptly settled on. It provided little warmth, but at least it kept him off of the cold ground.

He let out a frustrated sound as he struggled with opening his pack, his large mittens cumbersome, finally giving in and tugging them off. His skin was already pink, the gloves not quite enough to protect from the cold, and his fingers already frozen. Carefully he dug through his bag, searching for any remaining food, he was sure he must have some.

But ten minutes and a frantic search later he came up empty handed. He let out a cry of exasperation, throwing the bag to the side before stuffing his gloves back on and pulling his knees to his chest. Ayden just needed to… stay calm. Find shelter. Wait out the storm. Go home.

He was screwed.

The mountain winds were cold even in summer, and there were places where the ice was more ancient than civilisation. Such were the stories his people told, anyway. They knew that there were places where the snow never melted. Winter just meant that Seyn decided to range a little lower. His thick fur and wide paws were perfect for the snow. The dull spotted browns could meld exactly against rock or trees, while he hunted silently. (If anyone shaved him, they would probably find that his cat-form wasn't that big at all, just incredibly fluffy. If they managed to do that without getting their throat bitten out, that was.)

His people were mostly solitary, slinking into clan meetings at midwinter and midsummer to tell stories and meet potential mates, and he was no exception. He spent most of his time alone, not even putting a pawprint near his closest neighbour's territory. It was only good manners. So Seyn had not spoken to another being for months, spending his life in utter silence between the hunt, sleep, cleaning himself, thinking about the meaning of life. It was a quiet existence. Or it was, before humans had realised the rich hunting grounds held wealth for them – the prices of expensive furs only rose these days. Now he had to spent time avoiding hunters.

A storm was coming. He could smell blizzard in the air. A little while before even he would need to take shelter. He pounced on the last white hare, easily snapping its spine with his teeth before he headed back to his den.

The wind and the driving snow meant that Seyn did not smell or see the human until he dropped down from the higher rocks, right next to Ayden. His reaction, however, was instantaneous. He dropped the dead hare and bared his teeth at the human, tufted ears flattening back.

In a better day, he would have climbed back up the rock and retreated, but this was the path to his cave. If he went there now, the human could follow. But he was also unsure. To hunt hares and deer was one thing, to attack another conscious being was another. He did not want to have to kill the human. And there was the worsening weather... Not good, not good. He did not like this.

The sky around Ayden grew darker, and he glanced warily at the clouds. Could he really survive a night so exposed to nature?

An hour of waiting later and he had decided he really couldn’t. The weather steadily got worse, the icy wind accompanied with snow, a howl echoing through the rocks he took shelter by. Ayden had no doubt in his mind he wouldn’t survive out here on his own. Carefully he dug through his bag, pulling out the old leather map. It had been a drawn out by his grandfather as a coming of age present. Ayden had always been hopeless when it came to directions, but his grandfather had painstakingly drawn out all of his favourite hunting routes, all of his most valued shelters.

Shame Ayden hadn’t learned to read it better before, but he might as well start now. He rolled out the creased leather, surveying the detailed landscape. Their trip had started in the forests to the southwest… and then they’d continued along some frozen stream… before turning to the west… and then… didn’t they go south again? But he was sure they had passed that little mossy rock thing, that looked sort of like-

Yes, Ayden was going to die, frozen and alone. He let out an exaggerated huff, trying to keep away the panic in his head. Suddenly a noise sounded behind him, the quiet crunch of snow. But before he could turn a giant cat was before him, snow lining its fur, already hissing and snarling.

Ayden let out a surprised shout, panic letting way to him when he knew he should be quiet. The shock had him rocking back on his heels, rather ungracefully falling backwards. He scrambled upright again, slowly standing; hand on handle of his blade.

“Easy, kitty, I’m not h-here to harm, just want to g-get out of the storm. I’ve been out here a little too l-long for a human, just going home.” His speech was loud, almost to the point of obnoxious. Hadn’t that always been what the elders of his village taught him? Don’t run, don’t crouch, stand tall and be loud enough that it doesn’t want to fight you.

The cat before him was large, though not as large as he’d seen before, pelt shimmering beneath the coat of snow. If Ayden had encountered him the day before, he would have been ecstatic. But now, he was not in the mood to try and best it in a fight, he was cold, he was hungry, and he just wanted to get warm. Then an idea struck him. A wild cat in these areas couldn’t prowl slowly in the cold… it had to have some sheltered area. If he could just outwait it he might be okay…

Kitty? Did the human just call him kitty? How utterly offensive. He hissed viciously in response. Seyn was utterly without fear. He was not an animal to not know the sharpness of a blade, and behind his yellow eyes there was a fierce intelligence. His teeth and claws were fearsome weapons. If it came to a fight, he would win. Probably.

But to leave the human here would be murder just as much as if he bit the human's throat out with his own teeth. Surely he would freeze to death if left. He twitched as if he wished to leave, but then stayed. Snorted in what might have been irritation. He did not want to shift, because then the cold would bite into his bare and unprotected skin.

Seyn turned his head and picked up the hare in his teeth again, and took two steps away before turning to look back at the human. An invitation to follow.

It was the only decision that he could make. To leave another conscious being to die was not in his nature. He was a hunter, not a murderer... The difference was very wide. He could let the human stay a night or two, until the storm fell, and then, send him away with threats. It might do.

He led them up the rocks, then into what seemed a simple crevice, that then suddenly widened into a large cave. Seyn made his home only in the antechamber too – it seemed as if there were passages leading further into the rock. It certainly wasn't the habitation of a cat. In the strip of pale light at the entrance, there was evidence of fire, and further in there was a bed of fur blankets sewn carefully together, as well as a few tools and some small bone carvings of cats, rabbits, mice. Apparently the craftsman had no talent whatsoever for carving deer.

Ayden jumped as the cat hissed at him, trying to seem brave and well… not like the panicked mess he was. He had really gotten himself into a disaster this time. Okay, so talking to the kitty wasn’t the smartest thing to do. The cat before him didn’t show the slightest apprehension at Ayden's attempt at being fierce, and he shifted nervously. If that cat tried to attack him… Ayden doubted he would stand long.

They contemplated each other silently for a moment, neither sure of what to do. Then suddenly the animal picked up its discarded prey, and then of the oddest things, pranced a few steps before turning back and giving Ayden a… look? As if it was actually trying to convey something to him.

He stood open mouthed and gaping for a moment, confused as all get out, but as soon as the animal continued plodding along his memory kicked in and reminded him his future was bleak if he didn't follow.

Hastily he grabbed his backpack, stuffing the leather map into the pocket of his thick deer skin jacket and trotting off after his new woodland… friend? Okay that was a little presumptuous, but Ayden didn’t want to strip all of his masculinity and claim him a saviour

He was nervous, scrambling after the feline. It’s body was much better suited to the barren landscape to his own, and his travel was gawky and sluggish in comparison to wild cats sleek trek. Every few steps the cat would glance back, and Ayden was strangely reminded of the stories of shape shifters his grandfather used to tell him. But at this point, he was much too cold and desperate to complain or wonder.

Ayden was shocked as they came to a cave finally. The small crevice he was led into was as expected, but then he glanced the cave it widened into…

It wasn’t the home of some carnivore. He could already see firelight, and a bed, and generally the home of a… human? Ayden stumbled into the cave, searching for the sign of another human habitant. But it seemed he was the only human present… and the wild cat. He turned warily to the animal.

“Is this- oh god.” Nervously he shifted from foot to foot, settling on a stool, hoping, praying the master of the animal before him would pop out. Any time now would be good, thanks.

Ayden's bravado was amusing. But it was also good that the human wasn't stupid and got the hint quickly. Anything else would be far too irritating and unbearable. He had to pause many times to let the human catch up. Such undignified scrambling. Humans really were useless at surviving in the wilderness, and yet why did they breed so much? Perplexing creatures.

In the cave, he dropped the hare close to the fire. A snack for later. The place was missing simple things like cutlery and pots to cook in, with Seyn eating almost everything raw. Only sharp knives that he used for skinning the animals when he needed the fur. He spent a little licking his paw, cleaning the claws of blood as he tried to decide what to do next. To be out of the wind must at least be a vast improvement, that he was considering doing nothing further. Staying in this form and ignoring the human. He studied Ayden carefully, yellow eyes gleaming.

Then – a decision just as sudden as taking the human here. He went to his bed and slid under one of the blankets. He did not wish to show this one what the shift looked like yet. To show a human what their being really consisted of was undignified. An honour undeserved.

A moment later, he was stretching out the stiffness from his human arms. Maybe he was not quite fully human even then... His eyes were still the same shade of yellow and as he yawned his teeth might have been ever so slightly too pointed. The bones of his face and the slant of his eyes were still somehow feline. It was so obvious that both the forms were one and the same being once you saw them.

He was, of course, perfectly naked, but he wrapped the blanket loosely around his shoulders in an attempt at modesty. It wasn't a particularly good one. His naked body was just as lean as the cat's, with defined muscles and longer limbs. His skin was clear and honey coloured, like that of the gypsies that sometimes wandered to the north. Maybe some of their stories about inhuman ancestors were true...

Perhaps someone should have taught him how to cut his nails, however. They were long and looked almost as sharp as a cat's claws were. His hair was much neater, shoulder long and clean, the same colour as the lynx fur. Apparently felines really did like being clean.

“Is this what?” he asked, amused. His accent was strange, as if this was not really his language.

Few humans saw his kind. At most, they were stories. He was curious to see the reaction, and his smile showed it. Would this one piss his pants like the last one?

Ayden was, to put it lightly, confused as hell. Being scared would probably have been a more appropriate reaction at this point, but Ayden had never been one to dislike something as mysterious (though potentially dangerous) as this. Hell, he lived in a tiny village that had a population of around three hundred. Excitement came from things like successful breeding and good hunting seasons, nothing all that crazy. Anything outside his home was interesting.

His eyes stayed glued to the brown feline as it trotted to the fire place, dropping it’s prey. Although he was vaguely aware he should find the behaviour of this strange creature odd, he was too busy enjoying the heat of the room. Shivers racked his body as he was finally enveloped in the warmth he had been craving for days.

He shifted nervously as the creature eyed him, unsure if he should say something… or do something… or anything really. Ayden was dreading that his predictions of this creatures humanity would come true. His reality didn’t seem to be coping well today.

He was startled as the creature rose, climbing to his bed, sliding under the sheets. Ayden wasn’t sure if that was typical wild cat behaviour or what but then…

Holy shit.

Instead of the cat crawling back out, a man rose from the bed, naked. At least he’d had the decency to pull a blanket around himself, but still! Ayden knocked the stool he’d been sitting on over as he scrambled backwards, eyes wide and frightened.

“W-What the hell? W-what are y-you?” He gasped in panic. He couldn’t keep a blush from rising in his cheeks at the naked form, though really the other’s state of undress was the least of his problems. Ayden’s eyes traced the lean curves of his body, eyes finally settling on the much too feline to be completely human face. And, oh god, claws… and teeth. Ayden was muscular, but he was wiry, better for running than fighting, there was no way he could beat this male in a fight. And the claws thing was definitely an unfair advantage.

Ayden scrambled to a standing position, hand running through his sandy blond hair in panic. Fuck, this was the kind of thing they needed to teach hunters to deal with, not how to pin a rabbit.

“Is this- Are you- Fuck, just, don’t… eat me?” The words came out as more of a question than a command, but Ayden was willing to take any speech at this point. He was so confused, how could something like this be possible, in his world? And was he even dangerous… the cat… well, man, had brought him somewhere safe, would he have bothered only to eat him.

It was a satisfying enough reaction.

Seyn wrapped the blanket around his waist, tucking the edges around the waist and making a sort of skirt. While nakedness was only natural, humans did seem terribly obsessed with genitals. It often ruined conversations. He felt no need whatsoever for anything else, though, as if he was impervious to the cold. He was far too used to it. He did well enough without both fire and shelter: everything here was a luxury to him.

The human still insisted on saying the stupidest thing. He gave Ayden a look of contempt. “Why would I eat you? To eat another conscious creature is a crime. I am not an animal.” A pause. He felt that those words didn't get his thoughts across clearly enough. “Even if I wanted to kill you... I would not do it in my home.”

He leant forward, placing a few pieces of wood in the low fire. The human needed more warmth than a shapeshifter did... The nature of their being was a little different. Seyn was in no mood to explain things, however.

“You can sit down again, human.” Seyn was offended at the assumptions on his morality, and he made it clear in his tone. He had never been much good at hiding his emotions, nor needed to.

“Unless you really are as stupid as you sound, you know what I am.” There were stories, legends. Perhaps he was also offended that the question was 'what' rather than 'who'. As if he was some sort of thing, not a person. “I am Seyn. My clan name does not matter to you.” Not giving a full introduction was akin to a slap in the face between shapeshifters, but probably that aspect of their manners went right over the heads of humans.

Ayden watched, caught between horror and intrigue as the… man pulled the blanket around his waist. The other’s attitude was so nonchalant. At least he didn’t seem psycho or anything, and Ayden supposed he should be thankful. Then again… whatever higher being there was out there could have just sent him a human, why did it have to be something as convoluted as a shapeshifter?

Ayden cringed at the look of contempt. Okay, maybe that was a little unfair and a bit of a quick judgement. But it wasn’t like Ayden was used to encountering things like this. This man was supposed to be a creature of myth and lore, a bedtime story used to keep kids out of the woods. He had no knowledge to base the male off of, and he muttered a quiet apology as the other continued. That was probably a good point too, murderers didn’t often take their victims home.

Ayden watched silently as the other settled by the fire, adding more wood, and he was thankful. His fingers stung as feeling returned to them, and he rubbed them together, trying to get blood pumping. He jumped as he was spoken to again. The other was obviously annoyed, and so he carefully crept forward, sitting himself about a foot away, as close to the fire as he could whilst trying not to annoy the man more.

Ayden nodded, resolutely trying to be more polite to the man who had essentially saved his life. But being called stupid was a little uncalled for.

“Hey, I’m not stupid! I just- Well, I’m not really used to seeing… um, meeting… people like you. Forgive me for being a little jarred, I don’t mean to be rude. It’s nice to meet you, and thank for, you know, taking me to your… home. I’m Ayden.” He said, voice growing stronger as he spoke. There, polite conversation with the other wasn’t as hard as he’d thought it would be.

“So… you live up here? Isn’t it kind of cold and lonely? Are there a lot of people like… you around here?” Ayden assumed the cold wasn’t bothering the other, based on his state of undress. He himself was still shivering, and he peeled off his bulky outer jacket, soaked from the melting snow, laying it out behind himself.

“You called me kitty. You cannot be very clever,” Seyn replied tersely, but he was somewhat mollified by the apologies and the attempt at manners. Scratch a kitty just right, and it would be purring on the floor with its legs in the air. Seyn might take offence at the word, but his previous sexual partners had found that he might have made a brilliant fluffy housecat. When warm, fed and content – which may involve copious amounts of flattery – he really was about as aggressive as one.

A pause before the word 'home' was a little offensive too, but Seyn did his best to wipe away that particular frown. Not his fault that humans liked owning so much useless crap before they would call their home comfortable.

“No.” He found it neither cold nor lonely. Seyn probably found the foothills far too warm. And flat. Without jagged rocks and pine trees he just felt out of place. Loneliness was not something that bothered him. After living almost all of his life alone, ever since his mother kicked him out of her territory at fourteen, he was virtually immune to it.

“I suppose.” They had a very, very different definition of 'a lot' however. “One of my clansmen lives two day's run to the east, and one of my sisters lives three days to the west. Are you hungry?” Having someone in his home meant that he had to offer his hospitality, even if all he had was a relatively small bunny. “I intended this for breakfast, but I am told it is rude to starve one's guests...” He pushed the still furry rabbit in Ayden's direction, forgetting entirely that humans liked cooking their food.

Okay, point taken. “In my defense, I was really cold, and a little terrified, if you were an actual wildcat that wanted to eat me there wasn’t the best chance of me winning! Kitty just happened to be the first word I could come up with!” Ayden protested. Of all the things to complain about, really?

Ayden wasn’t sure how he should take the short answer of the other, but decided it best to keep quiet and continue along the respectful route. His mouth seemed to be getting him into lots of trouble today, but what else was new? Besides, Seyn seemed to live a life completely different from Ayden’s. Up in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by snow, and with the ability to change species, there wasn’t much of that that Ayden could understand. He was used to being surrounded by people at home, with four younger siblings and two older, he was just another mouth to feed that could babysit when his parents got bored. Living alone was like a dream on the horizon.

Ayden’s head spun as Seyn described others that lived near him. Clansmen? Sister? The words all sounded odd in the context, but Ayden guessed that was a cultural difference.
Ooh, but food sounded good. “Yes, please!” He said brightly. Food, food, food. The idea of something that wasn’t salted meat and the crusty bread he’d been stomaching for the last four days was mouth-watering.

Well, it wasn’t salted meat but… Ayden stared down at the mangled rabbit disdainfully. “Thank you.” He stated, trying to sound as happy at the offering as possible. Cultural difference, cultural difference, cultural difference, he chanted in his head, reminding himself not to be rude. Ayden shuffled over to his bag, pulling it open and taking out his hunting knife.

“Would it be okay with you if I skin it first and cook it?” He questioned meekly, hoping not to offend the other. He wanted them to be friends at the very least, the other was attractive and kind, and Ayden would have made quick friends if he’d been from the village, so he figured he should apply that here too.

Ayden was looking rather baffled. “My sister as in a woman that my mother gave birth to.” Shapeshifters tended never to know the father, and counted families via maternal lines. Without a societal imperative for fidelity, it was far too difficult to keep track. “Sometimes we hunt together. She is only three winters older than me. You must have siblings.” Humans bred much quicker, after all. The difference between Seyn and his sister on the other hand, was considered indecently tiny.

Luckily, Seyn missed the way that Ayden looked at the rabbit, thinking on the hunts that he did in company. Much more satisfying to rip off the throat from a stag or a wild boar. A challenge worthy of their teeth and claws... And a different taste of meat.

“It is not much. Hard to hunt in this weather.” It would have been much better to offer a bigger piece of meat. He had not realised that Ayden was more disappointed at the fact that the bunny was still fuzzy and raw.

“As you wish,” Seyn said by conclusion. “I have never watched anyone cook.” Perhaps a tiny bit of curiosity at what cooking was all about... In his opinion, blood tasted best while it was still fresh and hot with life, not when it was stuck in a fire and basically burned. “I know humans do not eat things as they are."

Ayden nodded his head. “Yes well, I have six actually. Two older, and four younger. It’s a lot, and they’re all very annoying. I can’t believe it’s just you and… snow up here. Do you just have a sister?” He questioned thoughtfully. He tried to picture Seyn as a boy, playing with siblings, he seemed so stoic and self-assured that it was hard to imagine.

Well, at least Ayden wasn’t the only one who found this weather daunting to hunt in. “It’s perfect!” He said gratefully. Honestly, fresh meat was the most exciting term he’d heard in a long time, even if it was uncooked.

“You’ve never watched anyone cook? Wow. Well… I suppose I’ve never seen anything not be cooked.” He mused, as he gutted the rabbit, taking a bowl out of his bag to drop them into . He wasn’t sure if the other would be offended if he threw them in the fire, but he would figure it out after it was cooking.

Ayden narrowed his eyes at Seyn’s last comment, though he couldn’t quite tell if it was meant to be condescending. “You know, it’s not like we just cook things for the fun of it. I could die if I ate meat as is. People get sick all the time from undercooked meat in my village.” He defended.

Finally he added the skin to the bowl, there was too little of it to be useful. “Um… forgive my ignorance but you don’t mind if I just throw the guts and skin in the fire right?” He questioned unsurely, as he skewered the rabbit on his knife, before situating himself next to Seyn who was closer to the fire and holding the rabbit out to cook.

“I have a brother too, but I have not seen him for many years. He wished to travel.” Seyn was steady instead, staying in his piece of land. “Ira and I grew up together, so we are close.” He was starting to relax and get used to the company of this human. Almost like talking to one of his own kind! “When we were small, mother used to bring live rabbits for us to hunt. I used to try stealing Ira's instead... And she would just swat me on the nose with her claws. Still does that sometimes. And... What else would you have in winter except snow?”

Huh. Seyn merely left the offal for the crows. Even the scavengers had to eat, and it would be gone in a day or two. Why was the human putting it in a little bowl?

“Really?” He hadn't known it made humans sick. “I don't think that has ever happened in my clan...” Seyn could even eat a week old carcass and still be fine, though he wouldn't particularly enjoy it. When the winter was particularly harsh though, he'd sometimes ended up licking even the bloody snow around the bones that he had picked bare.

“Oh. So that is why you were collecting it! I suppose that it makes no difference to me if you throw it outside or in the fire...” He wouldn't eat it on its own. Sometimes, with rabbits, he just ate everything, even crunching up the bones. “I only hunt and eat as lynx,” Seyn admitted.

“Good point, but that was more of a metaphor. I’m just saying, I’m so used to people, being up here so away from everything seems odd to me.” Ayden said with a shrug. He was getting accustomed to Seyn’s rather direct way of talking. It was… charming.

“Yeah, well I’m going to assume your intestines are a little tougher than mine, more like a lynx I guess.” He pondered. Ayden wondered how much of Seyn was human and how much was lynx. Sitting here, talking to him, he seemed perfectly human, and it wasn’t unless he thought about it that he remembered the other was different. That and the fact it was probably negative ten outside and Seyn was here with little more than a blanket around his waist. A very nice waist he might add, sinewy muscle leading to… no Ayden was not going to go there.

He laughed at the others incredulity at collecting the rabbits guts. “Well, of course! My mother would normally grind the insides into a seasoning, but she’s not here and I don’t know how to do it so it’s fairly useless.” He explained, not hesitating and throwing it into the fire as he watched the rabbit carefully grow pinker.

“Really?” He was amazed at the idea of living as another being. “Do you like being human or lynx better? Does… changing hurt?” Ayden had so many questions he wanted to ask Seyn, he seemed so exotic. But he also didn’t want to offend him, or make him think that was all he was interested in. Ayden truly liked him, there weren’t many people out there that would be completely willing to take in a random stranger from the cold. Besides it wasn’t like Ayden had many close friends in the village. They all thought him odd for not wanting to settle down and marry but… the idea of a nagging wife and eight kids of his own just didn’t appeal.

Strange questions. Seyn was thoughtful for a while, gazing at Ayden's face. How was he supposed to answer? He had no idea. It was simply him, whichever form he took.

“Which one of your feet do you like better?” It was the only thing that he could come up with to liken it to. “I change to be in the form whatever I'm doing is easier in.” Like talking with words. Language of big cats was opaque to humans, while Seyn could easily have entire conversations consisting of snorts and meows and purring. “Hunting is easier as lynx.” Since Seyn used no weapons, hunting would be difficult. As well as grooming himself. So much easier to clean the back of one's thigh as a cat.

“No, it doesn't hurt.” It was like breathing. One conscious choice and a heartbeat later he would be another form. When he was a child, he had used to slide easily between forms, without even fully noting it. Just realising that some things were more difficult in one form. Only one had useful claws. Swimming as a cat was awful. And so on. “I spend more time as lynx in the winter. It is warmer.”

“Why would it hurt?” Where on Earth had the human got such an idea? He gave Ayden a completely baffled look.

He sniffed at the cooking rabbit leaning a little forward curiously. It didn't smell that good to him at all... It seemed such a waste, but if raw meat really would make Ayden ill, well then! The human couldn't possibly miss what he couldn't have anyway.

Ayden hadn’t thought about it that way. “But that’s not the same! I mean, my feet are identical in every way shape and form, just inverted. There are a lot more differences between a lynx and a human. You can’t just compare them as easily as that, even if you have lived like that your whole life!” He protested.

He nodded his head as Seyn continued, it made sense what he was saying. It was just so fascinating and… different to Ayden. “Yeah, well I guess it makes more sense for you to live up here when you can change, I’d obviously be a popsicle in a week.” He voiced yearningly. To be able to survive in such harsh conditions… Seyn could go practically wherever he wanted, Ayden was stopped by simple things like weather.

Ayden shrugged. “I don’t know why it would hurt! I don’t know why it wouldn’t hurt either! I was asking you because I have no idea what it’s like. I have forever been in and will forever be in this skin. I don’t have a lot of reference to compare with what being able to change forms is like.”

Ayden’s attention was pulled back to the rabbit over the fire, slowly turning a healthy burgundy. He couldn’t help but chuckle as Seyn leaned forward to sniff at it, it looked almost comical to see a human doing something he’d only ever seen dogs do. “Do you want a piece?” He questioned, as he pulled it back from the fire.

Carefully he picked off a piece for himself, and after blowing on it to make sure he wouldn’t burn himself, he ate it. He let out a wanton groan as the taste of fresh meat hit his tongue. “Oh my god, you do not even know how delicious freshly cooked meat is after a week without it, you definitely need to try some!” He exclaimed, holding out a piece for the other.

“To spend my entire life as only one thing seems to me very sad...” He really did pity Ayden for being stuck in only one skin. “You were thinking of werewolves, weren't you?” Seyn had heard the stories of those too, but had never seen one. Some in his clan had spoken of a village that had the problem. To be unable to choose when to transform... The idea made him shudder. “That is a sickness. It is very different.”

“There are those of your kind who travel to the top of the mountain,” Seyn said. “They bring many warm clothes. I have no idea why they like doing it. There is nothing up there. Just ice and rock. Not even trees. Nothing lives there.” After seeing so many travellers attempt it and some die in such attempts, Seyn had done it out of sheer curiosity and discovered that there was literally nothing there. He had never been so hungry and cold in his life either.

“I do get cold, you know. It isn't as if I am a spirit creature or an elemental.” The temperatures where Seyn got cold however, would have probably already killed someone like Ayden, or at least made him lose a good few toes.

“Er, no.” Seyn wasn't impressed with the meat. “No thank you. It smells all burned.” He moved back a little from the offered piece of meat, a little puzzled at how much Ayden was enjoying it. “I caught three fresh ones today.” He wouldn't want to spoil the taste. Seyn gave an amused smile to the human.

Ayden scoffed. “God, don’t try to make feel better about it.” He glowered. Being only human didn’t seem half bad to him. Slightly monotonous, but it was safe, reliable. But he could see the allure of being someone like Seyn, someone who could change shapes, the world suddenly became much more interesting. “Well… I wasn’t particularly thinking of anything. All I’ve heard are stories, I can hardly call that credible. Wait… werewolves are… real? Ah, fuck this.” He swore, mind whirling at the possibility. A shapeshifter was one thing… but a werewolf? Besides, what was the difference between a werewolf and shifter even? They all seemed the same to Ayden.

“Well, yeah.” Ayden blinked. “It’s not because they expect anything up there, it’s to prove they’re strong enough, sort of a test of manhood.” Ayden explained. “They’re generally the guys who get all the girls in my village.” He rolled his eyes. Brawny buffoons that hacked their way to the top of the mountain, just to say they’d been there. Ayden would never understand why it was such a big deal, it wasn’t like it aided the village in any way, it just meant they lost valuable hunters on a pointless adventure.

“Well, I’m not saying you don’t get cold, but it’s a lot less cold than I am. You’re practically naked and quite comfortable. I’m all bundled up and I’m still cold.” Ayden explained with an eye roll. Rah, rah, the big kitty could withstand the cold.

Ayden laughed at the disgusted look Seyn gave the meat, quickly popping the refused meat in his mouth. Mmm, so delicious. “It’s not burnt!” He exclaimed in defense of his cooking skills. This was one of his best cooked rabbits, it was most certainly not burnt. A thought suddenly struck him. “Wait, aside from hunting, what else do you do up here? I mean it’s not like there’s anyone to talk to, and you can’t spend that much time outside.”

“I went to climb the mountain to find out what it was your people found so interesting there,” Seyn admitted. “There isn't even anything to hunt up there! I was so hungry, and by the time I came back a pack of wolves had moved into my territory. I had to spend a whole month chasing them away.” Seyn was possessive of his territory, and did not want any other large predators in it. The only reason he did not challenge humans was that he worried about their weapons.

Seyn snorted at their little debate over cold and warm, and then scooted over to Ayden, leaning against him. Purely for warmth of course: Seyn was not touchy about physical intimacy. Many of his mannerisms were more cat than human, especially when he just leant a little and rubbed his face against Ayden's shoulder instead of scratching himself.

“You've ruined all that was good about it,” the shapeshifter countered, continuing to be unimpressed with the rabbit. “Hmm. A few things. I eat more than you. I must hunt for longer. I sleep. I wander around.” Explaining what he did in his day was... Surprisingly difficult. “Sometimes I keep the furs and bones. I carve the bones into jewellery and other things.” He motioned to the series of little yellowy figurines, none of them taller than an inch. Mostly they were just animals, but some were plants and flowers. The vast majority, however, were rabbits in various poses and sizes.

“Sometimes I have visitors. Travellers. My clan. Once a month, maybe. They usually stay for a few days. After that, people just get irritating...”

Ayden shrugged his shoulders. He supposed it was a rather stupid thing to do, wasting months at a time venturing to somewhere that held nothing of use. He had to chuckle though as the other complained over his loss of territory, that was nothing Ayden could sympathize with, but it was intriguing none the less. “You have a… territory? How big?” He questioned curiously. It was funny to think someone had claimed this land as their own when his people enjoyed stomping around it all the time.

Ayden froze as the other moved closer to him, finishing their debate of temperature. He was wary of the other being so close, just because he was worried Seyn would see this as less than he did, which he was sure was what would happen, even though he was merely providing warmth (which Ayden was actually quite thankful for). Most people (well the few that knew of it) thought Ayden’s attraction to the same sex was a disease. And Seyn happened to be very attractive, despite the whole not human thing.

As soon as the other ran his face over his shoulder though, he chuckled and relaxed, though not quite as pliant he had been before. “And you were complaining about me calling you kitty?” He teased. Seyn was almost… cute. Well, as cute as a six foot man with razor canines and vicious nails could be.

Ayden sighed. “Keep complaining, I think I’ve only enhanced its natural flavour, thank you very much.” He said, continuing to pick at the meat greedily. Ayden’s eyes found the tiny bone carvings, displaced throughout the room. “You made those? Wow, they’re beautiful.” He said in awe. Ayden wasn’t as good with his hands, it took him double the time to carve a knife handle as it did for most of the hunters he knew.

Ayden laughed. “Hope I’m not irritating you too much then. I’ve never met someone who could be so alone for so long.”

“Hmm.” Exactly how big was it? “From the foothills up to that broken rock are my hunting grounds. It would be rude for another of my kind to hunt here. I do not like humans to do so either, but I cannot stop them...” He scrunched his nose at the last. For all his claws and teeth, he was afraid of bows. “Your people tramp around and scare all the game, and make it harder for me to hunt.” The rabbits would be wary for a day after, and the deer even twitchier than usual. Let alone the times humans took pot shots at him because of his fur.

“My mother used to call me that,” Seyn said. “And then make me shift and pick me up by the scruff of my neck.” Apparently that was why he was so unimpressed with the term. Like all of his kind, he had mostly been brought up by his mother. Sometimes in hard winters, possible fathers would be asked for help, but mostly the shapeshifters had a certain disdain for the family unit.

“Really?” Compliments always made Seyn feel a bit weird. What was he supposed to say to them? “You can take a few if you like.” He didn't even do anything with them, just sometimes took them to clan meets and gave them to the children. Sometimes he exchanged items for useful things like knives or thread. Seyn's needles were bone, carved personally by himself.

Ayden was certainly not being irritating. Smelled rather nice too. He presumed humans did not do the same things as his kind when they met up like this... Or Seyn might already have offered things of more personal nature than dead bunnies. “You're surprisingly nice for a human.”

Ayden nodded his head in awe as Seyn explained his ‘territory’. It was strange to him that someone could own an area of nature, but he supposed it was similar to a human owning a house. “Yeah, I, um, apologize for that. When I get back I’ll try to keep out of here. And I promise not to go fur-hunting anymore.” He assured awkwardly, to think of the havoc he’d probably already wreaked. A thought struck him at the idea, had he ever killed someone like Seyn before? The thought was terrifying, a cat was one thing, but a human was an entirely different matter, especially if they were as kind as Seyn,

“Oh.” Ayden responded a little dimly. “I don’t mean it as an offence… I was just thinking of how you reminded me of my cats at home, very cute.” He explained, hoping not to be rude. “What are proper manners for you? I mean, are they different from human’s? Do you treat others like yourself differently than me?” He wondered out loud. Gosh, he hoped he hadn’t been outrageously offensive since he got there, but Seyn didn’t seem that upset with him, so he was hopeful.

“Thank you.” Ayden responded brightly. The small carvings would be a nice reminder, telling Ayden this all wasn’t just a dream. Weird to think that once the storm subsided he’d be heading back to his very boring, very normal, life in the village. He sighed at the idea. “Hey, I can come and visit you after I go back, right?” He questioned hopefully, turning to look at the other.

Ayden laughed. “I can’t take that as much of a compliment since you don’t seem to have a very high opinion of us, but thank you. You are… surprisingly nice for a shape shifter, despite my lack of exposure to them.”

“Oh, your little traps make my meals hilariously easy.” Plenty of hunters had found their carefully constructed traps holding only a little stain of blood and a few scraps of fur. A snare holding a rabbit was too much temptation. It made him lazy for the duration of the trapping season, while the hares' fur was that beautiful white. Even one of Seyn's blankets was made of that fur, though it was at the bottom of his pile at the moment, just a corner poking out. All shapeshifters learned those skills. It was how they traded with the outside world, usually. Furs for steel tools. Seyn's kind were no builders of cities.

“You keep cats?” Seyn cocked his head momentarily confused. “Oh, you mean house cats! Little things that hunt mice,” he added to himself. To Seyn cat meant lynx or the snow leopard or the slightly smaller wildcats. “Well, yes, of course it's different. We have many different ways from you, what else did you expect?” But again he was amused, apparently not expecting any human to have a grasp of finer points of etiquette.

“If you can find it again,” Seyn said. It might be difficult for Ayden to retrace his steps – like all of his kind, Seyn chose his place carefully, and Ayden had been led here in almost a blizzard. And Seyn sometimes spent days away from home, letting the fire die. He had a strange contempt for the ability of a human to find him.

“I have never had sex with a human.” Of course his mind had eventually ended up in the gutter. “If you were my kind, I would have asked already if you wished to share my bed.” Just as forward as he usually was, leaning back a little to hold Ayden's gaze.