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Surviving in Shadows [Saria & CharlotteV]

Max made a face when his can was stolen, waited patiently until Lucas gave it back, and then started digging fruit pieces out to pop in his mouth. Pineapple was his favorite, so at least there was that. He was focused on getting one of the larger pieces when he tuned into the conversation around them.

Walking was the safest, because they knew how to navigate the forest pretty well, and had a natural calling card to each other, but on occasion they got their hands on faster transport, which was nice too, because it put a lot of distance between them and where they'd last been really quickly.

He winced a little at Kithiel's words, because there he was again, causing problems. "Sorry," he muttered, not even really knowing what he was apologizing for. Being untethered? Being himself? Being a danger to society as a whole?
 
Lucas found himself tangling his fingers in Max's hair again. "Ignore the big bad wolf. He's just being an ass." He slanted a glare towards Kithiel for upsetting his brother. Again.

Kithiel's fur rippled and he bared his teeth in agitation. How exactly was it his fault that Max was upset? Humans were... far too sensitive for their own good. I was stating a simple fact, he growled. There's little you can do about it and there's no reason to apologize...

"There. See?" Lucas stole another bit of pineapple and settled into their regular pace, fighting against the urge to go faster with the strange pull growing stronger.
 
Max looked up at the feeling of fingers in his hair, grinned despite himself at Lucas' comment, turning much too amused eyes onto Kithiel while they walked. Understandably, the wolf seemed agitated. Good. If he was going to be a jerk all the time, he could do with a little bit of having it thrown back at him.

He hummed thoughtfully as he watched Lucas steal more pineapple before he focused on finishing the can off himself. He was getting his energy back, the need to play on the trees was buzzing under his skin, but the damage to his hands wouldn't allow it.

He wondered if Kithiel would play fetch with him?

Probably not.

After a moment he bumped his shoulder against his brother. "What about you? Any dreams?" given that Kithiel was with them, he didn't figure there was anything interesting going on in his Lucas mind at night, but if Max couldn't play he was going to talk.
 
Lucas elbowed Max in return. "Just dreaming of being a wolf or something. Must be due to our new traveling companion," he grumbled. He'd all but forgotten about it, but mentioning dreams again made it seem so vivid it was like he'd actually been running in a forest. He couldn't quite shake the feeling he had been a wolf, but that was preposterous. Right? Magic couldn't... change you that much...

Kithiel's ears pricked forward. He'd been right in choosing Lucas if he was already having visions of changing. Wolfkind chose their anchors carefully and he'd been lucky to stumble upon these two years ago. He'd been watching and waiting for his chance to mark Lucas since then, protecting them how he could from the shadows.

"Would you still love me even if I turned into a wolf, pipsqueak?" he asked with a grin.
 
Would you still love me even if I lost my mind?

Max didn't say it outloud, of course. He'd been much too depressing over the last handful of hours. So instead he sighed like the idea was some huge inconvenience and nodded. "Yeah, of course, asshole."Like he'd really have any other choice in the matter. Though, if it happened, he hoped his brother would end up like Kithiel, still able to talk to him.

Otherwise Max really would go insane.

"I'd rather be a bird," He decided. "Something big and cool. Think I'd rather fly than run. Fast." He closed his eyes for a moment, imagining it. Being able to soar up above the trees, or through them, so quick no one would ever be able to catch him.
 
Lucas pinched Max's shoulder for swearing, though he wasn't sure why he even bothered. Half the time he was sure it was so commonplace he wasn't even registering what came out of Max's mouth. "A bird, huh? Maybe we can find you a parakeet as your... tether or whatever." That'd be a sight. Two guys, a wolf, and a parakeet. If they weren't suspicious before, they certainly would be.

Ravens and eagles would be your choices. Phoenix possibly, but they are rare and hard to find. Kithiel yawned and smacked his tail against Max's leg as he picked up speed a bit to scout ahead.

"What do you mean choice...? Why didn't I get a choice?" Lucas growled quietly and was tempted to kick Kithiel.

Because few of my realm stand a chance of challenging a Wolfkin and surviving.
 
Max batted absently at his brother for pinching his shoulder, which quickly turned into a full out push when Lucas replied, not that there was any real strength behind it. "I am better than a parakeet, thank you very much. Even Kithiel agrees!"

He watched the wolf shoot ahead from him and thought about what he'd said. Raven's seemed more his style, honestly. Sleek, lithe, usually associated with darkness. But eagles were amazing, strong, dangerous. Phoenix's he didn't even know existed, really, but there was all that fire lore...the choices just gave his over active mind yet another thing to obsess over.

Max's eyebrows lifted in interest before he looked up at Lucas again. "You were chosen, that's why you don't get a choice. Duh." He was just talking smack, really, but it sounded right.
 
Lucas slanted an annoyed look at his brother, biting his tongue before he could ask what that meant about whatever had chosen Max. "I don't know, you're tiny and annoying, just like parakeets," he replied.

Phoenix? Those actually existed? "Seriously though, with your pyro tendencies, phoenix might suit you..." That would definitely draw attention...
 
"You're an asshole," Max stated, for the umpteenth time, because he liked the word and it fit Lucas way too well. He pushed at his brother again, just for emphasis, before huffing out of annoyance and rolling his eyes.

His brother had a point about the Phoenix though. He wondered, maybe, if whatever chose to tether to them had some kind of special bond with their magic? They didn't really particularly knew what was...normal and what was special, except for the way Kithiel had reacted when Max had used his fire power. In general though, he and Lucas both seemed to have a wide range of what they could do.

Max tilted his head thoughtfully, lifting his hands and staring at them for a moment before little flames appeared over each finger tip, like candles being lit. He didn't keep them for long, because the heat aggravated his palms, but just to...prove he could do it. Controlled. Lucas would probably snap at him for it. "You know," he said, as he curled his hands closed. "The thing in my dreams...he has fire too. Well, he did once. But the flames were black."
 
Lucas gave up any hope of removing that word from Max's vocabulary. He'd just have to come up with a new nickname that would make his dear brother cringe.

He stepped to the side to keep his balance, annoyed at yet another reminder Max was growing up, faster than he'd like.

The sight of the small flames had his neck tingling, but he bit his tongue against chastising his brother. They were past that point, especially when it was getting harder to ignore the urge to use his powers himself. Somehow he knew he could control them now, at least... without too much fear of losing himself. He may not know how magic worked, but Kithiel's presence was a reassurance even if he knew that could be a bad thing.

"Your flames aren't black. They're normal campfire flames." He just prayed that made a difference.
 
"Yeah," Max murmured, resisting the urge to bring them back again, just to check. He felt like he needed to...like as long as the flames stayed orange, he'd be okay. But kids who played with fire had a tendency to get burned.

He looked up at Lucas again. "Do you think it matters though? What you can do and...what...what tries to tether you? Like, if mine is fire related then what..."

Max looked off towards where the wolf had disappeared to. "What do you and Kithiel have in common?" Or maybe he was just reaching, trying to make sense of things that they would possibly never have answers to.
 
From the way Kithiel had reacted, he was sure it mattered to some extent what tried to tether them. "Maybe," he replied. "Better to ask him. I know as much as you." And he was tired of trying to be reassuring when they both knew that was all he was doing.

"I don't know..." He'd never really tried to explore his powers like Max had. Unless it came unbidden or in response to danger or anger, he'd rarely tapped into it. "Shadows maybe?" As much as they tried to avoid being in the open come nightfall, it had never bothered him for himself, he'd always been more concerned something would happen to Max when he couldn't see than anything. Kithiel always seemed to have shadows moving around him, but maybe that was just part of his species.

"Maybe I'll turn into a hairy wolf man and start howling at the moon," he added dryly.
 
Max shrugged a little bit. Kithiel knew more, that was true, but it was still weird...having someone else around. Even if it got them nowhere, Lucas was his sounding board, He was used to bouncing ideas off of his brother, even when he got the same answers over and over before eventually being told to shut up.

Max nodded at the mention of shadows, though. He wondered, sometimes, if the shadows always seemed so alive to people. They always had to him, even as a kid, though he'd written that off as an overactive imagination until he got older. Shadows were a big deal, though why, he wasn't actually sure.

"You know, you say that like you're being sarcastic, but weirder things have happened." Max picked up his pace a little, adjusting the straps on his bag. "What if you did though? What if you become some kind of werewolf? That would be...really fucking awesome. Your genes are so much cooler than mine."
 
Lucas snorted quietly and lengthened his stride to keep up with Max. Somehow he was afraid that was exactly what would happen, but he was too scared to admit to it or ask Kithiel if it would. Something like that... was better not to know the answer to, right?

"How did we go from worrying over this crap to arguing over who has the best abilities...?"

Kithiel sat and waited for them to catch up. He hadn't seen or smelled much of anything ahead of them and he managed to make another false trail, though he wasn't sure it would work again. His ears flicked as he heard the two bickering and had to wonder if they ever stopped. What abilities?
 
"Um, because I've been depressing lately and it's my job to be an annoying pain in your ass instead. Oh, hey, I just learned a new curse word, look at that." Or, at least, put it to use. Lucas could complain all he wanted, but at least he was expanding his vocabulary.

He wasn't surprised when they caught up with Kithiel again, even when the wolf wandered ahead of them he was always nearby. Max arched an eyebrow. "Haven't you heard? Lucas is going to be a werewolf, and I'm probably, most likely going to be evil. So, obviously, Luke has the better abilities in this equation. I'm marking down a nice order of jealousy as of now."
 
Lucas let out an exaggerated sigh. "Oh joy. How about learning one that doesn't make you sound like an uneducated twerp?" It didn't matter if neither of them had gone through any proper schooling... He'd done what he could with what books he found to make sure Max at least had some kind of education.

I have superb hearing. Kithiel tilted his head as he looked between the two. It was almost uncanny how they seemed to know what could possibly be in store for them. Werewolves are myths, he said, hesitating a moment as he stood and started walking again. The idea behind them was real enough, borne from what happened when humans shifted for the first time and... got stuck. Lucas didn't need the knowledge of that possibility on his mind when he'd be shifting soon.

I hope you're not intending to be evil...
 
Max stuck his tongue out in retaliation. "Because I am an uneducated twerp, jerk." Well, mostly. There wasn't a lot of popper schooling in general anymore, but Max wasn't that bad off. He could read and write, thanks to Lucas, and had a vast understanding of a majority of things. He knew useful shit, at least.

For example, he understood Kithiel half the time, despite his fancy words. But of course werewolves were myths. That was...oddly depressing. "Really? Awh that sucks. Sorry bro, I was really rooting for you there."

He patted Lucas' shoulder in mock consolation. "Oh yeah, I'm definitely intending to be evil. All kinds of evil. The evilist of evil," even if his tone was dripping with sarcasm, he realized it was probably something he shouldn't be joking about. Not that that ever stopped him.
 
Lucas rolled his eyes at Max. "Why do I even bother?" he muttered under his breath. "Such a little shit. And you are not evil. I'll bend you over my knees and beat it out of your ass if I have to," he added with a growl.

Kithiel bared his teeth at Max's flippant response. Even if he was joking... it would be far too easy for him to be overtaken by the chaos surrounding his powers. He leaned over and bit Max on the ass though not hard enough to tear cloth or break flesh. Just voicing the words, even jokingly, brought the possibility of it closer.

Lucas smirked and gave Max a 'you totally deserved that' look.
 
Max opened his mouth to pop off something about how he could be evil if he wanted too, because that was much too real of a possibility, when the next words out of Lucas' mouth literally stopped the words in the middle of his throat. Thankfully, Kithiel chose that moment to bite him, so he at least had an excuse for the sound he made.

"Ow!" he said pointedly to the wolf, before throwing a glare onto his brother. "Rude."

It didn't actually hurt that bad, just enough to not feel comfortable. He rubbed his hand over the abused area and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Jeeze guys, obsessed with my ass much?"
 
Obsessed is an understatement, Kithiel grumbled. Lucas' thoughts had drifted toward Max with...frustrated overtones a few times since last night. It was starting to get bad enough it was affecting him.

"I'm the rude one? I'm not the one who bit without permi...ssion," he said, trailing off and clearing his throat as he resumed walking at a bit faster pace. He wasn't sure why he was starting to feel embarrassed. The thought of... biting Max's ass or... other parts was suddenly a very vivid image in his mind. "At least we know how to shut you up now..."
 
Max shook his head a little, shoved his hands into his pockets, winced at the pain when he remembered his hands were actually not in the best condition to be shoving them anywhere. The conversation had gone from light bantering to full out awkwardness and he suddenly didn't want to be a part of it at all.

While Lucas sped up, Max slowed down, putting just enough distance between them that it wasn't actually weird but hell, he had to pull himself together. Usually the argument between them was that Max was too young for a lot of things, but one thing he was too old for was Lucas anywhere near his ass. Much too old for. Hella too old for. Because it had long stopped being a scary thought and more of a...

"Yeah, well, I'm declaring right now that no one is allowed to bite. Ever. Nope. No biting." Did his voice sound odd? Probably. God biting sounded nice...not particularly from a wolf, but maybe from...on his...everywhere.

Oh this was going no place good fast.

Remember that you could die soon. Like, really soon given that there are trackers literally a few miles back. Yeah, yup, that should be a mood killer.
 
Lucas blinked and looked over his shoulder when Max trailed behind. "I'm overruling that. It shut you up easier than anything else."

Kithiel eyed the two and wondered if they would make it to camp at this rate. They'd either finish the day in awkward silence or... just awkwardness. So long as they kept moving, it didn't much matter to him.

I bite at my own leisure. I'll bite you again if you deserve it. He glanced at Max and bared his teeth in friendly warning. His ears flicked as he sidled closer. You smell different. He sniffed at Max and pressed his nose against the boy's hip. Oh...? Your mouth says you don't like the idea, but your body...
 
"You can't just overrule shit because you're older! I get a say!" Max argued, but it was Kithiel's refusal that really caught his attention. Surely there was something he could point out about it not being fair because...wolves and...whatnot.

"I do not smell different," he denied, not actually realizing just what scents the wolf had picked up as he started batting at his nose. Then he froze, eyes momentarily widening. Well, that was a mood killer. How was this his life. "Lucas, call your dog off, he's being weird."

Max placed both his hands over Kithiel's muzzle, pushing him away from his hip with just enough force to get his message across.
 
"I'm the oldest, I make the rules. That's the rule."

Kithiel growled as he was pushed away. I am not a dog.

"What's he doing now?" Lucas glanced back again and smirked. "Stop hiding food in your pockets."

Kithiel smacked his tail against Max's thighs hard enough to leave a stinging sensation. Stop lying, he said, continuing to keep his communication directed at Max only. No reason for Lucas to be privy to it. Yet. My sense of smell is as good as my hearing.
 
Lucas' logic sucked, but Max knew better than to try and argue with him. Especially when he had bigger problems wrapped up in a big, white wolf shaped package.

"Are too a dog," he grumbled. "Wolves are just bigger, scarier, prettier dogs. It all runs in the same family or something." Which vaguely translated to I'm talking shit as a deflection because I really don't want to deal with this right now.

Of course, the smack across his thighs reminded him just how strong Kithiel actually was, so he reigned himself in from actually pushing the wolf, no matter how much he wanted to. "Ow," he commented, before running a frustrated hand through his hair. It took him a moment to really registrar what Lucas had said about food which meant...

Kithiel was only talking to him. He swallowed thickly, let his eyes train on his brother for a moment, and let out a huff of hair through his nose. "Don't tell him." It was only a whisper, just loud enough that he knew Kithiel would pick it up.

Max had a near fear suddenly, one scarier than his nightmares. Because Kithiel knew more than he should, and that information might very well freak Lucas out enough he'd leave him...for good. Which was...a lot of what Kithiel wanted. Get Max out of the picture, get danger out of the picture.

How did his life suck so much?
 
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