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You can't change Destiny (Lunareclipse x Shadow)

Knowing the question was a pretty personal one, Erik listened but was ready to let it pass had she decided to just stop her answer. In hindsight he might have been better to keep his curiosity at bay but he wondered where her headspace was at given the truth he'd eventually have to tell her.

Her smile put him at ease as she leaned back. Pleased his hadn't pushed her too far with such a personal question. "Not sure about royalty. I'd hate to think I'd have to bow before seeing you," he said with a grin.

As the group came more into view, the smell of paint hit his knows before his eyes caught what they were doing. His nose twitched a little at the smell as he looked where she was looking with a small frown. He looked at her with a small shrug as he leaned forward, "I've no plans either but if home is a preference, at least let me walk you home. I'd hate to leave you to walk home alone with such people out tonight. Although..." he paused for a moment, his eyes looking towards the beagle who comfortably sat next to her. "You hungry? There's a small bakery a few blocks from here. They have some good sandwiches we can have on the go..."
 
Eira laughed, imagining what it would be like to have people bow before her. The idea wasn't too appealing. She liked being ordinary and blending in with society. "If I were royalty, I'd never make anyone bow. I don't think I'd like it, though. The life is too grand, too flashy. I'd get noticed everywhere I went, and I kind of like going unnoticed. Sure, it might be cool to live in a castle and have everyone tend to your every need, but it would get old really fast."

Looking down to the sleeping pup, she patted his head, and he groaned in his sleep. "Well, something tells me he doesn't want me to go home, or move for that matter. He looks comfortable. But, food does sound good. So long as it doesn't spoil our date tomorrow." Pearly whites nibbled her bottom lip a tad anxiously after that statement, not wanting to seem too interested or too eager too soon. He was the first guy to ask her out, other than Jason, for quite some time. she didn't want to ruin that. "You know, I'm glad I ran into you. Not sure why I even walked this way to begin with to be honest. Maybe something out there knew I needed a friend. As crazy at that sounds."
 
She seemed to appreciate a simpler life. Least based on her desire to avoid attention. An unfortunate fact given how he'd soon turn it all upside down when the time came. He took comfort in the fact that she was willing to spend some time with him. A sign she was at least warm to him. Or perhaps that was his own desired perception. There was something about the fact she knew so little about what she was that intrigued him.

Erik gave a small laughed as the pup begun to get up, stirred by her gentle pat. He gave Eira a reassuring smile, "He'll perk up once we get close to the bakery. He's just as fond of the sandwiches as I am." He rose to his feet and extended his hand out to her to help her to hers. "I can't imagine many things spoiling a date with you let alone a small bite to eat."

As she expressed her relief, he couldn't help but think on the fact that his presence was less coincidence and more of a need to keep close to her. Not that she needed to know that. He gave her a small smile, "Hard to imagine someone like you would lack for friends but I'm glad I can help in any small way I can."
 
Taking a firm hold of his hand, she lifted to her feet and brushed the dirt off her backside and her legs. The nighttime dew was beginning to set in, and a layer of moisture was beginning to develop on the ground. Her legs felt only slightly damp, and would surely dry off before they reached the bakery. Watching the beagle sit on the ground and yawn as his nap had been disturbed, she bent down to scratch his ear and pat him on the back. "Yea he looks like he could use a treat to perk up." Just that word had his tail wagging, and he seemed to suddenly gain a bit of energy. "Well I guess someone knows that word all too well. Shall we?"

She was trying to distract herself mostly. He was sweet and seemed genuine each time he gave her a compliment, which wasn't anything she was entirely used to. To hide her reddened face, she turned to head off. "I think you overestimate me, but keep up with the flattery. Its working."

Making sure to give the misfits a wide area, she took the long way around them towards the street, and headed off towards the bakery. In the distance where they had come from, a wolfs howl echoed in the distance. She paused and turned around, listening closely. "I didn't know we had a pack so close to town. I've heard that there's a few packs up towards the mountains, but not around here. I hope they aren't migrating down towards the city. But if they are this close to town, I am definitely not going camping this weekend. I'd rather not risk getting attacked by a wild dog that could easily eat me for dinner."
 
Erik smiled at the pup as he perked up, "Yes. Of all the words he's well versed in, snack is one he doesn't have trouble hearing." He returned his gaze to her and grinned, "Might be some other words he ignores here and there though but in general he's pretty well behaved."

As she turned, her words hung on his mind. Perhaps her own uncertainty about herself relaxed him but it had been a while since he'd let himself have a small breather socially. Since taking the mantle as Alpha for his pack, he had pushed aside some of the smaller things so he could focus on the larger matters at hand.

He motioned towards the pup as he followed her, falling into step beside her. The howl from the woods perked his ears and the familiarity of it brought on the sense of freedom the night tended to bring him. It was the quiet cool nights that those of his kind took the opportunity to let loose and change. To allow a more primal nature take hold and allow themselves to enjoy the wilderness the way they felt akin to. "There are a few that make their way into the woods now and again. Despite everything, they tend to keep to themselves so long as you don't push forward towards them." He turned to her and gave her a reassuring smile, "You're attractive fair but not their normal type of prey." And it's not like we eat our own kind..., he thought to himself. "Not much of a camper?" he asked her, curious of her general hesitance.
 
She was skeptical, but he seemed to know what he was talking about. "You must spend a lot of time in the woods, or reading up on wolves. You seem to know a bit about both." Perhaps it was a hobby, but she thought nothing of it. Another howl echoed in the distance, sending a chill down her spine, enough that she had to pause and regain her composure. Odd that she'd react in such a way. Figuring it was just fear of the animal itself, she pressed onward and continued towards the bakery.

"Anyway, no, not a huge camper. Sure, I don't mind sitting out in a park, but I prefer to sleep in a bed and not on the ground. And don't even get me started about having to squat behind a tree. I went camping once on the Appalachian trial with my dad when I was a kid. Never again!" Even though she wasn't fond of it, those were still great memories that made her smile as she enjoyed the brief flashback.

As they got closer to the bakery, she paused, getting that odd feeling in the back of her neck again. The beagle, who walked faithfully by her side, paused and pointed towards the shadows in an alley. He barked and his tail wagged, and a much bigger dog seemed to bark in response. Just then, a rather large dog ran from the shadows into the streetlights, pausing in front of them. Eira didn't know what to do. Fight or flight was taking over, and she took a few steps back as the creature laid his eyes upon her. She screamed, and did the only thing she could think of, which was to hide behind Erik and cower like a terrified child. The four legged animal laid his ears back, whimpered, and then ran off across the street, almost as if it felt sorry for scaring her.

She shook with fear. "That....that was a wolf. In the city! We need to do something! Call the cops so they can catch it and put it down before it hurts anyone!"
 
Erik shrugged his shoulders a bit as she guessed he spent time in the woods. He wasn't sure how to exactly show how he knew as much as he did. Explaining that you were one of said wolves more often than not didn't exactly seem like a good way to go about things. "There've been a few sightings here and there when I've walked the woods. For the most part they usually look at you and maybe growl a bit. So long as you get out of their way pretty quick I haven't been bothered too much."

As the second howl echoed through, he could see her tense up, the shiver that coursed through her subtly showing on her. He gave her a reassured look and kept close to her as they walked, hoping at least his proximity would give her some form of comfort of security.

He couldn't help but smile at her descriptions of her camping experience. "Sounds more like a cottage mentality would suit you better. I think for me I just like being away from civilization more than anything else. Just to be able to be away from everything and everyone." In truth he did enjoy the smaller comforts that modern living had and he appreciated her preference of a bed and working plumbing.

Despite the howls of the wolves in the distance, Erik thought little of it. He knew how his pack normally operated and how the nights around the full moon typically belonged to them in the woods. It wasn't till Orion stopped that his own attention swayed from her to his surroundings. The small beagle's bark echoed slightly into the alley as he calmly stood, tail wagging. The beagle was well behaved and despite the size the werewolves were, the beagle seemed well adjusted to them. The deep bark back had a family size to it and the sudden appearance of the large wolf before them quickly had Erik between it and Eira.

Erik's face flashed a snarl as his blue eyes shifted to a yellow hue. The large wolf's eyes could be seen looking at both he and Eira behind him before it's ears went back and it took off with a small whimper. It was rare one of Erik's pack would find themselves in their other form and within the city. While not entirely forbidden, being seen by others was and Erik was finding it difficult to hide his displeasure. As the wolf bounded off quickly, Erik turned and collected himself as he returned his attention to his frightened companion.

"It was..." He looked at her , his hands gently on her arms as he made eye contact with her. "Look, let's get you to the bakery first. It's just down the street over there. It's well lit, there's people still around. Get you sitting down and I'll make the call alright?" He took a quick glance behind to make sure the wolf was out of sight before returning his gaze to her. "I'm sure it won't hurt anyone but I'll call animal control once we get to the bakery to be sure."
 
Eira's heart was racing a mile a second as she had watched the display over Erik's shoulder. Why the beast seemed to be suddenly terrified and took off would remain a mystery, but she was glad it did. It wasn't until it was out of sight that she realized she had been holding her breath, and let her lungs ease themselves in a rush of air. Her gaze was not so subtly staring off in the direction that the wolf had gone to, and then she peeked down at Orion, who had seemed more than happy, as if saying hello to a friend.

"Clearly he's not afraid of anything. That wolf could have torn him to shreds." With a gentle nod, she'd agree with his suggestion, as shelter seemed to be the best idea at the moment. In fact, she wasn't aware that she was shaking until his gentle touched seemed to ease her nerves. Her sights were locked on his, and just for a few seconds it felt like the world had entirely stopped. Shaking her head, she smiled and started to head off towards the bakery, grabbing him by the arm and towing him along.

It was a short walk, just another five minutes down the street and the gentle orange glow of the bakery spilling onto the sidewalk came into view. It was quiet. A couple was sitting in the corner, huddled over coffee. A man sat in the opposite corner, busy typing away on his laptop. The baker was kneading down, and shaping it into long logs, appearing much like a typical french baguette.

Eira didn't head inside, but she stopped and bent down to pet Orion. "Sorry bud. I don't think they'd like a dog going in there. What are we supposed to do with you?" She looked up to Erik in question, hesitant to leave him outside with a wolf on the loose. "Do you think he'd be safe out here? "
 
Erik looked at his happy companion. If the dog had a human expression, one might think smug based on the happy look the dog had. "He's got a strange way to gauge situations and when things might be alright or bad." He looked at her and gave her a reassured look, "If he's calm, you've no reason not to be." He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze as he began to lead her towards the bakery.

The walk was calm despite the recent excitement and Erik was more so relieved he could send her inside for comfort while he figured how to handle what had happened.The familiar smell of the bakery wafted out through the front doors. Even at this hour, the ovens still burned and preparation of most of the next day's dough was well under way while customers got the end of day sandwiches with the leftover of the days bread.

As she headed toward the door, she stopped and Erik looked at her. She was concerned for Orion and in a normal situation, he might have agreed with her given the night's events. Still, the night was not ordinary nor was the wolf. Erik looked down at the pup and smiled before looking through the glass windows of the doors, eyeing the baker who owned the place. "There's an open table out here we can sit at. The wolf won't come back here. There's too many people and he went off towards the woods. Go inside, ask Mitch for Erik's usual and whatever you would like for yourself. He'll put it on my tab. I'll call animal control while you grab it all and see if they can send someone here to look for the beast." He looked at her and smiled as he took hold of the door handle and opened it for her.
 
Even though she was hesitant, Eira shuffled inside, leaving Erik and Orion to fend for themselves in the dark. She was shaken, but the aroma of breads and brown sugar and other delicious treats helped to lull her senses into a state of comfort, and her feet seemed to move automatically to the counter as if the pastries were a magnet. Taking a peek at the menu, she began to wonder why she hadn't actually stopped in here before. Her mouth watered at all of the potential snacks. Mitch popped his head around the corner and put on his usual smile, while wiping his hands off with a rag.

"What can I get for you?" He was covered in flour, likely having been making fresh bread in the back.

"Are you Mitch?" With a nod, he looked at her a tad suspiciously, which gave her a bit of a chill. Regardless, she continued. "Oh! Good. I'm here with Erik. He's outside making a phone call. But, um.. he said to tell you he wants his usual, and I guess whatever I want. Which is....what do I want?" He smiled as she looked over the menu again, quick to make a decision. "I'll have a BLT on chiabata bread, and a lemonade please."

He got right to work, seeming pleasant once she threw out Erik's name. "So, how do you know Erik? He's a good guy. Has never done me wrong, a man of his word. He's an old friend."

Glancing out the window, Eira was concerned about those two, but she figured that he was okay, given that she caught Orion chilling on the sidewalk. He seemed happy enough. "Oh, I met him earlier today while I was working. I work down at the coffee shop with Mark." That gained a reaction, and Mitch scoffed. "I happened to bump into Erik while out for a walk. We're supposed to go on a date tomorrow night. Not sure if this counts or not." Realizing that she probably said way too much, her cheeks flushed and Mitch started to laugh.

"Well, I'll be damned. I've never really seen that guy go on a date. You must be something special. Be good to him. He's a good man." Handing over her order, he waved and headed into the back. He disappeared, just like that, and she could hear the sound of a rolling pin on a table while making her way back out into the night.
 
Erik watched as she went into the shop before he took his phone from his pocket and dialed out. It wasn't 9-1-1 that he had dialed but rather a primary contact within his pack. He could feel his annoyance simmering as the phone dialed. His eyes looked through the glass of the doors, a sense of calm seeming to press onto him as he looked at her conversing with Mitch inside. A sense of calm that was relatively short lived.

"I'm going to assume you found out I put a baguette on your tab with Mitch. I'll pay you back this weekend," was the greeting Erik received as the line picked up. The gruff graveled voice gave a small chuckle which didn't completely help Erik's mood.

"That's not...Ok, first off, I wouldn't call you about that. Secondly, I'm a little concerned you think you know my routines that you think I'm at Mitch's." Despite the intimidating voice, Byron was a solid man and one Erik trusted. If there was anyone he trusted not to try to take his command away, Byron would be such a person. Still, the man's voice suited his role and did well in ensuring the pack stayed in line. For the most part at least.

"Well you telling me you aren't there right now getting a snack?" Another chuckle echoed across the phone line before Erik cut him short. Any other night he'd likely enjoy the tease but tonight...tonight he wasn't quite in the mood.

"That's not important. What is important is that we have a problem. A public one. Round up all who decided to enjoy the tonight's cool air and figure out which of them decided to do so within the city." His voice was laced with anger as he looked back into the shop, making sure she was still occupied. The last he needed was for her to come out and have to hear him dealing with the issue. The fear she had of the wolf was one he didn't want her to have to relive at the moment.

"We know better. You sure you're not mistaken? Sure it wasn't just...a big wolf that wandered too far into the city?" He didn't sound convinced even as he tried to reason things. Byron may be an optimist but even he was having trouble with this theory.

"Orion knows better and this one...this one knew it was in the wrong the moment they saw me. Find out who and hold them till I get there tomorrow morning. I'll handle them myself."

The sigh was audible as he could hear the man get up over the phone. "You're the boss. Sure you want to do this yourself? I can handle things you know that."

Erik looked down at Orion then back towards the door. "JUst find whoever it was and keep them for me." He hung up and replaced the phone into his pocket before sighing slightly. "Someone's in trouble and it's not you this time," he said as he knelt down and patted the small dog gently as he awaited her to return with their snack.
 
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