Connor Endore ; Wolf (cursethatfalls) wrote in musingslogs, @ 2011-02-21 01:00:00 |
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Entry tags: | werewolf of london, wolf |
Who: Wolf!Connor and Wolf!Will
What: Full moon wolf antics!
Where: Out and about in the city
When: Full moon night
Warnings: None
The full moon had come sooner than Will had wanted, inconveniently timed between him switching jobs and wanting to visit Quinn to make sure she was actually as "okay" as she'd claimed. He somehow doubted it, and the overlaying worry colored his preparations for the moon, making him forget about the loose lock from the previous month until it was too late.
The change came, painful as it always was, and it left the Wolf panting in livingroom, trying to find his bearings among the overwhelming humanness of it. The city outside the windows was just dark enough to call to him, and he hadn't forgotten the loose window. Still limping slightly from the shift, he made his way to the bedroom and with a bit of effort, pushed at the wood of the frame until everything slid upward and the window opened, allowing him access to outside. He made his way down the fire escapes, just like last month, and decided to run the streets for a while before visiting his tiny hunter.
Connor had been doing this long enough that he had the timing down to something of an art. He looked up the time the full moon would be up over and over so he wouldn't forget it, and he was always home in time. Always.
But things had been going so well lately that he had pushed it. He had gotten cocky, and all it took was one time. The rehearsals with the play had been going well - he'd even attended practice during the day of the full moon, though he usually would have requested it off, just because he couldn't bear to miss the extra rehearsal. He'd met some nice people, and while it was too much of a risk to allow himself to become attached, he could be friends with them. As long as he didn't get too close. It would be fine.
He'd forgotten to charge his phone the night before, and it was running out of batteries by the time rehearsal was coming to a close, a short half hour before he needed to be home. But there was plenty of time.
That was what he told himself, even as the cab got caught in traffic and his mind started projecting nightmarish ideas of the sort of catastrophic violence the wolf might wreak in a crowded place. It was pacing inside him, scratching at him with its nails. He had to get home.
The cab pulled up with barely a minute to spare. He ran the stairs faster than he'd ever taken him and he was close - so close - when the change hit in earnest. He just made it inside his own front door before it took over completely. All he could think about was that the door was still open - and then he thought about nothing at all, wrapped up in the pain as the Wolf took over completely.
The Wolf shook itself of what remained of Connor's clothes afterward, and then ran out the door and down the steps he had taken. It was thrilled to be out. Connor hardly ever went to the woods to change, and even that was only a temporary liberation, far from humanity. The city was something new, something fresh, full of humans of all sorts, and it darted out through a back door and into the alleys and streets.
As it hunted about in the gathering gloom, it caught a scent that intrigued it - something familiar, something wolf-like but not quite right, and it began to follow it to its source.
Will could follow each thought in his Wolf's mind, and caught the scent of other as soon as it hit the wind, still close to Bathos. He'd never sensed another wolf in the area, his territory, especially not one that had humanity tied all through its scent. There was something familiar about that combination, and something that went further than that. It confused him and drew him in at the same time.
The scent itself was easy enough to follow, caught on the breeze through alleys and down streets. He kept to the shadows as usual, but moved quickly, not wanting to lose the trail.
Connor's Wolf followed the scent through alleyways and behind buildings until it grew strong and then faded away again. The other wolf or whatever it was had to be close by, and it began moving more quietly, carefully, scouting out ahead. This wasn't its territory, but it was big and strong and adolescent, and was not going to shy away from a conflict if there was one. A pack would be better than an enemy, but the Wolf had never had a pack. It had always been alone, given a wide berth by wolves in the wild, but then, this wolf it was following seemed different. Different might be good.
Will let his Wolf follow its instincts, tracking the “intruder” through the streets around Bathos. He could tell he was getting closer, and the scent of another wolf made him sneeze, shaking his head after to clear his ears of the strange feeling that sneezing always gave him. Another few turns brought him around a corner to see the other wolf.
He froze there, ears pricked up and forward, breathing deep to catch any shift in scent. It was the first time he’d encountered another wolf in the city, but even so, he could tell that something was different about this one. He gave a low whuff, something that could translate to “who are you, and what are you doing here?” He wasn’t hostile - not yet - just curious and realizing this could go well or very very badly.
Connor's Wolf caught the scent blown downwind from the other wolf, heard it pad around the corner, and turned sharply to look. It was big and lean and black, and curious - it hadn't been out in the city, but wouldn't have expected another wolf there. It held still for a long moment, then came a little closer, watching for any signs of hostility. It wanted to know what the other wolf was doing there as well. Its ears were up, and it came closer by degrees, intent on investigating more closely. It padded past, then swiftly around and behind the other wolf, checking him from all angles. Yes, definitely a wolf, even if the smell was all wrong. Its ears flattened slightly, waiting for any sign of a threat, and its body language said, "Minding my own business - what are you doing here?"
Will craned his head around, watching the other wolf as he circled. He didn’t make any move to attack, even though the presence of a different wolf made him uneasy. His head cocked to the side, the lighter grey bits of his fur catching the orange streetlights. The other wolf seemed wild, but not enough to attack, at least not yet. He hesitated for another moment before stepping forward, sure of himself, and getting closer to sniff carefully. There was definitely traces of human under the wolf, and the bit of Will’s mind that was still able to pay attention wondered if this was another wolf like him. It seemed to be the only answer.
In response to the question, Will circled a bit, rubbing his head against one of the walls of the nearby building, leaving just enough of his scent behind to be noticeable. “This is my home,” it broadcasted.
Connor’s Wolf was aware that it was on unfamiliar territory, and while it was willing to fight if necessary, the other wolf didn’t seem to be particularly aggressive. Satisfied by this, the Wolf ducked its head briefly in deference to the rightful owner of the territory, then moved a few steps away. It wanted to run - there was still so much to do tonight, and it was hungry. Its mouth dropped open, tongue hanging out in a friendly gesture. It was going to go hunting, and the other Wolf was welcome to tag along with it. Somewhere buried Connor was just conscious enough to be mystified that the Wolf hadn’t attacked immediately. It was usually so aggressive with everyone and everything, but now it was being outright friendly.
It was obvious to Will’s Wolf that this “newcomer” was at least a little younger than him, and more ready to run and hunt. There was a sense of wildness about the other wolf that his own human had done his best to squash. Eating well before the shift left him full but still sometimes restless. It took a few steps to follow, curious about going to run and hunt with another wolf, but he had also wanted to visit his tiny hunter to make sure she was actually doing as well as she’d claimed to his human. His body read indecision as he looked over his shoulder toward Bathos and then back at the other wolf.
Connor's Wolf sensed that the other wanted to go somewhere, and so it acquiesced. Hunting could wait for whatever other interesting thing there was to follow this new, strange companion to. Pack and possibly having it was a strangely reassuring thought, and he moved in the direction the other wolf had indicated.
The whine caught in the back of the throat of Will’s Wolf, still torn between deciding. Another factor was that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to introduce this strange wolf to his tiny hunter. She was still hurt, he knew, and likely unable to defend herself if things went badly. He took several steps away from the direction of Bathos, causing the two of them to circle slightly. The steps were uncertain and confused, and were the human in control, would have likely translated to rambling between more than one topic, circular and hard to follow. It wasn’t any more understandable as a wolf.
Connor’s Wolf didn’t understand what the confusion was. If the other wolf wanted something in the direction of Bathos, he ought to go after it, not aimlessly circle. It decided to take the lead, moving decidedly back in the direction from which it had come, turning its head and looking behind itself to be sure the other wolf was following.
Will’s Wolf wasn’t used to having another wolf around, uncertain of how to act around him. He’d never ventured out very far into the wilderness during the moon, but even so he could tell this wasn’t a normal wolf. He wouldn’t have gone along with a normal wolf, but this one... he followed along, not sure what they were going to do now.
Connor’s wolf darted along the sides of buildings, stayed in the shadows and away from the most populated areas of the city. He was strong, but he knew a place like that could mean imprisonment or death, so he stayed where he knew he could defend himself. He was hungry, however, and as they got deeper into the city there were more and more people out in dark alleys by themselves. Weak and separated from the rest of the throng, they made good targets. The wolf spotted a young woman walking down a dark street, and began to follow.
Being around another wolf did strange things to Will’s wolf, making him want to run free - more than he usually did, even - and he ran with the other wolf without a second thought, keeping pace easily. The appearance of the young woman heightened the sense of the hunt, and it almost, but not quite, drowned out the voice of the human in the back of his mind. The voice made him slow and shake his head from side to side, as if trying to clear it.
Connor had little to no effect on what the Wolf did. It was part of why he always tried to separate it from the rest of humanity, eternally worried that what had happened years before would repeat itself. The Wolf wanted to kill. It was consistently angry about everything relating to Connor’s life and the lives of the humans it was forced to endure through him, and it had no moral compunctions. The girl was pretty - the Wolf had no connection to her, and saw her simply as a potential meal. It began slinking up behind her, padding softly, weaving through the shadows. It assumed that Will’s wolf would follow and help it take the girl down. Connor railed internally, but still the Wolf continued following, closer with every step.
Will managed to force enough influence on his wolf that it slowed even more and gave a gruff bark at the other wolf, calling attention to the two of them, even though he knew it was a bad idea. The girl was small enough to remind him of his tiny hunter, even though there was no other similar characteristics. He could imagine how satisfying it would be to bring down a creature, feel the heat of a body fade away beneath his claws and teeth, but the damn human in the back of his mind... it kept him from indulging in the moment.
He barked again, calling to the other wolf, wondering if it had a human too, and if he was somehow able to ignore it. That would be a helpful thing to be able to do.
The girl turned at the sound of a bark, and saw two wolves down the length of the alley, and froze in place for just a moment before scrambling and trying to run, screaming as she went. Connor's wolf turned its head as well at the sound, and when it turned back to the prey she was already running. It wanted to chase her. It wanted to tear her apart. But the momentary distraction gave Connor a brief in, and he seized the chance to hold the Wolf in place long enough for the girl to run into the street and keep running, all the way to the next block, which was busier and full of people. The wolf began to follow, but then, seeing the group of humans, hung back. It rounded on the other wolf, growling, a clear, "What do you think you're doing?" in its carriage.
Will’s wolf replied with its own growl, fur standing on the back of its neck. He wasn’t going to back down, even if part of him agreed that they should be running and hunting some of the many helpless people that were around. Instead, he snapped his teeth at the other wolf and took a few steps forward, willing to fight if he needed to, even though he didn’t want to. He wanted there to be a way to know the wolf without going so far against the human voice in the back of his mind. It didn’t stop him from keeping his teeth bared.
Connor’s Wolf had its hackles up, and it circled off to the side. The prey was lost to its fellows, now. They might be able to scatter the humans, but the Wolf did have an abstract perception of ‘police,’ in the sense that it knew from Connor that more humans would come, humans with weapons trying to cage it or put it down. The opportunity to feed was lost, and it was bitter. It circled around and then began moving away. If the other wolf wasn’t going to help it, it would strike off on its own again.
Will’s Wolf watched as the other began to move away. Part of it wanted to fight for a pack - someone more than just his hunter, especially since she was as easily hurt as any other human - and didn’t want the other wolf to leave. Yet he couldn’t be part of the hunt, not tonight when his mind was preoccupied by other things, and not this close in the city, when the only prey was human. He didn’t stop the other wolf, watching as it began to move farther away. Somewhere in his mind, he could feel that it wouldn’t be the last time they saw each other.
Connor’s Wolf was displeased with the way this stretch of the night had gone, but there were still hours ahead to wreak whatever havoc it could make. He expected that that the other wolf would cross his path again, sooner rather than later, if they continued to operate in the same territory. Whether it would be friendly or not would be up to him to decide - but nothing and no one would keep him from the hunt now that he had a chance to take it on.