Private Tales Never trust the shadows

[Anais]

The hiss of his voice was a palpable thing that coiled around her throat, halting any further comment on the subject. It slithered its way down her spine in a cold shudder that she did her best to suppress. She glanced up at him, but then her gaze fell once more, downcast to count the steps she walked.

"I don't think we were ever planning on returning.." she answered quietly. He was probably right, it was a small enough town that they'd likely have the resources to spare in search efforts.. It didn't stop her from thinking of the worst possible scenario however.

"We?" she asked, a brow quirking at the ground. "We're performers, Radigan. We're dancers and musicians and actors. We're not in the habit of 'dealing' with ..." she stopped to swallow as her voice quaked. She could still feel the blood on her hands despite how hard she'd scrubbed.

"We don't run into trouble like this much. Our blades and bows are for hunting with, not for defending ourselves. They're too vulnerable to leave something like this to chance."..

"I'm just afraid."

 

[Fingal]

"Hmm, of course you are," Fingal replied. His tone softened. He would never vacillate upon his actions when it came to the feels of a human for too long, but he did feel a moment of regret for speaking so harshly.

To one another, the lives of the other mortals within their tight knit community meant a very great deal.

It has still been a stupid idea.

"I may not be a great help, but I have a tongue well versed in talking me out of harms way. And you still have your mysterious protector."

"Now," he said sharply, wanting to shift the tone of the conversation. "I do not often give anything away for free, but perhaps another old song would help calm your nerves?"

 

[Anais]

"True.." she mused with a curious glance through the trees, though there was no moonlit fur to be seen.

Ana's lips twisted and her brows rose rather smugly. "Well, aren't I the lucky one?.." she cast a smile up at him. "I don't have it in me to turn down such an offer." And his voice did calm her nerves.

 

[Fingal]

"You are, yes," he replied. His response was soft and kind, his smile matched the smug look on her face.

Fingal placed a hand on her shoulder and left it there. His eyes turned to the stars for inspiration. His mind was a maze of long lost lore that he collected for his mistress.

"This is a good song, elven. Like the best parts of their culture it is very old. Maybe two thousand years. I hopes human culture never stagnate as much as theirs."

Humans, ever changing and experimenting, were far more interesting to Fingal.

"It is a song of a man asking a blackbird to pass on a message of love to the moon."

He cleared his throat, gaze slowly falling to Anais' and the soft baritone of his voice silenced the woods around them.

 

[Anais]

She cast a glance at the hand on her shoulder, noting how large it seemed there, and then she found herself watching him look to the starts and following his gaze upward. Her expression was one of heartache as he told her of the song's sweet story.

And then she was entranced. Watching him sing every word, unwilling to allow her eyes, ears or mind stumble on any distraction. She hadn't realised she'd stopped moving, but treading further along the path required more attention than she was willing to give it.

His voice rolled over her like a wave of pure auditory honey and she happily bathed in it. There was something about a man who could sing like that which caused her blood to heat and her pulse to quicken. If she could have seen herself standing there like some dumfounded floozy, she'd have had a strong word or two to say, but there she was - absolute putty in his hands all because of one particularly romantic song sung in a particularly charming way..

 

[Fingal]

The last verse shifted key. As it started, he laid his hand back on her shoulder. Fingal circled her slowly as he sang, walking behind her and dragging the tips of his fingers across her neck and to the other side.

He stepped around in front of her, letting his hand fall to the side. Something had subtly changed about him. In the shadows, there was a light to his eyes that reflected the moon. There was something in his smile that could make prey stop still as their hearts quickened.

Silence fell and he reached for his hand.

"Come," he said. The shadows in the treeline behind him seemed to deepen. He gave a very gently tug. "I've something to show you."

 

[Anais]

Ana watched him so intently as he moved, keeping her eyes on his face until he disappeared behind her and she had to turn her head to watch him complete the circle around her. Her mouth hung open slightly, a breath shuddering out at the sensation of his fingers tickling across the back of her neck, and the way he looked at her when he stopped had her heart jumping all over the place trying to find its rhythm once more.

There was something insoluble about him, something that had her utterly transfixed and both attracted and apprehensive all at once about the invitation he gave next. She could drag her eyes from him only for the briefest of moments to glance back in the direction of her caravan, but the consideration was fleeting and the moment her gaze had settled on his again she gave a curious smile and took his hand..

 

[Fingal]

Holding her hand, he walked backwards into the darkness. It swallowed him, then enveloped her. The trees still whispered, but the other sounds of the forest fell silent.

Fingal barely touched his magic. He didn't wrap a full glamour around them, but drew just enough to add a mystery to the moment. It made it feel as if they were stepping between worlds.

Fingal grinned. The notion of some common werewolves taking the credit for his own actions was just too much.

Another step and the shadows seemed to swallow him. It was like a mirror rising up between them, obscuring and fragmenting her view as he shrunk away. His fingers slipped from her hand.

She was left facing her saviour. Far less intimidating sat down and looking up at her with one ear cocked.

"Anais." There was power resonating with her spoken name this time.

 

[Anais]

A shudder ran through her as she felt the strange sensation of static on her skin and something playing with her senses. It unnerved her, naturally, and she spoke his name with uncertainty as she tried to peer through the inky black that swallowed him whole.

"Don't.." let go... She grasped at thin air, feeling her heart stumble in her chest as she turned in panic. She'd been about to say his name when he instead, said hers. The voice was behind her, and she knew without looking that something had changed.

A shaky breath tumbled out as she turned, expecting to see the man who'd accompanied her here, and so the sight of the wolf before her lit up her eyes with shock and she drew in a sharp gasp. A foot shifted on the pine-needle carpet and she took a step back, but only one.

"It was you?" she asked, her voice catching. "Are.. Are you Garou?" she added with a frown, thinking of the story she'd told him. There had always been something strange about him, but now every odd thing she'd ever considered all started clicking into place, and she'd have felt lied to if it'd been her right to know. Honestly she didn't know whether to be afraid or not, logically, any unarmed human girl stood face to face with a wolf should have felt terror, but if he'd been the one who'd protected her already then why would he hurt her now?

Unless he hadn't wanted his meal sullied, she thought, and her back met the rough bark of a tree as she took a second step back.

 

[Fingal]

Fingal enjoyed the look of fear. By the standards of his own kind, he was not a powerful creature. He needed to remind himself every now and again how the instinct of mortals always made them take that first step back.

Then she went and ruined it.

"A common werewolf?" he asked incredulously. The noise of disgust was more of a growl.

Fingal remained where he was, watching her carefully.

"I am no mindless, disease ridden flesh eater," he said. This time he did not sound angry. He sounded offended and petulant.

 

[Anais]

Confusion masked the fear if but for a moment, a few golden strands falling about her face as her head shook. Shit, the last thing she wanted to do was offend a creature capable of ripping her throat out. She'd heard the gargled screams of the guard he'd dragged from atop her..

"Forgive me.. I. I don't know of any other creature, who can shift into a wolf..." she said hesitantly, the lilt of a question in her tone.

"Do you intent to harm me?" she asked, and held her breath.

 

[Fingal]

"Apology accepted," he replied.

Fingal have a slow bow. His ears flattened back against his head.

He didn't need power and respect, didn't chase it as much as much as many of his peers.

Still, a little respect from mortals every now and again was welcome. He waited a few long seconds before replying.

"Of course I don't mean to hurt you," he said. "I just took you off the main path so we would not be seen. The others do not need to know."

 

[Anais]

Ana believed him. It was a conscious decision to simply trust that he was telling the truth and allow the curiosity that'd been pulling at her this entire time win over fear. She pushed away from the tree and stepped closer, her eyes straining to take in as much as she could in the darkness.

She was less than a stride from him when she stopped and lowered, planting one hand and one knee on the ground. "They won't hear it from me." she assured. Her family would only fret and choose not to believe that he meant no harm.

"Thank you... For stopping the guard. But if not Garou or otherwise then, will you tell me what you are?" she frowned

 

[Fingal]

"No, no I don't think I'd give something like that away for free," he replied.

Fingal turned away from her and stretched out both legs. His weight dropped into a long, relaxed stretch. Whilst it might have been on his mind to put her at ease, he was also stiff after changing back and forth several times.

"But that seems very boring. No. I suppose I should think of some way for you to win that from me. Hmm. Any ideas or are you busy trying to convince yourself that this is not a dream?"

 

[Anais]

A slender brow arched as she watched him closely, though the rigidness that came with the fear had eased, there was still some clear caution in the way she moved, as though one sudden movement might trigger him. She edged a little closer, her gaze still straining to see him in the thick darkness. Had the silken fur been dark, he mightn't have been visible at all.

"I hadn't actually considered that it might be a dream.." she admitted, and frowned at the thought. "But in dreams we don't question it, things are just accepted as they are, no matter how strange or wonderful. Perhaps I am dreaming." she murmured as she lowered herself onto her knees, her skirts pooling around her. She teased through the tresses of golden waves to give her hands something to fidget with in effort to refrain from her urge to reach over and touch him. He wasn't a dog. Wasn't even a wolf.. She wanted answers, whether they would frighten her or not.

"I could share another song, or one of my trinkets?" she offered, holding out a wrist full of chains, charms, woven bracelets and beads.

 

[Fingal]

Fingal tilted his head to one side, peering at the charms. He liked trinkets. Often, he feigned ignorance in what he presented to his master. Items were presented that he knew she would turn her nose up at. Items he would get to keep. As long as he had found things worthy of her attention, it went unnoticed.

"No, no trinkets or songs," he replied, sitting back on his haunches. The cwn swished his tail. His bright eyes were full of mischief.

"If you can surprise me again before I leave your troupe and go on my way then I will tell you exactly what I am," he stated.

 

[Anais]

Ana's arm slowly lowered until her hand rested in her lap, her gaze fixed on him in consternation. Surprise him? She wasn't entirely sure how she could surprise him, when he had just shifted into a damned wolf. She was human, there was little surprising about them when there were creatures such as he..whatever he was.

Her head shook. "Wait why are you leaving?" she asked. "I thought you were travelling with us?"

 

[Fingal]

Fingal bounced off his front paws onto his hind legs. The shadows deepened as he rose above her, returning to his human form. He was an open book, looking thoroughly pleased with himself for the theatrics.

"I am travelling with you. Not forever, of course. That gives you plenty of opportunity to spontaneously surprise me."

"But we can play another game for now: how old am I?"

 

[Anais]

Another flood of fear and uncertainty darkened her features as she watched the way the shadows enveloped him. She tried to move too quickly and wound up stumbling back and catching herself on her elbows, staring up at him with a grimace. A great shuddered from her lips, a not-so-subtle sign of her indignation as he seemed to be enjoying toying with her.

"What is it with you and your bargains and games?" she muttered as she righted herself, brushing the pine needles from her elbows and pushing herself up to shake them from her skirts. "I might guess eight or nine." she grumbled quietly to herself before lifting her eyes back to his face.

She had a feeling by the way he asked, that she'd be wrong whatever she guessed. He looked older than she did, clearly, but he wasn't human, and those with gifts such as he had tended to live far longer.. "I don't know. I, thought you might be.. somewhere around forty-five.. maybe? But I suppose you're going to tell me I'm wrong." she frowned softly and dropped her gaze with a shake of her head.

 

[Fingal]

"I am yes," he replied. "I am over four hundred years old."

It was no longer beyond his notice that he had pushed her too far. Fingal thought back to the day she had been through. He had witnessed awful things befalling mortals so many times. He'd once seen an entire city wiped out by disease over six months.

Fingal liked Anais. He liked her wiggly hips and he liked her attitude. He was just quite desensitised to the plight if her kind.

He held out his hand, palm up.

"I'm afraid games and bargains are the currency of my life," he said. It wasn't quite an apology. "I will do whatever I can to keep your people safe for the rest of the journey."

That he had suffered the ignamity of being sucker punched by a common guard before he could act was a wound his pride would heal slowly.

Fingal wasn't a powerful wielding of Ley magic. Certainly not compared to the other orders of his people. Mortals often built roads close to the lines without knowing why and there was power he could draw upon. He drew a little magic and breathed it back out.

It was no significant spell, just a little flutter of joy around the minds of the travellers to ease their grief.

"I suppose I must return in this form. It would be quite difficult to explain losing your travelling bard and finding a new pet dog."

 

[Anais]

Ana's mind stuttered for a moment, her gaze widening whilst the rest of her body paused to allow her thoughts to catch up. Over four hundred years old. Her mouth was gaping as she tried to comprehend that amount of time. It made her feel... small, and insignificant. Human lives were such a pointless flicker in the grand scheme of time when there were creatures that walked the lands, capable of living for so long. Ana blushed at the thought, as though he'd just done something so incredibly impressive that she was embarrassed to feel so incapable.

"Oh.. Well that's.." she blinked, pulling herself out of her thoughts. "I suppose, you look well for your age." she commented with a breath of a laugh under her breath before dragging a hand down her face. Ana's gaze settled on the hand he held out, a small flicker of a smile on her lips as he made his promise. Her head tilted as she wondered what he was doing, and she took an almost subconscious step closer, reaching to take his hand with both of hers, holding it in place to allow her to study his palm.

Her finger traced over his life line, and she grinned at the thought of knowing that had she not now known what she did, she'd have told him without a doubt that he'd live a long life. Gods, she'd have had no idea just how long.

Both slender brows shot up at his words, her gaze settling back on his. "Oh so you're a dog now? Not only a dog but a pet dog? And yet you were offended at my glimpsing you for such a brief moment in the darkness and thinking you to be one of the Garou? Which, by the way, are not common werewolves." she smiled, lowering his hand. A shuddered breath spilled from her lips and she nodded, letting her eyes fall to the dark forest floor.

"It has been quite the day..." she murmured with a sigh.

 

[Fingal]

Fingal might have lacked empathy for mortals, but he adored their compliments. He even let his pleasure show when she spoke of how good he looked for his age. The smile grew from one corner of his lips.

He leaned forwards as she took his palms, genuinely fascinated as she studied them. The sweep of her finger sent a slight shiver up his spine.

Not common werewolves. He mused on that for about as long as he felt it was worth, which was very little. Their transformations were so...mechanical. Mortal shapeshifters were not the same as his kind. Not to him.

Still, it sounded like they had a history and a culture. He decided that might be worth seeking out one day, assuming they had an art form that was more evolved than pissing on tree stumps.

"I have lived for that long, and this has still...Been a day," he agreed. "You are a very strong woman Anais and you probably deserved more than my games today."

It wasn't quite an apology. An acknowledgement at least of his behaviour. Though he likely wouldn't admit to watching her from the lakeside for some time.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. His palm still faintly tingled.

"Ready to go back?"

 

[Anais]

For her so-called 'strength' to be acknowledged by someone who had lived more than four centuries caused her expression to give a momentary pause and her skin to warm slightly. As soon as her mind caught up she let out a breathy laugh and dropped her gaze with a light nod of her head. "I appreciate the acknowledgement.." she sighed, her fingers seeking out a few tresses of blonde waves to twist.

His hand had a certain weight to it that had nothing to do with its size as it settled on her shoulder. It was the weight of over four hundred years of walking this world whilst she'd only seen just over twenty. Whether it was magic or awe she didn't know, but a shudder caught her breath and she cleared her throat as she glanced at his hand and looked up at him.

"Not really.. But, I should. I'd rather not give them anything else to worry about." she smiled mirthlessly. "Thank you for the games." she smirked and shrugged under his palm. "At least they've given my mind something else to think about.."

 

[Fingal]

"I will endeavour to find you new distractions along the way then," he said. His voice was quiet, kind. There was no trace of the mischief that such a comment should have been laced with.

The walk back was uneventful. Night creatures, more attuned to the movement of Ley magics, had gone still.

The atmosphere in the camp felt a little more subdued. The emotional hit had taken its toll on the travelling band.

"I'm going to find somewhere to sleep," he said, finally parting from her side as they reached the edge of the camp.

 

[Anais]

The mischief that should have accompanied such a comment was flashed up at him in a fleeting smile before she dropped her gaze with a shake of her head.. "Hm..." was the only sound she made, being that she was a little lost for words. Thanking him for the gesture would've been admitting that she was interested in such distractions, and she wasn't 'Boobrah', or even Molly. Ana was the quiet one, who cast looks of interest away with a shy smile. The others were far more easily impressed than she was. He impressed her, and yet she had a hard time understanding what a creature such as he (whatever he was) could possibly want from someone as insignificant as she must seem to him.

She remained quiet on the return to the lakeside, her mind still reeling from the things she'd witnessed that day. She wasn't sure whether she'd have trouble sleeping or if she'd sleep for a week, but as they stopped at the edge of the camp she felt the palpable heartache and sorrow envelope her once more. She didn't want him to go, and she'd almost said as much before she stopped herself and stumbled over a quiet "Stay - stay close." she frowned, acknowledging the security she felt knowing he was nearby.

Ana drew in a breath and continued toward the fire, squeezing at the several hands that'd reached out to her and pressing kisses to heads as she passed. She spent some time at Oliver's side before she was urged to sleep, and with another long look into the darkness, Anais finally fell into bed and put the day behind her.