[Outside, in the woods - Millyways]

[princeinexile]

It's a blizzard.

This hasn't made Zuko go back inside, though. Oh no. The young man is proud to the point of being stupid, and besides. He's been in blizzards in the arctic tundra. A Scottish snowstorm is like slush, comparatively.

It made keeping the venison good easier, but it didn't make Zuko happy. He was one snow encrusted little Firebender. But it was pretty easy to tell where he was, what with the billowing plumes of STEAM that came up from him.

Comments

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

Wells had gone inside at the start of the day; the taste of the deer's old blood in his mouth had kicked far too many memories to the fore. But come nightfall there was no more waiting, so he'd slipped out the back, blizzard or no.

Damn. He'd never thought he'd end up nostalgic for Iraq.

Eventually, he makes his way over to the familiar smells and steam plumes. They're not hard to find- they're the only thing that doesn't smell of wet and cold around here. He's got his uniform in his mouth as he approaches, since the only way to navigate successfully in this mess is on all fours.

[princeinexile]

Zuko is set against a tree, though snow occasinoaly melts and drops in slushy blobs around him. He looks-- well, unhappy about the whole thing, but Wells knows how stubborn the boy can be.

But he extends his hands to take the uniform from him, rolling his eyes. "Good boy," he drawls, smirking-- but then just folds it to his chest, slobber and all.

"You know what sounds great right now? A temple in a volcano. Does that sound great to you?"

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

The beast snorts. Eye-rolling isn't a big thing for wolves, but it braces one forepaw and rumbles at Zuko in a 'don't push it' kind of way at the 'good boy' comment.

The rumble vanishes in favour of a surprised whine at the temple comment; it cocks its head to one side for a moment, ears pricked forward.

[princeinexile]

"I've got a guest pass. Can you not shake all over the place when we get there? I can get you some towels, you know." Some bred-in princely primness is still with Zuko, and probably always will be.

He takes up the ring in one hand, and then considers, and then gestures to the wrapped venison. "Get that in hand. Paw. Whatever. And the other paw-- ha-- extremity! On my shoulder, and I'll put the ring on... and if we're lucky -- we'll both go. And if not... I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

There are instincts, and there are instincts. The urge to hunt, kill, devour- that's a damn strong instinct in a werewolf. Always.

On the other hand, the urge to get the hell out of the cold is even more powerful, and present in every animal that ever lived in a temperate zone.

It makes a quick chuff of acknowledgment and awkwardly scoops up the wrapped meat. The fingers aren't exactly made for bending and gripping properly. Once the meat is pulled up close to its chest, though, the other massive paw-hand descends on Zuko's shoulder.

There is no sense in trying to do anything in this mess. Any way out is a good way, even if the pup has to be the one who leads.

[princeinexile]

Undoing the chain from around his neck, Zuko takes a breath-- and then, puts the ring on; spirits, show some kindness!

And they do, for soon they're dripping in the overwarm volcano homee of the god called Hephaestus. Zuko blinks about and then peers at the werewolf, and beams. "Stay put. I'll come back with some towels. We'll do Hephaestus' laundry tomorrow, since you'll put fur on them..."

And then off he goes, the black metal ring warm on his finger. It is, as they say, good to have friends...

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

Dripping? Yeah.

Warm? More important.

Dripping, though...

This is Wells' lesson in control for the night. Not do not eat people. No, indeed.

Mustn't shake.
Mustn't shake.
Mustn't shake.
Mustn't-

It dimly occurs to him that wet dog doesn't smell nearly so bad when you smell it with a lupine nose. That's just... normal smell.

Mustn't shake mustn't shake mustn't shake-

He's probably vibrating like a tuning fork by the time Zuko returns. But not shaking off. Yet.

[princeinexile]

Do you know what a soaked, vibrating, needy werewolf looks like to a sixteen year old boy? About as awe inspiring as a drowned chihuahua. So imagine Zuko, coming back to this with an armful of towels..

Only to have to do his own mantra:


Mustn't laugh.
Mustn't laugh.
Mustn't laugh.
Mustn't laugh.
Mustn't lau--

And then he is, dropping towels and starting to throwl them one after the other over the werewolf's body and snickering all the while.

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

Just for that, the werewolf nearly does shake off, but by that time there's towels enough to mute the halfhearted effort's impact.

He does growl, though. He's got some dignity left. Somewhere. Maybe under his ID tags- he's still wearing those. They jingle when he moves.

[princeinexile]

"Yeah, yeah," Zuko says, rubbing down shoulders and thick ruff and ears. "You're scary and all, I know," the boy is utterly unimpressed. "You're doing better at the communication thing, though. You seem to get more. Or... maybe I'm understanding you better. I'm not sure." Communication is a two way street, after all.

But Wells can deal with anyplace thata's underbelly in his own damn time. Zuko's a good boy, but he's not going anywhere near Wells' furry bathing suit area, thanks.

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

He snorts, snatching up one of the towels and dropping the meat in the process. Some things are best taken care of on one's own.

You don't leave throat and belly open to anyone below you in the ( chain of command ) ( pack ). That's submission. He hasn't got it in him.

[princeinexile]

The meat is taken up, and Zuko heads off with it! He does! He's going to go... put it in Heph's very big freezer. Isn't that great?

At least Wells will have some private parts drying time.

When he returns, he's got clean, clear water in a large bowl, and something hot in a mug for himself. "I doubt you want tea like that, so water for you." The bowl's set down, while Zuko toes off his boots, grimacing at the water he's tracked about. He'll have to mop that up pronto. Once he's got something warm in him.

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

The thought of lapping the stuff up on all fours like a dog seems- well, perfectly normal to some degree. And perfectly humiliating to another. He eyes the bowl for a while, ears flicking, teeth just the slightest bit bared.

Eventually, he compromises. Two great clawed hands lift the bowl to about chest height. From there, he's willing to lap it up. Not like he has any choice; that muzzle isn't designed for drinking the human way.

[princeinexile]

Zuko didn't know what to do, so he shrugs at Wells' 'expession'. At least he brought you something! Be grateful. Setting his tea aside, he undoes his wet jacket, and then strips down to the shirt beneath, hangig it upm so it can dry. He's remarkably dampness-free beneath it, too.

Joys of being a Firebender.

"There is going to be a hot bath for me, and then I'll try and get eus both some food. I'll warm some of the deer up for you if you want it; I doubt you want it cooked like that, do you?"

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

Oh, the expression isn't directed at Zuko. It's directed entirely at the water- or if it's not, it's directed at himself. He's starting to get the hang of overrunning the instincts. He just can't stand the idea of ceding any more ground to them than absolutely necessary.

At the question he pauses, lifting his head from the bowl and licking the water away from his muzzle almost reflexively. It's hard to communicate the human way in this form. The body doesn't want to cooperate, for all that the mind understands...

Eventually, though it looks more like he's trying to dislodge something from one of his ears, he shakes his head.

[princeinexile]

Zuko is trying very hard not to laugh. Really. He knows what it is to have to compensate for injury and change. But... oh, it makes him laugh.

"Alright. I'll warm it till it's soft, but I won't cook it."

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

That, at least, gets through. The wolf-creature lowers his head and closes his eyes. There's a small whuf of acknowledgment.

It's a bit hard for this form to express gratitude. All the instincts point towards tail-wagging (he hasn't got one) or face-licking (and he would sooner chew off one of his own arms than do that).

[princeinexile]

Zuko doesn't need any licking. (Unless they involve genuine puppies, or the potential hooker situation.) So he can just look puppy-dog (with GREAT FANGS) at Zuko, instead, and he'll probably get the idea.

"Bath first," though, Zuko says. Thankfully, Heph supplies clothing and Zuko can figure it out easily enough. Robes are robes, no matter the culture. So he gets a few things, and then says, "Relax, I'll be back in a bit. You can probably look around, but make sure you're dry so I don't have to mop a lot!"

And then he's off to warm up and clean up.

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

(The hooker situation is going to have to wait until Wells has some cash.) So the puppy-dog look will have to do, and that seems to have pulled off the intended effect. Good.

He whufs again as Zuko heads off to get clean, and then looks around.

If he thinks about it too hard- or looks at the walls too much- he starts feeling the place closing in on him. Zuko had said a volcano; that means a hell of a lot of rock overhead, and that means-

No. Not a cage. Not a trap. A den, if anything. Safe and warm, like the farmhouse, or the barn, and no one here for revenge, no one here to blow him to kingdom come as he'd done the others.

Safe enough, for now.

He fights down another urge to shake off, instead gathering the drier of the towels and slinking over to warm himself a bit more by the light of the lava-panel in the wall.

[princeinexile]

Zuko comes back, hair down and damp overe his shoulders, sometime later. the linens he wears are foreign to him, and cream-pale no a boy who has never really worn anything that wasn't black, red, or gray.

"Holding up, eh? C'mon, then. Let's eat."

And it's time to cook. Thankfully, Zuko knows a little about cooking on a range, having learned by painful trial and error. But heating the meat is simple, at least... but that IS going on a plate on the floor because there's no way he's letting him eat that over the table and rip it to bits. "Deal," he says pointedly. "No messes for the host to clean up."

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

He snorts, laying his ears back, but doesn't snarl. This, at least, he can accept. Some instincts he can't overcome, and the ones that involve eating are some of the strongest among those.

Somewhere in the back of his mind is the thought of grabbing one of the towels and wiping up afterwards, but that's largely lost in a flurry of tearing the venison apart and swallowing the pieces practically whole.

[princeinexile]

And that's why Zuko's going to not watch him eat; he's going to eat his own meal, over here, where he's not going to get queasy about the wolfman bolting down his meal.

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

Zuko's a smart lad. Even though the wolfman is hunched over the plate with his back to the Firebender, it's still not a pretty sight. At least when it's over he stops before doing anything nasty to the plate.

After a bit, he reaches for what's left of the bowl of water. No sense keeping the blood-taste in the mouth, no matter how much the wolf in him likes it.

[princeinexile]

Zuko dines quietly, before he starts to clean up. "Do you want more water?" he asks, looking down the wolfman. Totally normal. It's like their regular meals -- only -- Wells smells funny and has atrocious table manners.

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

The bowl is eyed-

"Should he be chasing painkillers with whisky?" "He's earned it."

-and handed over with another one-note nod.

This isn't so unusual after all. ( Beta ) ( Cooper ) would have done the same. Had done the same, in a lot of ways.

He can live with that.

[princeinexile]

Zuko takes the bowl from thoses long, strange fingers, and then nods, filling it up and carefully passing it back. "... you know, when you first talked about it, it sounded like you lost all sense and you weree a a crazed man eater. You seem more civil now then you do otherwise," Zuko says, quirking his lips.

"Your language has improved, too. You don't talk like a sailor anymore..." Yeah, we must rib the werewolf! Ha ha, furry Wells.

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

That's pushing it, yeah. The ears flatten back against his skull; the lips peel back fractionally.

You can't even call it a growl, it's pitched so low. But it's the sort of sound that comes just before a spring.

[princeinexile]

Zuko has never walked with wolves, but he does just arch a brow at Wells. "Oh, c'mon. Don't be down in the... chops? Jowls? I'm just teasing."

That he CAN tease at all -- well, Iroh would be so proud of Wells for prying the STICK that was crammed up Zuko's nethers, let me tell you.

"Unfortunately, I don't have anything to help keep you occupied," he quirks his grin again. "All out of balls to throw, too.

Just remember, Wells: You adopted him, now you're stuck with him.

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

Teasing? He can do teasing.

He lowers his head, ears lifting a touch as he resettles himself. The muzzle is lower than his shoulders now, and he's wriggling just a bit.

Really, if you're inclined to see a bipedal wolf-man-monster as anything like a normal animal, it almost looks like the play posture of the larger breeds of dog.

Possibly this would explain why he suddenly POUNCES at Zuko, knocking the prince over and pinning him to the ground, fangs mere millimeters from the young man's neck.

[princeinexile]

Zuko's sort of cluing into that. However, he doesn't clue fast enough. It's sort of a is he and then a what is he doing and then holy shit jumping werewolf!

His ass is gonna be black and blue! Oi! He laughs, but he winces, too, for being barrelled over is funny, but somewhat painful, and he looks at the great man. "Great, I get it! Fearsome! You get to hold the icepacks to my backside tomorrow, too, fearsome!" he laughs, and then shakes his head, brealthless. Took the air right outta him.

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

There's a short, satisfied chuff noise- he knows the sound of throat being shown when he hears it- and the wolfman backs off. That's enough. It'll do.

The overall effect of the huge, savage were-beast is probably a bit undone by the fact that he crouches some distance away, ears splayed, tongue lolling out just a bit.

[princeinexile]

Zuko props himself up on his arms, laughing again. "Jerk," He says. Damn near pissed myself! is what he doesn't say. Yes, he's a good pup.

And some day, he'll have revenge. Sweet, horrible revenge.

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

The thing about the wolf brain is that its idea of long-term planning is roughly equivalent to 'by sunrise'. Sweet, horrible revenge? Simply not on the beast's mind.

He's made his point. He just chuffs again and wanders over to his water bowl again.

[princeinexile]

Zuko climbs to his feet, and then snorts. "Just for that, you're sleeping on the floor," he says, and rubs a bit at his backside. OW! He may be sore later. But -- knowing Zuko? He'd never complain if he was.

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

As if he'd expected anything else. Mind, he's going to be gathering up those towels before sleep, as many of them as he can- or a blanket, or something. He changes back to human form at sunrise, whether he's awake or not.

The implications are left as an exercise for the reader.

At any rate, he finishes with his waterbowl and sets it aside before stretching- and that is no human stretch, but the full-on forepaws, neck, back, rear paws stretch of four-footed kind. The food's helped with the worst of the wolf's urges, and the heat's taken the edge off others. Now- well, now he wants to run. He's not trapped, or at least he doesn't feel that way, but he wants very, very much to run. Nothing has to die, of course. Even predators- especially predators- have times when all they want is to launch themselves through their environment and feel alive.

[princeinexile]

Zuko lived on a ship of sailors. Soldiers, every one of them. If you think he's never seen a naked man, you'd be wrong. It's not something he WANTS to see, but it's not exactly something terribly shocking.

On the other hand, at lesat Wells doesn't have to worry about waking up cold here.

But he looks down at Wells as he gets stretchy and alert, before he shakes his head. "I'm retiring to my room. I expect I'll leave the door opeen so you can get in, and a blanket or two so you're not on the bare floor." Or, y' know, naked later. "Hephaestus is a good host; but don't break anything. You're here on my invitation, after all."

[milkbonesoldier.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah. And Wells's lived on military bases his whole life, when he hasn't served overseas and been in barracks conditions or tents. That doesn't mean he much wants to be seen naked, either.

The wolf-man drops one more nod, and makes a noise that might sound like he's trying to convey some sort of gratitude. Tomorrow there will be more articulate thanks. For now... well, for now, that's the best he can do.

[princeinexile]

THat's fine. The prince is never comfortable with his own charity, and so he just nods once, and lets that be that. "Relax," he says, and wanders off to find a nice warm bed instead of sleeping on the cold hard earth for a change.

A bed without tab attatched. Makes it even better!