Log: 6th of Rebirth's Decline

[retrieverchef]

Where: Around town
When: RD6, evening
What: A horse ride
Who: Eliot and OPEN


Eliot grinned as the breeze blew his hair away from his face. He'd missed this, being on horseback, feeling the ground fly past him. He slowed down as he left the courtyard. Children's voices echoed as he road into the town. He smiled as remembered the small town he had grown up in. This might be a very different dimension, but the similarities were unmistakable.

Comments

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Faolan squeaked again, squirming against the hold. This man who was not Hawk was every bit as strong as his daddy.

But there was a trick that Hawk would be prepared for that this man wouldn't. Still squirming, he changed, trusting that the far smaller puppy would be able to get away.

[retrieverchef]

Eliot froze as the child in his arms transformed into a tiny puppy. "What the-?!"

He'd heard of shapeshifters and werewolves from Hawk. He hadn't actually expected to ever see one, though. Then he found himself laughing. The little imp pulled no punches. Thank heaven his nephew couldn't do that!

"Oh, that does it, pup!"

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Faolan took hold of the man's hand with his teeth, growling, his ears forward and playful, tail wagging.

[retrieverchef]

Eliot scowled playfully at the dog. "No, Faolan. You can't run away with my hand. It's attached."

Then he stilled. All the legends he'd heard about werewolves said lycanthropy was spread by biting. Of course, those same legends said that they only turned at night under the full moon and that they were mad, ravening creatures neither of which was true of Faolan. "If you bite me, will I become... like you?"

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Faolan cocked his head at the man. What was he talking about? Eliot, you can't become 10.

He wagged his tail uncertainly.

[retrieverchef]

"Faolan, if you bite me, will I become a werewolves, too?"

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Become a werewolf? But you have to be born a werewolf, right? Ears back in uncertain distress, Faolan whined.

[retrieverchef]

Eliot sighed and scratched Faolan's head. "Maybe you should change back to human form for this, pup. I can't read your mind."

[greatsquirrelhunter]

A moment later, there was a boy on the ground, nuzzling up into Eliot's touch. "Faolan isn't bad!"

[retrieverchef]

Eliot froze. "What?" he asked, wincing at the boy's words. "No, Faolan! I never thought for a minute that you're bad! It's just... I've never met a werewolf before. We have legends about them where I come from, but no one believes them. I don't know how much of them is true and how much isn't. I'd rather not have any odd surprises, like changing shape every full moon. I never thought for one minute that you'd actually try to harm me."

He wraps his arms around the child.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Faolan's arms wrapped trustingly around Eliot. "Really? Really believe?"

[retrieverchef]

Eliot squeezed Faolan's shoulders. "Of course I believe you, kiddo. It's not full moon and you turned. You were clearly still you. It's not about that at all. It's just that, where I come from, the legends say if a werewolf bites you, you become one yourself. I don't really care if that happens. I just want to know. And accidents happen. My nephew never means to punch me in the nose. But sometimes, it just happens."

He brushed Faolan's hair out of his face and pretended to steal his nose. "Ok, kiddo?"

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Faolan giggled, pushing away Eliot's hand because he was old enough to know that his nose had not really been stolen.

He checked, just to make sure, though.

He snuggled in, nuzzling up against the man. "Can only be a werewolf if Mutti and Vatti are werewolves."

[retrieverchef]

"Mutti and Vatti?" he asked. "That's what you COO your parents?"

[greatsquirrelhunter]

"That is what you call SPECIAL parents," Faolan clarified. There was, after all, a difference between Mutti and Vatti and any other mother and father.

[retrieverchef]

Eliot smiled. The pieces fell together. "Not mother and father, but like Mama and Daddy where I come from."

[greatsquirrelhunter]

"Maybe," Faolan answered, cocking his head in thought. "But Hawk is daddy, but Hawk is not Vatti."

[retrieverchef]

Eliot pursed his lips, thinking over what Faolan had told him. "You told me through the Orb that you've had many fathers," he said slowly. "Is Vatti what you would call your birth father?""

[greatsquirrelhunter]

"Vatti was the daddy that went with Mutti," Faolan said after thinking about it. "Is that what you mean?"

[retrieverchef]

Eliot nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's what I mean."

[greatsquirrelhunter]

"Then yes!" Faolan answered, excited to have an answer. "And now Hawk is daddy. But no new mama. Aralu isn't, really. Even though Hawk likes her."

He was still sprawled over Eliot's lap, gesticulating as he talked.

[retrieverchef]

Eliot smiled at the boy in his lap. "What happened to your mother?" he asked quietly. "Did she just not come here with you?"

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Faolan quieted. "Mutti is dead," he said softly, arms wrapping around the man again. "The bad men killed her."

[retrieverchef]

"Ah, pup," Eliot breathed, wrapping his arms tighter around the child. He hummed quietly under his breath, hoping it would help sooth the grieving boy.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Faolan clung. "Hawk killed the bad men," he said.