Spirits of the Earth

Viatrus hung from the snare with as much indignation as an upside down halfling could muster. He had been minding his own business like any other evening, taking a short-cut through the forest, when this stupid trap had gone off. He sighed, his foot was stuck up tight in the rope. He considered cutting the snare open, but he was sure that the fall would be uncomfortable.

Well, he thought, at least his delivery was still safe. He felt around in his pack, ensuring that the letter was still there. And at least he still had his crossbow, though most of the quarrels had fallen to the ground.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder what was up with this snare. It was too big to be meant for most game animals. It was almost as if the snare was made for a halfling...

That thought made him suspicious, which put him on alert just enough so that when something whizzed at his skull he was able to dodge it. Viatrus had fired his own weapon enough times to recognize the whistle of a quarrel when he heard one.

He quickly pulled out his belt knife, the fall would hurt but a crossbow shot would hurt more. Already more quarrels were flying at him. The number of shots led him to believe there were three shooters, and it was only a matter of time until one of them hit him. He had just pulled himself up to begin sawing when he felt the rope suddenly loosen. It looked like one of his captors decided that he would be an easier target on the ground. As he fell, he could only hope they were wrong.

It wasn't weird for there to be strangers in the forest, but Tobias could smell them, and they smelled wrong to him. There was another scent as well, one that wasn't familiar to him, but it didn't have the wrongness about it that the others possessed. A few years ago he wouldn't have had a clue that someone smell wrong. Now he knew that he should just trust his nose.

When his eyes could finally see what his nose had already been smelling, he blinked as he peered curiously from around the trunk of a tree. Was that a child or a...little person was the best description he could come up with. Either way they looked like they were in trouble. His ears picked up the sound of something whistling through the air, and he strained himself to hear better. Too bad his hearing wasn't as good in this form.

Still, he could make out the sounds of crossbows firing, bolts singing through the air. What on earth was going on here? Tobias's face scrunched up in puzzlement, but there was no time to really figure it out. The wrong ones were going to kill the poor kid, midget, thing? He didn't even realize his bow was in his hands when a grey-fletched arrow pierced the chest of the first wrong one.

His stomach twisted slightly as he realized he was going to kill these men. It was one thing to kill beasts, quite another to kill people. When Viatrus began to fall, Tobias was already moving. For all his supposed speed and strength, catching the other person was more like breaking his fall, as they both ended up sprawled in the dirt and leaves.

Viatrus closed his eyes as he fell. He didn't want to see what was going to happen to him next. However when he landed it was much softer than he was expecting. He also wasn't riddled with crossbow bolts, another good sign. Viatrus opened his eyes, and suddenly found himself in a very complicated situation.

His landing had been arrested by a large fellow, huge actually, fully twice the size of the little halfling. Viatrus couldn't tell how much damage his fall had done to the other guy, and he didn't have time to check.

The shooters, who had been looking away for some reason, were now turning back around. One was rather close and the other was further back, by a nearby tree. Viatrus quickly looked around for the third only to see him sprawled on the ground with a nasty arrow protruding from his chest.

On his own, the hafling would have bolted. The pair would never find him in the darkened forest. However he couldn't abandon the big guy who saved him, he refused to be in debt to anyone and he always repaid favors.

Viatrus came running out of his sprawl at the closest crossbowman, brandishing his belt knife. He finished his run with a flying leap and the man's turn ended with a face-full of halfling. Viatrus wrapped his legs around the guys chest and held onto his head with his left hand. He used his free right arm to plunge his belt knife into the man's neck, repeatedly. Even as he did so he heard the *thwang* of a crossbow and a bolt suddenly appeared in the man's back. The weapon had enough force to punch through the man and the quarrel protruded a from the man's front side just a few inches under the halfling's... sensitive area. Viatrus winced.

The crossbowmen's corpse fell forward from the force of the bolt and Viatrus barely had enough time to scramble out of the way. Good thing these guys aren't the best of shots he thought. He had a small break while the third crossbowman reloaded and he took the opportunity to dive behind a nearby tree. He now looked back to see how his oversized rescuer was faring.

The crash-landing had hurt, but honestly, it wasn't that bad. Tobias had done it to himself by not thinking anything through. Shooting that man had been done without a thought, just something he had instinctively reacted to because the animal inside him told him that was what was right. He couldn't logically explain it, it was just something he'd felt.

Now he had to push himself up off the ground, groaning softly as he realized that he no longer had his bow. He must have dropped it when rushing to catch the little person - that he still wasn't sure of the identity or even species. This was pure insanity, but his nose told him that the crossbowmen were bad, and the wolf told him to destroy them.

That was actually a dizzying and overwhelming thought, and for several moments he couldn't even get back up off his hands and knees, just staying there, vulnerable and battling with the beast in the darkest parts of his mind, the animal was clawing at his brain, trying to seize control, and it was an effort to wrestle himself back under control.

The second man was dead by the time Tobias managed to stagger back to his feet, still without his bow, he looked around for it in confusion, but the third man was reloading and he forgot about finding his own weapon. There just wasn't time. Brown-gold eyes peered around a moment, catching the scent of Viatrus before seeing him, it was clear that the man was still safe for the moment.

Letting out a feral growl, he heard the sound of levers clicking as the wrong one's weapon was finished loading. Not even he would be able to move fast enough to stop shot from being fired.

Viatrus looked with confusion at the big guy. Why wasn't he moving? He would be an easy target. He peeked around the tree and saw that there enemy almost had a bolt loaded.

Viatrus had to do something. He leaped out from the tree just as he heard the mechanism lock in place. "Over here you big lug!" he shouted at the crossbowman. The shooter looked over at Viatrus momentarily before turning back to take aim at the larger man. Viatrus growled, why did people always ignore him. Well he'd have to make this guy pay attention.

Making as much noise as possible, Viatrus sprinted at the crossbowmen. The man finally turned to take aim at the charging halfling, but Viatrus had already jumped behind a nearby tree. He listened for the bolt's release but didn't hear anything. He hoped that his big savior had taken the opportunity to find cover. He pulled out his crossbow and began loading one of his last remaining quarrels. Time to return fire.

What the heck was he doing? It was almost comical watching the little battle charge, but it was also really, really stupid. Why would you put yourself in danger like that? Tobias blinked, realizing that he was standing there like a giant target with the words 'shoot me' flashing across his chest.

The wrong one had turned towards the little man, and Tobias took the opportunity to close the distance between him and the man with inhuman speed. The man swung his weapon around just as the werewolf collided with him. His sensitive ears heard the sound of mechanisms within the crossbow working, his body actually jerked as the bolt slammed into his stomach with a soft spray of crimson, almost doubling him up at the sudden pain.

A snarl was the only sound made and a moment later the wrong one thrashed wildly, then the sickening sound of crunching bone as one of Tobias's large hands closed around the terrified man's throat, crushing windpipe and vertebrae both. Almost immediately he dropped the limp body with disgust, realizing what he had done.

Staggering a couple steps away he fell to his knees and doubled over, retching up what felt like everything he'd eaten in the last month.

Bolt now loaded, Viatrus whipped around the tree with his most threatening battle cry (OOC: imagine a mouse squeaking really aggressively), only to find his assailant crumpled on the ground like an autumn leaf and his savior staggering away from the mangled body.

Viatrus replayed the last few instants in his mind and realized he'd heard the crossbow fire. "NO!" the halfling shouted as he sprinted towards the now kneeling figure of his savior. He would not be in debt to a dead person. No. Not allowed. Viatrus Garrince settled accounts in this life, not the next one.

He slid to a stop next to the much larger man (even keeling he was roughly the same height as the halfling) already pulling out his supply of linen wraps. He usually used them to wrap his ankles and wrists, though they'd hopefully make effective bandages. He tried to get at the wound, to staunch the flow of blood, but he didn't have high hopes. In his experience, gut shots were usually lethal.

As soon as Tobias was finished emptying his stomach of its contents - which including a fair amount of blood from the bolt stuck in his abdomen - he gave a few gasping dry heaves, by then the strange little man was standing next to him. Where'd he come from? Oh yeah, now he remembered, another wave of dizziness and nausea hit him but he forced both back down with an effort of will.

He was confused and disoriented, but he realized that the person he had just rescued was trying to help him. "No, don't touch it. It's fine." Jerking his body to the side as Viatrus tried to get at his wound, he curled up a bit protectively around his stomach. There was surprisingly little blood, but then Tobias did something that any sane person would only consider, well, insane. He took hold of what part of the bolt was still sticking out of his skin and jerked it free in one harsh tug.

A choked sound, half whimper and half sob, escaped him. It hurt, oh how his insides hurt, but at the same time, pulling it out had also made it feel better, in a strange way. Not that his weird little companion would understand. There was more blood now, but not as much as you'd expect as he pressed a large hand over the wound, a small amount of crimson seeping through his fingers.

Viatrus watched with horror as the man pulled the bolt straight out of his stomach. The tearing noise the thing produced as it was yanked free made him want to release his dinner. However Viatrus choked down the bile welling in his throat. Adding to the vomit pile was not going to help.

The little halfling tore at the bigger man's hands, trying to stuff one of the linens into the wound. If he could just stem the flow of blood a little longer. The razor thin chance that there was a healer or mage nearby who could fix this motivated Viatrus to do everything in his power to preserve his rescuers life just another second.

However, even as he tried to gain access to the bleeding, he noticed the flow slowing down. If he didn't know the impossibility of it, the halfling would say that the wound was closing on its own...

The thought that seeing someone rip something out of their stomach might cause the little fellow to get sick never even crossed his mind. Tobias was just used to the gritty, gory reality that pulling things out of his own flesh helped heal him better. It wasn't like the wound could close properly with the bolt still in his gut.

Growling softly as little hands grabbed at him, he twisted away again, almost like a wounded animal. Actually that really wasn't so far from the truth, was it? He lurched to his feet and staggered a few steps away from the scene of bloodshed. The beast in him would revel in such carnage, he knew - no, the beast would have made everything so much worse. Brown-gold eyes closed and he shook his head, as if that would dispel the flashes of blood and guts from his mind, or the taste from his tongue.

Blinking his eyes open he spotted his bow, now why couldn't he have found that when he needed it? At least with an arrow it wasn't so...personal. Had he really just killed someone with his bare hands? Viatrus was about forgotten. The werewolf was still reeling from killing, and from being wounded, but his hands didn't clutch pathetically at his stomach anymore. In fact, he barely even felt the wound aside from a dull, nagging ache in the pit of his stomach.

"You should get out of here...I- I don't think there are anymore of them nearby." He couldn't smell anymore of the wrong people right now, anyway.

This man must of had a death wish! First pulling out the bolt, then refusing treatment, and now standing up and walking. Everything he was doing would cause him to bleed out faster!

Viatrus stood up and began to run around to get in front of the man. As he did so he heard the wounded man's words. Enraged, Viatrus planted himself firmly in front of the other man. "What do you mean I should get out of here!" he shouted. "I am not going to leave a dying man alone in the fore..." Viatrus' irate voice trailed off as he noticed that his savior was no longer bleeding.

Ashen-faced, Viatrus backed away from the man. "Wha-wha-what the heck!" The shocked halfling exclaimed. The wound was gone. Come to think of it, how did this man cross the distance between himself and the third crossbowmen in the short interval when Viatrus was loading his weapon? And then still have enough time left over to kill the man with his bare hands, and stumble away? The impossibility of the last few moments made the Viatrus reel. "What are you!?" the halfling asked the now un-wounded man in a frightened whisper.

Tobias had been about to go fetch his bow from where he'd dropped it on the ground, but he blinked down at the short fellow that blocked his path. Why was he still here? He thought that was a rather silly idea. Shouldn't the man have run away at the first opportunity? It was still strange that those wrong ones had been after him, what could their purpose possibly have been?

Shaking his head the mental fog of his own tangled thoughts had made him miss something again. The stranger was backing away from him, looking more than a little shaken-up about something. What was he? Tobias blinked his brown-gold eyes and glanced down at his stomach. His clothing was torn and bloody, but his deeply tanned skin was smooth and showing no sign of the substantial injury that should have been there.

Furrowing his brows he put a hand over the spot self-consciously, trying to hide the fact that he was a freak, and of course failing miserably because it was already too late for that. He should have been more careful. "What am I?" He mused, almost seeming not to understand the question, let alone the answer.

"I'm a freak, a monster - I guess." Tobias stepped around Viatrus, walking over to get his bow, still seeming a bit shaky on his feet. Regeneration or not, he'd taken a substantial wound, and healing it was taking a toll on his body just as assuredly as the wound would have killed him if he wasn't what he was.

Viatrus let the taller man brush past him (more like step over him though). At the man's own admission he was a freak, a monster. The halfling was in a panic. He should get out of here, he should run, he should...

But wait, hadn't the "monster" saved his life, and gotten himself wounded in the process? Hadn't he put himself at great personal risk just to save a random stranger in the forest? Had he just called his savior, the man he owed his life to a monster?

Indecision, fear, and guilt all rolled across the halflings eyes in waves as he fought an intense inner battle.  It was tough and his choice left the halfling mentally exhausted, but gratitude beat out fear.

The halfling looked for the big man and realized that he had put some substantial distance between himself and the halfling while Viatrus was thinking. "Wait," yelled Viatrus, running after the taller man, "I'm sorry!" he yelled, "I didn't mean to react like that."

He reached the big guy (who had a stride twice the length of the halfling's) and grabbed onto the other man's pant leg. He bent over, panting for a moment before continuing: "I didn't mean to react like that. Don't call yourself a monster. I won't have the man who saved my life calling himself a monster."

If Viatrus didn't have the good sense to run away from a self-proclaimed monster, then Tobias concluded that he'd just have to take care of that himself. Scooping up his bow, he didn't even stop as his long legs carried him through the forest, though his pace was rather sluggish. He didn't have the energy to run, but he was determined to put some distance between himself and the scene of his crime.

Also to get away from the strange creature he had saved. It was for Viatrus' own safety that he stay far away from Tobias Slate. What if the beast took over? He'd not fallen into madness in three years, maybe the nightmare was over, but he couldn't be sure of that. Mable had helped him, but he still struggled with his inner demon every day. Best to keep a distance from others, just to be on the safe side.

Although heading into town for a drink or twenty sounded great, and maybe a steaming bowl of stew. The thought of a freshly killed, juicy rabbit crossed his mind, making his mouth water at the idea of the hot blood dripping down his chin, but he shook his head angrily. He was not an animal!

There was a voice calling after him, how strange. Stopping he half-turned to look back at Viatrus as the halfling caught up with him and seized a fistful of clothing. Tobias looked down at him with a puzzled expression. "How else should you have reacted? You saw what happened, and in your position I would have been terrified too."

Truth be told he was terrified too, and he was the freak. He scared himself, the unwanted thoughts and images that invaded his mind were horrific.

Viatrus stared up at the taller man. He thought he saw puzzlement in his eyes, but also fear and anguish too. "No" Viatrus shook his head firmly. "No I was wrong acting like that. If you were the devil himself I should'a welcomed you with open arms. It doesn't matter who or what you are, you saved my life, and my ma and pa always said that a halfling repays a debt."

The halfling resolved that he would not let his savior, the man he owed his life to, feel like a monster. That was how he would repay him. Viatrus fished around in his pocket for something. He pulled out a halfling quarter. The small piece of metal was barely worth anything, but it meant a lot to Viatrus.

He pressed it into the larger man's hand. "This here's a halfling quarter. It's an old piece and they don't make these no more. I'm givin' it to ya on one condition, if you ever feel like a monster again than you gotta pull this out and stare at it. You stare and you remember the little halfling you saved out here in this forest tonight. Remember the little life that's running around because of your strength. Remember that you are not a monster."

This was turning into a very strange day - not the strangest that Tobias had ever had, unfortunately. What on earth was a Halfling? Had he heard of one of those before? Well, they were little people, he seemed to recall, but not much else.

The fact that he has just saved someone's life really hadn't occurred to the confused werewolf. All he'd done was what his instincts had told him to - kill the bad people that smelled wrong. Knowing that he had just killed two people still made his stomach lurch unpleasantly, but thankfully he didn't throw up again.

Tobias blinked at the small metal coin that had been pressed into his bloody hand. What on earth? Viatrus was going on and on about this thing he had done as if it had been something special. Did the Halfling not realize that he had just murdered two people? Sure, they had been awful people, but that blood was still on his hands.

"I can't take this. I don't want your coin." He said grumpily, trying to push the token back on the small man. "You don't know what you're talking about and you don't have a clue what I am. I am a monster. You should get away from me, and stay away from me. I'm not safe to be around." His throat constricted painfully. "I'm cursed."

He wasn't getting through to him, the big guy was still depressed! By now in Viatrus' eyes Toby looked like a large, sad puppy someone had kicked one too many times. How to change his opinion, the halfling thought, how to raise his self-esteem. If a man thinks he's a monster, how do you convince him otherwise? Inspiration struck, by comparing him to real monsters.

Only problem, Viatrus didn't know any monsters. At least, not real monsters. Maybe this big guy would accept a metaphor. "You're not a monster." Viatrus said emphatically. "Monsters don't save people. Do you know what monsters do?" He didn't wait for an answer. "They hurt people. That's what they do. Do you see those bodies there?" Viatrus gestured behind him to the crumpled forms of the three crossbowmen. "Men like those, those are monsters. But men like you, folks who save strangers in the forest for no good reason? Those aren't monsters. Those are heroes!"

Viatrus' voice was rising, he was putting emotion in it to make his point and he punctuated every word with a poke at the larger man's thigh. "If there are monsters than there are heroes too! And you're one of the latter I tell ya!"

Suddenly, the last few minutes, his rescue, the fear of death, the shame of killing someone, came crashing down on Viatrus. He'd been repressing, but it was all coming back in a rush. He started speaking, faster and faster, and he felt hot tears on his cheeks. Fake emotions started to become real. Viatrus wondered how much of what he said was ploy and how much of it was true. He couldn't tell anymore. His head was all scrambled.

"Cause, cause, cause you can't be a monster, you just can't." Viatrus was hitting the bigger man now, smashing his tiny fist into the other's leg with every word. He was trembling, there were too many emotions, he couldn't sort them out.

This wasn't like him, thought a detached portion of his mind. He didn't usually melt down like this. What was it about this big man that let Viatrus express emotions long since hidden?

By this point Viatrus was full out bawling, "Cause, *hic* cause if you're a monster, what does that make me?" Viatrus looked up with tear-streaked eyes into the bigger man's. "What does that make me who was saved by a monster?"

This Halfling was relentless, persistent, and obviously a bit nuts. Tobias had told him that he was dangerous, that it wasn't safe for him to be near him, and that he was a monster. Why argue with it? All he wanted to do was disappear back into the forest and forget about the people he had just killed. Food and passing out sounded good, he'd have to regain his energy and strength after that little bought of excitement.

He opened his mouth, about to tell the other man to just get lost, but Viatrus was becoming emotional, even crying. Tobias hated to be mean to anyone, but he'd been about to tell the halfling off just to get the fellow out of his hair and away from the beast that would have surely killed him given the chance. Still, he hadn't meant to make the guy cry, and he wasn't even sure what exactly he had done to cause such a reaction!

"Wha - ? No, no, no! Don't cry. Hey, it's okay, really. You didn't hurt my feelings or nothing, honest." Tobias was floundering for words to say, something comforting, something to make the bawling stop - anything to make it stop. "Look! I'll take the coin! See? Keeping the coin." He waved the coin at the kid kind of desperately, his expression totally one of panic.

What a day, first he killed people, then he got shot, and now he'd made someone cry - for whatever reason. Tobias was wondering if this was just some form of cosmic justice for the wickedness inside him.

Seeing that the bigger man took the coin, Viatrus began to calm down. What had started as a strategy to convince the other guy had turned into a genuine outpouring of emotion.

Taking control of himself, Viatrus breathed deeply a few times, before continuing. "You *hic* taking that means you accept the promise, right?" He had come this far, embaressd himself, and even given someone one of his favorite coins. He would be blasted if he didn't get a promise out of this big lug now!

Promise? What promise? Tobias had to think back to remember what it was the Halfling had wanted from him. It seemed like such a ridiculous thing to promise someone, or to ask someone to promise. Why should the weird little guy care what he thought of himself? Or what anyone thought of him, for that matter?

"Why would I promise that? Why would you ask me to? By Kia, you don't even know what I am. I just killed a man with my bare hands. I could probably pick you up and fold you in half if I wanted, Kia, if I lost control I would tear you apart. If that is not monstrous I don't know what is!" Was the seriousness of this situation not getting through to the Halfling? What did it even matter? He should just promise to get the little guy to go away and get well out of harm's way. Of course how could he promise something if he had no intention of keeping that promise?

Viatrus had finally gained control of his emotions. Mostly. Now how to explain his reasoning to this fellow...

"Look big guy," Viatrus started. "where I come from we have this saying. I push your feet and you push mine." The halfling thought he was off to a good start until he realized how little that sense that expression might make to a non-halfling. He clarified: "Basically it means that if you help me than I gotta help you back. But see I got a job to do and I can't be followin' you around or nothin' waitin' for you to need help. So I'm gonna help you here and now. And to do that, you gotta promise me that you will look at that coin every time you think you're a monster and you remember me. You remember that you saved my life from real monsters. You remember that you're not them." He gestured to the bodies behind him.

The halfling held out his hand, "Promise?."

That made about as much sense as a fish learning to fly. He hadn't asked for help, and he didn't need or want help from this odd stranger. Saving him had been a fluke, just a right place at the right time deal. Tobias had needed to kill those men, he didn't know why he had needed to, he just did, and lucky for Viatrus that he happened to get there in time to keep the Halfling from turning into a pincushion.

Brown-gold eyes blinked down at the offered hand, it was a tiny hand. Viatrus was so small next to him, like a child next to an adult, really. Their size difference was almost comical, actually. Although to be fair Tobias had always been a large individual, even as far as humans went. He thought about what had been said to him, and it made his mind travel back to Mable, who had also not thought him a monster. Indeed, she had believed in him when everyone else saw a vicious beast good for only one purpose - to kill.

Suddenly Tobias was just a burst of motion, in less than a second Viatrus would find himself lifted from the ground and squashed in a hug. He couldn't help himself, the memory of Mable was too much, he missed her, she had been his teacher and his friend, and without her he had been so alone. Mable had never been afraid of him and she had even known what he was! Viatrus didn't know, but the little fellow had seen what he was capable of and still he wanted to do something nice for him.

"You win, I promise." Tobias realized that he was squeezing the Halfling and immediately set him back down. "Sorry." He said sheepishly.

Viatrus was picked up in a rush and was being squeezed, tighter and tighter until his lungs were empty and he thought his ribs would crack. Maybe the bigger man was a going to hurt him! Maybe he'd lost control like he said he might, whatever that meant. Maybe he was gonna squeeze the halfling to death! But then he felt himself being put down and he heard the other man's words.

He smiled with a twinge of guilt. Just a hug, nothing to be afraid of. He hoped the other man hadn't perceived a reaction. He gasped a bit, trying to get air back into his lungs. "No, *gasp* problem big guy."

The halfling was getting sick of calling the other man "big guy" (it made him feel short) so he extended his tiny had, a high has he could above his head for a handshake. Time to make introductions. "My names Viatrus, and I'm the best halfling Courier this side of Adela."

Tobias honestly hadn't meant to squeeze so hard, but in his excitement it was easy for him to forget his own strength. Remembering, now he was a bit embarrassed, not only for his excessive enthusiasm, but for the hug in general. It had been a bit of a spontaneous outburst of emotion and gratitude.

His nose had picked up on the mild panic that the hug had induced, which only made him feel a little worse, but the Halfling seemed to be shrugging it off, so that was a plus. In the future he'd have to try to contain himself better. At least it had been a positive outburst, rather than a negative one.

"Tobias - not the best of anything, I guess. Just myself." When he shook the tiny offered hand he was very, very careful this time, to make sure he wasn't being too rough with the poor guy. Hopefully Viatrus' ribs wouldn't be sore from that awful hug. "Sorry again about the hug, I forget how strong I am sometimes..."

Viatrus beamed smiled. "Don't worry about it Mr. Tobias." He had finally gotten through to the guy at least a little!

The halfling glanced around. The forest was significantly darker now than before the little skirmish started. He hadn't brought any camping equipment and he wanted to reach a town before dark. Viatrus used this path often, so he knew a little further along would bring him to a road, and a little ways from there was a small town.

"Anyway, it was really great to meeting you mister, but I gotta get going. I gotta reach town before it gets too dark out here. See I got a letter to deliver and it seems that someone don't want me dropping it off." Viatrus glanced at the corpses. "It's dangerous in the forest at night and I figure it'll be safer near other folks. So see you later!" With that, Viatrus bounced off along the forest path.

Everything about today seemed uncharacteristically crazy - even for a werewolf. So when Viatrus explained that it was time for him to go, Tobias blinked as the Halfling bounced off with a simple see you later. Was that it? The insanity was really done and over? Maybe he'd wake up and realize this was a strange dream.

Shaking his head he realized that his odd little, er, friend? had disappeared into the forest. Maybe this town wasn't too far, but it was getting dark and people had just tried to kill the weird courier. "H-hey! Wait for me!"

Long legs covered distance quickly as he caught up with the much smaller man. "It's dangerous out here alone in the dark. People tried to kill you, what if there are more of them? Maybe...maybe I could come with you? J-just to the next town. Surely I'm scarier than anything else they might send after you."

Viatrus looked up at Tobias with a certain measure of surprise. He hadn't expected the man to help, though he was happy for the company. "I'd be glad to have you Mr. Tobias. To the next town and further if you want. Heck, I'll give ya a third of the pay on this job if you help me drop this letter off." As he spoke Viatrus showed the larger man the small rolled parchment.

"This things seems like trouble and I bet I could use some muscle. What'ya say Mr. Tobias." Viatrus held out his hand in what he believed to be the universal expression for closing a deal.

Tilting his head, Tobias looked at the rolled parchment curiously. He could go further than the next town? That thought made his face split in a big, genuine grin. Although what was that about paying him?

"I hadn't thought about being paid. It just seemed like the right thing to do - asking you if I could come, that is. I do a lot of things because I get the feeling it's the right thing - don't know how or why I know, I just do. Like killing the wrong ones back there." He didn't like the word Viatrus had used. Muscle. Sure, the word was innocent enough and he did have considerable muscle mass, but it was the way it was used.

"I don't know about muscle, I'm not a thug, but I am really good at taking a hit..." Brown eyes blinked down at the hand, peering at it curiously. The little guy liked to shake hands a lot.

Viatrus did his best to grin wider than Tobias (technically impossible considering the difference in head size, but he tried). "Okay than, protection, not muscle."

Viatrus thought about how to get the big man to take the money, for the halfling's personal moral code would not allow for accepting help on a job without paying his benefactor. Then he realized he already had the answer. "Don't worry about the getting payed thing. Think about it like this: you feel that some stuff is the right thing and I feel that other stuff is the right thing. I just so happen to think that payin' you for any help you give me on the job is the right thing." Viatrus nodded at his own reasoning, hoping that the logic would get the other man to acquiesce.

"So what'ya say, partners?" Viatrus punctuated his last word by extending his hand a little further.

Protection, that did sound better than muscle. Of course it also sounded weird. He was a fisherman, a hunter, a simple kind of woodsman, not some guard. This was just to deliver one letter, though, and it was already obvious that someone wanted to hurt Viatrus, and after saving him, it would be a shame to let the Halfling get killed because he just left him alone.

"Yeah, that makes sense, uhm...partner." Tobias gave a bit of a lop-sided grin, still not sure about all this as he took the offered hand awkwardly. At least it sounded simple in his head, all he had to do was make sure that neither of them died, piece of cake. Ever since that horrible day not dying seemed like something he'd become very good at, although it still hurt terribly.

"Now let's get out of here, the longer we stand here, the more chance there will be more wrong ones." That thought made him uneasy, but at least he would be able to smell them coming. As much as Tobias would rather have not been cursed with the blood of the wolf, he had to admit the bonus senses did come in handy.

Viatrus smiled. He was happy for Tobias' company. It made him a lot more comfortable knowing that the bigger man was watching his back and it was always nice to travel with companions. For some reason Viatrus had a hard time getting people to travel with him, though he couldn't imagine why.

"Sounds like a plan, Toby." The halfling began walking away. "I can call you Toby, right?" Viatrus asked over his shoulder. "And what are you doing out here anyways. I know why I'm out here, but why are you? Then again, maybe you don't want to tell me. Oh, have you seen my crossbow bolts, I seemed to have misplaced them. Have I told you the story of my crossbow..."

Viatrus talked quickly, never giving the other man a chance to get a word in edgewise. He kept chattering, the stream of words seeming to continue endlessly. One had to wonder that the halfling could say so much and breathe so little.

"Oh, and what's your last name Toby? Do you have one. I guess some people don't. I met this fellow once who'd given up his last name. Isn't that a funny thing? What was his name again? Oh, and I should tell you the name of the next town. It's this tiny place called Nillin. It's a nice little spot but no Ketra. Oh, did I ever tell you the story of this one time in Ketra when this guy tried to beat the stuffing out of me? Funny story. So I was minding my own business..."

Endlessly.

Tobias didn't keep company for long since being released back out into the world from Mable's care. The longer he stayed with people, the more chance that they would find out the truth of what he was, or the more likely that he would accidentally hurt them. It left him feeling incredibly lonely, but it also kept people safe from him.

"Toby is fine." His ears listened to Viatrus intently for a few moments before he followed along slowly, making sure he wasn't moving ahead or rushing the much smaller man. What happened next was an endless stream of words that easily began jumbling up in his mind. Tobias could hear the words, but they were all mixed up as he tried to filter through them.

His mind began to wander, though for all appearances he was listening politely. It was already dark, but how long would it take to get to the town? Where were they going after the next town? Or was that it? After this job was done they would go their separate ways. Some words caught his attention. His last name? "Slate."

Oh, Viatrus was still going on an on, had he even heard him? Tobias tilted his head and looked at the Halfling in a bit of wonder. How could he possibly find so much to say?

The halfling kept chatting. And chatting. And chatting. He didn't normally get a chance to talk to people outside of business discussions, so he rarely had the opportunity to express this part of himself. He spoke on, glad to have such a good listener at his side.

"But that doesn't mean that I don't like chicken, it just means that I can't look at live ones. Speaking of chickens, you're not chicken are you? I mean you took care of those guys good but what about with ghosts and stuff? I'm no good with scary things, they make me all shaky. Anything I can shoot with a crossbow I'm okay with, but none of that other stuff. Do you know how hard it is to shoot things when you're shaky? Oh and did I ever tell you the story of my crossbow?"

The stream of rhetorical questions and personal anecdotes was finite, but Viatrus was clearly willing to repeat them endlessly, for even he didn't keep track of all he had and hadn't said . Clearly the halfling would continue chattering until they reached town or until something happened. Whichever came first.

"Where do you live big guy? I live in Ketra in a nice little place. Not too big but it's no hovel. But it myself after my practice took off. Did I tell you what I do? I'm a courier, best one this side of Adela. Helps that I'm the only one I know off. Speaking of couriers, had you ever heard of this guild..."

From far away, someone watched the mismatched pair, plotting how best to waylay them in the future. They were far enough away to remain unnoticed by normal human and halfling perception, but they never considered that that wasn't all they were up against.

The hulking, silent shadow that followed Viatrus could have easily been an intimidating figure, but the relaxed way in which he moved and soft expression of amusement and confusion mingled on his face as he trailed along like a puppy after a master shattered any illusion of dangerousness about Tobias. The halfling was repeating himself, but since the werewolf was only keeping up with a fraction of what was being said anyway, it didn't bother him. In fact, it was kind of nice just hearing another person's voice when he spent so much time with only the sounds of the forest for company.

Even though there were questions being directed at him, Tobias had learned not to bother trying to answer, Viatrus wasn't stopping to hear answers anyway. Maybe the little guy just liked hearing himself talk? That though put a lop-sided grin on the tall man's scruffy face.

There was something that wiped the grin off his face in an instant. Something felt wrong and it made his skin crawl, but there were other sensations too. The wound from earlier made him feel queasy, and a cold sweat broke out on his skin. Something was off in the forest, and he was nearing the end of the reserves of his human strength.

It was true that Tobias' body could heal itself in miraculous ways, but the energy it took drained him, leaving him physically exhausted, sometimes chilled or feverish. The only cure was rest and food, but he didn't want to stop here, not like this. There was something out there, his ears, eyes, and nose strained to catch what was wrong in the dark.

Groaning softly he swayed and leaned against a tree, feeling sick. "Wait, stop. I have to stop." A pitiful whine seized his throat, stomach cramping painfully. Brown eyes were more gold than earlier as he looked up into the dark sky, trying to see the moon through the trees and branches. "Ugh, I'm gonna puke again." A moment later he was on his knees dry heaving painfully, there was nothing more to throw up, he'd already emptied his stomach earlier.

Viatrus heard the Tobias' words and turned around with concern in his eyes. He ran to the other man's side and grabbed his arm. "What's wrong, are you ill? Do you need anything?" The halfling's wandering mind was brought back to the moment at hand and suddenly he was all business. "I think I have a tincture for stomach sickness in my bag."

The halfling knelt to gain better access to his bag. The movement saved his life. A crossbow bolt whizzed through the space the Viatrus' head had just vacated and imbedded itself in a tree a few feet away. "Another one!" Viatrus shouted as he shoved Tobias, trying to get larger man behind a nearby tree. "Take cover!" The halfling knew they had about a ten second window while the shooter reloaded his crossbow. He didn't know if he could get Tobias behind the tree in that time, pre-occupied as he was. He just hoped there was only one shooter, or they'd never make it.

It was all Tobias could do not to just fall down in the dirt and faint at that moment. He shook his head groggily as he was asked if he needed anything. All he needed was food and sleep, maybe not even in that order. They couldn't stay here, though, there was danger. The werewolf's senses were going crazy with the sensation of danger. As another bolt from a crossbow narrowly avoided the Halfling's head, he lurched into a crawl, putting himself between shooter and Viatrus.

As they hid behind a tree for cover, he was gasping softly, eyes a molten gold, the deep brown had been swallowed up by the feral shade of glistening amber. "So hot." Tobias complained, tugging at the collar of his shirt, loosening it a bit. He knew what was wrong, of course. The wolf was so close to breaking the surface it hurt. Sweat rolled down his face as he fought the urge to change.

At least it wasn't the beast. The wolf he could control - mostly. The beast was savage and wild, untamed and terrifying to him beyond imagining. It also called to him so sweetly, the urge to just let it all go and succumb was a seductive siren's song to him, and that was just another reason to fight it with all his might.

"Viatrus, please, run. Leave me. I'll be fine..." Tobias growled softly as his body convulsed, eyes rolling just slightly in his head. "Can't hold it forever...going to...kill them all..." His voice was dropping, becoming more guttural.

Viatrus watched Toby with concern. Something was happening with the bigger man and all of the halfling's survival instincts were screaming at him to listen to Tobias and get as far away from here as possible. In his head, however, he knew that there was no way he was going to leave the bigger man behind. "I'll leave you alone Tobias but I ain't runnin'. You just stay here and I'll take care of these jokers." The halfling spoke bravely, but a careful observer would see that his knees were shaking.

Viatris used his belt hook to arm his crossbow, slipped a bolt into place, and sprinted for the cover of another nearby tree. The shooter launched a bolt at the running halfling and Viatrus felt the projectile tug on his shirt as it tore a hole in the garment near his stomach. This guy was no amateur. He almost hit a small moving target like the halfling, and not to mention it was pretty dark out by now.

He slid to a stop behind the wooden barricade and poked his head out, searching for the source of the bolt. He saw a flash of movement and then lost track of the black shape. The shooter was on the move. Viatrus sprinted for another tree, working his way closer to get his smaller crossbow into effective range. A game of cat and mouse had started and Viatrus didn't know which role he was playing. Well, cat and mouse and wolf, but Viatrus didn't know about that last one.

Should he feel relief as Viatrus scurried away declaring that he'd take care of the problem? Honestly, Tobias was glad that the little guy had at least gotten a little away from him, and with the Halfling preoccupied with the fact that someone was trying to kill him, well, it wasn't like Viatrus was going to have time to sit there and watch him transform. Still, his mind was reeling; worried about his odd companion.

There wasn't time for him to focus on that, though. Another convulsion rocked him and a hint of panic seized upon his actions as he pulled at his clothes, trying not to tear or rip them in his hurry to undress. A shudder coursed through him as the cool night air hit the burning skin of his torso. Why did it have to be so hot?

Already there were strange, sickening noises filling his ears as muscle, sinew, and bone not only changed position, but size and shape as well. Frantically he fumbled out of the rest of his clothing. The last thing he needed was to ruin his wardrobe and be transformed with no way to clothe himself after returning to human form.

Growls and whimpers gurgled in his throat, which had lost the ability for human speech as he dropped to all fours, claws scraping against the dirt as his hands became paws, and the night air felt different as the heavy, shaggy brown and grey coat filled in. After what seemed an eternity of agony – although the process took less than two minutes – he lifted his head, breathing deeply the rich scents of the forest that exploded all around him.

In his human form he might as well have been deaf, blind, and senseless, because what had been a dull and dreary world a few moments before was now teeming with life that even his heightened human senses couldn't imagine. Golden eyes glowed softly in the night, seeing the forest clear as day, for a moment he had forgotten everything. His name, Viatrus, nothing mattered and all he wanted was to throw his head back and howl to the skies, to announce that he was there and so very alive.

That was the wolf, and it couldn't be allowed to win the struggle for control of his mind. Tobias was not an animal! Throwing his head back he did sing to the heavens, the howl echoing for miles around him – hushing the creatures of the forest. He could smell the wrong one, they did not belong here. The scent of the Halfling crossed his nose, but he dismissed it. Viatrus was not his quarry tonight.

Falling silent after his howl, Tobias stalked through the forest as a ghostly shadow that had only one thing on its mind – blood. The wrong one would die with the wolf's teeth in his throat and the hot, sweet lifeblood on his tongue.

Viatris heard the beastial howl ring threateningly through the dark forest. Now he knew about the wolf. One part of his brain was alarmed at the possibility of wolves, especially the massive dire ones that could eat the halfling as a snack. However the other part of his brain, the fighter, ignored the howl except as a possibility.

Viatrus watches the darkness as the eerie sound rang out and was rewarded with a hint of movement from where he suspected the crossbowman was hiding. Viatrus almost shouted in victory as he launched a bolt directly at the startled figure. However, even as his finger was pulling the trigger the halfling felt a strong cross-breeze that long experience told him would knock his lightweight bolt of course. Viatrus whispered a curse and hit the forest floor as a returning bolt flew over his head. The man was good. He'd probably sent that shot before Viatrus' had even passed him.

That opportunity lost, Viatrus began to concern himself with the wolf or more likely wolves. They'd tear the halfling apart given half the chance. Viatrus decided to defend himself the best way possible. He started climbing the nearest tree that he could (few had branches low enough for the halfling) and made sure to put himself on the opposite side from the shooter as much as possible during his ascent. This would hopefully protect him from the wolves, confuse the enemy crossbowman, and give Viatrus a bird's-eye-view of the situation. Once he reached a sufficient height, the halfling strung his weapon, loaded another bolt, and set about surveiling the area. He would get this guy. He had to.

The thrill of the hunt was in him, but at the same time, Tobias was able to maintain a calculating, predatory grace as he slipped soundlessly from shadow to shadow, head low and thrust forward to catch the scent of his prey. His ears twitched as the sound of projectiles whizzing through the air resounded through the night air, clear as a gun going off near his head. There were no sounds of pain or ripping flesh, so neither shooter had managed to hit their target. Good.

Slinking through a patch of moonlight, his silhouette would have become momentarily very clear, he was a massive beast, as large as a bear, if not larger, but for all his great size he was as graceful as a dancer as he moved that bulk with fluid strides, ears perked forward as he knew his prey was close. The sound of two heartbeats filled his ears, he could hear Viatrus' scramble up a tree, but that wasn't his concern. It was the second heart he wanted, and he was going to rip it from the man's chest while it was still beating.

Viatrus scanned his surroundings, the other man hadn't fire off a shot yet, hopefully he'd lost track of the halfling. He kept his eyes wide, scanning for any movement, and then he saw it. His heart leapt into his throat and a kind of primal fear surged in him. He had spotted the wolf.

The thing was monstrous, and significantly larger than any such creature Viatrus had seen before. The wolf was terrifying, and he had no doubt that it could devour the halfling in one bite. And yet, despite all that, he didn't feel as if the creature presented any danger to him. The wolf filled him with fear and awe, but he didn't feel threatened.

However Viatrus didn't have time to explore the curious feeling. The crossbowman had broken cover and even as the halfling's own weapon came up to aim he heard his opponent's bolt fly under the branch he was sitting on. The man had misjudged the height and arc of his shot. The shadowy figure made a leap for cover and Viatrus sent a bolt thudding into he ground, right where he'd been. The courier cursed again. He'd have to go back to the ground. His position was blown, and more importantly, with that thing around, and so close as well, Tobias was in terrible danger. The halfling began scrambling down the tree trunk, his new companion in his thoughts. At least he hadn't heard any screaming yet, that was a good sign.

The wrong one didn't know it yet, but that flash of movement and that failed shot were the signal of their doom. The wolf didn't slink through the darkness any longer, no, now he sprinted through moonlight and shade without a care. The crossbow was hastily reloaded and brought up, the wolf didn't recognize the object as dangerous, but Tobias did, and his jaws splintered the weapon as easily as twig, with a quick shake of his head the crossbow as shattered and dropped without further interest.

Screams of terror pierced the night as he circled his now disarmed prey, golden eyes burning intensely as he watched them, judging, then struck like a viper, teeth shredding flesh and armor with equal ease, like ripping through paper. The screams turned into something beyond terror or pain as the wolf eviscerated his prey, spilling their guts onto the forest floor before his teeth snapped shut around their throat, beheading them in a swift motion.

The blood gurgled and bubbly hotly, and the wolf licked the sweet liquid from his lips, relishing the taste of death. He wanted to feed, to rip flesh from bone, then crack bone to suck out the marrow, and the wolf thought nothing of such a thing. Tobias was horrified by his own thoughts and struggled to pull the wolf away from the body sprawled beneath his massive form. Only reluctantly did the wolf abandon his prize, and only after ripping the body open to devour the heart - as promised.

Dragging himself away, the wolf reluctantly trotted back in the direction of his clothing, and Tobias could only hope that Viatrus was still alright. Well, after this perhaps the halfling would finally understand why he called himself a monster.

Viatris tracked his path back to where he had left Tobias. Mid-way there he heard the most blood-curdling scream he could ever conceive coming from the direction the enemy shooter had been in. The wolf had found prey.

The halfling thanked all the gods he could think of that the creature had gone after the other man. Hopefully it would now leave Viatrus and Tobias alone. He reached the tree where he'd left the other man, but all he found were his clothes. That was curious, to say the least. The clothing was torn and damaged, but there was no blood or sign of significant struggle.

Viatrus was still puzzling over the conundrum when he thought he heard movement in the underbrush behind him. The halfling was two meters up the nearest tree in three seconds flat.

Now that his goals had been met, Tobias was able to focus on the problems he'd just created, well, that the wolf had created. For what seemed the thousandth time he cursed himself for not being able to shut out that primal side of him. Still, the beast was locked safely away and only the wolf had emerged. That was at least something to be thankful for.

It was far too much to hope that he could get back to his clothes and coax the wolf back into a man before Viatrus realized he was gone. As he approached the place they had stopped that feeble hope was confirmed to be dashed. His ears swiveled as he listened to the sound of the little halfling climbing up a three so fast you'd think the hounds of hell were after him...oh wait...

Tobias huffed softly peeking his head through the bushes and looking up the three at Viatrus with a bit of bemusement. Two meters was nothing, he could have put his paws on the tree and reached the halfling if he wanted to, but he wouldn't. No, but he did need to shift back into a human and dress, and the idea of Viatrus watching this process was more than a little unsettling.

Hopefully his little, er, friend? Yes, friend, he guessed, would not shoot him as he stepped out of the brush and circled the base of the tree, sniffing curiously. The halfling didn't seem hurt, that was good at least. Looking up his gold eyes glinted in the moonlight before he huffed again and walked over to his discarded clothing. They didn't seem to be completely ruined, but they were in rough shape. Tobias really needed to get on the ball with the getting out of clothes before the transformation began.

Being careful and quick, he picked his trousers and shirt from the ground, leaving the rest, and quickly hurried off. The thought occurred to him that he should have warned Viatrus exactly what he was dealing with - and what to expect - before this mess had happened.

Viatrus was at an impasse. He had climbed as high as he could anchoring his hands and feet into a crack in the tree's trunk, but there were no branches for another solid meter up the tree. He was stuck. He couldn't go up and there was no way he was going back down there with the wolf. He couldn't even unshoulder his crossbow. He could only watch as the massive beast came flowing out of the underbrush, like an inky shadow of grace and power. Now that he had a clearer look at its size, the halfling realized that he wasn't high enough. The wolf could easily pull him down.

He squeezed his eyes shut waiting for the blow that would dislodge him, but instead only heard a rustling going on below him by the tree. He opened his eyes and looked down in time to see the wolf making off with Tobias' torn clothes.

Viatrus couldn't really think for a moment, the scene was so strange. Then, half-conscious observations and little bits and facts started to pile up in the courier's mind, forming into a solid idea. The halfling jumped down from the tree, now mostly convinced that he wasn't in any danger. He picked up the remainder of Tobias' equipment as well as his own and then followed the wolf into the forest. He had to confirm his suspicions.

Tobias could hear the halfling following after him, but he was much faster. The wolf outpaced his pursuer with ease, and once he thought he was far enough ahead he ducked behind a tree into some bushes, collapsing and panting heavily as he felt his body beginning to tremble and contort painfully. The transformation was always horrible, but he tried to rush it because he didn't want Viatrus to find him mid-shift. It was embarrassing and disgusting, not to mention he would be naked.

Transitioning from wolf to man seemed harder for some reason, because his dulling senses left an empty and hollow feeling behind. It was almost like dying, but being denied the peace and rest of death. He felt the shape of his body twisting, sickening, wet sounds coming as his muscles rearranged themselves and returned to the proper shape for a human. It always hurt, but rushing it sent shocks of pure agony through his limbs.

By the time he was finished he could only lay on the ground and shiver for a few moments. It was so, so cold. Through the fog of his mind he remembered that he had clothes, and that he was being followed. Sitting up with a groan and with shaking hands he pulled on his pants, then reached for his shirt. It was caking with his dried blood from earlier and he used it to wipe the blood from the man he'd just killed from his face, chest, and arms. The stupid thing needed cleaned anyway, though he really wanted a nice hot bath.

Viatrus came upon Toby as he was putting on his shirt ((OOC: Hope you don't mind the assumption)). There were new bloodstains on the garment, and lighter marks around Tobias' mouth and hands.

A large part of him was horrified, terrified by the man who stood before him. However a bigger, more important part of the halfling felt differently, Viatrus hadn't made a friend in a long, long time. Really not since his parents had died. Acquaintances and business associates, sure, but no friends. He would be blasted if he let this one go.

He stared at the man for a moment, considering what to do. There were so many questions to ask, so many things to say, but quite uncharacteristically, he decided that silence was the best option. If the man wanted to talk, he could do it on his own time. That choice made, Viatrus set down his and Tobias' stuff and then sat down next to the larger man. He didn't open his mouth, and waited for the other man to either speak, or do whatever else it was that he planned on doing.

It was as Tobias pulled his shirt over his head that he heard the small footsteps of his companion. He only paused for a moment, not looking at Viatrus, before pulling his shirt into place. The silence was deafening, and he could only speculate on what might be going through the other man's mind in that moment. The halfling sat down beside him, and he remained silent and motionless - save his uncontrollable shivering - for a long time. As the minutes stretched he felt his stomach twisting in knots, waiting for the other to speak first.

His mind was still reliving those minutes as a wolf, most importantly the moments in which he had spent tearing apart a human being like a rag doll. The worst part, what truly ate away at him, was that he had enjoyed it. The taste of blood was still sweet upon his tongue, and he knew that the wolf would have eaten the person if he had let it. Gods, he had eaten that poor bastard's heart.

How could anyone ever claim he wasn't a monster when he could still hear the screams of terror and pain echoing through his mind? Shuddering, he reached into his trouser pocket and pulled out that coin that Viatrus had given him. His golden eyes burned softly as he stared at it, tears welling up as he tried to remember what he had promised to do, and to remember everything Mable had ever taught him.

When finally he couldn't take the silence any longer he squeezed the coin in his fist, closing his eyes as they slowly began to become more brown than gold again. His voice was raw and strained as he finally spoke. "So...now you know."

Viatrus watched the drama unfold in controlled silence. It was taking all of his self-control to stay quiet, but he had to let the other man take the initiative or he'd never open up. In the halfling's short experience, he had found that you got further with Toby if you pulled instead of pushing. Remaining silent when the larger man pulled out the coin and began staring at it was even harder. Viatrus could almost see the small silver circle reflected in his friend's golden canine eyes. Eyes just like those of a wolf. He wanted to recoil, move, do something and it took every shred of his self-control to moderate his expression and his reactions. He couldn't lose Toby now, he just couldn't.

When the other man spoke, Viatrus could barely hear him because his voice was so raw. Tears welled up in the halflings eyes. "Yes, now I know." he replied. In a sudden burst of energy he jumped up and hugged the other man. Tobias smelled of blood and fur but at the moment Viatrus was too happy to care. His tears began falling freely as he squeezed Toby as hard as he could. The man had kept his vow, he had listened to Viatrus. "I know that you're a man who keeps his promises; I know that you're a man who saved my life again; and even though I only met you a few hours ago, I know that you are my dearest friend."

Tobias had really imagined things going so differently. When Viatrus found out about what he really was the werewolf had expected his friend to perhaps run screaming from him. Being told someone was a monster and then actually seeing it were two very different things. The halfling had heard the screams of a dying man. A man that Tobias had ripped apart. Why was he so calm? If their roles were reversed he'd have been scared out of his wits.

Even if Viatrus didn't run screaming, having himself suddenly squeezed in a tight hug was pretty far down on the list of things he did expect. At first Tobias could only sit there stunned, still shivering with cold, but after a few moments he finally put his arms around the halfling and gently patted the crying man's back.

Shouldn't he be the one crying? After all, he was the monster that had to live with what he was and the things he had done through the years since his curse began. "Hey now, don't cry! Why are you crying? I told you I was a monster, and know you know why I would say such a thing. But you have to stop crying, alright? Because you're gonna make me cry, and there's little more pathetic than a big man like me reduced to bawling." He tried to make light of it, but he felt kind of...drained. Physically and emotionally he was exhausted, and he was kind of touched by the declaration that he was anyone's "dear friend".

Viarus tried to stop crying. He didn't know what it was about the big man that made him so liable to bawl. He hadn't shed tears this many times in one day since his parents died. It was just that he felt so safe expressing himself around Tobias.

He laughed at the other man's comment about big men crying. "Lucky for me I'm not a big man. Not a lot of shame in crying when you're three-foot two and still mostly a kid." He wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "I'm just so happy you listened to what I said about the coin. I don't talk to people all that much anymore, ever since my parents died, and I don't really have all that many friends. It's really nice that someone heard what I had to say." He disentangled himself from Tobias and, with a massive effort, finally managed to stop himself from crying.

The halfling looked around at the two men's surroundings. "We should probably get going. It's still dark out here and we should get to town. I didn't bring any camping equipment and I don't fancy roughin' it when there are people after us."

Brown-gold eyes blinked slightly, all trace of tears having disappeared from them. Tobias couldn't spare the time to wallow in self-pity right now, he had someone to be looking after and Viatrus needed him to pull himself together. They couldn't both be a blubbering mess. Though he wasn't sure he understood what he meant about listening. "Of course I listened, that's what friends do, right? They listen, and I could tell the coin was important to you, so I used it."

Staring at the coin oddly had helped some. He could feel the cold metal biting into his palm from how hard he was squeezing it. Loosening his grip he shoved the coin back in his pocket as the halfling released him from the hug. "Yeah, we should get going. I just hope that town will be safe. I could really use some sleep, and waking up with a knife in your back isn't much fun."

Standing up he walked over and shoved his feet into his boots, thankful that Viatrus had brought his things to him. Working quickly now he pulled his leather jerkin on over his shirt, still not bothering to tuck his shirt in or to fasten his vest in place, he slipped on his leather bracers and tightened them securely. The last thing was his belt and slinging his bow and quiver across his back.

Looking worn and disheveled, Tobias flashed the halfling a bit of a grin. "I'm thinking we find someplace nice in this town, sit down and enjoy a big bowl of steaming stew, maybe a nice mug of ale, and then pass out for a day or two." He'd had that heart, but he was still starving, and bone-weary. It had been a very, very long day.

((OOC: Edited some previous posts to make Viatrus a more believable character with clearer motivations.))

Viatrus almost cried again at the word. Friends. "So is that what friends do?" he mumbled to himself.

He smiled up at Tobias and replied to his statement about reaching their destination. "Now that sounds like a good idea. The town should be pretty close, unless I'm a whole heck of a lot more lost than I think I am." The halfling hefted his small bag. "What'ya say we get going."

So saying, the courier began leading the way back to the path they were on before. It wasn't long before he had reoriented himself, and not long after that before he was chatting Toby's ear off again. "So how far do you think that guy was shooting his crossbow? Mine's small and only goes a hundred yards or so. See I can't use a full-sized crossbow on accounts of me being so tiny. Did I ever tell you the story of my crossbow? So this one time I was runnin'..."

Viatrus must have talked about almost every topic under the sun, but he never once asked Tobias anything about himself. He talked the pair straight to the small town and right up to the village's inn.

A really emotional one, wasn't he? Well it took all sorts, and Tobias really couldn't judge anyone for being a bit on the weepy side. Hadn't he just been about to cry himself?

His long legs fell into stride, following behind Viatrus tiredly. The mood, at least for the werewolf, was subdued. Only half listening, he spent most of the trip musing over his own thoughts. It had been a really bad way for someone he considered a friend to find out about his cursed existence. At least Viatrus didn't seem too upset with him - now. Before he had smelled the fear. The idea that anyone would be afraid of him made him sad. Tobias had never in his life ever wanted to hurt anyone. Now he just couldn't seem to stop himself from hurting people.

At least the conversation stayed away from anything about wolves! What had happened in these woods tonight and the things that they had both seen and heard, were the very last thing in the world he wanted to think about - let alone talk about. He'd have to make a note to talk with Viatrus about it, though. Maybe in the morning, after they had a rested and eaten. Things were always better by the light of day with a full belly.

He wasn't sure how long they were walking before they reached the village, and in turn, the inn. Tobias couldn't remember the feel of a real bed beneath him, it had been weeks since he stayed in a town. "Do you think it'll be safe? I'm sure they wouldn't try with so many people..." He gave a few tentative sniffs to the air. "...I don't smell any danger right now..."

The door swung open to greet them with a rather merry sight of warmly glowing lamps, a roaring fireplace, tables and chairs scattered across the common room, and a soft din of noise from people eating and drinking peacefully. "Oh Kia be praised..." He murmured softly, brown-gold eyes shining with an almost childish delight.

Viatrus smiled at the sights and smells in the small inn. He'd been here before so he knew the innkeeper, and more importantly his wife, who did the cooking. She made the best pot pies. He asked Toby to grab them a table, and then walked over to speak to the owner about getting a room and a hot meal for him and his friend.

When the fellow asked Viatrus what he and Toby were having to drink, the halfling had to consider. He didn't know what Tobias would want. He turned over his shoulder and yelled at his companion, "Hey Toby, what'll you have to drink?"

Sweeping into the inn, Tobias quickly planted himself at an empty table near the fireplace, where it was warm and cozy. He stretched his long legs out under the table and leaned back in his chair, shoulders slumping slightly as he relaxed and breathed in the tantalizing scents coming from the kitchen. There was the acrid smell of smoke as well, some of the others had pipes and cigars lit, and his sensitive nose crinkled up a little for a moment.

He heard Viatrus call to him over the sounds of the rest of the patrons, smiling slightly. The halfling didn't have to shout, he could hear him just fine, just like he could hear every conversation going on in the room, he could even catch ghosting whispers from the rooms upstairs, those were faint and not really decipherable, though. "A good strong ale, please!"

It wasn't his companion his attention was really on at that moment. There was a pretty serving woman running about the common room, and his eyes were fixated on her. Although as soon as she glanced in his direction he looked sheepishly down at the table, but not before catching her giving him a little smile. Great, he looked a right mess, well, all wasn't lost, eh?

Viatrus related Tobias' order to the innkeeper and asked for a small glass of milk for himself. The halfling couldn't hold any kind of alcohol, the slightest knocked him out faster than a mallet to the head. The order placed, Viatrus maneuvered his way through the crowded common room back to Toby, sitting down across from the man.

Toby's attention seemed occupied, and Viatrus followed his gaze to the pretty serving woman. The halfling smiled. "Got your eye on Sorela, huh?" He addressed the other man. "Nice girl, been working here as long as I've been coming. She's pretty outgoing, I think you two will really hit it off. You should try to talk to her a bit when she brings the food and the drinks."

When his companion sat at the table across from him, Tobias couldn't help but glance over at Viatrus, then fold his arms on the table and drop his head with a groan. Of course the halfling had caught him leering at the pretty young woman, and of course he knew her on top of that. He found himself lightly banging his head on the table. "You really shouldn't encourage me..."

Viatrus seemed to think this girl was nice, why on earth would he suggest that Tobias talk to her? The halfling knew what he was! No girl should really get anywhere near him. It was too dangerous, and yet...he sighed wearily. "What on earth would I even say to her? Hey cutie, I'm a real animal in bed, wanna take me home with you?"

The sad thing was it wouldn't be the first time he had used a similar line, and it had worked for him in the past. Tobias had never been one of the guys that girls just swooned for, but he wasn't bad looking, and ever since he'd been turned...Mable had tried to explain it to him once. Something about primal desires and baser instincts - and that was for the women, not him! The wolf really only had three primary needs - eating, sleeping, and mating.

He decided to keep his head down to hide the fact that he was beyond embarrassed right now.

Viatrus laughed uproariously at Tobias' pick-up-line. In part because it was funny but also because he was pretty sure that it was a good sign that the other man could make light of his... condition.

Viatrus reached over the table (it was a heroic stretch for the halfling) and patted the other man's head, as if comforting him. Then he smiled mischievously. "You know," he said, "I heard she goes in for that sort of thing. You should give it a shot. In fact, I dare you to go over there and tell her that." How long had it been since Viatrus had last dared someone I do something. "And hey, I'll introduce you if you want." And now long since he'd introduced someone to a woman (the answer to that one was never).

"Oh wait look, no need to go over there. She's bringing the food and drinks." The serving girl walked over carrying a tray laden with a pair of steaming pot-pies, a mug of ale, and Viatrus' glass of milk. The halfling smiled radiantly at the girl as she set down her load. "Sorela, this is my friend Tobias. Tobias, Sorela. Now Sorela, Toby here has somethin' to tell ya." Viatrus looked expectantly at the bigger man.

Oh sure, laugh at his pain, go figure. Couldn't his friend tell that he was rather embarrassed? Besides, picking up women right in front of his friend...that was more than a little awkward, wasn't it? Tobias sure would have felt weird if Viatrus had begun flirting with a girl while he was sitting right there. There was also still the issue that he was a werewolf. That was not something this poor girl needed. Too complicated and as much as he knew he needed to sate his primal urges to keep the wolf in check, he still felt awful every time he slipped away quietly from a beautiful woman that had given herself to him.

The pat on his head earned Viatrus a soft, rumbling growl, though his head jerked up from the table to gape at the halfling when the small man dared him to actually say that to the woman. He found himself sputtering. "Are you crazy? Why on earth would you try to subject a poor girl to someone...someone like me. You realize that -" His teeth clicked shut when he realized the woman was coming over.

Oh gods. Kia help him. Tobias gulped slightly, brown-gold eyes practically mesmerized by the way the girl moved. Those feral eyes cut to Viatrus with a glare when the halfling introduced him and so helpfully informed Sorela that he had something to tell her. "I-I-I..." His face turned red, and grabbing his ale, Tobias turned away, eyes closing and expression turning into a bit of a scowl as he busied himself with taking a large drink of the burning liquid.

Viatrus put on his most winning smile for Sorela as Toby turned away. "Ah, look at the big lug. Don't mind him Sorela he's kinda shy."

She smiled back at the pair. "That's just fine with me." She raised her voice a little, clearly directing her words at Toby. "I like shy. You know Tobias, my shift ends in another half of an hourglass. Come talk to me then." She winked at the big man, and then she started walking off, weaving her way through the crowd with an easy grace.

The halfling whistled slow and long. "Well there you go Tobias. You know, Sorela's really a looker... huh, never noticed that before. I mean a bit tall for my tastes, but you think I woulda noticed that..." Viatrus stopped for a moment, before continuing. "Well anyway, I'm gonna go ask the innkeeper for another room. Be right back." He hopped off his chair and began moving back towards the owner.

Tobias nearly choked on his ale, but he turned to watch the woman as she walked away, admiring her form with almost predatory eyes. Well that had been pretty easy. Speaking of easy, he shot Viatrus another glare. "I don't need help picking up women! I could have gotten her all on my own."

The werewolf snorted and rolled his eyes when the halfling talked about Sorela, a bit tall for his tastes, yeah...he supposed that made sense. Still, hadn't Viatrus said he was pretty young? Brown-gold eyes blinked lazily as his companion got up, informing that he was going to ask for another room for them. Why would he - oh. Right.

Blushing and grumbling he took another long drink of ale before reaching for one of the pot pies. They smelled delicious. Of course he was famished enough to eat slop, but taking a bite was all he needed to taste before digging in heartily. Whoever was in the kitchen was fantastic, and it was much better than raw flesh, at least his human self thought so.

As soon as Viatrus would return Tobias would pause long enough in his eating to pose a question with a wry grin. "So Viatrus, have you ever even been with a woman before?"

The halfling came back to the table. "'Nother room ordered Tobias. He winked at the man, you owe me." He was about to dig into his meal when the other man posed his question. He paused momentarily, unable to think.

Tobias' question threw Viatrus for a loop and the halfling actually blushed, surprised by the sudden reversal. He was pretty sure that this was the first time the other man had asked him a question about himself. "No. Never. Haven't found the right one, you know." The short halfling blustered. "There aren't a lot of halflings in Adela and human women are too big or my tastes." he told the other man, justifying his lack of experience. "I'm still young. I'm just saving for the right person, you know?" Viatris was pretty sure the other man was laughing at him and he huffed resentfully. He turned on his own pot pie and started eating it, avoiding looking at Tobias.

His new little companion had about talked his ear off coming into town, so Tobias really didn't think much about asking him a personal question. Besides, it was kind of relevant to what was happening. After all, it was Viatrus that had more or less landed him some company for the night. The answer actually had him blinking in surprise, and frowning slightly as he poked at his food for a moment, trying to decide how best to continue with the topic since he was pretty sure he'd just made the little guy upset with him.

"That sounds real nice, actually." His voice was soft and musing. "I wanted to save myself for someone special...once. That was a long, long time ago though. Turning into what I've become kind of ruined a lot of things for me. I had plans once." Tobias was supposed to live a simple life, never leaving his home village, finding a cute girl, marrying her, fishing and hunting to support a family. It would have been wonderful, but how could he do those things now?

Tobias sighed softly and shook his head, before smiling ruefully at Viatrus. "You save yourself for that special girl, and when you find her, make sure she knows just how special she is, eh? Remind her every day." He forced himself to resume eating his pie, though his appetite seemed to have vanished despite how voracious it had been a few minutes before.

Viatrus took a break from his meal and looked up, realizing that the other man wasn't actually laughing. He should have known. Toby was a better guy than that. The halfling had a sudden flash of guilt over the way he'd been making fun of the bigger man. Bigger both literally and figuratively!

He felt even worse when Tobias took what he said seriously. He'd was just making excuses, he hadn't meant any of those words. Hearing how the other man felt about it though, it made Viatrus reconsider. Suddenly his own words sounded less cheesy and a lot more romantic than he thought they did when he said them.

"Yeah," Viatrus responded to Toby's last couple of sentences. "Yeah I'll do that." Tears threatened to well up in the halflings eyes again and he shook his head furiously. No, no he was not going to cry in front of Tobias again. What was it about the man! Talking to him almost felt like talking to his father. That guy had been such a romantic...

That thought made Viatrus stop cold. Was he, projecting..? He tried to push the thought away but it kept coming back. He couldn't banish it. The tears welled even more fiercely. He hopped out of his chair and picked up his pack. "I'm... I'm going up to my room. You can ask the innkeeper where yours is" He told the other man. The halfling almost ran up the steps and practically slammed the door. He threw down his pack and then jumped on the bed, crying in earnest now as memories of his deceased parents he thought long since banished ran through his head.

Things just seemed to go from bad to worse. Tobias watched with troubled eyes as Viatrus excused himself and disappeared. The thought to go find his young friend and comfort the kid did cross his mind, but he figured he would just make things worse...again. Maybe he should have just kept his big mouth shut from the beginning. The question had been a dumb one to ask. What did it even matter? It didn't.

Signing he resigned himself to finishing his food and drink while waiting on the lovely Sorela to finish her work. As soon as she was free to do as she pleased, he bought her a drink, and another for himself, inviting her to sit and talk with him for a while. She was a really nice girl, and when their drinks were finished and she asked about keeping him company for the rest of the night he almost turned her down.

His primal desires won out, in the end, and Sorela showed him to his room. Early the next morning he was seated at the same table he had been the night before, appearance even more disheveled than it had been before going to bed; he was nursing a hot cup of tea, holding his head with one hand and looking rather bleary-eyed.

Viatrus came down the stairs, his belongings packed up and in hand. The common room was less busy than it had been last night, and the smell of cooking eggs permeated the room. The scent of smoke had faded somewhat, but it still sat in some corners of the room. The conversation was subdued and nowhere near the volume from it had been when Viatrus had turned in.

The halfling hunted down the innkeeper and asked for a plate of eggs with a glass of milk. He then scanned the common room, and saw that Tobias had already woken up and claimed the table they'd sat at last night. He walked over to the man, set his stuff down, and hopped into a chair.

"Good morning Mr. Tobias." Viatrus started the conversation. "How was your evening, less sleep and more fun maybe?" The halfling was trying to affect his normal glib cheerfulness, but careful observation would reveal the facade. His voice was still a little hoarse and his eyes were slightly red. "I for one, slept like a baby." He grinned, but it looked strained. "Can you be ready to set out soon? We still have a letter to deliver."

Tobias could smell the smoke from the previous evening, and the scent of alcohol, sweat, the scent of blood and death that still clung to his clothing, and the sweet perfume that was unique to Sorela, which hung about him like a guilty reminder of what he'd spent the night doing. Of course no human would have been able to pick up and filter through those scents, but that was just another "fun" part of being what he was.

When Viatrus sat down he had the good sense to scrub his face and eyes, looking more than a little sheepish. "I didn't get a whole lot of sleep, but we can leave whenever you want." He could tell that his friend was upset, and something told him it was his fault. He just wasn't sure what it was that he had done wrong, and he certainly didn't know how to fix it.

"Mr. Tobias is it? What happened to Toby?" He asked quietly. Tobias knew that his friend was lying and upset about something. He could smell it on him, and hear it in his voice, looking up at him it was even obvious on the halflings face. "Whatever I did or said, I'm sorry."

Viatus thought he was putting up a good front, so when Toby apologized he was surprised, to say the least. The man had good instincts about peop... Oh. Right.

The halfling slapped his fist down on the table in frustration. Here he was wallowing in self-pity, and look at Tobias. He had problems Viatrus couldn't even begin to imagine and here the halfling was worrying him even more with his own petty issues.

He shook his head as he replied to the other man. "No, no don't apologize. It's not your fault. It's my own blasted problem and I'm sorry for worrying you about it." The halfling barked a bitter laugh. "Guess I'm kind of a crappy friend. I can't help you like you helped me, I make fun of you, and I even add to your worries." He smiled sadly. "Sorry for being so much trouble Toby." The halfling stood and picked up his stuff, as if readying to leave.

When Viatrus slapped his fist down on the table Tobias actually jumped, blinking wide-eyed in surprise. Now what had he done? The werewolf's slightly shaggy face twisted slightly in an expression of confusion and worry as he could feel the frustration just rolling off his friend in waves.

Tobias' scowled as the halfling said it wasn't what he'd done or said. It wasn't that that really got to the large man, though. When Viatrus got up to leave, apologizing for being trouble, a feral growl emanated from Tobias and his long arm shot out to gently grab hold of the boy. In that moment all he could think of Viatrus was just that - a boy.

"Don't you dare call yourself a crappy friend." He growled, brown eyes laced with quivering golden threads. The sound of his chair scrapping across the wooden floor sounded as Tobias came out of the chair, dropping to his knees and hugging Viatrus gently. "You know what I am, you were afraid of me, but you didn't run. You've been nicer to me than I probably deserve, and that's more help than I think you realize. So don't you dare even think you've been a bad friend to me."

The big man's embrace shocked Viatrus. He'd never expected this reaction, and Toby's words meant more to the halfling then the big man could know. He hadn't had a real friend in three years, and now that he did have one he felt completely insecure. He was worried that he would offend the man somehow and drive him away.

Viatrus returned his friend's hug. Tears threatened his eyes again for what must have been the hundredth time. He forced them back, and laughed. "Look at us two, causing a scene. We're a real couple of softies you and me.

He released Tobias and extricated himself from his grasp. His negative emotions were gone, and the halfling looked lighter, happier, less downtrodden. "Thanks partner. I... I needed that. I just, I'm always worried that I'm offending you, that you're gonna go away and we'll part on bad terms. When my parents passed away, I never had the chance to say good-bye and it didn't end well between us. I just really don't want that happenin' again." He laughed. "And here I was, settin' out to leave and do exactly that to myself. I must seem a right fool to ya Toby."

The werewolf gave a lop-sided grin when Viatrus hugged him back and then started laughing. It was a good sound, and a good feeling. Sometimes you just needed a hug, and apparently his small friend had benefited from the action and his words. "I don't care who thinks I'm soft."

Tobias did't stop smiling as his friend went on talking, though the expression softened considerably. It was actually a fear he could relate to completely. Considering his nature, it was always hard for him to try to form bonds with people. Actually, forming close bonds was something he actively tried to avoid. That thought saddened him, but he reminded himself that it was for everyone's protection that he had to keep in mind, not his own selfish desire for acceptance.

"I don't think you're a fool, Viatrus. I think you're lonely, and have been hurt, and that you need a friend now more than ever - and you know what? So do I. You aren't going to offend me, and I won't leave without saying goodbye. I swear. Now why don't you eat some breakfast before we head out, you'll need to keep up your strength for the road." Tobias said nothing about his own strength, though his blood-shot eyes might hint at the weariness that gnawed at him as he climbed back into his chair.

Viatrus smiled. "Thanks Toby, I'm really glad that I met you, you know?" So saying, the halfling hopped back into his chair, before launching into one of his trademark chattering-monologues. "Eating sounds like a good idea to me, I'm famished? What'd you order Toby? I got the eggs myself, they've got some really great stuffed eggs here. The innkeepers wife is magic in the kitchen you know? This one time..." He kept talking on and on, freed from the concern that his conversation would drive the other man away.

He was still talking when Sorela came up to the pair laden with Viatrus' meal and drink. She gave Tobias a radiant smile and barely looked at Viatrus as she set down his eggs and drink. She kept looking at the big man even as she turned around and started walking back to the kitchen. Viatrus whistled long and slow for the second time in ten hours. "I don't think I've ever seen Sorela that smitten. You must really be something special if you know what I mean."

"Likewise." Tobias grinned, glad that he'd met the energetic young halfling. It really was nice to have someone that knew his secret and still didn't mind hanging around him. Of course there was a certain degree of wariness in his heart. The thought of accidentally hurting Viatrus would be an ever-present worry, but he couldn't just get rid of him. It wouldn't be fair to slip away now, and frankly, he didn't have the willpower. He was too tired of being alone.

Sorela came by their table to bring Viatrus his breakfast, and Tobias returned the brilliant smile she gave him with a bit of a shy one, watching her just as much as she watched him. He arched a brow at Viatrus' whistle, and actually hunched his shoulders and blushed at what he said. "It's not me. It's the wolf, there's something about my curse that just...I don't know. Mable called it animal magnetism. Even she struggled not to...uh..." He grinned sheepishly.

"Anyway, it might seem like a nice perk, but it is really kind of awful. I like her, she's a nice girl, but you realize I'll probably never see or talk to her again once we leave here..." Tobias looked down at the table with a soft frown and picked at the wood idly with a fingernail.

Viatrus arched an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised that Tobias was volunteering information about himself. He considered prying further, but decided that his attempt would be more likely to backfire. Better to let him open up on his own.

He nodded sagely when Toby revealed the problem of his 'gift.' "That actually does sound pretty awful. Frankly, I don't know if I could form the kind of connection with someone and then never see them again." The halfling had just finished speaking when he realized that he might actually be saying something pretty terrible. Maybe he had accidentally picked at one of Toby's insecurities.

There was an awkward silence for a bit, which Viatrus took advantage of to tuck into his eggs. He was about half way through his meal when he noticed that noting had come for the other man. "Did you eat already?" He asked. He didn't follow up his question with a stream of words, so he clearly wanted an answer to this question as opposed to his normal rhetorical queries.

Tobias only hunched his shoulders further, looking ridiculously as if he wished to shrink and disappear. For such a large man it was kind of a comical act, except for his expression, which looked about as forlorn as a person could. He knew he was an awful person for doing what he did, but he couldn't help himself. It was like an itch that just had to be scratched or it would drive him mad. Mable had warned him about trying to curb the wolf's primal desires too sharply. It didn't mean he didn't feel horrible afterwards each time.

"Don't you think I know that?" He mumbled miserably. "It's not like I wanted to be this way." He thought about Minnie Marsh, she'd had skin like caramel and eyes the color of dark chocolate, back home, so long ago, he remembered dancing with her on holidays, of the smile that had shined brighter than the sun. If he could have married someone, it would have probably been her, if those damned wolves had never come he would have had her, and they would have lived happily in a little house and...it was no use dreaming about things that could never be.

Sighing he ran his fingers through his hair, glancing over at Viatrus who was eating and had asked him a question. "I had some bacon earlier. Like I said before, I didn't get much sleep..."

Viatrus picked up on the misery he inspired in the other man with his statement and immediately felt horrible. Man this friendship thing was tough. It had the halfling feeling ups and downs like he never had before, elated at any happiness he instigated in his friend and distraught at any distress he caused. Still, bad with the good, Viatrus far preferred the good.

His question answered, Viatrus returned to eating his eggs. It didn't take long for the halfling to finish up his meal. Now the pair could leave the inn, but something held him back. He didn't want them to set out with unclear air between them. He had to get the conversation moving again, way from more sensitive topics. Unfortunately he was at a loss. Or at least, he was until he noticed the status of Tobias' shirt. The garment was still torn and ripped from yesterday's exertions. Some of the large tears showed through his vest.

He smiled up at the man. "Hey Toby, why don't you come up to my room, just for a bit before we set out? I betcha' I can sew up your shirt good as new. I must have told you at some point that I'm a wizard with a needle and thread."

((OOC: Lol, totally forgot about this part of his character. Oh well, better late than never. :P))

It wasn't Viatrus' fault, really. Tobias' misery stemmed from what he was, and that was all there really was to it. If he hadn't been bitten by that foul beast, none of this would have ever happened. The only fault lay with the one that had made him this way. How he wished he knew the identity of the one that had cursed him to such a life. All his life he'd been a fairly peaceful sort, but he thought that if he ever did get his hands on the wolf that created him, well, he wasn't sure he would be able to contain his rage. Revenge didn't solve anything, though. Best maybe to never know.

Brown eyes blinked as he looked up, realizing that he'd been lost in his thoughts the entire time the halfling had been finishing his breakfast. Shaking his head Tobias reminded himself that he really need to learn to keep his head on straight and pay attention rather than let his mind wander all the bloody time. Of course, it wasn't likely to happen, a wandering mind was just something he had always had.

"My shirt?" Looking down he remembered the damage that had been done. When had that happened? Oh right, right...The bolt in his stomach and a little damage in his rush to get undressed when the change was coming on the night before. How could he have put something like that out of his mind? "Um, sure, I guess..."

He stood and followed Viatrus quietly.

Viatrus led the way up the stairs to the room he had vacated. It was quieter up here, in the small, narrow room with only a bed, a thin table, and a narrow chair. He set down his pack on the bed, and from it pulled a small box. Inside were several pieces of wood that were notched and had thread wrapped around them, few iron needles, a very small knife, and a number of extra tiny thimbles.

He selected the thread closest to the color of Tobias' shirt and carefully put the end of it through the eye of one of the needles. He took one of the thimbles and placed in on his middle finger. Toby's shirt looked rugged and he didn't want to stab himself. Preparations complete, he turned to Toby and held out a hand expectantly. "Shirt?."

Tobias followed Viatrus up the stairs and into a room that more or less looked just like the one he'd spent the night with Sorela with. Thinking of that caused him to blush slightly, what a night it had been though. Dragging his mind away from his night, he watched intently as the halfling prepared for sewing, it seemed like a bother for a dirty shirt, but if the little guy wanted to.

Brown-gold eyes blinked when Viatrus held out his hand expectantly asking for his shirt. "Oh right." Laughing slightly he shrugged out of his leather vest before pulling his shirt over his head and handing it over. It was a little strange to have someone interested in mending his clothing, or doing anything for him at all, for that matter. "You really don't have to, you know. I'm used to having dirty and damaged clothes, kind of a fact of life for a werewolf that you're going to mess up your shirts."

Viatrus almost gasped and dropped the shirt and his needle. He was surprised that Toby was talking about his condition so openly. He managed to contain his surprise, though. Actually he was happy that the man was willing to be so open with him. It made him feel for sure that he was someone Tobias trusted and saw as a friend.

The halfling put the first stitch into one of the tears in his friend's shirt. He started threading back and forth between the two sides of the hole, pulling them together. He lost track of time and before he knew it he was more than halfway done fixing the garment.

He realized that some time had gone by without either of them saying anything. He had brought Toby up here to take his mind of his condition before they left, and now the last thing that had been said had been about it.

Viatrus considered what to say. He was struck with a thought. The other man had volunteered information about his past, it was up to the halfling to repay the favor. Considering it was immediately applicable to what he was doing now, he decided to tell Toby about how he had learned to sew.

"You know," he started, "sewing is something my ma taught me. She told me that was a 'valuable life skill' that I'd use all the time. Course I didn't believe her and I hated every moment she was teaching me. And of course she was right. I did some sewing to make money while I was on the streets, and I haven't paid a tailor in years." He laughed. "Just goes to show, mom's always know best."

The word werewolf had been hanging between them ever since Viatrus had figured out what was going on. Tobias tended to beat around the bush when it came to talking about his curse, condition, or whatever you wanted to call it. Mable had tried to call it a gift once, but he'd gotten upset with her and she had never referred to it as such again - at least not when he was around to hear it. She'd been really good to him those three years, and he missed her. There was still a lot he realized that he just didn't know.

Now that the two of them were alone together, it seemed a little silly to ignore the elephant in the room, as the saying went. Viatrus knew Tobias' secret, and the halfling still wanted to be his friend, as far as the "big guy" was concerned, that was more than enough reason to put a little faith and trust in his new friend.

Tobias settled rather uncomfortably into the hard, narrow chair while he watched Viatrus work. The other man was pretty good with a needle. He smiled at the story, and for a brief moment his mind wandered back to his own parents, and his expression faltered, turning into one of grief, regret, and uncertainty. "Yeah, I guess mom's do. My mom didn't teach me to sew, I was always hunting or fishing, you can't hardly beat that for a life. My dad had his own boat, we were kind of poor, but we didn't go hungry, and I was happy, helping my dad support the three of us. Seems like another world and another life now."

The halfling nodded as he worked. "I know what you mean. Three years feels like such a long time. Each day seems to drag by into the next." He paused and looked up at Tobias. "It's funny though, yesterday and this morning went by in a flash. Guess it's because there's been so much action." He chuckled as he set back to work again.

"Almost done." Viatrus said sometime later as he pulled the needle through the shirt one last time. "There." He pulled the thread from the needle and tied a knot. "Good as new!" He held up the shirt. The mending job was actually pretty mediocre, but the seams were solid and the halfling had worked quicker than your average tailor. He handed the shirt back to his friend. "Now we're ready to go."

Viatrus hummed as he collected his things, feeling that he had cleared the dark atmosphere between them.

"Time flies when you're having fun? My father used to say that a lot. He was great." Tobias had idolized his father, he had never known a more honest, hard-working man in his life. Even as a child he'd wanted to grow up to be just like his father, not some knight or great warrior like a lot of young boys might have dreamed, he just wanted to be a good, honest person and to raise his family and be happy. Happiness was a lot better than glory, anyway.

Taking the shirt, he didn't really even bother to look over the stitching job. What was a patchwork shirt to someone like him? As long as he could wear it, how it looked hardly mattered. Pulling it back over his head, Tobias actually tucked his shirt in before slipping on his vest and fastening it up. You couldn't even tell how badly the shirt was damaged with the soft-boiled leather jerkin covering it all up.

Once everything was gathered up, he stood and stretched a little. "Alright, let's get this letter delivered. Don't want to keep your employers waiting. Plus I kind of want to get out of here before Sorela sees me again. I don't want to make this harder than it already is." He made a little face, but then laughed it off. It was just part of who he was now, sneaking away from women that he couldn't possibly keep. "Hopefully if I ever come back through here she won't have decided she wants a wolf-pelt rug."

Viatrus nodded. "Alright then let's go" the pair left the inn in a much better state then when they'd arrived. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, Viatrus just hoped that it stayed like that. He didn't think they'd seen the last of those trying to stop the delivery.

The halfling pointed down one of the roads leading out of town that ran through the forest. "We're going this way. I'm supposed to leave the letter at some nobles place about ten hours good walkin' up that road. Speakin' of nobles, did I ever tell you about the one time..." And he was off.

A few hours later, five men rode into the small town asking about a halfling friend of theirs. They were quickly directed down the road that Viatrus and Tobias were were on. As they set off each of them checked the weapons they had attached to their person. They'd seen the condition of the last four men who'd been after this halfling. None of them wanted to end up like that.

It was a gorgeous day, and the walk was pleasant, if slower than Tobias might have gone on his own. Indeed, the idea that the walk would take ten hours amused him, but for the halfling, he supposed that might be right. Well, there was no harm in slowing down every now and then to just enjoy the sun shining down warmly on his skin. With each breath he savored the rich scents of the forest around them, the taints of civilization fading as the hours stretched on and on.

Of course the sounds of birds, rodents, and insects were overshadowed by the sound of Viatrus' voice as his young friend went on and on without end. It amused him, but it really did seem as if the short man could talk forever, eventually repeating himself several times, but Tobias didn't mind, in fact, his expression was on of bemusement as he was being told once again about "this one time" that was just the same as "this one time" he'd heard an hour ago.

There was something beginning to nag at his subconscious though. They had killed four men yesterday. Four men that had wanted to kill Viatrus. Whatever this letter contained that they were delivering, it was important and somebody didn't want it to reach its destination. Why? What was worth killing a courier over? The fact that things had gone so smoothly so far into this day also bothered him. If it was so important, they weren't likely to just give up.

"Hey Viatrus, what do you say we stop for a rest?" He wasn't tired, something was bothering him. Brown-gold eyes looked first up the road, then back the way they'd come. "Actually, I...I think you should hide." A soft breeze swirled around him and his eyes dilated as he breathed in the faint scent of danger. "Maybe we both should..."

He'd turned the night before, the wolf had come out, wildly and against his will. The danger had driven him to do it. Was that going to happen again? What if he changed now? There might not be time later, and the wolf was far more dangerous than he was as a man. Wouldn't it be easier to protect Viatrus with fangs and claws at the ready? He chewed on his lower lip indecisively, stomach twisting. Tobias didn't want to rip apart people with his teeth, to feel the hot draw of blood, the hunger for flesh. It wasn't natural.

Actually it was the most natural thing in the world to the wolf, to the wolf it was the man that was unnatural.

"What should I do?" The words were almost a whispered prayer.

Viatrus smiled at the idea of taking a break. Actually, the halfling was walking faster than he normally would in consideration of Toby, though the bigger man still had to slow down for him. He was tiring faster than usual as a result and rest sounded nice about now. He was looking forward to the relaxation when Tobias said his next few words. He looked up at his friend, saw hid narrowed eyes. It almost looked like the man was snarling at something coming from the way they had come.

Whatever it was, Tobias clearly didn't like it and Viatrus was pretty sure he could trust the wold-man's senses and instincts. Not to mention people were out to kill him...

He tugged on the bottom of Toby's shirt. "We can get off the road a ways and then keep going. It's a good idea to hide but I don't think we should slow down." The halfling unlimbered his crossbow and readied the mechanism. He put a bolt into place and then quickly led the way into the trees. They went a considerable distance from the road before turning and progressing on a parallel path towards their destination.

The tugging at his shirt snapped Tobias out of his internal struggled, and shaking himself lightly, the large man followed his friend into the trees. Maybe if they moved quickly and quietly they could avoid further confrontation. He fervently hoped so. Changing into the wolf in broad daylight didn't sit well with him. It wasn't something he'd ever done before, come to think of it. His stomach was still twisting in anxious knots as he followed Viatrus, though.

Every breeze brought him the scent of danger and wrongness that would inevitably whip the wolf within his mind into a frenzy. There was another scent, natural but alarming. If they were spotted Viatrus would never outrun horses. Breathing raggedly he pulled his bow from his back and notched an arrow. "They're mounted." He whispered, then pausing to breath in deeply and slow he growled softly. "Five of them, I think, no, I'm almost sure..."

Viatrus looked around frantically. The forest wasn't too dense here so the riders would have no trouble bringing their horses through here. It wouldn't be tough to track the pair either in this underbrush. Maybe it was time to make a stand. He stopped walking and looked around. There was a tree nearby that went up pretty high. But the branches were up taller than he could get.

Except he had Toby now. He turned to the taller man. "We'll never get away from them if they're mounted. We need to take a stand. Here's a good a place as any. Give me a boost into this tree would ya?"

There was no question that this was going to come down to a fight at this point. Two people on foot wouldn't be able to outpace five men on horseback. Tobias' stomach was twisting in knots, he was worried he might loss his small breakfast. He looked up the tree, wondering how well Viatrus would be able to climb it once he'd boosted him up. Grunting softly he hoisted the halfling up and shoved him up towards the lowest branch.

"Climb as high as you can." He growled. The horses would give them good warning of when the pursuers got close. The animals wouldn't like the scent of him. Not at all. "Viatrus, should I change? The wolf can kill them. I don't know if I can."

Viatrus climbed a little higher and than looked down at Toby. "Don't change if you don't want to Toby. My pa always used to say that you should never let circumstances decide what you have to do." Viatrus looked at a nearby tree. "You know what, do the same as me and get up higher with your bow, Five guys? No problem between the two of us shooting."

Tobias chewed on his lower lip for a moment, looking back the way he knew the people that wanted to kill Viatrus were coming. Growling he put his bow back across his back and took a step back before leaping into the tree a good ten feet. In just a few seconds he had scaled nearly to the top, practically bounding up the branches in a blur of motion.

If he was going to do this, then so be it. Finding himself a good point to crouch atop his very, very high perch, he pulled his longbow back out and notched an arrow. Burning eyes were more golden than brown.

The wolf would have chased them down, ripped and torn, bitten and savaged. 

There were five dark spots moving along the road, far from where they hid among the trees. They'd chase them into the forest soon, leave the open road where the shots were easy.

The horses would have screamed and fled from his presence.

They had stopped, they seemed to be talking - or perhaps arguing. Had they found where Viatrus and he had left the road? He was going to lose the opportunity for his opening.

The wolf would have savored the taste of blood and flesh.

It was an impossible shot, human eyes would have only been able to see small specks in the far distance. Tobias could see them. There was a soft breeze. They were too far. The soft grey fletching kissed his cheek as he drew the arrow as far as he could without breaking the flexing wood.

"I. Am. Not. An. Animal." He snarled, banishing the thoughts of death and the taste of blood. The arrow flew through the air, whistling as it arched high over the trees. Tobias could only hold his breath as he stared at the small group, their arguing leaving them vulnerable, and they not even realizing death was coming. Moment later chaos exploded among them as one of the figures fell from the saddle, landing motionlessly on the ground. Horses screamed as the figures scrambled into the trees, trying to get away from a shooter they couldn't even see from so far.

Scrambling back down the tree, much less gracefully than he'd ascended, Tobias dropped to a branch only a few feet above Viatrus. "They're not really close yet, but they'll be coming now. I think I got one."

Viatrus watched Toby with interest as he ascended the tree. Man he could climb! Viatrus focused on his own travel up the tree for a while, and then heard a bow go off. He looked up and saw Toby firing off into the distance.

The wolf-man leaped down with the same shocking speed and started speaking to Viatrus. He nodded his head. Toby was an incredible shot. He spoke back to his friend. "Nice job Toby, now let's get back up higher so we're ready for them." So saying, Viatrus began climbing again. He got forty feet up and found a suitable branch to sit on. He perched, and armed his crossbow. He loaded a bolt and settled in to wait.

Tobias gave a sheepish grin as he realized what he'd just done and that Viatrus had seen a bit of his wolf showing through. He'd have never been able to make a shot like that without the keen vision the wolf had given to him. Considering the only reason they were both still alive right then was because of the wolf maybe he should have been a little more grateful for the strengths the curse had given him. Still he thought he'd rather just be a man again.

"Right, be careful." He mumbled softly as he darted back up the tree, perching a little higher than where Viatrus eventually settled. Following the halfling's example he had his bow ready and an arrow notched, though he kept it barely nestled against the string while he waited for a target to approach. Partially golden eyes were watching like a hawk for any sign of movements, his ears were straining to detect any hint of the approach of their enemies. It was his nose that gave the earliest warning as the scent of danger grew stronger.

"They're getting close, be ready." His voice came out a gruff, gravelly growl.

Viatrus sat in the tree. He could feel nervous sweat trickling down the back of his neck. Tension hung thick in the air. He heard Tobias' warning, and set the stock of his weapon on his shoulder. He heard it now, the sound of a horse neighing.

Two mounted men cantered into sight. From what he could see they were wearing leather armor and outfitted with swords and crossbows of their own. Viatrus squeezed of his shot. His bolt hit the horseman on the right in his arm. He fell off the horse. Viatrus frowned. He'd been aiming for a kill shot, but at least the man wouldn't be able to load or fire his weapon.

He began arming the mechanism of his weapon. Time for the next shot.

The wind was still blowing gently towards them as Tobias crouched in the tree, every muscle in him tense as he drew the arrow to his cheek and waited for the mounted me to come in for a clear shot. He didn't have to wait long, the first horseman was knocked off his mount by the halfling's bolt, and as he tried to struggle to his feet Tobias' arrow took him in the throat.

Growling softly he had another arrow notched and drawn in seconds, Tobias didn't have a chance to fire a second shot as a bolt shot by his face, barely missing his nose as it splintered and exploded the bark beside his head. Instincts had him recoiling, and he lost his balance causing him to crash down several branches before frantically catching himself, clinging to a larger branch and dangling from it as he scrambled trying to regain a footing.

"On the right, Viatrus." He warned, before finally catching a branch beneath his feet that was strong enough to hold his weight. Settling himself again he drew another arrow, the last one had been dropped somewhere.

Viatrus finished loading another bolt. He heard the crashing of Tobias falling and he turned to look with concern in his eyes. He saw that the wolf-man had arrested his decent and he breathed a sigh of relief. His friend shouted a warning and Viatrus looked in the direction the other man had indicated. The other two horseman were there. One was reloading his weapon and the other was aiming at Toby.

It was difficult to hit a moving target and the man was standing perfectly still, taking aim. It made him and easy target. The halflings bolt took him right in the chest. Leather armor was no match for the crossbow mechanism and his bolt killed the man almost instantly.

That shot allowed the second of the first two crossbowman to lock on to the halfling's location, and a bolt wizzed by him and hit the tree inches away from the halfling.. That man, his shot made, jumped into cover before reloading, and Viatrus tried to do the same. He climbed higher.

There were only two men left, and both had dodged for cover. Tobias took the opportunity to climb back up from where he'd fallen, then he noticed Viatrus going higher and he looked down, trying to spot his prey. Being attacked from two sides was going to be a very bad day. At least they weren't great shots with those crossbows of theirs. If they were, they'd have both been dead by now. Well, Viatrus at least would be, he wasn't sure what it would take to kill him but he wasn't eager to find out.

He moved up the tree, trying to keep himself between the halfling and at least one of the crossbowmen. It would be nice if neither of them were shot, but if one of them was going to take a bolt, then it was better him than his young companion. For him the worst part would be the pain, the wound wouldn't stay open, and there would be no chance for infection. Yes, better him than Viatrus.

Turning he knew he only had seconds before a bolt would be coming from one direction - or both. He pulled his arrow to his cheek and was ready to fire the moment the shooter opened himself up to it. Curse his timing, the man came around a large tree crossbow already raised and he fired. Tobias moved faster, though, and in an instant the bolt had sunk into the tree where the werewolf had been only moments before.

The man gave a startled shout, not even seeing where Tobias had gone, and a moment later he dropped with an arrow in his chest.

Viatrus climbed a bit higher, found branch he liked, and set up. He sat with his back against the trunk of the tree and rearmed his weapon. He then flipped around and looked down for the nearest enemy. He saw one of the crossbowmen going down, stricken, and he saw the other aiming for his friend.

He launched a bolt at the remaining enemy, but the shot flew over his head. Viatrus cursed. The branches and leaves that made them a hard target for those below made it equally hard for them to shoot at targets on the ground.

The crossbowman's aim was disturbed, but he quickly reoriented himself and launched a shot at the larger, closer target. "Toby!" the halfling shouted, even as the bolt left the crossbow. "Behind you!"

Tobias was beginning to struggle to keep a count of the attackers still alive. Was there only one left, or two? Confusion clouded his face as he froze where he was and tilted his head, getting distracted with trying to count how many bodies he'd seen fall. Considering they were still being hunted that was a very poor idea, and about to become a painful mistake. Tobias' ears would have twitched if he was a wolf as Viatrus called out a warning.

The werewolf turned, golden eyes blazing, just in time to realize what was happening. His body jerked and dropped from the tree, body colliding painfully with branches - breaking several - as he dropped limply from the tree, hitting the ground with a sickening crunch. He'd been high enough in the tree, no human would have survived a fall like that.

Tobias didn't stir from where he fell, laying limply on the ground, bow broken and caught still in the tree. In fact, aside from the crashing sounds of his fall, he hadn't made a single sound, and didn't so much as groan in pain now. His body was curled up slightly, mostly on his side and face-down, silent and motionless exactly the way he'd landed. If there was blood, it would have soaked into the ground rather than pool, so from any distance it was impossible to say how badly he might be injured.

The crossbowman that shot him had very little doubt that the big nuisance was dead - nobody survived something like that.

Viatrus watched with horror as the crossbow bolt tore through his friend. The wolfman was tough, but could he survive that kind of damage? His concern for Toby delayed him in reloading his weapon, giving the opposing shooter an advantage. The other man was putting another bolt in his weapon already.

The halfling reached for another bolt, but his hands found only a single shot in his bag, and not one he could really use. His blood ran cold. He'd used too many shots in the last few encounters.The only one left was his specifically modified grapnel bolt, and that had no chance of hitting a target as far away as his enemy. Even as he considered what to do next another crossbow shot thudded into the branch he was sitting on a foot to his left. The other man had dialed in the range.

What could he do? He needed to get down as soon as possible, he was only a sitting duck up here, but how could he be fast enough? The answer he came to terrified him, but he realized that he had little choice. While his opponent was reloading, the halfling pulled the grapnel bolt out of his pack, and wrapped it around the branch he was sitting on. He threw the rest of the rope to the ground and slid down, clutching the cord. It was just in time, a shot filled the space the halfling had just vacated and would have hit him if he hadn't moved.

Viatrus' descent was rapid and uncontrolled. The cord gave him a sever rope-burn, and he wasn't able to stop himself well as he hit the forest floor. Luckily the ground was pretty spongy, but the impact still sent severe shocks up the halfling's ankles. He didn't have time to deal with the pain though, he scrambled into some nearby bushes just as his enemy, now armed with a sword, rushed into the space he had just vacated. He hid in the underbrush, doing his best not to breathe. The tension in the air was palpable and intense, and Viatrus could only prey that the man didn't notice him. That got less and less likely though the longer this went on...

For the second time in two days that Tobias had taken a crossbow bolt trying to protect Viatrus. It was extremely unpleasant, but at least this time he'd been prepared for it - sort of anyway. Falling from the tree hadn't been part of the plan. For a few moments his world had actually gone dark as he hit the ground, unconsciousness seizing his mind. All he wanted to do was curl up into a tight ball and sleep. The pain was intense as he was brought back to the moment and he couldn't suppress a groan that quickly turned into a pitiful whine.

The pain was most intense in his chest, and his hands reached up to tentatively touch the protruding bolt, what little of it there was, the shot had gone deep in the right side of his chest and breathing was a raspy, agonizing affair, blood bubbled softly on his lips with each labored gasp. The rest of his body was aching dully, probably from the fall, but he stirred cautiously and didn't think anything was broken.

Of course he had a new problem, one of the wrong ones was staring at him in disbelief, sword in hand. In a moment of panic Tobias realized he didn't know where Viatrus was. Was he too late? Had his moment of confusion gotten the halfling killed? Thrashing on the ground the sound that came from him was a savage, tormented howl. His eyes held not even a fleck of brown in them, they were nearly glowing gold in their intensity. The body was man, but the mind was all wolf now.

The man holding the sword struck quickly, swinging for a death blow to the throat, possibly hoping to sever Tobias' head, but the wolf was much faster. The sword came down on empty air, the werewolf was behind him faster than the eye could even follow. A blink later the man's head rolled from his body as Tobias stepped away from the falling corpse. He managed to take two purposeful steps before collapsing back to the ground, a mixture of growls and whines coming from him.

The sounds he made were full of pain and misery - he still wasn't sure where Viatrus was - he couldn't even smell him, the scent of his own blood was too thick in his nostrils to smell much of anything else. The gold quickly melted from his eyes, returning them to their usual brown as his growls turned to soft sobs.

Viatrus was still wondering what to do when noticed that Toby was still alive, and active even. The halfling was relieved until he realized with horror that the swordsman was coming to a similar realization. He ran out from cover, intending to do anything he could to stop the man's murderous swing at his friend.

Tobias beat him to it. The werewolf somehow separated the man's head from his shoulders before either he or Viatrus could react. The halfling witnessed the bloody scene with shock and horror and was stunned into activity for a few moments. His heart accelerated, and his breathing became heavy.

All of his instincts told him to flee, just as they had in the past. Like then, Viatrus tried his best to stop his body's reaction. In his head, he knew that Toby was his friend and that the woflman would never hurt him. In fact, his lupine companion had proven several times that he would do anything to save the halfling. Still, what he knew in his head didn't stop his knees from shaking.

Viatrus forced himself to take several very deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. He looked up, and saw that while he'd been preoccupied mastering himself his friend had collapsed on the ground in a sobbing heap. Concern for Toby finally won over his fear and the halfling staggered over to his side, kneeling down to get a better look at his friend's wound. He had to suppress his fear, to hide it. To make sure that Toby didn't notice anything was wrong. He couldn't let the other man feel like a monster, not again.

Even as he thought it though he knew it was probably futile. He forced himself to help Toby, but his whole body was tensed to run away. It was clear he was fighting with himself to stay at Toby's side. The wolfman had keen senses, and Viatrus knew he would notice the fear.

Fine then, he'd have to let his actions send stronger signals than his body. "Toby, what can I do to help? Please, what can I do?" He tried to put as much anguish and concern in his voice as possible, and it wasn't that hard. He was truly worried about the wolfman's condition. If he wasn't, there was no way he'd be able to force himself into action.

The strong metallic scent of blood that filled his nose made it impossible for Tobias to smell Viatrus, at least until the stronger, acidic smell of fear cut through the haze over the sobbing werewolf's mind. He was in agonizing pain, but relief flooded through him, choking off his sobs. Viatrus was alive, and terrified. That cut him, he knew that he caused that fear, but at least the halfling was unharmed. Better alive and afraid than dead.

As his friend knelt beside him, voice dripping with concern, a new feeling arose in him - panic. Tobias jerked away from Viatrus' hands, not wanting to be touched. The wound was worse than the one before, and it had been dangerous for Viatrus to try to touch him then. Brown eyes clouded with pain looked up at Viatrus with a whimper.

The wolf in him had retreated once the threat was gone, but it was still there, just below the surface somewhere. Wounded animals were dangerous creatures and he feared that the wolf would lash out at the halfling in pain. The thought of accidentally hurting his young friend made his stomach knot painfully.

"Get away from me." The words came out half sob and half warning growl. His chest was on fire, each gasp burned. It would never heal if he didn't removed the bolt from his chest. Blood and saliva was drooling from his panting lips as he jerked away from Viatrus further. "Just stay away." He growled again, not wanting the halfling near him right now, and the brown in his eyes was being overrun once more by gold.

Viatrus was a good kid, Tobias knew he just wanted to help, but right now the best help he could be was staying out of the wolf's way. With a force of will he scrambled to his feet and staggered away, golden eyes glowing with a wild intensity. The wolf knew what he needed better than he did at this point, best to trust the animal inside his mind. A warning growl rumbled deep and low in his chest, an attempt to deter his young friend from following him as he disappeared - slowly at first but soon he was speeding away in a rush to distance himself from Viatrus - for the moment it was the best way he could protect him.

The werewolf's frantic motions saw Viatrus reacting in surprise and alarm. His whole body was tensed, and Toby's animation caused his instincts to send him backwards. His brain tried to keep him by his friend's side, and what resulted was an awkward compromise that ended with him falling backwards on his rear-end.

He wanted to stand up again, to help Toby and prove he wasn't afraid, but his legs betrayed him. They wouldn't find the strength to allow him to regain his footing, and he was left sitting in a daze.

When Tobias stood up, Viatrus redoubled his efforts to do the same, but he couldn't match his friend's exertions. The werewolf sprinted off into the forest, and the halfling called after him in a panic. "Toby! I'm not scared, really. Toby, come back!"

Viatrus misunderstood his friend's reason for leaving, and instead interrupted his friend's flight as a reaction to his own fear in Toby's presence. The halfling let out the choicest curses he knew and smashed his fist into the ground.

Why couldn't he help Toby? He hadn't meant to hurt him, but now the wolfman probably hated him. Hot tears came rolling down his face, and Viatrus couldn't do anything but sit amongst the underbrush in abject misery, cursing his own weakness.

Tobias heard the halfling's panicked calls for him, but he ignored them and kept going. He knew that he was upsetting Viatrus, but he was in too much pain to try to explain everything. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he should try to explain it. Was it better to let his friend think he ran because of the fear shown towards him or to scare the poor kid further by explaining his own fears of hurting his friend on accident.

He'd never do it on purpose, he never wanted to hurt anybody - he hadn't even wanted to hurt the wrong ones until they hurt Viatrus and then him. After that the wolf hadn't cared what the man wanted. It disturbed him to lose control like that. Just now when he'd taken that man's head off - that hadn't been him - it had been the wolf in complete control of him. That man that had shot him yesterday had been the wolf's doing too.

When enough distance had been put between him and Viatrus he slowed down and fought with himself internally. The wolf wanted to transform, curl up, and lick his wounds. The man just wanted to rip this stupid bolt out of him and get back to his friend. Tobias knew that his friend was worried about him, and the longer he stayed away, the worse it would be. Growling angrily he frantically picked at the small nub of steel that protruded from his chest, the metal was slick with his blood, indeed, finally looking at himself he was shocked at just how much blood was soaking and slowly drying on his clothing.

It took several agonizing tries to pull the bolt from his body, but the moment he tossed it away from him in disgust he felt better. Sucking in the first deep breath since being shot he shuddered in relief as he felt his body working to heal itself. Dark circles were around his eyes, he'd not rested properly the night before - serves him right for hunting that young woman. Exhaustion ate at him. Food and sleep were forefront in the thoughts of both man and wolf, for once they agreed on what they needed.

His clothing had to be peeled off, the blood made it stick uncomfortably to his skin. Ruefully he thought about how Viatrus had just fixed his shirt for him. Nothing to be done about that now as refreshing air touched his blood-smeared skin. The change came smoothly, despite his injuries, and a couple minutes later he was shaking out his thick brown and grey coat, blood droplets splashing out from his fur.

It didn't take long for him to hunt down and kill a small deer, eating until his stomach felt completely gorged on the sweet meat. Tobias found a stream and drank his fill before rolling in the water vigorously and shaking out his coat - repeating the process until he was satisfied the blood was gone. Blood would only freak Viatrus out more. Of course, he thought seeing his wolf might freak the poor halfling out nearly as much, but he wasn't sure he could even shift back right now. He'd just have to put back on clothing caked in dried blood.

Making up his mind he didn't even go back for his clothes, they were ruined, he'd just have to get new ones later. Clothing saturated in the scent of his own blood would only keep his wolf aggravated. Trotting through the trees he wasn't even sure how long he'd been gone - long enough to be feeling almost normal aside from being really tired. His wound didn't hurt in the slightest anymore.

Counting on the fact that Viatrus would have eventually moved, he worked on tracking the halfling to see where he'd gotten to. Luckily for Tobias his wolf was very good at finding things and he was well-versed in his friend's scent. He could have found the halfling blind-folded using only his impressive nose. Golden eyes burned with the joy of hunting as he found his 'prey' and stalked Viatrus subtly for a few hundred yards.

The wolf could play that game all day, but Tobias wrestled the animal back under control with no small amount of annoyance. He could have moved without making a sound through the undergrowth, never being seen if he wanted it. However, he purposely rustled some bushes and let out a soft, very non-threatening whine as he dropped to his belly and crawled slowly towards his friend, doing everything in his power not to completely terrify the poor guy.

Viatrus remained sitting and crying for some minutes. It took him a while to recover himself, and finally stand, albeit shakily, to his feet. What now? Tobias probably hated him now, and he probably hated himself even more. How could he do that to the werewolf. He should have stayed away until his fear was under control, he should have been braver.

No, should haves weren't going to help him and his friend reconcile. He had to go after Tobias. He was about to do so, when his whole stomach lurched. His organs churned, and he could feel nervous sweat on his neck and brow. The thought of pursuing the wolfman into the forest terrified him.

Internally he berated himself. How could he be acting like this? Toby was his friend and he'd never hurt him. He knew that? Still, every time he tried to move, his legs seized up. Every time he rationalized, the image of Toby tearing the head off that man came to his mind.

The amount of willpower it took to initiate that first step was more than Viatrus thought he could muster. Still, he slowly, painfully, placed one foot in front of the other. And then again. And again. Each successive step became easier and he picked up his pace. He would find Toby, he resolved, he had too. He didn't want to be alone again. Not if he could help it.

He'd been trudging through the forest for some time, following the broken branches and blood that marked Toby's path. He hadn't gotten very far. Even injured and probably in unspeakable pain, the wolfman left very little trail. He was stuck standing in a clearing, looking for the next marker of his friends path, when he heard a rustling in the underbrush.

He looked to the source of the noise, watched incredulously as a wolf walked out of some nearby bushes. Or, rather, it crawled. The canine was making a low whining sound and it scooted across the ground comically towards Viatrus. Normally the halfling would be afraid, the wolf was truly a massive beast, but the sight was so disarming it made him burst out laughing instead. He realized with relief that he didn't need to be afraid, it was Toby for sure. He didn't even need to see the wolve's golden eyes to know it. His friend was here and in control, he was sure of it.

Suddenly his earlier fear seemed ridiculous. How could he ever think his friend would hurt him? How could he ever worry that Toby would abandon him? He knew the wolfman better than that. he felt ashamed of his doubt, and he almost cried again at the sight of his friend, though this time they would have been tears of joy. And relief, Toby coming back meant he wasn't alone again.

Toby approached him slowly, probably trying not to alarm him, and Viatrus decided to alleviate his worry. "It's okay Toby," he called out to the wolf, "I'm not scared, I promise." And it was true. In a flash, Viatrus' fear was gone, replaced by joy that his friend had come back.

When Viatrus broke out laughing, the wolf froze, tilting his large, shaggy head to the side, the ears perked up and his long pink tongue lolled out. The wolf thought the sound was strange, the man thought the sound was wonderful, so the wolf wagged his tail, causing soft thumping and swishing sounds. After a moment he started crawling forward again, still making himself look as small as possible - which was still pretty massive.

Tentatively sniffing, the smell of fear was fading from the halfling, dispersing in the air as it was no longer being generated and didn't continue to linger. That affirmation coupled with the verbal assurance had Tobias rising from his stomach and stretching languidly, no longer whining. The wolf hadn't liked crawling or whining, but understood that was what the man sharing his mind had needed him to do.

The sharp smell of fear still clung softly to Viatrus, but it was far more tolerable to his keen nose, but the wolf still wasn't quite satisfied. The creature did not smell right to him at all, which caused his animal frustration. Compromise, was the consensus from man and wolf. Striding forward confidently, Tobias butted his head against Viatrus softly, then began gently rubbing his head and neck against his friend, allowing his own wolf scent to rub off onto the small odd creature, which caused his wolf to relax a little.

Sniffing at Viatrus' hair, it wasn't perfect, but with a snort the wolf relented and seemed satisfied for the time being. Tobias was overjoyed and licked the side of his friend's head with a soft whine, tail beginning to wag again as he sat back on his haunches and let his tongue loll out again. If a wolf could grin, he was doing it. Although he tilted his head to the side and flicked his ears back in annoyance as he realized he wasn't quite sure how he was going to talk to the halfling like this.

He really needed to learn to think ahead.

The wolf's butting into him surprised Viatrus a bit, but the physical contact was surprisingly comforting to him. The furry animal was warm and friendly, and his actions managed to broaden the halflling's smile. When he started licking him, Viatrus broke out laughing again. He was glad that Toby was back. He didn't have to feel alone again.

The wolf sat back on his haunches, breaking physical contact, and Viatrus took a step back so he could see the canine in it's entirety. He was truly a massive creature, and sitting down like that he was about as tall as the halfling. And definitely bigger.

Standing apart like this, Viatrus suddenly realized the same problem that had struck Toby? How could they speak when Toby was like this. The halfling could communicate but it would be one way. Then again, considering their lack of options that would have to do. "Let's head back Toby, we need to get your stuff. Where did you leave it anyway?"

Massive in wolf sizes was an understatement as the shaggy brown and grey animal sat in front of Viatrus - Tobias could compete in size with a large pony, maybe even a small horse. His paws with the razor sharp claws were easily as large as the halfing's face. For all his size, strength, and speed the wolf was capable of a great degree of gentleness, which the man within him was pushing very hard to display to keep from frightening his friend any more.

When he heard what Viatrus wanted to do, though, the wolf let out a soft whine, then a low growl, fur bristling slightly. In the eight years that Tobias had been a werewolf, this was probably the most communication of any significance that his two halves had had. The man had to soothe and coax the wolf, but the fur went flat and the growl returned to whining. His clothes would be easy enough to find, but it would take time for Viatrus to move that distance and his animal didn't want to go at all.

The wolf was very insistent on it, in fact. Smelling his own blood made the wolf anxious and heightened aggression. The animal saw no point at all in the things left behind, and Tobias had to show lots of memories and images to the wolf to convince him that he needed his belongings. Although "convince" wasn't quite the term for it, more like relented and reluctantly accepted the human logic - something completely foreign to his animal mind.

Tobias huffed softly as he stood up, exhausted from all the fighting, the hunting, and the lack of sleep, but still pushing himself to finish what they'd started. Sleep could come later, after Viatrus was safe and sound with his job completed.

This brought him back to the other problem - they had lost time already. His friend was just too slow. Flicking his ears he moved up and rubbed against Viatrus again before nudging him towards the wolf's shoulder and laying down. Golden eyes looked up at the halfling expectantly. Surely his friend would take the hint. The wolf certainly realized what the man was trying to do and paced in his mind with annoyance, but the man ignored the wolf's distaste with the idea of being ridden like a mule.

Viatrus watched Toby intently. The animal in front of him looked thoughtful, though if you'd told the halfling a couple of days ago that a wolf could look thoughtful he'd have called you crazy. Eventually, Tobias seemed to come to a decision. He stood up and paced towards Viatrus. The wolf nudged him a bit and then lay down.

For a moment the halflng was confused. He thought he was misinterpreting his friend's signals. Did TOby want him to ride on top of him. It was true that the wolf was big enough to carry three Viatrus' easily, but it was still crazy. Him, riding a wolf?

Still, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. They could cover ground much faster this way. But his reluctance still existed. It was just so weird. Then again, Toby was asking. Who was he to refuse? This mental argument went on for several moments, before logic and trust for his friend's decisions beat out his common sense.

However despite his resolution, mounting the wolf was an exercise in complete and total awkwardness. Even with Toby laying down, it was difficult for the halfling to swing one of his legs over the wolf's side. Eventually, he had to jump onto the wolf's back, belly first, and then rotate himself from up there into a sitting position. It took him a bit more time to orient himself properly, but finally he told Tobias, "Okay, I'm ready when you are."

Oh they were in agreement that it was a weird arrangement. Tobias was almost laughing in his head at the mental image of a wolf racing through the forest with a halfling clinging desperately to its back. His wolf didn't find that thought funny at all, but that only made the man even more amused. The wolf he was forced to share his head with made him uncomfortable all the damn time, payback for a change was sweet.

Tobias gave a soft grunt as Viatrus jumped onto his back, noting the trouble the poor kid had mounting him. The guy was just so short and his wolf was so massive. When his 'rider' said he was ready he slowly raised himself off the ground, trying not to jostle his small friend into falling off. Turning his head to look back at his friend large ears flicked and he snorted, not satisfied at all with the positioning. It felt odd having someone on his back, but it wasn't so much that as the way Viatrus had seated himself.

Stretching his neck he gently grabbed the sleeve of the halfling's shirt and tugged him softly to pull him to lay low against his back and grip his fur tightly. If Viatrus sat up he might get caught by low-hanging branches, and that was the last thing he wanted to happen. Releasing his hold on Viatrus he huffed again and started trotting through the forest at an easy pace for about a hundred feet to be sure his young charge was held fast.

As soon as he was sure the muscles bunched and strained as he raced forward, paws flying over the forest floor as he weaved between trees. There wasn't a horse alive that could outpace a wolf like him, and every part of his being understood that he was powerful and strong - even for his own kind. For a moment he nearly faltered in his long stride before smoothly slowing to a jog and finally a stop as they came to the spot where he'd left his bloodied clothing.

The hair on his neck, shoulders, and back raised as he emitted a low growl of displeasure. The scent of his blood coated the trees and ground here, as well as the cloth and leather piled nearby. His wolf didn't like that. Not at all.

Viatrus was a bit surprised when Toby tugged him further along the wolf's back, but he found that when he was resituated, he was in a much more balanced place. He wasn't sure what why the wolf was tugging him down lower until he noticed how much higher he was than normal. There were suddenly branches that might hit his head. That was novel.

He had barely finished settling back into place when Toby started lumbering forward. For the first few seconds Viatrus had trouble finding his balance, but he quickly got more and more used to the wolf's movements. He thought he'd be good, and that was when the his friend really took off.

The ride was faster than Viatrus could have ever imagined. It was terrifying and nauseating and invigorating all at the same time. The halfling had never experienced anything quite like it. He clung desperately to his friend's back as the wind whistled past him. Funny, there hadn't been a wind while they were standing still, but now it whipped around his face and hair, howling with astonishing volume.

The ride went on for what felt like an eternity, but finally his friend stated decelerating. He got slower and slower, and he finally came to a stop. Shakily, Viatrus fell off of his friends back. Actually, it was more like he oozed off of it, sliding messily down his friend's side to the ground.

It took him some time to recover himself, but he was eventually able to stand again. He turned and looked at Toby. "Okay, that was pretty incredible, but can we please not do that again? I don't know if I have another one of those in me." He laughed shakily, but the wolf seem, preoccupied. In fact, his friend was just looking odd in general, and he heard what sounded like a growl coming from him. "Toby," he asked, concern in his voice, "Toby are you okay? Is something wrong?"

The wolf didn't understand how the strange creature that practically melted off his back couldn't understand his distress. There was dry blood everywhere around them. His blood. The scent was so thick in the air it was clogging his nostrils and preventing him from smelling anything else. The wolf couldn't understand. Tobias did, though. Viatrus didn't have the senses he did. Considering the dull color he doubted his friend even realized that blood was all around them.

Hearing the concern in Viatrus' voice, the wolf bristled for a moment before the man soothed the beast, hackles dropping so his coat smoothed out and the low grumbling in his chest died away. Turning his head he let out a whine and licked his friend's hand to reassure both himself and his friend that all was well. Nothing was wrong except an animal doing what an animal was going to do.

Huffing softly he strode forward, nose tentatively sniffing all around him, trying to detect a scent that wasn't the coppery tang of blood. He failed, of course. A good rain would cleanse the smell of the forest though, or enough time. Moving to his discarded belongings he assessed the damage unhappily. His bow had been broken and left behind, but his quiver was intact, though it looked like some of the arrows were damaged. Snorting, he had to fight back the wolf's overwhelming displeasure of the use of the unnatural weapons. As far as the animal was concerned his only necessary weapons were fangs and claws.

He picked up his shirt and shook it gently out to show Viatrus that it was so caked in dried blood it was actually a bit stiff as it shed flecks of the dull red-brown stains.

Viatrus saw now that Toby's shirt was completely ruined. No wonder he'd been reluctant to come here and get it. "You know what Toby, we'll get you another shirt, I think we can just leave that hear. But what about the rest of your stuff?" he asked.

He walked past the wolf over to the rest of the man's clothing. The pants and small clothes seemed mostly intact, and there wasn't nearly as much blood on them as on the shirt. Toby could probably wear them again. He picked those up, and retrieved Tobias' quiver as well, before walking back to his canine companion.

"Is there anything else you might need?" he asked. "A bag or anything?" He paused to think for a moment. Something came to him. "Oh, your bow! What about that?" The halfling had honestly lost track of it in all the confusion.

As soon as the words left Viatrus' lips, the wolf spat out the shirt, letting it fall to the ground unceremoniously. It wouldn't be missed, that was for sure. Stepping away from the discarded scrap of clothing he dropped down to his haunches and watched the halfling examine and gather the rest of his belongings for him. Tobias felt a little guilty, he should be cleaning up his own mess, not having his friend do it for him. Though without hands it kind of made things tricky.

Ears flicked at the barrage of questions, the wolf tilting his massive head to look at Viatrus with brown eyes swirled softly with gold. For a moment he and the wolf had an internal discussion about communication, and finally the animal simply shook his shaggy head awkwardly. It wasn't a gesture the wolf really understood, but the man did, and the halfling would, so that was good enough for him. He couldn't explain that the bow was broken, but all things considered he hoped Viatrus would let that go with a simple head shake for now.

Standing again he walked over and nudged the halfling gently with his nose, steering him in the right direction they should be going. There little run through the woods had literally cut hours off the trip. Too bad his friend had asked not to do it again, they could have turned a ten hour walk into a two hour sprint. Of course dealing with their attackers had wasted some time, but they couldn't be more than a couple hours from their destination - good thing Tobias had fled in the rightish direction!

The halfling continued to look quizzically at the wolf until it shook it's head. Two things struck Viatrus. First, there must not be anything else, which meant something had happened to the bow. And two, that was a very funny-looking thing for a wolf to do.

He kept trying to think of the severity of the first, but the humor of the second kept interceding and Viatrus cracked a smile. It was all he could do to not outright laugh.

When the wolf stood up and approached him, concern momentarily flashed through the halfling. Had the stifled chuckle offended him in some way? But no, Toby was just nudging him. Probably asking him to move. He turned to look in the direction he was being urged to, and realized that it was towards their destination. Looked like Toby was ready to go.

"Alright, alright." he told his canine companion. "I get it, that's enough shoving. I'll get moving." Even as the words were leaving his mouth, Viatrus was beginning to walk in the direction indicted. He threw Tobias' quiver over his shoulder as he went and started folding the man's clothes while humming to himself.

He finished that quickly, and then turned to his friend. "Hey Tobias, did I ever tell you about the time I got caught in a snare... Oh wait you were here  for that." he paused for a moment. "Okay I got it. How about the time I fought someone off with a cake..." He'd already told that one too. He just didn't remember telling it.

A soft huff was given at the idea that he was shoving his companion. If the wolf had wanted to shove Viatrus the halfling wouldn't still be on his feet. Letting out a sigh, Tobias plodded along behind his friend as they got underway. Amber eyes watched as the halfling folded his clothes, again feeling a little guilty that Viatrus was stuck carrying his things for him. Well he had suffered horrible injuries twice now on his young companion's behalf, so maybe that kind of made up for it a little.

It still bothered him how badly he'd bled from the bolt to the chest. When he'd been shot in the stomach it had hardly bled at all in comparison. Maybe it was the difference in location? He was pretty sure his lung had been pierced earlier, which was pretty bad. Still, he felt fine now. Good as new, except so tired that he was glad for even Viatrus' slow pace.

His paws were heavy and dragged lightly on the ground as he walked, tail down, and head drooped. Tiredly he tried to lift his nose to scent the air and gave up when he decided his own head was just too heavy for such exertion. First chance he got he was going to sleep for a freaking week. Maybe his extreme tiredness was part of the reason he'd bled so much? Hmm.

Viatrus was back to his constant chattering, and Tobias listened absently as his ears flickered and swiveled, listening for danger that might approach. Inwardly he was groaning softly, praying for no more "excitement" on this trip. Honestly he wasn't sure how much he could take!

Viatrus kept walking, maintaining a steady pace through the forest both with his legs and with his mouth. He knew that his walking speed was slow for Tobias, so he tried to lengthen his stride and increase his speed over the normal, just a little.

And even though he seemed absorbed with his talking, the halfling was actually paying close attention to his friend. The words coming out of his mouth were more of a reflex than anything else, and he barely put any mind to what he was saying. Instead he analyzed Toby. The wolf seemed to be flagging a bit, keeping his head and tail down.

He looked tired, bordering on exhaustion, and Viatrus felt concern. He hadn't really considered the other, less immediate effects that injuries might have on Toby. He thought back to the first time he'd been injured. He's seemed super tired then too. Sure he healed fast, but what did it take out of him? How much longer could he keep going?

He broke up the monotone chatter of his words with a more pointed question. "Toby?" he said loudly. He paused for a moment to make sure his friend was paying attention. "You don't look so good. Do you wanna keep going or do you wanna stop for now?"

Tobias wasn't really paying attention as he ambled along behind Viatrus, and though the constant chatter was acknowledged, he wasn't really hearing or comprehending the words very well. His whole body seemed to be on autopilot. His paws kept moving, but his mind had more or less checked out as he stumbled along in a daze.

It took several moments for him to realize that his friend was actually talking directly to him now. With an effort he raised his head enough to peer up at the halfling with tired brown-gold eyes, the wolf was keeping the man going, though on dregs of reserved energy. He could follow Viatrus for hours in this semi-aware state, but his ears twitched along with his nose. Viatrus smelled concerned - about him?

Tilting his head he looked around, not sure how much ground they had even covered. They should have been able to reach the their destination today, that had been the plan. With a soft snort he moved over to some bushes Letting his flank drop first, the wolf lowered himself to the ground heavily, resting his large head on his front paws as he gazed up at his friend thoughtfully. Even a few minutes break sounded nice.

Of course even as he thought that his weary eyes closed and a moment later soft snores began coming from the large beast.

Viatrus waited with concern when Toby didn't answer. His worry heightened when his friend looked at him. His eyes appeared bleary to the halfling, and he wondered just how tired the wolf was.

He got his answer a moment later when Toby moved to lay down in some bushes. It was only a moments work for him to pass out on the crushed underbrush. Viatrus smiled ruefully, relieved that Toby was well enough to rest like that. Maybe his friend just had to sleep it off.

He went over to his friend's side, and sat down right next to him. He put down his things, and then stared silently into the forest for a while, pondering about this job he was on. He had to resist the urge to open the blasted letter and see what was inside. It always got him so curious, but he had a reputation to uphold and checking the clients mail was not a part of that.

Originally the halfling sat with the intent of protecting his friend's sleep and keeping watch, but slowly his lids began to feel heavy. He put up a valiant fight, he really did, and he resisted for quite a while, but in the end, sleep claimed him. He slowly fell over from his sitting position and his head lay to rest on Tobias' heaving flank. The warmth his friend and his regular breathing was immensely comforting to Viatrus..

The halfling slept well, better than he had in a long, long time. He dreamt of his parents and of days long since past, letting his present worries tumble away in sleep's calm embrace.

The idea of Viatrus watching over Tobias as he slept would have amused the wolf greatly. Even asleep his ears and nose were alert for danger. Still, it was a sweet gesture that the man, at least, would have appreciated on some level.

As it was, the wolf's chest expanded and contracted in deep, even breaths as he slept as soundly as he could. Exhaustion was the only reason he'd been willing to lay down like this out in the relative open. Finding a den of some sort would have been preferable, but for now this would have to do. Tobias would have liked to have found an inn with a semi-comfortable bed. Still, beggars couldn't be choosers, he supposed.

He barely noticed when Viatrus curled against him and began to sleep too. Tobias really didn't mind being used as a pillow, and as a werewolf his body did generate a lot of warmth. They stay like that for hours. As much as his body would have liked to sleep through the rest of the day and night, the idea that they might still be pursued finally urged the brown-gold eyes open.

With a grunt Tobias realized that his friend was laying against him. The poor kid looked so peaceful he hated to wake him, but they really should move on, even if he wanted to go back to sleep himself. Standing up he stretched with a yawn, removing Viatrus' make-shift pillow and blanket. He did feel better.

He was eating a meal, laughing and happy though he didn't know why. There was a feeling of completeness that he couldn't place his finger on. The evening was normal enough. He and his parents was sitting at the kitchen table eating some of his mother's stew. The food was good, a little better than normal maybe, was that why he felt so oddly pleased at this commonplace event?

Suddenly though, that sense utter contentment faded. His head felt immensely heavy, and the floor approached him with alarming speed. He cried out "Ma!" as he felt his forehead crash into the wooden floors of his childhood home...

Except what he landed his head on wasn't hard wood, but rather soft loam. He felt himself breathing heavily, and he picked his head up with a start. The halfling looked about himself bleary-eyed, at the forest, the trees, the ground, and the massive wolf.

His muddled brain took some moments to sort reality from dreams, and during the sorting, Viatrus realized he'd called "Ma" aloud in both the sleeping and waking world. He looked sheepishly at his friend.

"Uh, sorry about that Toby," he bowed his head in apology. "I meant to keep watch, I swear, but I couldn't help myself from dozing off." He laughed nervously. "Long day I guess," he set with a strained chuckle.

Viatrus did not hear his friend give a vocal answer, not one he could understand anyway, and the halfling stood up hurriedly. "Are you ready to go?" he asked with maybe just a little too much enthusiasm.

Hearing Viatrus call out in his sleep as he was disturbed had Tobias looking down at the halfling with worry in his brown-gold eyes. Maybe he should have let the poor kid keep sleeping after all, but he didn't want to spend the night out here. They could both use a night in a soft bed, or hell, even a hard bed would do. Being out and exposed wouldn't be good for his young friend, though his wolf would have been unaffected by the conditions.

His head tilted as Viatrus apologized to him, then he snorted and shook himself. What an odd notion, that he would need watched over in his sleep. If anyone should have been keeping a watch out, it should have been Tobias, oh well. He wished he could talk in this form, but honestly he didn't know of any way that was possible. Giving a sigh he turned away from the halfling and looked around to get his bearings.

Once he knew for sure where he was going, and after scenting the air for danger, he finally stepped forward in the direction they would need to go, but after a few steps he turned to look back at Viatrus and wait for his friend to take the lead, he'd follow to make sure he didn't accidentally outpace the little guy.

When Toby started off, Viatrus followed him already beginning to pick up his stream of chatter. "So you're ready? Awesome. Hey, speaking of ready, did I ever tell you of this time..."

He was so lost in his speaking, which was unusual for him as normally the flow of words was more of a reflex, that he barely noticed when Toby slowed down and let him go in front.

He chattered away, trying to forget what should have been a happy dream. His stories ran their normal cycle, though this morning they noticeably avoided any mention of his parents, a precaution that the halfling had neglected to take before.

((Sorry it took so long. :/))

Tobias followed his friend in silence for a long while, partially listening but mostly lost in his own thoughts as he tried to keep a peace and balance with his wolf. The animal had gotten a nap and before that had consumed a large meal, and before that there had been Sorela...the wolf seemed rather languid and content, if he was honest with himself.

Together they just enjoyed the background chatter of Viatrus, and Tobias was surprised that the wolf did seem to enjoy the halfling's ramblings, and beyond that the sounds of the forest. Both of them appreciated being surrounded by the calming scents of the forest, and having a full stomach, and just feeling as if things were right. The stress of all the wrong scents and feelings had been getting to them both. Now the sense of wrongess was lifted and he could have rolled through the grass and loam with delight. Of course he repressed that urge from the wolf.

Finally he stepped up to be beside Viatrus, teeth snagging his pants that the halfling had been carrying for him and giving a soft tug. With the rest he thought he could shift now, and it would be better if he could talk to his friend. Also, he didn't want to go into wherever they were delivering this letter as a wolf, he doubted it would be appreciated.

Viatrus looked down at Tobias (though not really all that far down since even in wolf form the man was around the same height as the halfling) with momentary confusion. It took him only a moment though for him to realize that his friend wanted his clothes back. The halfling relinquished them easily, letting them fall to the ground in front of the wolf.

"I guess you kind of need these don't you. Are you ready to change?" He paused awkwardly for a few moments, considering a question. "This might sound a little weird, but can I watch? I'm, well, I'm a bit curious about the whole process." He paused for a moment again before speaking quickly, "I mean if it makes you uncomfortable of course I can look away or whatever. It's just, you know, maybe it could help me understand you a little better..." The halfling's sentence trailed off and he looked down at the ground uncomfortable, waiting for an answer.

Tobias had been in the process of gathering his pants and vest into his mouth awkwardly when Viatrus asked if he could watch. The large wolf froze, only understanding the request because of the man that shared a mind. The transformation was painful, slow, and revolting. That was what the man worried about. The wolf was more concerned about the fact that during a shift he was most vulnerable.

Ears flickered before laying back and a low whine was given. Tobias wasn't worried about Viatrus hurting him while he was vulnerable, but he wasn't sure if the halfling's stomach could handle the sights and sounds of his body rearranging itself. There really was only one way to know, and if his friend threw up it wasn't his fault.

For a few more tense moments nothing seemed to happen, but then the first sickening crunch sounded, sending Tobias to the ground with a growl. The next two minutes would be macabre indeed, with bones breaking before correcting themselves into the appropriate shape, the skin rippling along to the wet, ripping sounds of muscles and tendons realigning as fur, claws, and fangs receded.

The end result was a semi-dazed Tobias laying face down on the ground, groaning softly. He felt as if he'd been ground into hamburger before being shaped and molded into a human form. Shakily he felt a hand around, fingers curling around his pants when they made contact with the fabric. He didn't know if Viatrus was still watching him or if the halfling had run off screaming, to be honest. All he could really think about was how much he ached just then.

Running and screaming had definitely presented itself as an option to Viatrus somewhere around the half way mark of his friends transformation. It wasn't the visuals of the change that got to him, it was the sound of it.

With an effort, the halfling managed to forestall fleeing and instead shut his eyes and put his hands over his ears. He hummed a little ditty to himself as well, trying to shut out the world until it was safe to perceive again.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, the noise seemed to stop. Viatrus took his hands away from his face and saw his friend, lying on the ground, groaning. With slight trepidation, the halfling knelt down next to the big man. "Toby?" he asked in a slightly quivering voice.

Slowly, very slowly, Tobias regained his senses and control of his muscles. Finally he lifted his head, dirt and substrate smeared across his face, dark brown eyes blinked at Viatrus with confusion for a moment before he sighed and let his head drop back to the ground. He did manage to lift one hand and flail it a little at the halfling.

"I'm alright. It's never been a pleasant experience." He took a few more moments to just lay there before peering back up at his friend a bit sheepishly. "Could you turn around for a couple minutes so I can get dressed?"

The halfling gladly looked away from his friend, trying to purge the sounds of the last few minutes from his memory. Fortunately, over the last few years Viatrus had become skilled at forgetting things he didn't want to remember, and it was only a few moments work for him to mostly banish the experience.

After giving his friend some time, the halfling spoke over his shoulder, "Thanks for coming this far with me Toby, I never would have gotten here without you." The halfling chuckled a bit. "I don't think I've ever had a delivery this rough. I wonder why it is they don't want me giving this guys this letter?"