Special Delivery [Moonie]

[Alegretto]

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?."

[Zero]

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.

[Alegretto]

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."

[Zero]

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..."

[Alegretto]

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.

[Zero]

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."

[Alegretto]

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.

[Zero]

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.

[Alegretto]

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.

[Zero]

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.

[Alegretto]

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.

[Zero]

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?

[Alegretto]

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.

[Zero]

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.

[Alegretto]

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.

[Zero]

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.

[Alegretto]

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.

[Zero]

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.

[Alegretto]

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.

[Zero]

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.