Spirits of the Earth

@Cheesigator  Rated [m] for [m]anmeat!

Damn it was cold.

Bifrost rubbed his hands together, teeth clenched to keep them from chattering. It would have been easy to just build a fire or something but no. This was a secret. Couldn't get caught. Couldn't be seen. Well, if he didn't get seen then being caught wouldn't be a problem. Bifrost trudged through the path - some old one, probably used by deer with an alarming number of broken branches from probably bigger monsters.

A bigger monster that only came out on monster full moons and clear skies like tonight.

A bigger monster he'd probably run into.

He'd drawn the short straw to follow the supply cart.

It wasn't his, but the stuff on it could be if he managed to do a good job in snagging it.

Though, almost immediately he'd lost it but luckly he'd found a trail and was following that. Surely this was the supply cart. Going up a hill.Through the forest.

Okay. Fine. He was lost.

Utterly lost.

And cold.

Bifrost's teeth chattered for a moment before he demanded they stop.

Was it possible for hair to feel cold?

It wasn't until he stumbled upon a small clearing did he think to even think about where he was. Or wonder why he kept going up the path instead of back down to meet up with his brothers and lament about his inferior tracking skills -Seriously, why send him? He was a schmoozer, not a tracker - and they'd be off.

That backpack though.

Bifrost licked his lips and took a few steps towards the backpack.

It was just there.

Out in the open. A quick glance around, a brief look towards the sky, another shiver and he descended upon it, opening the ties and rifling through it. Gloves maybe? Maybe some sort of snack or something - he was feeling a little peckish.

Who'd leave a backpack just sitting out here alone? All vulnerable for big bad people like Bifrost to get it.

Needless to say, a talented thief Bifrost was not.

The backpack wasn't exactly stuffed with handfuls of gold coin and expensive jewelry, nor was it full of food of any kind. The contents was limited to: a shabby vest, some shabby boots, and some equally ruddy trousers. There was however, a light cloak stuffed inside, and a few odds-and-ends kind of things, like an old knife, and the tiny bones of some small creatures adorning a leather coord in some sort of crude necklace.

It wasn't the best bounty, but considering who it belonged to, it really wasn't worth Bifrost taking much of a risk on.


The Kilanthro Mountains were cold, and they only grew chillier during the night as the sun fell beyond the horizon. Kirkley never usually had issues with the cold, however. Being some sort of primordial beast as he was, he always tended to run on the hotter side when it came to his own body temperature. The mountains, and other chillier places, were usually his preferred places of stay for this very reason.

His large paws stirred up twigs and pinecones on the frosty ground, clouds of warm mist puffing in front of his muzzle with every breath. His backside brushed against boughs of trees, the only thing to set him apart from the forest being the movement of the foliage around himself, and the gleaming of his eyes--one gold, one a milky yellowish-pink. Even in his beast form, his scars carried over, and if one were to look closely underneath his short fur they would find his tattoos did as well, though they were stretched and distorted over the broad expanse of his build, so different from his usual two-legged way of life.

Two small ears swiveled forward when he heard footsteps not far from where he'd left his meager bag of belongings; the sounds of shifting cloth and chilled breath only further alerted him to the rather careless thief who had spotted it.

He slowed his steps, mindful of the greenery surrounding him, as he crept through the forest and peered through a bush at the man digging through his bag.

Really, was he that desperate to come up with something that he would search something so pitiful as his own bag? Not to mention the sheer suspiciousness of a random bag just lying in an open area, almost begging to be inspected. Anyone in their right mind would have assumed it to be a trap--clearly this person either wasn't thinking straight, or wasn't thinking at all.

Oh well, no matter. It'd still be fun to give him a good scare anyways.

He stepped out into the clearing, careful not to make a sound as he stood not too far behind the man, creeping closer until he was only a few steps away before letting out a low, rumbling growl. His lips pulled away from sharp teeth and powerful jaws in a snarl, a certain kind of fire lighting in his eyes, ears flattening back against his head.

A massive creature such as himself wasn't exactly built for the powers of speech, but he figured his growling and incredible size alone would get the point across--Those are my things, and if you keep touching them you likely won't have hands anymore.

He'd just finished hunting of course, so he had no intention of hurting this man--but the stranger didn't know that, and he could do with a bit of a chase after dinner. What could he say? He was easily amused.

The air got colder.

Or maybe it just seemed colder because it got more quiet.

The backpack was a big dissapointment, though the size of the pants caught him off guard. Could people even be that big? These were some human pants. Bifrost stood up, still holding the pants before giving a curious look around. The trees were quiet.

Then they werent quiet and it sounded a lot like growling.

Bifrost was pretty sure his heart fell into his guts and, still holding the pants, stood up and slowly turned around. Eyes wide, fingers trembling.

"Nice kitty," Bifrost said softly, taking a few steps back, taking a careful breath, "No ones gonna hurt you," a few more away from the weird catdog and another shuddering breath. "Are these your owners?" He asked and wiggled the pants, looking off to the side before giving them a toss into the bushes.

The waited patiently for the kitty to fetch so he could run.

Maybe scoop that backpack just to be a dick.

Kirkley was thankful for some things in this form; like the fact that it didn't show emotions as recognizably easy as a regular human form might.

When the man turned around, he was a little surprised--his growl caught in his throat before continuing. He tried to divide his attention between squaring up his shoulders like he was about to pounce and actually looking at this person once they were facing each other properly.

He had a pretty face, pretty eyes that might have been brown or black, it was hard to tell in the lack of light. But they were dark, and they glittered when illuminated with moonlight. The thought crossed his mind that whoever this was, they weren't human. But it didn't matter what this stranger was other than his new prey.

As the man nervously tried to step away and distract him with words, Kirkley countered by slinking forward, about ready to pounce when suddenly the man threw his pants. His growl was cut short as his head yanked up so he could watch where they fell.

Hey!-- He quickly made a move, darting after them and snatching them from the bushes--only to hear the sound of the man grabbing his bag and running as fast as his two legs would carry him.

Kirkley turned just in time to see the man's backside disappear into the bushes, bag in tow.

You've gotta be kidding me!

With pants in his teeth and a now very real threat of having his few belongings stolen lighting a certain kind of fire under his ass, Kirkley launched himself after the man, tearing through the bushes and underbrush, using his nose as a guide to follow right at the stranger's heels, his snarls only slightly muffled by the tattered cloth in his mouth.

Leave it to the other magical creatures of the world to surprise you; but now he had a real reason to catch the man.

Good.

Kitty took the bait.

Bifrost took off quickly, bandana whipping in the wind, tangling with the dark green braid that kept bouncing off his back. Should really get his hair cut. The bag was slung over a shoulder and there was one thought in his mind - besides the hair cut.

Run.

The snarls were too close.

It was a fast kitty.

And apparently the pathway was coming to an end - Not that Bifrost noticed, before the backpack got heaved back behind him into a tree. The backpack hit it with a thump about the sametime the cliff came too soon, one foot was over the edge.

It was a quiet kind of gasp, his eyes went wide and his arms shot up to grab anything. The rocks scratched his stomach while he grabbed at the ledge, and while the kitty disappeared from his vision, the wall of the cliff came into view.

What a shitty way to end the day.

"Fuck," Bifrost grunted, clinging to the edge, fingers gripping it. Luckly his foot found a root but... "Fuck. Fuck!" Maybe, "here, Kitty-kitty-kitty," his voice was strained, trying his best to keep calm. He poured whatever magic he had - not that he used it often - into trying to influence the cat.

"Okay. I need you to grab something of mine without eating it and pull me back onto the ledge." That'd be cool, right? Please work. Bifrost closed his eyes and took a careful breath, fingers slipping on the rocks, "C'mon Kitty, please?"

The chase was soon going to draw to a close; a human was no match for any animal with four legs. Kirkley was built for speed, built for tackling large animals and taking them down with enough bite pressure to snap necks in a single chomp. He was a predator, and his prey was too slow, almost literally right in front of his nose.

But right as he was about to pounce, he glanced ahead and immediately put on the breaks, skidding to a stop. Had he noticed just a moment later, he would've ended up like the man he was after--falling off the edge of a cliff and scrambling to hold on for dear life.

He pondered his options for a moment; his bag was right within reach by a tree, but his entertainment for the night was threateningly close to falling to his death.

Hmm.

Suddenly, he felt an itching at his brain; kind of like something was picking at him, and he realized after a moment of confusion and the sudden urge to want to help the man that it was some kind of magic. Oh, whoever this was, they'd just gotten a helluva lot more interesting.

He spat the pants out over by his bag and padded over to the edge of the cliff, looking down at the man, lips pulling back from his teeth in some twisted kind of a beastly grin. He shivered, muscles tensing, and with an almost ripple-like effect, his muscles shifted and changed; bones snapped and he started to shrink. He disappeared from the stranger's vision for a moment--only to reappear as his usual self: a large handsome dark-skinned man with the same glowing eyes as the beast from before--one gold, one blind milky-pink.

"Oh, I'm sorry little thief, do you need some help?" He watched the rocks and dirt crumble from beneath the man's fingertips with a smirk.

"You know I really wouldn't be a wise man to help someone who just tried to steal the few belongings I have in my possession, but..."

He reached down and offered the man his arm up; if taken, he would easily hoist the stranger back up onto the level ground, no assistance required.

"You've been pretty entertaining so far, so no real reason for me to let you die. A warning in advance though, when I change back, I'm naked." Kind of one of those things that he couldn't help no matter how many thousands of years he'd tried otherwise. His curse just didn't work that way.

Shit.

Mage.

Or shapeshifter? Either way it wasn't human and Bifrost knew that wasnt good. Chewing on his lip, he cast a quick glance over his shoulder. Be ripped to shreds by big burly KittyMan or... fall to his death?

"Yes please," he hissed out, eyes closing when a jolt of fear zinged up his spine. He swallowed thickly and quickly gripped the offered hand, realizing the big burly guy said he was naked but it wasnt until he was on his feet on flat land and all be could remember seeing was penis that he clued in.

That and his glittery purple eyes were staring right at him.

A becoming blush stained his cheeks and Bifrost looked up quickly, tucking his hands into his pockets and hoping almost falling to his death hadnt given him anything awkward. Like a fear boner. Not that he'd ever had one but his brothers had convinced him that was a real thing.

"Thanks, Kitty," Bifrost said in a squeaky voice before he cleared his throat. A look around - pointedly avoiding naughty bits - and he pointed to the bag, "that makes sense now." He stated obviously before he shrugged off his coat and held it out, "It might not fit - you're huge - but... uh... its warmer than those? Also, thank you?"

There was half a moment's pause as he stood up to pull the man over the edge of the cliff and back to safety where the stranger was sitting on the ground directly at eye-level with Kirkley's junk. He took a step back obviously to give the guy some space--not like he didn't clean himself or anything he just figured that in this kind of scenario it'd be kind of weird to have some other guy's penis immediately in your face. Not much that could be helped about it though so he didn't really think twice about it. At the very least he was... In proportion with the rest of his large body, otherwise a lack of self-confidence might have made this even weirder than it already was.

He stepped away to snatch up his pair of pants and quickly throw them on, but not before he hadn't noticed the blush that seemed to tinge the cheeks of this stranger. And it was, dare he say, adorable.

In fact, the longer Kirkley had to look at the man, he realized how rare of a coincidence this was that the guy whose life he just saved happened to be really attractive on top of everything else. The lack of light made it a little difficult to see exact details, but the guy had pretty lips and purple eyes that glittered like dragon scales.

However before he could stare at the man any longer, he found himself being offered the stranger's coat. All he could do was blink for a moment in bewilderment; this person was actually nice enough to thank him, rather than attempt to run off again, and even going so far as to offer him a personal item. That was... Really sweet. And thoughtful. And adorable god damn.

He accepted the offer with a smile, not really sure how he'd use it without ripping it, though.. So for now he draped it around his shoulders cloak-style.

"Thanks," He said as he picked up his bag, "What were you doing out in the middle of the woods this late at night anyways?" He asked; it was rare that mortals strayed too far from other people, particularly in forests and ESPECIALLY at night. It was dangerous for many obvious reasons.

Despite the fact that this guy had tried to steal from him though, Kirkley decided he'd call this even and offered him a hand to shake, friendly smile still on his face. "By the way, my name's Kirkley."

It'd be kind of rude to not introduce himself after the poor guy had had to see him naked, after all.

Thank goodness for Crotch-Hiders. Bifrost was barely able to not stare. He'd seen his fair share of naked men and by far Kitty was the most impressive and terrifying one yet. For a multitude of reasons. Bifrost stared blankly when the tall broad man introduced himself and Bifrost took the hand carefully and did a double-take.

Kitty? Really? No wait.

Kirkley.

Well that was much less fun. "Uh..." he had a name right? "Bifrost. My name. My name is Bifrost. Its nice to meet you, Kitty - er - Kirkley." Could this guy still eat his head whole? Still, his heart was hammering in his chest despite his smooth game.  Or not so smooth.

Bifrost just stared at him, taking in the image of the guy before, oh right. He'd been asked a question. There was something about Kitty that made Bifrost want to tell the truth. Quite possibly the fact he could become a giant monster or perhaps, one hand probably fit around one of his thighs.

Bifrost wasnt used to being dwarfed. Wasnt used to people being taller than him even. "Chasing down a merchant cart-thing," he shrugged, trying to ignore the chill from the cool night and lack of coat, "I may have gotten lost. Look, I'm sorry for taking your stuff, I'm impulsive, see? Sorta... make choices and then you gotta live with 'em, y'know?" Then he paused, "not that I ever regret it. I mean, lookit us. Fast friends cause I stole yer pants." Bifrost gave an awkward laugh and looked away.

Then he stood, hands on his hips and his braid draped over his shoulder, bandana no where to be seen and the pointed tips of his ears poking out from his forest green hair. Another quick glance ro Kirkley and he licked his lips, "Are you a werewolf? Are you gonna eat me?"

Kirkley noticed a couple things about this stranger that made their interactions that much more interesting; after all, thousands of years of living, you'd be stupid not to learn basic social observation skills. They came in handy, a lot. But this one didn't really need a high level of skill to pick apart, it was really just... That obvious.

The man--Bifrost--was having a difficult time speaking, and an equally difficult time figuring out where to look, so it seemed. Kirkley noted in the back of his mind that Bifrost was also fairly tall for any kind of mortal creature (though the pointed ears had him doubting that.) Either he just wasn't used to guys being bigger than him, wasn't used to naked men, or had a little something he might need to confess at the nearest convenient church.

But he decided to opt out of teasing Bifrost about it just yet; instead he gave the former stranger a solid handshake, the mixture of scents telling him so much more than body language didn't. He smelled sweat, other men, possibly, and the identifiable distinct scent that made up this other guy, who apparently misheard him at first and thought his name was Kitty. Or it was a tongue slip, one of the two. He didn't really mind, though. Guy could call him whatever the hell he wanted, names didn't have the same meaning to Kirkley as they might to anyone else, considering he couldn't remember his anymore.

"A merchant cart, huh?" He let go of Bifrost's hand and thoughtfully tapped at his chin, the stubble rough against his fingertips. "I think I remember hearing one while I was out an about earlier tonight." Now that you mention it, and all.

Suddenly the man was apologizing profusely for trying to steal his things; it wasn't like it was the first time it had happened, nor would it probably ever be the last. At this point in time, Kirkley didn't particularly care anymore. It wasn't like he had anything of huge value in his bag--no, his treasures were currently being guarded by a close friend. A close, fire-breathing, scaley friend.

"Really, don't worry about it, I just like to keep some clothes on hand for these kinds of situations, y'know?" He said with a smile while the other man awkwardly laughed and looked away. And then asked if Kirkley was going to eat him.

He just laughed, a deep sound that rumbled up through the core of his being. "I'm not about to eat you, and I'm no werewolf either. You'd have as much luck figuring out what I am as I do."

Here he stepped toward the cliff edge, tapping it with his foot and watching rocks crumble. "I guess the only way from here is to go back the way we came." He looked back over at Bifrost and smiled.

"I might even help you track down that merchant cart." He tapped the side of his nose; he was a dog... Thing, after all. He had a great sense of smell. And Bifrost had proven way too amusing so far to just let him walk away here; no Kirkley had every intention of hanging around the guy for a while to see what other sorts of trouble he inevitably got himself into. Because if anything, that sounded like an adventure, and Kirkley was always open for those.

He stepped aside to let Bifrost start to lead the way back through the foliage, taking off the guy's coat, now VERY warm and toasty and dropping it over the thief's shoulders, since he looked like he was cold. "I think you need the coat now more than I do. So there, I warmed it up for you." He said with a smirk; he was a beast, he naturally ran a higher temperature than most people, so nights like this didn't phase him, really. Tundras on the other hand? Different story.

He remembered?

Bifrost cast KirkleyKitty a look, blinking slowly and then... The cart. Right. He'd mentioned that. This guy was huge. Why was this guy so huge? He had to bite his tongue to keep from asking what he ate so he wouldn't be rude - but he really wanted to. Then the man laughed and Bifrost felt heat bloomed through his chest. That was a nice laugh. There had been things he was thinking about right? A moment and Bifrost sucked his lower lip into his mouth.

Right. Right?

There was a weary look over his shoulder when Kitty took a step past him to the ledge and instinctively his hand shot out to wrap around the other mans wrist, though... He wasn't falling and he wasn't about to fall. Goddamn man could turn into a giant monster. Of course he wouldn't fall and Bifrost let his hand fell away, letting it fall loudly against his thigh, palm down. Like he wanted to prove something.

Bifrost just felt awkward now.

He shuffled back a few feet and just watched Kitty, blinking at him owlishly and nodding dumbly while he spoke. Right.

"You would?" He asked suspiciously, tilting his head and pushing his hand through his hair, finding it unbraided and Bifrost frowned at that. Forest green hair fell around his shoulders to about his elbows and he crossed his arms over his chest , rubbing his forehead for a minute before the bandana was off too.

Bifrost wasn't quite an elf but there were some elfy features.  Features he much preferred to hide when he was home - though the hair colour got more than enough suspicious glances. The warm coat that got tossed on his shoulders took him out of his silent musing and he smiled at Kirkley, giving a little nod, "No kidding. I'll have to get you to wear my coat more often." Bifrost, being a creature of comforts when he could get them, curled his arms into the coat.

It smelled like the guy. He supposed if 'big and muscular' had a scent it would be, well, his coat now. "Can you really track down the cart? I mean... It's... I don't even know how far away it is now, I don't think it even came up here." Bifrost bit the inside of his cheek, "I'm just a shitty tracker. I'm the smooth talker con-man, not the... Cart tracker."

The attempt to hold him back from the cliff edge had been nothing short of cute, and with the way that his green hair fell around the frame of his face now, only enhancing the pretty features that Kirkley had discovered he already enjoyed looking at so much, it really seemed that all this man was capable of being was cute. Not really a descriptor word you would use to refer to a man who was probably six feet tall and a thief, but then again, Kirkley was far stranger in comparison, or at least so it seemed.

He couldn't help but smile as he watched Bifrost pull off his headband, unsure of him when he offered to help him find the cart. He couldn't blame the man; for all Bifrost knew, perhaps Kirkley was just saying that so he could lead him deeper into the woods to murder him for trying to steal his few meager belongings. Obviously not what was going to happen, but the other man didn't know that.

Kirkley shrugged in response to the question; "Well I remember seeing it earlier, if we get close enough I'll probably be able to pick up its scent. Shouldn't be too difficult." Well, this was a big forest so it might be a bit of a challenge, but if Kirkley just retraced his steps properly he could probably come across the scent trail left from the cart earlier. Thankfully it hadn't rained, otherwise there would be far less a chance of finding it again.

"So you're the smooth talker, huh? Able to charm the pants off of anyone you choose, now that must be a very nice skill to have." Kirkley said, his dog-like canines showing in the grin he flashed the man; it wasn't like he didn't believe him, but... Bifrost wasn't exactly doing the best job of proving his skill here--or, perhaps he was, and this cute thing was all just an act. Honestly, Kirkley didn't care if it was; the guy was attractive, and his personality was just charming him further to boot. If the man tried to pull anything funny it would be a real shame, but Kirkley could almost guarantee with absolute certainty he'd been in far worse situations.

Nodding at the other's coat he chuckled a little; "And if you want me to wear that coat more often then maybe I should just stick around for a bit, if you're enjoying it so much." He winked at the man before nodding back into the forest.

"Ready to go catch a cart?"

The man confused him.

Bifrost stared at the strange man openly, head tilted, pushing a hand through his hair and sighing. This was a confusing night. He was tired. He was hungry. His ass was cold. His arms were fine from the strangely warm man and the fact he'd made the coat super toasty before he'd handed it back. Bifrost wouldn't admit it, but he'd never cuddled down so far into his coat in his life. Almost falling to his death and it being cold on the mountain, he pressed his chilled hands to his mouth and breathed on them, still staring up at Kitty.

Who apparently liked talking.

The smooth talker. Bifrost started to shrug - usually it was his job to be the nice one - but then the charming of pants came up and he stared at the other man for a moment before slowly turning his head away. A nice skill to have, indeed. Bifrost cleared his throat and was glad for the darkness because his face was heating up along with his arms in the coat. A distraction. Bifrost needed a distraction and he quickly went about rebraiding his hair and tying the bandana back on to hide the elegantly pointed tips of his ears.

"I don't think I've ever blushed so much in my life," Bifrost announced, looking at Kirkley before he rolled his shoulders and sucked in a deep breath, "All this pants talk and yes, I would like you to wear the coat again once it cools down. You're a warm beast of a man, aren't you. Wouldn't hurt to share some of it now would it?" He tipped his chin up before quickly looking to where Kirkley had nodded.

Back into the forest.

Bifrost wanted to go home and into his warm bed. Or where ever they were staying. Which ever.

"Yup. Sooner we catch a cart sooner I can go to bed," He side-eyed Kirkley again before pursing his lips and rolled his shoulders, "Also, I've never charmed anyone's pants off unless I wanted them for myself."  Really now, what would charming pants off get him? Some pants, probably.

Kirkley's lips curled in a smirking grin, before he started to lead the way back into the forest, holding branches out of the way for his companion as he started to retrace his steps from where he'd been earlier.

"Well now, ain't that cute." He said in response to the comments about Bifrost blushing and how warm Kirkley was. He didn't even try to hide anything at this point, and he kind of appreciated the honesty. He liked their conversation enough, and this man had an interesting enough character that he felt it was still a worthy choice to stick around.

"Don't peg me as a one-trick pony though, I've got plenty more than just warmth I can share." He couldn't help it, if Bifrost was already having such a helluva time blushing tonight, then Kirkley was curious to see how red he really could make the other's face; too bad it was just dark enough that he couldn't see clearly. But he could hear it well enough in Bifrost's voice, and that was good enough for him.

After a little ways of walking, Kirkley relying on his nose to bring them back and ears to listen for trouble, they neared the small clearing where they had first met, and here he took a turn to the direction he'd come from. Now he had a better grip on where they were, not too far away there just might be a trail that that cart had been riding along on.

"Well I mean, unless if you want to go right to bed, I'm sure there's a town not too far from here." He said as he shrugged his shoulder, lifting a particularly prickly branch with a large spider on it for Bifrost to duck under.

He stopped after a moment however, a new scent making itself apparent to him. Smoke? It was extremely faint, and with the tree canopy surrounding them it was difficult to pinpoint where it was in the sky to determine where it was coming from, but Kirkley knew that smoke usually meant one thing: Men. And that meant that the cart might not be too far away after all.

He picked up the pace a little bit, treading carefully and largely remaining silent as he followed the scent until it grew stronger. Finally, he noticed a warm light up ahead through the trees and he paused, looking over at Bifrost to see how he was holding up.

"Looks like you weren't too far off after all." If only he'd kept going instead of stopping to pick through Kirkley's bags; then again, he'd be stuck facing off against a cart of several people ready to defend their merchandise at a moment's notice. If Bifrost really was as lousy of a sneak-thief as he led Kirkley to believe, then he might not have stood much of a chance on his own.

"There's at least three or four guys over there." He said, nodding in the direction of the fire's glow, still some twenty feet away from them, and even then he kept his voice hushed. "This is your thing, so what do you want to do, Smooth Talker?"

Bifrost just had to go and open his big mouth, didn't he? He took another deep breath to regain his calm and he cast Kirkley - no, he was Kitty now - a look while they walked. When Kirkley went about moving branches and generally just being nice Bifrost took the opportunities to not get smacked in the face by bushes and spiders. What was this guy's deal? He almost took his stuff and he was being polite and... God forbid, flirting.

Play flirting.

Bifrost was positive he was just doing all the weird stuff to make him uncomfortable right? Get his heart all fluttery and nervous? This guy was his ticket out of here and his ticket to that cart of goods for his stupid brothers because they were too lazy to get it themselves. A moment to close his eyes and take another breath and Kirkley spoke again. There was an audible gasp.

"Excuse me?" He stopped dead and stared, on eyebrow climbing high on his forehead. Right to bed? Like Bed bed? Or sleep bed? Bifrost tried not to ask, swallowing his words carefully before he shook his head and continued on. Maybe two could play at that game. A lick of his lips and he gave a slow suspicious nod towards the bigger (huge) man. The sight and smell of smoke was a welcome one and Bifrost hurried on ahead, hearing the comment of him not being far off.

Pfft, compliments. Bifrost would have never found this on his own, but he wasn't about to say that outloud. Not when the guy was being all... Calling him cute and being flirty. A deep breath and he listened to the strange beast of a man. What was he going to do? He crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Kirkley. "How about... You do me a favour and I do one back? Anything you want?" He rose his eyebrows, instantly regretted the offer but didn't let it show on his face.

"All you gotta do is chase me into the clearing as the beast thing," the words were accented by a dismissive wiggle of his fingers towards Kirkley's midsection, " they run probably, I scoop some of their stuff... No one gets hurt." He smiled, eyebrows up giving them a hopefully enticing wiggle.

Bifrost's reactions were priceless, and it seemed with every comment Kirkley made, they just brought him that much more joy. This was so much more fun than staying by himself in the forest tonight. Who knows.

Maybe he'd even have company overnight, too.

But that was a big what if, because so far it seemed like his companion could hardly figure out what to do every time Kirkley made even a slight come-on. Precious.

When it came down to planning their attack however, Bifrost made the mistake of asking if there was anything Kirkley wanted. Kirkley could only respond by staring at him for a second, slowly dragging his gaze up and down Bifrost's body and smirking. It was so hard to hold back a laugh; he made a valiant effort and succeeded, keeping his amusement to thoughts only.

He thought over the other's plan, nodding as he spoke. It was definitely a possibility that they would run, most people tended to run from him when they saw him--a giant ten-foot unidentifiable beast with jaws that would make an alligator blush seemed to have that kind of effect on people.

"Alright, I'm game." He said, taking a step back and taking the bag off of his shoulder, once again stuffing his boots inside and starting to strip. He deemed it a waste of time to warn his companion this time, considering that Bifrost should know by now what transforming entailed for him.

He paused in the middle of his work though, holding his pants wadded up in front of his crotch as he looked at the thief.

"Go ahead and start running, I'll catch up."

He finished putting his things away, stashing the bag behind a root on the tree next to him, and he gave Bifrost a good minute's head start before transforming.  It was always gruesome; the rearranging of bones and the stretch of muscles burned and ached in a kind of excruciating pain that was foreign to most other creatures living on this planet. Yet after tens of thousands of years (or so he assumed, he'd lost count a loooong time ago) of going through the motions and repeating the process over and over again, he'd come to like the feeling. The feeling of his body rearranging, changing into some kind of primeval carnivorous beast was like a kind of addiction; it meant there would be action, freedom to do as he wanted.

When you're a giant monster, society suddenly excuses you from following any and all rules ever created by man.

He took off running, his heavy paws making the ground tremble with every leap and bound over fallen trees, bushes and other forest debris. He caught up with Bifrost in a matter of a minute, just in time for them to burst through the treeline into the merchant cart's camp.

Kirkley came flying from the trees, leaping when the ground sloped to the well-worn path, the campsite flames licking his fur and turning his belly a golden-orange in color. The light glinted off of his teeth, his lips peeled back from his muzzle in a savage snarl as he let out a heart-stopping roar, ready to miss Bifrost in his pounce and land on the ground, near rabid as he spotted the nearest person and stared him down. Pointed, scarred ears flattened back against his head, as he squared his shoulders and raised his hackles, a low, threatening growl echoing around the clearing, the light of the fire making his eyes flash like glowing orbs.

It was certainly more than enough to scare any sane man; the fact that he was easily the same size as their cart only helped the ruse further.

That was a suspicious look.

Bifrost frowned at Kirkley and looked down at himself for a moment, plucking at his pantleg and the frown deepened. Almost as much as his blush. This man was an event. He was his own whole event and Bifrost wasn't sure how to process that. Never before had he met someone who seemed so... Interested in him. Passing glances, sure. There had even been a ... Man or two... That he'd dallied with. They'd all pretended it hadn't happened after though.

The confirmation of 'hey yeah, let's do it' caught Bifrost off guard and he stared at Kirkley for a full ten seconds before he remembered exactly why he was getting naked. Right. To turn into the Kitty. Not for... Things. Politely, Bifrost turned and presented his back to the undressing man, though the urge to go got him to turn around and -damnit, naked. "Right," He grumbled out before he rolled his shoulders and took off.

Bifrost liked to think he was a brave, decently in shape man, but the sound of crunching and inhuman shifting of bones and flesh sent his spine tingling and the light jog became an instinctual full out run. He even flinched when Kitty caught up, his arm moving up to protect his face. Bifrost almost forgot the plan and he was glad when he saw the strangers yelp and get up. Bifrost helped the slow one along, grabbing the back of his shirt and pushing him forward, giving a yell of fear to mingle with the strange men.

Though he turned back around with a shit eating grin, flushed and out of breath before he opened the cart and found...

Bifrost wrinkled his nose, "It's just swords," He kicked the cart, climbing into it and pushing things aside annoyed, tossing a shield out onto the ground through the flap door before he pressed his hand down onto the sharp bit of a sword and cut a clean line down his palm with a hiss. Bifrost slipped out of the cart, holding his hand out before he sighed and let his head fall back. "Great, my brothers are stupid," He pressed the back of his bleeding hand to his head and looked to Kitty.

"Okay, so one person got hurt, and maybe a few of them shit their pants but..." Bifrost shrugged, and looked down at their stuff before finding one of their bags, Bifrost picked it up with a grin  before he poked through the other ones, "They'll survive if I take this one," He wiggled it at Kitty with his good hand, "Food, they'll last fine on that one." And Bifrost took one last peak around before he shuffled off into the bushes again, finding Kitty's bag of clothes and sitting down with a heavy sigh.

What a crappy night.

It was cold.

The stuff in the cart was a bust - maybe a bad tip? Maybe his brothers were just stupid.

At least Kitty was warm, "My jacket's getting cold," Bifrost said out loud with a smirk before he closed his eyes and leaned against a tree.

As soon as the men were running, Kirkley made sure to chase after them a good while before slowing down and watching as they tripped over themselves and ran off into the night. He chuffed a little, an ear flicking as he smelled the scent of urine; yeah, at least one of them had pissed themselves. Ugh.

He turned and padded back over to the cart, watching as Bifrost searched it and only found weapons, clearly unhappy with this discovery. It seemed he was much more open to talking when Kirkley was in his beast form--probably because there was far less of a chance for Kirkley to make some kind of remark in response that would make him embarrassed if he was like this.

Kirkley noticed the blood on Bifrost's hand, and tilted his head slightly in concern. He wasn't sure what Bifrost was--possibly an elf--but he wasn't so sure speedy recovery was naturally included in his genes like it was for himself.

He sniffed at a sword, opening his jaws and testing the blade with his teeth, chewing carefully on it before Bifrost decided to vacate the area.

Boredom over, he got up and followed the man back into the forest. He nosed his way to the bag by his companion's side, picking it up in his teeth and pacing away a few steps before dropping it on the ground and rooting around until he got a hold of his pants and dragged them out. His muscles tensed, and he started to shrink in size, bones popping, muscles tensing and contracting until he was no more than a big man again, on his hands and knees, the slightest sheen of sweat on his skin as he panted a little bit, this time actually letting himself catch his breath.

After a few seconds he grabbed his pants and quickly shimmied into them, glancing over at Bifrost when he made the comment and smiling, letting out a soft laugh.

"Don't know how you could be cold after that run." Kirkley said as he stood up, walking over and joining Bifrost, flopping down on the ground right next to him, their sides brushing. After their little ruse, he was even warmer than he was before, and in comparison to how cold Bifrost was, he probably felt just like the heat of the merchants' campfire.

He looked over to his companion, leaning his head back against the tree as he let his breath even out to a slower, steadier pace, his chest rising and falling with each inhale and exhale.

"So, what now, then?" He wasn't quite sure how the hierarchy of bands of thieves worked; would Smooth Talker over here be in trouble if he didn't bring something back? He supposed it wasn't really any of his business, but still, there was that little part of him that worried, because he cared about everyone, even a thief he'd just met. He liked him enough.

"I mean, I suppose we could find the nearest town, or I could help you catch up with your brothers, wherever they are. Or we could make camp right here." He smirked, thinking of a few different ways they could keep each other warm throughout the night, but he held his tongue on that one.

Don't want to give the guy too many shockers, after all.

This guy was just a gift.

Bifrost had his eyes closed to give Kirkley privacy but he still gave a start when the big man sat next to him. Instinctivly Bifrost shuffled closer so their legs and sides touched, shoving his hands into his coat and leaning heavily.

What now?

"I'm beat," Bifrost said, cracking an eye to give Kitty a suspicious look, "and I owe you so." He shoved a hand into the bag and pulled out the regular stable food for traveling. Jerky. Bifrost shoved a piece into his mouth before holding one out to the big scary man.

"What did you want?" He started suspiciously, "I'm up for anything as long as it doesn't involve me being cold or consummed." Bifrost chewed his food thoughtfully before swallowing and took another bite. "Do more people try to kill you or run away when they see you as a kitty?" He blurted out, surprised with himself but none the less, he leaned a little bit more into the warmth and squared his shoulders.

He'd absolutely meant to ask that question.

Kirkley accepted the offered piece of jerky, and thought for a few moments, pondering over Bifrost's comments and nodding his head. One at a time, one at a time.

"The average person usually runs away from me. Sometimes they try to fight, doesn't go too well for them. Most of my scars are from other animals. Couple of dragons, some bears and shit. I don't remember them all." He said with a sigh, looking off into the forest as he spoke.

"What did I want? Mmmm, now that's a tough question..." He said thoughtfully, looking over at Bifrost and observing him carefully. He wasn't usually one to leap into one night stands so casually; well, sure he'd had flings here and there throughout his life, probably more often than he'd care to admit, but he also wasn't sure what exactly he wanted in return. He hadn't actually thought about it--the idea of taking Bifrost as payment (or his body moreso) had kind of been a joke. Only half a joke, though.

"I don't know what I want." He finally said after a moment. "I mean I thought about eating you but I don't think it's the kind you had in mind." He said, making a pointed glance at Bifrost's crotch.

What? He wasn't always that great at beating around the bush.

"Thought about a couple things involving you as payment, but to be honest I'm just enjoying the company." He was usually by himself, wandering aimlessly throughout the country, looking for things to do and people to meet, because it was all he could find left in this world for him to do now. Help others, maybe by doing so one day it would lead to him helping himself. Who knew.

Bifrost opened his mouth, eyebrows going up into the bandana. Well, that was blunt. That was it. His cheeks were going to red forever. The fact it took him a few minutes to really understand what the crotch look and eating meant added to the shame. Bifrost rubbed his neck and cleared his throat.

"Well, thanks for the honesty," he nodded, smirking. The honesty was nice to come by and the more blunt the strange man was the more Bifrost found himself relaxing. It was easy to lie. Easy to cheat. Bifrost found himself doing those things, though he avoided it when he could.

"Well, tell me about yourself. You're a big scary Kitty. You're... big and scary," still, Bifrost found himself snuggling closer to the warmth of Kirkley and he sleepily leaning his head in the other mans bicep. "Family? Home? What's got you so far in the mountains if you like company?" Bifrost gave him a nudge with his elbow, before he paused.

As Bifrost kept trying to snuggle up to him for warmth, Kirkley just smiled and lifted his arm, wrapping it around the man's shoulders and instead pulling him closer so he could better aid him in keeping him warm. His idea wasn't exactly accepted with open arms and stripping of clothing, but it wasn't outright rejected either, which he was perfectly fine with. It was getting to be late in the night anyways, and sleep was starting to sound more and more familiar and welcoming as the two men relaxed together.

These moments were so rare and hard to come by for Kirkley; it was rare he got to spend this kind of quality time with someone, skin touching skin and actually having some kind of meaning other than sex, and it felt wonderful, to be put simply. And yet it was times like these, when questions and conversation floated lazily around in the air, that Kirkley cursed his past and where he was from, because they inevitably were brought into things, and it was hard to talk about them without ruining the moment.

He let out a deep sigh, one that made him sound every bit as old as the thousands of years that he was.

"I'm afraid there's not much to tell. I'm far older than I look, and I don't remember much of anything of my past. I don't remember my family anymore, or my old name, or how I ended up like this. I figure it's a curse of some kind." He shrugged the shoulder that Bifrost's head wasn't on, looking down at the man and attempting to play with his braid, examining the green hair thoughtfully.

"I don't really have a home either, but I have a friend I stay with whenever I'm in her neck of the woods. Usually I'm out under the stars, though." He smiled a bit. "What about yourself? Someone with such a nice face like yourself, you should've ended up marrying royalty based on looks alone."

He was always eager to turn the conversation away from himself, it usually made things a bit lighter. While he talked, he hooked his foot under the strap of his bag and tugged it closer, snatching the cloak out of it and handing it to Bifrost to use as a blanket. It seemed they weren't going to be moving anywhere anytime soon, so might as well get comfortable for now.

Bifrost regretted his question almost the moment Kirkley sighed. It made his own chest feel heavy and he closed his eyes, head leaning against Kirkley - he didnt even mind that the guy was playing with his braid. Normally Bifrost was very self conscious of what he looked like, being from Connlaoth.

Beside the giant beast of a man though, he felt tiny and maybe even a little normal. Greatfully he took the cloak and put it behind his neck, giving another shiver before he closed his eyes and sighed. "Well, thanks for the compliment," he chuckled, extending his hand to examine the slice, dried blood on his palm.

"I was adopted by a lovely man and woman, my country is at civil war and I've have more people threaten to cut off the tips of my ears than I've had marriage proposals," he flexed his hand again, hissing when he stretched it too far and the slice opened again.

"You wouldn't happen to keep bandages in your bag, would you?" He asked with a chuckle, though he smiled through the pain of the cut.

Well, it seemed nobody had an easy life in these hard times. Granted, he had a feeling that compared to what he was raised in, life had changed drastically for the better, but still, hardships were relative.

He listened as he watched Bifrost play with his hand, accidentally reopening his wounds and making Kirkley snort a little. He was already reaching for his bag again by the time Bifrost asked if he kept any spare bandages.

"I don't, but I have something else." He pulled out his vest, tore off a piece from the hemline and took Bifrost's hand without asking, wrapping the cloth around it and tying it off tight, but not so tight as to make it too uncomfortable.

He held onto Bifrost's hand for a moment, like he was thinking of saying something, but decided against it and gently let it go after running his thumb over the man's knuckles. "You should be more careful." He looked back at the man's face, studying him for a moment.

"So you're not human, then, I'm assuming." Well, half-human, half-elf hybrids weren't exactly uncommon, but the fact that Bifrost said he was adopted raised a lot of questions. Chances were he might not know what he was, either. And for an odd reason that created a flicker of warmth in Kirkley's heart; the idea that he wasn't the only one who didn't know, and may never know, what he truly was. It was a far reach at best, and he mentally scolded himself for grasping so desperately for straws here, but he couldn't help it.

"So what about your 'brothers' then? How'd you end up a thief?" He asked, wanting to know more about this man's life because he intrigued him so.

Once Bifrost realized what Kirkley was going to rip up for his hand he opened his mouth to protest. That was unneeded for a simple cut. Sure it was deep and went into the meat of his palm but those looked like the only clothes he'd had. It didnt get weird feeling and Bifrost didnt have any tension in his belly until he felt the rub against his knuckles.

Be more careful.

Why was his mouth so dey?

Bifrost swallowed carefully and looked into Kirkley's eyes before nodding and muttering a dumb, "yeah." And then his heritage was brought to question and the tension eased away, still he blinked and he tried to smile before giving a helpless little shrug. "I... dont know," he replied honestly.

His head tipped back and he looked up at the stars, heaving a sigh. "I'm gonna go with your assumption is correct. Easier to pretend though, less trouble for me. I have no idea if I'm even half human, y'know? " he smiled at the mention of brothers and tilted his head.

"Wartorn country. Its either be soldiers and get killed or be under the radar and be bandits," he shrugged, "they are my brothers. They have the same parents I do. I guess we all just stopped caring about the country when they died. We dont kill people," he quickly stated, "that's messy and usually not needed, just... get what we need and go." A purse of his lips before he turned his gaze from the sky down to his hand.

"Thank you, by the way," he wiggled the fingers of the injured hand, "Can't say I counted on finding a living camp fire to snuggle up against tonight but I'm glad I did." He teased, a smalk smile on his face, "still owe you though."

Ah, yeah, wars tended to do that. They brought out the best and worst in people, and there wasn't anything anyone could do about it. But the idea that Bifrost and his brothers didn't aim to kill anyone was reassuring. After all, he could've been helping a murderous bastard this whole time for all he knew--actually, he still could be. There was always the chance that everything Bifrost was telling him was a big, fat lie. But really there would never be any way of knowing for sure.

Kirkley shrugged at the other's thanks; that right there was why he felt he could trust in what the thief was telling him. His ability to be humble and thankful; that spoke so many thousands of miles about the humanity he still had in his character, regardless of his actual species.

He smiled at the mention of being a campfire incarnate. "Yeah, I suppose that's a good way of putting it." At the mention of Bifrost still owing him though, he glanced over at him with raised eyebrows and a soft smile.

"That you do."

He leaned his head back against the tree, keeping Bifrost held tight against him to absorb as much of the heat as he was putting out. He closed his eyes and let out a soft, slow exhale.

"We should probably get some sleep, I'll help you catch up with your brothers tomorrow if you want." He said, opening an eye and looking at Bifrost.

Bifrost was expecting more than a confirmation of yes, he owed him. Nothing came of it though and he remained silent about the issue. Maybe tomorrow? Day after? Perhaps someday down the line he'll have a strange giant Kitty visitor who will announce that he was owed a favour. Would Bifrost still care? While he hadn't been all that tired before, snuggled up next to such a warm creature was having the tiny hands of sleep clawing at his being.

Stiffling a wide yawn, Bifrost let Kirkley pull him in tighter and his head moved from the arm to rest against his chest. The offer to help him find his brothers had his eyes snap open and he looked up, catching the strangers gaze. A hesitant lick of his lips and he gave a sleepy nod before turning his head back down and frowning.

It was a little awkward to be cuddled up next to a giant of a man. Bifrost had always thought himself a sort of man's man. He was tall. He was fit. Sure he was a little on the 'pretty' side but that was usually more useful than a hindrance. Now here he was, snuggled up tight against a strange man that can turn into a giant kitty and the only thing that was kind of bugging him was how strange his heart beat felt.

Nervous? Bifrost was definitely that. "I'd appreciate that, thank you," The words were hushed before he got comfortable again.

Still, those little hands of sleep eventually tore him down and he relaxed heavily on Kirkley, eyes closed, on arm loosely curled around his waist. It didn't take long for him to slide down into a sort of 'laying' position, with his head on the mans thigh, face pressed against his abdomen - though his arm was still around him, curling around like he was some sort of teddy bear. He was just too dang warm and apparently sleepy-tired Bifrost wanted to take advantage of every bit he could get.

Bifrost accepted his offer to help him find his brothers in the morning and finally let himself get comfortable, much to Kirkley's amusement. It finally seemed that his companion was relaxed enough to stop giving a shit about appearances, because as it turns out he was quite the snuggler in his sleep. He did his best not to disturb him and closed his eyes, letting his head recline back against the tree as he drifted off and on throughout the night in a sort of half-awake, half-asleep state.

By the time morning sunlight was filtering through the trees, he was already awake. He usually slept with ine eye and one ear open when he was out in the wilderness, so what would have been considered a fitful sleep had left him feeling quite rested. He listened closely to the sounds of the forest, as well as the pattern of Bifrost's breaths. At some point he would need to get up and find something to eat, preferably for the both of them. The difficulty would be prying the other man off of him without waking him up. So he did it slowly and carefully, inching away bit by bit until he could slowly slide out of Bifrost's grasp.

He left his bag and clothes behind, changing to make the hunt easier. He was only gone for perhaps 20 or 30 minutes before he came back with a badger gripped tightly in his jaws. His stomach growled, it was difficult to keep himself from eating it raw.

He made a slifht detour, checking the campsite from last night to find the fire extinguished and the cart long gone. He dropped the animal and changed, restarting the fire with a few pieces of flint he found nearby and going back to get his clothing, bag, and companion, so long as he was still there of course.

"Come on, breakfast will be ready in a bit."

Bifrost woke with a start.

Probably in a comical way. A surprised inhale of breath, doing his very best to at least scramble into a sitting position.

His braid had come undone sometime between Kirkley leaving and now, so that was a wavy tumbled mess to which he whipped off the head band and held that in his lap while he got his bearings. He didn't even remember falling asleep. Bifrost gave a tired confused look to Kirkley, staring at him confused for a few minutes.

"Why are you naked," He blurted out, slowly curling his legs in front of himself before he remembered. "Nevermind," Probably had been a Kitty. Bifrost groped for Kirkley's bag and handed back whatever it was of his he'd been sleeping on before he moved to stand up, hissing in surprise when he put pressure on the cut. Right. Last night had been an adventure. And then he'd promptly fallen asleep on Other Guy's lap.

Bifrost went still, frowning at the ground before he ran his fingers through his hair and cleared his throat. "You look a little scarier in the light, Kitty," Bifrost announced, tilting his head and giving Kirkley a long look. The scars and tattoos. He was impressive. For various reasons. He made a point of avoiding casting his gaze downwards for any extended period of time. For reasons.

Pushing his hair back, exposing his elegant pointed ear, he rolled his shoulders and stretched his hands wide with a yawn. "Wait, Breakfast?" Bifrost said with a surprised chuckle, "Did my charming pants off thing just get delayed? Pants off. Breakfast. You know how to treat us pretty people," He smirked at Kirkley before he started to wander towards the smell of fire - because surely that was his doing.

Kirkley paused a moment as he snatched up his clothes, grinning at the sight of a sleepy and bed-headed Bifrost asking him why he was naked before it clicked. The wavy locks of hair falling around the thief's face made him look every bit the ethereal being he very well could be; the light played on his face and highlighted his best features: his cheekbones, his lips, his very pretty purple eyes. Kirkley could just as easily imagine this man being an elven prince as he could imagine waking up with him completely naked and lying across Kirkley's chest. Mmm. That was an even better image, right there.

He shook his head a little bit to distract himself, because starting off the morning first thing with a boner and no meal wouldn't be ideal; it'd happened in the past, and it hadn't usually ended well. Well, correction: it ended wonderfully but moreso for Kirkley than his poor exhausted, bitten and clawed-up partners... Well to be fair even then most of the time they came back for more. He just continued to work on getting dressed now though, throwing on the tattered remains of his vest and somehow managing to pull it off as some kind of intentional ragged look--at least he wore it well.

He looked over at the other man with raised eyebrows when the comment was made that he looked even scarier in the light; you would think a big hulking beast of a man like himself would look more frightening in the dark, but perhaps Bifrost had a point. The scars and tattoos were very blatantly obvious in the light, as was every rippling muscle underneath Kirkley's skin, built up over time and hardened by such an extraordinarily long life.

He tilted his head a little and smiled, his golden eye almost glowing, it was so bright in comparison to the dark blacks and browns of his skin and tattoos. "Well, if I had a home and you woke up in my bed like that you'd be getting way more than just breakfast."

But as it was they were in the middle of a forest and they had shit to do.

He lead the way to the campfire, pulling out his knife and sitting down on the beaten-down earth to start preparing their meal. He wasn't exactly used to cooking for another person, so when it came to animal preparation he was a bit rusty at best; usually he just ate it raw and on occasion, whole.

Meat was hung to roast over a makeshift spit and Kirkley sighed, the sun itself finally starting to rise a little higher in the sky than just above the horizon. He relaxed his stance, leaning on his hands placed behind him, legs stretched out as he enjoyed the still-cool air.

"So how is your hand this morning?" He asked, nodding over at Bifrost. "And how soon do you want to get on the road to go find those brothers of yours?"

There was the blush. First of the day. In fact, there could even be a poetic moment in there about how his blush rose up his neck as surely as the sun beams kissed the sky and turned the clouds as pink as his face. Bifrost stared at Kirkly for a moment, trying not to imagine what that 'way more' than just breakfast would be. Trying to convince himself that he wouldn't like it. Trying even harder to reassure himself that no, he wasn't interested in Kirkley.

Beyond a simple curiosity, at least.

Bifrost rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand and looked away after the breakfast comment, though his gaze was quickly stolen back by what flesh of Kirkley's he could see. The markings were mesmerizing in a way and Bifrost rubbed the tips of his fingers together in an effort not to reach out and trace them like a curious child. Did they have meaning? Were they important? Did he know? A brief glance to the mountain of a man, a shy little smile and he turned away, not looking back until the camp fire.

What else was there to say after being blatantly told that, had there been a chance, Bifrost would very likely have his pants up a tree and his cries scaring away birds?

Nope. Don't think about it.

Another blush, which he'll blame on Kirkley again, thank you, and Bifrost sat off to the side. Sitting in much the same way, arms back to support himself, he let his head tip back and with a sigh he closed his eyes and sighed. Sunrise always felt nice, the warmth kissing his skin. It was usually for those first few minutes that he felt home, which, despite his wonderful parents and his faithful brothers, was a fleeting feeling.

Right. His hand. Bifrost sat up like he was burned and moved his hand to his lap and pulled the ripped piece of vest away, it wasn't completely healed, a bit of a scab still was still on the meaty but the outer edges were white with scar and he wiggled his fingers before quickly turned his palm down, giving a hesitant look to Kirkley.

Right. Kirkley wasn't Connlaothian. He wouldn't draw and quarter him for maybe being a mage.

"I'm a fast healer," He said simply, because surely had he been human, his palm would have been red and raw with infection.  Bifrost moved the bandage back to cover his hand and he sat up, pushing his hands through his hair and holding the bandana between his hands in a ball. "I'm ready when you are," He said softly, feeling a sort of sadness because the few, very, very odd hours, with this strange man were probably some of the more eye opening he'd had.

Also blush inducing.

"So, gonna help me find my brothers then take off? I still owe you," He smirked and tilted his head, "Gonna track me down some day and collect later or something?"

He peered over at Bifrost with curiosity and concern; the way he healed would also give many more indications about what kind of creature he could be, though Kirkley had never been very good at identifying creatures on his own before. The way the wound was scabbing up so cleanly was a good sign, at least it meant that his thief's... The thief's hand wasn't going to fall off within the hour or something.

"Well, that's good news for you. It's a dangerous world out there and that'll definitely save your life." He knew it all too well.

The topic of Bifrost still owing him one came up again however, which Kirkley had for the most part let drop--truth be told he'd kind of forgotten about it. He wasn't really one to hold things against people, that was more Ain's thing. Besides, he didn't really feel like he needed payment for yesterday; Bifrost had given him an interesting adventure and was offering him companionship and good company, really that was all Kirkley could have asked for or wanted.

But since the elf-eared man kept insisting, he supposed he just couldn't let this opportunity slide up.

He tilted his head in a little half shrug, turning some of the meat and handing the first bit to Bifrost. "It's hot, be careful--and well, you do, but what I want might be a bit much for you." He paused for a moment, to look the other in the eyes to make this very clear: "I won't ask you to do something you're uncomfortable with."

It was plain and simple, really. Now, obviously there was a difference between not wanting to do something and not being comfortable with it; you could not want to help but begrudgingly go along with say, a chore of some kind, or you could be incredibly uncomfortable with it. Kirkley would never force anyone to do something unless if their lives depended on it; it was a kind of violation of trust that he himself was not okay with.

That being said, however, he sat back with a piece of meat and took a bite, thinking for a moment before continuing. "But you do owe me, and I think you know perfectly well what I want. Whether or not you'd want to is up to you." He shrugged his shoulders, as tense as they always were, and continued on with breakfast as if this was everyday normal conversation.

Careful it's hot.

Still, he'd reached out and taken it and sure enough he gasped and passed the bit of meat from hand to hand, blowing on his fingers carefully to keep them from burning because not only was it hot, it felt a bit like fire. All things considered, that was probably a given and he quickly slipped a bit between his teeth and chewed on it carefully so he didn't burn his tongue.

Careful it's hot. Pah. Once his bit of meat was done, he went about licking the grease off his fingers - which he kind of regretted when he thought of how dirty his hands probably were but... They'd already been in his mouth so it was too late for that now. The chat he got, about what Kitty wanting being too much for him - or potentially being too much - had him look at the large man carefully.

Bifrost shrugged his coat off carefully, wiping his hands off on his thighs and pushed his hand through his hair. A long look at Kirkley. A brief glance over his shoulder before he rolled his shoulders and leaned back on his hands, giving the beast of a man a smirk. "Well, if it makes us square I'm sure I can be comfortable for ya." Bifrost chewed on his lower lip before his bravado eased up and he sat back up, legs crossed and his hands resting in his lap.

"So," He leaned in to look at Kirkley, "You are talking about sex, right? Just so I know, because that's what I'm assuming and hey," he jerked his thumb back towards the cliff, "I was ready to climb all over ya when you saved me from that cliff. I think I had a fear boner from that," Bifrost froze for a moment and sat back again, looking over to the side again before he rose up onto his knees and blew out a careful breath.

His coat was laid out on the ground, the bandana followed shortly after and his fingers started to work at the buttons of his plain shirt. Without being hindered by fabric, Bifrost's hair was far longer than it appeared, forest green hair to his elbows, the weight of it hanging loose having the tip of his ears poking from his hair.

The shirt followed quickly and he cast a look to Kirkley with a smirk before he stood up and started to work on the buttons of his pants. A fit man, Bifrost didn't look utterly amazing. There was nothing remarkable about him except for, perhaps, a strange crescent shaped birthmark on the left side of his chest along the ribcage. "This is what you wanted, right?" He said hesitantly, fingers at the buttons of his pants, finally taking a moment to stop and think.

Watching Bifrost juggle his breakfast around like a hot potato was highly entertaining, of course. How could it not be? Kirkley just smiled to himself and kept eating, enjoying the morning for what it was--that was, until, Bifrost made a big mistake.

The thief shrugged off his coat, studying Kirkley carefully before claiming that he could make himself comfortable. The were-beast paused for a moment, not quite sure how to take that, but before he could respond, the other man blatantly asked for confirmation that yes it was indeed sex he'd been talking about, and it took every single ounce of restraint Kirkley had in him to not bust out laughing.

Oh you know, all those come ons, flirtatious comments, talk about giving Bifrost a blowjob, you know, all that stuff--TOTALLY because he wanted to go shopping so the other man could buy him a new pair of shoes. Sex? Pfft where the heck did he get that idea from?

Of course he didn't say any of that; he didn't even really think it, all he could think of was how cute it was that Bifrost wanted to confirm before he did anything, so Kirkley gave him a nod in affirmation to his question, simple as that. He'd had a fear boner or two in his lifetime, so the comment about that didn't really surprise him much. What did surprise him however was what followed.

He had briefly gone back to stoking the fire when a movement caught his eye; he looked over to see Bifrost's coat on the ground, soon joined by the bandanna, and then his shirt. And like that, Kirkley was hooked. He stared Bifrost down with all the intensity of a mountain lion; nothing, not even a dragon could have ripped his attention away from the gorgeous shirtless man in front of him right now.

His eyes traveled over every inch of exposed tan skin, following the thief's hands down to the waistline of his pants where they stopped, and then Kirkley, quite displeased by this, realized the other man was talking to him. Oh. Right.

Was this what he wanted?

He responded by getting up and closing the distance between them, gripping tightly onto Bifrost's shoulder and pushing him to the ground; he followed closely, pinning the man down by his wrists as he swiftly maneuvered a knee to spread the thief's legs, brushing right up against the other's groin as he leaned down so close that their chests almost touched, his face a mere inch from the other's.

"What do you think?" He hissed, letting go of one of the thief's wrists to let his hand wander over the other man's body, the feeling of finally having such close skin-to-skin contact making his whole body tingle as he leaned in even closer, his lips just shy of brushing against Bifrost's ear.

"You sure?"

His hand continued to travel down the thief's body, stopping momentarily on his hip before his thumb dipped under the waistline of his pants, brushing against the short hairs on his body, coming dangerously close to Bifrost's dick before his hand slid back up and over the pants, gripping onto his thigh while Kirkley couldn't help but grin, his teeth sharp and his eyes gleaming.

If Bifrost thought he was already huge, he must've seemed massive when he was hovering just above him, muscles tense and the air between them crackling like an electric storm.

Oh holy shit.

Bifrosts breath caught in his throat when he was coaxed down onto his back and there was a moment of primal fear. This guy could become a giant scary beast of a monster. He was big and scary and covered in scars as a man. The touch, however was gentle and he blushed brightly when Kirkley situated himself between his legs.

Well that wasnt a fear boner.

Bifrost let out a little moan of surprise, breath sucking in when the warm hand caressed his chest, dipped down a little low and then moved to a thigh. A thick swallow and he knew his face was beet red. Sure he'd done the deed before, but he'd never done it in the dirt and never with someone who seemed so eager.

You sure?

The words echoed  in his head and Bifrost sucked in a breath. Was he? Well, no  not really, half because of the mechanics - the guy was huge. "I didnt exactly go out prepared for this," he breathed, a sort of primal tremble climbing over his form before he turned his head towards Kirkley, he was breathing on his ear and they had always been sensitive.

"But sure, lay it on me Big Guy, no time like the present or whatever," he smirked before leaned his head up to smash his lips to Kitty's before he pulled away, flushed again. Bifrost wasnt a smooth talker where it counted.

The quiver of Bifrost's flesh beneath him made something inside of Kirkley growl with hunger, something that would only be satisfied once the thief was screaming and writhing underneath him, and he had every intention of making Bifrost do exactly that.

At least the other man was honest; many people probably didn't start their day thinking they were going to get screwed by a behemoth of a man who could turn into a giant catdog. Such was life.

The crash of Bifrost's lips against his own was more than enough of an answer; his hand swept up from the thief's thigh to grab a fistful of green hair at the base of his neck, tugging it back so the man's neck was exposed. He slid kisses and bites ranging from gentle to mildly intense up and down Bifrost's throat, before working his way up his jawline and nipping on his earlobe. Oh yes, he'd noticed it when the other had turned his head away, face as red as a tomato earlier. He was going to test that about him.

While he distracted the man with attention, he adjusted himself a little better so he could support himself on his knees alone, now using his second hand to give a sharp tug to Bifrost's pants, sliding them down and touching him without hesitation. Kirkley was a man who was far too old to deal with that petty tripe about being embarrassed for liking men. He was a beast, he didn't bother with the rules of society 90% of the time, so why would he let it dictate who he slept with? He had no time to waste being shy--he had a thief to screw the brains out of. That took priority now over anything else.

With a smirk he shifted his weight to his right arm, with which he still had a fairly firm grasp of his thief's hair; the shift brought their bodies closer together, skin now in full contact with skin, keeping the heat between the two of them tangible and real. His hand slid over Bifrost's member, grasping it and rubbing his thumb over the tip while he brought his lips back to Bifrost's, his tongue deftly spreading the man's lips so he could truly taste him for the first time.

He reminded Kirkley of pine trees and the cool taste of fresh rain, every bit as refreshing as he was energizing and inspiring, and he had plans to relish every moment he had in this to the fullest extent.

Bifrost had never been ravished before.

Wasn't quite sure what it really was, though now he had a pretty good idea. Everything was sensitive and all he could hear was heated breaths and his own heartbeat. The dull thud of it sped up from nerves and eagerness. Was this a bad idea? Maybe it was. Maybe he shouldn't have encouraged this as payment for saving his life - though Bifrost was pretty sure that wasn't even what this was about anymore. He opened his mouth to say some witty comment about being hungry, but it turned into a heated gasp when Kirkley nibbled on his earlobe. 

A throb of pleasure scorched his nerves and Bifrost had to clamp his teeth down on his lip to stay quiet through all the nibbles and kisses. His breath was heated little pants and he let his eyes flutter closed because may as well enjoy this while he could.

It wasn't everyday someone found you so irresistible they had to bang you in the dirt.

Bifrost gasped softly when he felt the cool morning air touch his bare ass and he arched towards the heat Kirkley put off. Which got his dick touched, so that was pretty nice. Bifrost licked his lips and sucked in a breath, eyes snapping open to look up at the beast of a man hovering above him. Then, he supposed the real game began before he quite found himself unable to think of anything but the hand in his hair, the foreign tongue in his mouth and the rough hand on his junk.

"I'm not really sure who's getting paid back here," He groaned out between kisses, shifting his hips and moving his hands to trail his fingers over the various scars he could reach. Bifrost pressed up into the kisses as far as the hand in his hair would allow, breathing heavily through his nose before his fingers trailed up to Kirkley's neck to cup his face and hold him closer for more. Bifrost had never been one to simply 'let go.' It had never been safe enough. Someone was always around. Someone was always listening. Always ready to scream heretic or sinner.

So, when in the presence of a giant catdog, Bifrost found himself quite capable of presenting his belly and begging for more. "You sure?" Bifrost finally huffed out in a husky whisper, more of a tease than anything else, of course Kirkley was sure. He could already feel the rocks digging into his back and it was terribly nice.

Had Bifrost actually voiced the question of whether this was about saving his life or not, the only response he would have received would have been another one of Kirkley's deep, hearty laughs. It had stopped being about that a long time ago.

It was so rare for Kirkley to open himself up physically to others; not that he had a problem with people touching him, or vice versa, but when it came to sex he rarely partook in it these days. It was a mixture of a lot of things--the ache to have a steady partner, as well as the desperate desire that would likely never be fulfilled that he could find someone who had a chance of outliving him. It was an impossible dream, and knowing that he never gave it much thought. When he met new people he appreciated looks but never thought of them in a light to be considered as a potential partner.

But there was something about Bifrost, something about his personality and character that had intrigued and hooked Kirkley from the moment their eyes met. There was something about him that pushed Kirkley to stay with him, and keep finding out more and more. And here they were, and he was glad he'd followed his gut. He wasn't sure what would come of this, but to make a long answer short--no, it wasn't about saving Bifrost's life last night.

Now it was a matter of getting to play pretend, even if just for a little while, that he wasn't completely and utterly alone.

Of course he was going to lavish every inch of Bifrost's body with affection, because he couldn't remember the last time he'd done so with a person and been sincere about it.

It made his heart ache during every kiss, made him long for something that wasn't there--was it a little saddening? Yeah, but he was also used to it. It wasn't the emotion he was letting himself focus on now; no, the sole thing that had one-hundred percent of his undivided attention was the man beneath him.

He chuckled at Bifrost's comments, kissing him one last time before letting go of him and sitting up on his knees, a dangerously sharp-toothed grin easing its way onto his face.

"Oh, I think I know." He slid his own pants down, because the restrictiom of the cloth at this point had become nothing short of annoying.

And unfortunately for Bifrost, he now got to see the entirety of what he was dealing with. And it was a lot.

Kirkley watched him closely for his reaction, tilting his head a little bit with an evil smirk on his face. He reached up and slid his index and middle finger into his mouth, sucking on them for a brief second before pulling them out with a satisfying 'pop'.

He eased himself back down, dark brown, braided hair falling over his shoulders to frame his face as he moved closer, their lips brushing while his hand slid down from Bifrost's junk to press two slick fingers to his entrance, that smirk not going anywhere any time soon.

"I'll try to take it easy on you but no promises, Smooth Talker."

He captured the other's lips in his own again before Bifrost had a chance to protest, sliding his first two fingers into the other man, taking it slow and gentle--but he would only be so nice for so long, because after all it was Bifrost who owed him, not the other way around.

Bifrost was a flushed mess already. His mouth was going dry from breathing with it open from the heated kisses and he watched with interest as Kirkley rose up on his knees. Then he openly stared when he pushed his pants down, eyes snapping from his face down to his dick. Which honestly made him pale a little and perhaps even sobered him up.  At least until he started to suck on his fingers.

It was easy to get his blood boiling and Bifrost was taking this as a learning experience. He honestly hadn't been aware giant catdogs did it for him - not that he regretted this discovery. Bifrost chewed on his lower lip, giving a husky moan against Kirkley's mouth when he whispered against him. No promises?

There was a strange hollowness in his belly and he wasn't sure if that was extreme arousal or fear. 

Bifrost gasped against, a sharp moan into his mouth before his arms curled up around his neck, fingers digging into braids and him trying to kick his legs out of his pants - or at least one leg - so he could move it. "Holy Fuck," He panted, one hand tangled in hair and the other moving down to feel just exactly what this guy was expecting him to work with. Every bit of Kirkley's flesh was hot - which Bifrost was thankful for, the morning was chilly and in any other circumstance, being mostly naked wouldn't be super awesome.

A gentle squeeze of Kirkley's cock and he pressed up for more kisses, though he pulled back and looked a little bit concerned, flushed, ear tips bright red they practically glowed. "I think you'll have to take it easy on me, Kitty," He said in a rough husky voice, pressing in for more of the warm kisses during his pause that sent blooms of pleasure through his chest. There were blooms of pleasure elsewhere, but not because of kisses. "It's an impressive tool you got here," He gave Kirkley another gentle squeeze - wouldn't do well to give it a tight squeeze, that shit was sensitive-"But I'm starting to really doubt my... Skills." Bifrost looked away, panting still before he licked his lips again, trying to catch his breath before he gave his own smirk, "But feel free to continue ravishing me, I kinda like it."

Kirkley found himself grinning into their kisses, because Bifrost's reactions were everything he could have ever hoped or dreamed for. The moans, the husky tone of his whispers, the open-mouthed panting. He'd already considered Bifrost gorgeously attractive, and the sounds he made were only making the situation even better.

He used his free hand to help pull Bifrost's pants off, along with his own, in two quick movements, flinging both pairs somewhere behind him because he couldn't have cared less about their clothes right now, the only thing he cared about was his thief.

He let out a growl when a wave of pleasure washed up and over him as the other man decided to try touching him, and if he hadn't been on fire before that he most certainly was after. He returned every kiss when he could, almost desperately, growling a little again when Bifrost pulled away to talk more.

He just smirked in response to Bifrost's concerns, moving in closer and trailing his lips from earlobe to eartip before taking the tip into his mouth and very gently nibbling and sucking on it. "Mm, the only thing I want you to focus on," He said during a pause, burying his face into the crook of the man's neck as he continued to move his fingers inside of him, "Is how everything feels. Let me worry about the rest."

"Oh, and you're not allowed to hold back your screams. I want to hear everything." With that he bit down onto Bifrost's neck, moving deeper inside of him with every thrust of his fingers, while he sucked on the man's skin to leave a somewhat painful bruise that would last throughout the next couple of days, at the very least.

He slid his own knees forward a little, which pushed the thief's up and further apart, pulling away from him just enough to maintain balance while his free hand returned to the man's throbbing cock, giving it a few strokes and gentle squeezes, enjoying every minute of Bifrost's sounds. His gasps sent shivers down Kirkley's spine, the constant squirming in arousal, his hooded eyes which were starting to take on a look of being glossed over with want, driven by pure animalistic needs that would only be satiated by flesh. It was raw, and it was powerful in its own way. In response, it made Kirkley want to fuck him even more, he wanted to dominate the power that Bifrost unknowingly held over him. He wanted to make the other man his own.

He let go of the man's heated length in order to better steady himself as he leaned down to press kisses and bites all over Bifrost's chest collarbone and chest, sliding his tongue over a nipple and blowing on it, the wind combined with the chilly morning air probably feeling nothing short of teasingly freezing. He added a third finger inside the man while he was distracted with differences in temperature, because he already knew what was coming next; it was a lot for any normal human being to take on, at least Bifrost was bigger than most, which made preparation all that much easier. But he still had to be careful about it--while every inch of his being ached to bury himself deep inside of the other man, it wasn't worth it to him to completely destroy him in the process of doing so. Then it was only nice for one person, and there wasn't any fun in that.

Bifrost gave a strangled moan when he was told to just feel. Though his eyes went wide and he stared at Kirkley, rolling his hips against the mans fingers. He swallowed his moans, mouth open before he chewed on his lip.

"You're gonna make me scream?" He panted, hands digging into flesh, hissing when Kirkley sucked on his neck. That would last days. The sting remained and it made his chest tingle, another eager roll into Kirkley and he sucked his lip into his mouth to muffle the moan.

The amount of attention had him panting, his fingers dug into the back of Kirkleys hair to hold him closer. A whimper when he licked his chest and blew on it. Bifrost pulled away slightly with a gasp, fingers digging in.

Then he just felt.

"Kirkley," he breathed out, tipping his head back with a choking sob. Bifrost wasnt one to let go and just feel. The odd one out. The one that was different. It was... Nice. To be around different and Bifrost found himself grinding down eagerly, pulling Kirkleys face to his to press eager kisses to his chin and lips.

A good grind down and he gave a startled yelp, fingers digging into his back. "Fuck," he grunted, "Right there," he panted, head tipping back, fingers clenching in with each grind down. "Kirkley," another needy moan, "I'm gonna go crazy if you don't do something else."

The moans, the squirms, the desperate looks on Bifrost's face, it all made Kirkley's blood boil. He responded to every kiss, his skin burning where the thief dug in with his fingernails, leaving marks that would probably last a day or two at the very least, something he was completely fine with.

Bifrost tilted his head back and Kirkley nibbled at the underside of his chin and jawline, biting and sucking where his throat connected with his jaws, leaving yet another mark that would blatantly whore attention from anyone who happened to notice it later.

The yelp at first made him think he'd hurt the man, but that worry was quickly satiated when Bifrost started grinding harder against his hand, desperately wanting more and telling him so. It was that right there that he'd been waiting for, that confirmation that his fingers had gone as far as they could, that it was less likely (though still possible) he'd hurt the other if he got too ahead of himself.

He slid his fingers out, sitting back on his knees as he grabbed Bifrost's thighs and with one pull slid him up onto Kirkley's lap to easier adjust. He used the position to his advantage, situation himself with the tip of his length resting against the man's entrance, so when he leaned forward to keep Bifrost pinned to the ground, it was easier to guide himself inside. It was definitely a tight fit, it squeezed him just enough to send waves of pleasure, warm and tingly all over his body.

Kirkley slid one arm underneath Bifrost's neck, dispersing his weight between his knees and forearm, while his free hand grabbed onto his thief's hip, sinking himself deeper into the other, nice and slow for the both of them to adjust.

He let out a growl, starting to move his hips as he stole another passionate, open-mouthed kiss. He felt like his mind was going haywire, and it made it increasingly difficult to maintain focus and not just annihilate the poor man right here and now. With every push and pull it only felt better, making him groan and bury his face into the side of Bifrost's neck, the hand under the thief finding some dark green hair to curl into his fist and tug on, already starting to speed up the pace a little without even consciously realizing it.

The rocks on the ground scraped at his back when he was pulled forward, though it did little to wane his interest. Was this normal? Bifrost's blood was heated and he moved his hand to Kirkley's arm, feeling his hand holding his hip. The world didn't exist past the beast of a man and he relished in the stinging sensation left from the hickeys - though Future Bifrost won't be too happy about them, Current Bifrost loved it.

When he began his grand entrance, Bifrost's breath sucked in and he gave his hips a little shift of discomfort. Fingers digging in, no doubt leaving little crescent shaped indents on Kirkley's skin. Finally, when he was fully seated he let out a helpless little moan, taking the kiss with vigor, returning his own, biting his lips. His heart was pounding a million miles a minute and he rolled his hip into Kirkley's movement, desperate for the attention.

"Fuck," He whimpered, head falling back with a moan, "I think I feel you in my throat," There was an accusing look to the dark man, though it quickly dissolved into helpless pleasure. If there had to be one thing said about terrible ideas when it came to when and where and with who to have sex with, this was the best worst decision of his life. Bifrost brought his free hand up to swipe his tongue on it before he grabbed his own dick, figuring that, no, Kirkley probably wouldn't mind if he tried to get himself off.

Just feel. Bifrost moved his hand from Kirkley's arm and curled it around his lovers neck, pressing his mouth to his ear so that each grunt, groan and whimper was close enough to feel the breath that carried them. Just as eager as Kirkley, it seemed, Bifrost rocked into each movement, breath hitching with each little knock forward. While his teeth were no where near as impressive as Kirkleys, he pulled his earlobe between his teeth  and bit gently. "I thought you were gonna make me scream, KittyCat," His voice was husky and his eyes were bright, a devilish smirk on his lips - though he was flushed to high heaven and by the end of this he'd probably really need to brush his hair.

The comment Bifrost made created a wave of heat that surged up through Kirkley's body, as it was a rather scandalous thought. But the little glare he got afterwards just made him grin, finding it hard to hold back a snicker, because it was nothing short of adorable. This man was the perfect mixture of seductive and cute, and Kirkley honestly adored it.

Of course he didn't mind if Bifrost helped himself, as his own hands were currently preoccupied with keeping them supported.

He felt the breath of the other man, heated against his ear, and he heard every slight little sound until the man bit and tugged on him, daring him, challenging him.

Fine, if that was how he wanted to play it, that's what he would get. Kirkley wasn't going to be nice anymore--he'd asked for it, and now there was no way Kirkley could keep holding back. (Though one should commend him for the good job he'd been doing, Bifrost's ass could have been thoroughly wrecked several minutes ago.)

His response was simple; he pulled almost all the way out, and slammed back inside the man nice and hard, and then he kept that pace immediately afterwards. Rough and quick, his grip tightened on the man's hip, fingertips digging deeper into light tan skin. He found his way to the man's neck and bit down and held there, not drawing blood, but also holding him still, because if he moved too much then they might lose their current position, and Kirkley did not want this to be interrupted.

Every one of his own growls and groans was muffled against the other man's skin, and he found himself moving harder and faster by nature, the pleasure making his head foggy, and it took everything he had just to maintain his focus. Because now he only had one other goal, besides making him scream: Find his sweet spot and make him scream even louder. He didn't want Bifrost to have a voice anymore after he was done with him, and he was going to do his damnedest to make sure that that happened.

At first, Bifrost was worried he'd done something wrong. Kirkley was pulling away, which was never a good thing when it came to lovers.  Then, he didn't pull away and decided, no, he'd like back quite suddenly. The move in had him grunt, his fingers digging into his skin with a whiny moan, eyes squeezed tight. It wasn't really intense until the bite and Bifrost gave an alarmed cry. There was a few moments with the change of pace where he wasn't really sure about what he should be doing.

Then the angle was perfect and the air was perfect and Kirkley was perfect.

"Kir--" He grunted out, his one arm still looped around Kirkley's neck, nails dragging across flesh while his other hand moved from his dick to squeeze Kirkley's bicep to stay steady and perhaps a little more grounded. Bifrost's hair was going to be a hot tangled mess. A light sheen of sweat was on his brow, his hair stuck to his shoulders. Each slam forward earned Kirkley a moan until Bifrost wiggled just a little bit.

The next movement forward earned a started pleased cry to the skies and more finger nails digging into his flesh. Bifrost turned his face into Kirkley's hair when he gained enough of himself to hear his heated cries echo back to him from the surrounding area. He couldn't make noises besides hitched breaths and cries that were forcefully pushed out of him. Was this normal? Bifrost ground himself as close to Kirkley as he could, begging for more that he was sure Kirkley would be more than happy to give.

Bifrost bit his lip, voice a grunt and he moved his hand back down between his legs eagerly. Lost to the pleasures that his beast man offered him. Bifrost wasn't thinking about what he looked like to Kirkley, wasn't concerned about what an image he'd present for himself. No, instead, he eagerly moved his hand over his dick because he was going to explode if he didn't. Another garbled version of Kirkley's name and he let his head fall back, mouth open and panting heavily. "I-," He panted, swallowing to wet his tongue so he could talk, "I'm gonna-" He panted and lifted his head, giving the top of Kirkley's head a pleading needy look while he tried to get himself off.

As Bifrost let out his first loud cry, a flock of birds took off from the trees at the sudden loud noise, not that Kirkley noticed; the only things he could wrap his head around was 1) Fuck he feels so good and 2) the concept not-so easily put into any eloquent sentence, so the only way to describe it was via simplest option: MINE.

With every loud cry that was dragged from Bifrost's lips, Kirkley tightened his grip just a little bit, slammed into him just a little bit harder. Sounds were escaping Kirkley now as well, groans and audible, open-mouthed panting. While his thief had a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, Kirkley was definitely the worse for the wear--his muscles were slick with it, glistening in the sun. His body temperature was on fire, and it felt like the only way to make it better was to keep doing what they were doing. They were climbing up to their ecstasy together and they were long past the point of changing their minds and wanting to turn back.

His breaths were hot against the skin of Bifrost's neck, and as the other man tried desperately to choke out words, Kirkley tried his best to do the same.

"Fuck--" He growled, feeling himself so dangerously close to the edge he could almost taste it in the back of his throat. "Bifrost," It came out as a growl, and he leaned up just enough to press his lips against the other's ear, growling even lower, the rumble purring through his chest.

"Come for me."

He used his grip on the thief's hips to help pull the man down against him, to meet every thrust, pleasure racing like lightning bolts throughout his body and starting to gather, he was so close, all it would take was the tightening of Bifrost's muscles and he'd reach his peak.

The first words in a while - though a simple curse - was the beginning of the end. Or the grand finale. Bifrost was a whimpering tense mess, his hand moving vigorously to catch his peak. Thoughts were a far away concept because there was only here and now. Those two places ended up as a giant dark skinned man, chewing on his neck and giving probably the best dicking he'd ever gotten in his life.

Well, considering the only other time he'd gotten a dicking was fairly drunk curiosity that just ended awkwardly for everyone. Bifrost was glad he'd never seen that particular gentleman again.

Still, with each little movement he was nudged towards his peak. Each little movement had his nails digging into Kirkley's back and he wasn't sure if that was sweat or blood at his finger tips. Then Kirkley growled three magic little words, a demand that tugged at his core and he gave a whimper, rocked himself harder.

Bifrost got greedy.

One last heated gasp, one last jerk of his wrist and he came. He pressed his face to the side of Kirkley's head with another low moan, his toes curled - when had he managed to take off his boots? - but then that thought wasn't important at all because his come splattered against Kirkley's chest. Each final movement of his hand was accompanied by a whimpering grunt and then he moved his hand from his dick to curl around to meet with the other because everything was weak and made of bendy branches.

Head still tipped back, panting heavily, he held his arms around Kirkley's neck, eyes slipping closed to block out the sun before he turned his face back and nuzzled at his ear, breaths still hot.  Giving last little movements of his hips to help his beastly lover along before he pressed lazy kisses to his cheek, jaw and ear.

Definitely the best worst choice he'd ever made in his life, Bifrost decided. Maybe such a good bad decision he should do it again some day. He'd have to get himself a carrier pigeon though, set up a sexy rendezvous like - by that burning breakfast - or perhaps - pretty sure one of their pants was on fire.

Not that Bifrost cared.

What was a pair of singed pants between two satiated men?   

Luckily, Kirkley wasn't at all too far behind the other man in terms of finishing. It was just what he had needed; Bifrost came and his whole body tensed, squeezing down on Kirkley and pulling a moan from the bigger man's lips. He put more effort into those last few thrusts than he had any of the others, helping the thief ride out his orgasm as much as it helped his own along.

The two of them were left gasping together, fingers digging into skin and lungs short of air. For a few moments Kirkley's vision was nothing but static, and his ears were ringing, if only just slightly.

The kisses he felt around his face slowly pulled him back to the present, his mind spinning in a whirlwind haze of the aftermath of pleasure. His breaths were labored and it took a moment to get his eye to focus; he saw the sweaty, gorgeous body of Bifrost underneath him, and another glance down had him raising his eyebrows at the mess that was currently splattered all over his chest.

He wanted to make a snide remark about Bifrost having shit aiming skills, but that had been the last thing on either of their minds, so his response was simply to lean back a little bit, letting go of the thief to wipe the cum off of his chest, licking some of it off his fingers before drying the rest of his hand off in the grass. Yeah, very salty. Not something he wanted first thing in the morning.

He sat back lazily on his heels, slowly pulling himself out of the other man and wincing a little as he noticed the mess he'd made himself; well, an eye for an eye it looked like. Bifrost was gonna have an awkward time walking anywhere for a while. He dragged his gaze up the thief's body, eyes lingering on his chest, panting heavy with exhaustion, his blissful face, and stringy, messy hair.

The smell of something burning finally caught his attention and he looked over, staring for a moment before reacting by quickly swiping them out of the fire and covering the flames with his hands; they singed and burned but at this point they were so scarred that he honestly didn't feel much of the pain. He held them up for Bifrost to see--they were the thief's pants.

"Looks like I get to enjoy looking at that nice ass of yours for a little bit longer." He teased, before tossing the pants by Bifrost's head and leaning down to plant kisses all over the man's body, from his hips up his torso to his cheek and then finally his lips.

He opened his mouth to say something, but caught himself right before he said it, the air still in his throat. He froze for a moment, staring at Bifrost and yet not seeing him, before he snapped himself out of it and gave the man one last kiss before getting up and tending to the fire before it got too much out of control.

He'd almost said I love you.

It was one of those things that was kind of just... One of those knee-jerk reactions. He hadn't even thought about it, hadn't even registered who he was speaking to. And yet the thought tormented him; why? Why had he almost said that?

He found his pants and tugged them on, returning to Bifrost's side in case he needed any assistance getting back up.

"Enjoyed yourself?" He asked with a smirk, in an attempt to distract himself from what had almost just happened.

Bifrost had fleetingly forgot just how messy and gross sex was. The thoughts had drifted away long enough to get started but he remembered the few seconds after he felt Kirkley finish inside him. Still, once reality came crawling back, he sprawled out on the dirt below and panted.

Bifrost felt wrung out. Everything throbbed in a good way, even his eyes when they were closed. It was a blissful few moments and he cracked an eye open to look up at the other man in time to catch him tasting his... Bifrosts eyebrows lifted up and he blinked owlishly.

Weird guy.

Then the eyes were closed again, wincing when Kirkley pulled away. A little gasp, a fleeting moan. Some primal part of him wanted to sit up, curl his arms around Kirkley and beg him to just stay. Just a little longer. A few more minutes... Instead, Bifrost curled his hand on his chest and let Kirkley leave, though he didnt go for being decent and close his legs.

Bifrost must have passed out for a few seconds because all of a sudden the scent of burning and a loud thump of pants beside his head caused his eyes to snap open. "Enjoy...?" Bifrost sat up on weak elbowed arms and looked down at his pants.

Then at himself.

The light sheen of sweat on his back did little more than let the fine dirt coat it. He gathered his hair over his shoulder and frowned at the tangled green mess. A grumpy look, he eyed Kirkley's chest and licked his lips before he closed his eyes for a moment and sighed before he rolled onto his hands and knees.

He could get up. He believed in himself. His well fucked body on shaky knees, not so much. Bifrost eventually managed to climb to his feet - without help, thank you, a man had his pride. "You can enjoy my ass whenever you like," he blurted out, looking a little confuses as to why he said it, though he turned around and presented his back.

"After you take care of this," he jerked his thumb to his back, "my hair's a mess. My back's dirty, now my thighs are wet. You some sort of incubus? Because I've never done anything like that in my life," he glanced over his shoulder before crossing his arms over his chest.

Still grumpy.

Still very naked.

It seemed as though Bifrost was still pretty out of it (who could blame the guy) and Kirkley lamented that perhaps he should have lied there with him for a few moments more and enjoyed the closeness that they shared, because now there was a high chance the two of them would go back to just being acquaintances again once they were cleaned up and all was said and done. A pang of loneliness made his chest sting as he thought of that, but he shooed the though away in favor of keeping a careful eye on the man as he tried to get up.

The thief was too proud to accept help, so instead he just stood close by in case he started to fall and would need someone to catch him, but that wasn't the case as he just started to gripe about how dirty he was instead.

Kirkley snorted, a smirk on his face as he scooped up Bifrost's hair, slowly prying it from where it had stuck to the man's sweaty shoulders and back. "No, I'm no incubus. I wasn't joking when I said you'd have just as much luck figuring me out as I do, because I don't know what I am." Just older than dirt, is all. Possibly.

He ran his fingers through the ends of Bifrost's hair, trying to work out the tangles as gently, yet quickly, as he could, working his way up through the long, dark green locks. That was one thing he was grateful of his braids for, he didn't need to worry about this.

"Either way, we're both going to need a bath." He said, glancing at Bifrost over the thief's shoulder. "Which means you have to get to water, somehow."

He made a pointed glance towards the man's legs, shaking like a newborn calf. He wasn't gonna get very far on those.

"Well," Bifrost started, surprised at how quickly and without fuss Kirkley started to work on his tangled hair, "My bet is gonna just be on 'Kitty Beast'," a nod and he closed his eyes and sighed. It was odd. Bifrost flushed again at the mention of needing a bath.

No kidding.

He turned to look at Kirkley over his shoulder and gave into impulse.

Chances of seeing the guy again were slim to none, right? Why bother with the Connlaoth ideals. Kirkley didn't care. Bifrost cared a little but... it was thrown to the wind when the green haired elfy-kinda-guy turned around, looped his arms around Kirkley's neck and pressed one last - or what he figured would be last - kiss to his lips.

"You're gonna help me put my pants on," He stated, voice husky, "and then you're gonna carry me to a stream or something because if I try to walk I'm gonna fall on my ass." He pulled away then, hands still on Kirkley's shoulders, eyes droopy from being played like a fine instrument.

A bit of a screamy out of tune instrument but still, Kirkley seemed to have liked the song.

Alright, Kirkley could live with that. He nodded, smiling as Bifrost relaxed a little while he worked at the man's hair. That would also save Kirkley the effort of getting dressed now and undressed again later, but Bifrost would have to carry his bag.

He opened his mouth to say so when he caught the elf-eared thief looking at him over his shoulder. He paused, raising his eyebrows, but before he could ask what he was thinking, arms were looped around his neck and lips were on his own. He tasted salty with sweat, but he also had that indescribable taste that was so specific to Bifrost, and Kirkley really loved it. He returned the kiss after a fraction of a second caught up in surprise, letting his hands rest on the man's hips.

He let out a light laugh as Bifrost broke the kiss to talk. "Alright, alright."

He kept an arm out for Bifrost to hold onto to steady himself, while in the meantime he scooped up the man's pants off the ground to help him step into them, and then gathered the rest of their clothes and threw them into his own bag, handing it to the thief for safekeeping, noting in the back of his mind how oddly backwards that was.

He took a few steps back, giving himself the proper space as he started to change. It was over in a matter of mere seconds, but it was always painful (particularly now with his muscles tired from their little adventure this morning) and sounded horrible. While he was used to it, he didn't really envy Bifrost much for having to watch it. He had no idea what it looked like, come to think of it.

He shook his head once he was a beast again, ears flicking this way and that as he readjusted to his new form, padding over to the thief and laying down so the man would have an easier time climbing on him--he just hoped he would be able to stay on.

Once all passengers had boarded he rose to his paws, sniffing the air but finding no definable scents of running water. He thought for a moment, tail lazily swishing this way and that, trying to remember if he'd come across any the previous night. Indeed he had, and so he set off in that general direction, keeping it to a walk for now so he didn't jostle around his precious cargo too much.

Well shit.

That worked.

Bifrost was impressed with his golden tongue. Once the kiss was finished and Kirkley pulled away, it was with no little amount of horror that he watched his new... Friend? Change into a beast. It was different seeing it in the light and his gut clenched.

That must hurt. Bifrost felt guilty then, watching Kirkley come closer. Bifrost hesitated, the beast was huge and scary looking, sure the guy that had turned into it just gave him probably the best sex of his life - he'd have to do it again to be sure, obviously - but...

Carefullt he drew his fingers over Kirkley's head, trailing to the tip of an ear before he managed to get himself onto the beasts back. "You're just impress everywhere, aren't you?" He breathed, snuggling down into the strange fur. He still smelled the same, so he closed his eyes and sighed before he cracked a smile and nuzzled into the fur.

"Thanks, KittyKirk," he breathed before sitting up, "I figured you for a pump'n'dump but you're all treating me like a refined lady." Except for all the ways he wasnt being treated like a refined lady, which was fine in his books.

Kirkley let out an audible disgruntled snort at the comment of him being a pump'n'dump. So rude. But he couldn't blame him; that's how most men seemed to be when it came to sleeping with each other. Kirkley couldn't give half a damn--he was a giant catdog for fuck's sake.

Into the forest they went, birds chirping and the sunlight bright, what little of it broke through the foliage anyways. It was close to early afternoon now, the height of the day.

Kirkley nosed his way through bushes and branches, leaving the beaten path once he picked up his own scent from yesterday, following it for a while before the sound and scent of a small stream hit him; he picked up the pace to a half-trot, half-lope, his lips parted and tongue lolling out as they came to the water. He stuck his muzzle in and drank, laying down so Bifrost could exit.

Once he was done, he lifted his head and stretched, a lazy yawn escaping wide jaws that were so easily capable of breaking bones. Mid-stretch he changed back, and he sat back on his heels, standing and stretching his arms up in the air to the skies above.

He looked over at Bifrost with a lazy smirk. "Need help?" Getting undressed, washing up, really anything... Now he was just looking for an excuse to get his hands back on the other man.

Bifrost was in a hurry to get off.

He rolled off of the laying down Kirkkitty and stood on wobbly legs, still impressed with the state of his being. It was just sex, right? Why were his legs so damn wobbly still? He was seated and actively kicking off his pants with his legs - sighing when he spotted one leg was shorter than the other on account of having been on fire. Passively and curiously he watched the beast become a man again.

If anything it was a neat trick.

The first things out of his mouth caught him off guard and he just blinked up at him before smirking. "Me?" He replied because, you know, who else would he be talking to? Bifrost cleared his throat after his little school girl disbelief before he stood up, managing to at least do that just fine before he went about undoing and removing his pants.

"I ... uh," He eyed Kirkley's shoulder, his eyebrows snapped up, "I made you bleed," Bifrost sounded equal parts sorry and impressed with himself. "But yeah, I... Could you help me with my back in a bit?" He stood naked for a few moments before wandering to into the water and sitting down in it with a sigh and, casting one lingering glance over his shoulder went about cleaning what he could.

"You know, next time," He started, blowing out a breath and washing his bits and trying to remove the impressive ... gift... Kirkley left him when they hit their peak together, "Could you just... Finish like... On my chest or something? Maybe my back?" Bifrost hadn't realized he said 'next time' but he grunted slightly, made a face and moved his hand a little and was thankful for being in water. "gross, Kirk," He said accusingly and sticking out his tongue in the giant mans general direction.

Deciding his lower bits were sufficiently cleaned, or least wiped off since he had no soap, he leaned forward, "Okay! Wash my back," He demanded before he paused, "Please."

Kirkley only spared a quick glance at his shoulder when Bifrost made the comment about it; so he had. He didn't particularly care one way or another. If the scars all over his body, along with his one blind eye, were anything to judge by then no, he'd had far worse.

He watched for a moment, standing on the bank of the stream with eyebrows raised in amusement as Bifrost made a face while washing himself.

"No promises."

He smirked, and at the invitation of the other he slid into the water, holding his breath and ducking under for a few moments before coming back up. He flung his hair back out of his face in the same movement, a spray of water droplets arcing through the air and splashing back down into the water. He wiped the excess out of his eyes and shook his head a little, before coming over and sliding up behind Bifrost with an evil little smile.

His hands found the thief's hips and slid down to grope his ass before coming up and actually doing what he'd been asked to, which was helping the poor man get all the dirt from his back.

"So you definitely mentioned a 'next time' in there." He said, sweeping some of Bifrost's hair aside to press a kiss at the base of the man's neck, just behind his left ear. "Glad you liked it so much."

Definitely had to be an incubus.

Bifrost sucked in a breath and wanted to lean back. Actually, he wanted to learn forward but that one round had been more than enough for one day.  Or at least his ass thought so. He'd never admit it but it still throbbed in a weird way and he shifted his stance when he felt hands on his ass, giving a little sigh and letting his head tilt back.

Oooh, called out.

A little shiver ran over him and he let his head tilt forward. Like a disappointing bobble head. Bifrost sighed and glanced over his shoulder, feeling himself turn several shades of red and he resisted the urge to push Kirkley away in ... Shame? Embarassment? Bifrost licked his lips and turned around before dunking his head in the water and rising back up out of it like some strange pointy eared creature with kelp on their head.

Bifrost reached forward to press a hand to Kirkley's hip, a tilt of his head and a challenging look. "Oh? And you didn't?" He scraped his nails down his hip to his thigh and pulled his hand back and took a step away, "So," He folded his arms over his chest and tilted his head, "Does that count as payback?" He buffed his nails against his chest and examined them closely, trying to look disinterested, "Lives are worth a lot and that was just one bout, I mean, I wouldn't be that expensive if you know what I mean."

Clearly, Bifrost was the king of 'I'd enjoy it if we did it again but I'm not actually about to admit it except to maybe to squeeze a few more rounds out of you at a future date.' He paused and tried not to smile, eyeing his pants, "Maybe without the pants fire."

The game played between the two of them was quickly returning to some of the playful banter they'd volleyed back and forth the previous night, and Kirkley found it honestly quite enjoyable. It was the kind of conversation that you could only have with certain people, that had to mesh in just such a certain way in order for it to truly work. Those personalities that melded so well with your own were so hard to find, he had the feeling he'd only found a couple in his long lifetime, and for some reason, he couldn't remember any of them...

He watched, entranced as Bifrost came back up from the water, droplets rolling down his light tan skin, over collarbone and shoulders, down chest and biceps. He caught himself staring, and snapped himself out of it enough to be able to listen to what the other was saying.

Kirkley flicked his gaze back up to meet Bifrost's, a wicked smile blooming on his face.

"Oh, no, that wasn't nearly enough to pay back what you owe." He said, his teeth showing in his feral grin. "I enjoy you far too much to just let you go that easily."

To be honest, he had been operating on the idea that, once Bifrost was reunited with his brothers, that would be the end of it--they would go their separate ways, because he figured that was what the elf-eared man would have wanted. But clearly, as demonstrated by the man's latest statement, that most certainly was not the case. And Kirkley was more than willing to agree to that.

He took a step forward, closing the distance between them and sliding his arms around Bifrost's lower back, pulling them flush against each other and smirking down at him. "Don't worry, I'm far from boring--I don't always like to be the one in control."

He leaned down and pressed another kiss to Bifrost's lips, but this time it was softer, more gentle, more tender. If he was given the option to just stay here like this with Bifrost for the rest of eternity, he might just have accepted. The level of peace and calm generated by the two of them felt so good, it could have put him to sleep if he let it. It wasn't something he got to experience very often in his life.

The original idea was to meet up with his brothers, introduce everyone and then invite Kirkley to... Wander with them. The dude was alone. They were a kind of pack. If Kirkley wanted to leave that was cool. They'd have to keep their unconventional relationship a secret from the boys but... That was okay, right? Bifrost wasn't really worried, they knew he was weird so... So what if fucking dudes was added to the 'Why Bifrost is weird list?'

A heated gasp and he pressed into the touch, leaned into the gentle sweet kiss.

Bifrosts eyes fell closed and he moved his hands to Kirkley's waist and gently squeezed, grinding into him. "Well," Bifrost murmured against his lips, "I look forward to getting you onto your knees," He teased before pulling away, taking a few steps back to actually bathe, he stuck his tongue out at the beast man before he scratched at the dirt that stuck to him gently. Impressed at the finger shaped bruises that were slowly showing up on his hip and he finger combed his hair.

This way.

It was like a whisper on the wind and Bifrost jerked his head in the direction he heard it, looking around confused. It was a soft gentle voice. Sweet. Soothing in a way and he ignored it and returned back to his hair, pulling it into it's long braid and tying off the end. Deciding he was quite washed, or as washed as he was going to get, he shuffled his way back to shore.

Here.

Another whisper, another alarmed look around to the trees.

Then he felt it. Like his heart had been ripped from his chest. Tears flooded his eyes and he fell to his knees at the short with a wet surprised gasp. An alarmed look to Kirkley and he pressed his fist to his chest, confusion was high on the list of things he was feeling. Why was he suddenly so sad? "Kirkley?" He asked, confused, was this him? Maybe not an incubus but something?

This way.

It was more urgent and Bifrost tore through the bag looking for his clothes, tugging on his burned pants, his boots, his shirt. Throwing his bandanna on but leaving his coat with Kirkley's things, another alarmed look around, wiping at his eyes in panic and fear. A swallow and he shook his head. Here. Again, Bifrost opened his mouth and he just stared for a moment, white as a sheet, "Do you hear that?" he finally whispered, looking around, taking a few steps back towards the voices.

They were coming from everywhere, it seemed, but it felt right to go this way.

"I..." He started, taking a few steps back, "I have to go," He said urgently, voice oddly soft before he ran.

Bifrost ran. Followed the this way and the here's. "Brendan!" He yelled into the forest, chest throbbing with feeling so empty, "Bart!" Another scream for his brothers, he didn't know but... He felt it. Felt something wrong with the trees. Felt something different with the forest. They were urging him this way and he was compelled to follow, "Badden!" He yelled again, voice echoing, birds flying. A few of the smaller wild animals were chasing him through the forest, or were they running with him. He didn't notice. Or care.

It wasn't until there was one last gut wrenching tug at his chest that he stopped dead and fell to his knees, panting heavily, fingers digging into the moss on the tree trunk before he lowered his head to the ground, pressing his forehead to the moss. His hands moved to cover his ears and he screamed until he went hoarse. What was going on? Why was this happening?

The words sent a new shiver up Kirkley's spine, but Bifrost pulled away from him before he could make another attempt at a bad good decision. He let out a soft snort, deciding it best to let it slide for now, as he too started to actually bathe.

The sound of loud splashing caught his attention though, and he turned to see Bifrost already getting out of the water and onto dry land.

"Bifrost?"

Suddenly the thief was on his hands and knees, and Kirkley's heart skipped a beat. No.

He quickly started towards the shore. Something's not right.

As he got onto the land and ran up to the man, he saw the tears, and Bifrost asked him in confusion if he heard something, bewildered and looking around like some sort of panicked animal.

"Heard what? I don't--" Suddenly clothes were being thrown on and Bifrost was running, shouting that he needed to leave. What? "Bifrost--wait!"

Finding his attempts to talk to the other man were in vain, he quickly threw on his boots and pants, grabbed his bag and his companion's coat and tore off through the forest after him. They were separated by foliage; he heard the crashing of leaves and branches, and the frantic yelling of words.. Names? His heart was hammering in his chest; whatever was happening, it had ruined their morning, and made Bifrost completely different from how he had seemed so far--was this normal? Something inside of him highly doubted it.

Animals scattered around him, and finally Kirkley caught up to him, almost by completely tripping over him. He stopped just shy of the man, finding him on the ground. He instantly dropped to his knees, gently placing his hands on the other's shoulders and pulling him close.

"Bifrost, hey, hold on a second--" He started to ask, when a gentle breeze drew his attention. It rustled the leaves, nice and chillingly cool for an otherwise warm, sunny day. It brought with it the faintest scent that perhaps only Kirkley might pick up on, and it was one he was far too familiar with--blood.

Every muscle in his body tensed; he suddenly became hyper aware of the situation, now that he wasn't just focused on Bifrost. Something was definitely not right--not just with Bifrost, but the whole forest. It was almost like the trees were whispering, talking to each other through the rustling of their leaves and the mad flapping of bird wings. It chilled him to the core and made his heart drop into his stomach. Instinctively, he started growling, the low, dog-like noise carnal in sound and rising up from the pit of his chest.

Everything in his heart, body and soul was telling him to protect Bifrost at all costs, and he followed that instinct without question.

"Stay." He growled to the man, drawing his knife from his bag and advancing forward, keeping his ears peeled for the slightest wrong sound--a trap? Could it be hunters, who saw him as a beast and were after him? If that was the case, they would have no trouble killing Bifrost regardless of what he actually was--any person caught with a supposed werewolf would be assumed to be one as well. There could be hunters circling around them at any moment, and if he didn't hear it Bifrost almost certainly wouldn't.

The smell of fresh blood grew stronger, as well as the scent of human men; it wrenched at his gut and made his anxiety spike more with every step. Finally, he breached a small clearing and saw before him an utter massacre.

Three young, blonde-haired men, practically butchered, were sprawled across the ground. Their blood painted the trees and stained the grass, a massacre. Kirkley stood there and stared, eyes wide in shock before he came to his senses enough--one was barely breathing. Quickly he ran to the man's side, dropping to his knees and looking over his wounds, only finding them to be impossible to fix. Even if Ain and her dragon flames were here to burn their gashes shut, it still wouldn't have been enough. There was too much blood, and for humans, that meant the end.

He didn't know what to do, and for the first time in a long time he felt panic rising in his chest--should he call for Bifrost? But something in him was telling him not to, to tell Bifrost to stay away, but he couldn't possibly understand why.

He did the only thing he could think of and tried to use his own hands to put pressure on the wounds, to stop the most severely bleeding ones, telling the man that it would be okay, that he would be okay, to try and make those last moments less terrifying. To try and keep him company, so he wasn't alone when he went.

The 'stay' rose every defiant bone in Bifrosts body.

Stay.

He wanted to snarl back, but the throbbing empty feeling in his chest was too much and instead of staying he got up and followed slowly behind. Afraid. Afraid of the whispers in the trees. Afraid of the animals that kept looking at him with eyes that knew and expressions he could read. The trees whispered again but he moved is palms back up to his ears to block out the voices. It wasn't until he got to the clearing and saw that the metallic tang of blood reached his nose.

At first it was just a sad sight.

What had these people done to deserve this? Then he noticed the hair. The builds. Bifrost stared in horror, tears filled his eyes again and he shook his head in denial, eyes darting to Kirkley hunched over... "Brendan!" Bifrost shouted, moving to collapse to his knees beside his brother. The middle kid. All of them were older than he was but, Brendan had been the middle of the blond batch of kids and had always been Bifrosts favourite to talk to.

"Frost," He sighed, blue eyes bright with pain. Bifrost moved his hand over to Kirkley's hand, moving it to one of the smaller wounds. They just needed to keep the blood in right?

"Brendan, what happened?" Bifrost whimpered, alarmed and hurt and why was this happening?

"We were stupid," He winced, voice soft, eyes closing, "Turns out s'mone had a bounty on us." He squeezed his eyes shut, a lance of pain cutting through his gut, "Took mom'n'dad's rings." Branden reached a bloodied hand up to Bifrost to cup his cheek, "Sorry, Little Brother," he sighed, stroking his thumb down Bifrosts cheek and he gave a helpless smile, "We didn't want to leave you alone."

But the hand went lax and Bifrost held the bloodied hand to his cheek for a few minutes longer. Shock made him numb, made his breathing even and his chest tight. Bifrost let the hand drop and he shuffled away, shaking his head in disbelief. This was a bad dream. It wasn't real. Kirkley was a figment of his imagination. He fell off the cliff and died and this was all just a bad dream.

"Kirkley?" He whimpered out, staring at the other man, waiting for him to drop dead or leave or disappear. A struggle to swallow and he backed away from the clearing and his brothers bodies, the scent of their blood. It wasn't until he backed into a tree that he turned around and all he felt was white hot rage. His fist connected with the bark, and it wasn't until his hand was bloody and numb that he cradled his hand in his lap and slid down, pressing his forehead to the three.

"What am I now," he sighed, more to himself than anything. What was an adopted kid without a family? A double orphan? He wasn't a kid, sure but... Bifrost felt tiny. He felt like a little boy and he pressed his good hand to his face and tried not to cry.  It wasn't until he felt something strange brush the back of his hand that he looked down, and where his blood had dripped grew flowers.

Beautiful white flowers. Where his blood had been on the tree were tiny new branches growing, begging for sunlight. "Oh, come the fuck on, World, I've had enough shit for one day," he growled at the flower under his bleeding hand before he viciously ripped it out of the earth.

He didn't really ever make the connection consciously; the panic in Bifrost's voice, the rush of emotions that rolled off of his companion told him everything and deep down, underneath thousands of years of repressed memories, he knew.

He didn't remember, but he knew. He understood.

All he could do was sit and watch, listen and understand that these men weren't just strangers, they were Bifrost's family, all that he had left. Kirkley's gut wrenched; a flood of emotions rolled over him, it was like watching it all over again, but what he was rewatching he didn't know. He didn't remember his own family, he didn't remember if he'd ever had one, but he'd done this before, except before it had been himself where Bifrost was kneeling, and unlike Bifrost... He really had been all alone when the hand went limp. That much he knew.

His heart twisted and tore, like old wounds being pried open again, and he didn't respond at first when Bifrost asked his name. He turned to look and see the man punching a tree until his fist was raw and bloodied, curling up into himself, alone.

A lance of panic shot through Kirkley like lightning and the words Not again flashed through his mind; he quickly got up, stopped, hesitated, and slowly approached the other man. His own thoughts were flustered; feelings and emotions were flashing through his mind and he couldn't understand why or where they were from, what point in his life he had felt them. It muddled his thoughts, confused him and made it so much harder to focus. He saw Bifrost sitting on the ground, he reached out to him, and ever-so-gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're not alone." I'm here.

You don't have to do this by yourself. I'm here to help you.

"I won't let that happen to you."

He knelt down next to Bifrost, careful of getting too close if the man were to lash out; he regarded him carefully, and watched the branches growing from the tree, the flowers sprouting around the man, and in the back of his mind he thought that it was some kind of magic, clearly, but he wondered what kind, since it didn't seem to be intentional.

Who was Bifrost? Who was Kirkley?

It seemed like neither of them knew.

I won't let that happen to you.

Bifrosts gut clenched and he pressed his good hand to his chest, head down before he turned to Kirkley and in a fit of need threw his arms around his neck. Practically climbing onto the other man in an effort for warmth and closeness. So many protests bubbled up into his throat. None of them were voiced and he nuzzled his face to Kirkley's neck, eyes squeezed shut.

He just needed. The warmth of the other man was a blessing and he tried not to think about the last sight of his brothers. It wasn't his fault. Right? Bifrost took a deep breath against Kirkley's neck, practically having climbed onto his lap by now in an effort for close. Needing warmth and to be close.

"You don't even know me," He finally whispered. Bifrost peeled away long enough to look at the branches on the tree. The branches his blood made grow, "I don't even know me," He finally whispered, leaning back and giving a heartbroken smile, "I guess we have something in common then, huh?" He glanced to the clearing before turning away and removing himself from Kirkley's lap.

He wanted to burn them.

Or bury them.

Anything.

But.. What if the people came back. Bifrost rubbed at his chest and shook his head, "We need to go," He breathed, wiggling his good hand at Kirkley to get him to grab it so they could just... Go, "I need to go. Anywhere. Please? Kirkley, please?" he looked up at the trees again, frowning and swallowing carefully, finding that, apparently Kirkley was going to fix his problems. Bifrost was very lost and very confused.

Kirkley flinched in surprise at the sudden movement, but he certainly didn't reject the other man once arms were around his neck and a warm body was cuddled up against him, practically sitting in his lap. He put his arms around Bifrost and held him close, rubbing his back and offering him silent comfort.

Finally Bifrost mentioned that Kirkley didn't even know him, which was also true; they'd only just met yesterday, and he couldn't help but think to himself just what the heck he'd gotten himself into. He had a feeling that nights spent roaming the countryside by himself might be coming to an abrupt end. Perhaps not permanently, but definitely for a while. Long enough for his companion to get himself back up on his own two feet at least.

"Well, that definitely makes two of us." After all, Kirkley didn't know himself either.

Bifrost stood up, saying that he wanted to go, begging for it even. Kirkley glanced at the bodies of the thief's brothers, wondering if it was really okay to just... Leave them. He made a mental note that he would come back for them later--give them a proper burial, probably when Bifrost was sleeping. It would likely help bring a little extra comfort to the man knowing that they were safe.

He got up and nodded, taking his thief's hand and leading the way out once he was ready. He didn't really say much as they walked through the woods, he wasn't really sure what he could say. 'I know how you feel' wouldn't exactly make Bifrost feel better; there just wasn't anything about this situation that could help right now. So instead he just tried to focus on what he could do--their next step, where would they go now? What would they do?

Kirkley usually just roamed free, traveling at a lax place from day to day and only visiting cities and other people on more special occasions; these days he found himself preferring the quietness of the open road and countryside as opposed to the hustle and bustle of towns and villages. But he felt like a town might be exactly what Bifrost needed, something with a lot of distractions to keep his mind off of the horrors he had just faced.

Once they were far enough away and the smell of blood was replaced with that of the forest, Kirkley stopped, turning and looking at Bifrost.

"I think there's a town not too far from here, that sound like a plan?"

It was a sort of bittersweet.

If Bifrost didnt think of it, he was as lucky as he was unlucky. Everything happened for a reason right? Would his brothers have survived if he'd been with them, he wondered, or would he have been butchered like a dog, too?

Bifrost shuddered to think of it as they walked away.

He wanted to bury them. It made his chest ache in unfamiliar ways to leave them behind. They'd burried their parents. He'd never get to bury his brothers. It would be suspicious.

That also begged the question. Was he wanted, too?

Bifrost looked at Kirkley violet eyes going wide after a moment before he licked his lips and moved closer so their arms were bumping into one another. Right. He was here. A plan. Yeah.

He frowned after a moment before he got quiet, "Can I stay with you for a while?" His voice was small, half expecting Kirkley to laugh and shake his head no. Some excuse. Bifrost had to  find a reason right? "I don't want to be alone."

As Kirkley walked with him, Bifrost kept close, their arms in constant contact with each other, brushing against each others' sides as they tread through the forest, heavy-hearted and silent.

Bifrost wasn't the only one thinking, Kirkley now had a lot on his mind as well.

Bifrost's brother had mentioned a bounty on their heads, and they had to assume that that meant all of their heads--Bifrost included. Which meant he would have to lay low for a while, in hopes that the bounty may be removed or forgotten about. Which also meant... No towns. Shit. He hadn't thought of that.

It looked like he would need a change of plans, if he didn't want Bifrost to get killed, after all.

In the midst of his thoughts however, his companion spoke up, and he opened his mouth to say 'Of course!' but hesitated for the split second it took for him to realize something: You'll get attached.

That's right. He would get attached. Granted, they didn't know what kind of creature the thief really was, or what that creature's lifespan could be, but for now... He had to play it safe. He had to assume that the elf-eared man was mortal.

"Of course." He continued to say after a moment, biting his lip a bit afterwards. He wanted to add on with 'Just for a while' but he couldn't, he couldn't deny the man like that. Not now, not after he'd lost everything he'd ever known. He'd already promised the man that he'd protect him, and although he never did specify for how long he would do so, it was implied that it would be quite a while, at least in Kirkley's mind anyways. And he intended to hold up to that... Regardless of the pain it caused himself in the meantime.

He sucked in a breath, looking over at Bifrost and stopping him by reaching out a hand and lightly taking hold of his arm. He stepped back to lean against a tree, pulling his companion into a soft hug.

"You know, I guess if there's a bounty on your head that means no more towns for you. If you had a house... It's probably been taken by the city government or sold off by now." Hate to break the bad news, but, he had to.

"We need a plan."

He looked down at the man, all kinds of concern and worry in his eyes as this stranger who'd been so full of vim and vigor, and smartass comments, had almost completely changed into a different person. He was lost, scared, somber. And it only made Kirkley's urges to need to protect him that much worse.

Bifrost was in a stupor.

His chest felt tight. His breath was short and his eyes kept burning. There had been loss before but this was different. It was much sharper a blade. Bifrost wasnt paying attention to much, doing his best to recall happy memories of him and his brothers.

As children. As young men before the war. Before their parents passed away. Bifrost found holding a hand to his chest made it seem like his heart wasnt throbbing near as much. Taking full breaths hurt. His jaw hurt - it was then he realized he'd been clenching his teeth.

A startled violet gaze turned to Kirkley and he blinked a few times, looking confused. Wanted. He'd be wanted too. And with only three blonde ones dead they'd be on the lookout for the tall one with long green hair.

Bifrost didnt struggle when Kirkley stopped. Didn't pull away when he was pulled into the hug. He relaxed into it, pulling his bandanna away and dropping it to their feet so he could snuggle in and press his ear to Kirkley's chest to listen to his heartbeat.

There was a content sigh, Bifrost closed his eyes.

"A plan," he repeated, he chewed on his lip and leaned away slightly before he sighed and pressed his head to Kirkley's chest away. It was odd, to be so short compared to someone. Odd and at this very moment extremelg.comforting.

"I dunno, you can be my camping buddy. I'm kinda elfy, right? Is living off the land a species thing?" It would be best to grieve later. He'd had his moment, now it was time to tuck it away until it was safe to bring out. "I'll pay you in awful blowjobs because God knows I haven't gotten any practice with those" he didn pull away from Kirkley, but he did raise his head to try and guage a reaction.

It was then he rememberd that his knickles hurt like a bitch and he slowly curled his hand in between them.

He let out a soft snort at the man's attempt at some kind of humor; it was as familiar as it was surprising, how he was handling this situation so far. Everyone grieved differently, it seemed.

Kirkley looked down to see the man looking up at him, lost and confused with wide violet eyes. It reminded him too much of himself; he must have looked exactly like that once, so long, long ago. He didn't want to let the world shape Bifrost the way it had him. He didn't want that to ever happen again, to anybody.

He ran a hand through the thief's hair, or perhaps former thief was a better way of putting it? He reached down, taking Bifrost's wounded hand with a gentle grip as he dug around in his bag for some spare strips of cloth to tie around it with his free hand.

"Repayment isn't something you need to worry about." He said with a soft smile, eyes focused on the task at hand as he bandaged up the man's hand as painlessly as he possibly could, smoothing his thumb over the back of Bifrost's wrist as he drew his gaze up to look into purple eyes, nothing but blunt sincerity showing in his own.

"I wouldn't mind just having the company."

He reached up and cupped the elf-eared man's face, smoothing his thumbs over his cheeks before sliding his hands into forest-green hair and hugging him, resting his head atop the other's.

"We should get you as far away from here as possible, and hope that word doesn't spread faster than we can travel."

There was a long silence while Kirkley bandaged up Bifrosts hand. It stung. Each tug and movement made his hand hurt but he found himself latching onto the pain like some sort of hand hold. Like if he didn't have the pain to think of he'd be a sobbing heartbroken mess - or at least an obvious one. Bifrosts eyes still hurt and when there was a good tug he gave a soft hissing noise before he sucked in his breath and held it while he tried to collect himself.

People died. It was a natural painful fact of life.

Their death's would weigh on him for a while though, he knew. The empty feeling in his chest would be there for a while, just like it was when their parents died. Bifrost swallowed thickly and ducked his head down, pressing his good hand to his eyes while he caught his breath, looking at Kirkley and catching his eyes. The hollow feeling went away and Bifrost had to resist leaning in his smashing his lips against his again.

It would be inappropriate, for the time being.

Besides, they were too close, still. Easily captured, probably.

"I'd like to be company," Bifrost whispered, closing his eyes when Kirkley's hand touched his cheek, arms easily curling around Kirkley's middle when the hug was intiated. He found he didn't really want to let go. Didn't really want to part with the giant furnace of a man. Was it because of the trauma of losing his brothers? Bifrost would be lying if he said that parting ways with Kirkley sent a strange pang of disappointment through his chest.

Bifrost leaned back slightly and gave into impulse, tugging Kirkley's head down and pressing a chaste innocent kiss on his lips before curling back into the hug. "Yeah, good thing Kitty-Dog You runs fast, huh? We can take turns, riding one another, I ride you during the day, you ride me during the night," He added with a smirk, giving a dry chuckle at his own dirty joke. He pulled away after a few moments, slipped his good hand into Kirkley's and began to walk, tugging at his new companions hand and doing his very best not to look back.