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.