Not So Sticky Fingers[m]

[Draconian]

@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.

[Cheesigator]

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.

[Draconian]

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.

[Cheesigator]

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.

[Draconian]

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?"

[Cheesigator]

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.

[Draconian]

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?"

[Cheesigator]

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.

[Draconian]

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?"

[Cheesigator]

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.

[Draconian]

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."

[Cheesigator]

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?"

[Draconian]

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.

[Cheesigator]

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?"

[Draconian]

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.

[Cheesigator]

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.

[Draconian]

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.

[Cheesigator]

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.

[Draconian]

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.

[Cheesigator]

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.