All 23.3 - Dogs Are A Responsibility

The sun was about to dip below the horizon on the chaparral. Lucca, Victor, Pierce and Cress stood in the wilderness, miles and miles away from civilization, teleported there by Pierce. The others had stayed at the inn where they had met earlier that day, including Cohen, who had knocked himself out with drugs once more. He had no desire to be a dog, and knew that if he slept while the others didn’t, he’d be left behind or worse, so instead he locked himself in an inn room and medicated himself into a sleep as he had before, with the added benefit of waking up in a bed the next morning.
Lucca stood by, waiting to shepherd the wolves once more. When the sun finally slipped below the horizon, there were suddenly two wolves standing where Cress and Pierce had been. Victor blinked and looked at his hands, unchanged. It was certainly a night of the full moon, but he hadn’t been affected at all, still standing as he was a few minutes earlier. Glancing about oddly, he fidgeted as he muttered, “I suppose I’m not human enough for the curse to work anymore…” His words mingled with the incredulous laughter beginning to bubble out the nearby druid.
"You're not a wolf...you didn't turn..." Within seconds, Lucca's disbelief turned to delight, and a broad grin spread across his face. "Fuckin' right, old man! You're not a wolf! That's fantastic! You're still you! This is the best!"
"I..." Victor was obviously taken off-guard by Lucca's elation. Eventually, he managed a small smile, "I suppose this is an unexpected upside. Still not certain I like the connotation, but I won't complain."
"Gotta take the good where you find it, right?" He replied with a nod, reining in his excitement. "I mean, I guess it ain't an equal trade, but not having you suddenly turning into a big, touchy wolf is certainly pretty damn good. One less thing to worry about, at the very least." He gave a small, lopsided smile, "Plus, you're way cooler as a dude than as a dog."
They were cut off by the sound of growling. They looked over and saw that Pierce had approached them and was growling angrily, glaring at Victor with aggressive posture. Cress had backed off significantly: he wanted nothing to do with this, but was still watching intently. Victor turned from Lucca to the wolf, regarding him calmly and questioningly. "...Lucca, I'm afraid you're going to have to tell me what's going on here. What is he upset about?"
"...he's fuckin' challenging you. Why, I don't know. It's ridiculous bullshit...you're the alpha, even if you're not a wolf, and he damn well knows it!" As Lucca spoke, his eyes stayed locked on the wolf. Pulling out his wand, he cast Speak with Animals on himself before continuing, "What the fuck, Mr. Webber? The hell do you think you're doing?" He growled commandingly at the wolf, mirroring its challenging stance. "Stand down, dipshit!"
Pierce glanced towards him and snorted before turning back towards Victor. Not your place to tell me, he brushed off Lucca's command.
"Oh yeah? Well it's not your place to stir up shit, but here we are." Clenching and unclenching his hands, Lucca curled his lip as he continued, unconciously baring his teeth, "Where the fuck do you get off, disturbing our pack structure? What's your argument?"
Victor grinned and began to chuckle, returning the wolf's glare. "Oh ho, Pierce, all this Dragon King business is going to your head, isn't it?" He took a few steps towards him and leaned down a bit, to better return his eye contact. "You don't have qualms with taking charge when you aren't second guessing yourself, do you?"
You're not right, Pierce's intent was translated clearly for Lucca with the aid of magic, but Victor was left to guess from the wolf's posture and low growl. You're not right, you're not what you were, and we shouldn't follow you.
"Hey!" The druid twitched, looking almost offended. "Screw you!"
"Well, he's not mauling me, but I don't expect that to last very long," Victor said dryly, still watching Pierce's eyes. "What precisely is his issue? And further, what should I be doing about it?" he asked Lucca, not breaking his gaze. "I defer to you, seeing as how you're more versed with the affairs of animals. Should I be placating him, or fighting him?"
There were a few beats during which Lucca glared down at the creature, grinding his teeth. When he did answer, his tone was strangely chilly. "You've apparently got the same problem as me, now: you seem 'off' to him and he's unsettled by it. Particularily 'cause its a change, in your case." Not taking his eyes off the wolf, he tipped his chin up slightly, taking on an imperious look as he continued, "That is not a valid cause for insubordination. If you defer to him now, you will always have to when he's like this, or else you'll have to fight to have your way later. And so will the rest of us. So no, fuck that." He narrowed his eyes, and with a flick of the hand holding the wand, cast the spell on Victor as well. "Put him in his place."
Victor, now under the spell, asked the animal-minded Pierce simply, "What is your issue?"
You are wrong. You are foriegn. You shouldn't be trusted.
Victor blinked in surprise, then gave a sardonic smile. "Well, animals are honest, at any rate." He took off his hat of disguise and flicked it over towards Lucca. Without it, his devil-tainted form was clear, and did not improve Pierce's demeanour any. "I will be honest as well." As he spoke, his tail lashed about angrily, though the rest of his demeanour was calm. "I will gladly discuss your concerns when you are a man. If you have a desire to more actively lead the group or have a problem with me personally, then by all means, assert yourself. But for now," Victor leaned closer, overbearing and aggressive, causing Pierce to flinch back slightly, "I will not take orders from a dog."
The wolf flinched, and it was suddenly easy to tell that he was being aggressive out of fear. He glared at Victor, baring his teeth defensively. Suddenly, he lunged forwards; Victor was prepared for this, and dodged out of the way. With great speed, the man grabbed his canine adversary roughly, his claws digging into the wolf's fur and flesh, causing him to yelp out in pain. Victor wrested Pierce to the ground, his claws granting him purchase on the animal. Pierce snapped and yowled, struggling to regain freedom, but Victor eventually managed to pin him to the dirt; even as a werewolf, Pierce was weaker and less trained than his opponent. With one hand wrapped around Pierce's throat, and much of his body weight on top of him, Victor pressed the canine to the ground, slowly tightening his grip around his windpipe. "You...will...submit," he hissed commandingly.
Lucca had taken a couple steps back to give the pair the necessary space as they duked it out, drifting a bit closer to Cress in the process. He watched the fight with a flat, stony expression, keeping a sharp lookout for the slightest hint of submission or signs of physical distress from Pierce, in case the less versed and considerably more occupied Victor missed them. His expression underwent a sudden change, however, when Victor caught ahold of the wolf by the throat and pinned it. With a look of grim unease, Lucca moved closer to Cress, reaching out to tangle one of his hands in his thick fur. Cress looked on with uncertainty, whining softly. Pierce writhed and yowled, but eventually fell limp, whereupon Victor dropped his grip and stood up. The wolf picked himself up slowly, timidly, and skulked away, gaze, ears and tail all low. Victor also walked away a short distance, looking entirely too absorbed with investigating the bite wounds he had sustained on his arms.
Lucca remained where he stood for a few moments, stroking Cress' fur, his gaze distant. With a sudden shake of his head, he roused himself and approached Victor. "Here, let's get you guys fixed up." He spoke softly, gesturing with his eyes to his wounds and holding his hands out with the offer of healing, which Victor accepted. "Now that that's settled, you'll have to show how good of a leader you still are; we've got a hunt to be starting."
Victor made a grumbling noise. "Of the things high on my list of activities I don't feel like..." he muttered. He sighed heavily, glancing over towards the two wolves, who skirted his gaze with fear and hesitancy. "They will do nothing but fear me. They always did, and this made it no better." He added with a touch of bitterness, "It makes you wonder how much they fear me during the day."
"That's their problem, their choice, not yours. You do the best you can, and that's all you can do, the rest is in their court. Sucks, but it is how it is." Sighing as well, Lucca followed the older man's gaze, "If this made them fear you more, that is on Mr. Webber's head, not yours. He was given ample opportunity to stand down, and he refused. All you did was follow the rules and respond as was expected." He turned back to Victor, "They fear you now because they are animals. If they fear you in the day, it's because they're idiots." He paused a moment and added gently, holding out the hat he had been tossed earlier, "You don't have to take them hunting. If you'd rather, I can cast something to make this spot comfy and you can hang out here or something. I'll keep an eye on them. You didn't turn; you can do whatever you like with your night. And tomorrow, you could stay back with Virg and get some proper rest, if you wanted."
Victor looked at the hat for a moment with an odd expression, before turning away. "If I leave, I had no reason to assert leadership. I won't abandon a responsibility I chose to take." He began to walk off purposefully into the night. "Come!" he commanded, and the two wolves obeyed, falling into step behind him.
Lucca stood thoughtfully for a few moments longer before silently falling into step behind them.
Category:Advent of the All