All 21.2 - Wolf Nights

It was late afternoon on the 29th of Av. The near month that had been spent in the gnollish city of Invershiel had ended, when Pierce decided to flee from the city the day before. Earlier, they had investigated one of the 'beacons' of the All, and had a short, disconcerting talk with two of the Aspects of the All, Piece and Fraction. Afterwards, they had returned to the Gunakadeit, with the intent of spending the next three nights in dock, waiting out the effects of the lycanthropic curse that had befallen the four human, or nearly human, men. Sunset would be upon them all soon; they discussed their plans for the night. As before, Lucca planned to seal the entrance to the boat dock with solid stone. Ryuji offered to wait outside, since he felt that someone should not only as a fail-safe against unforseen problems, but also as a sort of guard in case anyone happened to come upon the area with the intent to snoop. Cheko had no intent of staying sealed up with a bunch of wolves and offered to join him outside; seeing as how they comprised most of the non-cursed adults, Clover opted to join them. It was roughly decided then that Victor, Cress, Pierce and Cohen would stay sealed in the dock with Lucca as a guardian, while the others, along with Carrot and Virgil, would camp outside overnight. While most agreed that this was a reasonable plan, Virgil did not like it one bit.
----
"Why can't I stay? Lucca's staying!" Virgil whined at his father and Lucca as they walked down and out of the Gunakadeit towards the jungle outside to set up a camp, ensuring that everyone was comfortable before the cave was sealed for the night. 
"Because it's not safe," Victor said simply.
"Why isn't it safe? You won't hurt me, an' Cress didn't hurt me, an' the doctor can't hurt people, an' Lucca won't let anything hurt me, so why can't I stay? I wanna stay with you!!" Virgil pressed harder. Victor clenched his jaw slightly, his lips twisted into a tight frown and his gaze distant and he walked forward. 
"Virgil, bud, leave it be. We ain't budgin' on this one; you can't come." Lucca interjected gently, "I'm sorry. But it's just too risky, for everyone, and we'll both feel better if we know you're outside and that we don't need to worry."
"Why?? Why's it risky? You're not fightin' anyone, you're not goin' anywhere, an' I just wanna see! I'll be good! You won't let me see any other time!"
The druid pursed his lips and sighed heavily through his nose, "Because they're gonna be wolves, bud. They're big, strong, wild animals. And they're not bad or vicious, but they can be dangerous, mostly because they speak a different language and have different rules than we do, and they don't understand things the same way. Even if you're being super good, you could do something without even knowing it that sets one of them off. I'm sorry dude, but you just can't be there. No way, no how."
"But I won't do anything! You know what to do, so I'll just do whatever you say!"
"No, Virgil," Victor added simply.
"It's not fair!" the child exclaimed. "Everyone's been super upset about it, an' mad, an' sad, an' I just wanna help an' no one lets me! I don't know why everyone's so sad an' I wanna see why! An' you're a druid, you talk to animals all the time. Even if Dad's a wolf you can tell him who I am an' he wouldn't hurt me, an' Dad won't let anyone else hurt me, 'specially not Mr. Webber or the doctor."
"That's precisely part of the problem, Virg. If he thinks he needs to protect you, your dad could get really intense about it, 'cause wolves don't know better...and I'd need to make sure everyone else is safe too, as well as you, and me. Too risky." He shook his head, continuing persuasively as he could, "The best way you can help is to be good and stay outside with Cheko and everyone else. There's gonna be a campfire and a picnic and everything, it'll be fun."
"Nu-uh..." Virgil said darkly, crossing his arms and glaring at the ground. "You're leaving me out for no reason." He ceased his whining though, his demeanour taking on a defiant and sullen cast.
"That is not true at all and you darn well know it, kiddo." Lucca shot back with a frown, a tinge of unease colouring his expression at the change in the boy's demeanor. "Please be good about this, dude, it's real important."
Victor turned to regard his son, his own expression darkening and his eyes narrowing as his son's did. "Do. Not. Defy us, Virgil," he said with sharp firmness. Virgil looked up at him, and their expressions were eerily similar: an angry, commanding air that hinted at a sadness. They glared at each other in this fashion as they finished crossing the threshold and stood outside. A short distance away were Cheko and Clover, pitching a tent. The Erzebets stopped and stared at each other for a moment longer, before Victor finally offered, "Tonight. You will wait outside tonight."
"What about tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow will be discussed later."
Virgil was not necessarily heartened by this concession, but considered it for a moment. "...Ok..." He leaned forward and hugged his father around waist, "S'not fair..." he muttered again.
Victor leaned over and returned the hug. "No, it's not," he replied. "But something will be worked out." Virgil nodded into his father's shirt, then pulled back. "Be good for Cheko, Clover and Mr. Komatsu." 
Nodding again, Virgil added, "I will."
"We'll see you in the morning." Victor leaned over and kissed the top of Virgil's head. "Goodnight, Virgil."
Virgil hugged him again, "Goodnight." He gave them one more wistful, sullen look, then walked off over to where the camp was being set.
Lucca watched the boy go with a sigh. Rubbing at his face he turned to Victor and cocked his head slightly, "Is tomorrow actually up for negotiation?"
"Something will certainly have to be discussed. That is not the look of someone who is going to graciously cede the point," Victor said calmly, watching his son from afar. "If something isn't bent in his favour, he will take it upon himself to intrude, and that could be far more dangerous. Either he is given a concession of some sort, or he will have to be much more strictly guarded, and he will not appreciate the latter. I fear for his safety if he tries to do something extreme."
The druid pursed his lips and nodded, "Mmmh, yeah, likewise. I feel like he's certain to pull somethin' if we don't compromise somehow, more strictly watched or no. And frankly, I guess if I'm gonna have to have him there, I'd rather know and be prepared, ya know? Fuckin' hell, though." He made a face, looking decidedly less than impressed.
"We shall see how tonight goes, and progress from there," Victor stated. 
----
"Hey," Ryuji greeted Lucca as the two passed each other in the tunnel, one leaving the boat dock for the jungle, the other preparing to cast the spells that would seal the entrance. "Everyone else where they need to be?"
"Yup, you're the last guy out tonight. You guys got everything you need, before I toss the wall up?"
"Yes, I think we should be set. It's only one night, so barring anything unexpected, there shouldn't be any issues," he confirmed. "I suppose, on that note...do you want to borrow my sword? I'm not suggesting anything violent!" he added quickly, and explained further, "but its magic forces shifters to regain their true forms. I guess, if they attacked you for some reason, not that I'm suggesting they will, but if they did, it would be an easy way to stop them without anyone getting seriously hurt, either you or them. It would only take a small cut, I think, from what I've been told about the blade's magic."
Lucca's eyes darted to the blade with a look of disdain, bordering on disgust. "I...think I'll pass, thanks. I think I've got enough tools to handle it myself." Returning his attention to Ryuji, he added, "I do appreciate the offer though, thank you."
A small confused frown twisted his lips, but it passed quickly and he replied, "Alright, you know best what you've got. I just thought, it might help if spells weren't working. But, that's fine. The offer's open if you change your mind." He moved to exit the cave, "Have a..." he paused and shrugged, "well, I'd say a good night. Have a quiet night?"
"Alrighty, thanks again." He nodded, adding with a small, crooked smile, "You too, dude."
----
It was later, with the entrance sealed and the others camping in the jungle outside, that the sun passed down under the horizon. With no warning or fanfare in the magically-lit cave-like docking bay, the four men who had been waiting around with various levels of unease were suddenly large wolves. Lucca watched this, perched as he was nearby, waiting like the rest of them. Cohen, not particularly wanting to deal with any of the experience, had moments earlier taken a sleep-aid; the grey-furred wolf adorned with a collar yawned, sniffed about a bit groggily and shortly fell asleep in a corner. Pierce had been deep in thought and appearing agitated, much like he had since leaving Inversheil, and now in the form of a canine appeared to be mostly the same; he had a nevous sort of look to him, and took to pacing. The white wolf that was Victor surveyed the area around him, appearing less-than-pleased when finding no exit once again. Cress, who had been practicing his fighting form, now looked about in interest, eventually ending up near Lucca. He made a playful growling noise and dropped forward, trying once again to goad Lucca into play.
Lucca turned from carefully studying the two more agitated looking wolves to the playful canine posing before him with a frown. "Really, dude? This again? No. Go do something else." He guestured vaguely about the cavern as he spoke, his tone holding a note of exasperation, "I don't wanna play."
The playful wolf continued to make soft noises, hopping back and forth, goading Lucca and not generally getting the hint. The other two, for their parts, eventually lay down, Pierce looking nervous still, Victor with a hint of surliness.
"Dude! Bug off!" He made a shooing motion that only served to send the animal dancing about him gleefully. Briefly shooting him a stern glare, he folded his arms across his chest with a huff and pointedly directed his gaze elsewhere.
Cress waited another moment more, but with Lucca now ignoring him, he straightened and gave an inquisitive look. After another moment of stern ignorance from the man, Cress' face and tail drooped. With a bit of a moan, he turned and shuffled away, eventually flopping over with the exaggerated air of everything being awful.
The druid continued trying staunchly to ignore him, but after some time a creeping sense of guilt, coupled with a particularily melodramatic sigh from the young wolf drew his attention back to the creature. Unfolding his arms with a soft sigh of his own, he hesitantly ventured, "Cressy?"
Lucca called twice more, eventually garnering the wolf's green-eyed gaze. He looked up at Lucca questioningly, his tail wagging slightly at the offer of attention.
Lucca offered a faint smile and tentatively patted the floor in front of himself, bracing slightly in anticipation of a charge. The wolf rolled over and picked himself up, going over to Lucca with a rather submissive stance: his head, eyes and tail down. He glanced back and forth from Lucca in askance, as though guilty of some trespass he wasn't fully cleared of.
Resisting the rather strong urge to shrink back from the animal, Lucca pressed the knuckles of one hand against his mouth and regarded him with a mix of uncertainty and skittish curiosity. After a few moments, he ever so slowly reached out to the wolf, his eyes darting nervously from its muzzle to ears to tail and back again, watching intently for the slightest indication he was making the wrong move. The white canine watched him, his ears perking in curiousity. As the hand was extended, he reached out his nose to investigate, looking between the hand and Lucca's face, wondering what was being offered. Tensing slightly as Cress sniffed his hand, Lucca waited a few moments for the animal to finish before leaning forward and reaching out a bit further to gingerly stroke the teal hair between the wolf's ears. At this, Cress leaned into the touch, then quickly moved forward to nuzzle his head into his friend's chest. A small, startled sound, something between a gasp and a squawk, escaped the man at this as he flinched and pulled back, then froze, confusing Cress further.
It took Lucca's mind a moment to process what had just occurred. As realization dawned on him, he offered a soft apology to the wolf, dropping his gaze as he did so, then holding out his hand once more. Cress continued to look at him with befuddlement, cocking his head, Lucca's frightened behaviour causing him concern. After a few seconds like this, Lucca took a deep breath and reached over to pet the wolf once more, forcing himself to move with more confidence than he was feeling. The wolf still looked at him with confusion, the mixed signals from Lucca's stand-offishness followed by alternating signs of friendliness and fear throwing him off. He let Lucca rub his hand through his fur for a few moments, before attempting to nuzzle into him again. At this, the druid tensed slightly and he paused in petting the creature, but after a second moved his one hand to stroke the thick white fur of the wolf's neck, the other coming up to scratch gently behind one of its ears. He slowly let out the breath he had been holding, and with it the majority of the tension left his body. As he continued petting the animal a faint, almost wistful smile touched the corners of his mouth. As Lucca relaxed, so too did Cress, who began rubbing and nuzzling his face into his friend's neck, tail wagging once more. This elicited a somewhat disbelieving laugh from the man, and he gave Cress' fur a fairly vigorous ruffle.
Beginning to regain the excitement he had before, Cress became more intrusive, pushing bodily onto the man and licking his ear. Throwing one hand out behind himself to keep from being pushed over, Lucca laughed again, this time perhaps a bit nervously, at the tickle of the creature's tongue, "Hey!" After a few short moments of this, Cress jumped back and dropped down again, grinning and begging to play.
"Aaaaand we're back to this. Again." Lucca shook his head with a bemused sigh. Standing up, he pulled his wand out of a pocket and cast Speak with Animals on himself before continuing, "Alright fine, dude. What am I supposed to do?"
Play! The spell translated the canine's intent into simplistic words. Wrestle tug run...stuff! Fun stuff. His tail wagged in anticipation of Lucca's assent to have fun. Room's too small. Empty. Boring. Make fun!
"Right...cool." He stood uncertainly for a moment more, then, thinking back to the last time Cress had been a wolf and demanded to be chased, took an animated step in his direction, holding his hands up as if intending to catch him. 
Hee hee! Cress lept back and ran a few feet backwards before jumping around to look at Lucca, ensuring that he was, indeed, chasing him. With a laugh the druid shook his head and gave chase, following the wolf as he tore around the room in crazy loops and zig-zags. More than once, Cress shot up the sides of walls and jumped off, climbing the rough, rocky surface like it was nothing. They ran about with abandon for a while, ignored by the others who napped with varying levels of ease. It wasn't until Lucca called for a halt, out-of-breath, that Cress relented, sidling up beside him, panting and grinning himself. 
"You're ridiculous," he chuckled, ruffling the fur atop the wolf's head before flopping down on the floor, still trying to catch his breath. Cress dropped down beside him, looking rather pleased with himself. 
----
It was late into the night when Victor began to pace angrily. He growled softly and stared pointedly at the sealed entrance, walking back and forth by the stone wall that seperated the docking bay from the path outside.
His agitation drew the attention of the druid still sprawled out on the floor with Cress. Sitting up, he watched the large canine for a few moments before pulling out his wand to re-cast the spell, which had long since worn off. Getting to his feet, he approached Victor cautiously, his posture submissive and stopped a good few paces away. After a moment's hesitation, he gently asked what was the matter, keeping both his tone and posture carefully deferential. Lucca hoped the issue was that which he suspected, a matter easily remedied, or at least so he hoped.
Victor never looked over, though his tail swished in an acknowledgement of Lucca's presence. Trapped. The spell conveyed his resentment and agitation at the small room. No prey. No space. Hungry. Trapped. He continued glaring at the wall. Things went through here. Now they can't. He growled softly. Son went through there.
Lucca pursed his lips, offering softly after a moment, "Your son is safe, he will be with you again in the morning. The wall won't leave until then, nothing can pass through there until it does. But I can bring you food? Or I guess bring some small prey here for you to hunt, if you would like?"
No prey here. Too small. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run. Nothing worth hunting. He snorted and turned from the door, stalking moodily away. No hunting here. Killing, eating, but no hunting. His tail swished again, Hungry still, regardless.
The druid nodded, more to himself than anyone else; the wolf certainly had a point, "Good point, no actual hunting. Food though, I've got something for you to eat...I'll go get it, wait a sec... " He turned and headed over to the ship, climbing the hanging ladder that they had attached to the side door and returning a short while later with the carcass of a magnificent young stag draped across his shoulders, along with Victor's bag of holding. Making his way over to Victor, he dropped to one knee and placed the deer before him almost reverently. Bowing his head slightly, he stepped back, his posture inviting the wolf to claim his offering. The wolf eyed it questioningly, disdainfully, looking between the man and the offering. Eventually, he gave a snort and began to eat, Pierce and Cress sidling up nearby, waiting. Lucca let out a small, relieved sigh, pleased that the deer had been accepted, and moved to sit a short ways away. The wolves ate their fill, which wasn't too great, as all of the men had thought to eat shortly before nightfall. The rest of the night passed uneventfully, Victor staring moodily at the wall that blocked the entrance, until eventually the wolves fell asleep, shifting back into men who later awoke on the hard stone floor.
----
Victor and Virgil stared at each other, Lucca standing to one side. Glaring each other down in silence, it was Victor who first spoke. "If we tell you you aren't allowed to be in the dock, what would you plan to do?"
"Nothing," Virgil replied, but his mouth twitched slightly and he fidgeted his hands, signalling that his statement might be somewhat less than fully truthful. 
"It would be extremely dangerous if you tried to break or sneak in," Victor stated. "I don't profess to know how you would, but regardless, I don't want you trying anything." 
A frown painted Virgil's face, "Then just let me come in."
"It's still too dangerous." He sighed slightly, "So, we discussed it. Lucca believes that none of us would mean you any harm, so provided you keep a safe distance..." Virgil's face lit up. "We will agree to let you watch IF you remain on the boat. We will take the ladder away, and you will stay in there where it is still reasonably safe." Virgil frowned a bit again, but considered the offer. "You can look through the windows, and since we can't reach you, you should remain safe. Carrot was fine on the boat the first night, so it stands to reason that you will be as well. And you have to go to bed when Lucca tells you. I don't want you staying up all night."
Virgil nodded, "Ok. But...can I at least open the door a bit, so I can talk to Lucca? I won't come down or anything! And I'll stay back so I don't fall," he said as he made a crossing motion over his heart. "but I wanna at least yell down at Lucca. And if you try and jump up or somethin', I'll close the door real quick and won't open it again or anything. You still couldn't reach me, right? So that should be ok, right?" He looked between Lucca and Victor for affirmation. Victor looked towards the druid for his opinion.
Eyeing the boy scrutinously, Lucca pursed his lips and folded his arms across his chest as he considered the proposal. When he eventually answered, he spoke to Victor rather than Virgil. "I suppose it might be okay, provided he behaves himself. I'm not particularily fond of there being any access to the boat while he's in there, but it's honestly probably better if we can talk. And I can keep a better eye on him that way, too." He finished with a slight shrug, leaving the ultimate verdict in the hands of the elder Erzebet.
Victor considered this for a moment, Virgil looking at him with hopeful anticipation. "Please please please? I'll be super good and safe."
"If you were doing that, you wouldn't be in the dock at all," Victor replied with a hint of sarcasm. Eventually, he made a slight shrugging motion with his hands, "I suppose, provided you stay away from the edge and don't fall, and don't do anything careless."
Virgil gave a small whoop and hugged his father. "Thank you!" he said, "I'll be really good, I promise!" He turned and hugged Lucca as well.
"Make certain you are," Victor said with all seriousness. "And if I find from Lucca that you didn't go to bed on time..."
"I will!" Virgil promised. "I'll even go get my homework done now!" he added, running off immediately.
Watching him leave, Victor added, "...I hope I don't come to regret this decision..."
"Yeah, seriously. You and me both," Lucca agreed with a sigh.
----
"Don't get any closer..." Victor said with a stern air.
"I won't!" Virgil called down. He was laying on his stomach on the metal hallway of the boat, the side door hanging open in front of him. His arms were crossed and his chin rested upon them, placed on the edge of the doorway. Peering down to the ground below him, he saw his father looking up, along with Lucca, Cress, Pierce and Cohen nearby, all absorbed in their own devices. He watched quietly as the time got ever closer to sunset.
As the unseen sun dipped below the horizon the four afflicted men suddenly began shifting, and within seconds had once more taken on the form of an imposing pack of wolves. As soon as he noticed the other men beginning to change, Lucca stopped what he was doing and closing his eyes briefly to focus, affected a shift of his own, sprouting a distinctly lupine set of ears and a matching tail, all clad in glossy black fur. Opening his eyes once more, he immediately turned his attention to the wolves around him, taking stock of their attitudes and activities.
"Hee hee! Why'd you do that?" a grinning Virgil called down to Lucca, his voice commanding the attention of the three still-conscious wolves, Cohen having drugged himself to sleep once more. "You said you couldn't do partway stuff."
"I couldn't, but I kinda...learned, I guess?" The druid answered with a shrug, his eyes drifting amongst the wolves as he spoke to the boy, his eyes flicking between the boy and the animals, "Wolves do most of their talking with their bodies, especially with their ears and tails...most animals do, really...anyway, I wanted to see how having them would change how well I can talk to them without the spell."
Pierce, Victor and Cress all looked up at Virgil with various affects; Pierce quickly lost interest and meandered away, Cress watched for a while longer before turning his attention towards Lucca, while the wolf that was Victor stared upwards unflinchingly, his ears back and his demeanour unsettled. "Hi Dad!" Virgil called down, waving at the wolf.
Lucca's attention immediately snapped over to the white wolf, his ears first pricking with interest, then falling flat as he took stock of his reaction. Coupled with the droop of his new tail, it lent him an unmistakeable look of unease that could be seen clear across the room. He hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth between the Erzebets, before pulling out his wand and casting its spell with a flick of his wrist. His shift would outlast the spell by hours; he'd have time to test his communication skills later.
Clearing his throat, he politely asked, "What's the matter?"
That's too high, was the wolf's translated reply. Much too high. He continued to stare upwards with concern. Cress, who had been looking for Lucca's attention, looked between Victor and him and stood back shyly, not wanting to intrude upon the alpha.
"But...that's where you wanted him to be. He's safer up in there..." Lucca's reply was a bit tentative, his ears folding back even further. "Would you like the door closed or something?" He offered hopefully, knowing full well what the answer would be.
No. Want to watch him. It's very high. It's dangerous so high.
Lucca gritted his teeth and turned to look up at Virgil and the boat, his eyes scanning the hull for any other place he could put the boy that would satisfy the wolf. Eventually he offered weakly, pointing to the glass bubble of the gun turret, "What about if he went in there? It's not as high..."
The wolf turned to look at him with an air of confusion. Hanging isn't better, he said with the certainty of someone who thought the other was stupid. He turned back to watch Virgil. High isn't safe. I have to watch him.
"Why's Cress all sad?" Virgil asked. "Like, Dad's just doin' what he always does, an' I think the other two are sleepin'. What's Cress sad about?" Apparently, Virgil had considered Cress' submissive shyness to be sorrow.
Lucca's ears sprang back up at the sound of the boy's voice, flicking in his direction. He glanced at Cress, then shook his head, "He ain't sad, bud, he's being polite in wolf-speak...lettin' us know he would like something, but that he respects that your dad is the boss and gets to talk first."
Turning his attention back to Victor, he asked, "What would you have done, then? We decided pretty firmly that he had to stay in there tonight..."
Victor glanced back to Lucca, and there appeared to be a look of consternation upon the canine's face. He seemed at a loss concerning the heady concepts of 'making past decisions' and 'theoretical outcomes'. He blinked, then looked back up to Virgil. High places are dangerous. I have to watch him. I have to protect him. He shouldn't be so high. He backed up slighly and lay down, tilting his head up so that he still had a clear view of Virgil.
"Whatcha talkin' about?" Virgil asked.
Lucca shook his head, at a bit of a loss, before turning back to the boy. "You, bro. He's worryin', like usual," he answered with a shrug.
Virgil giggled, "Da~ad, stop worrying! I'm not doin' anything, see?" He held his hands out front of him. Victor's ears twitched, but he didn't break his gaze.
Smiling faintly to himself at this, Lucca walked over to Cress and lightly ruffled the fur atop his head. "And what about you, saladface? What do you need?" He kept one ear trained on Victor as he did so. As Lucca left Victor's presence and turned his attention towards the younger wolf, he hopped up and began popping about excitedly, before trying to jump up on him. Doing stuff! Let's do stuff! Fun stuff!
He deeked out of the way, shoving the wolf back down without any hint of anger. "Frig, man! Why you always gotta be so hyper?" Fishing an apple out of his pocket, he lobbed it across the cavern, chuckling, "Go fetch, you moron!" He tore after the fruit; picking it up, he began to chew on it, quickly reducing it to a pulpy mess.
"You're supposta bring it back, Cress!" Virgil shouted at him, smiling.
Cress jogged back towards Lucca. Chase more things! the spell translated for him as he hopped about yet again. 
"Tell him to bring it back, Lucca! He's doin' it all wrong," Virgil instructed.
He laughed at this, pulling another fruit, this time a pear, from his pocket, "Kay, boss!" Looking to Cress, he held up the fruit and instructed slowly and clearly, "You bring it back to me, got it? Don't eat it or there'll be no more, and then no more chasing, kay?" he waited for a moment, looking earnestly at the wolf.
No eating. Bring it back, the wolf repeated, raring to run. Lucca pitched the pear high and far across the room. He chuckled as he watched Cress charge after it, his own tail wagging slightly. This time, Cress brought it back, though possibly not as gently as he could have: deep gouges were left in the soft fruit, now covered in juice and saliva. He stood looking expectantly at Lucca, readying himself again and waiting to have something tossed, neglecting to consider that maybe he was supposed to give the pear back first. Virgil laughed at this.
"Seriously, bro? You gotta give it back first if I'ma throw it again." He held out his hand expectantly for the pear, giving Cress a prompting look.
Oh! Cress dropped the soggy pear into Lucca's waiting hand before hopping back once more. Lucca gave the slimy fruit a look of disgust before launching the it into the air again, to Cress' excitement, and the game continued for a little while longer, until the pear had become an unrecognizable mess. Cress still jumped about, excited and not lacking for energy. Virgil watched from the doorway, while Victor watched him from the ground.
"What am I even gonna do with you, dude?" Lucca asked the creature as he danced about him, demanding further entertainment. "I'm gonna run outta shi-...stuff to keep you busy, like, so fast. Sheesh!"
"Why don't you tell him to sit?" Virgil asked. "That's what Cress tells his dogs to do when they start jumping like that."
"I 'unno, I didn't think to. I never played with a dog before Cress was one." He shrugged, "...seems like a good call. But I don't got anything to good to give him when he does it, just more fruit an' like..." he fished around in his pockets, and came up with a granola bar, "...this, I guess?" Breaking off a piece, he asked Cress to sit, tossing it to him when he complied. By this point, the communication spell had worn off, so it took a while to get the point through to the excited wolf. He chomped the granola hungrily before jumping up and smelling at Lucca, looking for the rest.
"Hey, back off dude! Don't get greedy on me!" Lucca chided, asking him to sit again before reliquishing another bit. He caught on slightly faster the second time, and by the fourth time, the granola was gone. Cress continued to sniff about invasively, in case Lucca was holding out on him.
"It's gone, see!" The druid exclaimed, holding his open hands out, palms up to show he wasn't holding anything. "You ate it all, fatty!" Grinning, Virgil sat up and ran into the boat's interior, causing Victor to stand up in concern.
A few minutes later, Virgil popped back, slightly calming Victor. He held up a cookie and called down to Cress. Getting his attention, he yelled, "Sit!" Cress did as he was told, and in response, Virgil tossed down the baked treat, which Cress caught handily as it fell. Finding this utterly amusing, Virgil continued repeating the command and tossing cookies, until Cress got to the point where he was standing and sitting repeatedly without prompt, hoping for more cookies.
"Cress, you moron! What are you even doing?" Lucca laughed, his tail wagging gleefully, "You've probably had enough cookies anyway, I don't need you gettin' sick on me." He glanced up at Virgil pointedly as he spoke.
"Awww," Virgil said with a grin. "Ok." He held up his empty hands, "No more!" Virgil chuckled, then gave a big yawn. Cress, ever the optimist, continued sitting and looking up, just in case.
"I think I know somebody who's about ready for bedtime, I wonder who it could be?" Looking up at the boy, Lucca smirked, one of his ears falling sideways, "Wanna go get your pyjamas on and get ready for bed? And I'll just maybe let you stay up a little longer?"
"Aww. Ok. I promised," he said, standing up with little arguement and heading into the boat. Victor began to pace agitatedly, trying to look further into the boat by standing and peering upward. With his son no longer in sight, he began to make unsettled noises, fretting.
Looking at the big wolf with concern, Lucca began talking softly even as he reached for his wand, "Hey now," he continued after casting the spell yet again, "It's alright, he's just gone to get ready for bed. It's getting really late, he needs to sleep soon."
Yes. He needs sleep, he agreed. Can't sleep up there. Not safe up there. I can't see him up there.
"He...he's safer up there than down here...and that's where his bed is, he'll want to sleep there," Lucca protested gently.
Safer on the ground. Safer where I can see him, Victor stated plainly. I can't get there. He turned to Cress and motioned up towards the boat door. The spell translated the message for Lucca: You can get up there. Bring my son down.
"No!" Lucca said sharply, his ears and tail both coming up threateningly as he turned his attention to Cress, stopping the wolf in his tracks. His attention immediately returned to Victor, his posture becoming extremely submissive as it did. "No, Cress is a fool. He'll scare him at the very least. I'll go get him." Cress shrank back, unsure of whom to listen to.
Victor looked at Lucca sternly, before turning back to stare up towards the still-open door. Get my son.
The druid stood for a long moment, ears folded back tightly against his head, looking like he wanted to say something more. Pursing his lips, he turned and headed over to the boat, activating a spell with a flourish of his hands and floating up to the door, landing lightly just inside. He considered the door gravely for a long moment, then glanced briefly over his shoulder at the wolves, before heading off to find Virgil. His ears quickly lead him to the boy, and he called his name before poking his head in the room, so as not to startle him.
Virgil, now in nightclothes, was in the middle of brushing his teeth in one of the bathrooms; he looked at Lucca with some confusion. He spat out and asked, "What? I'm getting ready! Don'tcha trust me at all?"
"I trust ya just fine, dude. Your dad on the other hand is worryin' like some old hen or somethin' and wanted me to come get ya." He leaned against the doorframe, "So here I am, 'cause pissin' off wolves isn't generally a good idea, less so when it's your dad." He chuckled softly, then sighed, "Keep doin' your thing, it'll give me a few minutes to figure out what I'ma do."
"Heh. Dad always worries. 'Member when he showed up in the woods 'cause we were like, an hour late and he thought we were dead or somethin'?" He started brushing his teeth again, "What's he worried about? There's nothin' around or anythin'. I'm goin' to bed like I'm supposta."
"Yeah, he's a goof." He smiled crookedly at the memory, then shrugged, "Apparently you're 'up too high, way too high' and he doesn't like that he can't see you. So he wants you to sleep down there. Which is frankly ridiculous...but so is telling him 'no' right now, so...I gotta pick my poison, as it were."
"Even as a wolf, Dad's still afraid of heights?" Virgil laughed, putting away his things. He washed his face before facing Lucca. "So...what? Should I go to bed? I kinda don't wanna sleep by the door..."
The druid pursed his lips and let out a heavy sigh through his nose. "Mmmmh...no. No. Sleeping by the door would be silly, you could fall. And if I just send you to bed, I'm gonna have to change him back, and that feels like a jerk thing to do; he's really not causing trouble...yet." He rubbed at his chin, thinking hard, "So the question really is, do we wanna do something kinda really dumb tonight? And probably get in trouble in the morning? Me at least? Or do I just lock your butt in here and start huckin' spells around." He looked over at the boy, "What do you think?"
Virgil frowned, "You can't just beat him up for being worried. That's mean. An'...an' I unno, what if you don't knock him out in one hit? Isn't he going to get super mad at you? I'd get super mad at you, if I was a wolf an' you were tryin' to spell me without me wanting you to, and you could get in a really bad fight, if he's not thinkin' right." He paused, then added, "An' would he stay super mad at you? Like...you were sayin' that dogs have a...an order, right? An' Dad's at the top? Wouldn't you tryin' to spell him put you pretty low? An' then they're all gonna be mad at you all the time when they change, an' it's gonna be hard to watch 'em, right?" He shrugged, "I'd probably do whatever makes the least fighting. Mr. Webber's asleep, the doctor's really asleep, an' I just fed Cress like, a dozen cookies. I know you're all worried they're gonna do somethin' but...yeah, and if Dad's gonna get mad tomorrow morning, is he gonna be less mad than if he gets mad now? 'Cause he's gonna be mad either way. Unless you're really lucky and he doesn't remember that it was you who clonked him on the head."
"Virgil! I wouldn't use beating up kinda spells on him! That'd be awful!" Lucca stared at the boy with a look of utter indignation, "Sheesh, dude! I ain't that big of a jerk. No, I meant stay still spells and change back spells; they don't hurt. But they could still piss 'em off, yeah, and that'd be pretty suck, you're right." He pursed his lips, thinking for a moment longer, then threw his hands up in the air, "Well, to hell with it! You're one little dude and I've got all of my spells; I should certainly be able to keep your butt safe if something goes down. Let's go get some blankets and stuff for you to camp with, and get out there before Cress gets sent in here and I get my butt kicked anyway for taking too long." He made a face, "And let's both say a prayer to the spirits that I don't get skinned alive for this come morning."
Virgil shrugged a bit, "Ok." With that, they collected up some blankets and things. As they finished and began heading towards the door, a baying noise came from outside; Victor was becoming impatient.
"Friiiig." Lucca muttered under his breath, then cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered, "We're coming!" Quickening their pace, the druid poked his head out the doorway and explained, "Sorry! Had to get some bedding for him; he can't sleep on the stone." Turning, he dropped to one knee and beckoned Virgil to hop on his back, piggy-back style. He then grabbed the bedding and activated his fly spell once again before jumping out of the boat and floating lightly to the ground. Victor approached them as they landed and began to press around Lucca, trying to get towards Virgil. The druid reflexively moved to evade, keeping himself between the two of them, "Listen, before I put him down, and I'm gonna, don't worry! But...." he began uneasily, trying to figure out a way to explain himself in a way that the wolf would understand. "Nobody's teeth can touch him, alright? Not even playing or if he's in trouble...understand? You guys have...a sickness, and he's just little, it'd be terrible if he got it..." His tone became more nervous as he went on, his ears and tail drooping submissively in contrast to his demanding words.
Victor's ears perked at the question, and he seemed to consider it as he looked at Lucca. After a few seconds, he turned back towards Virgil. Fine. Move.
The druid hesitated a moment more, still looking ill at ease, before to one knee once more to let Virgil down, keeping a close watch out of the corner of his eye on Victor as he did so. Virgil slid down and stood a bit awkwardly, the imposing canine and Lucca's own wariness giving him reason for pause. Victor took a few steps forward and inspected Virgil closely with his nose. Virgil stood stiffly, but Lucca was still under the effects of the spell. Good. Safe. The wolf began to lick Virgil's face, causing him to pull back. 
"Augh, Da~ad..." Virgil tried to protect his face, wiping it off.
Time to sleep. Victor nudged his son with his forehead, gently pushing him along. Virgil followed until he was directed to the spot where Victor had spent much of his time the night before. Victor laid down and stared at Virgil, waiting for him to do the same.
Lucca watched the exchange with a faint, relieved smile, although he still looked rather unsettled. When Virgil didn't seem to immediately understand what Victor wanted, he translated, "He wants you to go to sleep, bud...apparently over there, with him. That's 'his spot'." He finished with a slight shrug.
Virgil mirrored the gesture, took the blankets from Lucca and set up a sleeping bag-like arrangement, not unlike one from one of the many camping trips they had taken over the years. Settling in, he gave a 'Goodnight' to Lucca, followed by, "Could you turn off some of the lights?", referring to the numerous magical spells that had been cast about. After returning the 'Goodnight' with a light ruffle of the boy's hair, the druid happily obliged, dispelling a fair few of the lights, leaving the cavern with a dim, comfortable glow.
As he settled, the large white wolf moved itself to lay about Virgil protectively, curling around his head. Virgil smiled sleepily, "You're weird, Dad." He moved his hand out from under the blankets to gingerly pet the wolf's side, and when he didn't make any protest, he inched up closer to rest on him like a pillow. Victor lay his head down and rested with his son, and whether he was truly asleep or not was hard to tell.
Lucca waited until both were well settled before taking a seat as close by as he figured he could get away with. Cress approached him with a bit of a whine as he sat down, seeming a tad ill. Bundling himself up in his shawl, Lucca eventually settled into a watchful half-doze of his own, keeping an easy eye on his charges. 
----
When the morning came, Victor found himself awakening face-down on the floor of the cave, with Virgil sleeping mostly on top of him. A quick glance revealed several other sleeping figures strewn about the dimly-lit cave; Victor rubbed his eyes and sighed, carefully extricating himself from under his son, trying not to wake him.
Lucca, for his part, sat stiffly nearby with a solemn look of equal parts exhaustion and what appeared to be a sort of determination. Although his eyes flicked over to when Victor began to stir, he made no move to acknowledge him, simply pressing his lips together tightly and taking a deep breath. Standing up and leaving Virgil sleeping on the ground, bundled as he was in blankets, Victor approached Lucca. He regarded him for a few silent seconds, his face humourless and drawn, before he sighed, "I am tired, I am disheveled, and I'm stiff from sleeping crooked. I am just going to assume there was a very good reason for Virgil to be sleeping there, and ask you to put the ladder back so I can shower. Then I'm going to drink coffee and continue not sleeping, because there's still one more night and if I can wear myself out, hopefully I'll be inclined to sleep more tonight."
"Of course." The druid gave a slight nod and unfurled himself, getting up to go do as he was asked.
----
"As much fun as it is drugging myself unconscious three nights a month, I'm going to have to find a better solution. I'm already addicted to stimulants, I don't need to be addicted to sedatives too," Cohen complained, standing outside the boat for the third evening.
"Why don't you, I don't know, not knock yourself out?" Pierce asked, standing nearby. "It's not like we remember anything."
"If nothing else, I remain the only rested person here. Three days spent shifting between diurnal and nocturnal species is taxing, and I enjoy my rest cycle where it is, thank you."
Pierce yawned, "Fine. But if the All show up and you've drugged yourself out, I don't think anyone is carrying you."
"Pity," he replied sardonically. 
"Besides, there's no cure. Nothing that anyone knows anyways, so you're going to be taking an awful lot of drugs in the long term," Pierce offered.
He gave a dry grin, "Spoken from someone who has no clue what an awful lot of drugs is." He looked serious again as he continued, "There is certainly a cure. It's just a matter of finding a more permanent polymorph effect, apparently."
Pierce rolled his eyes, "So, what, you'd rather be a tengu forever than turn into a wolf a few nights?"
"You take the word 'permanent' too seriously. Everything is malleable, that's what makes it magic. Something more permanent than the curse can still be removed under the right conditions. It will likely still be inconvenient, but less so than this, I hope." He grinned, "When I discover it, I'll be sure to let you know. I'm sure a permanent dogfolk look for you would go over swimmingly with your newfound people." Pierce groaned and rubbed his eyes, saying nothing.
Meanwhile, Virgil asserted his desire to stay in the cave once more. Victor sighed, his lack of sleep catching up to him and removing his will to have an arguement. Lucca, on the other hand, shook his head firmly, "No, dude. No dice. Last night did not go to plan, and was really stressful for both your dad and me. And everyone is pretty exhausted and crabby at this point; I don't wanna push our luck. So no, I would really, really rather you stayed outside tonight. Maybe we can see about you coming again next month or in the future or something, alright?"
"Nothing went wrong at all, I just ended up sleeping somewhere different! Come on!" Virgil groused, but the ill-tempered and sleep deprived men were having none of it, and Virgil was eventually shooed bodily outside. He frowned and grumped, arms crossed, but he did not argue as vehemently as he had the first night: even he could recognize that everyone was too tired to be sweet-talked, and tired people weren't any fun to be around anyways.
With Virgil outside with Clover, Ryuji, Carrot and Cheko, the others prepared for the final night. The shift occured much like it had earlier, though at this point, the fact that they had been largely sleep-deprived for three days was beginning to show. Cress still came up to Lucca, looking for attention, but he lacked the pep he had shown earlier; Pierce also had a sleepy air about him. Victor, however, seemed to have something mean in his disposition, a surliness that was much more apparent now than it had been before. Moments after the shift finished, he began prowling around, and was growling in the direction of the sealed door. Lucca looked slightly troubled as he watched the big wolf from aways across the cavern, where he sat absently petting Cress. He decided to wait and see if he Victor would settle down first, rather than interfering immediately. It did not appear that luck was with him, however, as the wolf seemed to become increasingly frustrated and irate, eventually approaching the stone wall and pushing on it, scratching at it in a futile effort to find a weakness to break through. The druid waited quite some time to see if he would give up, his concern growing as the creature persisted and its efforts became, if anything, more aggressive.
Eventually he got up and approached the wolf, stopping a few paces off. "Hey...you should stop that, you're going to hurt yourself," he ventured gently.
Need out, the wolf's intent was clear. Too small, too tight, no prey. Can't run, can't hunt. Son is out there; can't reach, can't protect. Trapped. Need out. Must get out. He did not cease in his struggles against the stone, growling in anger and frustration. His claws left barely a mark on the solid stone, aggravating him further. Eventually, he reared back and rammed his shoulder into the wall, again with no effect. With this attempt foiled, he pulled back and began pacing again, a low growl still eminating from his throat and a terrible glint in his eye, his posture radiating aggression and frustration.
Lucca shrank back slightly as Victor paced past, not liking the look about him one bit. His eyes flicked about the cavern, taking stock of where everyone and everything was, his mind already beginning to formulate courses of action in case the situation escalated. Pierce, who had been further away to begin with, slunk back even further, hiding away near where Cohen was unconscious; the doctor had purposefully chosen a sheltered corner out of sight each night, so as to remain out of the way. Cress, who had followed Lucca most of the way when he had moved towards the wall, had much less cover to hide behind and seemed unsure of where to go. Meanwhile, Victor began widening his search, looking for other places that he might find an escape. His path took him near Cress, who had shrunk back, fear and submission plain to see. The older wolf glared at him, teeth partially bared; when Cress didn't immediately move, he gave an angered growl and snapped at him, sending him scuttling backwards.
"Cress, c'mere!" Lucca beckoned, waving the young wolf over, wanting him out of the way of the angry alpha. Whether Cress noticed the call or not, he didn't know, but rather than run towards Lucca, he fled in the opposite direction and vanished from sight, hiding behind a ruined fixture of some sort. Lucca watched Victor closely for a few seconds longer, then gave a shake of his head as he decided that he was not prepared to put up with this sort of escalating agression, especially not when so tired. As he waited for the wolf to stalk a comfortable distance away, the druid prepared to loose a spell on him, one that would change him back to a man.
Once Victor, back turned, had reached a far enough distance, nearly the length of the room, Lucca gestured towards him and cast Trueform, the spell that he had used to shift Cress back when he had erroniously transformed on the boat, crossing his fingers that it would work the first time. Victor's ears pricked at the sensation of the spell, but before he could do anything, the magic took hold: he shifted back into the form of a man, and collapsed. Heaving a relieved sigh, Lucca trotted over to him and knelt by his side. Rolling him onto his back, he muttered under his breath as he quickly looked him over, making sure he hadn't hurt himself when he passed out. "You surly old moron...at least you'll get some sleep tonight..." By all appearances, he was unharmed, though exhaustion was still clear on his face. Despite there being nothing apparently wrong with him, his breathing and pulse both normal, he was unresponsive: the stipulations of the curse would keep him unconscious until daybreak. As Lucca fussed over him, Pierce stuck his head out and began to make his way cautiously over to investigate, keeping some distance while trying to see what had happened.
Having taken off his shawl, Lucca was in the midst of folding it into a sort of make-shift pillow when he noticed Pierce's approach. Half-turning towards the animal, he locked him with an almost threatening stare, his tone warning as he spoke, "Back off, Mr. Webber. Go lay down and sleep or something."
The wolf did not back down at the threat, but ceased advancing. Lucca's communication spell had not yet waned: Is the alpha hurt? Is he ill? What is happening?
"He is neither, he's fine. He is asleep, and he is going to sleep until morning; you should think about doing the same." The druid continued to stare the wolf down, turning to face him more fully. Pierce looked for a moment more, as though undecided on whether he would return Lucca's antagonistic front, then turned away, the spell translating his grumbling acceptance as he stalked off.
Lucca watched him go before turning his attention back to Victor. Tucking the pillow under his head, he made sure he was arranged as comfortably as possible, all things considered, then sat down himself, as close as he could manage without actually touching the man. He settled in for a long night, keeping an alert, watchful eye on the cavern and its occupants. Pierce lay down in his own spot, keeping an eye out as well, but long minutes passed without any sign of Cress coming back out from hiding. After quite some time, Lucca began to get a bit concerned about him, and called for him, his tone friendly and soothing. Despite his concern for his friend, however, he was not willing to leave Victor's side to look for him, especially since he had no reason to think he was actually in any sort of trouble. The young wolf did not appear, however, and the night passed slowly and quietly.
----
Morning came, its arrival marked only by the men's transformations. Cress stood up from the corner where he had huddled, stretched and yawned; he looked like he hadn't slept at all in days, which wasn't far from the truth. He picked his way around the debris between him and the boat, making his way to the center. Seeing Lucca, equally exhausted, he greeted him, "Hey. Was last night cool? I don't remember..." his eyes fell on Victor, still sleeping, and a strange look flitted over his eyes for a second. He shivered and looked away, "I don't remember...feeling good about yesterday." Meanwhile, Pierce sat up, yawning. Blinking heavily, he looked about at the others, and leaned over to where the doctor was still unconscious nearby, checking to make sure his drug-induced coma was wearing off.
"Yeah...it was...yeah..." the druid answered groggily, his words interrupted by a yawn, "Geezer pitched a bit of a fit at the start, but I dealt...nobody got...hurt..." As he spoke, his eyelids repeatedly drifted shut, the return of his charges to their normal states removing the last of the concern that had been keeping him awake.
"...Cool..." He held out his hand, "Gimme your hat, I'll go hang the ladder again so we can get some fuckin' real sleep. You gotta let the other guys in."
"Oh shit...those guys, yeah...right..." Lucca rubbed at his face, pulling off his hat and passing it over to the elf as he got shakily to his feet. Going over to the wall, he reshaped it out of the way, returning the tunnel to its former state and hollering down it at the others outside that they could come in. This done, he turned and went back to Victor, tapping him on the shoulder to rouse him. Cress had rolled the ladder down, and Pierce and Cohen, now awake, were entering the ship as well.
Victor's eyes fluttered open and he sat up, looking a bit better than he had the night earlier. As he stood up stiffly, he asked, "Did everything go alright? I don't remember much of anything at all, honestly. Did I actually sleep?"
"Like a fucking baby, asshole." Lucca replied with a crooked smile, stifling another big yawn, "Threw a goddamn tantrum first and everything. But it was cool, everything went fine. You slept most'a the night."
"...Oh..." Victor looked at him, tired and inscrutable. He considered this for a minute, before adding, "...At least it's done for another month." He turned towards the boat, "Come, you need sleep."
"Yeah...seriously..." He nodded, falling into step with the other man, grateful for the prospect of a proper sleep in a real bed. The two men climbed into the boat and headed straight for their respective beds. Cress was already there, asleep; Lucca's feathery headband had been tossed onto his pile of blankets.
"Thank you for all of your hard work," Victor said quietly to Lucca, not wanting to disturb the sleeping elf as he pulled off his shirt and shoes and lay down on his own meticulously made bed.
Lucca had already dove into his nest of blankets and curled up in a snug cocoon, barely taking time to kick off his boots first. He didn't open his eyes but smiled slightly as he replied, stumbling over his words slightly as he drifted off. "No problem, old man, it was nothin'." He nestled a bit deeper into his bed, and within seconds fell to a deep, well deserved sleep.
Category:Advent of the All