#wr gael

[letsbenditlikebennett]

@lithium-argon-wo-l-f replied to your post “[pm] Hey, kiddo. I just wanted to let you know...”:

[pm] I'm not planning on avoiding that part of the message. I know I'm being... clinical about it. [...] Good! The coffee machine is brand new, only been used a few times. The books are about chemistry! Fuuun stuff. ...What?? Is she okay? Is there anything I can do to help? How are you, are you doing okay?

​[pm] He says as he literally avoids that part of the message. :/

Gael :/

Answer the important questions. :/

I know where you live and what you smell like. :/ I'll cover all of your clothes in biodegradable silly string. :/ Don't try me :/

I like Chemistry books :/

She'll be okay. You can answer my questions, Gael. :/

And did I mention...

:/ :/ :/

[canis-or-cannotis-lycaon]

Gael || The Magnus Archives Avatar

The Stranger, I Do Not Know You, The uncanny, Not knowing

“It is the fear of things that are almost human, but not quite, and the creeping sense that something is not right but you don’t know how. It manifests as objects pretending to be humans, like mannequins, wax models and taxidermy, and is often connected to skin, faces, and identity.”

[x]

[letsbenditlikebennett]

TIMING: Current LOCATION: Somewhere deep in the Pines PARTIES: @lithium-argon-wo-l-f & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: Alex, after a rough last full moon in isolation, wants to run with another werewolf. Gael, not a werewolf who had a rough last full moon having gotten into a fight with another werewolf, is a little nervous

Swirling in the dark. The distant cries of something unidentifiable. Scent found him first, followed by the familiar pain. The Wolf didn’t want to move, he never did so soon after being stirred into consciousness, driven by the carnal desire to eat. And he was starving considering last night he didn’t get anything but the taunting and restraint of a human, which incensed him. However, instead of laying there for however long it was he laid there as he waited for his bones to ache just a little less, the scent pushed him onto at least sitting up, an involuntary whine escaping from his lithe frame as he did so. A large head hung low, ears pinned flat atop his skull as amber eyes stared into the brush. The smell, while previously unrecognizable, meant something to the Wolf now. It was firstly associated with a packmate, a first curiosity and a sensation that gave him a semblance of… joy. But then it was snarling, teeth burrowing into his flesh, claws attempting to rip him apart. It was the same scent, and it was the second feeling that pushed him onto his feet at the behest of his protesting body, as he kept his eyes staring ahead, in the direction of the scent that made him want to flee into the forest, making sure his back wasn’t accessible to whatever it was… if there was only one of it. He was driven by something predatory before, something involuntary that kept him from disengaging. The Wolf obviously didn’t know if it was pride, survival or territorialism but that mysterious pulse through his body, overwhelming his senses and clouding his mind even more than how it usually felt, was absent now and he wasn’t sure if he had the strength that pushed him before to withstand getting into another fight without risking serious injury - the mark on his back, over where he’d been bitten before, still ached with the phantom pain of before.

—

The grass underneath her paws was a new sensation, one that the werewolf relished in as she zoomed around the clearing chasing a couple of wild rabbits that would decidedly make a good fresh meal, but something in the chase was far too satisfying. All of those years Alex had cooped herself in a bunker during every full moon had made the werewolf antsy. This newfound freedom was like a breath of fresh air. The wolf could run endlessly without hitting one of the infuriating concrete walls and she relished in it. 

For a moment, the werewolf was even distracted from the hunger as she simply rolled around in the already dew-covered grass. There was some form of satisfaction in the feeling of earth against her fur and it invigorated the wolf. Once her red fur was decently covered in dirt and leaves, she rolled back onto her feet. Her movements were spritely as she chased down one of the rabbits and grabbed it in her claws. She had been just about to dig in when she heard the steps of the other werewolf. 

The smell in the air was a familiar one. Another werewolf, a packmate. Even though it was the first time they had seen each other in this form, the werewolf easily recognized the scent as one that it possessed fondness for… which made the unease seeping into the other werewolf’s scent confusing to the younger wolf. Icy blue eyes met amber and the werewolf tilted her head. Something of an indignant huff left the werewolf’s jowls as she tried to make sense of the stand-offish stance the elder wolf regarded her with. 

The only conclusion the werewolf could come to was that the other wanted her rabbits. Some cross of a whine and growl rang through the clearing. She had caught that rabbit, but this werewolf was bigger and stronger… and part of the pack. Some part of her could recognize that. So instead of defending her meal, a clawed hand pushed the dead rabbit toward the other wolf. The werewolf took a step back, hunching in to appear smaller and hopefully set the other werewolf at ease so they could tackle more prey. Find a better meal. Her stomach grumbled and the werewolf gave an impatient grumble. There was so much more ground to cover, so much more prey to devour. The wolf was free and the drive to hunt was in full gear. 

—

He remained where he was for a time as the visage of a wolf appeared before him, a rabbit in her jaws and her blue eyes looking at him. The hair on the back of the Wolf’s neck bristled instinctively, his lip wanting to curl if only to get the message across that he didn’t want to get into a fight. He didn’t, however, and as the other one made a noise and pushed its catch towards him– Well, he was confused. Only having two other opportunities before this one, each one giving him conflicting information about whatever he was supposed to feel. This one was smaller, younger than he felt and already caught something where the Wolf himself would’ve just gotten started, driven by an attempt to escape the pain he didn’t understand. Not that he understood much of anything, wanting to recall any scraps of thought but coming up frustratingly empty. He didn’t even know what he was. But this one offered its meal to him. His ears found themselves unpinning somewhat as he himself took a few steps forward on long forearms. He felt hunger, the ravenous thing that constantly gnawed on him but more than that, he was nervous and ultimately curious about this new creature. He… wanted to call it a friend. It smelled like one, it wasn’t giving the same body language as the one before, but rather the one before that. Carefully, the Wolf took the rabbit in a clawed paw before he ripped it into two pieces. It was a graceless action that sprayed blood everywhere but he took his ‘half’ and wedged it into his mouth before it was his turn to take a step back, tilting his head as the other half lay on the forest floor for it expectantly.

—

The tension in the other wolf's scent seemed to be dissipated and the ginger-furred werewolf was pleased that she had put her packmate at ease. Between the blades of grass under her paws and the other werewolf happily ripping the rabbit apart, the werewolf somehow knew this was it's best full moon yet. 

A pleased sound escaped from the wolf's jowls as the other nudged the bloodied rabbit in her direction. The smell was delectable and her hunger had hardly been sated by the small taste she'd gotten from simply catching the rodent. She took the rabbit in her jaws and gleefully devoured it. Blood dripped from her jaws and onto both her fur and the forest floor. Something about a breeze being able to hit her only heightened the sensation, but the breeze brought something else with it, too. 

The younger werewolf perked up and her own musk became masked with excitement. There was an animal nearby and based on the heavy fall of its footsteps, it sounded large. She gave a quiet whine in the other wolf's direction, a request for it to follow alongside her and take down whatever this prey was with her. When it seemed she had the wolf's attention, she took off weaving through the trees towards the sound and smell of their next meal. 

—

To say the excitement from watching the other wolf accept his gift sent the older Wolf’s tail wildly wagging would’ve been an understatement as the latter, vibrating with a previously-unfelt sense of camaraderie sharing a meal with the other wolf - she, it was a she, as he ran her scent through what memory banks he seemed to have - fell back into sitting as he himself consumed the rabbit with a salivating mouth. His tail swept the ground, he felt the remaining warmth of the rabbit’s blood on his throat, the light of the moon bathing the two in her sweet embrace and as he lifted his head to regard her, licking his snout, a scent caught his attention as well. His head snapped forward before his ears swiveled in the direction of something large clomping through the trees. His amber gaze followed suit and the remnants of the rabbit were almost all but forgotten in favor of the big thing in the woods. It didn’t smell like him or her, or that wolf from before or the one before that. It also didn’t smell like deer, a bird, squirrel or rabbit. Tilting his head slightly as the other wolf whined, his gaze darted over to her. …Follow. The Wolf was still deciphering what these unique cocktails of scent and sound meant but that was the impression he got as she broke into a run. Instinctively, he pushed himself onto his feet and he did indeed follow her, carefully navigating the dark forest environment as the duo chased the scent of the big, unidentified thing that had the misfortune of being picked up by their senses. And speaking of– He skidded to a stop when his vision caught up to his other senses and indeed, he saw the hulking mass of something in the distance. It was big, bigger than something he was expecting and a small whine forced itself out of him, pinning his ears and tucking his tail as he recalled the last full moon. This wasn’t the thing that tore him up but it was similarly sized and he tried to get the attention of the other, subconsciously giving a scent of his own this time that indicated ‘danger’.

—

Not only was she running free, but the younger werewolf was running alongside a friend. Something about it felt right in a way the self-imposed prison never had and the wolf felt something of a victory, at least, as much as a wolf could. 

The trees and dips in the ground were only minor obstacles; the werewolf and the elder seemed to run through them just as quickly. When they reached the clearing, the large moose in the distance seemed none-the-wiser. It was huge and it was dinner. At least, the younger of the pack had been confident of as much. 

When she looked at the other wolf, she could smell the unease coming from its scent. It wasn't the same as before. It wasn't her causing the unease, it was the size of their prey. Something of a quiet grumble bellowed from the younger werewolf in response to the other's whine. They had the perfect meal ahead and they could rip into it so easily. It had size, but even then, something pushed the younger wolf forward. 

Her own scent was laced with something of confidence and determination. On smell alone, the werewolf could practically imagine what its blood would taste like coating her tongue as she ripped into its flesh. As much drove her forward, claws extended and ready to make a deep slash into the moose's hind leg. 

The younger werewolf hoped she was followed in her attack, but once she felt the warm liquid coating the fur in her hands, her hunger was far stronger. The moose itself let out something of a scream and stumbled slightly as the younger werewolf darted out of its view. The moose would not be able to move quickly now and maybe her packmate would join for the hunt and feast without fear now. 

—

Despite his warnings and a little bit of disagreement between the two, the younger wolf advanced and without thinking, as his thought processes were ultimately driven by instinct, the older Wolf followed. A primal drive to work in solidarity with the other pushed him forward on his uneven limbs despite still feeling the fear of what might’ve happened, a natural trepidation for the unknown given that the last thing that was this size gave him more battle scars on both his back and one of his upper arms. But he followed, noticing where the other wolf was going so he branched off and went around to the other side of the… what was this? It was like a deer but with a much more oppressive presence. It wasn’t familiar to him but he did what he could and just treated it like it was a bigger deer with much larger antlers. The younger wolf made the first move, the sound of claws in flesh ripping through the air and the smell of blood hit the Wolf’s nose before the scream of the giant deer did. It was a horrible noise, causing the Wolf to flinch slightly and shake his head, feeling like something was ringing in his right ear. He ignored it, though, as that scent of blood pulsed through him, inflaming his brain. Fear was replaced by ravenous desire and as the giant deer stumbled, the Wolf gathered the cocktail of hormones being secreted by both it and the younger wolf: Moose. Pinpricked amber eyes danced on the moose, trying to gauge where a weak spot would be, inhaling the iron from the blood that seeped from whatever wound the other wolf had made. With a loud, howl-like bark, he bounded forward and jumped, elongated arms outstretched and subsequently burrowing the beetle-black claws into the moose’s other hind leg where he clung to it like a tick, forepaws pulling the flesh apart and making room for him to burrow his snout into the muscle.

—

Copper and iron tinged the scent of the air around them as blood flowed from the hind legs of the moose. The younger werewolf had been pleased her packmate had followed her. With the moose's other leg compromised, its two hind legs shook underneath it ready to buckle at any moment. The other werewolf clung onto with its jaw and blood gushed from the wound. 

The large antlered creature reared its neck backwards which only further unstabilized it. Their prey was massive, but it was within their reach. She could taste the warm blood on her tongue and instinct drove her forward. While they had made it impossible for their meal to run away, its movements were still bothersome and she could hear its heart pounding frantically in its chest. Every pump of blood made the long stretch of muscles in its neck all the more enticing. 

The smaller werewolf had never had a catch quite so large and there was something freeing in it all. It wasn't blood and dust that coated her— it was blood, dirt, mud, and brush caking itself into her fur and she felt alive. Her front paws fell to the ground as she gave herself an extra push to leap toward the moose's neck to sink her teeth in. Blood gushed from the wound and coated the entire front of the wolf, not that the hungry beast had any ability to mind it. Her ripped through sinews of flesh and muscle in the moose's neck.

A faint echo rang through the forest of the moose's final fighting screech before it fell to the ground. If there was a sound from the fall, the werewolf was far too entrenched in following the moose down to continue her delicious meal alongside her packmate. 

—

For a moment, the older Wolf felt something rippling through his taut muscles as he dangled freely from the hind quarter of the moose - he’d done this before. The feel of his claws embedded in flesh, burying his nose into a gaping wound as he grasped for ribbons of sinew, tendons, ligaments and flesh over other ribbons of similar material as though trying to stuff his mouth when it was already full. The struggle of whatever was under him, trying to get away with a primal futility. He’d done this to a human before, hadn’t he? The one from a few glorious full moons ago. He still remembered the taste of that one’s flesh too, how it wasn’t as tough or gamey, smaller, sweeter. More tender. The Wolf begrudgingly relinquished his vice grip on the interior of the moose’s leg, falling to the ground and taking a few light-footed hops away. His tail swayed to and fro and his liquid amber eyes stared up at the staggering beast. Crimson stretched between his teeth as he opened his mouth to bark at the moose, as though trying to either get its attention or force it to turn a certain way, already trying to see where he could next strike. Fortunately, the younger wolf had a similar idea and as he was barking, she made the lunge for the throat. With the moose sufficiently disabled and with her underneath it in such a strong position (he was going by deer, which seemed similarly-shaped), rather than circling around for another anchorpoint, he simply watched to see what would happen next. Blood spilled, painting the younger wolf coloring the dark ground in black that shone ruby from the moon overhead. And with a loud death knell from the beast, it crashed to the forest floor and without being able to control himself, the older Wolf fell onto his long forearms, craning his head back as pointed to the sky as it would go and he howled. It was melodious, it was terrible, chasing after the echo of the moose’s dying scream. It was to commemorate a successful hunt, one with another like him, a massive mark. It was the first time he remembered howling over so many things that made the entire back half of his body wiggle with excitement and thrill. 

—

The wind carried that final squeal from the moose away with it and the younger werewolf relished in the same breeze in her bloodsoaked fur. This wasn't the stillness of the bunker that the wolf was used to. The rustling of leaves in the trees and chirping of insects created a much sweeter song than the buzzing of fluorescent lights. Even the soft earth beneath her paws was a stark contrast to the rough concrete the wolf was used to. 

The werewolf was unable to decide much, but she felt the satisfaction all the same. Her packmate had also lunged for a part closer to the front of the moose. She remained content ripping into the neck of antlered creature though the antlers would likely taste good to gnaw on later. 

High in the sky, the moon hung over the two werewolves and the elder sang its cry to it. Instinctively, she followed suit and threw her head back toward the sky. The howl that erupted from her was something of a joyous cry. She was alive, she was free, and she wasn't alone. 

For the first time, the werewolf in her was content and it resonated in the sound of her howl. Their chorus was hardly harmonious, but it was the best thing the young werewolf had ever heard. This was how full moons were meant to be spent. 

[letsbenditlikebennett]

TIMING: Just after the July full moon when they were both still sleepy, sore werewolves. LOCATION: UMWR, Chemistry Building PARTIES: @lithium-argon-wo-l-f & @letsbenditlikebennett SUMMARY: Alex was feeling a little foggy on that week's material, so she went to see Gael during office hours only to pick up on their shared nature.

The days that followed the full moon had always felt especially long. Though her body wasn’t filled with the same muscles and aches she’d grown familiar with when she was younger, Alex had a busy schedule that didn’t allow for a day of sleep after a sleepless night of devouring whatever forest critters Andy put in the bunker with her. She did her best to counteract the lethargy with cold brew coffees. They helped a little bit, but even the caffeine couldn’t counteract that she chose to listen for Kaden’s breathing rather than taking her usual morning nap. So it didn’t come as a huge surprise when she still found her mind was somewhat in a haze during her last chemistry lecture and now the homework looked like it may as well have been in Greek.

While Alex did make a point to visit her professors during office hours, she usually likes to show up with more abstract questions about application— questions that made her look smart and left the professor with a good impression of her. She desperately craved the approval in the form of external validation that only a parent-aged adult could provide. Her own parents never seemed impressed no matter how hard she tried and the pleased look from instructors would never change that, but they sure as hell softened the blow— gave her something more achievable to strive towards.

So, Alex wasn’t too happy about having her first trip to Professor Cordova be filled with questions that just made it look like she wasn’t paying attention in class. If she wanted to understand the material and pass the class, it was a necessity, especially considering she was exploring other science to potentially minor in. As she weaved through the brick buildings of the campus, she rehearsed what she was going to say in her mind. When she reached the chemistry building, she was finally feeling better about the prospect of asking seemingly basic questions he had already answered in class. When she reached his office, she lightly rapped on the door. With confirmation she could enter, she peeked her head in through the crack in the door and waved, “Hi, Professor Cordova.”

The office smelled strange as she entered it. Not bad, but familiar. Various chemicals were present in the air, so she couldn’t quite place her finger on it. As curious as she was, she wasn’t trying to look like a lunatic sniffing about the professor’s office like some sort of bloodhound. “I had some questions about some stuff on this week’s homework assignment,” she started. Damn, that was not how she had rehearsed it in her head. Stupid super nose. “Sorry,” she blurted, “I’m not asking for answers to the homework. I have my actual notes on the concepts I’m struggling with. I just wasn’t feeling great last class so most of it went over my head.” 

— He just wanted to sleep. The past weekend had been uncharacteristically rough for Gael, between the visit with Monty, whatever the hell happened with Leticia and even the… he wasn’t even sure what it was called with Elias. His body was sore, that wasn’t new, but the nightmare and the lingering feeling of nausea certainly was. What else was new was that for the first time in a long time, he fell asleep during his lunch break. Fortunately, there were fewer classes in the summer so he was afforded more time to spend by himself. With his thoughts. So that’s what he was doing right now, having completely and accidentally fallen forward on his desk, still holding a pen as it drooped in his hand with its loosening grip. Gael hadn’t reached REM yet, fortunately, and he was cognizant enough to hear someone knocking on his door where he jerked awake, the pen gently flinging out of his hand. “Yes?” He managed to call coherently as he blinked blearily, trying to wake up quickly as he heard a voice accompanied with a small wave out of his peripheral vision. Reaching up to adjust his hair really quick as it’d since flopped onto his forehead messily, Gael turned his gaze to the young, fiery-haired girl that entered his office and he offered a warm smile that easily reached his eyes. “Of course.” He replied lightly, slowly getting to his feet and placing a hand on his back as he did so, doing his best not to let the brief pained grimace paint his face. “Between you and me, I should’ve worded some of the lecture better; I’ve been a little out of sorts, too, so I apologize for not being more coherent.” He examined her face for a moment, tilting his head slightly. “You’re… Alex Bennett, right?” He asked, motioning for her to take a seat if she preferred.

There was some sense of ease to be found in the fact the professor had seemed like her presence had shaken him awake. Maybe it didn’t bolster her with the kind of confidence that would make her stop scavenging for scraps of validation, but it was something. Alex felt the nervous tension in her shoulders dissipate as she offered an easy smile. “Guess we both are having a bit of a week, then.” 

A small sense of solidarity that she could easily mirror. It helped when it wasn’t entirely forced, though Alex wasn’t about to tread any deeper than that. She put on a good show— so good that it made adults feel inclined to check in on her as if she wasn’t the monster that she knew she was. Relaxed was the way to play this, which was much easier now that she didn’t feel quite as self conscious. 

“Yep, I’m Alex,” she smiled. She’d always preferred the nickname to Alexandra. Somewhere in the mix of her grief, it felt like a small victory that legally her name was just Alex now. Not that she’d ever let herself say or even realize as much. Instead, she was caught by something in the air, something familiar. She froze in her place, not wanting to obviously sniff the office, but it was becoming increasingly overwhelming. It was animalistic like her— like Alan. Her heart was going rapidfire in her chest and she had to remind herself, Alan was okay. This werewolf could be okay, too. He was just her chemistry professor for crying out loud. Still, she studied him with a worried gaze. She’d put off getting to know others like her for so long and now that she was opening herself up to the idea, it felt like trying to slip on a pair of boots that didn’t quite fit. Because she didn’t fit. 

“Are you picking up on that,” Alex asked with an arched brow, hoping to not have to elaborate further because she wasn’t sure if she could.

She seemed to relax slightly at first which was good for Gael - he could try all he wanted but he didn’t think he had the mental fortitude or required eloquence to have a functional conversation with a student who was going to be strictly professional and uptight. Not that he minded those kids, of course, but there was something unifying he felt when she confirmed that it wasn’t the day insomuch as it was the week. And he wasn’t sure what her reasoning was, though he also remembered being a college kid once and he often lost track of the days when he was out partying and still managing to find time to study and do well in school. He looked back on those days and started to wonder how he did it when the answer came to him a second or two later and he no longer wondered. He was here today though and he needed to stop thinking about the past. Normally he didn’t but he was still waking up, he figured. “It’s nice to meet you outside of class, Alex.” Gael nodded his head, leaning against his desk in that way teachers and professors did as he kept his dark eyes on her. …And then Gael noticed that she was giving him an expression, one that he didn’t think was entirely positive. Her body language was incredibly stiff and now that he was paying attention, his own gaze dropped, lidding his eyes as he heard something. It sounded like… her heartbeat, pulsing in her chest and much too high for it to be normal. His own expression grew with concern though it was partially hidden behind his mop of hair and the beard he’d grown in a shockingly small amount of time. “Picking up on what?” Gael asked before licking his lower lip. “Is everything okay?”

“You too, Professor Córdova,” Alex responded with a practiced easy smile. Even if she had opened herself up to the idea of letting Alan be part of her life, there was still hesitation there. She didn’t like that he killed hunters– or anyone for that. Still, some small part of her longed for his approval despite that. Opening herself up to the idea of getting to know other werewolves, or even other supernatural beings, was still new to her. It still didn’t feel entirely natural yet and having a werewolf as a chemistry professor hadn’t been something she was anticipating. It wasn’t bad. If she could try to find a mentor of sorts in Alan, she could work with her instructor being a werewolf.

That was, until Alex noticed the puzzled expression on his face and the way he studied her. The way his answer to her question had essentially been more questions. The can of vienna sausages she had eaten for lunch was no longer sitting quite so well. He was a werewolf who didn’t realize he was a werewolf, which made him a danger to others. But how was she supposed to fix that? How was she even supposed to broach the subject without her professor thinking she was absolutely insane? 

“The…,” Alex trailed off, at a complete loss of how to answer that question. Her eyes scanned the books on his shelves, repeating the titles in her mind until she felt the rapid pace of her heart begin to slow. “The full moon just passed. You’re not feeling good after it, right? Maybe don’t fully even remember it?” 

It was hardly the smoothest line of questioning, but Alex needed to gauge how much he knew before she dove into her questions on chemistry, which suddenly seemed largely unimportant if her teacher didn’t realize what he was and the danger he was putting others in by simply existing without that knowledge. “Sorry, maybe not the most appropriate thing to ask.” 

Gael wasn’t sure what line was crossed without him knowing it as her demeanor changed a little more to reflect that previous anxiety that she seemed to have when she first walked in. His eyes followed her as she looked at the full shelves instead of at him and he wondered if that was what she did to cope with stress, which he still wasn’t sure what he’d done to work her up. Then she brought up the full moon, the feelings, the memory loss and Gael felt something knot unpleasantly in his throat for a moment. Did word get out that he was a chronic sleepwalker? He’d gotten very lucky with the schools administration and dean, allowing him accommodations for the problem and while he had assumed that it was something to do with the pressure in the air caused by the lunar cycle, he didn’t think much more on it than that. Or perhaps it didn’t get out that he was a sleepwalker; should Gael place his burdens on this young girl? She was asking him, true, but he didn’t feel like it was his place to overshare his personal life with her. “No no, you’re fine.” He cleared his throat, trying to recover from the thoughts that got away from him for a moment. “I, uh…” He faltered; perhaps… Was she similar to him? Is that why she was asking. “Is that how you feel right now?” He decided to ask her first, gauge her reaction to see how much information he felt appropriate to indulge to her. “Would you like to take a seat?”

Sometimes, Alex wished she had been born knowing nothing about the supernatural and that she could just exist without having that awareness always above her head. All she had wanted to do was get some clarity on some concepts that were coming up in the homework that she wasn’t feeling so confident on. Maybe have some easy conversation about science and stuff going on around campus as a nice little exchange of pleasantries like a normal fucking student. But she knew better, knew what they were both capable of if they weren’t careful. Yet here he was right in front of her with kind eyes, that despite the dark circles that lingered under them, were laced with a hint of worry. How was she supposed to reconcile that? How was she supposed to force this world on him when she herself wanted so desperately to be anything other than what she was?

And this was on her. This couldn’t be yet another problem that Andy had to take care of. Alex knew she had her plate full with whatever this other hunter was up to. Which made her being anywhere near her professor dangerous. She placed a hand down on her knee, heavily, forcing the turmoil that was brewing to keep a more stagnant outward appearance. She looked back to her professor. “Thanks,” she offered, half-heartedly. He was still confused, but in some of that confusion, maybe he was connecting some dots. She really hoped she was connecting even a singular fucking dot.

“Yeah,” Alex answered, “Have been most of my life. Can kind of tell when others…” How did she put it? Hey prof, not to sound like I have absolutely zero grip on reality, but you smell like a canine. Not exactly the most flattering thing in the world to say. There had to be another way to frame it, some other aspect of lycanthropy she could use to clue him in, let him know that there’s help. She had to make sure he was somewhere safe before the next full moon. 

It clicked. Alex stood up and squared her shoulders to give some illusion of confidence. “Close your eyes and listen,” she explained, “It sounds weird and I know you don’t actually know me, but just– please try it?” There was a certain hint of desperation in her voice. If she couldn’t even help protect people when there wasn’t the threat of a fight, what good was she? She did a quick round of jumping jacks to get her heart racing at a pace more rapid than Professor Córdova’s. She stopped her movement completely when she could hear clearly the asynchronicity in their heartbeats. “Listen closely,” she whispered, backing towards the opposite side of the office with light footsteps, “You can hear it, right? Your heartbeat and mine— perfectly even though we’re not in close enough proximity for that to be possible?” 

Gael wasn’t sure what was going on. Was Alex sent there to keep tabs on him? Was she someone that Emilio sent because of some conversation they had online? Or maybe Alan sent her - he had found another sleepwalker and was pushing for this unity in what they were? …What were they? Why was Gael thinking about this now? He needed to keep himself calm despite his soreness and the questions and other things Alex was now telling him; something was clearly riling her up, adding to the exhaustion on her young features but he wasn’t sure what he could do. He thought she was here to talk about chemistry but instead she was stressing out about something. There was something that gave him pause when the student said that she’d been dealing with it for most of her life and his heart hurt for her - he’d only been dealing with it for about a year now… he couldn’t imagine the stress it must’ve placed on her. They didn’t know each other but Gael wanted to already offer her a hand in a comforting gesture, perhaps a cup of tea and some words of assurance but he he didn’t want to come off too strongly so instead, he just stood there and started to hold up his hand in an attempt to maybe calm them both down when she suddenly had a different idea, one that seemed to shift her demeanor. He looked at her earnestly and though there was some hesitation behind her asking him to close his eyes, he heard the pleading in her voice and he gave her a small nod. “Okay.” So he did. Gael closed his eyes and they darted under their eyelids as he wondered what her impromptu exercise was, both figuratively and literally as it sounded like she was doing something not online jumping jacks. The longer his eyes stayed closed, however, the more he could feel something else, something different - his other senses were compensating for his lack of sight whether he asked them to or not. She told him to listen closely but he didn’t get to choose that as he could hear his heartbeat, but also… the professor tilted his head in the direction she had quietly stepped as he did hear it. Her heartbeat. Gael gulped, his eyes still closed. She whispered to him, something else he shouldn’t have been able to hear. Alan was the same way when they sat on the bench, the things Monty would say under his breath, the things Elias would say under his when they thought other people couldn’t hear. The way Gael could hear a heartbeat or a lack thereof. Recognizing a scent before his vision could. “Are you… like me?” He asked just as quietly. “Are you a sleepwalker too?” It was a bold question and he was putting himself out there, not sure if that was the purpose of the exercise but if she wasn’t, she could just dismiss him as crazy. He figured he had to have been nowadays between the things he’d been told and the brain injury he’d sustained, the defect in his mind that gave him strange abilities yet stripped agency and control from him every now and then as compensation.

Even if he didn’t understand, Gael was kind enough to go along with her request. Part of her was embarrassed. Alex knew she must have looked sleep-deprived and somewhat crazed to her professor, someone she desperately wanted to like her, but this was too important to ignore. It wasn’t just the human lives on the line— it was his. This was the only class she was taking this summer and with this hunter recognizing Andy, it was only a matter of time before he found her. Or some other hunter catching him because he wasn’t taking the necessary precautions. There was too much at risk and this little exercise was a desperate attempt to mitigate some of it. 

There was a certain relief when he asked if she was like him. Even if he didn’t know what like him meant, it was a start. An important one. Alex nodded as she tried to figure out the right words to say. Correcting him on the sleepwalker thing with werewolf probably wasn’t the move, even if it was the truth. If he thought it was sleepwalking, this must still be fairly new to him, that he hadn’t start to remember what he did in the nights just yet. Or maybe he thought they were simply dreams, but did he not wake up covered in blood? Seemed unlikely. 

“I am,” Alex answered, “I’m a sleepwalker, it… lines up with the lunar cycle. Heightens our senses.” If she could explain it like a sickness, maybe it would be easier for him to understand. She wasn’t quite sure how that would work for getting him to lock himself up during the full moon go… especially not in a bunker with her and a bunch of small critters, but she’d talk to Alan, Andy, and Kaden. She’d figure something out. She had to. “That’s how you could hear me… and how I can smell that we’re the same.” 

She wished she could simply take this off his plate. Alex had a hard enough time with reckoning with what she was and she grew up knowing werewolves existed. Her professor had no knowledge of this stuff, he could have gone the rest of his life without having the burden of supernatural sitting on his shoulders, but that had been taken from him. It made her sad for him. “It gets easier,” she finally said, “Doesn’t hurt as much after a while and you start to remember more.” Not that she was sure remembering was all it cracked up to be. Even if it was only forest critters, Alex didn’t love remembering the ways she ferociously ripped them apart or how their blood felt as it coated her skin the following morning. 

“I can help,” she explained, “My sister has gotten really good at taking care of me through all of it… and I know someone else like us, too. It can be dangerous if you don’t— It’s more dangerous than normal sleepwalking. Will you please let me help?” 

Gael opened his eyes again slowly as Alex explained some of the things that his mind had been trying to rationalize for months now, things that he was very recently coming around to. Smelling things that might not’ve been there… or who had been there before, recalling that he could tell where Elias had lingered in the house the longest, been able to hear an argument down the street or the heartbeat of a student who was stressed about something even though it was impossible. He attributed these strange new sensations to something in his head getting screwed up during that animal attack. His expression shifted and Gael couldn’t keep it from subtly morphing from kind, if somewhat confused curiosity into further concern and more empathy for the girl’s plight, how she’d dealt with this for most of her life and when she said it got easier, that it would hurt less and he’d remember more, his breath caught in his throat without him even realizing it. It was his turn for his heartbeat to accelerate, though he didn’t know why as an animal part of his brain activated for a moment. While he would’ve loved the pain to subside, wishing that his back could go back to before the accident, he felt something tugging on his brain. He… wasn’t sure if he wanted to remember. There was a beautiful ignorance to Gael right now, a simple explanation that he’d grown accustomed to using ever since. He didn’t remember whatever it was, he just wake up. Sometimes he was out in the middle of nowhere covered in animal blood as though he were part of some ritualistic sacrifice that he wasn’t privy to, sometimes he was in his bathroom that was torn up beyond recognition, his towel ripped to shreds, blood from an unidentified source smeared on the wall. Sometimes with fur that he attributed to his bath mat that was made of similar material and every single time with an implacable, yet overwhelming vice grip of pain that made him feel like he’d been completely torn apart and shoddily rearranged. A plaything for whatever compelled him on those nights where he was agitated and disoriented, buzzing with energy that came from nowhere. At least, that’s how it was until a few nights ago. Gael didn’t want to think of the nightmare he had, the shadowed figure that stood on two legs. He didn’t want to think about the animals he killed, the people he couldn’t explain why he did the things he did aside from “it’s a brain injury” and to apologize profusely for what he did. He was thankful that he didn’t have enough shame to be lastingly embarrassed for being woken up completely au naturale in places that he should’ve been, along with being thankful that he never got put on any lists or sent to jail for being bloody. Then Alex said she wanted to help. The professor looked at her, his eyes partially lidded and brow knitted in the middle, his dark-ringed eyes meeting her own and Gael didn’t understand why, but he could tell that whatever this affliction was, she didn’t know him and yet felt so strongly about this that it managed to pierce through his reservations. “...Okay.” He relinquished it with a small nod to reinforce what he said. “Yes– yes, of course you can help.” He inhaled and licked his lower lip, looking down at his desk as he affirmed his answer, now feeling his heart beating anxiously in his chest cavity.

For as long as she could remember, Alex had been observant. It was a learned defense mechanism that stuck with her through the years and it was in full swing as she watched Gael process what she had proposed. Her eyes, while kind and offering sympathy, were discerning. She listened to every beat of his heart and noted the way the pace picked up. It was an indication that he knew something serious was wrong even if he didn’t quite understand it. This was overwhelming for him and she couldn’t fault him for that. It had been thirteen years and she still grappled with the reality of what she was despite the fact she’d grown up knowing about werewolves. The supernatural had always been a reality for her and that made it easier in some ways. 

Her professor didn’t have that same background and was going into this whole experience blind. Alex wasn’t sure the best way to help him, but she would find a way. He seemed… caring and so normal. The word monster was starting to carry less weight than it used to, but it still sat like a weight on her shoulders. It was a weight that demanded she do what she could to mitigate any potential harm and she needed to make it work. 

“Thank you,” she said softly, “I’ll figure out some ideas before the next full moon.” Getting her professor to agree to nights locked in a bunker seemed less than likely, but maybe deep woods camping with Alan? She’d figure something out. She had to. “I’ll come back tomorrow about the chemistry questions,” she started, “With coffee. Think we’ll both have a clearer head then anyway.” And maybe by then she’d have some ideas to run by him. 

[letsbenditlikebennett]

@lithium-argon-wo-l-f replied to your post “Which is more likely to catch your eye in an...”:

Where's the option for both, pup?

​Gael, you can only pick one. Which is catching your eye in a photo? A skeleton? Or boobs?

[letsbenditlikebennett]

[pm] Hey, kiddo. I just wanted to let you know that I'm going out of town for a while and if there was anything you wanted from the house. I have an amazing coffee machine if anyone in the house drinks that. I have books, etc.

...Sorry, I should've opened with "how are you doing?" How was your full moon? How are you and Cass? Have you talked to Alan yet?

[pm] Uhm, what the fuck? I don't want your stuff. Why are you leaving town? [...] Fine, I'll take the coffee machine and the books. But only because I love books and coffee. That doesn't mean we're evading the "what the fuck" portion of my message.

Shitty. Oh, I mean the full moon was good. Just chowed down on forest creatures with Alan. So, yes, I've talked to Alan. [...] I mean, relationship wise Cass and I are good. I told her I loved her. But like otherwise... not really good. Someone tried to kill her.

[user is typing and erasing for a while]

Where are you going? What about Ren?

[letsbenditlikebennett]

@lithium-argon-wo-l-f replied to your post “[pm] Thanks again for coming to find me....”:

[pm] Ah, never mind. I don't wanna make this big thing and make you talk to a bunch of people. I'll just ask Alan if he can sell me one on the cheap. [del: I just thought] [del: It's not]

​[pm] It's not a big deal, it's just I'm not technically the one who pays the rent here... and like, someone would need to lock you in there. Someone who knows what they're doing.

You don't have to do that. I don't mind asking them and honestly it'll keep Kaden from being a dumbass some other way so, win/win for me personally.

[letsbenditlikebennett]

[pm] Thanks again for coming to find me.

[...]

Are you still using your bunker? I don't suppose I could rent it out from you, could I?

[pm] No need to thank me.

I'm not, no. I thought I'd be going out with you and Alan next month... is that not the case? Why do you want to rent it? [...] I'd have to talk to Andy and Kaden.

[canis-or-cannotis-lycaon]

We're Off to Find the Bigfoot || Elias, Gael

TIMING: Late January LOCATION: One of the hiking trails SUMMARY: Back from his journey, two WR nerds go hiking together. Gael (@canis-or-cannotis-lycaon thinks they're gonna catch up, while Elias (@eliaskahtri actually has a lead on Bigfoot. CONTENT WARNINGS: None

Despite the constant fear of the unknown that Elias dealt with on a daily basis, it was nice to have consistent friends in his life. Gael was one of those friends. It was funny how similarly they disappeared only to return, and Elias supposed there was a story to tell there. They’d decided to meet up to hike in one of the many trails of The Pines, and Elias was there with a untold goal; Find Bigfoot Again. He didn’t tell Gael that he had a secret motive, but Elias was deadset on getting a higher quality photo of his favorite Sasquatch. The people of Wicked’s Rest seemed intent on calling him Bigfeet, since what, he’s got two feet? Elias didn’t like it.

The telltale slam of a car door jolted Elias out of his thoughts, and he turned to see the familiar figure of Gael approaching. “Oh, hey!” He called out with a bright smile on his face. “I’m surprised you said yes to a hike, seeing as how it’s winter.” Elias noted, but quickly set off toward the trailhead before Gael could change his mind. He was finding Bigfoot, dammit. “So how was your time away from good ol’ Wickeds Rest?” Elias asked, deciding to not jump straight into ‘hey man, we’re off to find Bigfoot, hey! Stop running away!’ 

—— If you had asked Gael what one of the first things he was gonna do upon his victorious return as the successful chemist, ‘going hiking in the middle of winter with his good buddy Elias’ wasn’t at the bottom of the list. Indeed, it felt nice to return to some semblance of normalcy after his journey down to Arizona and back. He felt like he’d learned so much, yet simultaneously nothing at all. Questions had answers but those just had more questions and those didn’t have answers and everything looped back around on itself and suddenly Gael felt similar to the ouroboros, only in this case, it was an unpleasant image of… a dog chasing its tail. But this would be a nice distraction. He could ask more about what Elias had been up to, if anything had changed, and hopefully successfully smother the small part of him that felt like he should’ve told Elias that he was… different. Even moreso than before, and more than before that. The knowledge that Elias had never known Gael before the latter was infected with the strain of lycanthropy was a strange one, and one that Gael had done some serious self-therapeutic training for after his– after Lycaon had murdered… a hiker. Similar to Elias, who was enthusiastically waiting around the bend for the tired, but enthusiastic scientist as the latter shuffled out of his little blue mini-cooper. The taller man, with his smile just as wide as it had ever been, peered down at Gael from under weather-appropriate winter gear and the latter offered his own crooked grin in response. “Psht, the cold never bothered me anyway.” He said, purposefully quoting the damn song that was everywhere for several years longer than it should’ve and tastefully leaving off the fact that it wasn’t the cold weather that was bothering him nearly as much as it was his skeletal structure still revolting against strenuous activity from the recent full moon. There was little time for standing around, as it seemed, for Elias had started off and Gael trudged after him, telling himself to get over any of the aches and pains now because they were only going to get worse on the way back. “It was… enlightening.” He replied as the two walked, finding himself keeping up much easier with Elias even with the throbbing pains going through his body; those two months had him doing some serious cardio and core-building. “Camped out a lot, got to see mi familia again.” He chuckled. “Christmas was an utter disaster but other than that, I think it went well!” He caught up to Elias and looked up at him expectantly. “What about you, how’ve you been?”

— —

Walking in the woods with Gael made Elias feel as if he’d been transported back in time, a time to when he was more naive and trusting of people. Now he wasn’t sure who he could trust. Hell, he felt like sometimes he couldn’t trust Regan on a good day, and he considered her his closest friend. In truth, the Elias that Gael had seen before he had disappeared from town was a different version of himself, or so he liked to think. Sure, he still got excited over things that were part of his interests, but he was a lot more careful about what he was putting out in the universe. Or at least, now he was.

Elias groaned at the quote that Gael dared to utter and rolled his eyes. “Alright, Elsa. Less Disney, more hiking.” He demanded as he picked up his pace, shaking his head. Upon realizing that Gael was lagging behind slightly, Elias relented and slowed his pace. Not everyone was as excited to hike as he was. “I specifically picked out a short and easy trail, that way there’s more talking less exhaustion.” Elias told the shorter man with a nod of his head. 

“I’m glad to hear it, other than the Christmas thing. That blows.” Elias shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve been so busy with work that I didn’t get a chance to go home. My family was pissed, especially because my sister flew in from London.” He rolled his eyes. “They see me all the time, they’ll get over it.” Still, Elias couldn’t help the pang of guilt that rattled through him at the idea of something happening to him here and his family not being able to visit. Maybe he should ease up on the whole working thing… he shook his head, erasing the thought. 

Elias thought about being honest with Gael, about how he knew the truth of certain things, but he didn’t know how much Gael knew. “Well, I…” he frowned, not sure how to word it. “Got myself into trouble, got myself back out of trouble. Work-life balance is atrocious, which means I’ve got more of a work life than a personal life.” He frowned, letting out a huff of frustration. “I’m working on it. Or at least, I’m trying to.” He looked over to Gael, a weird look in his eyes for a moment before he forced it away. “And weird shit I can’t explain that keeps me up at night.” He spoke in a rushed manner, then turned to keep walking.

“Hey, I’m keeping up better than I used to.” Gael insisted in response to both noticing that Elias had to slow down for him again and the comment about how he picked an easy trail on purpose. He better have been, anyway, latent soreness from the full moon aside. “And I’m sorry you missed your family for the holidays,” he added genuinely, even if it was out of obligation. With how often Gael tended to just wander around the country, his family had long since grown accustomed to him likely not coming home for the holidays, which almost made what had happened during Christmas feel all the worse. He didn’t want to think about it, so he shook his head and regarded the taller man once more with a quirk of his brow. “Oh, yeah? What kind of weird shit?” The chemist decided to attempt to use this as a gauge - he still didn’t know how much Elias knew, but he also wondered if whatever Elias had exposed himself (or been exposed) to was still worth attempting to take medication for. 

— —

Elias nearly stopped dead in his tracks as Gael questioned what he was going through. It was a fair question, what kind of weird shit? He could be honest with Gael right now. He knew the guy wouldn’t judge him. He wasn’t sure he had a judgmental bone in his body if he were, to be honest. He took a deep breath and turned to look at Gael. “That job I had when I first moved here turned out to be a fae hangout.” He spoke, gauging the man’s reaction to his truth. “I was a laughing stock, a court jester.” He frowned, looking at the ground. 

“Someone got me out, but it turns out that they’re fae just like them. And… and now I’m learning there’s more out there.” Elias began walking again, a look in his eyes that wasn’t there before. “My best friend is a fae, the guy I’ve been talking to turns into a seal, and who knows! Maybe everyone else is something cool, and I’m just a human left to realize that everything they knew was a lie.” There, he’d spoken his truth. Now it was just a matter of time before Gael asked if he went off his meds.

——

Though his expression naturally grew more empathetic as Elias told him about how he had worked at the bar before only for it to have turned out to be full of fae, Gael couldn’t keep the uncomfortable knot that had settled into his stomach from starting to unwind gently, almost as though in reaction to how he could hear Elias’ heart pounding in his chest. He had liked to think that he did a sufficient job keeping Ren’s identity as a fae hidden from the taller man, carefully combing the house for notes she left behind on what and what not to do around fae, though it wasn’t out of her safety - he knew Elias would have been far from the type to get her in trouble or treat her differently - but for Elias’ mental sanity. He knew how it felt, even if he hadn’t reacted the same way. For Gael, it was something he assumed was a fever dream during one of his benders. It was something he was so sure might’ve existed (he was religious, after all so far be it for him not to believe in things he couldn’t see), but didn’t apply to him. But Elias was decidedly different. Sensitive, excitable. And surrounded by the things he had no idea existed outside of the books and movies he’d consumed. Gael imagined that was a big culture shock for him, though he was thankful that he had someone help get him out. Then came Elias’ resignation, prompting the chemist with the werewolf parasite inside him to glance out into the woods, putting his hands into his pockets as he thought about that briefly. “...I dunno, I think being human’s pretty cool.” Gael gave a casual shrug, though he wasn’t quite sure why he said that first. “I’m friends with some fae, too. Know a couple of zombies. Werewolves.” He looked at Elias again, his expression earnest, nonverbally telling Elias that he believed him. “You got me beat on knowing a seal, though! But, um… No, I think you’re doing great. At least you know now, right?” Another pause, chewing on whether or not to admit that he wasn’t human, either. At least, not half of him. “Is there anything I can do to help? Like… I dunno, ease the weight? I’m still learning about all of it, too, so I'm not perfect but sometimes it’s easier commiserating with someone else.” Not right now. Not unless Elias asked. 

— —

As they walked further into the woods, Elias came across the area where he’d seen the Bigfoot last. He looked around, searching for a sign that it had been in this area again lately. That’s when he saw it: footprints! Elias pointed down at the large footprints, then looked to Gael with a large grin on his face. Whatever they were talking about before, it didn’t matter to him. Sure, yeah, he had a friend to talk to about all this stuff that knew where he was coming from, great. But Bigfoot! He had to see it again, had to get a better photo this time. 

That’s when it happened. A loud noise came from further in the trees, and there it was. Real, actual bigfoot. It hadn’t spotted the pair, not yet. But there was still time. Elias pulled out his phone and started snapping pictures. “Gael, are you seeing this?” He hissed out, pointing to the sasquatch in the distance. “That’s Bigfoot!” He practically squealed but was trying to keep his voice down as best as possible. “I mean, actually, Bigfoot!” Twice in under the span of a month, it had to be some kind of record, right? “Please tell me you’re seeing this!” He said again, continuing to take pictures. The Bigfoot stomped toward them but still didn’t seem to be getting territorial. They had time. 

——

The smell met him first, an acrid, matted scent that had crept into his senses during the tail end of what he was saying. And of course though Gael had replied with what he hoped was comfort and connection to Elias, it was eventually met with an overly-enthusiastic point to the ground accompanied with an equally-as-overenthusiastic smile. Brown, darkly-circled eyes glanced at the ground where his gaze was met with the large prints, then back to Elias and he managed to keep his mouth from pursing though he couldn’t stop one of his eyebrows from raising as though to say ‘you’re being serious right now?’ Then again, he supposed there were reasons why Elias had been so sheltered from all the supernatural stuff. What Gael had said previously about how Elias was still childlike in a lot of ways still held weight, it seemed. A small exhale made it through his nose in resignation and he started to attempt to return Elias’ wide grin with a smile of his own when a noise sounded through the wood. Before he could stop himself, he tensed, his hands flying to his ears and his head turned sharply in the direction of the source– “...Yeah, I’m seeing it.” The chemist replied rather softly as though to compensate for Elias’ excited yelling as his tired eyes fell on a large, bipedal creature in the distance with thick, shaggy fur covering it. Details were hard to catch, appearing as it did in the old hoax photos that circulated for a while but it did appear to be humanoid in shape. And carrying a stench with it. Gael’s brow twitched with every noise that came from Elias and after the fourth or fifth one, the scientist removed his eyes from the creature just long enough to try to encourage the taller man to calm down. “Yeah, yeah I see it and–” His head swiveled in the direction of the creature again and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end as it started to get closer to them. “And I think it knows we’re here.”

— — 

Elias was listening to Gael, he swore he was. But he also couldn’t help the need to pull out his phone and start snapping as many pictures as he physically could. Twice now! He’s seen Bigfoot twice! Elias was practically bouncing with excitement, only calming himself to try and take more photos. But no matter how many he took, they all came out blurry. 

Cursing under his breath, he snapped a few more before giving up. Gael was right, that thing was coming right for them. “Maybe we could befriend him!” Elias hissed in response to Gael’s comment, eyes alight with excitement and hope. It met Gael’s worried and annoyed expression, and Elias deflated. Gael was right. 

“Alright, fine. We’ll dip.” He relented, pocketing his phone before grabbing Gael’s arm and beginning to back up slowly. As they did, the Bigfoot began to advance toward them. Bigfoot was fast. “Alright, time to run!” Elias shouted as he pulled Gael away even faster. “Don’t let him catch you!” He shouted before breaking out into a run. 

——

Uneasiness tugged at the scientist’s stomach despite Elias’ apparent enthusiasm, but he stood his ground as the supposed cryptid kept advancing on them. Gael should’ve been excited, shouldn’t he have? After all, this was one of the things that people talked about, one of the great mysteries of the world that people had seen in hallucinatory states and in dreams and discussed in hushed whispers among their peers. But he wasn’t. Gael couldn’t remember that night he had been attacked, having since assumed that it had been locked away as a mechanism to protect his psyche, but something about this interaction inflamed something in his mind and he could feel Lycaon under his skin wanting to… react. Or was it him? Either way, despite his protests, he stayed next to Elias reliably until the latter came to the conclusion on his own that they should maybe not stick around long enough to find out what Bigfoot did to people who saw him. The taller man looked at him and he returned the look with a mixture of anxiety and dryness, to which he relented. But when Elias decided they needed to go, it was expedient, to be sure. The hand on Gael’s arm was unnecessary but the shifter allowed it, taking tentative steps back as Elias did, keeping his dark eyes on the cryptid. Then, as though from a scene out of a horror movie, the furred, smelly mass of muscle advanced. On a dime, Gael turned and took off after Elias as the latter fled. “Catch me??” He shouted ahead at his companion. “You’re the one who wanted to stay and take pictures!” — — 

Elias let go of Gael’s arm as soon as he knew the man was following him, peeking behind to see how much the cryptid had advanced. After a minute of running, the Bigfoot lost interest and turned back around. As soon as they reached the parking lot, Elias immediately began to go through the photos that he had taken. Blurry. Blurry. Blurry! All blurry! Letting out a noise of frustration, Elias pocketed his phone away and turned to look at Gael. 

“You alright? I… really wasn’t expecting a second encounter.” He spoke, not out of breath from his years of keeping up with his running. He felt bad, watching the expression on Gael’s face. “Uh… welcome back to town?” He spoke more in the form of a question than a definitive statement.

— —

He might not’ve been an experienced hiker still, but if there was one thing that Gael had learned how to do nowadays, it was run. He had too much energy on the days just before the full moon, as he and Ren had unfortunately come to understand, and he had quickly found that the most practical solution was either to work out or to run and they had much easier access to the rural countryside than local gyms open to non-members. So he ran after Elias as the latter led the way as far back as the parking lot where they met up in the first place. As the two came to a stop, realizing that they had run considerably farther than when the cryptid abandoned its pursuit, Gael took deep breaths as he placed his hands on his hips, feeling a furrow on his brow as he returned Elias’ gaze with something sterner than how his expression usually rested. “I’m alright, yeah.” He said, not meaning for his tone to sound so biting but his being relatively out of breath coupled with how he was correct before in that the residual aches and pains from the full moon a couple of days ago would’ve been back and more annoying after their hike made for a combination that shortened his patience. “And I’m guessing that you didn’t get any worthwhile photos.” He gestured to the pocket that Elias put the phone into once the exasperated grunt escaped the taller man. “But hey, I hope whatever you did get was worth derailing our conversation and just running off to go see.” Gael’s gaze was lowered from Elias and his frown was pointed in the direction of the woods now. “I thought we were going hiking to catch up. You should’ve told me that it was really just so you could see Bigfoot or whatever else.” He definitely wasn’t a little sore that their conversation had been abruptly abandoned. He definitely wasn’t a little frustrated that Elias knew more about the supernatural now and he still thought it was somehow a good idea to linger in an obvious place and try to get pictures of things that could be more dangerous than either of them knew. 

— —

As soon as they were safe, Elias instantly deflated at the quality of the photos. Same as the last. Clearly, there was something about the bigfoot that led to these pictures. Was it some kind of signal it gave off? Was the bigfoot emitting some strange radio waves that interfered with something? He didn’t understand that kind of stuff, but he sure wanted to now that it had a possibility to explain why Bigfoot had never been successfully photographed. His own thoughts were quickly interrupted as he realized how angry Gael looked. His face fell and the phone was thrown into his pocket. He felt bad. 

“I…” He trailed off, realizing that he was definitely the asshole in this situation. “Yeah, alright. I fucked up. But I did want to catch up, and I really didn’t expect to actually run into Bigfoot again.” Elias frowned, feeling like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Even worse, it was Gael. He was a good guy, and Elias had already slighted him once before by leaving without a word. 

“I’m sorry.” He finally said, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. “I’m a shitty friend for that. But I really do want to catch up. I think I’m just… bad at it.” He admitted. “The last time I caught up with someone after leaving, they tried to get me to eat something called peascake. The hell is…?” He looked to Gael, then quickly dropped it. “Never mind.” He muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. 

——

It was one of Gael’s weaknesses, depending on how someone chose to perceive it. As the emotions he expressed on his gaunt face were communicated to Elias, the latter reacting appropriately in turn, they began to fade. His brow unfurrowed, the creases in his forehead held less shadow. He didn’t like being upset, despite how easy it came to him nowadays. Elias obviously felt bad about it, and of course Gael couldn’t help but think that he should’ve worded something differently, been kinder, more like how he was before. After exhaling softly and glancing down at the ground for a moment in contemplation, he lifted his gaze again and managed a scoff with a half-smile. “You didn’t– you didn’t fuck anything up.” He stepped closer to the taller man, folding his arms across his chest tenderly. “I just like the transparency. Or to know when the plan changes or that there’s a different one, y’know? I want to help you hunt cryptids. I love your enthusiasm, I really do. We’re friends, and you’re not even a shitty one.” He chuckled now. “Trust me. Maybe we can work something out? Like, for every three high-stakes outings trying to take pictures of Bigfoot, we can have one calmer, more normal meeting. Like over coffee or we can, I dunno, go to the amusement park again.” There was a pause accompanied with a deep inhale. “I have no idea what peascake is, either. Last I checked, you’re the weird one out of the two of us.” The parasite, responsible for his aching body that day, caught his breath in his throat for a moment but Gael swallowed it. “I’m just a guy. A guy who’s still learning about all this supernatural stuff too but just a guy nonetheless.”

— — 

From worried to amused, Elias nodded in agreement with Gael’s suggestion. “Yeah, you’re right. And I can agree to that.” He relented with a soft chuckle. At least Gael didn’t swear him off forever like he probably deserved. “Though I don’t know about the amusement park. I think I may be a bit old for those. And that roller coaster.” He shuddered. “I don’t do high speeds like I used to.” He felt old just saying it aloud, but it was the truth.

Elias pulled his phone back out of his pocket and began going through the blurry photos of the bigfoot. “I know this is a serious conversation, but… I’m a good photographer!” He spoke, showing blurry photo after blurry photo to the other. “Do you think a supernatural creature can emit a certain frequency that causes them to appear blurry on camera?” He asked, genuinely curious about Gael’s input. 

“Next time, I’ll tell you all about what I’ve been up to over a cup of coffee, no hiking.” He held a hand up as if swearing to it. “And you’ll tell me all about your family adventures.” He shifted his weight back and forth, trying to think if there was truly anything worth mentioning. “I guess I’m just not good at talking about myself to people, even if they’re genuinely interested.”

——

“Yeah, I just recommended the amusement park because it’s got Cryptid merch.” Gael spoke through a purposefully-exaggerated groan, indicating that he wasn’t really big on the roller coasters, either. And it wasn’t about the rides, but he hoped Elias knew that. For all his flaws (and he was more aware of them nowadays than ever), he still wanted to show Elias that he was invested and certainly not the type to give up on a friendship just because there was some miscommunication. 

If he did that, he’d be both a hypocrite and friendless. He didn’t like being either of those, either. 

…Why was he thinking about that? The scientist craned his neck to get a look at the pictures Elias had snapped, scratching at his jawline absently in thought. “Well… the thing was moving pretty fast but I wouldn’t think it would cause that much blur.” He mused. “And it smelled pretty bad but–” The sentence got caught in his throat before he had a chance to admit that if there was some high frequency that was emitted, he might’ve been able to hear it whether he wanted to or not. Human. Gael was a human infected with a parasite. And Elias didn’t know that, nor did he need to know that. Gael had it under control. “Y’know? Maybe! Like uhhh a filter or something it surrounds itself with to give it a hazy appearance? Smudging the camera footage?” Nailed it. He followed up with a nod in response to Elias’ suggestion after that. “Alright, deal. I mean–” He shrugged. “I know we aren’t supposed to make deals but I’m not a fae, you’re not a fae, it’s all good, right? Not that my family adventures were all that… exciting.” A pause. “And that’s okay, you don’t have to be. But at least you know that doesn’t change people’s interest in what you do and like, right?”

——

Elias stared down at his phone, scrutinizing the photographs as Gael offered explanations, and they were better than Elias could come up with. Finally, he shrugged and pocketed his phone. It wasn’t important right now anyway. He’d have time to research a little bit into it later, if there was even anything to research on. 

The man held up his hands with wide eyes at the mention of a deal or being fae. “I’m decidedly wingless,” he responded with a lopsided smile. “I think for our own benefit, it’s better to just erase that word from our vocabulary for our own benefit.” He advised, scrunching up his face at the idea of being stuck in a fae deal. He didn’t want to experience it. 

“Tell you what, next time you get coffee, give me a buzz, I’ll go along with you. No cryptids.” Elias spoke with a friendly smile. “And if something weird happens, it wasn’t my fault.” He quickly tacked on, not wanting to be held liable if something did happen. It was nice to reconnect with someone, even if it did go a bit awry towards the end there. 

“But I’m not going back to the theme park. I’m done with places that could be possible traps for humans.” He pulled a face, then shuddered. He didn’t trust anything anymore.

——

Man, he really was bad at talking about himself. Gael, momentarily bewildered by the other man’s ability to just glaze over questions if they were about him, shook his head and recovered from his stupor easily enough, giving the taller man a smile. “Yeah, you’re probably right. Took a long time for me to grow out of saying “thank you”...” He rubbed the back of his head, his brow furrowing slightly. But even pushing all the stuff about fae he’d had several crash courses in out of his head, he nodded in agreement when Elias offered to take him up on coffee. The scientist did love his coffee. And, y’know, just chilling out sometimes. Pretending that for just a day, or even an hour, he was a human. “Sounds good.” Gael smiled again before adding “aaand if something weird happens, it won’t be your fault.” He just hoped it wasn’t his fault. The battle for normalcy was persistent. 

But when Elias mentioned places that acted as possible traps for humans, his expression fell. He didn’t have an explanation for that one. He wanted to say that he was concerned that the entirety of Wicked’s Rest might itself be a trap for humans. With how it seemed to be such a supernatural hotspot, he found himself almost surprised that there were so few people in it that knew about the supernatural in general. But who was Gael to protest? Elias wasn’t incorrect in his suspicion involving the town and the secrets that burst at the seams from every corner. At least the man had connections now, whether it was from his acquaintanceship with Regan or the guy who could turn into a seal (which still rose a bunch of curiosity in the scientist). “I think you’ll be alright.” Gael encouraged rather lightly. “You aren’t like how you were before. You have the power of “knowing things” and “friends who know things” on your side now.” He reached over and gave Elias a pat on the back, indicating that the intensity of their conversation was at a willing end. “Now, are there any more cryptids you’d wanna go find today or are you done for the day?”

All things in time, he supposed, swallowing the fact that he could hear Elias’ heartbeat.