Supernatural AU for Roland

[foundafamily]

[The little hamlet along the forest hasn't had a good time. Surrounded by magical creatures on all sides, they've decided to get a little... proactive in dealing with their problem. When night falls, hunters armed with crossbows and improvised weapons--hoes, shovels, and long hunting knives--come out to patrol.

This time, one of them's squaring off with one of the local werewolves. At this full moon, Firo's completely in wolf form, nearly indistinguishable from an actual wolf when he's not speaking.

The crossbow's been knocked aside, its string broken. The two circle each other, and then the wolf leaps for the hunter's leg to sink his teeth into it.

He's going to make sure that this hunter realizes it's best to leave the business.]

Comments

[ka_sera_sera]

[If it's not a normal thing to ask, he'll be hearing no different from this quarter. It's not spoken as an insult, so it does not occur to the shade to take it as one.]

Suppose I must be. Is that not the done thing anymore? Asking after a man's home? A boy's. Harder to read people than it used to be. Can't tell if I've crossed some kind of line or if you're hiding something.

[foundafamily]

I'm not hiding anything. We don't have anything to hide.

[He looks off into the light, and the corners of his frown cut even farther down his face.]

And I'm not a boy either.

[He's an adult. How could that not be obvious?]

[ka_sera_sera]

Aren't you? Hm. If I can't call you boy, then what shall I call you?

[foundafamily]

[Ever so slightly, he lifts his chin into the air. He thinks it makes him look a little more impressive.]

Firo Prochainezo. What's your name, anyway?

[Everybody has a name, so he just assumes that this guy does too. No matter how strange he is.]

[ka_sera_sera]

[He opens his mouth. A couple seconds pass. He closes it.]

[He walks through the unending meadow, splitting the sunlight apart ahead of him, and thinks on this.]

Why do you ask? Do I need one?

[foundafamily]

I told you mine, so it's only fair that you tell me yours. Even a--whatever you are, you've still got a name.

[Because that's just how it is.]

So what do I call you?

[ka_sera_sera]

[There's a moment of silence and of, as far as possible, distinct confusion. Then he makes a noise, abrupt and frustrated.]

Call me Robin Goodfellow for all I care! Call me what you like so long as it moves you onto important matters, like getting us out of this damned sun!

[foundafamily]

...No way. You don't have a name?

[Firo twists around to try to stare up into... not the thing's face, but where a face could be. Those spots of blue.]

Why don't you just make one? Anyway, I don't know how to get outta this sun, so it doesn't matter. Don't you know?

[ka_sera_sera]

Of course I do. But I-

[But he won't. For thoroughness' sake, he takes a moment to figure out why.]

I can do it. But I can't stand to. It'll have to be you. What I don't know is how to make names. You can't make a name. You simply have one, if you need it. Isn't that how it works for your people? For werewolves?

[foundafamily]

The hell're you babbling about? Me? You want me to name you? What's to stop me from coming up with something dumb?

[He shakes his head and plods on doggedly.]

We had names before we turned, I guess. From our parents.

[ka_sera_sera]

If you call me something stupid, you're the one who's going to have to say it.

If you take us somewhere other than this, I'll answer to whatever you like.

[foundafamily]

Somewhere else? But we still don't know what's goin' on with all this.

[He waves his hand at the light around him.]

It's definitely not from my head. Did you make this up?

[He speeds up to try to skip ahead, wanting to see how the light will react when he moves away from the strange shadow man. He whirls around and stares up at the sky.]

[ka_sera_sera]

Make it up?

[The clear derision in his 'voice' doesn't go anywhere. He's stopped, watching, and it doesn't get a chance to. The area of effect isn't large; it won't be long before the boy's out in the sunbeams again. The shade watches and before he realizes it there are boys in the far distance, too, two or three, laughing.]

We have some idea of what was going on with the others, don't we? And none of those were made up.

[foundafamily]

So this isn't made up? This is just a normal part of your everyday life?

[He snorts and looks up at the light all around him. His face softens when he does, now curious instead of skeptical.

His face whips around when the laughter burbles in earshot.]

You hear that? I'm gonna go check it out. Hurry up!

[This guy's no help in sorting things out, so Firo'll have to do it himself. He races off in the direction of the noise.]

[ka_sera_sera]

[The shadow's footsteps drag. Nonetheless, he stays just close enough behind to reply.]

Truly? You think I spend my days like this? My nights?

[He watches the boys ahead. They'll come close enough that their outlines, running around each other, become almost clear. After that they'll be no closer, no matter how quickly they're approached. It doesn't occur to the shadow to tell the other man so; he just knows it.]

[foundafamily]

Haven't you ever heard of sarcasm?

[Firo doesn't realize that he's not making any progress for a few yards. Then he slows.]

Who are they?

[ka_sera_sera]

[There's silence for a few seconds. Then a few more. Or there would be - every so often the silence is broken by the boys laughing.]

I don't know.

I know that sarcasm means you don't believe me. Some could make up a scene like this. I'm not one of them. I never was. A man like that could conjure those boys in such detail you could see the hairs in their nostrils, regardless of the fact that he knows not one of their faces. You'd be able to walk up to them. Have I given you reason to believe that I lie?

[foundafamily]

So... this isn't a memory? But what we saw before this was from my head. This isn't mine, so it has to be yours.

[Firo shakes his head. His voice is contemplative, not angry or accusatory when he continues.]

You haven't given me any reason to believe you'd tell the truth. Anybody'll lie. So if you want me to think you're truthful, prove it.

[ka_sera_sera]

[The reasonable way all that's laid out, its reasonable tones, calms the shadow a little; his 'voice' loses its heat.]

How? You know as much about me as anyone living, I think. Tell me what you'll accept as truth and I'll give it; otherwise all I can tell you is that I don't know. Look at me. You can see I don't belong to this place. Isn't that enough reason to move this along, move me out from it? Even if I can't prove it to you, I've no reason to lie.

[foundafamily]

[When the shade finishes speaking, Firo turns away and flexes his fingers.]

...I'm only gonna do this so we can get outta here. These guys're giving me the creeps.

Where do you wanna go?

[ka_sera_sera]

Memories close to you are the easiest, so show me what I was asking after. Show me your family. Think on them, any memory that comes easiest. Any members of it you're closer to?

[foundafamily]

Closer?

[Even when he's not trying, Firo's mind doesn't need much more than that for the scene around them to fade away. They're now far from the town, in a stony clearing across the woods. Few hunters come here--no game--so it's a relatively peaceful place. Firo and a taller man with glasses stand beside each other.

It's simple, Firo. Recall how you feel at the full moon--you can harness that now. Watch.

The man steps away, smiling gently. He's still smiling when his whole body tenses and he drops to his knees, when his skeleton quivers with the effort of remolding itself. Brown fur sprouts all over his reformed body.

The wolf turns back to the still-human Firo: Now you try. Go ahead.]

[ka_sera_sera]

[They are in the darkness again and the shadow takes a loud, relieved breath, for the moment forgetting that to him breathing is a useless gesture. Then he focuses on the scene.]

Your teacher?

[foundafamily]

[Firo doesn't know why he bothers--instinct from hanging around with people whose faces he can see, probably--but that sigh prompts him to look up where a face should be.]

Yeah. They've all taught me things, but Maiza's the one who showed me how to do this.

[Back in the memory playing out, Firo sucks in his breath and steels himself to try. One hand bristles into a paw, and Firo springs back in surprise. He and Maiza share a look, then fall against each other laughing.]

Is this the kinda thing you wanted to see? Why?

[ka_sera_sera]

Mhm.

[Before he can think on the question the scene changes. Maiza shifts smoothly into a bald, scarred man with a distinctly bowlegged stance. It's night, in a forest, and he leans against a tree, watching a figure approach. The figure's obviously a child, black hair, skin the color of leather. When he steps out into the moonlight his face and clothes are indistinct, as if being viewed from far away. The bowlegged man looks at the sky, gives an approving grunt, and settles his hand for a couple seconds on the child's shoulder.]

[The faceless child manages somehow to look surprised, but it doesn't last long. The man jerks his head toward a path, speaks a few gruff and indistinct words, and the child moves away.]

[The shadow watches for a second as the bowlegged man stares off into the woods.]

It's not that I wanted to see that, specifically. I wanted you to think of something. Whatever would come to your mind first. And you did. Thank you. They took it in turns, then? Every one teaching something different?