Howl leaned back in the chair and stared out through the cracked shutters at the moon peeking over the battlements of the Ishgardian settlement. He had relented and spent nearly all of his remaining gil on an inn room for them after noticing how Warren was already grim-faced and silent in the cold; this was their last chance for a warm bed in a while, no matter how lumpy the mattress or how cheap the food. Howl, too, could feel how being back here was changing him, reminding him. Violet wasn't too far away now.
Warren lay in the only bed, curled on his side as always, not quite snoring but breathing heavily with his arms loosely wrapped around himself. Howl glanced over at him occasionally, but it was a familiar sight. Howl hadn't been sleeping too well lately, and sometimes he would listen to Warren's in-and-out breathing in the Duskbreak to try and lull him.Â
A stack of lances lay carelessly in the corner. He'd brought three, and had he not had to carry them all he would've brought more. From one dangled the special container he'd had made, something like a metal sheath stoppered at the lance shaft with alchemist's rubber. He would start the application of the Rhalgr's Bile soon, a process he intended to linger over for several days, carefully layering the blade in coat after coat of the precious venom. The metal container was to protect them after the poison had been applied, for even brushing up against the blade would bring death, much less being cut by it. He had taken every precaution he could think of in handling the lethal poison, but it still kept him awake at night.
He could feel Ryuuga off in the distance somewhere. Ryuuga could likely feel him, too. Snow, as well. He could occasionally see her, walking calmly through the winter-bare landscape, unphased by the cold or her aloneness. She wasn't the type to stop and get an inn room. Traveling alone, without their equipment and special preparations, she would likely beat them there. Howl rested his head against the shutters with a light creak of dusty wood.
And you know I'm coming too, don't you, Ryuuga? You can see I'm here too, can't you, Snow?
With a sigh, he got up off of the chair, shuffling over to the bed and gently laying down next to Warren, behind him so the large Highlander's knees and fists wouldn't nudge him off the bed. Warren had a tendency to take up the majority of the bed even with one more adequate than this, but Howl had no intentions of dozing in the chair all night. It would hardly be the first time they'd had to bunk up together, and it was still better than the pup tent out there in the snow. He took Ace up off the bedside table, tucking the timeworn rag doll puppy under his arm, and half-curled himself, his eyes closing, his eyelid sticking a little over his left eye.
Here again. I was there almost immediately, as if it had been waiting for me - the snowy slope up, the flat training ground, the blood-stained flogging pole. It was the same time of day as last time, the sky and snow midnight-blue, the mouth of the cave welcoming me. I stepped inside, just as last time, and he looked up at me, blood all over his face.
I forced myself to look down at what he was eating. It was the body of a man sprawled there, half-consumed.
"What are you trying to do?" I demanded of him. "Quit showing me this if you're just trying to scare me off, it won't work." That sounded good, sounded strong. I wasn't going to turn back now. This had to happen.
"Scare you? No - I'm just giving you what you want."
He bent his head again, and when he raised it, the man's heart was in his teeth. He grinned around it. I forced myself to watch, fighting down bile in my throat, my stomach roiling. He wanted me to look away, to show weakness. I wasn't going to do it. But I couldn't help but glance down at the man's face. I was expecting it to be Warren's.
It was mine.
Howl jerked awake, sweating profusely, clutching at Ace involuntarily. He sat up, and, his limbs shaking, returned to the chair. It looked like he would be spending his night here after all.
Warren lay in the only bed, curled on his side as always, not quite snoring but breathing heavily with his arms loosely wrapped around himself. Howl glanced over at him occasionally, but it was a familiar sight. Howl hadn't been sleeping too well lately, and sometimes he would listen to Warren's in-and-out breathing in the Duskbreak to try and lull him.Â
A stack of lances lay carelessly in the corner. He'd brought three, and had he not had to carry them all he would've brought more. From one dangled the special container he'd had made, something like a metal sheath stoppered at the lance shaft with alchemist's rubber. He would start the application of the Rhalgr's Bile soon, a process he intended to linger over for several days, carefully layering the blade in coat after coat of the precious venom. The metal container was to protect them after the poison had been applied, for even brushing up against the blade would bring death, much less being cut by it. He had taken every precaution he could think of in handling the lethal poison, but it still kept him awake at night.
He could feel Ryuuga off in the distance somewhere. Ryuuga could likely feel him, too. Snow, as well. He could occasionally see her, walking calmly through the winter-bare landscape, unphased by the cold or her aloneness. She wasn't the type to stop and get an inn room. Traveling alone, without their equipment and special preparations, she would likely beat them there. Howl rested his head against the shutters with a light creak of dusty wood.
And you know I'm coming too, don't you, Ryuuga? You can see I'm here too, can't you, Snow?
With a sigh, he got up off of the chair, shuffling over to the bed and gently laying down next to Warren, behind him so the large Highlander's knees and fists wouldn't nudge him off the bed. Warren had a tendency to take up the majority of the bed even with one more adequate than this, but Howl had no intentions of dozing in the chair all night. It would hardly be the first time they'd had to bunk up together, and it was still better than the pup tent out there in the snow. He took Ace up off the bedside table, tucking the timeworn rag doll puppy under his arm, and half-curled himself, his eyes closing, his eyelid sticking a little over his left eye.
Here again. I was there almost immediately, as if it had been waiting for me - the snowy slope up, the flat training ground, the blood-stained flogging pole. It was the same time of day as last time, the sky and snow midnight-blue, the mouth of the cave welcoming me. I stepped inside, just as last time, and he looked up at me, blood all over his face.
I forced myself to look down at what he was eating. It was the body of a man sprawled there, half-consumed.
"What are you trying to do?" I demanded of him. "Quit showing me this if you're just trying to scare me off, it won't work." That sounded good, sounded strong. I wasn't going to turn back now. This had to happen.
"Scare you? No - I'm just giving you what you want."
He bent his head again, and when he raised it, the man's heart was in his teeth. He grinned around it. I forced myself to watch, fighting down bile in my throat, my stomach roiling. He wanted me to look away, to show weakness. I wasn't going to do it. But I couldn't help but glance down at the man's face. I was expecting it to be Warren's.
It was mine.
Howl jerked awake, sweating profusely, clutching at Ace involuntarily. He sat up, and, his limbs shaking, returned to the chair. It looked like he would be spending his night here after all.
People have forgotten this truth. But you mustn't forget it. You become responsible forever for what you have tamed.
Howl's Wiki
Howl's Wiki
