Under Darkness [AU]

[Tethras Clan]

Andy pulls out his utility knife and gently scrapes the mud off, then uses his basic healing spell to remove both the sting of the insects and any scratches or bruises he'd picked up as well. "Better?" he asks, giving the dire wolf a couple of pats, then dutifully gives Hunter his due.

[Carver Amell]

The wolf pulls back, shimmering, twisting, and shrinking until he's man-shaped once more. "Better. Thank you."

[Tethras Clan]

"Of course," Andy says with a smile, reaching down to help the kneeling Carver stand. "How did it feel this go?"

[Carver Amell]

"I think I'm really getting the hang of that body. Well, I do need to watch where I'm going better. But it's getting easier to move rapidly, without thinking too hard about it." He nods. 

[Tethras Clan]

"You were moving much smoother. More natural," Andy agrees.

Granny Peli snickers. "My yes, you sounded just like a real wolf when you got stung. Reacted that same as well- protected your eyes, focused on distance and didn't panic. You're really settling into your other skin."

[Carver Amell]

"Great," he groans. "I've got injury and pain down pat. We can skip the rest of those lessons, yeah?"

[Tethras Clan]

"Those are the most painful lessons at least," Andy offers with a grin. "Hopefully anyway. You up for a spar or you done for today?"

[Carver Amell]

"Maybe a walk first. I get weird about my human shape just after changing." He shrugs, shaking off the feeling of fur, of largeness. 

The past six months had been the strangest period of Carver's life. After meeting with Peli and finding out what he was -- a skinchanger, a shifter, something part beast and part man -- he had three competing overriding purposes in life. One, to reunite Andi with Seli, to make him the kind of father the twins deserved -- and, as part of that, he'd come to like the little brats, had come to appreciate the iron core inside Seli that kept her going even through all this trauma. 

His second goal had been to help his sister. That hadn't been going as well. Sure, she'd been mending, but... she didn't seem to need his help, as much as he burned to be useful to her. 

The third goal was to master the wild magic inside him, the thing he'd never expected to have. That was going decently; he'd learned to trade his skin for a wolf's, albeit a massive dark-furred one; he'd been getting used to the body, which was a little harder to master than the claws he'd pulled out by instinct. He'd had to change his armor out for leather, and hang up his sword; the metal in it interfered with the quiet, primal force inside him, preventing it from coming out. Who knew, right? 

[Tethras Clan]

"Alright," Andy says agreeably enough. "But I have a surprise for you so I want to at least do some drills."

I just hope you like it. Took weeks to get it right. But you're worth the effort. I just wish... no, don't get stupid about it. He's a good friend and he's helped you more than you deserved. Just this morning, you got to have breakfast with your children. That's because of him. Focus on that. He glances sideways at Carver and fights back the urge to sigh. Easy to think, hard to remember.

[Carver Amell]

"Yeah? A surprise?" Carver acts casual, but he frets a little. The heck's going on? Is this the good kind of surprise or the bad kind? 

[Tethras Clan]

"Mmmhh." The tiefling gives Carver a grin. "Finally reveal that little side project I've been working on. But... I'm thinking maybe not today after all. Unless you can earn it," he adds playfully. "If you're up for it, of course." Three... two..

[Carver Amell]

"Ha! You best be ready for a beating, boy," he says, his tone mostly jocular but the gleam of competition in his eye. 

[Tethras Clan]

Just as trainable as Hunter, Andy thinks fondly. Twice as stubborn though, which says a lot given mabari. Andy smirks a little to continue the game, patting the hilt of Carver's old blade. He'd been... reluctant, to say the least, when Carver had rather gruffly offered it to him a few months back but... Well, he'd had a point about it going to waste and it'd been clear just how much it meant to Carver for him to be able to give it a good home, so to speak. Besides, it's a fine blade and... it had meant a lot to Andy too. Hopefully he takes my surprise in the right way... he's so much better these days about thinking past the first bitter taste of things. It should be fine. "Shall we then?"

[Carver Amell]

Carver nods, reaching for his new training weapon: a wooden spear. He wasn't sure he liked it yet, but he was running low on options for non-metal weapons. He didn't want to carry a staff. He wasn't ready yet to pick up a weapon that had been his sister's favorite. Is my sister's favorite, he corrects. She's been going on adventures. Somehow, seeing her, he doubted they were particularly challenging adventures, but she'd been getting out and helping people, so that had to count for something. 

[Tethras Clan]

"Not claws today?" Andy asks, a strange smile on his face as he glances at the spear.