Favor After Favor
He wanted to heave at every damned attempt! As he laid on his stomach and felt the grass tickle and itch his skin, Rickter could only help himself by breathing in slow and deep after the failed attempt. Hannah stood a couple feet from him, her arms crossed as she looked down at him disappointed. "What's the deal, Rickter!? How hard is it to just turn into a wolf!?" She demanded loudly almost in a scolding manner, her eyes annoyed as they averted toward a palace guard that came their way. At the sight of them he seemed amused, but after Hannah waved him off, he respected her demand for privacy as Rickter crawled onto his hands and knees.
"Piss off! You try turning into a fucking mongrel and see how it feels, when all your insides start rolling like mine, then we can talk." He regarded aggravatedly with his fingers clutched hard at roots, his nails about ready to tear into dirt as he looked up to her past his shoulder. Shivers then wracked his body as the cool air of the gardens assailed his bare skin, the gentle breeze a kiss both fresh and lethal were he not to pay it closer attention.
"Are you done?" The rogue retorted with a raise of her eyebrows, her arms crossed over hard as she looked down at him in the same way. "When are you going to stop fussing over every little inconvenience about it?!"
"Since when has this been an inconvenience for you? You weren't born Rathari!" He spat bitterly with a stern look cast back down to the ground before him, his jaw already clenched as he felt utterly repulsed to go through that sensation again.
"Honestly, it's a bit of an inconvenience now, that I think about it!" Hannah jabbed a pointed finger down toward him, a couple of steps taken closer as her eyes bore into him. "From what I heard you were rather okay with being a Rathari, is that not what you told your other wolf friend the other day?"
Rickter looked to her suspiciously as the only way she would've known that was through Telion, and given how deep the bond was between those two, Rickter should've known honestly that Hannah would've used it against him. "That's not it and you know it!" He detested quickly with another sharp glance lined her way. "I simply told her we are what we are, doesn't mean I'm as ready to embrace it as she is willing to trust it." He boldly claimed as he shifted his gaze forward, his eyes scrunched to a tight close as he started to growl lowly from within his throat. All this talk was just driving him even more irritated, and quite frankly he was on the verge of quitting again because of it.
Every attempt he had at transforming had only slight improvement, but with such incremental progression each time Hannah had found her patience thin. Thus his reason for just wanting to either get it over with, or rather, give up and call it another wasted day at best. The whole morning had been spent getting to where he was now, which wasn't going to seem very far, once he reached the point that always wrenched his stomach at a certain point. As more heat radiated from his skin Rickter's growls hardened, as sounds of grinding rattled throughout his entire bone structure first. He felt a pressure build into his joints before finally there would come a series of snaps, his eyes scrunched even tighter as he braced for the first wave to assail him.
Pop.... Pop. He exhaled a groan sharply as he felt his shoulders bulge outward, the blades above them started to gradually adjust down his back, which was outlined by the contours of his skin as they sluggishly moved. Another set of pops chained their way down his spine, as he let another shortly aggravated grunt escape his lips, before the wolf clenched his jaw once more and braced for it. Scruuuuunch. He about wanted to grovel at that bit, as his spine started to jut out as well, while the next pop took place in his elbows and knees a moment after. "Grah!" He let loose his jaw as the pressure built there from clenching tightened, until another pop beneath his ears caused him to roll his head a couple of times. Finally, it came... The sickening rush that accompanied the turning process, this part of the transition made it feel like every bit of his insides were being knotted together, entangled into some horrible rearrangement that literally shook his gut too many times.
Immediately when he felt the rolling sensation batter his form he caved, the Rathari collapsing on the ground yet again almost with a light sweat on his figure, as everything that had shifted out of place during the transition's start snapped right back into place. "Again?! Urrrgh!" Hannah remarked with another aggravated growl, a moment taken to pace back and forth a few times, while Rickter just laid in the grass with his face turned away from the rogue. He didn't even care he was butt naked in front of her anymore, much less if someone else came around snooping to see him this way. No. Rickter just wanted to get dress, go back inside, and probably stuff his face before having a good nap. "When are you going to stop doing this to yourself, huh? When does it end!?"
Half-tired of the bullshit with her already he gradually lifted his head, the wolf propping himself up to turn to where he could adjust his gaze to her. She looked utterly annoyed as her fingers pinched at the bridge of her nose, but from the look around her eyes she started to look more concerned. "What you are is a Rathari? Fine. You're a fucking Rathari, that means you can resemble a wolf, no? I've seen you turn into one several times, and I know each time it happens it's one with purpose." The brunette sounded bitter still but more factual with her tone, her gaze analytical as she stared back down to him sternly. "If you don't see the purpose in this training, then clearly you're not going to live up to expectations. You need to stop thinking of this as a damn exercise Rickter, because people are counting on you, to master this and control it in the near future."
"What are you on about?" He inquired to her warily now, as he started to think she was implying something.
"You give into your impulses when you fight, or leap at the defense of another who needs you. Yet the moment try to actively give into them, you put so much thought and effort in being against it. It's quite clear to me what this is, you don't want to be any more a wolf than you already are." Hannah pointed out harshly with her gaze more narrow on him now, Rickter dumbfounded by her words as she continued on her tangent. "Fuck that, Rickter, you can play human all you want, but if your intention is just to play attempt at being a Rathari; I'll find someone else that I can trust to be my backup."
"Hold on, the fuck you on about!?" Rickter demanded an answer as he raised up to sit on his knees, his gaze fixed on Hannah as she almost started to walk off. The brunette couldn't help but sigh before she turned toward him once more, her arms crossed as she looked to him somberly.
"A favor better left suited for someone else. I want to count on you for this Rickter, but as it stands you're just not ready for it. And unless you can learn to embrace what you are, I don't think you'll ever be." She started to shrug as she stepped away, her final word being, "Sorry," as she seemed set to walk away from him this time for sure. She needed him. What for he could only guess, and she'd been helping him with his training regardless. Part of him felt wrong for not living up to her expectations, while another part felt glad that he wouldn't finally have to attempt another damn shift. But she hadn't left just yet, no she had just started to walk away, and there was enough time yet...
"Embrace it... Huh?" The wolf pondered as he looked from Hannah back to where his fingers had dug into the dirt. "Fuck it." He thought to himself with a determined scowl on his face, his hands clutched against the grass once more as he breathed in deeply. With another scrunch of his eyes he focused on the transition again, already near uncomfortable with himself as grinding commenced once more. Then with a few swift pops, the shifting process began, his insides suddenly feeling hurled as he dug his nails deeper. He didn't fight or resist it this time, not when someone he knew counted on him. The wave that crashed through his gut made him nearly wrench, but the follow-up after it led him to feel his skin tingle all over, while the places that became disjointed realigned themselves into the new figure he took on.
"Bar." A low growl came out as a call to the brunette as she stopped in her tracks, her eyebrows rose as she twisted around to see that Rickter had done it. Standing before her was the four foot tall black wolf, his blue eyes glistening in the sun as he walked up closer to her.
"Took you long enough to figure it out." The rogue teased him softly in a less aggravated tone, a hand brought up to pet him on the forehead as his eyes softened to a few relaxed blinks. "Now, start over again." She instructed him once more, a relieved smile on her face as she nodded for Rickter to step back and revert to human form. He couldn't help but chuff now that he'd figured it out, and considered he might be onto the secret of mastering this aspect of his life.
Glade 16th, Year 121st AoS
"Piss off! You try turning into a fucking mongrel and see how it feels, when all your insides start rolling like mine, then we can talk." He regarded aggravatedly with his fingers clutched hard at roots, his nails about ready to tear into dirt as he looked up to her past his shoulder. Shivers then wracked his body as the cool air of the gardens assailed his bare skin, the gentle breeze a kiss both fresh and lethal were he not to pay it closer attention.
"Are you done?" The rogue retorted with a raise of her eyebrows, her arms crossed over hard as she looked down at him in the same way. "When are you going to stop fussing over every little inconvenience about it?!"
"Since when has this been an inconvenience for you? You weren't born Rathari!" He spat bitterly with a stern look cast back down to the ground before him, his jaw already clenched as he felt utterly repulsed to go through that sensation again.
"Honestly, it's a bit of an inconvenience now, that I think about it!" Hannah jabbed a pointed finger down toward him, a couple of steps taken closer as her eyes bore into him. "From what I heard you were rather okay with being a Rathari, is that not what you told your other wolf friend the other day?"
Rickter looked to her suspiciously as the only way she would've known that was through Telion, and given how deep the bond was between those two, Rickter should've known honestly that Hannah would've used it against him. "That's not it and you know it!" He detested quickly with another sharp glance lined her way. "I simply told her we are what we are, doesn't mean I'm as ready to embrace it as she is willing to trust it." He boldly claimed as he shifted his gaze forward, his eyes scrunched to a tight close as he started to growl lowly from within his throat. All this talk was just driving him even more irritated, and quite frankly he was on the verge of quitting again because of it.
Every attempt he had at transforming had only slight improvement, but with such incremental progression each time Hannah had found her patience thin. Thus his reason for just wanting to either get it over with, or rather, give up and call it another wasted day at best. The whole morning had been spent getting to where he was now, which wasn't going to seem very far, once he reached the point that always wrenched his stomach at a certain point. As more heat radiated from his skin Rickter's growls hardened, as sounds of grinding rattled throughout his entire bone structure first. He felt a pressure build into his joints before finally there would come a series of snaps, his eyes scrunched even tighter as he braced for the first wave to assail him.
Pop.... Pop. He exhaled a groan sharply as he felt his shoulders bulge outward, the blades above them started to gradually adjust down his back, which was outlined by the contours of his skin as they sluggishly moved. Another set of pops chained their way down his spine, as he let another shortly aggravated grunt escape his lips, before the wolf clenched his jaw once more and braced for it. Scruuuuunch. He about wanted to grovel at that bit, as his spine started to jut out as well, while the next pop took place in his elbows and knees a moment after. "Grah!" He let loose his jaw as the pressure built there from clenching tightened, until another pop beneath his ears caused him to roll his head a couple of times. Finally, it came... The sickening rush that accompanied the turning process, this part of the transition made it feel like every bit of his insides were being knotted together, entangled into some horrible rearrangement that literally shook his gut too many times.
Immediately when he felt the rolling sensation batter his form he caved, the Rathari collapsing on the ground yet again almost with a light sweat on his figure, as everything that had shifted out of place during the transition's start snapped right back into place. "Again?! Urrrgh!" Hannah remarked with another aggravated growl, a moment taken to pace back and forth a few times, while Rickter just laid in the grass with his face turned away from the rogue. He didn't even care he was butt naked in front of her anymore, much less if someone else came around snooping to see him this way. No. Rickter just wanted to get dress, go back inside, and probably stuff his face before having a good nap. "When are you going to stop doing this to yourself, huh? When does it end!?"
Half-tired of the bullshit with her already he gradually lifted his head, the wolf propping himself up to turn to where he could adjust his gaze to her. She looked utterly annoyed as her fingers pinched at the bridge of her nose, but from the look around her eyes she started to look more concerned. "What you are is a Rathari? Fine. You're a fucking Rathari, that means you can resemble a wolf, no? I've seen you turn into one several times, and I know each time it happens it's one with purpose." The brunette sounded bitter still but more factual with her tone, her gaze analytical as she stared back down to him sternly. "If you don't see the purpose in this training, then clearly you're not going to live up to expectations. You need to stop thinking of this as a damn exercise Rickter, because people are counting on you, to master this and control it in the near future."
"What are you on about?" He inquired to her warily now, as he started to think she was implying something.
"You give into your impulses when you fight, or leap at the defense of another who needs you. Yet the moment try to actively give into them, you put so much thought and effort in being against it. It's quite clear to me what this is, you don't want to be any more a wolf than you already are." Hannah pointed out harshly with her gaze more narrow on him now, Rickter dumbfounded by her words as she continued on her tangent. "Fuck that, Rickter, you can play human all you want, but if your intention is just to play attempt at being a Rathari; I'll find someone else that I can trust to be my backup."
"Hold on, the fuck you on about!?" Rickter demanded an answer as he raised up to sit on his knees, his gaze fixed on Hannah as she almost started to walk off. The brunette couldn't help but sigh before she turned toward him once more, her arms crossed as she looked to him somberly.
"A favor better left suited for someone else. I want to count on you for this Rickter, but as it stands you're just not ready for it. And unless you can learn to embrace what you are, I don't think you'll ever be." She started to shrug as she stepped away, her final word being, "Sorry," as she seemed set to walk away from him this time for sure. She needed him. What for he could only guess, and she'd been helping him with his training regardless. Part of him felt wrong for not living up to her expectations, while another part felt glad that he wouldn't finally have to attempt another damn shift. But she hadn't left just yet, no she had just started to walk away, and there was enough time yet...
"Embrace it... Huh?" The wolf pondered as he looked from Hannah back to where his fingers had dug into the dirt. "Fuck it." He thought to himself with a determined scowl on his face, his hands clutched against the grass once more as he breathed in deeply. With another scrunch of his eyes he focused on the transition again, already near uncomfortable with himself as grinding commenced once more. Then with a few swift pops, the shifting process began, his insides suddenly feeling hurled as he dug his nails deeper. He didn't fight or resist it this time, not when someone he knew counted on him. The wave that crashed through his gut made him nearly wrench, but the follow-up after it led him to feel his skin tingle all over, while the places that became disjointed realigned themselves into the new figure he took on.
"Bar." A low growl came out as a call to the brunette as she stopped in her tracks, her eyebrows rose as she twisted around to see that Rickter had done it. Standing before her was the four foot tall black wolf, his blue eyes glistening in the sun as he walked up closer to her.
"Took you long enough to figure it out." The rogue teased him softly in a less aggravated tone, a hand brought up to pet him on the forehead as his eyes softened to a few relaxed blinks. "Now, start over again." She instructed him once more, a relieved smile on her face as she nodded for Rickter to step back and revert to human form. He couldn't help but chuff now that he'd figured it out, and considered he might be onto the secret of mastering this aspect of his life.
"Every side attacks you when you don't pick sides."
"Common" "Synskrit" "Norvaegan"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah"
"Rickter" "Telion" "Hannah"
