Drifter bay, evening. Anyone is welcome to join. :3
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</style> http://irisillustratie.nl/images/trenttab.jpg);background-position:bottom;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-color:#1e2c39;border:5px solid black;">Uncontrolled shivers ran down Trent's spine as he remembered five days ago. He had not been himself since that day. Trent had always been different, somehow, from the day he had been born. He wasn't different in any history-book, world-changing manner; if only. He was different in the weird kind of way, the 'oh dear, there goes Ann and Myler's boy again' kind of way.
Trent would've thought things would get better as soon as he was away from all of it, as soon as he was out of his parents' grasp and their obsession about heritage. He was the last remaining son carrying the Crawford name, but Trent cared nothing for it. Besides, he wasn't even a pureblood. What female of high standing would've even wanted him?
That was something to be grateful for, at least. Trent had no urge to produce any heirs. He wanted a family, but not the way his parents had it in mind for him.
Now, as evening fell, the awkward two-year-old stood and watched out over the lands that lay on the other side of it. He had smelled others nearby, but Trent had not yet gathered the courage to check out what lay in store for him there. He'd probably end up pacing up and down outside Inferni lands and eventually go around it with a huge bend. He needed a pack, but unfortunately Trent's cowardice ran deeper than his urge to get some meat on his bones.
Shivers continued to run through his body as Trent continued to feel strange and out of place, like something big was coming. He just didn't know what it was yet. The wind danced through the lone wolf's fur as darkness surrounded him and hardened, grey eyes stared out over the lands on the other side of the water dreamily. He was too much of a coward to but visit the nearby pack lands, but he could dream of visiting those on the other side of this patch of ocean.
Trent could almost hear his mother's disapproving tut-tutting in his ears.
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The wind was cold, whipping mercilessly through Sebastian's silky fur. Though his coat had a sheen to it few others were blessed with, it provided scant protection against the cold wind. Still, the wind and snow did nothing to prevent his exploration. Plus, the sea had always been of interest to him. The sea and the shore, the wind and the waves. And in the dead of winter, the snow and ice.
It was around afternoon the the time he reached Drifter Bay, the sky beginning to darken. Days were much too short during the winter. Sebastian took a sip of wine straight from the bottle before he corked it again, placed it back in his satchel and adjusted his bow and arrows. His jeans were dampened from the snow. All in all, Sebastian wasn't feeling great until he caught sight of a fellow Luperci.
Tall enough, brown-furred and nicely built. Sebastian couldn't see much more than his back. As he approached the male he called out warmly, his face twisting into an inviting smile.
"Hello there." Simple and concise. Sebastian continued his walk, his hips taking on a slight sway.
thank you for joining! trent is in his lupus form, since he's only recently been infected with the virus and is yet to have his first change (sorry if it wasn't clear from my first post).
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</style> http://irisillustratie.nl/images/trenttab.jpg);background-position:bottom;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-color:#1e2c39;border:5px solid black;">To be thinking of his mother's berating words as he stood on the shores of new lands seemed unfitting. Had he not run away from them to escape all of this? If he'd continue to worry, things would still be the exact same, except that his parents were no longer there to physically push him in any directions. But if he allowed his mind to be swayed by them, still...
And what if they were right, and life would sooner or later demand from Trent to find a mate and produce heirs? It didn't hold his interest, but maybe he needed to consider that that was the way the natural cycle of life ran.
The voice surprised Trent, and although he felt the compelling urge to curl into a small ball on the ground, he did not and merely turned around to look at the male. Trent couldn't have been prepared for what he saw then. Maybe he should've been, since it hadn't been very hard to guess that things were different outside his birth home, but Trent had no way to deal with the wolf, walking upright, holding and wearing... things.
Trent instantly turned around and spread his sturdy legs on the ground, looked up at the strange male with the intriguing fur colour, his dull grey eyes painted with apology. Ah... What are you? But it wasn't a very polite question to ask just like that.
Feeling small and out of place, Trent sat up on his hind legs, tried to anyway, to somehow match the stranger with the swaying hips' size a little and not feel so small and threatened. What... What are you? It wasn't a very polite question to ask just like that, but Trent couldn't think of any other way to ask it.
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Okey doke 
For whatever reason, the young man was shocked. Sebastian watched his reaction with amusement clear on his handsome face before the startled wolf asked a question. A question that should have been fairly obvious. Sebastian had only heard of wolves who could not shift; he had never met one. His first thought was that the grey-eyed canine was delusional.
His expression turned to one of concern. Sebastian placed his right black-furred paw on his hip, his body leaning to the right. The poor wolf was obviously very confused.
"I am a Luperci," he explained slowly, his expression still concerned. "A wolf." he tried once again. "The same as you." his normally light and flowing accent was slower, sounding slightly more perturbed.
Sebastian bent his knees and squatted, lowering until he was level with the cute little canine. "Don't they have clothes were you come from?" Judging by that earring and those feathers, the confused male had to be a Luperci. He had to be. Maybe he was just insane, or didn't know what clothing was.
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</style> http://irisillustratie.nl/images/trenttab.jpg);background-position:bottom;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-color:#1e2c39;border:5px solid black;">Back at home, no one had been like.. this. Of course, like all the pups, Trent had visited the remnants of human civilization at some point, but his parents had as easily snatched him away from there and told him never to go there again. Since he had not been exactly the type to stand up to his parents, that was exactly what Trent had then done.
To see the male's body bend in ways that seemed entirely unnatural to Trent was odd, to say the least. He gawped at the red-furred male in disbelief as he looked amused; then shocked. Luperci. It wasn't a word that Trent had ever heard of. Wolf, of course, he had; but the stranger looked nothing like him, and he refused to believe that they were of one and the same breed. It simply could not be.
In response to all of this information, Trent merely stared at the larger, differently-built canine. He felt the urge to run when the male got down to his level, and with that, closer, but didn't move, petrified. At his question of clothes, Trent shook his head. He opened his mouth to ask what clothes were, but guarded his tongue just in time. He'd embarrassed himself quite enough for one day, didn't need to add a second dumb question.
No. He stared at the jeans, the fabric he had never seen before, intrigued by it. Trent wanted to ask if those were the clothes he'd mentioned, but was still too petrified to do so. Ah... Is... Are there... m-more? He stumbled over his words as he looked at the stranger. Trent had never been uneloquent, and it frustrated him that he was a stammering idiot now.
That's about when Trent realised he was asking all these questions without even giving his name. Oh, I'm Trent Craw-- I mean, just Trent. A short moment his grey eyes shot up towards the stranger and he smiled, and then he averted his gaze again respectfully. The stranger did not look like he was going to eat Trent, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
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The young man looked as though he might be sick at any moment, he seemed so perturbed by Sebastian's appearance. He stammered, stuttered, and looked as though he might keel over from shock at any moment. Though it could very well be amusing to watch, now that he thought about it. Sebastian stood back up to his full (unimpressive) height, scratching an itch on his stomach.
"More Luperci?" he asked airily. "Millions, I'm sure. Hundreds in this stretch of land alone." This youngster, though older than him, was utterly clueless.
"I am Sebastian." The Italian smiled down on the puzzled wolf. "Are you a normal wolf, then? No power to transform?"
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</style> http://irisillustratie.nl/images/trenttab.jpg);background-position:bottom;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-color:#1e2c39;border:5px solid black;">Luperci. There was that word again; Trent wondered what it meant. Trent wasn't entirely sure whether he'd meant to ask about the pair of jeans that Sebastian was wearing or the luperci, but he supposed it didn't matter much. There was likely a lot of it wherever. If there were more luperci, there were probably more jeans too. Even if Sebastian was not very tall, Trent still felt rather tiny compared to him as he stood up to his full height again.
The two-year-old suddenly felt sheltered and strange, as if his parents had been lying to him his whole life as they had kept this information from him. He felt angry and wronged, although it also made him understand his parents' desire for him to stay in their protected pack more. In hindsight, maybe Trent regretted that he left. Facing these luperci seemed a lot more daunting than telling his parents he wasn't ever going to produce an heir all of a sudden.
As the question was asked, Trent didn't know how to answer. He felt sick at the thought of being able to transform, as Sebastian put it, from his own shape into that of the other. Transform? he asked, and he couldn't suppress the fear in his dull, grey eyes. You mean it's possible to change from... This, to that? He glanced at himself and then at Sebastian, and Trent wasn't really sure whether he ought to believe it if it were true.
There was a compelling urge for his own bones to shift, to be like Sebastian and to hold things, and it mingled with the disgust at the pit of Trent's stomach uncomfortably. No. Not that I know of. He looked at the other, smaller than him but not in the form he was in, and hoped that there wouldn't be any informing him that it was anything contagious.
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Sebastian nodded his slender head, smirking at the hapless young wolf. This was really turning into quite the fun little exchange. He enjoyed the wealth of knowledge he had at his disposal compared to this clueless little thing. He was quite adorable, really. A cute little thing. "Naturally," he confirmed, forgetting that this might not be the best choice of words. Trent went on to reply that he couldn't transform.
A wide grin split his muzzle. Well, that simply wouldn't do.
"It's quite simple," he assured Trent warmly. Sebastian dropped his satchel and quiver on the ground gently, swiftly unbuttoning his jeans and stripping naked. His body shuddered, clacking and cracking bones were audible. He dropped to his hands and two seconds later, a small cinnamon wolf was standing in front of Trent, the same wide grin on his muzzle.
"You just have to concentrate," he urged, his tail flicking playfully behind him. It had been quite a while since he had been in his more primitive form. "Oh, and you can also do this." The smile stretched wider, showing slightly fewer teeth than the Cheshire Cat.
Two seconds later, Sebastian was nearly twice his previous size, much bulkier and larger. He now stood above Trent. Teeth that had become slightly too large to fit inside his muzzle, his distinctive mohawk in this form standing proudly. "Transformation is quite a useful thing," he assured his new friend, fully aware that his abrupt transformations may have scared him out of his wits.
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</style> http://irisillustratie.nl/images/trenttab.jpg);background-position:bottom;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-color:#1e2c39;border:5px solid black;">There was something creepy about the smile the other wolf held, as though he had some sort of secret that he was itching to tell Trent. Trent didn't like secrets. In his experience, they'd never done him any good. More often than not, knowledge was a dangerous thing. He could see the glint of power in the eyes of the other, and it frightened Trent to a degree. On another -- possibly much scarier and dangerous -- degree, Sebastian's knowledge lured him in like a moth to a flame, and Trent found himself lusting for more knowledge.
Knowledge came in practical form as Sebastian started to take off the jeans and dropped to his feet. The sound of cracking bones was disgusting and made Trent want to heave. Sebastian kept grinning all the while, but Trent couldn't imagine that this did not hurt him at all. It sounded like it had to be quite a painful ordeal, at least.
It was particularly strange to see the wolf stand in front of him at a small height than himself. It was hard to imagine that this smaller, cinnamon wolf was the same humanoid luperci that had stood in front of him moments ago. He blinked a couple of times in a poor attempt to hide his surprise, but was given little time to adjust to this new situation.
Again the male shifted, growing taller than Trent, and he looked like some sort of specially bred fighting machine; teeth and claws everywhere, and more muscle than any wolf probably knew what to do with. Trent most certainly wouldn't. Seeing this gave Trent a strong urge to try it, but he was too afraid for the no doubt mind-numbing pains it'd bring forth.
His cowardice and idiot staring reminded Trent of his need for a pack, and he quickly blurted out, completely straying off the subject at hand, Do you stay with a pack? It felt strange to talk to Sebastian, of whom he'd seen three forms now, in this weird, bulky form. There were other scents that clung to Sebastian, but for all Trent knew they could be, well, anyone's. Even Trent had strangers' scents in his fur that may well've been pack leaders for all anyone knew. Unfortunately, though, they were not.
Trent longed to know more about the shifting, and he longed to ask Sebastian more about all of it, but the pack question took precedence at the time. Or maybe he'd chicken out and never ask about it again.
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Despite the wonders Sebastian had shown him, Trent immediately dropped the subject and twittered off to another one. The Italian cocked his head, slightly thrown off. It was odd; he'd been expecting a much bigger reaction. Even the brown wolf fainting or running in terror would have been more acceptable. Feeling rather deflated, Sebastian returned to his smallest form.
"None at the moment," he answered smoothly, his reddish tail flicking behind him. "Though I have heard there are many in the area, especially to the north of here." his tail flicked in that general direction as his orange eyes ran appreciatively over Trent's body.He was quite handsome, in a cute way. Not the tall, muscular, scarred men he preferred, but not at all bad either.
"Why don't you give shifting a try?" Sebastian urged abruptly, taking a couple of steps closer to Trent. "I don't wish to alarm you, but you will find surviving difficult in these lands if you cannot change. Perhaps you cannot, but I assure you; it will make your life much easier." Sebastian had so rarely seen a wolf unable to change, and he was sure that life would be much more difficult if he was stuck in his weakest form.
"Try the secui form first. The more muscular, powerful version of yourself," he explained, a very interested look in his eyes. Interested to see if Trent could change.
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</style> http://irisillustratie.nl/images/trenttab.jpg);background-position:bottom;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-color:#1e2c39;border:5px solid black;">Sebastian responded to his question, luckily dropping the subject of shifting for now. Trent hadn't smelled a lot of packs to the north of here, but he didn't doubt there might be a few. There was more than just the path he had taken here, after all. The coywolf's ear twitched, and he nodded. It was a shame that Sebastian was not a part of any pack; he might've been an easy way into one.
Ah, that's a shame. Trent would simply keep looking, though, and probably watch them from afar. It was a shame that Sebastian did not even know enough to tell him a thing or two about any nearby packs, so he'd have known which to pick and which not to pick. Which ones ate others' organs and not, and so forth. Well, maybe he was just being paranoid there.
Then the subject of shifting was brought back. Trent had never done so, and he wasn't even sure why Sebastian would push it so much. After all, since he had never done it, why would he know how to at all? Ah, uhm, no, I... I don't think I... can? He blinked, a deep frown on his face. I mean... I never have in my whole life, or seen anyone besides you who did, so why would I have such abilities? My parents couldn't do things like these, either. It made no sense to Trent, and he preferred remaining ignorant of the possibility of things like these. They looked mighty painful to do.
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Sebastian immediately bounded forwards, light on his paws, just to headbutt Trent's shoulder gently. He felt especially playful today. Perhaps because it had been so long since he had last been in his most primitive form, but he still felt an urge to make sure this poor soul learned how to shift. In the Italian's mind, there was no reason why he shouldn't. Who knew if the ability was hereditary? Maybe Trent simply evolved more slowly than most. Maybe the ability was only possible if one knew it existed. Perhaps it spread through the air.
Sebastian hopped back again, giving Trent's chin a quick lick and flashing a bright smile at the cute man.
"There's no harm in trying," he encouraged, stepping forward once more. He made his body sleek and smooth, purposely seductive. The lean male rubbed the top of his head along the bottom of Trent's muzzle, curling around him and brushing his tail around Trent's neck.
"It hurts the first time, but it is a wonderful experience." Sebastian's eyes gleamed wickedly. He was still talking about the shift, of course. Of course.
He wheeled around and faced Trent again, his tail flicking merrily as he carefully perused Trent's face. Trying to read what was there. Well, it shouldn't be too difficult; when Sebastian started to playfully seduce men, there were only two reactions present. Disgust or longing, it didn't matter which. He just waned a reaction from the adorable feathered male.
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</style> http://irisillustratie.nl/images/trenttab.jpg);background-position:bottom;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-color:#1e2c39;border:5px solid black;">At his newest acquaintance's touch, Trent flinched and felt the urge to move awayy from Sebastian. He wasn't used much to touch, not beyond his mother's coddling and the respectful licks to his parents' chins anyway. Trent hadn't had any siblings or friends to playfight with. He looked taken aback when Sebastian leaped forward to headbutt his shoulder, albeit gently, and relieved when the fiery-hued wolf took a step back again.
Trent felt the urge to apologise for his behaviour, which was no doubt silly to this wolf. Trent felt like such a stranger to the lands now, as if he had a whole new world to explore. As he opened his mouth to apologise however, Sebastian responded to his hesitation positively and urged him to attempt shifting.
As it had looked mighty painful, Trent had no urge to try at all. He didn't want to shift. He wanted to stay just the way he was, and he most certainly wouldn't want to become some scary werewolf thing from the stories. Those were meant to stay exclusively in the stories. No! I mean, I'm sorry, but I really don't want to. I'm grateful for all of your information, though... It was unfortunate that Sebastian did not know much about the how's, why's and when's of shifting; Trent had hoped that he would at least be able to figure out a thing or two about the possibilities of himself ever shifting.
There was an apologetic smile on Trent's face as he looked at Sebastian. As he was looked back at, there was neither disgust nor longing on Trent's face; he was completely clueless that he was being enticed at all. What with his family's honourable focus on family and reproduction, Trent didn't actually think that any man would like any other man. That just wasn't how nature worked. While Trent had no clue that Sebastian tried to search for longing or disgust on his face — and would probably be disappointed to find only pity for himself as well as Sebastian — he was beginning to feel a little awkward, though. Is... there something icky on my face? He averted his gaze submissively, feeling a little dumb for asking the question but knowing he would've felt even dumber staring back (besides, even if Sebastian didn't seem the type there was the possibility that would appear like a challenge to the other) or doing nothing at all.
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Aaaand... nothing. Not a peep. Well, he did get a peep; two peeps in fact, but neither peep was especially encouraging. First Trent protested that he didn't want to, which was pure stupidity on his part. Why the hell he didn't want to was beyond Sebastian. The only price was pain, and he was unwilling to trade a little pain for an enriched life? Does. Not. Compute.
The other peep was a glaring streak of obliviousness. Something icky on his face. Good Lord. He was older than Sebastian (at least, he looked older. Maybe he was just an overgrown puppy.) but was apparently, completely and utterly innocent. Poor thing.
"Nothing at all," Sebastian purred, taking a step towards the adorable wolf again. He gave Trent's cheek a slow lick, his salmon-pink tongue grooming speckled fur for a few long seconds. The coy Italian took a step back again, his eyes glittering as he grinned almost wickedly.
"Is there anything else you wish to know?" he asked, preparing to leave. He wasn't interested in prying into Trent's past, nor was he eager to share his own. He was perfectly content to let matters lie.
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</style> http://irisillustratie.nl/images/trenttab.jpg);background-position:bottom;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-color:#1e2c39;border:5px solid black;">If there was nothing icky on his face, then why was Sebastian staring at him? Trent looked away still, submissively denying that there was anything interesting about his face. There was a sensual hint in Sebastian's voice that even Trent could not deny, but he did his very best to do so anyway. He wasn't sure what was going to happen now. Wasn't sure what to expect, or what he wanted to happen for that matter.
The lick came unexpected and Trent hadn't seen it coming. He had noticed Sebastian approach him, but because his gaze was averted from Sebastian, attention set on the sand on the ground, Trent didn't notice the physical touch until it was too late. The coywolf found himself recoil backwards in reflex, and he looked at the retreating Italian with a frightened, shocked expression on his face.
The question came as unexpected as the lick had, and with widened, shocked eyes Trent stared at Sebastian. Ah... He drastically tried to think of something, something witty and smart that would make Sebastian's impression of him a bit better. Trent could think of nothing though, and so he ended up simply staring at Sebastian like a moron.
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Oh, so he had some idea of Sebastian's nature. Not a big idea, not a complete understanding of the Italian, but at last, he had some clue. Trent recoiled from his touch, but it didn't seem to be a move based on disgust. No, the poor thing was simply surprised. Unsure of himself, maybe. The grey-eyed man was a complete novice, wasn't he? They were always the most fun.
He looked frightened. Sebastian almost felt sympathetic for Trent. Here he was, an adorable little thing with absolutely no idea what he was doing or who anyone was.
Sebastian held his gaze for several long seconds before ultimately deciding that maybe Trent had exhausted his supply of willpower for the day. He didn't seem capable of doing anything but stare. Orange faced grey for several long seconds before Sebastian broke his gaze and trotted back to his possessions, his tail purposely raised.
He got into his jeans, struggling for a moment to fit his tail into the modest hole he had cut out. "If you're looking for me, I usually spend my time within a few miles of Halifax city." Sebastian jerked his head in the direction of his current base of operations, still smiling at Trent. He gathered up his weapon and satchel and stood, facing Trent once more. He gave the young man a chance to stop him, to shift, to ask him a question or pique his interest. It wasn't very often he gave out where he lived, after all.
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</style> http://irisillustratie.nl/images/trenttab.jpg);background-position:bottom;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-color:#1e2c39;border:5px solid black;">Trent felt like a complete idiot as he just stood there and stared at the ground, away from Sebastian. He felt like he needed to do something, or say something, but in the end he didn't manage anything. Trent wanted to be witty and smart, but he wasn't anything right now.
Disappointed in himself, Trent felt relief when Sebastian stopped staring at him and departed. The coywolf looked at the male as he started to put on his jeans, just staring; now that Sebastian was no longer right in front of him, Trent felt a little bit more courageous. He wondered what could've been, and again cursed himself for his stupidity and cowardice. But however much he hated it, Trent couldn't change it right then, a frightened pup in a new location with no connections.
Sebastian's living place was disclosed, and after a short moment of hesitance Trent nodded. Uhm, thank you. I'll visit. He hadn't a clue where Halifax city was just yet, but it didn't occur to the nervous coywolf to ask in that moment, unfortunately. Thanks again. Trent had certainly gained a lot of information today, and he bowed his head stiffly as he watched Sebastian, who was probably about to leave.
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