Chapter Text
The bear wandered about aimlessly through the woods at night, in a relatively good mood. It had rained during the day, thick droplets falling out of the sky, but now only dark clouds drifted above, no wetness. The bear enjoyed the feeling of water on its paws as it walked over the leaf-covered forest ground. Its sensitive hearing picked up on a million sounds at night, the chirping and screaming of the woods' other nocturnal inhabitants echoing in the air as the bear made its way through the blackness of the night.
Pangs of hunger plagued the bear's stomach. It decided it would make for the river to catch himself a meal of fish. Ah, yes, fish... the bear would love sinking its teeth into those animals, tearing their meat right off while bone snapped between his strong jaws. The bear found many different foods delightful and didn't consider itself a picky eater, but fish were...
No, fish weren't its favourite. There was one other kind of animal it enjoyed eating more. But that wasn't an option. Not if the bear wanted to remain unseen and live a life in anonymity.
The bear lamented the unfairness of this, but soon stopped, for it noticed something strange. It perked up, excited and on high-alert at the same time. It wasn't sure if its ears or nose first picked up on the approaching presence, but it recognised bipedal footsteps, the smell of an unfamiliar human entering its nostrils.
The bear began salivating involuntarily. A human, deep in the woods at this hour. A forbidden treat. Or not? Maybe tonight could be an exception. The bear realised it needed to hide, lest it be spotted, possibly by a hunter. That couldn't be allowed to happen. Because this was Scotland, and bears in Scotland had been extinct since the middle ages.
Or it could let itself be spotted, of course. But then the human would have to die. In all honesty, there was nothing the bear enjoyed more than the taste of human flesh on its tongue. It couldn't let itself have this, though, couldn't allow itself this one small treat, because the human's disappearance wouldn't go unnoticed and other nosy humans would find pieces of torn clothes, blood, spilled guts, splintered bits of bone. They'd understand one of their own had been killed by something big, a predator, a monster. They'd investigate.
The bear couldn't afford to let that happen.
It knew it had to move, knew it had to retreat back to its cave, but the animal stood as if it had taken root in the ground spontaneously. It stayed right in its spot, a morbid curiosity combined with hunger stopping it from fleeing. Because what fool, what blithering human fool, would be wandering so deep into these woods on so dark a night? As far as the bear was concerned, the human out here risked their life, and it couldn't help but wonder why.
Before the bear knew it, the man stood there, looking at the large, black animal from a respectable distance. The bear realised it was too late now; it had wasted any chance it had to leave. So while the man studied it, it studied the man, observed this peculiar human.
The bear hardly ever felt fear, but there was something about this man that filled it with discomfort. Shadows swirled around his tall form, almost entirely obscuring him from sight if it hadn't been for his sharp white smile and harsh golden irises. The bear realised this was no ordinary man and second-guessed its opinion to stay where it was. It also supposed the man would not stand idly be, should it try to eat him.
"I reckoned you would be harder to find," the man spoke, Queen's English accent pristine. "But, as it turns out, it's not as difficult once you have a notion of where to look. Perhaps I've overestimated you?"
The bear froze. This man knew far more than he had business knowing. This man was aware of its secret. But how much did he know exactly? And what did he want?
"Please, do me a favour and assume your human form, shapeshifter," the man continued upon not receiving a reply or any semblance of a reaction at all. "I imagine Mor'du the man is a better conversationalist than Mor'du the bear."
Mor'du growled, not fond of following orders, but obliged, deciding he had no choice but to engage this man in conversation. He could always kill him afterwards, if that was necessary and, perhaps, desirable. But it had been a long time since he'd had to assume his human form. While he'd long since gotten used to the shifting process, it still hurt like a bitch as his body twisted and contorted, bones snapping and organs rearranging.
Once human again, Mor'du had trouble staying on his feet, not yet used to this form. He shivered involuntarily, the night air cold against his bare skin. If the meeting with this man would result in assuming his human form more often, he noted, it would be wise to invest in human clothing; being naked like this wouldn't do. But Mor'du hadn't needed human clothes in the past few years, choosing to stay far away from human society.
In fact, he had no idea what his human form even looked like right now, though he could make a few guesses. His skin, if he'd care enough to run his hands over it, would feel almost exclusively like scar tissue. His hair, long and unwashed, extended past his broad shoulders. He was blind in one eye and imagined the disfigurement of his face didn't enhance the handsomeness he'd possessed in his youth. Though the man in front of him was tall, Mor'du still towered over him and had bigger muscles than the other could dare to dream of.
If it came to a fight, the shadow man wouldn't win.
"Who are you?" Mor'du asked, voice hoarse from lack of usage. He spoke slowly, collecting the right English words as they lay scattered in his brain. "What do you want from me?"
"Call me Mr. Black," the man apparently called Mr. Black revealed. "And, well, let me put it like this. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Though Mor'du didn't show it, he couldn't help feeling taken aback. Just how much did this man know about him and his past?
"You speak in riddles."
"Dunbroch. Does that name ring a bell?"
Dunbroch.
Mor'du could never forget that name.
"It does," he confessed, letting out an involuntary, animalistic growl, much to Mr. Black's delight. A dark smirk crept up the man's face, the eerie whiteness of his teeth emphasized by the shadows drifting across his face.
"I've been deeply, deeply wronged," Mr. Black said, a flair for drama coating his words, "by a group of four people, three of whom are nobodies to you. But the fourth is Merida Dunbroch. Seeing as she's an old acquaintance of yours, I figured you might be... interested in the scheme I'm concocting. It includes revenge."
Mor'du couldn't remember a time in which he hadn't been interested in revenge schemes. He hardly knew Mr. Black, but understood the man was being sincere. Why else would he risk coming here, armed with knowledge about Mor'du's true nature and past? This was a calculated action, rather different than Mor'du was used to, but it coloured him intrigued.
"So are you interested?"
"Yes." Mor'du nodded. "What is it you need my help for? Because you need it. You wouldn't be here otherwise."
"You're a good judge of character." Mr. Black came closer, golden eyes piercing Mor'du's dangerously. "Walk with me, Shapeshifter. I'd like to propose a partnership. Once you've heard me out, you can see for yourself if you feel it benefits you. Does that sound reasonable?"
Mor'du gave this some thought, but only for show. In reality, he'd already made his choice. He wanted to know more about this peculiar man and his apparent plans for vengeance.
"You talk, Shadow Man. I will listen."
Mr. Black laughed, sporting a self-satisfied look.
"You won't regret that decision."