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“Do you swear to protect the travelers of the night?” Khonshu’s voice echoed through Marc’s mind as he stared down at the creature before him.
“He’s so small. Marc, look at him.” Steven had been the one to take the creature out. Marc had given it a hell of a run around and fight, taking slashes and bites that even the suit took a minute to heal. Finally Steven had gotten around it and slammed it over the head with his batons.
It had let out a sound not unlike that of a dog getting kicked and Steven had immediately gone on a string of heartfelt apologies to the unconscious thing.
“What the hell is it?” Marc took over before Steven could start petting it.
“It’s not a jackal.” Steven supplied.
“No shit.” Marc sighed. “Looks like a…” He didn’t want to say it.
“A werewolf.” Steven knelt down near it and rolled it over. “But he’s so small!”
“Yeah I heard you the first time!” Marc picked up the creature and was happy it was small, considering he had to carry it across the city. “If this is a werewolf, you know what that means?”
“That they are real!” Steven’s glowing eyes went wide. “My stars.”
Marc hefted the fuzzy creature over his shoulder and started to make his way down the street. This was awkward.
“No. I mean, yes they are real. But that’s not what I’m getting at!” He huffed, thankful for the super strength the suit provided. “It means that in the morning he’s going to be a man again!”
“Oh.” Steven mulled it over. “OH! Poor man. It must be terrible for him.”
“Yeah well, he’s still a monster right now. We need to get him somewhere safe before he wakes up and tries to eat people again.” Marc picked up the pace.
“Where are we taking him?” Steven glanced around nervously. He really hoped it wasn’t to his own flat. There were so many very breakable things there…
Marc paused. “Uh. I don’t know. I figured we could lock him somewhere. Leash him to something in the flat?”
“We bloody well are not!” Steven put the breaks on and held up one of the animal’s large clawed hands. “Look at these! One wrong slash and it’s bye bye Guses!”
“Alright. Where are you going to put him then?” Marc felt the creature shift slightly. “We need to decide quickly. It can’t be good to keep bashing him over the head.”
“I’m thinking I’m thinking!” Steven looked around the street. “Oh! We’re close!” He turned around and started to backtrack down a street.
“Close to what? Where are we….No! No! Bad idea! There’s no good place to leash him! He could get out and demolish the whole place! Not to mention the amount of dangerous things I have stored in there!” Marc tried to put on the breaks but Steven was determined.
“Oh please, it’s not like he’s going to set off a rocket launcher or grenade bin.” Steven chuckled.
Marc was silent.
“...Marc, please tell me there is not a bin of grenades in there!”
“Well…”
“Marc Spector are you kidding me?” Steven turned down a street and looked up at the storage facility. “What kind of maniac keeps a bin of grenades just sitting in a storage locker?”
“Where else was I supposed to keep them? Not like I could hide those in your flat! You’d have pulled a pin or something!”
“I don’t care how you do it, but you are going to get rid of those ASAP.” Steven grumbled under his breath. “Probably has enough TNT in there to blow England off the bloody map.”
“I’ll call up my pal Frenchie later. I’m sure he can off load them on someone…” Marc sighed. He carefully avoided telling Steven about the other things he had stored in there, like the actual rocket launcher he kept in the back.
“You got the keys?” Steven patted the pockets on his fancy suit. He wondered how the suit worked. Did it hold his things and Marc’s things separately? Was it some sort of pocket dimension?
“Yeah. Gimme a sec.” Marc set the creature down and removed the suit completely. It always felt draining to take it off. All the extra power and strength and healing it provided would slip away, leaving behind the regular tired and beaten up man inside. Now with sharing with Steven, it seemed to take a little extra out of him when it left.
He patted his pockets and pulled out his keys. Opening the door, he checked to make sure everything was still undisturbed then lifted up the creature with considerable more effort this time.
“Hey, a use for your old cot!” Steven piped up as they lay the creature down across it. “Here I thought this was just a waste of money each month.”
“Great. Now what? We hope he stays knocked out till sunrise?” Marc moved to his storage bins and started moving them around, hoping that maybe he still had some rope or chains or zip ties or anything to help contain the creature. “It does turn back at sunrise, right? Is there a set time? Like does the sun have to be fully up? Or is it like at five on the dot?”
Steven sank down a little. He knew Marc didn’t like him seeing what was in the bins. It was why Marc still kept it all separate from their shared space. He didn’t like being judged or feeling Steven squirm as he looked at the guns and knives. There were also personal items locked away in there that Marc couldn’t bring himself to get rid of but that were too painful to keep around.
Marc pulled out some heavy duty ropes and moved to the creature. He hesitated then started with tying his hands behind his back then roping his ankles together. He had nothing to tie him down to but maybe this might be enough. At least to slow him down a little.
“We’re on watch duty then.” Marc sat down on a trunk and tapped his fingers on his knees. If that thing so much as sneezed wrong he would suit up and prepare to beat it unconscious again.
“He’s not really a monster, is he?” Steven pondered. “Look at him. Not at all what I thought they’d look like. I thought they’d be bigger. Harrier. More teeth. More muscle. Just… Scarier.”
“Steven, we fought him for an hour. He’s big enough.” Marc sighed loudly.
“Well he was scared is all.” Steven gestured to him. “He’s a wild creature! How’d you like it if once a month something horrible happens to you and it’s painful and scary and suddenly you’re out somewhere you didn’t expect to be and people are mad at you and hurting you!”
Marc frowned and looked at his watch. “I don’t know. Doesn’t mean he should just be out there hurting people. You see a wolf out in the forest and it’s majestic, you put that same wolf in a school yard and your views on all that majesty go away real fast.”
They sat in silence for a long time. Steven insisted they trade off to give one another a break, though Marc never really left Steven alone. Thankfully the creature seemed to have been exhausted as it continued to sleep. Turns out fighting two moon god avatars really took it out of you.
Steven was on watch when the creature suddenly let out a pained whimper. It snarled and thrashed in the restraints, pulling and clawing at anything it could reach.
Steven got up nervously and looked around as if trying to find some sort of guide on what to do when your imprisoned werewolf tries to escape.
“Uh…Uh… Oye!” He clapped his hands to get the beast’s attention. “Hey! Stop that! That’s not nice!”
The beast stopped and stared at Steven as if noticing him for the first time. It took a careful sniff then growled lowly.
“Hiya. Uh… Remember me?” He waved. “Yeah, sorry about that. Didn’t want to whack you like that, but you were chewing on our cape. You know, if you’re hungry, maybe I can find you a steak or something. I know this nice, fancy place. I could ask for it extra rare? Is that why you act out? Cause you’re hungry?”
The creature snarled loudly and part of the rope snapped free.
“Bollocks. Suit!” He summoned the suit quickly and pulled out the poles, ready to start bashing over the head again if he had to. “Come on, now. I don’t want to fight you again. I’m sorry if we startled you before. Stupid pigeon said a traveler was in danger and we came across you about to snack on this poor bloke! What are we supposed to think?”
The creature eyed him, no longer pulling on the ropes. He watched the sticks wearily.
“See these?” Steven held up the sticks. “Don’t try to run off or eat me and you don’t have to worry about these.” He put them away slowly. “See? There’s a good dog.”
“Steven.” Marc spoke up anxiously. “That is not a dog and I do not want to have to fight that thing again. Give me the body.”
“Well if you don’t scare it then you won’t have to fight it!” Steven huffed. “I got this.”
The beast was staring at him with wide eyes, following his every shift and movement. It looked tired. The kind of exhaustion that comes from too many nights and too many days bleeding into one. The look of a human who had wondered too many times if this was going to be the last night. If this was the last time.
It was a look that Steven had seen on Marc’s face far too many times. “He’s hurting.” Steven sat back down and removed the mask. “Almost morning. I think you’ll make it just fine.”
The creature lay back on the cot, snuffing the air and squirming lightly. It was distressed by the ropes but didn’t dare try to escape again. Something had pacified it. Perhaps, Steven reasoned, it was how close dawn was. The transformation was probably exhausting.
Steven stepped forward and held out a hand, thankful for the protection of the suit. The beast eyed it warily and bared his teeth. Rope was nothing compared to pure desperation and the beast knew if he truly desired it, he could be free.
Steven swallowed hard. “Hey. You’re okay.” He held out his hands, palms open to show he held no ill intent. The beast stared at the white gloves as one might stare at the moon. “You know,” Steven smiled bright, “I’ve touched hundreds of thousands of moons with these hands. I wonder if you can sense it.”
Steven, what are you doing? Two voices of caution spoke up at the same time. Both had sensed the danger, but one was starting to move closer and closer to the front.
“He looks sad.” Steven slowly moved closer and placed a hand lightly on the creature’s arm. “If you promise not to eat me, I’ll untie these.”
The beast grunted loudly, huffing as it tensed from the unfamiliar touch. When it didn’t immediately go to bite, Steven was encouraged.
“See? Not so bad, is it?” He moved lower and started to carefully undo the ropes.
“Bad idea. This is a bad idea. What if it breaks out?” Marc tried to push forward.
As if sensing the switch, the beast growled and snapped in warning, pulling its hands free and crouching down on the cot. It reached down, clawing at the ropes around his ankles till they fell away in shreds.
“I don’t think it likes you.” Steven pushed forward again and grinned. “Don’t mind him. You’re a good boy. Marc’s just a grumpy head sometimes.”
He smiled as he watched the beast relax again, just a little.
“See? Almost morning. You made it through the night. About time to rest up, huh? Let someone else drive for a while. I know the feeling well, mate.” Steven sat back down, giving the creature space.
As if on cue, the beast let out a distressed sound then started to transform. Steven cringed as the body before him twisted and curled up on itself.
They watched the fur fade, the sharpness soften, and the eyes deepen with sadness.
It was over quickly and a man lay where the beast had been. He was indeed small, his frame trembling in exhaustion as he tensed and cringed with the remains of urges that were not his own. Things inside that screamed run hide fight survive in a language that he now only vaguely understood.
His eyes fluttered open and glanced around, seeking comfort and the knowledge that he was safe. His eyes slid over Steven in confusion, taking in the bright white suit. “Moon…” He mumbled as the suit blurred in his vision.
“Hey, it’s alright. You’re safe.” Steven let his suit disappear. He wondered if the suit carried any of the properties of the moon. Did it affect the wolf in the same way?
“Sí. Estás seguro.” The man muttered, not understanding the statement. “The wolf is asleep again.”
Marc took over, getting up and moving to a storage bin to find clothes. He hoped old fatigues would be okay as he pulled out some rough clothes still lightly dusted in sand and gunpowder. He set them beside the man and cleared his throat.
“Mnh. Lo Siento. It takes a while to let it go. I just… Do you have coffee?” He slowly sat up, cringing as his head swam and the world was still too raw. He could smell the old grease and gunpowder around him. He could also smell old blood that was carefully packed away somewhere deep under the weight of sweat and pain. It made him nervous.
“I know a place we can go once I’m sure that you’re in control.” Marc crossed his arms and stared down at the man. A beast was one thing. A man holding the power of a beast was ten times worse. At least with a beast of the night he knew what to expect.
“Yeah yeah. Just the residual confusion. Passing of the torch is always rough.” He waved a hand and offered a pained smile. “Just waving at my enemy as we pass by each other. There he goes. See you in a month. I hope not, but I know better.”
Marc felt Jake rise up and pull. It was not like him to ask for control. Especially when around new people they didn’t know. He tensed a moment, wondering if there was a danger that he had not seen but that Jake had.
Jake pulled again, this time not asking. He stared down at the man. “Dios mio. I know you. Jack?”
Jack stared up at Jake in confusion for a moment, startled to hear his name. Comforted to hear his name. It helped to pull him back into himself. Grounding and confirming that he was indeed the man and not the monster.
“You are!” Jake grinned. “Jack Russell! I saw you at the club a few times!”
Both Steven and Marc raised eyebrows at that. They didn’t think Jake was the night clubbing type.
“Not that kind of club, idiotas.” Jake bristled a little, embarrassed. “Dancing. He plays the guitar and sings. He is not bad.”
Jack slowly sat up fully and started to pull the offered clothes on. “Yeah… I remember you now.” He sniffled a little, his senses still heightened. He could vaguely make out the smell of the man before him. It was strange. The light aftershave. The mixture of different types of soaps layered on from different days. The oil in his hair. The faint faint smell of cologne that he had worn to the club a few times… But under it all he could smell the person.
He could smell the pheromones that seemed to fluctuate. The stress hormones that raced up and down constantly. The anxiety and the chemicals that shifted over and over and over. This was a man that moved like the tide.
Jack shook his head and exhaled forcefully, clearing the scent from his nose. “You played two nights ago. It was very lovely.”
Jake blushed. “I’m just an amateur.”
“Excuse me.” Marc took hold. “Hate to interrupt this reunion, but I’d love to address the werewolf in the room.”
Jack looked up, startled by the sudden change. The accent had suddenly gone from a familiar South American to angry American region. Even his body had changed stance and the scent of stress and pain had returned.
“Hey now, there’s no need to be rude.” Steven chided. “Let’s get the man some coffee. I know I don’t function without my morning cuppa.”
The accent jumped the pond and the posture sank in on itself, growing smaller and softer. Hormones shifted and anxiety rose a little but stress melted away.
“What…” Jack stared a moment. He shook his head to clear it and glanced around again, taking in the storage unit for the first time. He also noted the shredded ropes on the floor. “Who are you?”
“Oh! How rude of us.” Steven flustered. “I’m Steven! With a V. That was Marc. Pay no mind to him. He’s got no manners.” He mouthed the word ‘American’. “Before that was Jake. I think he’s a fan of yours. Yep. He’s telling me to shut my yap so I’m pretty sure he’s a fan.”
Jack sighed and stood up, slipping his feet into the large boots provided. “Jack Russell. Pleasure to meet you, I hope.” He still wasn’t sure about this person. Persons? He had absolutely dealt with stranger things. He was a stranger thing, by his books. “May I inquire about last night? I didn’t… You know… Is everyone okay?”
“Yeah about that.” Marc cut in gruffly. “We found him running through the streets about to jump some guy. There was no trail of carnage that we are aware of, so maybe we caught him in time. But you need to work on that. You can’t just let that thing run rampant!”
Jack stared at him for a moment, his head cocked to the side slightly. He slowly nodded. “Thank you for stopping me. I normally don’t run rampant. I have a system, you see.” He brightened. “It is normally a very good system! There are safety checks in place. I have been doing this a long time. Usually it works well.”
“So what happened this time?” Marc tossed him a jacket. The man looked smaller in Marc’s heavy duty combat clothes. It was easy to see the strain in his face and how his hands trembled just a little.
“I’m willing to bet it was the man you stopped me from jumping.” He grimaced as he pulled on the coat. “Hunters. They go around trying to eliminate things like me. They’ve been on my tail since… Well there was an incident and I pissed a few of them off.”
“You’re the traveler of the night…” Marc mumbled under his breath. “Stupid cryptic bird…”
Jack adjusted the coat and shoved his hands deep into the side pockets. He felt something cold and metal touch his fingers and he pulled out a set of dog tags on a chain. Marc Spector. He carefully put them back in the pocket. “So. About that coffee?”
“Of course!” Steven smiled. “Jake knows a place. His favorite spot, really. That I’m aware of. Unless the club has coffee.” It was a light and playful jab that hit home as Jake took over.
“Okay, Hermano, enough!” Jake huffed grumpily. “This way, Amigo. Warm you up then get you home. I suggest that you move your home, though. The guy from last night lived the encounter…For now.”
Jack stared at the man a moment then looked away. “Do you do this a lot?” He winced as the heavy door was pulled open with a clang. It was worse than a hangover in many ways.
“Take werewolves out for coffee? You would be the first.” Jake made sure to lock the door behind them.
“I mean… I have vague memories of last night. There were two men in white. I assume they were both you?” He rubbed the back of his head, feeling the ghost of a bruise there. He was at least thankful for the added healing and thick skull the curse provided him.
“Marc and Steven.” Jake nodded as they walked out to the street. “They say they fought him for some time. He’s pretty scrappy, that one.”
Jack paused as they stepped into the light. It didn’t matter how many times he saw it. The sunrise after a full moon was always something to behold. Warm and cold at the same time. Fire in the sky burning away a night of terror as it let the color back into the world.
“You talk about it like it was someone else. Not me endangering people or causing havoc.” Jack laughed lightly. “Like the monster is not inside me all the time.”
Jake was silent a moment, his hands deep in his own pockets as he walked. He looked uncomfortable, as if these clothes did not quite fit him right.
“The beast lives inside of you, it doesn’t mean he is a monster.” Jake quietly looked back at him a moment. “I don’t know how it works. Do you become him? Does he become you? Is it really just you that loses sight of who you are and takes on a different form each time? He acts and you feel. The deeds he does are on your hands, but you did not do them. It is a feeling that… That we know well. Questions we have asked ourselves at different times.”
“You have D.I.D., don’t you?” Jack chewed on his lower lip. “Real people that share a body. Caused by trauma and created as a way to protect yourself.”
Jake looked back at him in mild surprise. “Yeah. Three of us. Most people don’t understand.”
“I researched it many years ago…” Jack shrugged slightly then looked away. “I thought that…”
“You thought that maybe it was a good way to look at what you had going on?” Jake chuckled.
“I meant no disrespect!” Jack flushed. “I just… Sometimes it is nice to think that you might belong to something that would understand. Someone that might be like you.” He shook his head. “Ah, it was a long time ago. I don’t want to shoehorn myself into something I am not. The last thing you need is a monster like me pretending that when the beast comes, it isn’t me.”
“It’s not D.I.D.” Jake shrugged. “But you are only the first person I know who has immediately believed us and accepted us without flinching once. Maybe there is some common ground there.”
They walked in silence the rest of the way, both thinking about how it must be for the other. There were a million questions, but each question could be thrown right back at them and they did not have answers.
After coffee, Steven yawned back to the front. It had been a long night but he was still too excited to sleep. “Do you have a safe place to go? Anyone watching out for you or anything? My flat isn’t too far from here. You can stay as long as you like till you decide where you’re going.”
Jack smiled. “Yeah. I know someone. They usually watch out for me on these nights. He just isn’t a big fan of London. Too many people. He’s pretty shy. If I could get your address though… I can wash and return your clothes.”
Marc gave him a look. Jack realized that grumpy seemed to be Marc’s resting expression. He did seem to be warming up to him. “Keep it. I don’t need those. I have way too much stuff in there. Old baggage really. Steven keeps harassing me to clear it out.”
“Thank you, Amigo. For all your help. And thank you Steven for keeping me..him…us calm. It helps the transition.” Jack patted them on the shoulder. “It is always nice to know I can count on someone to keep me safe…and everyone else.”
“We protect the travelers of the night.” Steven grinned. “It’s sort of our job. Especially if they follow the path of the moon.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about, but I appreciate it all the same.” Jack grinned back. “Oh! Before I forget!” He pulled out the dog tags and held them out.
They stared at the tags for a moment. A conversation was going on behind the eyes and a struggle. At last, a hand came out and took them, quickly shoving them into his pocket.
“Gracias. I will make sure they go back.” Jake shrugged. “Some baggage is more painful than others. Still can’t throw it away, though.”
Jack nodded. “I understand. I really do. If you ever need to talk… Well I honestly don’t know how you’ll reach me. Perhaps we will just find one another again in times of need.”
Steven grinned. “I think we will. I have a feeling that if we really need to find you, I can just ask our…well he’s not really a friend. More like an absolute dick, but he means well…sort of.”
“It’s complicated.” Marc sighed. “We have connections. I’ll leave it at that.”
Jack nodded. “And I’m sure I can sniff you out if I really need to.” He tapped the side of his nose with a wink. “I should get back. Ted is going to be a mess if I don’t go see him soon.”
“It was lovely to meet you!” Steven grinned and waved as Jack walked down the street. He continued to wave until Jack turned the corner, and with a little wave, he was gone.
They stood there for a moment, watching the empty street. At last he shivered and yawned loudly. “I wonder if vampires are real.”
“We are not befriending a vampire.” Marc groaned.
“So they are real?” Steven looked around nervously.
“Yeah, but they are not as cool as werewolves.” Jake smirked.