[center] [h2][u]An Unexpected Roadtrip[/u][/h2] [img] http://i.imgur.com/ZnOpQuF.png[/img] & [img]http://i.imgur.com/LiQDDiW.png[/img] Location: On a side road heading out of NY Time: Morning (1 am -) [/center] Ben sat upright in the back seat of the moving car, fully human now. His naked figure was mostly cleaned of any bloody remains and modesty provided by what he assumed was a purloined blanket from the truck. It tormented him with itchy flesh much to his already irritated mood causing him to scratch every few minutes at something on this shoulders or legs before he readjusted, mainly to stop any extended touch for brief relief. He continued to stare at both Otto and Rune, their names introduced to him upon transforming back, while he was careful to use the blanket to shield himself from any moonlight. According to Rune, if he did then he would transform back. He didn’t really want to become a bloody mess again since he still felt filthy. For the most part… he looked like something they picked up directly off the street. Drinking the herbs provided in the water, his mind was finally clear to ask the two most important questions that lingered on his mind,[color=chocolate] “Who in the world, are you two? And what insane force drove you to believing kidnapping [i]me[/i] was a good idea?”[/color] Naturally he thought they were purely crazy for believing kidnapping a newborn werewolf like himself would result in anything good. Otto and Rune had been driving for a while now, just away from the Vampire in general and only just now turned the car towards the Stateline. They had ways to make it to Nevada faster than by driving cross country, but the closest shortcut was outside city limits. [color=#99ebff]“We already gave you our names Kid. I’m Rune. This is Otto.”[/color] Rune said as he looked back from where he was driving. [color=#99ebff]“As for why. We need to borrow that nose of yours. Me and Otto are magicians. Not the rabbit out of a hat kind, the real kind.”[/color] He said with a grin that was strained to say the least. Ben’s eyebrow raised at the word magicians. A bit of irony considering he could turn into a looming tall werewolf as his arms crossed over his bare chest, his eyes sizing both of them up. It didn’t help his head was on fire despite being human again and a fogginess hurt his focus. “Something terrible is about to go down, and we need to stop it.” Otto said, ever the calm and collected one. “Turns out a major league demon got a hold of something very powerful. “ [color=#99ebff]“Yeah. Thanks to some snotnosed Witch who cannot see pass her payday”[/color] Rune muttered, not aware that Marie and Ben knew each other. [color=#99ebff]“Not that we can do anything about her now, I promised Puck we weren’t gonna hurt her.”[/color] [color=chocolate] “I doubt kidnapping a minor will really help you save the ‘day’,”[/color] Ben said in a sarcastic tone,[color=chocolate] “Besides there’s a huge over sight with your little idea: I can’t control my shifts. What happens if I’m in the middle of a room full of people and I begin to shift forms? I can’t exactly stop in the middle and go back to human. Another issue is that I can barely recall anything when I go wolf, save for recently and those are hazier than a guy on acid. I won’t remember what you want me to do, let alone not become distracted.”[/color] Rune and Otto looked at each other, then at the teen werewolf then back at one another. Then they began cackling. The cackle turned into full manic laughter, so violent they had to pull the car over. Once they got control over themselves they coughed. “Ok. So you clearly are new to this.” Otto said trough wheezing, coughing gasps. [color=chocolate] “I literally got bitten almost yesterday, so you think?”[/color] Ben snapped with an irritation created at being laughed at, his teeth subtly gashed under his pressed lips. [color=#99ebff]“What he means kid, is that We been doing this for somewhere around 30 years, give or take five.”[/color] Rune smirked. [color=#99ebff]“We won’t bring a teen werewolf into a room full of people who aren’t clued in. And Otto here,”[/color] He motioned to his friend. [color=#99ebff]“Know a few things about wolfing out. Show the lad your stuff Otto.”[/color] Otto nodded, as he had remained in human form. Stepping out of the car, he clasped an amulet he wore around his neck and closed his eyes. Then he started to change, hair growing thick and black, spreading down his back. His arms swelling with muscle, his teeth elongating. In less than a minute, his hexenwulf form stared at Ben amused. Instinctively, Ben turned to face outside the window. At the sight of the change, his lips curled back and his teeth bared as he let out a feral growl that surprised even him. It took a moment or two for him to realize it was actually him doing it before he inhaled then took another sip of the water in hopes to brush off the experience. Inside it worried him deeply but he wasn’t about to show that on the outside. [color=#99ebff]“He ain’t no American Werewolf like you. He is a Hexenwolf, a sort of shaman that imitates or mimics lycanthropy. His amulet was made by a European Gristlehair Werewolf, if that helps. But he is tight with the werewolf community. And he is no threat to you. Neither am I.”[/color] [color=chocolate] “You’re still expecting me to be able to identify whatever you’re looking for, which means I need to learn to how to do whatever wolves do to track,”[/color] The teenager pointed out as he shifted his attention between the two. [color=#99ebff]“You can smell magic, correct? Your werewolf form was all but drunk of my arcane energies.”[/color] Rune said, now with a much easier smile on his lips. [color=#99ebff]“That gives us somewhere to start. All natural werewolves can track, its in their blood. You can to.”[/color] [color=chocolate] “I don’t… recall that? I mean, I do remember, vaguely, the emotion and it seems to have stuck around because it is why I haven’t literally bolted yet. However… I can’t figure out how to tell one magical source from another, merely if it’s magic. That’s it,”[/color] Ben commented, trying to consider what to do as his arms uncrossed. His eyes caught the ring on his finger for a moment and recalled what Marie had said. Without drawing too much attention to it, he ‘made’ a nervous gesture out of it as his fingers rotated it once, twice, then thrice with a deep thought over how to say what he was about to. [i][color=chocolate] Alright, it seems two ‘magicians’ have saved me from a vampire and taking me to Nevada… They need my help or so they say, I don’t fully trust them.[/color][/i] “You said you turned and wolf out yesterday, right. You shouldn’t shift on a dime like that.” Otto said, his voice a whole lot more hoarse and rough in his wolf form. His form was seemingly relaxed, he showed no outer signs of hostility whatsoever. [color=chocolate] “I’ve literally wolfed out about at least three times already, counting the full moon. None by choice, believe me,”[/color] Benjamin explained, honestly. His fingers removed from the ring as he settled into the seat, but his eyes was mindful of both of them. [color=#99ebff]“Unless…”[/color] Rune mumbled. [color=#99ebff]“What if the Soul Stones creation messed him up. That would explain the Pax-Luna stuff.”[/color] [color=chocolate] “Wait… Pax-Luna what?”[/color] “...Aw shit. It means Peace of the Moon. As in, werewolves shouldn’t turn when the moon isn’t full unless they really want to.” Otto rubbed the bridge of his snout. “Yeah. That would do it. A great mystical nuke being created would mess with a newly formed werewolfs senses.” Otto began to turning back to human again. “Ok, Ben was it? I think we can help you get some more control over it. At least for a while. Turns out, the reason we are on this entire trip, might be the same reason your shifting is out of control.” [color=chocolate] “Benjamin,”[/color] Ben corrected, not liking anyone besides his dead mother using the shorten version of his name. Even Daniel got the same dirty look he was now showing Otto whenever the mistake was made after his mother died and the man tried to create the illusion of a perfect father,[color=chocolate] “No one calls me Ben. And if you need someone to smell it out, why can’t you just use yourself? Or another werewolf.”[/color] Otto was about to answer but Rune had picked up on the pained edge of Ben’s voice and spoke instead. [color=#99ebff]“Benjamin it is kid, don’t worry about it.”[/color] He said then settled against the hood of the car. [color=#99ebff]“Because I never heard of a werewolf able to track magic before. You are exceedingly rare and just what we need right now.”[/color] He said as he went to the trunk of the car and picked up a small plastic jug and some bowls. [color=chocolate] “So I’m a freak even among freaks?”[/color] He asked, through it wasn’t really a question. [color=#99ebff]“ Freak? Boy, I am the lover of a Elven King. I am so gay, even the faeries look at me weirdly. Not to mention humans.”[/color] Rune chuckled. [color=#99ebff]“You aren’t even registering on the freak scale.”[/color] [color=chocolate] “Well you’re not cheerful that’s for sure,”[/color] He shot back in a smartass fashion, referring to the other meaning of ‘gay’. Ben’s words made Otto chuckle and Rune rolled his eyes. [color=#99ebff]“Yeah. No. I am an cynic at heart. I just love beautiful pointy eared men too much. Now, Kid. You wanna know what real magic feels like?”[/color] He shot him a grin that nobody had ever trusted, but all had caved to in time. The grin of a man who really seen it all. He shook the jug as Otto eyed him wearily. At seeing the grin, Ben let his blanket slip a bit from his shoulder and prepared to lean back. He didn’t trust it and the fact he was prepared to turn wolf made that very clear. “We really going to do this?” Otto asked. “Kid’s strung up tighter than a circus rope.” [color=#99ebff]“It is the fastest way the help the Kid.”[/color] Rune shot back. [color=#99ebff]“A little Peyote never hurt anyone.”[/color] “Or give him another reason to never trust us again. And it has. Bad trips are no fun.” [color=#99ebff]“Its russian roulette for the magical!”[/color] Rune exclaimed. [color=#99ebff]“Look. Why don’t we ask Benjamin.”[/color] He turned to Ben and said, suddenly serious. [color=#99ebff]“You want to control your beast kid?”[/color] [color=chocolate] “Yes, but not enough to fully trust two individuals that literally kidnapped me,”[/color] Benjamin stated bluntly as he pressed closer to the door. His arm reached out to the handle, mentally bracing himself for the pain when he hit the pavement with his back and make a break for it. Rune flicked his finger and there was a click from the door. “You shouldn’t trust anybody but your pack kid, the supernatural world is cut throat and full of killers, crooks and worse.” He opened the door closest to him instead. [color=#99ebff]“But what you can trust, is our need to stop someone very evil from setting off the magical equivalent of a nuke. And the fact that we wish to help so you can help us. We scratch your back, you refrain from calling the CPS about a kidnapping.”[/color] [color=chocolate] “One, I don’t know you so anything you said could be a lie. A fact you, yourself pointed out was that in the magic world was not to trust anyone. Two, I’ve already been dropped by enough people that I learned not to rely on anyone but myself. It’s pointless to pretend that fact isn’t true for everyone and more of a child’s illusion to pretend people care at all about each other,”[/color] Benjamin said as he spoke from experience, his voice held a hardness unfitting a youth his age,[color=chocolate] “Three, you want to take me to a place I don’t even know, without giving me proof you can even help me.”[/color] “Oh. Look Rune. He is not even half your age and as cynical as you are.” Otto said, not moved in the slightest by the teens existential angst. Truth to be told, they had both seen more than most and Ben's fate, his story and his suffering was dwarfed by some of the stuff they knew others had suffered. [color=#99ebff]“Well. It will either kill him or save him.”[/color] Rune said with a small nod as he began to pour the diluted substance into the three bowls. He looked to Ben. [color=#99ebff]“You do well to remember one thing though Benjamin. You don’t know shit. You are young, and you haven’t experienced half the stuff some people have. Life can always get worse, but it can get better. You think you know people, but you don’t. You paint a broad picture, but your brush is tarnished. Yes. I told you not to trust anyone in this world. I stick to that. Because magic works just as much trough favors, deals and contracts.”[/color] [color=#99ebff]“But you will find or make a pack of your own one day, as Werewolves tend to do. And in it you will see people care for one another. You have that, as a werewolf. You might see yourself a freak right now, but one day, you will merely see yourself as individual like any other.”[/color] It was Ben’s turn to chuckle,[color=chocolate] “I doubt that.”[/color] Rune smirked. [color=#99ebff]“You’ll see.”[/color] He said as he sat cross legged in front of his bowl now. [color=#99ebff]“Come. Sit. IF nothing else, you can consider me a bad influence that you can blame all your teen anger and shortcomings on later.”[/color] Still wary, Ben edged over to the empty seat left by Rune as he adjusted his blanket over him until it wrapped about his waist. The car roof protected him from any shining moonlight while he got as close to the door as he could,[color=chocolate] “If this doesn’t help, I’m out of here. Keep that in mind.”[/color] [color=#99ebff]“Duly Noted. City is still in sight, on all four you can make it back in no time,”[/color] Rune said, his face split in a grin. “Rune…” Otto sighed as he sat down. [color=#99ebff]“It worked for Red Mane.”[/color] “Red Mane is a Huicoli Shaman. His people have been using peyote for hundred of years.” Otto shot back. [color=#99ebff]“Hush. Ok. So we know you trigger outside the moon. And I’m going out on a limb here and say that the magical vortex and the whole millions of souls crying out as they were extinguished somehow upset whatever triggers your shifting.”[/color] Rune continued. [color=#99ebff]“So we are going on a little astral trip, to find your beast and talk to it. If nothing else, your next shift should at least retain some memories and possibly some control.”[/color] Ben listened to the conversation between the two carry out then focused on Rune’s last statement. His mind debated on if the two were immature or plain crazy, subtly wondering what he got himself into by not bolting already before he crossed his legs underneath himself. He considered what to say for a moment then spoke,[color=chocolate] “What happens if I try to get out of the car? How are you going to stop that as I’ve already pretty much keep escaping everyone’s measures to keep me contained?”[/color] [color=#99ebff]“I imagine I need to buy a new car.”[/color] Rune said with a shrug. He shrugged of his cloak, showing arms tattooed on every inch of skin, runes glowing faintly with magic. [color=#99ebff]“We told you we won’t stop you if this doesn’t work out.”[/color] Rune said as he hunched forward and placed a few rune inscribed rocks into the middle between the three. [color=#99ebff]“Eld,”[/color] He spoke as the stones went from inert to glowing with intense heat in a second. Throwing some dry leaves and small sticks on it they soon had a fire going. [color=#99ebff]“Allright.”[/color] He mumbled as he grabbed the bowl. [color=#99ebff]“Drink as much as you can stomach, then stare into the fire before you close your eyes. Think of your wolf, and try not to be scared of what you first see.”[/color] He fished out a old native american looking talisman. [color=#99ebff]“And let’s hope this works.”[/color]