Lucien had far exceeded Faolan's expectations, both in his intellect and his willingness to assist with the Irishman's tried and true way of life. He had thought, maximum, that Lucien may spend a few months on the road with him before settling down somewhere, going off on his own, or returning to the priest but he had been dead wrong. Before he knew it, a year had passed and the two seemed to be getting along well. In fact, Faolan found himself much preferring Lucien's company over any other person he had met during his travels. The lad was smart, a quick learner, and never complained, even when he was left alone for days on end. Faolan found himself looking forward to their time together when he returned from his solitary errand every month.
His usual travel plans had so far gone off without a hitch, due to Lucien's cooperation. He even found that the two of them combined brought in much more capital than he ever could have on his own. Lucien's healing abilities had been a great help in this, and even when he did it for free for families who could not afford it, Faolan found the compensation for this to be far superior than his dockside, pub, and construction jobs. Not to mention, Lucien's negotiation skills were top-notch. Faolan had always had trouble in this department, given his size and his gruff demeanor, it had been hard for people to always trust him on sight in the past. Lucien's soft words and his French accent made people much more willing to accept their help.
When the two were not travelling and camping out, they were sleeping in houses, barns, and backrooms. Faolan would teach Lucien Irish, and in return his French improved greatly, although his accent was still awful. Lucien even spent time improving Faolan's reading and writing skills, as he was literate, but just barely so. The chicken scratch in his journal pages took much less deciphering than it used to, and was improving rapidly. In exchange, Faolan was show Lucien the proper way to punch, kick, climb, fish, hunt, and various other training moves he had practiced over the years. Lucien took quickly to physical labor and exercise as well, and Faolan saw his improvement in both his form and his physique. The "lad" finally looked more like a man.
They had just finished a stint in a town called Kansas City and were moving on. Faolan only had one more day before he had to leave for his errand, so he wanted to make good headway before that. Lucien and he had come up with a routine that worked relatively well and kept everyone safe.
It was now early evening, around sunset, and Faolan was keeping his eyes on the horizon. His voice was deeper, he spoke less, and his back became a little more hunched the closer he got to the full moon. It was particularly hard to hold conversation today though, as he found his mind wandering to thoughts of hunting and eating.
"Mm." He grunted, adjusting his pack on his back as a familiar pain shot up his neck. "I haven't had too catch you in months." Although this was clearly a joke, Faolan had a little trouble with delivery as another twinge of pain made his calf-muscle twitch. It was a little early for this discomfort, but not the first time it had begun a day early. He had timed it right...he knew he had.
