a bit of a stretch

The white sheep of the family

Now that Peter and Loren were both hybrids, there was a new ease between them. So when the summoner thought about who he should invite to continue testing the capabilities of his new form, it was easy to think of the adopted Launceleyn. They’d met at the front of the Manor, already shifted. Then they'd made their way towards the woodlands.

The hyena's longer legs were a challenge to keep up with. However, as a honey badger Loren felt like he could move for hours. Indeed, there was a joy coursing through him at the simple act of running. You sure you're up for this? The summoner's thoughts were filled with a gentle affectionate, as well as a confidence that the other man was more than up for a little hunt.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

Despite the time Peter had spent in his new body, there were still things he was just learning, just getting used to. So when Loren invited him out to try hunting, he all but shouted out his enthusiasm, and arrives at the manor as early as he can, pacing circles in the yard, where things are just beginning to sprout. The trek to the woodlands went quickly, Peter unable to slow his gait, but more than willing to stop and wait for the other Launceleyn, or, more often, pace in a circle until the other had caught up, too full of energy to stop moving for even a moment. Why wouldn’t I be? He answers, the feeling of a laugh following the words, though he stifled the one that threatened to leave his throat. No point in scaring everything before they’d even begun. Peter had no idea what  exactly they were hunting, but he could get through anything with enthusiasm. As they got deeper into the woods, he kept his nose down, looking for anything that seemed interesting. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

The white sheep of the family

Peter didn’t have to wait often, considering that honey badgers were as much endurance hunters as hyenas were. Still, Loren sent along appreciation, both for the other man’s kind actions and for simply being there.

However, the summoner remained silent for a while after the adopted Launceleyn’s question. I don’t know. No reason really. Loren sent a pulse of embarrassment towards Peter. I guess I didn't know if you wanted to be around me for a variety of reasons. Although the honey badger tried not to let leak through their bond how much that bothered him, he was pretty sure the hyena picked up on some of it.

The woods were a welcome distraction. Like the adopted Launceleyn, the summoner kept his nose to the ground. Soon enough, though, he found his eyes drifting to the trees above, searching them for any sign of prey.

Will blood tell

Coding base by Sky!

Why would I not want to be around you? That, more than anything, confused Peter, his loping stride stuttering for a moment as he turned to look at the other Launceleyn. Loren had been nothing but kind, nothing but supportive, more than anyone else in the family. The feeling that came from the badger felt heavy, upsetting, nothing Peter wanted the other to be feeling. He tried to send through reassurance to Loren, tried to include some of what he felt about the other man in the pulse. The warmth, the closeness, the appreciation. There were no more words offered for it though, the beginning of the hunt distracting both of them. Spring seemed a bad time for this, smells and trails both washed clean by rain and mud, the latter quickly moving to fill in any tracks. Peter snorted, and lifted his eyes as well, looking for signs of anything in the lower foliage while Loren focused high. A gap in the brush caught his attention, new growth pushed out of place, and old growth broken in places. He sent a wordless trill to the badger, and went to investigate, picking up a weak smell, and fur caught in the twigs. There's something here! He called excitedly, before pressing through the gap. Whatever had made it was bigger than either of them, though not by much. I don't know which way it's going. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

LOREN

For a moment, Loren’s sure footsteps faltered. They resumed their loping stride soon enough, but the summoner’s mood had turned dark. Even Peter’s reassurance was not enough to lift the honey badger’s mood. Zariah came. She disowned me, threatened to kill me for abandoning and apparently betraying the family, and took Beatrix and Jace with her to Halo. The anger beneath those thoughts was obvious, though there was worry there too. So I plan to leave the Launceleyns behind. But I know you want to be a part of the family, and I will respect whatever choice you choose to make.

Following the hyena’s lead, Loren wriggled through the underbrush. His smaller form made it easier to navigate the foliage, though he made sure to steer clear of any deep mud. The scent grew stronger, and the honey badger picked up his pace. This way.

DON'T CARE

Peters steps also faltered slightly, his mind not turning dark, but going rather blank, a numb, buzzing void, made more obvious only because of how much normally flowed from him. A part of him had been hoping to move through this without mentioning Zariah, but luck had never really been on his side. I know. She... talked to me as well. That was all he wanted to say on the matter. Peter didn’t even say anything about what he was choosing. As they started on the hunt, his head came back, the hyena following along closely at the badgers heels, shoving his way through brush. The scent came stronger to him as well, and it drove him on, tendrils of excitement working their way out of him. Whatever they were on the trail of was big, judging by the path it had pushed through the woods. And judging by the snap, that came from before them. Do you think that’s it? Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

LOREN

The silence from Peter, both in the other man’s emotions and thoughts, was tough to bear. Still, Loren sent a pulse of warmth towards the adopted Launceleyn, trying to combat the way Peter had gone dark. Whatever you decide, you’re always welcome in my life. The summoner sent along a pulse of understanding, acceptance, and affection with the words.

As the scent grew stronger and there was the sound of something in front of them, the honey badger let out a little snarl. Only one way to find out. Then he plunged ahead, practically dashing through the underbrush as he chased down whatever it was that they'd been stalking this whole time. His mind was excited as his blood was practically singing, and he wasn't bothering to hide the feeling from the hyena.

DON'T CARE

Thank you. The thought came back from Peter automatically, appreciation bleeding through with it. It was not a choice he really wanted to have to make, though it bore down on him with the inevitability of death. With some effort, he shoved the whole subject to a far away corner of his mind, not wanting to think about it. Not right now. Not when they were on a hunt. There was a freedom to this unlike anything Peter had ever felt, it sang through him, helped in no small part by the matching chorus coming off Loren. A hyenas laugh left Peters jaws as they crashed through the underbrush, finally catching sight of their quarry. A deer, already fleeing them, it’s gait awkward due to the growth of two small, half formed legs, growing out of its shoulder. In a different shape, Peter might feel a pang of pity for the creature, but now, he just saw it as an opportunity. Being so close gave him another burst of energy, and he took full advantage of it, rushing ahead of Loren and leaping at the deer, jaws closing around the mutated leg. He pulled, trying to make the prey stumble, or even better, fall, under the burden of his weight. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

LOREN

It was good to set aside the implications of Zariah’s return and get lost in the thrill of the hunt. Indeed, there was a feedback loop, at least on Loren’s end: the more excited Peter grew, the more enthusiastic the summoner became. Then they burst onto a sadly mutated deer.

Having no qualms, as the hyena went for one of the creature’s misshapen and mutated extra legs, the honey badger went lower. Much lower, actually, considering that the deer was much larger. Still, without missing a beat (in fact, speeding up as much as he could), he sprinted forward, jaws opening to try and clamp down on the deer's closest leg. If his teeth managed to sink in, he'd slash at the muscles with his claws, trying to hobble it as much as possible to make it easier for the adopted Launceleyn to bring down.

DON'T CARE

Blood pooled in Peters mouth, the taste of it thick and warm. His jaws tightened, and he felt more than heard bone snap between his teeth, the poor creature bellowing in pain. Though not only from his own attack, the deer was being assaulted from below as well. It kicked it mightily, Peter losing his grip and falling off its side. He was back in his feet in a moment, a quick pulse sent Lorens way to ensure the badger wasn’t hurt by the thrashing. The deer couldn’t run, couldn’t do much more than make pitiful sounds and try to menace them with its antlers, it’s unbroken legs. Peter circled it, looking for an opening, a soft place to sink his jaws in again, and tear. There was warm satisfaction thrumming through him now, a feeling he shared with Loren. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

LOREN

Loren was indeed tossed from the frantically kicking deer. Although he was thrown a good distance into the air, his thick fur protected him from the fall. Or maybe it was just the adrenalin coursing through him that prevented him from feeling pain. Regardless, he immediately sprang back to his feet.

It was only a matter of time now. While the wise thing to do would be to wait until the deer stopped struggling, he was feeling reckless. So instead, he waited for the right opportunity. When the deer tossed its head and its antlers to one side, the summoner dashed forward from the other, jaws open wide.

They clamped down on the deer's throat. Loren tore at the poor injured deer with both teeth and claws, hoping to put it out of its misery. Unfortunately, deer was much larger than a honey badger's typical prey, but he kept at it, even as hot blood filled his mouth. If anything, that caused his to redouble his efforts, lost to the hunt.

DON'T CARE

The sudden flash of black and white startled a snarl out of Peter, his careful approach interrupted by the sudden ferocity of the badger. The sight, the smell, of the blood focused him back on his prey though, and Peter took a chance with the antlers, biting a gorey wound into the back of the deers neck. Strong jaws crushed, and tore, and pulled in the opposite direction to the badger, the deers life leaving it quickly. A surge of triumph roared through Peter, and he pulled back to cackle a hyenas laugh, elation in his blood. We did it! It was almost more of a feeling than words, and he leaned back in to sniff at the wound he’d made. What... do we do with it now? A piece of his mind sang to eat, but the more human part of him was wary of the idea. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.

LOREN

In the very last of the deer’s death throes, Loren was tossed to one side, taking a bit of antler to the side as he was. However, he bounced back immediately, not at all worried by potential wounds. If there was anything serious, he could heal it.

For now, he just padded towards the dead deer, letting out a triumphant snarl as the hyena's cackle rose around them. Now we butcher it and bring it back to the Manor. Then the summoner sent a flash of amusement to Peter. Unless you’d like to eat it right here and now and leave the remains for scavengers. Weirdly enough, the summoner found he was fine with either option, not at all perturbed by the idea of chowing down in the woods. Not in this form.

But whatever the other man decided, Loren would help out.

DON'T CARE

A soft huff leaves Peter, a tiny bit of disappointment creeping up in him when Loren suggests the reasonable thing to do, which isn’t ripping it up with his teeth. Then, he catches the flash of amusement, and answers with both action and a mental whoop. Here and now! While the response rings out, he leans over the deer, catching its tiny mutated leg in his teeth and pulling, ripping its flank open eagerly. There is still some sense of place though, probably would be for a while between him and Loren, but here it makes Peter step back once the deer is open, waiting for the badger to take the first bite of meant before digging in himself. And he is eager for it, dancing impatiently and watching the deer. This feels right. Ripping apart something he hunted and eating it. Wanting to eat it. Would this feel wrong if he wasn’t in the body of a predator? Peter shook his head, and leaned over the meat, taking his fill when he could. This wasn’t the time for questions like that. Are you okay? That was a far better question in the moment, he had seen the badger get thrown not once, but twice, and didn’t envy any pain he might be feeling. Peter The only thing I know is this: I am full of wounds and still standing on my feet.