hadriel_logs | (no subject)

(no subject)

Who: Peter Rumancek

krangke
What: a werewolf and a former runner go into a cave maze.
Where: the caves
When: 2/8, overnight, while the moon is full.
Warnings: werewolf transformation gore (no, seriously, it's gross), possible monster fighting, possible maze runner spoilerish stuff.

The day of the full moon Peter is antsy for a variety of reasons. Mostly, it's that he can feel the wolf beneath his ill-fitting skin, just waiting to emerge when the sun that they can't see sets and the moon rises. Partially it's because he and Newt are going into the caves that night, and Peter doesn't really want to go into the caves. He does, however, really want to know whether there's anything even approaching the possibility of a way out. There's something wrong with this whole place, and Peter wants to know what it is, if only so that maybe his Swadisthana will settle. The persistent twisting ache of wrongness is like cotton in the ears of his spirit, dulling everything else.

He barely eats anything of his dinner before telling Newt that it's time to go. By then he's beginning to sweat, rubbing at his arms and shifting his shoulders around. As they walk toward the closest cave entrance, he begins taking off his jewelry and putting it into the pocket of his jeans. He's carrying an extra bag, and the purpose of it becomes clear when they reach the cave mouth and Peter begins stripping perfunctorily and without warning Newt. All his clothes go into the bag and then he stands there, sweaty and shivering all at once, looking up toward absolutely nothing far, far above them.

For a long moment, Peter looks oddly peaceful. Then he gags, coughs, grabs at his face, and falls to his knees as the change begins to take.

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Newt still doesn't fully grasp the whole werewolf thing. He's accepted it effortlessly enough but without any real gauge of what it could possibly mean, he's left pretty much clueless. He winds up being antsy the night they decide to go into the caves for his own reasons. There's no wolf underneath his skin, no, but a little bit of trauma will do that to you instead. The hunt had been one thing- there had been plenty of people around in the caves and he had kind of known what to expect. This though? This was way, way too much like going into the Maze. Enough that he almost wanted to back out. The only thing stopping him from doing that was his own curiosity. He too wants to know more about this place, wants to know if there was even a chance of finding their way out or if the caves are at all similar to the Maze. And if it is? Let people know. Let other people far more capable than him know so that they can start figuring a way out.

He doesn't eat too much himself and due to that, winds up not scolding Peter for failing to eat too. He packs a light backpack with water and extra clothing. He also throws in some sandwiches, just in case, wrapped up and a pad of paper with a pencil. Something he wouldn't bother using until they were out of the caves. He also brings with him one of his spears and a machete strapped around his back just beneath the pack.

Newt walks after Peter, watching him instead of paying attention to the fact that they were going to the cave. It was a lot easier worrying about Peter than it was worrying about a potential secondary Maze he might have to deal with. His mind goes oddly blank when Peter starts stripping and his mouth falls open but nothing comes out. There's heat burning on his cheeks, in his ears and against the back of his neck because okay yeah he's totally seen guys naked before but.

You know.

He winds up saying nothing at all. Just kind of accepts that this was going to be apart of the process and tries very hard to focus intently on Peter's face. He has no idea what he's expecting but when it begins to happen- he flinches backwards, his eyes stretching wide because yeah.

Definitely wasn't expecting this. He has to ignore the knee-jerk reaction to rush to Peter and make sure he's okay, has to ignore every screaming instinct to grab and take care, hold down and see what's wrong. He had to trust Peter would be okay.

Peter is, for the moment, decidedly not okay. He yells in pain as his bloody teeth begin to fall to the ground, and his back writhes in a decidedly inhuman way. Skin tears and fur shows beneath it, and peter's hands move from his face to his shoulders, actually ripping at his own flesh to get it off. He gags and chokes as a muzzle begins to push through his mouth, distorting the rest of his human face until it falls free of his head, and his hands drive in fists into the ground until his fingers fall free, replaced by paws.

It's a bloody, disgusting birth, but somehow it also looks natural, as though an enormous brown wolf should emerge from Peter's skin. It's probably still kinda gross when he starts eating the discarded pieces of himself, though.

Newt takes an automatic step forward before forcing himself to stop. Any paranoia he might have of the caves all but vanishes at the sight in front of him. Concern twists itself through his entire gut and he's clutching at his own shirt, twisting the fabric restlessly. It's violent, so much more violent than he had even begun to anticipate, and yet repulsion isn't a word he'd use to describe what he was feeling. Mostly fear- for Peter. Worry, nerves, all streaming through to Peter and God, it looks so painful. It sounds painful and Newt doesn't look away once.

When the real transformation begins to take place, the part where Peter begins to actively become a wolf is when Newt goes a little pale in realization. It's settling in for real just then that yeah, Peter? Peter's a...

He's not human. Not really and the feeling of this revelation leaves Newt a little winded, dizzy, as that muzzle stretches and peels out of Peter. When there's nothing left but- but a wolf- Newt's still twisting the fabric of his shirt in his hands. His knuckles are white and he has no fucking clue what to do, how to react.

Peter eating at himself doesn't really even register, his mind a little numb from shock. It's still not the weirdest thing he's ever technically seen or well- it's up there all right but he's seen a lot of weird, uncomfortable things in his time. It could be so much worse of a reaction, right? He finally seems to snap out of his shock though and forces himself to move, shaking his head first and then removing his hands from his sweater.

He knows that Peter had told him it was still him but..it just. It was almost too hard to wrap his mind around that this creature really was still Peter.

So, he clears his throat lightly and when he speaks, his voice is oddly quiet, soft, his eyes still filled with that worry- "Peter?"

The wolf's eyes are reflective in the dim in the way animal eyes are, gold when they're not oddly catching the light. He looks up at Newt as he finishes eating the last scraps of his discarded skin, and whuffs a sigh.

The wolf is huge, much bigger than the boy it had been inside. Its teeth are huge, the canines so long and curved as to look almost feline instead, hanging just past the ends of its lips. It's the same color as Peter's hair, though, a deep, warm brown, and when it's done eating it walks slowly to newt and nudges its great, cold nose into Newt's hand, sniffing deeply.

Fear. Disbelief. Nerves. Human. Newt.

He butts his huge head into Newt's stomach, tail giving a single slow wag. Yep, Peter.

It's the first wolf he's ever seen but it's not the first canine. They had a dog back at the Glade but it was nothing compared to this creature. Peter's wolf form is honestly beautiful. Newt's used to barn animals and that's it. Nothing so wild and genuinely majestic in that classic way only a wild animal could be. It's a little breath taking and the longer he looks, the less afraid he feels of Peter. It's only then that he realized that he'd been nervous to begin with about Peter. It'd been a small thing, just barely there, overwhelmed moreso by his concern for his friend than anything else, but it had been there after all.

It melts away when Peter approaches him, somehow still so very Peter in his way despite having lost all human expressions and vocal traits. This was still the boy he shared a room with and relentlessly teased. Peter's nose is cold and Newt finds himself smiling, reacting finally. Peter was Peter but more importantly- Peter was okay.

"You scared the bloody klunk out of me," he finally said with a bit of a breathlessness to him. "I thought you were- gosh. You should have told me how awful it'd be."

He had maybe thought Peter was dying. Once he sees that tail wag, he abandons all caution and kneels down so that he could properly be at eye-level with Peter. Peter was huge so it's not like Newt had to really hunch down much more. His hands come up and he rests them on either side of Peter's face, grinning.

"You're lovely," he says in complete earnest, petting his hands through Peter's fur gently before smirking a bit. "I've no idea why you don't stay in this form way more. It's far more appealing to look at than your ugly human face."

[it takes more thinking for peter to understand newt like this. or, at least, it takes more effort for him to understand newt speaking. other things he understands far more clearly; his wonder, taking the edge off the fear-smell. newt's hands on his head get some of his scent onto the boy, and that's better, even if it also means peter has scent on him, now.

still, there's a moment between what newt says and peter's comprehension of it. he gives a canine sort of snort and then licks a big, slobbery trail up newt's face, pushing up the front of his hair, and then gives another self-satisfied whuff of breath.]

(Newt doesn't even think about the understanding thing. He's never really....done this before after all. Talked to a friend when they were another animal, you know, wasn't too common of an experience.

Either way, Newt feels like Peter understands him enough to make him smirk a bit wider. Then suddenly he's being thoroughly slobbered on and Newt's left looking completely perplexed, his eyes blinking a dozen times and his hair sticking up (still unfairly styled, Peter!) and then he suddenly barks out a loud laugh, his face cracking into a smile and he wipes the spit off with the back of his sleeve. He grabs at Peter's face and gives him a light shaking.)

That was disgusting. You are disgusting.

(He lands a wet kiss on the tip of Peter's nose before he reaches his hands up and scratches them through Peter's hair, scrubbing at the fur there until it was sticking up all over. But he almost instantly smooths it back down because it just wasn't as fun messing with Peter's hair as a wolf. He pushes himself to his feet, still grinning. He gestures away from himself and towards the tunnels.)

Ready to go, pup?

[peter automatically licks his nose and then gives another snort, backing up from newt and turning toward the mouth of the tunnel. he takes a good sniff around, and then gracefully lifts a leg to pee on the wall. gross, but a very, very clear scent marker that this is where they started. he turns and looks back at newt, as though to ask if he's coming.]

(Newt only wrinkles his nose but really, considering Peter's now a wolf, it's not that gross to him. Instead, he cracks a grin and walks after Peter once the wolf turns to look at him.)

I wouldn't be surprised if you pissed all over our house, you know.

(He rubs his hand over Peter's back as he walks up next to him before hesitating a moment. His hand minutely curves into the fur, clenching it just a second before he lets go. His nerves flared up the same way they had when he'd gone to do the hunting mission but it's stronger this time. It's a lot like the Maze and he tries to swallow down that shaking fear and pushes himself forward.

It wasn't the Maze and more importantly, he had Peter with him. It'd be fine. He does keep his spear at the ready.

Once inside, he becomes focused. His hand occasionally reaches out just to touch Peter but he doesn't keep holding onto him. Just soft, brief occasional touches as if to remind himself the wolf's there. Otherwise? He's extremely focused on their surroundings, his eyes critically looking out.)

[peter gives another snort and shakes his head. gosh, newt, he'd roll all over the inside of the house. pissing is for outside.

the feeling of a hand on his back is an odd one--peter generally didn't let people touch him as a wolf. only his mother and destiny had ever really had the privilege. but he doesn't hate when newt does it, if only because the boy is clearly nervous and touching peter seems to steady him.

the wolf in him wants to run, wants to track at a steady lope, but instead he keeps pace with newt, claws clicking on the stone as he stiffs close to the ground. every once in awhile, they come to a divide and peter either stops and lets newt choose the way or bodily moves him in one direction or the other. peter's avoiding monsters, but there's also no point in going up cave passages from which he doesn't smell any sort of fresh air.]

(Psh, he meant the outside of the house, Peter. He'd smack you so hard if you pissed inside of the house.

Being in a place like this makes Newt want to run. He's used to tracking in the Maze by running. He even has new sneakers from Hope that'd be perfect for running but his leg is bad and he's mildly doubtful. Still. It's a hard habit to break even if he hasn't been a runner in a long time. Hard enough that after a while, he exhales.)

Maybe we should run through.

(He suggests this quietly. He's fine with Peter leading the way. It doesn't actually matter to him. Already he's making a thorough mental map in his head of the route they've been taking, the turns they've made. He could lead them right back out the same way they came in if it was necessary.)

You can lead, okay? Just- don't go too far ahead. I'm not a fast runner anymore.

[there's no real answer from peter, he just picks up the pace to an easy lope, the wolf equivalent of a jog. it's nothing like how he can run, but until he sees what newt can do, it's a start.

even though peter heads in the direction that he knows is 'away' from the cavern, ht doesn't take too long before he can feel the tunnel making a slow curve backwards, and they emerge at a different point in the city. he gives an annoyed sort of growl and marks one of the walls, then waits for newt to make some sort of decision before heading back into the caves. there are always more branches, including one leading a different way off into the caves from this entrance.]

(More than anything, Newt didn't want to lose sight of Peter. He could keep up just fine. He's run for miles and miles at a time even with his bad leg. Plenty capable but he didn't trust these tunnels.

He picks up into a jog of his own and it's immediately clear that the kid knows how to run. Not just in that run-to-survive kind of way. His jog is a lot quicker than most people would constitute as the pace of a jog. It's the same sort of pace most runners took in the Maze to conserve energy but make distance. It was the same run he used for the Scorch. He was just...slower than he used to be. Slower than his friends, always bringing up the rear now, but definitely capable. Definitely. Peter would be able to go a bit faster if he wanted at this rate.

When they come out in the city, Newt makes a thoughtful kind of sound, not frustrated at all. They were still figuring it out. It was okay. At least they didn't accidentally somehow wind up in the same exact place.

As they delve back into the tunnels, Newt calls out to Peter before they can get too far.)

Come here. I wanna show you the difference. I just saw it again.

[they don't really have time for peter to baby newt, so he doesn't, matching his pace to newt's, staying about a length ahead of him but no further. when he calls, peter loops back to newt without hesitation. as a wolf, his eyesight isn't what it is as a human, but his sense of taste and smell make up for that. he wants to see this difference too.]

(Newt would be pretty pissed honestly if he was babied. He didn't need it- not for this of all things. He had learned to accommodate himself to his own body and a run through these tunnels was honestly nothing.

It would certainly be a difference obvious beyond sight, probably. As it is most formations are composed of different sort of rock or rock made from different kinds of exposure. So there'd be texture and likely scent. Maybe even taste though Newt would know nothing about that.

He leads Peter back out to the cavern and strokes his hand over the rock wall, looking pointedly at Peter.)

See?

(Smoothing his hand over the rock before leading Peter back into the tunnel. He keeps his hand sliding along the rock, looking at Peter to make sure he was watching. It was subtle and probably hard to tell for most people but a ways into the tunnel, not much, the rock formation suddenly changes. Newt can even feel it. He crouches down and strokes his hand up where the two formations seem to merge together.)

It's pretty bloody bizarre, huh?

[that sort of coddling wouldn't even occur to the wolf, to be honest. it cares less about accommodating delicate human feelings, so easily twisted by things that his more straightforward animal mind couldn't easily comprehend. they had something to accomplish, and they'd do it as efficiently as possible.

peter gets his face right up in the place on the rock newt is showing him. he sniffs it, rubs it with his nose, licks at it. there's a difference, a change of texture and taste beneath his tongue, the faintest change of scent when he presses his nose right up to the rock. something about it is...unnatural, and he takes a step back with a low whine, the animal in him not particularly liking this strangeness.]

(Newt would have laughed a bit at the display of the wolf licking the rock if it wasn't in such earnest. Instead he watches Peter intently, making sure he understood and it was clear when he did.

He reaches out and strokes a hand over the top of Peter's head, smiling at him rather gently. Peter might not be accommodating emotionally in this form but Newt always had time to be emotionally delicate. It was his way.)

It's okay. We'll figure it out, bud.

(He pushes himself up to his feet before taking off into the tunnel again, taking the pathway second from the furthest away from the one they had come from.)

[nothing of the natural creature in peter likes the unnaturalness of the way the rocks fit together, two pieces of two places jammed into one, forced to fit. newt's hand is a bit startling but ultimately comfortably.

he lopes after newt, catching up to the boy and passing him. newt may be plenty capable of defending himself, but if they run face first into a monster, peter would prefer that it was his face it ran into.]

(How honorable Peter. Newt doesn't pick up on this little fact right away and instead just keeps on after Peter.

He didn't go through that much of the tunnels with Arya but enough that he has some sort of idea of where they are. The place was infested with monster and although Peter was a werewolf, that didn't mean Newt kept his guard down. He kept his ears open and although the light was bad, he kept his eyes peeled as much as he could.)

[peter has his reasons. mostly that his face is full of very sharp teeth.

they run for a little longer before peter suddenly skids to a stop, growling, the fur on his back standing on end. his head swings from one side of the hall to the other, clearly having scented something but unsure where to find it.

he no longer looks like a big dog. with his lips peeled back, muscles bunched and his head lowered, growling low enough to vibrate in newt's ribs, now he doesn't resemble peter at all. the wolf is, after all, a predator, and a werewolf is more than just a wolf.]

(Newt comes to an immediate stop. Kid's been through enough shit by now to just go with gut instinct. He doesn't even ask what's wrong because he knows what's wrong, why Peter would be stopping and automatically he crouches a bit lower than his original stance and readies his spear. He turns his back towards the nearest wall and stares around them slowly, practically holding his breath.

Peter definitely does look fully wolf now, wild and unhinged, but still Newt doesn't fear him. More than anything, he feels stupidly grateful to have the wolf on his side. Newt was plenty capable, having fought monsters well before Hadriel, but that doesn't mean he'd prefer doing it alone. Having this big, growling monster of a wolf next to him? Yeah, it's nice.

He's swinging his spear about in a wide arc when there's a dull thud that makes the tunnel floor beneath their feet tremble. Just ever so slightly. Then again and again. Steps. Heavy, slow steps and it's coming from up ahead of them. Newt doesn't cower beside Peter but rather stands at his side and rights himself, pulling his shoulders taught and withdrawing an arm, muscles tightening. He holds his spear over his shoulder, perfectly ready to throw it but waiting just to see what it was. Monsters came in all shapes and sizes in these caves and jumping to conclusions was stupid.

Before long, a troll is walking into view and Newt makes a quiet sound, his arm pulling back, perfectly ready to throw.)

[peter doesn't give him time to throw. as soon as the thing even begins to come into sight peter snarls and takes off, getting a few good strides in before he leaps. it's all nearly silent except for the scrabble of paws on stone, quiet enough that newt can hear when peter's body hits the troll's, when his teeth sink unerringly into the beast's neck and his hind legs tear at its stomach. even the force of a werewolf to the chest isn't quite enough to knock down a troll, but the bear-trap jaws closing right through its throat probably will.]

(When Peter lunges out, Newt instantly holds back. He doesn't want to risk accidentally impaling Peter. He does slide his spear into his backpack- where he'd stitched up a nice little spear holder in the back that works well enough. He removes his machete from his holster instead and focuses intently on the fight.

It quickly becomes evident that Peter is completely different as a wolf than as a human. Newt couldn't imagine Peter doing this - being like this. Not really because Peter struck him as weak but more because he struck him as such a passive sort of boy. Someone who might not ever be able to lash out like this beast was.

And it was impressive, honestly. Newt wasn't positive but he had a gut feeling that what he was watching was a display of immense strength. The monsters here weren't so easy to take down, not always, and he wavered, waiting for any chance he might need to take to swing in and help.)

[newt isn't wrong. peter is not, by nature, a violent creature, in either of his forms. but when something threatens his existence, he is what he is, and that's a predator.

there's no real need for newt to interfere. the first snap of peter's jaws severs the major arteries, and he falls and leaps again, nearly beheading the beast. this time, it falls to the ground beneath the force of his momentum, and he stands on the thing's chest until it goes still, breathing the smell of blood.

when it's dead, he licks his chops and turns back to newt, then leaps down over the troll to leave a trail of bloody footprints for the boy to follow.]

(Newt pretty quickly realizes that Peter ultimately has Got This. He's never not ready to join, no, but he's letting Peter take care of it. When the beast goes down, Newt makes a small sound of surprise, his eyes widening.

Color him impressed, Peter. Suddenly he's looking at the wolf in a peculiar kind of way and it takes him a moment before he's walking after Peter, following close behind.)