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In this latest chapter, David's settling in to his new home and is waiting nervously for his first planned lesson with Colin. But he finds himself wondering why he's so nervous for said lesson. Why is that so?

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David nervously bounced his leg as he waited in the house's library for Colin to come out of the bedroom that the rest of the others were sleeping in and start the lesson. It was his first proper lesson with the wolf-blood since he arrived with the others to Elder Morrison's house with Colin in tow. He'd given him some pointers for his initial training with the Bone Shadows, and taught him how to use essence, but no actual planned lessons. Why he was so nervous about it, he didn't know. Perhaps because it was only a few weeks since that night in the asylum and he was thrust into this insane world of werewolves and spirits. He shook his head, that wasn't it. It was because it was Colin specifically. But why would waiting for the small redhead make him so nervous?

He yawned and rubbed his face. He was too tired to think. He barely got any sleep the night before because he slept on the library's small leather couch. He didn't want to sleep on the bed, which was just a bunch of mattresses on the floor, with everyone else and the only other bed was taken by Elder Morrison in his cabin. So David slept in the Library. The couch was wildly uncomfortable to sleep on, and whenever he could get some small amount of sleep his dreams were strange and terrifying. He couldn't remember any of the details upon waking up, just a lingering feeling of crippling loneliness. Like a part of him was missing and that it was his own fault.

Colin had insisted that he sleep with the rest of them in the bedroom, asking him the night before bed to do so. Even the note left in the bedroom from Elder Morrison when they first moved in said so. Maybe… He shook his head. No. People don't all sleep in the same bed like that. It's weird. It's not normal.

You're not normal. Not then. Especially not now, said an intrusive thought.

He gripped handfuls of his greasy black hair as the thought echoed in his mind. The thought was right. He wasn't normal. He'd never been normal. Not since it happened. His older brother Michael's convulsing body flashed in his mind. David started trembling as all his muscles immediately tensed. The smell of his brother's blood and brains spilling out onto the hot, dry grass. He started breathing hard, hyperventilating as his blood boiled. With fear, and more importantly, a burning rage. A roar filled his ears and his vision started going red. The sound of his parents screams, gunfire, and tearing flesh and snapping bone. Claws started growing from his fingers and ears grew to a point.

But all of a sudden, like a plug was pulled, it all started to drain away as his heightened senses picked up a scent. A pleasant one. A calming one. A close packmate, his new wolfish instincts told him.

“You okay?" asked a concerned voice from the library's doorway. Colin's voice.

David shook his head. His claws receded and ears shifted back to normal. A moment later he felt the couch cushions shift as Colin sat down next to him. He could hear a slight spike in the wolf-blood's heart rate. Smell a small tang of fear that tainted his scent. Why was Colin sitting next to him if he was scared of him?

“Want to talk about it?" asked Colin

David shook his head.

“I can do the lesson another day. I'm sure Elder Morrison will understand." offered Colin.

“No," said David, shaking his head again. He needed something to get his mind off things. He took his hands away from his head and turned to Colin. But suddenly jumped up and away from the couch when he saw Colin.

“Why are you naked?!" demanded David as he turned away, and blocked his periphery with a hand.

“It's gonna be a practical lesson," Colin said nonchalantly as if there was nothing wrong with his state of dress.

“Do you have to be naked for it?" David asked. He peeked behind his hand hoping that Colin had covered up. He hadn't.

“Yes actually. We're gonna cover parts of the Oath of the Moon you made when you were initiated into The People, and the best way to do that is with a hunt in our Urhan forms, our wolf forms, and I need to be naked for that," explained Colin.

He then shook his head, annoyed, “And for crying out loud, would you take your hand away from your face? Until you're more tethered to the Spirit you're gonna have to get used to you and I stripping in front of everyone when we change forms."

David reluctantly took his hand away from his face but still refused to look in the direction of the naked wolf-blood. He saw in his periphery Colin roll his eyes, grab a bundle of fur from the armrest that wasn't there before Colin sat down, and put it over his lap.

“Better?" asked Colin.

David sat back down on the couch and said, “But you're a wolf-blood. Not a werewolf. You can't shapeshift like I can."

“I can actually. Some wolf-blood have Tells that lets us change into the individual forms an Uratha can take. You didn't have one of them. You had the Piercing Eyes Tell which only let you see spirits. Which is still a pretty good Tell—"

David gave a derisive snort at Colin calling what he went through as 'good'.

“—but it doesn't give the benefits my Tell, Second Skin, gives me. Which lets me shift into Urhan form whenever I want. I get all the benefits Uratha get while in Urhan form. Enhanced senses, regeneration, the works."

He stroked the bundle of fur in his lap which seemed to shift slightly from his gentle pats. David noticed it was the same bundle of tawny fur that Colin had when they left the warehouse for Pioche. Colin continued, “All I have to do is put on this, my hide."

“What was everyone else's Tells?" asked David.

“That's something you should ask them, not me," said Colin before adding. “But you'd do well to ask Lucas what his was."

Why would learning what Lucas' Tell was be a good thing? He didn't want to have a conversation with Lucas anytime soon. Wasn't it good enough that he apologised for punching and strangling him the day before and for being rude?

“Now, what was the first line of the Oath of the Moon?" asked Colin.

David wracked his brain trying to remember it. Thou Shalt Not Kill? He shook his head, that wasn't it. That was one of the Ten Commandments. But there was one part of it like that, though. But not with that wording. He thought for several moments before Colin growled in the First Tongue

“Urum…"

David flinched. Like a gong ringing in his mind, the first line of the Oath of the Moon blazed in his mind's eye in the First Language like a red hot iron. Chastising David for forgetting it.

Urum Da Takus

“The Wolf Must Hunt," growled David. The words felt strange coming out of his mouth. He wasn't sure why.

Colin nodded, “That's right. And good pronunciation despite being in Hishu."

He must've said it in the First Language realised David.

Colin continued, “You will go on plenty of hunts as an Uratha. All of which come in different forms. Hunting down a rogue spirit. The hunt for information. The hunt for a mate—"

David's face flushed at the last example.

“—But like living a vegetarian lifestyle, while it can sustain you. It won't be satisfying. You need to have a hunt that will end with bloodshed to be properly satisfied. So we're gonna go hunt some animals to eat."

“How is that supposed to be a lesson?" asked David.

“I'll explain afterwards," Answered Colin, getting up from the couch. “Now strip and shift to Urhan."

Another part of the Oath blazed in his mind. Nu Bath Githul. David looked out the window behind the couch, saying “But it's still morning. What if we're seen?"

“The Herd Must Not Know," said Colin in English. The translation of 'Nu Bath Githul'. “Don't worry. They won't know. Urhan doesn't trigger Lunacy in The Herd. They'll just think you're a regular wolf."

“Oh, right," Colin said with a snap of his fingers, realising something. “There's also no actual regular wolves this far south in Nevada. So they'll just think you're just an escaped dog from a distance. And only realise you're a wolf if you get close. So don't do that."

“And you?" asked David.

“They'll just confuse me for a coyote like they always do." Colin said as he waved off David's concern. He then gave him a mischievous smirk. “You did."

“I did?"

Colin laughed, “You thought the Elders were gonna let you, a fresh and untested nuzusul, burn down the asylum the others broke you out of on your own without supervision?"

David remembered back to when he broke back into the Asylum to burn it down to cover up him being admitted there, the slaughter, and also be granted the Tongue of Fire Shadow Gift from the spirit of fire and rage. He remembered seeing a weirdly large coyote that was digging around in a public bin.

“You were the coyote?!" asked David, pointing an accusatory finger at the naked and supremely smug looking wolf-blood. “I was supposed to do that by myself!"

“I'm a red wolf." corrected Colin, “But yes, I'm pretty good at making people think I'm a coyote. It's why the Elders sent me. That and the Bone Shadows' Irraka were all busy with their own packs at the time. And you did do it by yourself. You were only supervised. I never interfered. The Elders were quite clear that I only watched."

“You were digging around in a trash can."

Colin simply shrugged at David's remark. “I had to make it believable, and you'll be surprised how much untouched food people just throw away."

David frowned. He knew exactly how much food people wasted by just throwing it away. It was often the only way he could get anything to eat whenever he was living out in the streets and not in an asylum. A clap from Colin caught his attention.

“Hurry up. Strip and change."

David hugged his arms, “But it hurts changing."

Colin put a reassuring hand on David's shoulder, “Don't worry. You'll get used to the pain eventually. And as you become more in harmony with your Flesh and Spirit halves the pain will lessen until it's only uncomfortable. Like the pain the day after a workout."

With that Colin backed away from David, sat on the floor and put his hide on his back. Cracks and grinding pops came from Colin's body as the shorter man suddenly hunched over, his hands on the floor as he started changing form. His hide shifted and writhed, the legs of it wrapped around his arms and legs. Compressing and snapping them into a canine shape and size. The head of the hide covered Colin's head like a hood, and the wolf-blood gave a pained groan as his mouth crunched out into a muzzle. Then, not even a minute after he started, a plain red wolf stood in front of David. Shaking itself like a regular wolf would. The sight of Colin changing form should have unnerved David. He knew it should. But the feeling was just… not there. It was a lack of feeling that confused him. An impatient grumble came from the red wolf in front of him.

“Well?" Colin asked in the First Tongue.

David grabbed the hem of his shirt to pull it off but paused when he saw Colin was still looking at him. The red wolf rolled his eyes in an uncannily human fashion before turning around to face away from David. With the comfort of not being watched he stripped, standing up as he took his boxers off. He dumped his clothes on the couch and floor and took a deep breath. Psyching himself up for the change.

He pictured a black wolf, and after several moments of nothing changing he changed to picturing himself as he was now, in human form, shifting into a wolf. At first, nothing happened. He was wondering what he was doing wrong when a painful snap of bone tore through his nervous system. With a choked scream he fell to the floor, bashing his elbow against the corner of one of the many bookshelves and splitting the skin open. He thrashed on the floor, smearing blood across the floor before the cut healed, the skin healing as if nothing happened. Not even a faint scar. Tears of pain fell down his face as body contorted, bones snapped and rearranged, muscles and ligaments tore and reattached differently. His skin felt it was being stabbed by a million red hot needles as thick black fur grew all over his body. He tried to stand up, to run away from the pain, but the conflicting instincts of how to move as a biped and those of a quadruped made him stumble and fall.

He let out a snarl that devolved into agonised sobbing as his face cracked outwards, as it started forming his muzzle. He wanted to grab his head, to hold it, as all the bone in his skull shattered as it shifted from human to lupine. But his arms wouldn't work properly, they thrashed and kicked as they turned into forelegs.

His cries shifted into canine yelps of pain. But then they stopped, changing into just pained whimpers as a comforting weight dropped onto his chest and stayed there, despite his thrashing. Eventually even the tortuous pain diminished, winding down into a constant painful ache.

He laid on the ground panting as the pain slowly faded, with an occasional whimper as a few lingering changes took place. A bone compressed here. A ligament stretched there. Eventually the pain was all gone as he laid on the ground in his Urhan form, a black furred gray wolf. He laid on the ground for a while waiting for the shock of the transformation to fade away. He felt the weight on his chest shift and he looked up from the ground to see what it was, craning his neck to see it clearly. It was Colin. The red wolf was resting his head on David to help comfort him throughout his transformation.

Colin stood up when David looked at him and walked out of the room towards the sliding door at the back of the house. He walked through the dog door and looked back at David expectedly.

With a groan, David picked himself up off the ground. Now that he was no longer wallowing in his own misery from the transformation and actually paying attention to his surroundings his senses were suddenly overwhelmed as his enhanced Uratha senses flooded him with information. He took a moment to sort the flood of information. He could smell the strong stench of coffee. He could hear someone in the kitchen. They were so silent he almost missed them. Jesse. It had to be. No one else was that quiet. He was making Tsu'mara's morning coffee. There were a second set of footfalls not too far behind him. The sound of their footsteps betrayed a larger body size. Tsu'mara moving around as she waited for her coffee. There was also a voice just outside the range of hearing. Right next to David. A cold one. Not in tone but in temperature.

He bolted out of the library towards the back door and out of the house. He tore around the house, kicking up gravel in his flight, across the road and out into the desert shrubland that surrounded Pioche. He skidded to a stop and fought to keep his breathing steady. He shook himself in a canine fashion.

It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real, he told himself over and over in his head.

Colin ran up to him with a concerned look on his face.

David's gut twisted in shame and he quickly put his nose to the ground to try and catch a scent to track. Hoping that it'd seem to the red wolf that he was just excited to hunt. It seemed to work as Colin's nose joined his on the ground.

David blew a small cloud of dust from the ground in his frustration. There were so many scents. He could separate them easily and track each one but he couldn't tell which one of them was worth tracking.

Colin seemed to have found one though. As his ears perked up, and he started rapidly sniffing a spot underneath a dead shrub. He moved aside from it to let David catch the scent he found. The black wolf took it in and he got excited. He didn't know how he knew, but he knew the scent belonged to a small, herbivorous animal. Perfect prey for a small scale hunt. He excitedly followed the scent with Colin happily trotting behind him. He crawled under bushes and shrubs, and weaved around rocks. All of it without looking up from the scent trail on the ground.

He lost track of the time, and only regained it after he noticed the overbearing heat of the desert noonday sun soak into his black fur. He continued on and got a thrill as the trail got fresher and more distinct. He even found fresh spoor. No older than an hour. He growled in discomfort as he started to pant. He wanted to continue the hunt but the blasted heat kept distracting him.

Colin nosed his side to catch his attention. David turned to him and saw him start sniffing the air before walking away. Away from the prey's scent trail. David went to follow the prey's trail again but heard a small growl from Colin who had stopped walking away and was glaring at him. The red wolf only stopped after David moved away from the trail and started following him to wherever he was detouring to.

What Colin was taking him to became clear as the shrubbery around him started getting denser and more green. He took off, he didn't realise how much he needed it until then. Needed it so much that he stopped paying attention to his surroundings and let out a loud yelp when the ground gave out beneath him and fell. He tumbled down rocks and landed with a splash in a small sheltered stream. He picked himself up and shook the water from his fur, the scrapes and bruises from his fall already healed.

David leant down and started to greedily drink from the stream. The water wasn't particularly cold. It was outright warm, but in the shade of the stream's overhang and from just how thirsty he had become from the heat it was deliciously refreshing. He was so caught up in drinking his fill that he failed to notice as a tawny furred creature jumped down next to him until it pounced on him.

He snapped and snarled at his attacker. But they were too nimble and jumped away from his bites. He growled at them, hackles raised until he realised it was Colin, looking at him disappointed and angrily. His eyes on him but his ears swivelling around at the slightest noise for potential threats.

David's ears pinned back in shame as he realised why Colin pounced on him. He slinked up to the smaller wolf and stood guard over him, keeping lookout for him as he started drinking from the stream himself. After he had his fill he walked away and climbed up into a small alcove in the overhang. He turned in a circle a couple times before lying down in a small ball to take a nap.

David whined. He wanted to get back to the hunt but the red wolf ignored him, continuing his nap. He walked up into the shadow of the wall of rock the red wolf was napping in but couldn't comfortably climb into the alcove because of his larger size. So he sat at attention at the foot of the wall of water carved rock, keeping watch for Colin as he took his nap.

It was boring keeping watch. Because of how deeply the stream cut into the ground, all he saw was the small stream and a wall of rock, making him rely on his hearing and smell for any possible threats. All he heard was the whistling wind, the faint burbling stream, and the occasional bird. All he smelt was the fresh water, various random natural scents, but all of the smells were overshadowed by the comforting scent belonging to the wolf-blood behind him in the alcove above. He found it strange. Colin's artificially fruity smell irritated his nose originally, finding it far too strong. He wondered when that stopped being the case.

Time passed and Colin was still napping. Enough time passed that David noticed the shadow he was sitting had grown noticeably longer and that Colin wasn't taking a nap at all. He was straight up sleeping. The black wolf growled in annoyance. The trail of their prey was going to go cold at this rate. But he couldn't leave Colin behind unguarded to go pursue it. So he reluctantly kept watch. Keeping time by watching the slow lengthening of the rock wall's shadow.

The scents, sounds, and hours dragging on started to wear him down. His already slouched demeanour slouched all the more, and his golden eyes started to droop. Slowly closing before he'd snap back to attention. Just to start drifting off again. He repeated the routine several times until he finally gave in and flopped to his side, asleep.

He dreamed pleasant dreams. Dreams of belonging. Where he no longer felt so horribly alone. That he found that missing piece of himself. He couldn't recall the last time he had such pleasant sleep.

Eventually the waking world called to him. Dragging him back to the real world. The black wolf picked his head from his pillow and blinked blearily as he looked around the dim room, confused. The walls were wrong. His bed was uncomfortable, parts of it digging into his side. The only thing that was comfortable was his pillow.

As he woke up, and the post-slumber confusion started to clear up, he realised where he was. Outside in a small sheltered stream. Huddled up and curled against a rock wall. He looked down, wondering where his pillow came from and tilted his head when all he saw was a ball of grey, and red tawny fur that he was resting his head on. He followed it to a head that was resting on his flank. Colin's head. Who was awake and looking right at him.

Colin yawned and stood up, untangling himself from the ball the pair and curled themselves up into. He stretched out into a bow, flexing his forepaws, let out a small squeak and then shook himself. He trotted off, climbing up and out of the crevice the stream had carved into the rock.

David got up from the ground, shook the dirt from his fur and stretched out like Colin did. He followed the red wolf up the rock wall. He scraped and scrambled against the rocks with his claws, struggling to climb what the smaller wolf did so deftly. He eventually hauled his way up, finding Colin patiently waiting for him.

David looked around, noticing how long the shadows had become. He looked to the sky and saw how low in the sky the sun had become. They probably only had an hour of sunlight left at most. He looked around, not entirely sure where they had come from.

He heard a huff from Colin, who was pointing with his nose to a trail of broken shrubs and bushes that David had barreled through in his excitement to slake his thirst. He sheepishly followed his trail of destruction back to the spoor he found earlier in the day. The prey's trail was easy enough to find again. Not at fresh as it once was, but still just as strong.

He followed it as quickly as he could, wanting to find his prey before dark. But Colin kept walking in front of him, forcing him to slow down. He only got out of his way when David slowed down to a walk. Forced to walk so he could track unimpeded, he grumpily carried on.

It wasn't until the sun was touching the horizon, turning the sky a fiery orange, did the scent trail finally become fresh again. David trembled in excitement as he took in the fresh scent. It was so close. He hunched down and silently stalked forward, excitedly licking his chops as he weaved through shrubs and bushes to take cover in. Then he saw his prey, a black-tailed jackrabbit that was chewing on some young leaves that sprouted from a bush in a clearing at the bottom of a large, rocky hill.

Drool filled David's maw as he watched the hare happily munch away at the leaves. He could already taste its blood on his tongue. He couldn't wait any longer. He burst out of the shrub he was hiding in and leapt for the hare.

The hare bolted, easily avoiding the snap of David's teeth, and easily evaded the following snap from the black wolf as it was chased around the clearing. It ran into a small, nearby hole and David shoved his snarling snout into it. He pulled his snout out and started impatiently digging at the burrow's entrance, flinging dirt and rocks behind him..

A snapping growl came from Colin, making David stop his impatient digging. He gave the black wolf a chastising snarl and headbutted his side, shoving the larger wolf away from the burrow's entrance. He led David to a nearby spot downwind of the burrow's entrance and laid down, and pointed to a spot next to him with a jerk of his head.

David laid down next to the smaller wolf with a loud growl, who growled at him in return to be quiet. David laid his head on his paws with a huff and waited. Watching the final minutes of sun fade away into night, and only moving to change positions when the wind changed direction. It was boring waiting for the hare to reappear from its burrow. He would have fallen asleep as he waited had he not already slept for so long in the stream.

Eventually, after how long he didn't know because there was no longer any sun to keep track of time with, he heard a faint scraping of claws coming from the burrow. He perked up, lifting his head up from his paws. He saw the hare bounce out of its burrow. He got up to chase it again but felt Colin's eyes drilling into the back of his skull.

He looked back at Colin to see the red wolf glaring at him. He took a single, silent step forward and Colin's expression stayed unchanged. David took a faster step and saw Colin's lip twitch in a snarl. David slowed his step and Colin's silent snarl disappeared. He continued stalking towards the hare like that. Taking small, quiet steps and looking back towards his tutor for his approval. All until he was just a few feet away from the unsuspecting hare. He stopped moving. He even stopped breathing. Afraid that a single breath would alert it. It was right there. It was right there. He looked back at Colin who was still staring down at him from his vantage point. The red wolf gave a single curt nod.

David lunged forward, catching the hare by its neck mid leap as it tried to escape. It screeched in panic and David snapped its neck with a single sharp shake of his head.

David shook in excitement as he felt a rush of endorphins from the successful kill. He dropped the hare's body on the ground and he licked his chops. He wanted to devour his kill right there and then. But something stopped him, holding him back. A phrase of the Oath of the Moon came to his mind in the First Language. Glowing like a hearth's fire.

Ni Daha. Respect Your Prey.

David picked up a foreleg, and lowered his head in a respectful bow towards the hare's body. He felt the mental leash keeping him back loosen, allowing him to finally eat. He dug in, tearing at the hare's flesh. He closed his eyes and let out a pleased grumble as the taste of the bloody flesh flooded his tastes buds. The hot blood was like a refreshing cup of tea after coming home from a long day. He dived in for more.

As he was eating he heard the snaps and crunches of bone, as well as a pained groan. He looked towards the sounds and saw Colin in his human form, naked and sitting on the ground. His hide was in his lap and he was massaging the back of his neck to work out a kink from his transformation.

“Taste better after taking your time and waiting for it?" he asked as he rolled his shoulders after he finished massaging his neck.

David licked the hare's blood from his lips and gave a sheepish nod. He looked down at the hare. He already ate over half of it and Colin didn't get anything from the hunt. David pushed what was left over towards Colin with his nose.

“Oh, thanks. But I already got one when you were eating that one." said Colin, picking up a dead hare from behind him. He pointed to the far side of the clearing, “There was another tunnel entrance that your hare's mate tried to escape through."

“You're Uratha now," he explained, setting down his hare. “So you're half spirit now. So, like a spirit, you'll feel a strong urge to want immediate gratification. But your flesh half gives you the gift of actually waiting. You can actually ignore that urge for delayed gratification."

David nodded along. Understanding why Colin kept impeding him when he was getting impatient during the hunt.

Colin continued, asking, “Can you shift back to Hishu? So you can actually speak more than just a few words in the First Tongue?"

David whined, he didn't want to go through that pain again. He didn't want to ruin the end of the hunt with all that pain.

“Please?" asked Colin. “The pain will lessen in time."

David whined again as he mentally braced himself. Then he let out a loud yelp as he felt his hip bone snap. Grinding as it started shifting from a quadrupedal to a bipedal configuration. He thrashed on the ground as his transformation dragged on. Until, after what felt like an eternity, David let out a strangled human scream as his transformation into human form finished. He panted on the ground, dirt and dust sticking to his sweaty skin.

He sat up with a groan, “The pain doesn't go away entirely?"

“It can. But you don't want that," said Colin.

“Why not?!" snapped David. He still ached all over, his nerves felt raw. How would feeling no pain from the transformation be a bad thing?

“Because it'd require you falling out of Harmony and associating more with your Spirit half than your Flesh half. You can't keep the balance between the Mundane and the Hisil if you only associate with one half. Being an Uzahal you'd no longer feel pain, yes. But you wouldn't be able to go 5 minutes without changing form. How could you possibly track your prey like you did today in Urhan when you'd constantly change forms? How could you walk amongst The Herd, who you're meant to cleave to and protect, if you constantly drive them to Lunacy because you can't keep your shifting under control?" said Colin, getting more frustrated and animated as he went on.

David was quiet for several moments, hugging his knees to his chest and resting his chin on them. He asked, “How long will it take for me to get in Harmony?"

“A few more weeks of spending some time in the Hisil, and forging relationships with things that tether you to your spirit half," answered Colin.

“But I haven't made any like that yet," said David. He picked his head up from his knees and looked at the naked redhead. “All I got is a single Shadow Gift I don't even know how to use."

Colin moved over to sit right next to David, his hip touching his. David flinched at the touch and Colin shuffled a foot away in response. Colin gave David a reassuring pat on his shoulder and told him, “We'll find you one. They have a habit of being made when they're needed most."

David scoffed, “It'd be nice if it happened soon."

“I'm sure it will," said Colin. He picked David's half eaten hare and offered it to him. “Come on. Eat up."

David cringed at the sight of the mangled corpse, “But I'm in human form."

Colin rolled eyes and shook the mangled hare, making blood drip over his hand, “The only thing keeping you from eating this in Hishu are human societal taboos."

David looked at the untouched hare next to Colin and pointed out, “You haven't eaten yours."

“That's because unlike you, an Uratha," Colin said, pointing at David with the half-eaten hare before pointing to himself with it, “A wolf-blood like me will get sick if I eat it in Hishu. I'm fine eating raw meat in Urhan. I did it all the time growing up cause everyone one else in my family were Uratha, and my father, like Elder Morrison, could only eat raw meat. So we all did when we had dinner together."

Colin offered the half-eaten hare to David again. But he still refused to take it. Colin frowned before a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes, and he smiled. David looked at him concerned and was about to ask what he was planning when the wolf-blood quickly threw the mangled hare to his other hand, and smeared the blood on his other hand across David's mouth and underneath his nose.

David sputtered and shoved Colin away, and yelled, “What the fuck?!"

“Language," warned Colin.

David wiped the blood from his face, but he could still smell the iron tang of it. He licked his lips out of instinct and got a taste of it. His stomach growled. Colin leaned over with a smirk and proffered David's kill. The mangled hare hung from his hand by its ears and swung in his face. The smell of the dripping blood weaseled into his nose, making his stomach growl even louder.

David snatched the hare from Colin and tore into it, shooting an indignant glare at the smug wolf blood. He tried to keep the glare trained on him, but his eyes fluttered closed at the taste of the fresh kill. He tore into the hare until there was nothing but cracked bones left, and even those he gnawed on. Gradually wearing them down.

“Did you have to do that?" David asked in between him cracking open bones and sucking out their marrow.

“Quickest way to get you to loosen up and listen to your instincts," Colin said with a shrug.

David tossed the final bone he had been chewing on away. Having got everything he could from them and wiped the blood and viscera from his face. “Why would listening to my werewolf instincts help?"

“Because you're an Uratha now, and part of our pack," said Colin, his tone of voice changing to one that sounded a lot like the tone David's doctors took. He sneered. Too much like his doctors. Colin continued, “You're a social animal now. Even more of one than a human is. You can't keep sleeping-"

“I'm not sleeping in the same bed with you!" snapped David.

Colin flinched and his face fell at David's outburst.

David's gut twisted at Colin's response and he wrung his hands as fell over himself to explain himself and his reasoning. Why he felt the need to, he didn't know. At least he thought he didn't. “I don't want to sleep in the same bed as a bunch of other people. It's weird. I always slept by myself. And The Old Man sleeps in his own bed. Why can't I?"

“It's not good for Elder Morrison to sleep without a pack either, “ said Colin glumly.

“Why not ask him to join the rest of you then?"

Colin gave David an exasperated look, “He'd just do what you do and refuse. And he's an elder, so he'd be violent about it too. You saw how he slammed the door in my face when we moved in when all I did was say hello."

David didn't know how to reply to that, Colin had him in a corner. So he sat for several long moments, looking out into the night and listening to the night life. Which, as far out away from the house that they were, were just crickets and the sound of traffic on a highway he could hear on the other side of the hill they were on. The long silence started to feel extremely awkward to David, so he tried to change the subject.

“So, uh… You said you ate raw meat all the time growing up?

Colin nodded, “Yeah, even my older brother did. Even though he didn't have his First Change until I was sixteen. So until that happened my parents just gave him a crucifix everytime we had dinner."

“What?" David asked, utterly baffled.

Colin nodded, “My brother had the Devil Inside Tell. So he'd shift into Dalu every time someone forcibly showed him any sort of religious iconography. Even a pamphlet was enough to do it."

He let out a sudden laugh, “It really gave those mormons that knocked on our door that one time one hell of a heart attack."

“Wouldn't that break the Oath?" asked David.

“Kinda, yeah. Since it drove them to Lunacy," Colin said, waving his hand. “But it wasn't my brother's fault. And my father tracked them down and told us afterwards they wouldn't be a problem. So the Lunacy either made them forget, or he just killed them. Whichever one it was, we never had mormons knocking on our door again after that."

“Didn't you have the police to worry about?" asked David.

“David," Colin said in a disappointed tone. “We're in Vegas. We own the police."

“Oh, right," David said, embarrassed he forgot how much the Protectorate ruled over the region. Colin snapped his fingers.

“That reminds me, though, of one time with my brother. About his tell, not the police. I pulled a prank on him one time when he was wearing his favorite jacket by brandishing the dinner crucifix at him. Completely ruined it. Had to throw it out."

Colin laughed, “He got so mad. That we got into an actual fight over it. I was in Hishu, so I actually got hurt from it, and that really pissed off my dad. So he slapped him around for hurting me, had me put on my hide so I could heal, then slapped me around for starting it."

David couldn't help but laugh as well, as it reminded him of some of the fights he and his own older brother would get into. “Yeah, I did something similar with my brother. Wasn't a prank. I was just upset that he wouldn't throw the baseball with me one time, so I threw it at him."

He tapped his forehead with a finger, and threw his head back dramatically and laughed, “Nailed him right in the forehead. He was pissed! It was probably the biggest fight I ever got into with him. Our father hit both of us over it."

“Were you two close?" asked Colin.

“Thick as thieves," answered David before shrugging. “Not that you could tell with how often we fought."

He felt his heart twist. “I miss him."

“I miss mine too," said Colin

David felt uncomfortable and ashamed. They were supposed to be talking about their family. Not have him drag it down by being miserable over his family's death. He tried to cheer Colin up. “You won't be stuck tutoring me forever. You'll see them again."

Colin's expression soured and David couldn't tell why.

“Why can't you be this nice to the others?" Colin asked. “They're your pack. Our pack. You can't keep being rude to them."

“I never had a choice in it," David said, looking away from Colin. Not being able to bring himself to look at him.

“In being rude?" asked Colin in disbelief.

“No," answered David. “I never got a choice in joining their pack. The pack I met in the Spirit World during my initiation said I should've joined theirs."

Colin put his face in his hands and groaned, “Oh, Luna. The Moon Shadow Riders are the ones that escorted you back?"

David nodded, “They said the Asylum was in their territory, so I should've joined their pack."

Colin shook his hand and dragged his hands off his face before he looked up at the moon, “Oh, Luna. Give me the wisdom to survive these ordeals."

He looked away from the moon and shook his head again. “I can't believe their Elodoth is still salty about that. He is such a tool. His pack had as much claim to you as the pack whose territory your childhood home is in."

“What's my house have to do with this?" asked David.

“Because that's where your First Change started," explained Colin.

“No," countered David. “It was in the Asylum."

Colin shook his head and elaborated, “The First Change isn't just that moment you transform into Gauru. It's a process which can take up to a month and it was triggered when you went home."

He sighed, “Even if it was just that actual transformation, the pack whose territory your house is in have just as valid a claim because your home is where you became wolf-blood. Wolf-bloods are part of The People too, so I'd say that they would've had a stronger claim to you than the tools in the Moon Shadow Riders."

“So why didn't they?" snapped David. “Why do I have to join a pack that has no connection to me whatsoever? How does one of them having some vision of me give them a stronger claim? How do they know they didn't lie?"

Colin shook his head, “Lucas wouldn't lie ab-"

“Lucas had it?!" snapped David?

“DO! NOT! START! DAVID!" yelled Colin, making David recoil from Colin's outburst. “What is your problem with him?! He has been nothing but kind to you. They all have and yet you act like a feral pup and treat them with nothing but contempt."

David hugged his knees tightly to him, a canine whine slipped past his lips. He didn't like Colin being upset with him and yelling at him. He whimpered, “The needle."

Colin groaned, “It was just a needle, David."

Tears started to blur David's vision, “I don't like needles."

Colin looked at David for several moments as he saw David's reaction and realised what David meant. He suddenly hugged David, his voice dripping with remorse, “Oh Luna, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

David squirmed in Colin's hug and Colin pulled away. He asked, “Is that why you always got so violent when orderlies got involved?"

David sniffled and wiped his tears away. He nodded. “Partly."

“I understand why you did it now, but you can't hold it against him like this," said Colin. “It really was the only way they could have restrained you without killing you. They almost did kill you. You were that deep in Kuruth."

He gently laid a hand on David's shoulder, “He's your packmate. You'll get into physical fights, sure. You did with Michael and you said you were as thick as thieves despite that. Your packmates are family just like he was."

“I don't even know them," pouted David.

“And it'll stay that way if you never talk to them," said Colin.

David hugged his legs tighter but didn't reply.

They sat in silence for several minutes before Colin said, “He saw spirits. Just like you."

“What?" asked David, surprised. Just how alike were they? Was the similar Urhan forms not enough?

Colin nodded, “His entire life. Thought he was insane. He put his nose in books all the time so that he couldn't see them and so they wouldn't notice that he saw them."

He smirked and nudged David with his elbow, “He was just as much of a nervous wreck as you were after he had his first change. Everyone who didn't know about The Truth before their First Change is."

David couldn't help but feel sorry for Lucas for having gone through something similar to him.

Colin stood up, dusting off the dust and sand from his pale skin. “We should head back. It's dark and we're in the middle of nowhere. So you don't have to worry about being seen naked by anyone. Though we probably won't be back until after midnight since you'd be in Hishu."

David shook his head, suddenly painfully aware of his state of undress and kept his knees hugged to his chest to keep himself covered. “No, no. I'll shift into Urhan. I really don't want to risk being seen."

“Are you sure?" ask Colin, looking down at him. “It's still torture for you to change forms."

David nodded, and pointed with his head towards Colin's uneaten hare. “Go eat while I shift and recover."

Colin gave him a nod and threw on his hide and shifted. The red wolf trotted over to his kill and started eating. Keeping an eye out for David as he started screaming, sobbing, and thrashing as he painfully shifted to his black wolf Urhan form. It was just a few moments to Colin, but for David it felt like an eternity. He laid on his side, panting and whimpering as he tried to piece his mind back together from the mind shattering experience of having his entire body and soul tear apart and reorganise itself. In that moment it was impossible for him to believe that the pain of transformation would ever abate.

A tantalising smell eventually came to his notice. He noticed movement in his periphery and he weakly moved his head in its direction to see it. He saw a set of four wolf legs, he looked up with just his eyes and saw it was Colin. He was holding the source of the smell in his mouth. The red wolf dropped it, and it landed in the dirt right in front of David's nose. His eyes slowly fell down to look at it, and his nose twitched as he took in its scent. It was a haunch from Colin's hare. David licked it a few times, and felt slightly refreshed by the taste of the raw meat and blood. He picked himself up with a groan and crawled up slightly so he could reach the haunch easier. He put a paw on the haunch to hold it down and started slowly chewing on it, taking his time eating the small morsel. Only finishing it after Colin had long since finished the rest of his own hare.

David would have been content to lay on the ground for another hour but Colin walked up to him and nudged David's cheek with his nose, urging him to stand up. He stood up with a whine and a whimper. Leaning against the smaller wolf so he wouldn't stumble. He stood on shaky legs with his head hanging low, lower than it normally hung, for a moment before taking a tentative step forward.

Colin took that as a sign that he was ready to leave and walked away. He stopped at the edge of the clearing and looked back to check on David, and saw him slowly plodding behind with his head still hanging low.

It was a slow walk back as they followed their trail back to the house. But not as long as it would have taken if David was in human form, but not as fast as it could have been. Colin had to push David back on track after he accidentally started following the trail to the stream they slept the worst of the day's heat away in. They eventually made it back to the house, and Colin held the dog door open for David. David slowly plodded his way inside, dragging his feet all the way.

“You two have been gone for ages," said Tsu'mara from the dining table. “We were just about to go to bed."

She saw David plod into the house behind Colin and into the house, slowly making his way to the library. She asked, “Are you okay?"

David didn't answer and walked into the library, climbed onto the small couch and curled up to sleep. He heard Colin answer for him, “He's tired from the hunt, and he changed form a few times, so all that pain laid him out."

“He's still not gonna join us then?" asked Tsu'mara.

“That's up to him," replied Colin “Is Lucas still awake? There's something I need to tell him.".

David drifted off then. But it was a fitful sleep. Nothing like the sleep he got earlier in the day. He opened his eyes and looked around the dark room. Time had passed and there weren't any lights on in the house at all. Everyone must've gone to bed. He laid his head back down and tried to go back to sleep. But it wouldn't come. He shifted around on the small couch. He tossed around on it. He curled into a tight ball. But he couldn't get back to sleep. He wanted the sleep he got earlier in the day. The sleep he got in the stream, as uncomfortable as lying on the rocky ground was.

He let out a loud yawn and slid off the couch. He sluggishly walked out of the library and into the living room, dragging his feet. He looked at the bedroom door for several moments. It was open. It wasn't usually open. He slowly walked into the bedroom. The only feature in the rooms was the 'bed' which was just a bunch of mattresses laid out on the floor and held in place with a large plank of wood. Everyone was asleep in a pile of fur and limbs in the centre of the bed. It was hard to tell who was who in the pile. All except Colin, who was in Urhan form like the rest and was outside of the pile, sleeping spread out on the mattress with his legs up on the pile.

Slowly, David snuck onto the bed. Stopping each time someone twitched or made a sound in their sleep. He made his way to the sleeping red wolf and lowered himself down next to him. He'd sleep there for a few hours. Sneak out before dawn to sleep in the library like usual. Colin shifted in his sleep, rolling over and draped his legs over David's back. David grumbled, but quickly, very quickly, fell asleep and slept pleasant dreams. Dreams of belonging. Dreams where he no longer felt so horribly alone, feeling that he finally found that missing piece of himself.