Late Nights, Nothing to Do {DRAKE}

[ROSS ♥ WHITE]

Sometimes it isn’t about falling in love that scares people. It’s about losing the person they love for reasons they cannot help or being the one who causes the rift. Though time heals all wounds, love seems to afflict such deep and everlasting cuts. There was so much that Ross was afraid of. It was a fear that stemmed from what he was and what he was capable of. Why did they leave him? Why did his mother toss him on the streets? It was the kind of fear that never came around and when it did there wasn't anything that could help prepare for it.

He was afraid of letting it happen again. Afraid mostly because in such little time he had grown so attached to her. Sure it was normal to get attached to one’s mother, but Ross had always felt her coldness had made him yearn for her love even more. His mother had twined an invisible bind of chains around his arms. At any moment she could have loosened them and freed him or tightened them and killed him. Regardless he wore those bonds with pride letting them wrap around in hopes they’d bring him closer to her heart. That’s where he belonged. At least that’s where he thought he belonged.

He opened his eyes feeling the wind brush through his fur. With the scents of his surroundings guiding him on his way, his eyes scanned the surrounding area. Covered by forest he was safe, for the most part. He was large. For a werewolf modeled after a grey wolf, he was threatening to the human eye. In were form Ross was a formidable beast. He had a body length from head to hind quarters of six and a half feet and stood four feet tall from pads to shoulders. It wouldn’t have been hard to spot him if anyone were looking hard enough. Ross was counting on the cover of night and forest to keep him safe. If not, then he was ready to die. He loved his family, but did he really belong? Since the day he was born he had no place and it broke his heart. As he neared the park he closed his eyes and let the scent of the wilderness guide him once more.

There were things he wanted to tell his mother, but so much of what he wanted to say he knew would make her flee. All he had wanted was for his mother to love him and for his father to explain why he abandoned him before he was even born. As he opened his eyes he felt the leaves tickling the tips of his pads. He blinked slowly as the fur disappeared and he was left standing naked in the middle of the park. It was an awkward sight and if anyone normal had seen it happen they probably would have fainted. His eyes were still luminous with the apparent shift, but the glow slowly died down as he hid behind a bench to dress himself.

Grabbing the pack that was strapped to his arm he sifted through his clothing. After countless times shifting Ross had perfect a system of elastic straps and a carrying pack to keep some clothes tucked in. After he changed into his clothes he dropped the bag onto the bench before fiddling with his camera.

With his butt planted on the park bench and camera in hand Ross enjoyed the moment of clarity and peace. It was easy in nature. Everything had a place and everything was accepted. Ross was a freak of nature. He loved it in every way, but part of him wondered if it was the reason no one had wanted him. He just didn’t know and every part of that killed him. He snapped a photo of the trees and the pathway lined with benches before tilting his head back to look at the stars.

It was late and it wasn't quite safe to go out during the night, but Ross did it anyway. He was only vaguely aware the air and scent around him had changed, but he was too wrapped up in his thoughts to make note of it.

[DRAKE ♥ REYNOLDS]

A walk through Parc de L'ange Bleu? Sure, why not he thought. It's not like there was a group of dangerous bible beating maniacs out there trying to kill him. He could help himself really, but only found their shallow minded methods a bit humorous. But that was what he did of a bad situation, he made fun of it. A cooping mechanism? Perhaps, but he really paid it no mind when it came to himself. He wasn't about to let they're fanaticism get in the way of him taking a damned walk at night. His parent had tried raising him to be cautious, but it just never happened. In truth he knew he was his own worst enemy.

The night was quiet, and a slight breeze was sweeping through. The way it came across the ocean made the air feel wet, and that made him all the more comfortable. The mon was nearly high in the sky, which meant he'd soon have to return to the water. It was a freeing experience really, to give up legs for his tail. He'd been looking along the ocean floor lately, finding a couple underwater caverns to occupy time with. His kind liked to gather in a couple of them around the island, but there were a couple that none but he knew of. Sometimes he wondered how his kind could act like a school of fish, all huddled together. Drake preferred small groups than to being around a lot of people at once. A few of these caverns had entrances on the surface, which gave him some breathing room about not being seen when getting in the water. He may be bold to be out and about, but no one other than his own kind had seen him as a mer.

He made a turn and decided he wanted to take the long way around, he had plenty of time before the water called to him. The instinct always felt weird, but in a good way. It let him show himself as what he was, though the fact he'd never shared it with anyone sometimes bothered him. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he didn't even realized he just about walked into a park bench, stopping in time as to not fall over it and the person sitting in it. "Seems I'm not the only one who needed some fresh air tonight." he chuckled.

[ROSS ♥ WHITE]

It was always nice to get a wrap on his thoughts. Especially when the night was so clear that the blanket of stars above Elsyian was there to comfort even the loudest of thoughts. As he settled in, he closed his eyes, but not for long as someone nearly toppled over him. He jolted up, keeping a protective hand on his camera to insure it didn't get jostled in the action. "No kidding..." He laughed light heartedly once he realized it was just another student.

It took him a moment to feel the tension release from his muscles, but he kept his eyes down trying to avoid the sight of his luminous eyes. It always happened when weres were threatened or startled. They felt the shift in their bones and their eyes came alive with the energy of a shift. Luckily for Ross it faded quickly and he was able to make eye contact with a stranger. "It's a gorgeous night and I couldn't resist. I'm Ross by the way." He smiled offering the seat next to him if his acquaintance was planning to stay.

"I uh... I'm a Junior at the St. Gabriel's High School." He added suddenly feeling silly for assuming the stranger was an Academy student. He didn't know this guy and he couldn't make himself vulnerable by assuming things, but he could let the stranger know he wasn't dangerous or at least let him deduce that on his own. Ross always felt safe on the island. He had his pack to protect him, his friends to side with him and it was a place where he could express who he was. They were protected here and regardless of if the Holy Cross was around or not, he was sure they'd put up a hell of a fight.