when i run through the deep dark forest

[arracht]

Who: Derek and you
What: Monthly full moon log
Where: The North Woods
When: January 15
Why: This is going to get repetitive really fast. Full moon, Derek, camp full of nosy people. Added bonus of SHIT THERE'S WEREWOLVES RED ALERT.

The fact that Derek has to be smuggled into the woods doesn't sit well with him in the least, but it's better than someone catching him in the act of heading out there by himself. Between campers being on high alert, the camp heads watching everything like hawks (at least they know about him, but still), and the general problem of harpies on top of Lycaon's wolves outside of the camp, he can't exactly put up too much of a fight over it.

He has literally no other choice.

Maybe he could just lock himself away in Cabin 13, but his nerves are so frayed that he doesn't think it's exactly the best idea. Resisting the shift isn't difficult, exactly, but it puts strain on him when he does it and he's not exactly fit to deal with that.

But once he's in the woods, away from the rest of camp and surrounded by the trees and the silence of the night in the January air, he feels a little bit better. Now, it's just a matter of finding the people that will inevitably be out tonight-- and finding out whether they're the ones he needs to avoid, or the ones he needs to talk to before he succumbs to the pull of the moon.

( As always, prose/bracket and I'll reply to match. uwu* )

Comments

[willyouwalk]

As soon as everyone's dismissed from dinner, Tybalt goes to Cabin 13 and knocks. He's got black cloth and wax, and a werewolf that needs smuggling.

[arracht]

While Derek has no idea what Tybalt's cloaking actually entails, he finds himself preferring it to Nico expending energy when they don't know if an attack is due tonight or not. So when the knock comes, he opens the door and raises his eyebrows a little at what he guesses are the supplies.

[willyouwalk]

"Don't give me that, this'll keep you from getting shot at by those over-eager archers you lot have," he retorts, setting his things down on the nearest table and starting the spell. (Though really, it's not a retort if the other part doesn't speak.) "Sadie's the only person who has a chance of seeing through this."

[usernameallison]

So this time, it's harder. Not only is it the full moon, and Derek's shifting, but werewolves are circling the camp, ready to break into the borders, Scott worries. This is bad. He doesn't have his full backpack, this time, but he's knocking on the door of cabin 13, waiting for him.

[arracht]

Immediately lifting his hands in mock-surrender, Derek nudges the door shut again with the toe of his boot while he watches Tybalt go to set things up. He's just not going to question how this works.

"I appreciate it." At least he can sound sincere when he says that, even if he's curiously watching what the magician does.

[arracht]

Maybe Derek should stop asking Scott to keep an eye on things whenever the full moon comes around. He can't help but think it's asking too much of him sometimes, but in the end Scott's really the only person here from their cohort, and the one person he's trusted most with his safety.

So when Scott knocks, he comes to the door, quirking a halfhearted but grateful look at the younger Roman.

[willyouwalk]

Tybalt nods as he molds the wax into a humanoid shape, occasionally looking over at Derek to see if he's getting it right.

"I really don't want to know what would happen if you fight the transformation, and we really don't want anyone shooting you because they think you're one of those monsters out there." He pauses for a second, thinking. "Though if you wanted to scare that human boy in Hermes, I won't say no." Dean is a dick and Tybalt does not like him.

[arracht]

"Right now? Tensions are too high, I don't think anyone would like the end result of that." Worst would be him snapping and going feral. Best would be him becoming the king of assholes. His anchor is too loosely secured for him to trust himself right now.

His eyebrows raise again, but in a more amusedly interested way. "Was that the dick you were talking about?"

[usernameallison]

He knows it's harder this week, it's different. It feels a little like there's a big rock in his stomach. But still, he looks up at the son of Pluto, blinking. "What are we doing, Derek?"

[willyouwalk]

"Dean? Yes, probably. He thinks your brother's pet is a danger." As if on cue, Small Nico jumps up on the table to inspect Tybalt's work. He just calmly puts him on the ground. "Wouldn't surprise me if he was the one who put the sign on Mrs. O'Leary's kennel. He thinks he knows monsters but I'd love to see him go face to face with a proper Egyptian demon."

[arracht]

Leaning forward to pick up Small Nico to keep him from jumping up again, he scratches beneath the skeleton's jaw absently, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. To be fair, he's a werewolf watching a magician put together a wax figure of himself in preparation for masking his presence somehow, so.

"If it weren't for the fact he sounds trigger happy, I'd be more than thrilled to scare the shit out of him."

[arracht]

Bringing a hand up, he rubs at the side of his neck, exhaling slowly and looking past Scott a moment. "We need to get into the woods. Patrol, make sure that they haven't breached the barrier."

And he has an idea, but he doesn't want to suggest it until they're actually out there.

[willyouwalk]

Tybalt snorts as he tosses the linen over the wax model of Derek and starts sketching out the spell with his ink and stylus. "Trigger happy's a word for it," he mutters. "Why is he even here? He's not a godling or a magician. What purpose can he possible serve except for maybe bait?"

Not that Tybalt would suggest that in earnest but. Well, he doesn't really like mortals in general.

[usernameallison]

"Right." He takes a deep breath, in and out, and nods, his resolve strengthened. "Border patrol, keeping guard. Right. Just like Camp Jupiter."

He nods a little, then gestures to Derek. "You ready?"

Lydia, & Maybe 2 Companions, & Derek and maybe OH SHIT WOLVES idek

[lefthandedgenius]

Lydia's hopeful, but she's not stupid.

Chiron may not have given his blessing, but he did give his permission, and while she's not entirely sure this is the best idea, she has a hunch she wants to pursue. So she's following what she believes to be her previous footsteps from that fugue over a month ago, as silently as possible. Every sound, every sight feels heightened under the light of the full moon, and absently Lydia wonders if she checked the calendar for that night, if she'd discover it had been a full moon then as well.

She knows Lycaon's forces are stalking the borders of the camp, so she tries to avoid skirting the edges, but there's a point at which she's not even sure anymore. She knows the direction of camp and she knows to keep moving forward. Even armed with blades and her whip, she knows she's no match for a werewolf. It gives her reason to keep an eye out for trees to climb, rocks to hide behind.

[arracht]

"Just like Camp Jupiter," he agrees, looking back to him and watching him steel himself. Derek knows for sure that Laura would be proud of him if she were here.

"Ready. Let's get moving."

[arracht]

"I don't know. I'm not exactly keen on meeting him if he's terrorizing Mrs. O'Leary and thinks bones here is an abomination of some kind." Derek watches Tybalt work, keeping said bones occupied while he does. When he first met the actual hellhound, she was nothing if not sweet. If someone's going around bothering her, he's pretty sure he'd sooner punch them than talk to them.

"He'd make a good chewtoy for Lycaon's wolves."

[willyouwalk]

"Or at least a convenient distraction--right." He stops mid stroke, glancing at Derek. "Put the cat down. You're about to be cloaked, and I only made a shabti for one. They'd see Small Nico and then your cover would be shot."

[arracht]

"I don't think Chiron would be enthused by us throwing a mortal at them, though."

Looking down at the cat in his hands, he moves to set the bundle of sentient bones down on a bed so that it hopefully stays out of the way. They don't need a tagalong.

[willyouwalk]

Wordlessly, Tybalt finishes the hieroglyph. When he turns around, Derek is completely shrouded, invisible to all but the strongest magicians.

"You know, I didn't quite think this through," he comments. "I can't see you."

[arracht]

Unseen as he is, Derek still raises his eyebrows.

And then he reaches out to poke at Tybalt in the shoulder.

[willyouwalk]

Tybalt recoils from the poke, trying not to snicker. "Well, you're still there, so try not to run into anyone before we get out there, please?" He gets the door before shifting into his cat form, waiting for Derek to follow. At least he can smell him like this.

[arracht]

Derek thinks this is probably the most amusing thing ever, despite the situation. If he were inclined to, he would get up to all kinds of mayhem. "Well, I'll put forth my best effort not to."

He moves to take care of the door, closing it behind them and looking down at the cat. "After you."

[willyouwalk]

Tybalt is going to regret this. He just knows it.

Still, he takes off at a run, stopping every so often to wait for Derek to catch up. Thankfully, the woods aren't too far away.

[usernameallison]

He really wishes Centurion Hale was here sometimes, come to think of it. She was always so strong, so cool-headed like the wolf standard of their cohort. She'd know what to do.

He nods, taking in another breath of air, and brandishes his sword, heading to the forest.