A God's pack

Day 323

Like most days, Time hadn't slept but today he actually felt like it. He had been sitting in front of the fire so long that the sun had come up and, at some point, Aika had woke up and a sleep-deprived Robin had stumbled out of her house to hand the fussy boy to him. He was fairly certain that the priestess had passed back out the second she left, and he had been trying to preoccupy his racing brain with keeping Aika entertained since then. Dawn was beginning to paint the sky pinks and lavender when the pack started to wake up. 

The first thing he noticed was Vaitelin, who was in fact not in his own house but someone else's. Hm, perhaps he had been right about Astaira and him. The sandy-colored werewolf stretched, before walking over to him and dropping onto the ground next to him in a way that seemed to state that this wasn't unusual and also something that he, probably, should have noticed already. 

"Gooood mornin', Time, how's it hangin' over by the fire?" Vaitelin was in a good mood, per usual, but he was obviously already feeling how cold it was this morning. 

"Cold already, Vaitelin? You haven't even been out here for three minutes, yet." Time responded lightly, a small amount of amusement on his tone as the werewolf put his gloved hands closer to the fire to warm them.

"Yea', yeah, I know. Nothin' that the ladies haven't been fryin' me over for the past'n few weeks. If I get any more heat for it I'm gonna' to end up burnt." the man rolled his grey eyes at this, but his tone was still friendly and open as one would expect of the hunter.  

"Speaking of ladies, you treating Astaira alright, or are we going to have a problem?" Time couldn't help but give the sun-bleached man some trouble, and Vaitelin coughed to cover up his embarrassment, something that only made the young-God smile a little wider. 

"I'll 'ave you know, I've been a perfect gentleman. I slept on her floor." he defended, a sheepish note to his tone, as he scratched a hand through the short hair on his neck. Seemed that his accent got stronger when he was embarrassed. 

"Oh, I'm suuure." the sarcasm he used caused Vaitelin to fumble to sit up straight and attempt to defend himself. 

"I 'ave! I'd never take advantage of a lady!" 

"A lady? Are we still talking about the same person?" 

"She's basically bleedin' blue, what else would you call 'er?"

"....Obnoxious?" Vaitelin snorted, rolling his eyes as he settled back down as usual. 

"I'm just giving you a hard time, Vaitelin." he added,  causing the hunter to shake his head in exasperation. Turns out most of the hunters woke up all around the same time. Felis was next, her presence as she sat down on one of the stripped logs across from him reminded Time of the... information he had ended up with the night before. Felis had a recorded problem with non-werewolves... would Relis not being one cause a problem for her specifically? He was the one who had her join the group, afterall. Surie, an exhausted-looking Tero, and a bouncing Drifter excitably gushing about something to his brother also joined the group around the fire. 

"-it was so cool! You really should have seen it! Rory is such an amazing hunter, and he just ya'know, knows!" seems like he was going on about something from the hunt from the day before, Drifter hadn't been hunting with Rory for very long so it made sense he would still find his hunting style fascinating.. it also made sense that the two hadn't talked about it yet because Tero was now on a scout's schedule so he wasn't usually there by the time the pack was winding down for the day. 

"Rory sounds... great." Tero yawned, he obviously hadn't slept much, otherwise he would still be out considering how late he got back last night. 

"Rory is pretty good of a hunter, actually, a lot more vicious than our group is used to dealin' with though." Vaitelin agreed, always eager to get in on a conversation. 

"You just haven't hunted with us long enough to know ruthless efficiency when you see it." Astaira making an entrance, sitting down next to Felis with the usual sharp grin on her face. Time turned slightly to look at Vaitelin, who looked much the same as he usually did when interacting with others, except that his usually dull grey-eyes were glowing slightly at the sight of her. A very unusual thing for a werewolf with grey eyes. He really had guessed that one pretty early out the gate, huh?

"Oh yeah? Are we going to be gettin' lessons in that then? 'Cause I'd love to learn." voice just a slight bit different in tone. 

"Sorry, Viaite, but I don't think you have what it takes to keep up with the likes of us." the sandy-haired dirty-blond sighed, theatrically, in response. 

"Well, shoot, guess I aint gonna ever be as good at huntin' as you lot than. Good thing I got Hercules and Drifter on my side or we'd not be catchin' so much more than ya'll. Really, very lucky to 'ave them." Time coughed at the response, trying to keep a straight face. 

"Oh? Was that a challenge? You want to make a bet on who actually catches the most for everyone?" Felis now in on the conversation, quick to defend her own hunting abilities. 

"Now, I wasn't sayin' anythin' like that, I wouldn't want to make you ladies look bad." oph, okay, the teasing tone on his voice aside that was going to cause some competition. 

"Make us look bad? Please, I think you're afraid of getting your tail handed to you, Viaite." 

"I do believe you all are currently on the same hunting party, aren't you? How could you possibly prove who catches more right now?" Time spoke up, reminding everyone of the hunting system they were currently using. A small moment of silence while everyone decided, seemingly at once, how to handle that.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to see about that when spring comes back around." Astaira responded, giving Vaitelin a challenging look. 

"Lookin' forward to it. Just don't get upset with me when you lose, ya'll were the ones who wanted a competition." the rest of the pack began to rouse after this, Robin being the last of the normal members of the group to wake up. The blue-eyed priestess carefully sat down next to him, stretching, before carefully taking Aika back and smiling at the small creature. 

"Thank you for helping me with him so much, Time, don't know how I would do it without you." her tone laced with gratitude that made him smile. 

"I'm always here to help you, Robin, just as I promised I would be." now the only thing he was waiting on was Relis, the latest to get up seeing as he was also always the last to go to sleep on any given day. How would this go over? Would they even know what shapeshifters were? His thoughts were cut off by the very blond he was thinking about sitting down next to Vaitelin. Time turned his attention to the tall man to see if anything had changed and, surprisingly enough, he couldn't see any differences right off. He still had golden-blond hair, clean-shaven face, light-tanned skin, and he was still incredibly tall and somewhat lanky. He looked much the same.. except maybe for the purple under his eyes marking how little he had slept. 

"You okay over there, Relis? You look like you didn't sleep none." Vaitelin's voice was concerned, warm, as he did the friendly gesture of placing a hand on the man's arm. This seemed to wake him up a bit, giving the other a glance that caused a small shock to Time. That was the difference, the 'mostly', Relis's eyes were now a bright, icy, pale blue instead of the deep sapphire color that Robin had. He looked more like a predator, one can always tell by looking, his eye shape a bit sharper and more pronounced in the way that a monster's should be. Vaitelin seemed to notice the difference too, his expression turning to one of confusion.

"I am okay, thank you." Time carefully got to his feet as the blond stated his response, he could feel Relis watching him as he did so, moving to circle a still-questioning Vaitelin and offering Relis a hand.

"Are you ready?" the shapeshifter laughed, voice dripping with anxiety.

"Not at all." but he didn't refuse the gesture, getting to his feet as the pack fell quiet to try to figure out what was going on. 

"Do you want to explain, or do I have to do it?" Time pressed, tone still neutral as watched Relis flatten the wrinkles in his tunic out. 

"No... no. I can, uh, I can do it." the uncertainty, the nerves, in the golden-man's usually stoic voice made even Surie sit up, confusion on her face. The question on everyone's mind; what had Relis done? 

"So... I... I might not have been entirely... upfront about everything when I joined the pack." he meandered, his words causing a snort from Rory. At this point, most of the people in attendance had noticed the change in Relis, how he looked more dangerous, how his eyes were sharper in shape and color, but no one dared speak up. Rem had noticed how upset Relis seemed, it would be difficult not to, and the youth got up and hugged close to the tall man's leg in an attempt to comfort him. Relis glanced at Time, before looking down at the young boy who blinked in confusion as he looked up at him. He didn't have the tact the adults did, the filter, he was willing to ask.

"What happened to your eyes?" not an accusation, just a question as Rem blinked repeatedly up at him like he thought he was seeing things. 

"That's... what I wanted to talk about actually. I'll answer that, Rem." he carefully peeled the child's hands away, gesturing to Robin who the youth went to hesitantly. 

"So?" Time pressed again, the sooner Relis admitted it the faster he would find out the response. 

"I lied when I joined, I lied to everyone who came in after too, I'm not actually a werewolf-" the outrage from a certain woman was immediate. 

"You're what!" Felis's voice was sharp, loud, enough that even Time flinched at it. She stormed around the fire with her eyes burning like they too had been set ablaze. 

"You've been lying to me about that for years?" she snarled like a rabid dog, and the young-God could already sense that he was going to have to get involved if he didn't want Felis attacking Relis. 

"How? How did you do it? I've seen you transform into a wolf, which is more than I can say for a majority of these fuckers, so how in the gods damned world are you saying you aren't a werewolf?" the huntress didn't believe his admission. Understandably so, Time wouldn't have believed it either a month ago. 

"I am sorry, I can not describe how sorry I am, Felis." his words did nothing to soothe her, she was bristling and teeth were bared and Time could swear her nails were looking rather claw-like right then. 

"Don't with that, give me the fucking explanation, Relis." demanding, and Relis was now refusing to meet her gaze. 

"I'm not a werewolf, but I can turn into a wolf, yes-"

"So... if you can change into a wolf... doesn't that just make you... a werewolf?" Vaitelin interrupted Relis's attempt again, he obviously didn't understand either. 

"Well... no. Werewolves are not the only beings who can turn into wolves." Relis responded, to the surprise of a few people around the fire including Felis who now looked like her entire world had just shifted. 

"So, what in the name of the stars are you then?" she was beyond mad, Time began to move to interject himself between the two before she slugged the man but Relis held out an arm. He didn't want to be protected from her. Very well, if Relis wanted to be punched in the face he couldn't really forcibly remove him from the situation. 

"I am a shapeshifter, not a werewolf." he responded, anxiety on his voice. Vaitelin and Felis didn't seem to really understand what that meant, the woman merely seething because she was lied to, and for a second Time wondered if mortals had ever had a reason to know about shapeshifters existence. Until he was forcibly grabbed and dragged a few feet away from Relis. Okay, so maybe someone did know what that meant. 

"He's a what?" Bear, tone deep and hostile, also the person who had an arm wrapped around his mid-section. Relis quickly noticed the action, noticed the aggression, and put his hands up again to show his innocence. 

"I am not dangerous, I just-"

"Not dangerous my ass, you people are known as God killers for a reason." the dark-toned werewolf growled back, his words causing a shift in the way the pack looked at him. God killer. There really wasn't any grey-area on that one. Now everyone was upset or confused in one way or another. 

"You're known as what?" Felis was still just as mad, Time didn't think the whole 'God killer' thing had really changed her tune all that much. Robin, smart woman she was, decided it was a good idea to remove herself and the younglings from the situation and carefully ushered Rem away from the stressed-out group around the fire. Time had been expecting a rather hostile reaction, by the anxiety he had been seeing in Relis he had too. Of course, there was one person who he had managed to forget who would certainly know what a shapeshifter was among them, Astaira. He only remembered that she was a demi-God, and therefore also at risk, when he noticed her crossing around the fire too. Okay, now he had to interject or she would do what he hadn't. Breaking free from Bear didn't take much, he wasn't expecting any resistance on his end anyway, so Time attempted to be as gentle with the mortal's arm as possible as he forced the man to release him. The right pace, and the young-God quickly interjected himself between the demi-God and her target before she got quite close enough to do anything drastic. 

"I don't know what you are thinking, Astaira, but I don't think I would approve." 

"He's a shapeshifter, Time, why in the Gods' own seven hells did you let him stay?" she responded, voice dangerously calm. 

"He's only a half-blood shapeshifter, he doesn't have to be dangerous to us." Astaira paused, as did Bear who seemed to be surprised that Time was actually defending the blond man. 

"So, what? I have to sit here with that thing and pretend he isn't capable of killing me?" 

"Isn't that what mortals do? We're perfectly capable of killing them, and yet, they still sit around this fire with us." it was a desperate kind of response, even if he kept his tone neutral, but it was enough to soothe Surie, Drifter, and Rory. Astaira didn't look ready to drop it, though. 

"Are you prepared to vouch for him, then?" a challenge, one that left Time feeling a little winded. Doing so would make anything that Relis did his responsibility, his fault, if the shapeshifter proved to be exactly what he was supposed to be it would be Time suffering the consequences in his wake as surely as if he had committed the crime himself. 

"Astaira, I don't think that's fair to ask of him, you know how much he doesn't like-" Drifter tried to step in to his defense, but the demi-Goddess silenced the teen with a sharp look. 

"Well, Time, are you willing to defend this man to the point of claiming his actions as yours? Or are we going to be done with this nonsense?" she pressed, the assertion causing him to bristle in a slightly territorial fashion. 

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Astaira, I gave you shelter not the other way around." he felt the need to remind her of who was in charge here, and it wasn't her. 

"Is that a no?" she continued to press, of course she did she was beyond stubborn. Because her point wasn't even that she could force anything to happen if he refused, it was making a point of how little Relis could be trusted and yet Time was, for some reason, allowing him to stay.  

"I don't see why I have to claim someone for you to not kill them but I'll vouch for Relis." that seemed to put an end to everything really quick. That, officially, made Relis part of Time's family which made him kind of off-limits in a lot of regards. Like Rem was, like Hercules. 

"Are you completely sure about this?" Bear stepping in again, face contorted with distrust as he glanced at the outlaw. 

"Yes, I am." the tension in camp was palpable, Felis still glaring at Relis for several long moments before punching the guy in the gut and turning to stalk off with the majority of the hunting party following after with some reluctance. Vaitelin being an exception, quickly moving to help the shapeshifter stay on his feet now that he was thoroughly winded. 

"You alright, Relis? I know Felis has quite the arm." the hunter questioned, tone only slightly joking. Time sighed as he moved to approach the man, seemed like the people who cared the least about this was Vaitelin and Tero. The other scout now also helping the blond to straighten back up to his normal height. 

"I am.... okay." he said that but it was obviously absolute bull, having the only friend from before the pack so mad to outright punch him must have been quite the blow to the psyche but... the dishonesty on Relis's part was to blame. Tero didn't seem to think any differently on his mentor than he had before the reveal, seemed he still had faith in whatever part of the blond he had been privy to. Vaitelin, perhaps, didn't really understand what he was dealing with and in an odd way whatever history the two had before the pack had ended up making him more willing to put aside something like this... the only person just... around was Bear, mostly there to shadow Time as a guard. 

"I hope you learned your lesson about lying, Relis, I don't think Felis is going to go so easy on you if you are hiding anything else." he cautioned, drawing the icy blue attention of the shapeshifter who gave him a look of gratitude instead of exasperation like he had expected. 

"I can not believe you were willing to vouch for me." oh, that, Tero looked like he was equally as unsure of his motives as Relis was. 

"Astaira knew what she was doing, didn't really have a choice."

"Oh, but you did. I have been lying to you for months, there was no good reason for you to defend me from her." 

"Yeah, well, don't make me regret it. If you fuck up I'm going to have to answer for it, too." warning it was supposed to be but it didn't seem to put a damper on how grateful the blond, obviously, was. 

"If I was you I'd give the ladies a wide berth for the moment, I don't think any of them are too keen on doin' ya' any favors."

"Focusing on scouting would be a good idea, help remind everyone what you've done for the pack." Tero agreed with Vaitelin, Relis just sighed shortly but nodded. 

"Thank you for defending me, Time, and for vouching for me. I would not have you regret it." Time nodded shortly in response, still uncertain, as he left the small group to check up on Robin. What a day this had turned out to be.  

Robin had long since retreated from the altercation at the fire back into her house, taking Rem and Aika with her to keep the two young-ones away from the high-stress environment, and now that things had simmered down a bit it was time to check in on them. The young-God hesitated at the door, before lightly knocking on the frame. Time waited, patiently, for a response that came in the form of the priestess opening the hide-tacked over her door and giving him an intense look. Obviously stress, worried, and uncertain about a lot of things. The last thing that Robin had been privy to was Bear's use of the term 'God killer' so it wasn't exactly strange that she seemed a bit relieved to see him. As much as he didn't like to be touched he allowed Robin to drag him into a hug, her anxiety pooling at her feet. She must have been forcibly holding herself together while she waited for things to blow over, pretending to be calm and okay as to not stress Rem. 

"Are you okay, Robin?" he asked with the lightest tone he could afford, to which she responded with a nod but little else. Her hands were shaking, he could feel the small tremors like cobwebs on his skin. 

"I'm okay, Robin, everything's fine. No one got hurt." Time carefully attempted to remove Robin's hands, but the priestess didn't seem keen on letting go of him just yet. "What's wrong? I can't help you if I don't know what you need." the familiar words seemed to help the red-head ground herself a bit, the same question he had asked to press her into admitting her pregnancy moons ago. 

"Bear called him a 'God killer'... is that true? Can he kill you?" her thoughts more coherent now but the distrust, despair, and fear that had been basically dripping off of the young werewolf were now feeling quite like an emotional flood that Time, very much, wanted to shy away from. Overpowering. He had allowed Robin too much into his ether and it was difficult to pull away so suddenly, cutting the connects where he could to shield himself from the bombardment of feelings that she was throwing off. It took him a long moment to gather himself again, remove the extra pieces that weren't him, before he could respond.

"Yes, if Relis desired to do so he could, theoretically, kill me. Or leave me hollow, even, but just because he is capable of doing so doesn't mean he will." more to soothe Robin than anything, Time wasn't sure he believed that Relis didn't have the intention of bleeding him ether-dry the second he ascended to true godhood. 

"... did he leave?"

"What? No, he hasn't done anything to warrant me throwing him out." the werewolf pulled away from him now, drawing back and giving him an incredulous, confused, look. 

"He... can kill you and you're just gonna let him live here?"

"I could kill you but you still decided to trust me, didn't you?"

"That's different, you're a God. I knew you were a God when I met you." she argued, he wasn't sure if it was her concern for him causing her to dislike Relis's continued presence or the fact that she already didn't like the blond very much. 

"I knew Relis was dangerous when he joined. As long as he doesn't try anything he has a place here." he said this with an edge, finality, that caused Robin to sigh deeply and sag against the door frame of her house. 

"I believe in you, I always have and always will, but... I sure hope you know what you're doing." all he could offer her was a calm smile, because he wasn't sure he knew what he was doing either. 

"How is Rem holding up?" 

"He's confused, upset, hurt from being lied to and because he thinks Relis has been getting close to him in order to better hunt you." Time frowned slightly at her response, it... actually might not be too terribly farfetched of a thought to have. Relis had expressed himself the most... human around Rem and Aika, wether it was to manipulate the way Time saw him or merely how he was would be hard to parse. Currently, he had no way of knowing how much of Relis's behaviour and appearance was fake.

"He's resting right now, I don't think anyone can blame him for being exhausted after what just happened." she added, seeming to sense his intentions. 

"I certainly can't, even I'm tired and I don't need to sleep like you all do.  That was... a lot." Robin nodded her head in agreement, giving him a look. 

"Well, Rem and Aika are already asleep and I think I'm going to do the same, you're welcome to join the three of us." with that she stretched and went back into her thatched house. As tempting as that may seem he knew better than to sleep in a follower's house... and, plus, he didn't think the preverbal fire was out in camp quite yet so he'd be staying up to keep an eye on the behavior. Make sure no one did anything regrettable. 

Day 345

Three weeks since the reveal with Relis and things had, mostly, calmed down. There was still tension, thinly veiled hostility, when Bear, Astaira, Robin, or Felis, saw the blond-haired man but besides that most seemed keen enough to pretend he didn't exist. He seemed to be taking the coldness in stride, but it was really hard to tell how accurate that was considering how good he was at keeping a straight-face in most situations. At least not everyone was acting this way towards the shapeshifter, Tero, Vaitelin, and more recently Hercules seeming to treat him as usual.

Time was in for another long night with Aika by the fire, the small mortal being extra fussy, not settling for anything less than his entire, devoted, attention. Strange how he had never really noticed that the baby had olive-green eyes until now, a stark glowing contrast to his dark complexion. Werewolf, he couldn't think of any other possible creature that had eyes that glowed in quite the same way... demi-god would be the only option he supposed, like Astaira, but that was insanely unlikely due to him being the first God to leave the sphere in eons. 

"Do you ever sleep anymore?" Relis's voice was light, Time glanced up warily at the shapeshifter but the blond was standing a respectful distance away. 

"No, it's a good thing I don't need it." 

"You would still function better if you did, though." the outlaw countered, but there was no implication or bite to his tone, Time tried not to get too defensive as he heard the tall-being move. Relis quietly sat down near him, using the log directly to Time's left as something like a make-shift arm-and-head rest as he sat on the ground. Being this close to someone who was an active threat to him, obviously, made him uncomfortable but he could deal with it for the moment. Relis wasn't doing this to bother him, and it was becoming more and more a usual thing, the shapeshifter was more interested in Aika than he was Time. In fact he was becoming such a familiar face that Aika felt perfectly comfortable lifting his tiny pudgy arms like he was expecting his demand to be held by the blond to be met. 

"You... really like to look after the little ones, don't you?" he had honestly believed this part of Relis to be faked for his benefit but the longer this continued and he remained the same the less Time could keep such a stalwart view on that. 

"Yes, I do. They are so simple, easy to understand,  and they do not hold hostile bias. No complications." Relis really did seem more at peace when he was watching Aika, or helping Rem. 

"No danger?" Time added, the shapeshifter casting him a look with icy eyes but saying nothing to confirm or deny his words. He didn't have to, the edge in the look was really all the young-God needed to see to understand. 

"May I hold him?" it had been quite a few weeks since the last time that Relis had asked that and the look mixed with the posture of the scout told Time he wasn't really expecting affirmation. He was just asking. When Relis had last made that request he had turned him down on the principle that Robin wouldn't approve, but she had, herself, allowed him to hold Aika so... surely there was no harm? When Time shifted to present the small being to the other Relis looked.... well, beyond surprised. But he caught up quickly, taking Aika with a grin that had his eyes crinkling around the corners in a very mortal way. 

"Hello, little one." for someone who was supposed to be one of the most dangerous creatures roaming the wilds he certainly didn't sound it right now. Voice warm, obviously incredibly pleased, and gestures very careful. Aika didn't seem to mind the change any, reaching out to Relis with little pudgy baby hands and seeming to be happy enough to toy with Relis's hand when offered. Maybe Relis was a lot simpler of a creature than he had been allowing himself to believe. 

"It is still... strange to hear his name, is it not?" the question surprised Time, he had defaulted to just staring into the fire but as his attention shifted back to the shapeshifter he found that the man was still entirely captured by the small mortal he had. 

"What? You mean Aika?" he asked, uncertain if he had heard correctly. Ice-blue eyes glanced up at him at the name, reminding Time of how the blond had initially reacted when Robin had told it to him. Recognization.

"Yes. It is a version of your own, it is not?" he couldn't help but sigh in response to those words, he was right it was directly his own name.. in another tongue. It was not as if he had never even been called Aika before, but at this point the little one had been around long enough that he had mostly numbed himself to responding. 

"I wasn't aware you knew what Aika meant, but yes, it is a version of my own name." 

"I know several other languages, I like this one in particular. Aika. I think it is lovely, more romantic than how we say it." several... so more than just the two? Time turned to give the blond a strange look only find the ice-colored eyes already examining him with slight confusion.

"What?" an instinctual response to being watched by a predator.

"This seems a strange thing for you to be resigned about, did you not like the name Robin picked?" 

"I... no. Not particularly. Would have preferred something more... individual?" would have preferred if Aika hadn't been named after him. Would have preferred to not have to think about the implications, or if she even knew the meaning of it. He still hadn't asked her about it and he still wasn't sure if he even wanted to know her answer... Relis was giving him a strange look. 

"Robin... did not consult you before naming Aika such?" 

"No, she didn't, but why would she? Not really any of my business what she names her son, is it?" he expected further pressing on the topic, this was Relis after all, but instead the an seemed to be adding a few things up in his head as he returned his attention to the tiny, squirming, mortal. 

"I... think she meant it to be only the highest compliment. I am sure of that much." there was something in the tone that told Time that Relis knew something he wasn't sharing, though the amount of guard in the shapeshifter's eyes also indicated that he wouldn't be easily pressed to share his thoughts. 

"... Is there a reason you're asking?"

"Not particularly, I was just wondering how you were adjusting to it. I... did not know that Robin named him after you without your consent." yeah, he tried not to think about that part either. A little.... not fantastic, that was of her to do without so much of a thought as to how he'd feel about it but it was done, over, and the name was Aika's now. No point pouting or whining about it at this point. 

"I don't think many people know that. I've been left with the distinct impression that a majority of the pack thinks Aika is my son or something, so if any of them know what the word even means they are of the belief that it was probably my idea." the remark off-handed, he hadn't really been going out of his way to disprove that or lead them to believe otherwise but the number of people in the group willing to believe that was a little hurtful. Truly, how little did his followers think of him? 

"I...? Is he not your son...?" seems Relis had believed that too, Time couldn't help but give the man a deeply offended look at the implications. 

"Okay, the others I can understand, sort of, they're mortals who haven't interacted with Gods in centuries and they know no better, but you? You're at least part healer, do you really think so little of me to think I'd do such a thing?" 

"I.... did not mean offense by that. I just.. did not think you cared for the rules of the old Gods? I thought that was why you were here?"

"Some of the rules, and the traditions, maybe. But I didn't come out here to 'stick it to the man', the rules about relations with mortals are there for good reason."

"...and Astaira?" Time gave Relis a long look to try to figure out if the shapeshifter was making a point of the demi-goddess's own heritage, something she had no say in, or the fact that she was courting a mortal. Based on the glance towards her house, and Relis's own background, he would make an assumption it was the later. 

"She's an adult, she's allowed to make her own mistakes... doesn't mean I'll do the same, though." he was still strangely hurt that someone who was aware of how things worked would also come to that conclusion. Honestly, did he really come off that poorly or was he sending weird signals? 

"Then... why did Robin name Aika after you?" a confused tone on the man's voice that, honestly, Time couldn't help but relate to. He was also in the dark about that. 

"I have no idea, not sure what she was thinking, or trying to say, or if she's even aware of what Aika means. I haven't asked, and I don't intend to." the hint of an edge in his voice meant to make a point that he didn't want Relis asking either, which the man vaguely nodded to in understanding. 

"That begs the question on if he is a werewolf.. or something else then..." 

"Something else being a demi-god, I'm guessing? Unless there is another group of people that have eyes that glow like they do that I don't know about?" 

"...prophets have eyes that glow..... it would be impossible to tell, he could just be half-werewolf half-human, the chances are regardless of what he is mixed with his eyes will glow because Robin's do." Time hummed in agreement, looking at the now drowsy baby that Relis was still holding. There was no way to tell... and really he didn't see it mattering what Aika was. They already had a Healer, several werewolves, a demi-Goddess, and a half-shapeshifter, whatever Aika was didn't matter as long as he was a good one. 

"He's cute, regardless though." Relis seemed content enough to let the conversation drop, allowing the camp to fall back into a silence with the only sound being the pop of the fire. Things change and yet they still stay the same, somehow. 

Day 353

A normal day, the sun high and causing a blinding effect as it bounced off of the small patches of bright white snow that covered the camp grounds. By the way that everyone else was acting it must be a bitterly cold mid-day, Robin had gotten so fed up with it that she had, basically, confiscated Time's cloak so she could have a second one to hide herself and Aika in across the fire. Rem seemed to have a similar outlook but the young-God had went out of his way to bundle the young boy up more than he normally needed so he wouldn't get too chilled with his hair wet. 

"You're torturing that poor boy." Robin said over the fire as she curled up as much as she could, comfortably, be with a baby in her arms. 

"I'm almost done with him, surely it isn't that cold is it?" he really couldn't tell, he was vaguely aware of temperatures but unless ether was involved he couldn't feel burning or freezing like mortals could. The incredulous look that the blue-eyed werewolf gave him in response was enough to cause him to feel a little guilty for forcing Rem to wash up today, of all days.

"You aren't too cold are you, Rem?" voice light, the youth looked up at him with similarly sparkling blue eyes and shook his head fiercely. 

"You aren't cold? You're soaked and it's freezing out here! I'm surprised you haven't picked up frost by now!" Robin must just be jealous of the fact that immortals didn't have such a problem with temperature. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't entirely sure what Rem even was. He knew he had ether, that he was some kind of non-mortal being, that was how he had become corrupted in the first place but he hadn't really thought about it since... so obviously, much like himself, Rem wouldn't experience the cold like the rest of the pack would. So drowning the kid in blankets like he had actually wasn't necessary... not that he seemed to mind being covered in half the pelts in camp. 

"I'm by the fire, why would I be cold?" Rem didn't seem to understand the basis of the question, he was a child so it was likely he was unaware of the differences of how he experienced the world versus others. 

"What? You are like a yard and a half away from it, how could that possibly be helping?" 

"He's not a mortal like you are, remember Robin? He doesn't feel temperature like you do, he experiences it like I do." the werewolf opened her mouth, before blinking into the fire a few times. 

"So... you're both immune to how cold it is out here is what you're saying?" 

"Yes, that's right." Rem always seemed to enjoy when Time compared them, smiling a grin at the werewolf that was wide enough that she could probably see the boy's missing canines. 

"So what is Bear then that he just gets to run around like its summer all the time?" Robin continued to complain, a good-natured and playful tone to her voice. Time hummed, as if pantomiming thought, as he untangled a few choice knots from Rem's hair with careful hands. Turns out he didn't need to respond, the youth was quick to jump to answering that like it had been a real question.

"Oh! I know! He's Time's Bodyguard, right? Aren't the mortals of the Gods supposed to be given demi-God like strength and endurance in return for serving them?" Rem said this all in a way that suggested this knowledge was considered common to him, like he just knew this instinctually rather than having been taught, but Time was a little gobsmacked by it. 

"Well, yes he does consider himself my bodyguard but I'm not giving him any advantages..." he wasn't a true God yet, he was merely an Heir-God, and giving such boons were still beyond his reach for the moment. "How do you even know about all of that, anyway?" 

"Relis told me! He also told me about that, um... temperature thing. Oh! And he showed me how to make hair paint!" so the outlaw had been the one teaching him, Time wasn't sure how he had managed to overlook that... and he also wasn't sure for how long he had been doing so... ah, wait, Robin. The young-God lifted his eyes expectantly, being rewarded with a displeased scowl on Robin's face at the mention of the blond man. She still didn't like that Time had allowed him to stay in the group now that she knew how dangerous he could be and it was still a source of stress between them. He, pointedly, tried to ignore the simmering coming from the werewolf, picking up a small porcelain pot that he had been using to keep his hair moisturizer in and beginning to lightly add some to Rem's hair. He was hoping that if he stayed focused and didn't meet her eyes that she'd just leave it, but if wishes were poppies and all that. 

"I still don't know why you let him stay here, he's proven himself to be untrustworthy and too self-interested." ah, there it was. He didn't even have to look at her to know the look she was making, he could hear it on her voice. 

"This one, again? We've already had this conversation to death, Robin." he couldn't help but frown, glancing up at her in a way that he hoped would get her to drop this. Normally, she would, as she wasn't as stubborn as most of the others, but for some reason with this topic in particular she wasn't willing to let it go.

"Because he is a danger to you, to Astaira, to Rem, and to all of the rest of us in this group! Atleast with other things, hostiles, we have you and Astaira to defend us but that very thing that makes you capable of protecting us best he can use against you, can take from you, and can then use on us." she was probably heated enough about this topic that the extra cloak would probably not be needed anymore. 

"Relis isn't dangerous, he loves the pack... he'd never hurt us." Rem's quiet voice responded to Robin, immediate guilt washed over Time but he wasn't sure if it was his or Robin's he was feeling. They needed to stop getting in arguments in front of the poor boy, it's not like it was his fault or something he could do anything about. Time could feel the small wavering in the patchy youth, everyone was talking so ill of the blond it was probably making him doubt himself, and he couldn't help but give Robin a sharp look. She didn't need to be pressed further to drop it now, usually Rem stayed quiet when they had this discussion but him reminding her that he was present was more than enough to get her to quit. 

"You're right, Rem, Relis cares very much for you." not an inaccurate statement that, he wasn't going to attempt a stretch and say that the shapeshifter cared all that much for the rest of them, though... except for Aika, of course. That man could probably give or take any of the rest of them, the main reason he was even so intent on sticking around was because he was being hunted by demi-gods who, unlike Gods, can't be killed by lack of ether and are much more dangerous to shapeshifters. 

"Why do you hate him so much, Robin?" Rem's tone was almost a whine now, for some reason the youth was taking the werewolf's distaste for Relis personally. Time looked up at Robin, using her reaction to see how poorly the youth was taking this... and it was pretty poorly based on the look on her face. Regret. The young-God was feeling torn between the fact that she was easily his favorite follower... and the fact that she had pushed this conversation and upset Rem when he had asked her not to. 

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" normally ether wasn't something he used, he wasn't a true-God yet so he didn't have a lot of it, but for the moment he was adding the powerful essence to his words like honey. His intention was to use it to underline the calm, soothing, nature of his voice as he gently pulled Rem into a hug. Ether, of course, didn't work as well on people who also possessed it but Rem didn't seem interested in fighting the effects. Time had been right about one thing, though, Rem was crying over this and he didn't, really, understand why.

"What is it, why are you crying?" 

"He's... so nice, I don't.. I don't understand why everyone... why everyone is so mean to him." Rem was a child, of course he didn't understand why the pack no longer cared for Relis as a whole. He couldn't see the whole of the situation, he wasn't aware of the implications, the dangers, and that led him to naively believe that Relis was being wronged by a lot of the other adults in the group. 

"He hurt a lot of people with his lies, Rem, they'll come back around.... they just need some time right now." he didn't think they would, actually, maybe a few more would be willing to deal with him again but Felis would likely never forgive him for that. Time sighed, softly, slowly getting to his feet, a gesture that Rem followed while trying to dry his face with his hands. 

"Come on, let's see if we can track down the scouts before they realize we're looking for them." he didn't really want to go see Relis or Tero but Rem nodded in agreement. This was becoming more common, and while Time would have preferred to sit by the fire with Robin it seemed the better idea to separate her and Rem for the moment. She'd probably know better than to bring this up in Rem's presence next time. 

Day 361 (TW for blood, ) 

The camp was empty this morning, snow blinding and thick from the small blizzard they had the night before, and Time was mostly keeping himself busy with menial tasks. Should he have gone with Robin when she decided to take Rem and Aika down to the meadows to play in the snow? Probably, if only to make sure she didn't run into Relis and start anything with him, but something about this day made him feel like he should stay near the temple. Fire properly tended, burning bright with new fire-wood, and everything cleaned and restocked, there wasn't much else to do besides offerings. 

Generally speaking, Gods don't do offerings. Why would they? It was like the apex predator paying respect to the one beneath it, but, occasionally, it was considered good practice to pay a small homage to the other immortal beings that were in the area. Back in the sphere this manifested as a feast where each God contributed, but here it was more a small penance of acknowledgment. It didn't really take much time, the offering simply for the powerful Healer that had been assisting him for almost as long as he had been here, some careful twine braided through the long, thin, stalk of different basic herbal flowers, doused in a crude wine, and set aflame with a word. There was no question if it worked or not, the wine burned away immediately but the fire still crackled for several minutes longer like it was eating on wet bark before subsiding. The offering wasn't much, but considering what he was it was more than one should expect of him anyway so it would do. 

The young-God was in the midst of putting back the materials that he used when the sound of loud, heavy, feet crunching through snow caught his attention. Someone moving clumsily, in a rush, carrying more weight than usual.... these things could go a little bit without being in their exact proper homes. Stepping out of the storehouse he saw the source of the noise, Bear was treading through the deep snow, something he was usually good at, with a red-coated Hercules in his arms being held like a broken child. Time quickly crossed the clearing, confusion as to what had occurred taking a back-seat to his concern for the man he had claimed as family only a few months before. Hercules was a talented hunter, experienced in solo-kills, this had been the man who brought him elks by himself... so what in the world happened? Not to mention, how did Bear get involved? He wasn't even part of the same hunting party as Hercules so why was Bear here and where was everyone else? 

Time stepped in front of Bear, causing the tall-werewolf to growl faintly, leaning over the bloodied man to check on him. He was alive, obviously, breathing deeply but he seemed unconscious based on how unresponsive he was. The blood seemed to be coming from his side, most likely a very bad sign, but he couldn't really tell how deep it was due to that being the side that was being held to Bear... maybe to help prevent the bloodloss? 

"Put him in his house, I'll see what I can find to.... stop all of that blood." stepping away from someone actively leaking life was difficult, but necessary, and Bear made a short sound of affirmation before continuing to carry the battered man back to his thatched house. Re-entering the storehouse, Time began to haphazardly pull as many herbs as he thought could possibly be useful, as well as several other choice items, before quickly moving across the clearing and entering into the normally dark abode. While he had been grabbing materials, Bear had been helpfully pulling aside the window coverings and the door covering and tying them to allow for as much light as possible. 

"Should I try to find the Healer?" the question was a simple one, asked as the young-God kneeled on the ground next to the brown-haired hunter to try to do... something.

"Yes... please. Be quick." no more words needed, he didn't even glance at Bear as he left. Generally speaking, setting one's hands on fire was a bad idea but... he was a God and he'd live.. even if it burned and made him regret his existence. He needed to see how bad Hercules was and the most sure-fire way to get him killed was to give the guy an infection trying to help him. Not happening. Cleansed knife in hand, Time wasted not a single extra minute before tearing away the thick furs that were keeping him from being able to see the wound. The furs were sticky, wet, and dark with sopped up blood, his hands becoming sickeningly red as he pulled them away. He hadn't even touched the wound yet and his hands were already dipped in blood. Dragging the dirtied leathers away from the unconscious hunter the true extent of the injury became more clear. It looked like Hercules had gotten rushed by a moose and gotten lucky, but his entire side had several, massive, deep rips that made Time's brain stop functioning as he stared. Even if Hercules survived this would he be able to keep hunting... would he even be able to run? The skin was ripped, torn, bluntly and all he could think about was how much force, how much impact, a creature has to be able to make in order to tear into a werewolf with a rounded edge. 

Time wasn't a healer, he wasn't a mystic, he wasn't even a medic of any kind, he knew the basics of how to slow bleeding but this? He... all he could even think of doing was holding a large piece of thick fabric to the massive holes and applying pressure to slow the seeping until someone who knew what they were doing got there. So, completely, out of it was he that he couldn't even feel his hands. 

"Hey." the voice was gentle, he didn't recognize it immediately, but he was so numb that it didn't really bother him. Turning to look at the person who had kneeled next to him he nearly had a heart attack as he recognized them. Recognized him. The man was dark in tone, only a few shades darker than he was, eyes the same burning-fire color he had, hair long. 

"Sar'ene?" he basically choked on the name, feeling like he was suffering a fever-induced hallucination. Here he was, sitting in the little middle-of-nowhere pack he had created with the blood of one of his followers covering his hands and... his cousin was just sitting there... like he had just appeared out of nowhere. In fact, he looked different. His skin, hair, even his eyes speckled with new marks that reminded Time of fire, and gold, and melted copper, all at once... and that only meant one thing. While he was here, pretending at Godhood as a mere heir, Sar'ene was a true, living, God now. His father had stepped down... or passed in his absence. Stars above he felt sick, this was all too much all at once. Time drew a ragged breath, turning away from the familiar face to look once more at the unfortunate hunter. 

"Who is he?" Sar'ene's voice was calm, aloof, all smooth edges and star-light. Like liquid silk. Like God's should be. Time had to move to keep his hands from visibly shaking, taking one of the porcelain containers, opening it, and beginning to place a thick layer of the mixture onto the clean-cotten fabric he was going to have to use on Hercules's ravaged side. 

"He's... Hercules. An unnamed." he didn't know if he had to explain any further, he wasn't looking at the God but even if he had been he probably wouldn't have understood what he was thinking... the two of them had never really gotten along all that well and it often felt like they were speaking different languages. 

"Family, then?" how could he be so cool about watching a man bleed out?

"Yes, he is." while, at one point, they had been remarkably similar in terms of power, in nobility, now it felt like Sar'ene was in a whole other class. His own voice sounding rough, cracked, and inferior in comparison... it almost made him just not want to speak at all. 

"I see, what happened to him?" Time didn't want to have this conversation. How he was managing to keep holding together and continue was beyond him right then but here he was, taking up a bottle and preparing to douse Hercules's side with enough of it to down a boar. 

"I don't know, I didn't ask. It is not what is important right now... I'm sure it isn't anything he did though, he's the best hunter we have." it was a weak defense coming from a weak voice, Time could feel Sar'ene's eyes switch away from the brown-haired mortal to look at him. 

"Very well, move." a command that had Time freezing, not his usual response to Sar'ene telling him what to do. It was almost instinctual in nature, like when the Healer exerted themself over him to force-calm. 

"What are you going to do?" a small sliver of protectiveness working its way into his, otherwise, hoarse tone. Sar'ene didn't deen to respond, pushing the heir-God to the side with a causal shove that had more power in it than the young-god thought it should based on the gesture, and leaning over the rasping man to see the damage.

"Ah, that is pretty bad. The poor fool probably would have died if I didn't show up." Time wasn't sure if Sar'ene was talking to himself or to him at this point but he didn't respond, watching the God warily. Instincts flared, and he flinched away from the other just in time for a wave of ether to surge through the entire heart of the camp, dispersing well outside of his own range to track it. Time dared not open his eyes in the following silence after for many moments, only peaking when the sound of Sar'ene shifting to settle back down into a more lazy-posture told him it was safe to do so. He could still smell blood, and Hercules was still awfully pale, but he could feel that the danger of him succumbing to his wounds was passed. Glancing at the other dark-toned man, Time shifted up to examine the hunter. The massive, torn, ugly, mangled wounds in his side? Gone, leaving behind only some thick-scarring in their wake that looked like spiderwebs and lightning.

Time dropped back to the floor, breathing out the massive amounts of stress into the cold air and focusing on the ceiling for several long moments. Hercules was okay, he wasn't dying anymore, the immediate danger was over. 

"Thank you, Sar'ene... I wouldn't have been able to do that." he hated admitting it, hated the fact that if his cousin hadn't shown up one of his favorite followers, no, favorite people would have died and he wouldn't have been able to do anything to stop it. Even using every drop of ether in his own body he wouldn't have been able to make a meaningful change to wounds like that... and Sar'ene.. he didn't even look phased by it. 

"What is family for?" the lackadaisy response just made him sigh, thankfully it was hidden rather well among just how hard he was already breathing now that he was coming down from an adrenaline high. 

"What... what are you doing out here?" he didn't want to look at Sar'ene, he wanted to hold onto the image of his cousin that he had always had. The one without the captured fire. The one where he wasn't obviously gold-blooded. Time set about beginning to clean up the mess that had been made in all of the haste to help Hercules, trying to calm his still-stuttering breathing.

"I could ask you the same, Iniko." it had been a long time since anyone had called him that. Iniko, troubled times. At one point Astaira had called him that too, Sar'ene was now the only person who did so. 

"I'm here because the Oracle advised me to do so." one last check on Hercules, a hand on his head to check temperature, before the heir-God got to his feet and began to untie the fur-pelts that covered the windows. No need to give him hypothermia.  

"They advised you to leave without saying a word to your family?" Sar'ene's response carried with it the biting cold, Time could almost see his breath hazing in front of him like a mortal in winter from the chill. 

"Is that why you're here?" 

"No, actually, it isn't. The Oracle told us why you left, would have preferred to hear it from you though... the reason I'm here is Astaira-" oh. Time frowned as he continued to fix the windows, pointedly not looking at the God when he spoke. Of course he was here for Astaira, she was his betrothed and she was here in order to avoid him. "-no one has seen her since around when you left so we were hoping she followed you." Sar'ene's voice wasn't asking a question, but the expectation was there. He wanted a 'yes, she's here' or a 'no, havent seen her'. Instead of responding in such a manner Time turned to look at the space God blankly, he'd have to ask outright if he wanted his answer. His cousin didn't look pleased with his unwillingness to respond.

"Is Astaira here, Time?" it wasn't everyday that Sar'ene called him by his real name, seemed he was cutting out on any grey-areas so he would be forced to properly respond... Sar'ene always was the smart one. 

"Not at the moment, no." 

"But she does live here, with you?" 

"Yes, she functions as one of the hunters." the snort from Sar'ene made Time feel a little insulted on his friend's behalf, she wasn't just the daughter of the Goddess of Beauty, she had her own things. Oh shit, Astaira's betrothed and she'd been courting a mortal. Time put a hand over his mouth to keep his expression from giving too much away, his cousin raising his eyebrows at the gesture. 

"When will she be back?"

"Later today, but she won't leave with you.. you know her well enough to know that." Sar'ene nodded vaguely in response, looking towards the door of the house as he seemed to be thinking about something. Time couldn't help but wonder if being an actual God, instead of an Heir-God, made things different in any way besides voice and ether. 

"That's fine by me, the feeling of... dissatisfaction with the arrangement is mutual." he had always been aware of this, Astaira and Sar'ene didn't see eye to eye on just about anything and they certainly didn't enjoy each others company any... but it was strange hearing Sar'ene say that anyway. Up until now, he had always pretended to be fine with it. 

"Shall we leave this little.... hut? It is dreadfully stuffy in here." Time didn't have much of a choice, following the God mutely as he exited. He felt like he was under scrutiny, the things he had worked to make with his pack had only brought him comfort before but now he felt like he was being looked down on. This... this was why he had wanted so badly to not become a lesser God to Sar'ene... but he already had a headstart now. 

Leaving the house, Time paused to untie the pelt that covered the door. He was feeling scrapped raw with everything going on. He had felt at peace here, even when he was in danger he had preferred the freedom of being away from the other Gods... of course Sar'ene would decide to ruin that for him. 

"What in the stars-?" Bear's voice, he turned to look at the dark-brown haired man who had appeared on the scene. He wasn't sure what he was expecting but the guard rounding Sar'ene like he was a threat and grabbing Time's arm with enough force to bruise any mortal wasn't it. Once again, he was reminded of the fact that Bear was especially sensitive to immortals, and he was left questioning what the man was seeing. The werewolf looked properly uncertain, intimidated, but he was tilting his head away from Sar'ene like he was blinding instead of out of respect. His cousin looked properly amused by the response, bright orange eyes narrowing at the man.

"Is this your bodyguard, Iniko? He seems awfully... personable for one." 

"He's not Hollowed, if that's what you're asking." the idea of that had always made him feel slightly ill, striping mortals of their personalities and ability to feel any kind of pleasure in exchange for allowing them the grace of living among Gods? It wasn't as if they even were treated very well once Hollowed, often used as pawns or toys by those who had them. Time had forgotten that Sar'ene had an entire assemble of such people... though he was fairly certain that was not by choice. 

"I see, then... what hope could you have to defend anyone from me, wolf? You haven't even been graced yet." per usual, Sar'ene loved to talk down to the people that Time chose to surround himself with but he always spoke in that cool, aloof, tone.

"It's principle." Bear responded, somehow less intimidated by Sar'ene than he was the Healer... speaking of which-

"I told you that there was no need for my presence here, wolf. Your friend is fine." how long had they been standing here? So all-consuming was the space God's aura that he had somehow not even felt a shift when they had arrived. A testament to how much of a difference in power a God had to an Heir-God. 

"You are the Healer that resides in the ancient forest below, yes?" Sar'ene seemed vaguely interested in the autumn colored being, who bowed deeply in response to being acknowledged. 

"You have quite the... interesting cast of characters living around you right now, cousin." 

"If you only knew." Time couldn't help but agree with the statement, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck as he glanced over the horizon. Those old trees seemed to stretch on for forever on the entire west side of the mountain. 

"I apologize for summoning you without need, Healer." no need to be rude to them, even if he felt weak saying this with the familiar eyes of Sar'ene watching him like a hawk. 

"Don't be, I was curious who it was that was blinding me to your aura. Seems I had nothing to worry over." so he wasn't the only one who couldn't sense other things very well right now, good to know that even the Healer was having trouble seeing through the ether haze. 

"I do have to admit, I was surprised that your guard was willing to approach me by himself considering how he sees me."

"I thought Hercules would die if I didn't." Bear's voice was stern and final, but the underlying stress from being surrounded by vastly more powerful people was obviously there. 

"A noble attempt, but I doubt that even the Healer would have been able to help him." Sar'ene's voice was as cool as usual when he spoke, completely ignoring the surprised look on said Healer's face that quickly turned to offense at the implication. 

"So.... how long are you intending on waiting around?" Time asked lightly, feeling much like he had when he was a child trying to get his uncle to leave faster. 

"Hm? What, you think I'm leaving so soon? I'm sure you are aware of what my being a true God means and, frankly, I'm waiting for my father to finally release his rule to you before I leave." Time frowned, covering his face with his hand to hide how truly upsetting it was to hear him say that. The current Time God was the younger of the two, by quite a few years, and he could continue to rightfully rule without fear for several more years. Time had gone out of his way to make this place... and now Sar'ene was just going to take it from him?

"Why? I know you don't have the best relationship with your father-" "-an understatement." "-But surely you shouldn't be avoiding him when you are supposed to be ruling." Stars, he was hoping logic would see to it that his cousin would leave as quickly as he arrived. He hadn't been going out of his way to differentiate between Heir-God and God, he hadn't thought it was such an obvious change, what would the pack think seeing him beside someone like Sar'ene? That he was weak, wanting, less in comparison? Would they leave? Would this... thing that he had worked for just be handed over to Sar'ene? 

"You are correct, I should be ruling right now, but honestly my father is insufferable and I'd rather let the old-boar wear himself out instead of me." a pause, Time scowled when Sar'ene patted him on the head like he was a child. He knew how much he hated to be touched so why did he insist on doing that? "No worries, Iniko, I do not intend on staying in your.... whatever this is. I'll speak with Astaira, and... perhaps take that lovely little rain forest nextdoor. I've no interest in building anything here, once you are also a True God I'm returning to the sphere." there was a heavy implication on the air as Sar'ene finally removed his hand, that the sphere was where people like them belonged.

"Healer, I'd like to speak with you while I take a look at the area, if you would indulge me?" the autumn colored being looked up, glancing at Time with an odd look, before nodding shortly. Not like you say no to a God anyway. The young-God waited quietly as he watched his cousin leave the camp, his aura still powerful but slowly beginning to disperse like a thick fog.... he felt like it would take days before his own lesser ether would properly take hold here again. 

"What was the likes of him doing here?" Bear asked, seemed he didn't like Sar'ene all that much for some reason. 

"Looking for Astaira, mostly." Time didn't want to talk right now, he wanted to lay down on the cold stone floor of his temple and sleep for about a week.... but he knew that the second that Astaira noticed Sar'ene's presence there was going to be trouble... and there would be even more so if the space God became aware of Relis's. This... was going to be a complete mess. Scrubbing his face with his hands, the young-God turned to re-enter the thatched house that he had left. Might as well wait for Hercules to wake up since he had nothing better to do.

"What happened to your hands?" the guard asked lightly, following him into the cool building. "Did you burn them?"

"Yes, they'll heal." his short tone managed to convey how much he wasn't interested in a lecture right then, the tall man remaining silent as the two of them dropped to sit next to Hercules' cot and wait for him to wake up. It didn't take long, at least Time didn't think so. 

"Wha-? What happened?" his voice was low, and lethargic. 

"You got hurt during the hunt, remember? Pushed Drifter out of the way and got sheered by a moose." ah, that explained that but where was the hunting party now then? Hercules sat up, slowly, carefully, like he was afraid of what he'd find but he quickly realized that... he seemed to be just fine. The hunter pressed his hand to his side, checking his palm for blood, before giving them both a blank look. 

"You said I got sheered? Like... actually got hit?" 

"Yes, your insides were almost falling out the holes were so big... you were bleeding so much I was starting to worry you wouldn't even last long enough to make it back to camp." Time winced at Bear's phrasing, remembering how brutal the ripped insides and flesh had looked. The painted man was, understandably, confused, putting some pressure into the area that wound had once been and finding nothing... nothing except a large scar that stretched over his entire side. Now that Hercules had noticed it he seemed to have a bit more of an understanding of what was going on... just a little. 

"Wow, that looks... mighty bad. How'd I survive?" Time wouldn't say it looked that bad, not anymore anyway, if anything it was certainly a unique scar that had healed much better than it had any right to. 

"A cousin of mine healed you." his own voice was feeling empty, and Hercules gave him a strange look before taking a deep breath and nodding. 

"I'll have to thank him when he shows back up, how are the rest of the hunters doing?" 

"Just fine, thanks in no small way to you, maybe a few bruises but nothing they wont get over in a day or two. Astaira insisted on taking it down, hence their absence." 

"The thing that nearly killed me. They're going to just keep trying anyway?" 

"I highly doubt that, as shaken as they are, they'll be able to catch up to it... hence why I didn't argue. They will likely be back to camp late tonight." Fantastic, that meant a higher likelihood of Sar'ene running into Relis and deciding to end him... he had managed to stop Astaira but if the space God really wanted to kill the shapeshifter there wasn't much Time could do to stop him like this.  Oh, wait-

"I had to cut through your tunic earlier, sorry, I'll see if I can find something to replace that." a good excuse to give himself a few minutes of peace and also... just to not have Hercules walking around without a shirt in the dead of winter and getting sick. Win-win on that one. 

The lot of them had ended up sitting around the fire, Hercules now bundled up in a few extra layers donated by Bear due to the earlier bloodloss leaving him colder than usual. The air in the camp felt tense...but maybe that was just his own quiet anxieties being projected onto the people around him... what would Bear or Hercules have to worry about right now? What did it matter to them how things moved from here? Sar'ene or himself, it wouldn't really make that much of a difference for the mortals here... not that he could see anyway. Time couldn't feel temperature like the werewolves in the group could but the ice-cold sensation in his guts made him feel chilled to the core, leading the currently quiet man to move closer to the fire... as if that would help him any. His hands still felt numb, as did his face, and though things had calmed down a fair bit he still felt overwhelmed by everything happening. It shouldn't be so hard to deal with the fact that his own cousin had shown up... it wasn't a big deal.

"I think the Healer was rather upset with me but I can't, for the life of me, figure out why." the voice of Sar'ene, not that he even had to speak for Time to know he was there. His ether was almost suffocating with how intense it was. 

"One of the first things you said around them is that they wouldn't be able to heal Hercules enough to save him." the young-God pointed out, but there was no bite or sas to his voice. Sar'ene huffed in response, dropping onto the stripped log next to him and nudging Time a little roughly with his foot.

"Stop picking at your hands, they're already burned and bloody enough as is." he hadn't realized he had been doing that, but it wasn't something that Sar'ene would think usual for him. When he was younger he had actually done it quite frequently... especially around his cousin. He had stressed him out even when they were kids... some things really don't change. Time gave the space God a numb look, not even responding as a slightly frustrated Bear grabbed one of his hands to check to see the damage. 

"Don't look so glum, Iniko, I already told you I'm not going to stay here. I'm not here to steal your little followers from you." It's not like Sar'ene could really stop them from changing patrons if they wanted to, though. His subconscious wanted something to fidget with, so he attempted to extract his hand to continue as before but Bear wasn't keen on allowing that, a growl of warning ending the thought before it could take root.

"You must be Time's cousin, then?" Hercules piped up, his tone bright and friendly. Sar'ene turned his attention to the hunter, raising an eyebrow, it didn't seem like he even realized this was the man he had saved earlier. 

"Yes, I am. Sar'ene, you are-?"

"Hercules! Time told me that you were the one who healed me earlier so, it's only polite that I thank you. You saved my life, as I understand it." of course the painted man was trying his best to be nice, tone properly respectful but still open... Sar'ene just blinked at him.

"Right. Well... it is nice to meet you... Hercules." it had been a while since he had been around Sar'ene so he had mostly forgotten how awkward he often was around non-Gods. He was so used to mortals being, essentially, lifeless that the expressive nature that Hercules naturally had seemed to make him a little uncomfortable. Huh, a True God and some random werewolf could make him awkward just by being a little too nice. Seems some things really don't change.... for some reason that exchange, the way that Sar'ene crossed his arms, avoided looking at anyone, and shifted away from the mortals present, made him feel a lot less pressed about the current situation. Sar'ene might be Godly in looks, voice, and gesture, but he was still just the same old kid he had gotten in fights with for petty reasons. 

"Don't mind him he's not good with people." the joking tone on his voice didn't stop the man from frowning at him, but Hercules seemed pleased enough with the exchange. The True God noticed someone approaching before he did, sitting up. Robin entered with Rem following at her side, curly hair covered in snow that was refusing to come out, and Aika warmly swaddled in her arms. The blue-eyed woman stopped upon seeing Sar'ene, a confused look crossing her features followed by a deep bow. She had known Time a God when she saw him so she could easily do the same for his cousin... especially considering his skin was marked with gold... unlike his. Robin was a smart enough girl to look wary about the situation, but Rem was a young child who got easily excited. He sprinted across the camp with all the energy of a fawn, bouncing as he smiled up at the space-God with glimmering blue eyes. 

"You look like my big brother!" he exclaimed with a toothy grin, showing off his missing teeth, to say Sar'ene looked confused and out of his element would be an understatement. 

"Your... who?" he responded, glancing at Time like he needed rescue from the excitable youth. Oh yeah, Sar'ene didn't like kids. He had forgotten that bit. He was sitting right beside the other God so it wasn't like Rem was out of reach, quiet movements were all that were required for this plan. Taking the youth by surprise, Time pulled him carefully onto the ground with him which Rem seemed to delight in the attention. It didn't really take much to get Rem's attention, Robin hadn't been wrong about how much the youth admired him, and he was perfectly happy to sit down next to Time.. though fidgeting and moving about a lot due to all of the energy in him. 

"I see how it is, Rem, you acknowledge the stranger before you even say hello to me?" he was being theatrical, pausing in his dramatics to brush some of the snow out of Rem's hair. 

"He's new!" Rem objected, shaking his head to try to get the rest out of his hair but failing to do much of anything except make himself dizzy. "And he looks just like you!"

"Okay, he looks like me, sure. But just like me? He doesn't even have curly hair!" he had ended up with his mother's flat, straight, hair instead of the kinky-kind that generally ran in their family... he also had a slightly different eye-shape but the kid probably wasn't going to notice that detail through the same piercing orange. Sar'ene understood the context of the... introduction with Rem now.

"Brother?" he repeated it at the young-god flatly.

"Yeah, I claimed him. Hercules, too. They're my brothers." the reminder had the painted man smiling as Time gestured at him, gratitude even in his aura. 

"Don't forget Relis!" Rem added with enough energy to rival the sun. 

"I.. don't believe I have met that one." Sar'ene responded, not that he would remember the name of any of these mortals in a few days. He didn't care for them. 

"You should consider yourself lucky on that front. I am Robin." the red-head had been carefully approaching the scene, watching how things played out, obviously interested in keeping Aika out of any more drama. 

"Oh, you're Robin? My father mentioned you at one point. Ott'ou, said you were a priestess." his cutting gaze dropped briefly to the baby she was carrying but, to her credit, the werewolf didn't falter. Robin dropped into another deep bow, a fake sweet smile on her face similar to the one she had used when Time had initially approached her about a year ago.

"He was correct, and I am truly grateful to... his lordship. If not for him I would not have found my way here." the placating tone she used was something that Sar'ene was a bit more familiar with, his cousin seeming a bit more confident in his interaction with her than he did the others. 

"How big of a group of werewolves have you managed to find, Iniko?" Time winced, he could see Robin mouthing the nickname out of the corner of his eye and Rem had a grin on his face. He sure hoped that stayed a just Sar'ene thing as it wasn't a name he practically enjoyed.

"Everyone excluding Rem, myself, Astaira, and Relis are werewolves.... so, quite a few." 

"You keep very interesting company." Sar'ene had already said this, but he'd probably continue to feel that way for however long he remained in the camp.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it." Robin responded, causing a confused glance from the God. He was entirely out of his element here, while this was like home for Time, the discomfort in his cousin made him feel like they were on a slightly more even playing field for the moment. 

"Just wait until the rest of the hunters get back, oh Rory... he's an interesting one." Hercules agreed with her. 

"I don't think I've ever seen someone so beautiful, regal, be so violent and vulgar before. It's like he was stuck in the wrong body." at this point, Sar'ene was just responding because he was nothing if not polite but he was not keeping up any better than Aika was. Yeah, he was putting up with it for now, but seeing the space God like this confirmed to Time that he wouldn't be eagerly sticking around after he had finished what he was here for. 

"Excuse me, but who the fuck is that?" Felis had been shorter in temper than before ever since the shapeshifter reveal, the only people she seemed to tolerate anymore were Astaira and Surie, Time had even seen her snap at Rory on multiple occasions for, seemingly, no reason. So far everyone had mostly greeted him with mild wariness at worst so Sar'ene seemed slightly surprised when the tall woman was so obviously hostile to his existence without him even provoking her. Her bodypaints had ran, the usually stark lines of grey on dark skin bleeding into a bit of a blurred mess, seems the hunting party had a rough time with that moose after Hercules was down for the count. He'd have to keep an eye on Felis, but there was a more important person somewhere in this mix.. ah. There she was. Astaira looking like a deer who had just met eyes with their hunter, stock still, tense, and blank-eyed. 

"Sar'ene." she choked on his name, the space God stood and Astaira seemed to notice a second later, much as he himself had, the new markings that adorned the man's skin and hair. 

"Why is no one ever happy to see me?" an exasperated response as the dark man glanced at Time, before carefully striding over to his betrothed and bowing gracefully to her. Astaira stumbled over the curtsy in response, something that Sar'ene seemed to find amusing, if nothing else. 

"How are you, Astaira? Not ill or hurt?" his voice entirely polite, asking the things he should for someone who had been put into an arranged marriage. Time tried not to feel guilty when his old friend gave him a horrified look. 

"I'm.... okay. What are you doing all the way out here?" she shouldn't have bothered asking, she already knew the answer. The exchange the two were having was causing some eyebrows to raise... atleast Robin knew how to mind her own business. Smartly taking Aika and Rem away from the fire in the off-chance that this was going to cause another drama in camp. 

"Do you even have to ask? You went missing, your mother was worried about you." Worried about her alliance with Ott'ou more like it. That was the intention of their betrothal, Ott'ou's sphere would get fresh blood and the Goddess of Beauty was told that she would be given a more prominent place in the pantheon in exchange. Sar'ene definitely had the power to hold up his father's side of the bargain. 

"I followed Time when he left..." the confidence that Astaira usually had evaporated when dealing with Sar'ene, her awareness of her own blood and the agreement made for her making her uneasy and anxious. He just seemed to have that kind of effect on people. 

"You wanted freedom, right?" surprisingly an apt assessment of the situation from someone who often had so much trouble reading a room. The demi-Goddess looked as surprised as Time felt, blinking dumbly at the True God. 

"I came to check on you out of obligation, yes, but we did use to be friends when we were little. I was worried about you, Star." she didn't know how to respond to the usually cool man being so willing open, she opened her mouth as if to respond but Sar'ene just continued. 

"Another reason why I'm here is actually good news, I think you'll like to hear it." 

"O-oh?" now that Sar'ene was a True God he could really impose the betrothal any time he wanted, they were both well into adulthood now and he had rightfully kept his sides of the deal. 

"I'm sure you have noticed that I'm not an Heir-God any longer." Sar'ene seemed very pleased, his grin confident as he made a vague gesture to the fire-reminiscent marks he had ended up with. "So I have more power than I once did, more so than my father even does due to how the tradition goes. So..." 

"So?" Astaira prodded anxiously, Time understood her uncertainty... he was nervous for her. 

"So that deal our parents made? Well, now I'm the lead God so I get to make decisions on such matters." the dark-toned man snapped his copper-coated nails, the rings he was wearing making a faint chime, a sealed scroll appeared in a burst of flame in response to the gesture which he offered to Astaira with a smile that was either... smug or confident. 

"What's this?" the huntress took the letter without hesitation but paused before slowly attempting to open it without ripping the gold-sigil. 

"Why don't you read it and find out?" Time still couldn't tell if that smile on Sar'ene's face was his rare malicious streak or not, smug or confident? He didn't know, Sar'ene had his own range of expressions from most other people so he could be incredibly difficult to read. Astaira carefully opened the letter, glancing around her to make sure no one was trying to read it, but at the mention of being 'Lead God' most of the pack had given them some room. An impossibly long few minutes passed where Astaira was reading the, no doubt, regal writing on the golden-trimmed paper. She didn't seem to understand it, or believe it, though as she shook her head and read the scroll again. And another time. The demi-God stared into the distance for a long moment before looking up at Sar'ene to see his smile. 

He didn't think he had ever seen Astaira hug Sar'ene before but there was a first for everything, the grey-haired woman squeezing the True God in the biggest hug she could manage before stepping back and staring at the letter again with the biggest relieved smile on her face. 

"Your father must be positively beside himself with rage for this." her tone remarkably pleased, she glanced up at Time before looking back down at the scroll. 

"That sounds like a him problem to me, Star. If he has a problem with it he can wait in the long line of people waiting to speak with me over trivial matters." Time glanced between the two, the tension, the stress, that had been building between them since the news broke of their betrothal had disappeared in mere seconds. The familiar comfort setting back in. 

"I'm keeping this forever, this is the best gift I've ever received." the demi-Goddess was in a good mood, her light seeming to spread to make the rest of the pack more comfortable with the stranger in their camp. 

"Please don't, I didn't have anyone proofread it."

"So you're saying there might be a misspelling in here? Oh, that'd make it even better. Too late, Sar'ene, it's going on my wall in a nice frame." it suddenly felt a lot less like they were all at odds now, it almost felt like when they had been kids and were causing trouble for the adults just for the hell of it. Maybe Sar'ene living so close wouldn't be the worse thing ever. The space God sighed, taking a step back from Astaira and running a hand through his multi-colored hair. 

"Anyway, I think I've seen enough... people today and I've done what I came here for so I'll be taking my leave." he said people but Time knew he meant mortals. 

"You came all the way out here just to leave right away?" Astaira asked with a raised eyebrow, carefully rolling the scroll back up. 

"I'll be around, just not here. If you need me Iniko knows where I am." a quick, friendly, dip of his head to the huntress before Sar'ene made a similar gesture to Time and quickly made his exit from the camp. 

"It has been a long time since I've heard that name. Iniko." a mischievous look on her face as she went to stand next to Time, he didn't think he had seen her this relaxed in a while. 

"Stars above, please don't start calling me that again." 

"No promises." at least the camp was starting to feel normal again now that Sar'ene had taken his leave. Now.... Time was going to lay down on the Temple floor and sleep for at least a week after all that.