A God's pack

"Can I help you with something, Relis?" his tone sharp, challenging, causing the blond to immediately put a more comfortable amount of distance between them. 

"Apologies, I've been so busy that I haven't even seen the new one yet. I completely forgot about that until Tero told me why you were up so late." Time thought on these words for a moment, he had seen Relis and Tero come back to camp this late most of the nights for the past three weeks that Aika had been born but... he had to admit that Relis had kept enough distance from him that it was reasonable for him to claim that he hadn't seen Aika before or known why Time was awake in the middle of the night.

"What, you thought I was for-going sleep for my health?" he responded dryly, giving Relis a disinterested look as the exceptionally tall werewol- healer sat down a yard away. Eyes oddly intent. 

"You are a God, you do not need sleep in the same way as we do. Plus, I did not think you would be particularly thrilled with me trying to piece together your affairs."

"You were right, keep your nose out of my business. Start investigating me and we'll have a problem." a healthy amount of warning to his tone, Relis gave him an odd look in return. 

"And, I find you funny that you say 'we' as if you belong with them-" he tilted his head towards the thatched houses that the, mostly, werewolf pack slept in. "-when you don't really need to sleep either, do you?" a challenge, to see how Relis would respond to being prompted to bold-face lie to someone who already knew his secret. 

"I...do actually need to sleep. Not as much as they do, no, but sleep deprivation would kill me just as surely as it would them." Relis's response was a hesitant one, and one that caused suspicion to rise in Time's throat. Healers were more like Gods than anything else, they didn't require food, sleep, or shelter, and were often more at one with the ether around them than even Gods were. So, Relis was either lying right now or he had lied about being a healer. He narrowed his eyes at the blond, distrust evident in his whole posture, but the blue-eyed man didn't seem interested in clearing up where the misinformation was. 

"Can I hold him?" the question was such a shift that it caused Time a small amount of mental whiplash as he tried to figure out what Relis was even saying.. he was talking about Aika, of course. Who he had been staring at on-and-off through out the interaction. 

"One, I don't think Robin would allow you to so I'm not going to. Two, you are a dishonest weasel of a liar so you don't deserve to." he responded shortly, a little pleased when he actually managed to get a somewhat offended looking expression out of the blond even if it did only last for a few seconds. 

"I am not lying."

"Please, you lie like a fish swims, don't insult my intelligence by pretending otherwise." 

"What would I gain from lying to you about this?"

"I don't know, amusement? A test to see what I know about healers? You either lied last time we spoke about being a healer, OR you lied just now about needing sleep. You don't get to be telling the truth and also contradicting yourself at the same time." Relis opened his mouth as if to defend himself, seemed questioning his honesty had actually gotten under his skin. Good. He loved to see it. The blond must have decided against saying what it was that was about to spill out, taking a deep breath as if to regain his composure before getting up, calmly.

"I am tired, it was nice seeing you, good night." of course he'd run away once he had made his point, Time rolled his eyes as Relis left. Good, he would prefer to sit out here, by the fire, just him and Aika than to have Relis bothering his air space. He'd have to keep an eye on Tero, too, looked like Relis was doing a good job of poisoning him already. Sad, he had really like Tero. 

Day 301

Snow wasn't strange when you lived in the mountain tops, but it was becoming colder and heavier blanketed by white with each passing day. While the forests on the horizon's line were still turning beautiful colors of red and gold, there was no doubt that for them winter had already come. Most of the members of the pack had had to swap out the clothes they joined in, mostly spring and summer attire, for something that would keep them warmer now that the wind was becoming so bitterly chilling. Of course, there were exceptions, Time, and Astaira, both being at least some part God meant that the both of them experienced temperature differently... and for some reason Bear, who had been offered winter attire and refused it with a comment about being 'hot-blooded'. While, during the autumn, the fire had been pretty consistent now it was tended carefully and fed more frequently. Soup was also becoming more common, not only due to the lack of guarantee in food sources but also for the bonus of getting the chill out of the bones. 

Things were different, more difficult, but they were by no means dreary. Drifter was mostly back to the same as he had been before the attack and Tero was starting to pick up the scout-life like he was made for it... Relis had an eye for talent by the looks of it. It was mid-day, and while in the past the hunting parties would be out making the most of lazy prey animals right now both groups were settled around the fire. The sun on the freshly fallen snow could be dangerously blinding, so some time to allow for the sun to pass would help with vision, but also they seemed to be talking about the two parties working together to get more consistent, bigger, kills. 

"Are you sure you two will be able to work together?" Time asked as he approached the group, glancing between Astaira and Vaitelin with a pointed precision. 

"As long as he follows my lead we won't have any problems. Comments, Viaite?" the demi-Goddess sounded smug, challenging as she turned to address the sand-colored man who was wearing several more layers than normal... turns out Vaitelin got cold easier than most. 

"Nop', no comments, smart remarks, requests, or suggestions, your blindin' radiance." even as frozen as he seemed, rubbing his gloved hands together like he couldn't get warm for the life of him, he still had a fairly good sense of humor. "We'll follow your lead, it'll make things go smoother for the lot of us." 

"What are you all attempting to take down?" he couldn't help but ask, it was winter so the herds that they had once scaled down the mountain for were mostly moving on.

"The majority of us will be hunting caribou, Relis came back earlier this morning to give us a tip about a fairly small straggler group that is passing through the edge of our territory right now." Hercules piped up, gesturing vaguely to the rest of the hunters around him as he spoke. 

"The majority? Are you splitting parties up differently?" That sounded a strange idea, why bring the two hunting parties together just to split them up again? Why not just keep things the same at that point?

"There are seven of us hunters in total, five of us will be working on taking down caribou, and two will remain closer to camp.. setting up traps for hares and seeing if they can get lucky with taking down a stray mountain ram." the striped man explained, it sounded a little more on the dangerous side than he would prefer. For two people to try to take down a ram... on the side of a mountain.. in winter. His uncertain expression must have been more obvious than he thought because Bear shifted to lean forward and placed a hand on Hercules' shoulder before he could trip over himself to try to explain better. 

"We picked the two out specifically so there would be the least amount of danger."

"Who's staying?" 

"Felis and myself. We're both skilled solo-hunters, working together should be no big deal." Bear spoke with confidence, and while Time did feel a little better knowing who had been picked he was still uncertain. 

"Don't worry so much, Time. Me and Bear aren't idiots hell-bent on a catch. We won't get ourselves killed trying to take down something that's putting up too much of a fight." he couldn't exactly argue that. 

"Alright, fair enough. I will trust that you all know what you are doing." the hunters, mostly, nodded in unison before returning to their plotting. The heir-god calmly approached Robin's hut and tapped on the door-frame to get a response. She, normally, spent time around the fire but he could imagine the excessive noise and the pale light was probably not helping with how fussy Aika could be. He was more expecting to be told he was allowed to enter, but instead, the thick hide covering the door-way was parted by Robin who gave him a curious look.

"Oh, it's you, is everything alright?" 

"Yes, I was just wondering if you knew where Rem was." his mind briefly flashing back to that night only a few days before where he had overheard Rem and Relis.

"Oh, of course I do. He's out with Tero, in the meadow. They should be back before it gets dark." she was calm, he almost wanted to ask how often of a thing that was but... it wasn't really any of his concern. 

"And you are sure that's where he is right now?" Time pressed, causing Robin to give him a strange look.

"Yes, absolutely, Tero brought Relis with him and I know he would never let Rem just run off. Relis asked me if Rem could come with them before they left, I'm certain Rem is with them." she passed, examing Time's face, before smiling lightly at him. "I'm positive, one hundred percent, that Rem is just playing in the meadow with Tero. He's perfectly safe." 

"In the meadow, you said?" his intention to follow and check must have been obvious in his body language, as Robin quietly stepped out of the thatched house with an oddly amused look on her face.

"You really don't trust him do you?" The question caught him off guard.

"What?" the words fell out of his mouth dumbly, no thought, and Robin laughed lightly.

"I can't say I blame you. I don't trust Relis, either, most of the time." He hadn't even been trying to pretend he liked Relis so, of course, everyone knew he didn't trust the shifty rogue as far as he could throw him.

"He's a criminal, I don't think anyone could blame me for not trusting him. Plus, after everything Rem has been through I don't like him just... hanging out with anyone." vague, but not untrue. Robin seemed to think on this for a moment, before nodding with a more serious expression.

"I'll walk with you, we can check up on them together."

"What about Aika?"

"He's sleeping, but I'll bring him with us. Don't think any of the hunters would appreciate me changing their plans right now." Time nodded, thanking her absentmindedly as she turned to retrieve the young baby. Now that he was thinking about it he hadn't exactly gotten around to asking about the name, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know the answer. 

"Are you ready to go or are we waiting for something else?" Robin asked, she had put on a cloak and Aika was bundled up in a massive swaddling blanket. Looked like she hadn't even woken him up doing that, somehow. Time blinked, shaking his head as he glanced at the hunting parties once more. No reason to put this conflict off any longer.

The walk down the mountain was peaceful, the familiar comfort of Robin easing away the strange concerns in his brain. It had been some time since she had walked down the mountain and while he wasn't sure if she was exactly healed enough for this it was nice to have her as back up. Looks like it had even snowed on the meadow, thick and fluffy bouts of white piled up onto the grass. Would be pretty if not for the fact they had come down here for a reason... a reason that the snow was helping with. Obvious, deep, foot-prints led them across the meadow, to where the mountain was steeper and the meadow was, subsequently, larger in response. 

The first thing he noticed was Relis, of course, he was absurdly tall and he wasn't even trying to hide at the moment so his silhouette could be clearly spotted. Along with him was Rem, the sight of the young once-monster put his mind at rest. A deep breath out, wherever Drifter was he wasn't the victim of mind games. 

"Relis." the tone on his voice made the blond instinctively freeze, he wasn't sure if he should be flattered that even this 'healer' faltered at it or if it was a statement on how often he had ended up using it on Relis. He hadn't noticed Tero before, he was sitting on a large rock in the middle of the meadow but even that high up he didn't strike the same kind of figure as the other did. The blond seemed almost confused but quickly brushed the snow off of Rem before ushering the young once-monster over to Time. Smart.

"Is... something the matter?" he seemed like he really didn't want to ask, Rem throwing a confused look between every adult in attendance from where he stood slightly in front of the outlaw. 

"Only if you think a child being allowed to be around a known criminal is a problem." 

"What?" Relis wasn't what Time would call a dumb man, but it seems like his brain wasn't quite understanding what was happening here. 

"You heard what I said." 

"I... yes I did, but I do not understand. Why?" 

"Because, I don't trust you. You are an outlaw and he is an impressionable child. I'm not just going to turn a blind eye to this when you're a danger to him." at the implication Relis's stoic look crumbled. Time didn't think he had ever seen such obvious emotions on the dishonest man, his expression would be readable even for an uneducated toddler. Confusion and a fair amount of hurt, not offense at being thought so little of, but genuine hurt. Time, honestly, hadn't even been sure if Relis was capable of feeling that kind of emotion.

"I have been the only one watching him for two months, I'm not dangerous to anyone. Least of all Rem." trying to be reasonable, Time turned his attention to Robin now to see how valid his words were... and based on the slightly guilty look on her he was telling the truth. Aika had just turned a month old. 

"Come here, Rem, we should get you dried off." the youth looked quite upset at the situation and Robin was, understandably, stepping in to find an excuse to remove him from the middle of it. Rem didn't seem keen on leaving though, looking at Robin with an anxious expression before looking back at Relis and stepping closer to the tall man. 

"Go with Robin, Rem, it would not do to have you getting sick. It will be okay." Time was surprised when Relis agreed with Robin, not only did the two have a strong distaste for each other but he hadn't expected him to allow Rem to leave so easily. Robin seemed equally shocked but she obviously respected him for it as she carefully took Rem's hand and began to lead him up the mountain. As far as he was concerned the conversation was over now that he had gotten what he came for, Time turned to leave only to growl in warning as Relis grabbed his arm. He was obviously upset, but not mad. Hurt, isolated, and... maybe a tad on the side of desperation?

"Let go, Relis." a warning, but not one that the scout seemed eager to obey.

"Why are you punishing me? What is this for?" the need for an answer, for there to be a reason. When Time simply glared at him he kept talking. "I have been nothing but loyal to you since I got here, I've been an asset to the pack in every way... yet you treat me like I have wronged you personally. What crime have I committed for you to go out of your way to hurt me?" 

"You joined the pack on the basis of being a criminal, don't be upset because I treat you like one." 

"Yes, I am a wanted man, but if that was such an issue then why let me join at all?"

"You have experience, you are highly skilled, we both know you are the most capable mortal in the pack. That's it. That's the only reason I put up with you. If you were even slightly less useful I would have never agreed to allow you to stay here." with his attention so far focused on the criminal in his midst he had completely forgotten about Tero. 

"That's completely unfair. You can't just isolate him, he's done enough for the pack to have the right to feel at home here." the young adult defended. 

"Maybe it is, but I'm not the reason he doesn't get along with any of the adults here. He's a liar and a snake and I don't need to explain myself to him. Or you." 

"If I was such a liar why would I have told you I am a criminal at all? Why would I not pretend to be a simple hunter, like Vaitelin, if I wanted to be dishonest?" he didn't like the implications on Vaitelin's character.  Relis suddenly seemed rather resigned, finally removing his hands from Time and stepping back with a defeated look. 

"I... understand that you do not trust me, that you do not like me, but you won't just be hurting me with this choice. Rem doesn't have much of anyone else." a short glance as Tero as he spoke. Relis had a point, and Time was reminded of a few nights before where Rem had been crying about everyone being too busy for him.

"Time already knows that, he's well aware of how much you mean to Rem." Tero cut in, tone short. Time was a little surprised when Relis didn't ask. 

"Fine, you don't have to completely cut contact, but you must always be supervised. Understood?" Time was daring Relis to challenge him anymore on this, but none came. He just nodded submissively, eyes elsewhere, and remained silent with his neutral mask back on. Good, they had an understanding. 

Day 314

When the requirement of supervision was imposed he had thought that it would drastically cut down on the amount of time that Relis was spending with Rem, thus making it harder for the slippery man to manipulate the once-monster. Keep the two individuals he trusted the least apart. He had been wrong, the effect of the new rule being that he was seeing more of Relis than he wanted to... and that Robin and Relis were suddenly spending a lot of time together in the name of Relis still getting to see Rem fairly often. If anything, Time had shot himself in the foot with an arrow on that call. Not only was he forced to acknowledge Relis more but the same could be said for Rem... along with the fact that forcing him to stay in camp more actually made Relis less effective at his tasks... fantastic. And in the winter, no less. Perfect.

Time was carefully crossing the clearing, his intention to go on a patrol, when he noticed that Relis and Robin were sitting near each-other by choice. Was he hallucinating? Robin was sitting up-right on one of the stripped logs in front of the fire, posture straight as a nun's, with Aika being held close to her chest as she watched Relis. The tall blond had a weird habit of sitting on the ground on the rare occasions that he did sit around the fire and that hadn't changed just because he was there more... the only difference than usual being that he was helping Rem put a hair-lotion on. Rem seemed happy, beyond pleased that he got to spend time with both of his favorite people at the same time, and the two werewolves looked oddly relaxed for two people who were so often in each other's presence. 

"What are you doing?" he didn't even have to use a tone, his neutral voice was now enough to make Relis freeze like a deer. 

"Rem's hair was dry..." while the outlaw was always the submissive sort he was now obedient. Like he was afraid that saying the wrong thing might be enough for Time to remove him from the group entirely. 

"I see.... and where is Tero?" 

"Scouting. I am... assessing his ability to perceive important details on his own."

"Uh-huh... and how are you doing that from here, Relis?" disbelief on his tone, raising an eyebrow as Relis finally un-froze and slowly returned to helping Rem with his hair. Unlike Robin, who had had the best of intentions, Relis seemed to actually know how to take care of the kinky-texture hair that the youth had ended up with. 

"He is scouting an area I already know, he will return back when he believes himself to be done and report to me what he saw and then I will go and check over his work to see if he might have missed anything." The hum of affirmation that Time responded with seemed to be enough to cause Relis to return to his normal posture, and behavior. 

"We don't get to go to the meadows very often together, anymore." Rem complained, though Time wasn't sure if that was directed at him or not. 

"Robin's not supposed to be climbing the summit in her current state, Rem. I'm sure we'll all go in the spring." Rem sighed, dejectedly, at the rejection but didn't whine further on the topic. 

"Are you unwell, Robin?" Time turned his gaze to the follow, giving her a soft look that caused her to smile in a way that made her eyes crinkle at the edges. 

"No, i'm perfectly fine. Relis is playing doctor and says I should avoid stepping up when possible.. how was it that you worded it? 'So you healer faster?'" the blond must have nodded, but Time didn't bother looking over at him to check. 

"No harm in being safe with you, Robin." his voice filled with fondness, causing the blue-eyed wolf to grin wider an almost smug look on her face at that. 

"I'll take it easy for a bit longer, its a good excuse to stay close to the two younglings." 

"Hey! I'm not young I'm big! And capable! Right?" Rem piped up like he was insulted. 

"Very much so, little one. I am sure you will be one of the pack's greatest defenders in no time.. just like Hercules." Time shook his head, these two seemed to be getting along now so... that was a plus? He didn't to leave them to their devices while he went out on patrol. Leaving them to continue.... whatever it was that they did. 

Bt the time he had completed his patrol it was starting to get dark and bitterly cold. The hunting parties had returned with another successful hunt and everyone was huddle up around the fire being warm, and loud, as they chatted between each other. The pack had really come together... even Relis at some point who was now sitting next to Vaitelin... who looked like he had dragged the blond to sit down next to him. Strange. He had been under the impression that the two didn't like each other, that they had past history, based on their initial introduction. Time decided to hang back from the group, merely observing from afar for the moment. Watching with hawk-like eyes as Relis carefully removed himself from the seat he was sharing and lurked to the edge of the group to sit on the ground close to Robin. If Time didn't know any better he would say that Relis looked a little overwhelmed. Curiosity prickled at his face as Robin said something to the outlaw in a tone he couldn't catch, he moved closer to hear them. 

"I... didn't think you trusted me enough for that?" Relis sounded unsure, whatever it was Robin said.

"I think you mean 'liked'. And no, I think the feeling is still quite mutual, so I don't like you but... I do trust you in this specific field." he had no idea what they were talking about, not until Robin carefully handled the swaddled up Aika to Relis to allow him to hold the young baby. To say Time was surprised would be an understatement. Relis didn't look like he believed it either, face strangely warm as he looked at the small being he had been entrusted with with, stars in his eyes. 

"I hate to admit it but, I do not believe you ever told me his name?" Relis glanced up at Robin, who smiled like she had been hoping he would ask.

"Oh, that's right! You were so busy when he was born you never got properly introduced did you?" like she was just remembering that, but Relis didn't respond as he stared at her patiently. "His name is Aika." said with precision. Recognization flashed across the outlaw's eyes like lightning at the word, just like it had Time. Did he know what Aika meant? Did Robin? Relis glanced around, obviously thinking, before glancing back up at Robin. The gaze was held for several long seconds, strikingly similar blue eyes meeting in a way that felt like a hidden message had been sent between them, before Relis dropped his gaze to look at the small being still in his arms. Time didn't know exactly how but he could tell something had just shifted between the two of them. 

"He's lovely, Robin. Aika's a perfect name for him." 

"Isn't he? I never thought it possible to love as much as I do him. I can't wait until he's old enough to play with Rem." the two continued to... hang out? Exist in each other's presence in a way that they seemed comfortable with. Whatever hatchet the two had once had with each other buried as Robin allowed Relis the privilege of holding Aika for the rest of the time the pack spent around the fire. Time didn't understand what exactly that interaction was, but he departed to the temple early to try to figure out... what that had been. 

Day 317

Mostly, things had continued as they had before, without any changes. The two hunting parties had mostly merged into one big one, aside from Felis and Bear functioning separately to attempt to take down easier targets, this had not only ended up with them being better on food than what one should expect for the winter but it also had brought the two squabbling groups closer together now that they weren't competing to be the better hunters. The only noteworthy thing? That Bear had insisted so strongly that Time come with him while he went checking traps that the werewolf had practically dragged him out of camp by the arm... not that he wouldn't have been able to get away if he had really tried to, but Bear hadn't really done anything at this point to warrant distrust or aggression from him... just slight annoyance. 

The mountainside was cold, the snow getting slightly deeper and more aggravating to traverse with every passing snowfall. Not like it was warm enough up here for the sun to help with that much. Time tried not to look like a grumpy teen as he trailed a few paces behind Bear on the self-made path towards one of the sets of rabbit lures... not like there was much he could do. Time was of rather average height, unfortunately, and the snow went a fair amount of the way up his calves... while Bear was the tallest person in the whole damn pack. 

"Do you need to take a break already, Time? Or can you keep up?" Bear paused for a moment, glancing at him over his shoulder, his voice... mocking? No, this was Bear, teasing but said the wrong way. 

"I'm keeping up just peachy right now, aren't I? Worry about yourself." The young-god responded, sounding much like a grouchy teen who had been forced to come on a family outing. Bear seemed to find his irritated tone amusing, a curled smile appearing on the dark-toned man's face before he could turn away to keep walking. 

"I'm your guard, aren't I? It's my job to worry about you." a good-natured response, the usual charismatic Bear that he hadn't been seeing much of lately making an appearance that made Time less capable of being frustrated with him. 

"Maybe, but I am not some mortal who gets tired every few moments. I can keep up." 

"Oh? Is that a challenge I hear, Time? Want to test that theory?" the mischievous smile that Bear threw him was meant to be a kind gesture, and it was, but Time couldn't help but think about the last time someone had given him that look.... no thank you.

"Nice try, Bear, but I think that the odds are quite stacked in your favor. No need to rub in how much the snow isn't affecting you."  

"Ya'know, there's a rather human saying that goes something like... 'It's a smart man who knows his limits.'" The friendly tone on Bear was nice to hear, good thing he didn't seem set on challenging him. Bear seemed to be more aware of his boundaries than most... even now being a bit more considerate and slowing his pace slightly so they could actually walk together like friends might.... or a noble and his guard. Similar things, those. 

The two continued to walk in personable silence, well... besides Bear humming some tune to himself, some song that Time was vaguely aware of but couldn't quite place at the moment. The young-god paused, Bear stopping and stooping down and dig through the snow for a moment.... werewolf acting like a dog. What else was new? Of course, it was just the man digging out one of the traps... and a cold rabbit with it. He wasn't entirely sure how that worked but Bear seemed well-versed enough in what he was doing to reset it without a second thought and to continue on the path like he had is memorized... which he most likely did. Bear had quite a good memory, from what Time could tell, and it had been two weeks since Felis and him had taken up doing this.

"Why did you want me to come with you, again? And where is Felis, exactly?" he had forgotten to ask why Bear had been so insistent on dragging him out here, probably for the best now that he was in a better mood. 

"Felis and I have different traps paths, she's retrieving her traps right now while I get mine." the werewolf explained shortly, but not in an unfriendly tone, as he dipped his head to Time. 

"Okay, so that answers where your hunting partner is but that didn't answer my first question." the dark man pressed, causing Bear to chew at his lip in thought as he tried to figure out how to express something.

"You obviously have a reason for bringing me out here, so you might as well say it."

"Right, yeah, just trying to figure out how.... to go out about that.." Time got the distinct impression that this conversation had a lot of opportunities to go south. Bear wasn't usually the type to overthink words, or to mince them. 

"I was wanting to ask you something, but you probably won't like the question." Bear flicked his green eyes over to him, like asking for permission, before continuing when he saw an expectant look in return. "So... Aika. Is he yours?" Time almost choked, a feeling of surprise and incredulousness mixed causing a strained laugh. 

"What?" he couldn't even say it straight.

"Did you not understand my wording, or is it the fact that I asked at all that surprised you?" Bear gave him a look, and Time cleared his throat to try to pull together his thoughts. 

"No, I quite understand what you're saying but I'm not sure why you're asking me that." 

"Aika looks just like you Time, not to mention your behaviour around Robin and how quickly you took up taking care of Aika..." the obvious expectation on the man's tone as he continued to give the young-god that look. 

"Aika doesn't look that much like me." the immortal crossed his arms over his chest, subconsciously defensive. 

"He does. Everyone thinks you're his father and that, for some reason, you're forcing Robin to keep quiet on it. That's why I'm asking." How could anyone get that impression from him? Even if Aika did look like they could be related he thought of Robin like an adopted daughter, not like a wife. She was a mortal, after all, there was no way he could ever treat her equally enough for it not to be weird... not to mention she had joined under the pretext as seeing him as a perfect immortal being...Which he was but that wasn't exactly great for a romantic dynamic now, was it? How little must the pack think of him for them to think he would take advantage of Robin in that way?  

"Would you even believe me if I said I wasn't? The only answer from me that you'll take is an affirmation, right?" 

"I might believe you if you refuse, I'll try to anyway. I want to trust you. I want to believe that you know better than that." the earnest tone that Bear used made Time believe him. 

"I'm not. I have no idea who Aika's father is and, frankly, it is not my business. Nor is it yours. All that matters is that Robin is young and that she needs help raising him." the werewolf gave him a long, hard, searching look before letting out what seemed to be a relieved sigh and stepping back. 

"Thank the stars, I don't think I would be able to stand being in your presence anymore if you had said otherwise." Bear sounded just as relieved as he looked, drawing a clawed hand through his hair. "You really can't blame the pack for thinking that with how you've been acting, you should probably set them straight on that."

"I won't"

Confusion now, the giant of a mortal raising a dark eyebrow at him for the response. 

"If you aren't his father than why leave people with the belief that you are?"

"Simple, because I don't want to make a big deal over this. Robin doesn't want to talk about who the father is and if the others believing it's me means that she doesn't have to answer that question than its not something I'm going to go out of my way to disprove. Let them think as they like." 

"If that's the case then why tell me otherwise?" 

"Because you had the gall to ask me, and I'm not willing to lie about it either." Time brushed himself off of imaginary dust, straightening the wrinkles out of his clothes and starting to walk again which forced the green-eyed werewolf to follow him a few paces behind. 

"And if Aika ends up believing he is your son? What do you do then?" he didn't have the answer for that, he hadn't considered that to be an option.  

"And if you aren't his father than why did Robin name him Aika?" another question, did Bear know what Aika meant? He turned to look at the brown-haired man, who was giving him a searching look but seemed to find nothing in the blank stare in the god's eyes.

"Do you know what Aika means?" tone hoarse, hushed. 

"No, but I know it means something to you. I saw how you reacted when you heard Robin say it for the first time. Why would she give her son a name that obviously means something to you if you are not Aika's father?" 

"I... don't know. I don't know why she called him that... I don't know if she is even aware what it means." the way his voice had became quiet, distant, seemed to further push home for Bear that Time was being honest about this. 

"What does it mean?" Time wanted to be honest, but admitting to Bear that Aika had been named after him might make him less likely to believe him on the 'not Aika's father' front. He still hadn't asked Robin why she had named her son that, hadn't asked if she knew what she was doing when she did that, he still wasn't sure if he wanted to know. 

"It is....uh... not really a name. It's a word." Bear blinked, continuing to stare at Time expectantly who now remained mute. It eventually became obvious with the stretching silence that Time wasn't interested in further elaborating on the meaning. 

"I believe you." Bear picked up his pace, lightly placing a hand on Time's shoulder and giving him a genuine smile, before moving to pass the young-god as they walked. Now back as it had been when they started this trip.

"Still leaves the question about her intentions with it, though." a second-thought statement that the werewolf made as he stretched. Time nodded, laughing with a slightly stressed undertone.

"Yes, well, she can keep those to herself. I don't need to know, I'd prefer things to just stay as they are. Don't want the explanation." Bear cast him a quick look, but the smile on his face proved that he no longer had any doubt about where Time stood in this matter. It was.... nice to have that cleared up with someone. Atleast he had someone to talk to about the strange interactions that would sometimes occur around him. This was why Bear was one of his favorite followers... one of them. 

Day 319

Bear must have been spending less time with him due to his uncertainty of the nature of his relationship with Robin. Now that he had dispelled any worries of manipulation on his part for the brown-haired werewolf he seemed more casual. Like normal. Time hadn't really noticed until now how much Bear had been avoiding him, he had assumed it was because of how busy he was with hunting but it didn't actually take the man that long to finish his tasks for the day. Felt more like before, where he spent much of his time being shadowed and the charismatic man was perfectly willing to talk at length about, essentially, nothing. It had been a while since he had had company on a patrol like this, rather nice to have someone to walk with him for once even if he didn't really need the help. 

"I haven't been out this way in a while." Bear admitted, absentmindedly staring into the ancient woods as he walked slightly behind Time, the young-god tilted his head to look into the trees where the werewolf was but couldn't see any cause for particular interest. 

"Oh? Is there a reason for that or was it because you were so busy avoiding me?" he responded with a good-natured mocking tone on his voice.

"I wasn't avoiding you." Bear defended, but he did so poorly looking rather sheepishly away again when Time gave him a look. 

"But no, I haven't really been out this way since when that Healer showed up." really? It had been that long since Bear had been down here? 

"That was quite a while ago, wasn't it? Are those two things connected or-?" Bear frowned deeply at the question, looking away from the forest so he could look at the mountain top that housed their small camp. You could see the small smoke from the gorged fire from down here.... faintly.  If Time recalled correctly, Bear had been patrolling this border before he had even properly joined the pack. He knew this area just as well as he knew the mountains. 

"That's their domain now, isn't it? The forest?" a question instead of an answer, Bear's tone turning oddly antsy.

"You mean the Healer's domain?" Time asked for clarification, which caused the werewolf to nod without looking at him.

"Yeah, something like that. I don't think they really consider it their territory but healers have a way of filling the air with their presence when they move. Like nymphs, I guess. So, they aren't like... territorial over where the border is that's just where they are anchored right now." 

"I suppose it's... good to know that they won't just.... attack us for being here?" 

"You suppose?"

"It's still creepy being near here now though, I can feel their eyes on me." Time glanced at Bear, who seemed to have gotten a cold chill at the thought.... or maybe he was just cold in general this was the man who had foregone getting winter attire so he was still dressed like it was spring. In the snow. 

"You think they're watching us right now?"

"They're watching everything, all the time, even up on the mountain... but like through a telepathic telescope or something. That's how they knew Robin was in labor." Time blinked dumbly at his guard, being reminded about a more important detail of his first meeting with Bear. Bear had come here because he had felt a God move here, he could tell what he was just by looking at him and he could feel Time's power over the area. He was more sensitive to immortals than most, maybe even more so than he was based on that comment. 

"You are remarkably responsive for a mortal." speaking of the Healer, Time turned to look at the autumn-colored immortal who was standing a few yards away at the edge of the woods they had been walking along. Like usual, they stood with pride and power, the air rippling around them like their mere existence was threatening to the fabric of it. The young-God glanced at his companion, who had frozen like a deer at the sight of them. He couldn't help but wonder what Bear was feeling at that moment... and what he was seeing. 

"Healer, is there something you need? Something we should know?" Time urged, crossing his arms and shifting his weight to look casually at the prim-postured individual. They blinked deep blue eyes at him, turning their attention to Bear for a long moment. 

"I would like for him to leave before we continue this discussion." They responded, endless eyes narrowing as they made their statement. Bear somehow managed to stiffen further at being directly acknowledged by the being that he was obviously intimidated by. It would be funny, considering that the Healer was easily the shortest being in the area and Bear was the tallest, if not for the fact that Bear was right to be afraid of such a person. 

"I rather he didn't. Bear is my guard, as well as a friend, anything you need to discuss with me you can discuss with him present." The Healer was obviously a little miffed at his response, turning their burning cold narrowed eyes to him for a long moment.

"Are you sure it is wise to trust a mortal so easily?"

"For this specific one you can make an exception." a long, tense, silence at the two had a stare-off that obviously made Bear even more uncomfortable before the Healer sighed tensely and rolled their eyes.

"Very well, have it your way, Time God. But do not say that I have not warned you." the healer stepped away from the protective limbs of the trees and crossed over the border into the plains to stand merely a few short feet away from him. "Last time we spoke-" ah yes, last time they spoke had ended on poor terms, the discussion being about Rem and his humanity... or lack thereof. Something that Time still hadn't come to a conclusion on. "-I mentioned that you were corrupting." 

"You're what?" the alarmed tone from Bear caused Time to give him a confused look. Bear was a smart man, perceptive, but surely he didn't know anything about this. Even he hadn't known about it until recently, why would a mortal, one not even from a particular religious faction even, know anything about corruption. Bear downcast his eyes sheepishly to the ground, the intense stare from the Healer causing him to take an uncomfortable step backward.

"Do not interrupt." they warned, before turning their attention back to Time. "I also mentioned that there was a treatment I could do that would help you to purify yourself of it for a temporary time."

"You approached me on the basis of doing said treatment now?" 

"Yes, that is right. It is getting worse in you, I've seen how you've gone out of your way to antagonize a member of your pack and I can feel how easily you become irritated with those who care for you most. I think now would be a good time to do this, so it does not get unmanageable for you." they were talking about Relis in that first bit, but he didn't really see how that marked him as being corrupt. While the Healer was right about him having less patience for mortals now he had never had the patience for Relis... and he had even less so now that he was aware of the fact that Relis was a healer... or was at least willing to lie about being one. Either way, the treatment he had been giving Relis didn't seem unwarranted in his eyes. 

"Very well, how long will this take?" Time began to flatten out the front of his coat to get rid of invisible wrinkles, he didn't like how the Healer's eyes were like staring into the abyss.

"Not too long, you are not that corrupt as of now, it should only take an hour or so."

"Great, Bear are you coming or are you going back to camp?" Time turned to look at his companion, who looked surprised that he was even being given an option... the disgruntled sound from the healer seemed to share the sentiment. 

"I'm going with you, of course, I wouldn't be a very good guard otherwise would I?" the response should have sounded casual but it was obvious by Bear's tone how aware he was of the Healer's gaze. 

"Well... I wasn't going to say anything but-" 

"You two can make jokes later, follow me." the Healer's voice was sharp enough to cut the air, causing Bear to wince instinctively, giving Time an uncertain glance and a weak smile. Time offered a confident one in return, lightly putting a hand on the werewolf's shoulder, before moving to follow the retreating form of the Healer into the ancient woods. Following them felt like following a wisp, dangerous, a gamble, and difficult to keep up with. At least Bear managed to keep pretty close despite the amount of turns and random directions they were being led down. It didn't take long for them to end up in a part of the woods that he didn't know, a thick mist filling the air as the Healer paused in a clearing to wait for them.

 Stepping into the clear with a singular deep breath to ease himself back into the pace, he quickly let it back out again as he saw where the healer had been leading. A large, crystalline, lake stood off to their left that was so thoroughly surrounded by thick, warped, massive oaks, pines, birches, and willows that he hadn't even glimpsed the water until now. The lake was massive, and still, the water crystal-clear to show the beautiful colors of emeralds and other gemstones at the bottom. He had been staring for so long that Bear had managed to put himself back together before he had.

"This... this place doesn't exist." the green-eyed man sounded very perturbed, those words quickly explaining why they were here. This was the Healer's true domain, not like the ancient forest they currently used to see the world through, but the place that had manifested in between realms that allowed them to exist as they were. Essentially, their source of power... there was an island far off in that lake, on the horizon, with a smaller tree in the middle... roots blackened with sickness. Was that the corruption? Time turned his gaze to the Healer, being struck by how their eyes now reflected the lake to a disturbing degree even while they stood yards away from it.. staring directly at him. 

"This is your source?" he asked carefully, to which the being merely nodded shortly. 

"You are both right, of course, this place does not physically exist. If I was to leave you here you would both cease to be, they would never find your bodies." the words were vaguely threatening, a reminder that while he was a God-heir that they were a being that existed, mostly, outside of the material. Bear was probably regretting not bailing back to camp when he had the choice. 

"You brought me here for this treatment, we're here, now what?" the healer strode confidently toward him, lifting their hands up with enough purpose that he didn't even try to pull away when they placed their hands onto the sides of his face. He didn't like being touched, especially not with how ice-cold their hands were, but his instincts were adamant about not moving. 

"You remember how I had you purify the little one? What happened?" they said, voice clear as the water they were represented by, and he was acutely aware of how sharp their nails were now that they were so close to his face. 

"Of course I remember, how could I forget being ripped to shreds like confetti paper?" he responded shortly, causing the Healer to hum a sound of affirmation.

"Which, I apologize that you had to do... but you were the only one capable of helping with how cursed he was."

"We had an agreement, get to the point." 

"The corruption is a disease of the blood in those who are deeply connected to the ether; like me, like you, like the little one. To help you stave off the corruption I will need to bleed you... and then essentially drown you in my ether." hence the lake. Time frowned, crossing his arms and stepping back to remove the clawed hands from his face. 

"That's not how it worked when I did it." 

"You are not the same as me, you are material and the ether you carry is directly in your blood. You do not have a place that is you like healers do."

"If it is not painful for you to purify others then why did I have to be the one to do it?" he couldn't believe that the Healer had such an easy option on their end for this process and they hadn't just done it themself. 

"He was too corrupted for me to help him, the purity of the ether used matters and, while I may be more powerful than you my ether is not as strong. He needed more than I have to give. But you are mostly well, hardly corrupt, I have the ability to help you." the Healer looked at him expectantly now that they had explained, waiting for his permission. 

"Can Bear do it instead or does it have to be you?"

"What?" Bear had remained quiet this entire exchange until now, Time didn't think he had ever heard the man built like a wall squeak before but there was certainly a first for everything. 

"...I suppose he would work just fine for the bleeding bit, if you do not trust me to be careful with your living form." 

"I don't, what's involved?"

"Bloodletting, its not exactly difficult."

"Great, let's get started I already want to be done with this."

He felt strangely lighter now that this was done, clearer of mind. Good. Bear looked pale-faced, guilty, but when Time gave him a concerned look the werewolf managed a toothy grin if a shaky one. A good attempt for someone who had just been forced to bleed an heir-God. 

"Thank you for helping the Healer with that, I do feel better and you did quite well." he lightly placed a hand on the other's shoulder, the guard's eyes flashing to the gesture before he nodded and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Yeah, well, glad that all of that nonsense helped you otherwise that would have been.... a whole lot of shit for a whole lot of nothing." Time couldn't help but laugh at the sheepish look that Bear was giving him.

"Do not look so upset, Bear, I asked for you to do that. Stop giving me guilty eyes and accept that." the man sighed, rolling his shoulders as the two began to walk back along a familiar path towards the woods' border. 

"Well, if nothing else I'm really glad to be getting away from the Healer so.. I'll call that a plus, yeah?"

"They do have quite the presence, don't they?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Oh, another? I thought we just had one of those two days ago."

"They kept calling someone 'little one'. Who was that? They obviously thought you knew them." Time rubbed a hand over his face, trying to discern out his thoughts about that situation now that his mind was a little less.... short.

"Rem. Rem is little one." green eyes lit up with shock, but Time didn't elaborate or try to explain as he could already see the mortal's eyes putting the pieces of information he already knew together to make this new one work. He loved seeing the puzzle click together in their eyes, fascinating.

"That's.... that's why you avoid him isn't it? Because he was the one that ripped you to pieces.. and tried to mentally control the brothers." Time nodded in response, a small hum of affirmation escaping him. "... is... he safe to be around?" the question his own corruption-addled brain had been asking since he had allowed Rem to stay with them was now being asked by someone else. It felt a little strange having his own thought process parroted back to him, especially now that something about it felt off. Felt like something else had been making him feel that way. 

"I... I think so. The Healer will let me know if Rem starts to corrupt again, it was them who insisted I save him, and we'll be able to help him stay safe. He's just a child, it's not like he was going out of his way to hurt anyone. He was sick." Bear looked at him for a long moment, before nodding in understanding. Good, Time was glad that Bear understood that because he had just been talking his thoughts into existence. 

"Yeah, yeah you're right, he's just a kid. Not right to blame him for something like that." and Bear was right, of course.

"You okay, Bear? You aren't stewing on anything too upsetting are you?" Time asked the mortal after he fell silent for several long, quiet, moments that were filled with the werewolf's uncertainty. 

"I'm okay. Don't worry too much about me, Time, I'm here for the long-haul." a bright smile as he declared his loyalty, one that he returned lightly. Time didn't believe that, of course, but it was a very normal thing for people to say. Those that lived as humans did often felt the need to make promises that they had no way of knowing if they could keep. 

"A sentiment that I appreciate, but know that I'm here if you need anything. That's what Gods are for, after all." 

"Gods? Not friends?" Time paused to look at Bear, who was giving him a look mixed with both concern and sheepishness. 

"It can be both." he asserted in response, but that didn't quite dim the look he was getting. "Are you worried that I'm a different person without the corruption?" he didn't have to nod or agree, the way his olive-colored eyes shifted to the side spoke just as loudly. Time quietly stepped over to the guard, a small smile on his face as his tilted his head to get back into the werewolf's frame of few. Only when eyes were back on him did Time respond. 

"I am still the same person, Bear, the only thing that is different now is my temperament and ability to hold a grudge and that's not such a bad thing is it?" he was given a searching look by the other, uncertainty in his eyes, that Time tried to soothe with a gentle smile. It seemed to help, but only a little, the other quirking a shaky smile in response. 

"Guess we'll see, won't we?" hm, hopefully the man wasn't too upset. Time observed the mortal as he moved to continue on their way, the man's posture showed that he was still unsure, before falling into step a few paces behind him. It was understandable considering what had been asked of him, Bear would come around to this eventually. 

Day 322

The majority of the pack had noticed his shift in behavior, he hadn't realized that he had gotten so bad that it was such an obvious feature for how he interacted with them. Even more unfortunate was the fact that a fair two-thirds of the pack had never been acquainted with his... less sickly self so they had no understanding of why he was suddenly more patient, more kind, more protective of them. Despite the seemingly sudden shift the pack mostly seemed to re-adjusted to him without a problem and were equally as willing to interact with him as they had been before... with the exception of Bear, who still seemed understandably uncertain about the situation considering the ritual he had been forced to take part in, and Surie who seemed put off by him now... most likely because this added more credence to him actually being a God which is something she went out of her way not to think about.  They'd come around, it had only been a few days and given some time to adapt they would grow to be more comfortable with it. Mortals were remarkably resilient that way, while they may hate changes at first they often took it in stride.

Tonight was just another late one of him and Aika next to the fire, Robin had been exhausted when she had got up to try to shush the fussy little thing and he had quickly taken him off her hands so she could sleep. Even now, it was still unbelievable to him that the same follower who he had to lead blind up the mountain was a mother now. Time felt like he had missed quite a bit through the fog of the corruption but... that had still be him and he still remembered it so it was odd to feel that way.

At this point, Aika had long since calmed down but he didn't seem ready to go back to sleep yet, either. So, Time was just quietly talking nonsense to the small human, playing a few very simple and easy games that Aika seemed keen enough to try to figure out how to play with him. He was almost too busy just enjoying spending some quiet time with such a small, simple, mortal to notice the sound of someone sneaking about. He didn't feel the intention for trouble, now that he was focusing on that but pretending not to notice, so he just lightly shifted the incredibly small creature and got up to see who was up at this outrageous hour. 

"Oh, Relis." a neutral tone on his voice, but the blond still flinched at it causing Time to frown slightly. The reason he was looking so guilty? He seemed to be escorting an upset Rem back to the thatched house he shared with Robin. 

"I-" the outlaw started to try to defend himself, Time raised a hand to stop him and the man went mute. 

"Did Rem have another nightmare?" the young-God crossed the clearing calmly, giving the nervous were-.... healer a look. Relis's Robin-like eyes flashed with confusion at the question, understandable considering the fact that he had never been told that Time had listened in on that conversation he had with Rem.

"Yes, he was hiding under some old spruce trees outside of camp." the dark man crouched to be on the same level as the patchy-toned child, who seemed sheepish and guilty if his fidgeting was anything to go by. His hair had a few leaves in it, and it looked like the poor thing had been crying based on the slight puffiness to his eyes.

"Why didn't you come to me, Rem? You don't have to hide by yourself when you are afraid." Rem blinked pale eyes at him as he continued to fidget with the edge of his winter tunic, he could sense the small disbelief on the air from Relis but this wasn't about the outlaw. Time cut the blond out of his ether to better focus on the young boy who was looking at the ground. 

"What's wrong Rem?" he pressed the child with the gentlest voice he could manage, tilting his head to try to get Rem to look at him.

"You were busy." the youth refused to look him in the eye as he spoke but when he glanced at Aika that really told Time all he needed to know. He had already been aware of Rem's feelings of being abandoned now that the baby was around, due to his over-hearing of the conversation that the two had had last time Rem had a nightmare, but it twisted his heart in a way it hadn't before. It wasn't unusual for children to feel hurt, or less important, when the people raising them suddenly had a new baby to take care of and there wasn't much that could be done to fight such a thought-process besides offering unwavering support where one could.

"I'm never too busy for you, Rem. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, or what's happening, I am here to protect you. Okay?" it only took one arm to hold Aika properly, with how absurdly small he was at this point in his short little life, so Time carefully offered the russet-red haired boy his other hand. Time could see Rem glance up at Relis, as if uncertain, but the young-God kept solely focused on the youth who, finally, took his hand. 

"We're family aren't we? Brothers look out for each other." the youth's eyes glistened at his words, taking the gesture in stride and giving Time an excitable hug that he hadn't quite been expecting. Kids were unpredictable like that but it wasn't, really, a bad thing. 

"I'll look out for you too! Like Hercules does!" Rem announced, seeming to have mostly forgotten whatever it was that had been keeping him up. 

"I'm sure you will be even better at it than he is.. just don't tell him I said that." Time placed a chaste kiss on the youth's forehead before standing and offering him hand again. "But, first, you need to sleep."

"You never sleep!" Rem argued, but didn't hesitate in taking the hand offered to him, nor did he fight as the young-God quietly began to walk them over to Robin's little house. 

"You're right, I don't sleep, but I am a God, remember? Gods don't need sleep as mortals do, and while I might not sleep Hercules does. So does Robin, Tero, Astaira, and even Relis." 

"Relis sleeps?"

"I'm not sure when, or how, he manages to fit it into his schedule but it has been known to happen. All the best mortals make sure to get plenty of rest, how are you going to catch up to Hercules if you don't have any energy?" The youth thought about it for a moment, before seeming to find the forced logic in Time's words and stepping into the house he was sharing with Robin. Time silently entered with Rem, putting Aika into the small bassinet he slept in before saying a quiet goodnight to the youth and leaving the house to let everyone rest. The camp was remarkably mute this late, everyone sleeping, the only other person awake right then was... Relis. Who was sitting in front of the fire with the usual stoic look on his face. Time thought he was being pretty quiet as he moved to cross the clearing but based on how quickly Relis noticed him either he was not being as careful as he thought or, and this was much more likely, the blond was more on edge than he was letting on. 

"You aren't going to sleep anytime soon, outlaw?" he asked casually, flattening out the wrinkles in his clothes before settling down on one of the stripped logs across the fire from the other. 

"You.... are not... mad at me?" the scout responded, words slow, cautious, and careful, the expectation of being yelled at or punished obvious in the look on his face. 

"Mad at you? No, of course not, why would I be?" Time responded, tone slightly undertoned with confusion as he raised an eyebrow at the man. He was saying this but he knew very well why Relis would be under that impression, it didn't hurt to get him to say it though. 

"You..." the blond fell silent for a long moment, before getting up and rounding the fire. Even now, uncorrupt, the outlaw still intimidated him. The threatening air around him only a little worse than usual based on the fact that he knew what Relis was now, a healer, and how the man was tall enough to loom over him without even trying. Time had sat across the fire from him intentionally but it seemed keeping a comfortable distance wasn't going to happen this conversation-.

"You are different." Relis said that matter of factly, but Time was more focusing on how suffocatingly close the healer had become. Not even crouched a foot away from him, head tilted as if to examine his face. The young-God frowned, crossing his arms defensively, which seemed to remind the outlaw of the fact that Time wasn't particularly fond of him. At least he had the decency to sit down fully on the ground now, and lean back so as to not be too much into his space but it was still a lot closer than he would have preferred. 

"Oh?"

"The corruption...." Relis mentioned it quietly, trailing off as he carefully examined Time, like he believed it to be a sore spot. 

"Oh, I forgot about that conversation." he had, when Relis had told him corruption wasn't as bad as the Healer was leading him to believe... but maybe it was more apt to say that this man just hadn't realized how bad it had gotten yet. "I think you're the only one who has noticed so far." 

"No, I think the others noticed... most just do not know what the corruption is. Most do not know the effects." 

"I have a question, actually, Relis if you will indulge me for a second." the blond blinked at him, his silence being the only signal to continue. 

"The Healer mentioned that their kind also gets corrupted, not just Gods, does that mean you are also at risk?" a kaleidoscope of thoughts shifted across the scout's face like moon phases, trying to figure out how to respond and what the implications of the question was. 

"I-i-i" Relis's voice cracked as he struggled to find a way to answer, now the blond seemed to be the one regretting sitting so close as his emotions were on full display with the small distance between them. The shift in dynamic was palpable on the air, and Time suddenly felt a lot less uncomfortable from where he was sitting. 

"I'm not going to kick you out for your answer, Relis, I just want to know." his tone was calm, even, and genuine as he spoke, shifting to sit back as to crowd the now nervous man a little less. He seemed to be trying to put together how to say something... or trying to figure out how much to spill.

"No, I do not suffer from the possibility of corruption like yourself, the Healer, or Rem do. My blood is not the same." said with reluctance, because now Time was giving him a strange look. So, Relis was apparently a healer but he didn't experience the same sicknesses that they did.... the young-God began to list through all of the interactions he had had with the blond to figure out where the lie was. He stated that he needed to sleep as surely as the mortals did, he couldn't get corrupted, both of these things were incorrect for a supposed healer so was that the lie? If it was that would mean that Relis really was a Werewolf but that didn't explain the threatening aura he gave off. Werewolves didn't intimidate Time by merely existing like this man did, so what was he? Relis shifted, feeling the scrutiny that the Time God's orange gaze was holding him under, looking at the ground like he was guilty.

"Are you truly a Healer, Relis? Or are you something else?" Bear himself had responded to the corruption like he had heard of it, that was not evidence of the contrary.

"What is that supposed to mean? I was not lying to you." the outlaw defended, poorly. A sudden sensation went down Time's spine, like something had grabbed him by the neck and whispered a thought into his ear.

"Look at me." the confusion on Relis's face wasn't even slightly hidden, the look turned to shock when Time got up from his seat and grabbed the tall man's face to force him to look up at him, to meet his eyes. Those eyes that were strikingly similar to Robin's, but they didn't glow like her's did, not a werewolf. Not a healer, healers corrupted and didn't require sleep nor food like mortals did, and he had both seen Relis eat and had the man's own account of needing sleep. But, Time remembered vividly seeing Relis as a wolf, yes, when Relis brought Felis to join the blond had jumped him in wolf form.. something that a werewolf could do, but Relis wasn't a werewolf, not something a healer could do. His brain was moving at, essentially, the speed of light as everything slowed down in his wake. He knew what this was. What could shift forms, but didn't give off an obvious glow like a werewolf did? Time jumped back like a man who had been bitten, suddenly aware of the danger he was in.

"You're a shapeshifter." his tone an accusation, one that made the blond look surprised. Time took another defensive step back as the outlaw got to his feet. The man had his hands up as if to show his innocence, lack of intent to attack, but it did not soothe him any. 

"How could you tell?" Relis's voice made every hair on his body stand on end, if Rem had been bad corrupted this man was a born monster to the likes of him. Time didn't respond, keeping his posture defensive and growling when the blond took a step closer to him. 

"Stay put." he threatened, tone as bitter as he could manage, Relis stopped and seemed to examine him. Like checking to see if Time was willing to attack him if he didn't do as told. 

"I have been living here with you for months, Time, if I intended you harm do you not think I would have tried something by now?" the thing tried to reason. 

"Yeah, right, your kind exists to leach off of people like me, that's your entire purpose." 

"If it makes you feel any better, I am only a half-blood. I was not lying about being a healer." a half-blood.... between a healer and a shape-shifter. No, Time didn't think that made him feel any better. That was almost as bad as a half-god one, with the extra ether that would come with being such a mix... surely that only made Relis more dangerous instead of less. 

"Oh great, that changes everything." the sarcasm was strong, but so was the obvious nerves, but Relis's small smile seemed to be in response to the attempt.

"It does, really, just let me try to explain-" Relis obviously was wanting Time to talk to him at a more 'reasonable' distance but he was not going to fall for that. "-We're talking, so explain." he interrupted, causing the blond to give him another look before sighing. 

"True, shapeshifters attack your kind out of necessity. They require ether to survive just as you do, and as healers do, but they do not create it on their own hence the... attacking of Gods in order to take some of what you have." Time knew this already, he had met one of the old old gods who had been stripped, almost entirely, of ether and he had seen how empty the man was. Almost lifeless. "But healers create their own ether by merely existing in places that allow for it, so I don't need to take yours like they would." Relis gave Time a look that seemed to be hopeful, but the orange-eyed God turned his gaze away to try to think. Too busy thinking to notice that he was being approached until Relis grabbed his hand in both of his, similar to how Robin would, to say Time felt like he was having a heart attack was an understatement. 

"I am sorry for lying to you about what I am, but I knew that if I told you that you would never have allowed me to stay."

"I wouldn't have allowed you to live." Time responded shortly, preparing to rip his hand out of Relis's but the blond let go very easily as the tall-being flinched at his words.

"I.. understand but-"

"If you knew that I wouldn't want you here, based on what you are, why did you ask? There are plenty of places among mortals that you could exist in just fine." Time's tone was accusatory, he was really poking a lion on this one but he was too frustrated with all the lies to care for the moment. 

"I am being hunted by demi-gods for being what I am, I have never taken ether but I am still a criminal for being capable of it, you are a God." Relis knew he didn't have to say anymore, Time wasn't an idiot, so the man stopped talking. 

"You asked because they wouldn't be able to attack you if you were hiding behind me." he finished for him, which caused the blond to nod, faintly. 

"And why shouldn't I turn you over to the bounty hunters the second they turn up? Why should I defend you?" Why should he defend someone who lied about his own capability to hurt him. Relis didn't respond immediately, the silence stretching on making Time more and more aware of how much danger he was currently in. The next gesture was done carefully, slowly, as if aware of how easy it would be to spook Time at the moment, where Relis dropped to his knees and carefully took Time's hands once more. 

"Because I can help you, and I can defend you from people who have ether in a way even you can not." a pause, keeping composure remarkably well, but how fake was this whole show? "Because I have already proven my worth as a member here, because I am being hunted for sport for nothing." this felt awfully familiar, like when Hercules had begged him for a chance to prove himself. 

"How much of how you interact with me is just copied from other people? Have you nothing of yourself?"

"If I was entirely me, would you ever have trusted me?" 

"You don't actually even look like that do you?" another accusation, which caused Relis to frown but his eyes were still alight with a small amount of faint hope that made Time almost feel bad.

"I... mostly look like me." 

"Mostly?" Time pressed, actively forcing himself not to flinch as he suddenly became aware of sharp, claw-like, nails near his wrist. 

"If I stop pretending to be a werewolf... will I get to stay?" he didn't want to make that agreement, he still didn't trust Relis, but if he removed the man, seemingly, without reason it would upset a great many in the pack. He would be seen as a tyrant, punishing a quiet, stoic, and slightly awkward man for no reason. 

"Assuming you don't attack me, yes." Relis smiled at this, a small one, but seemingly genuine. 

"I knew you would see reason, eventually." a small amount of triumph on the shape-shifter's tone. 

".... can I ask that you continue to not go out of your way to be with Rem alone? Now that I know you are actually capable of hurting him.." Relis tilted his head to the side at this, glancing towards the house.

"I am not going to hurt Rem, but I can not exactly refuse you." the blond agreed, turning his attention back to Time for a long moment before, finally, releasing the God's hands and standing back up.

"Any other secrets I should know about? Might as well share them now." he was trying to sound irritated but he just sounded tired which Relis, at least, had the decency to look a little guilty for. 

"Nothing important, I assure you." a guilty grin that just made Time frown.

"You aren't inspiring confidence, Relis."

"I am not lying, either. If I told you all my secrets we would be here all night, and none of the rest are very interesting or unusual to find in a mortal." 

"So, what, they're the usual stuff about being a dumb kid and doing dumb shit or something?"

"Yes, exactly like that. Or my reasoning for liking or disliking people. None of it is particularly important." the blond assured with a dip of his head. Time rolled his eyes, but didn't press further, crossing his arms and leaning back in a way that Relis correctly took as a dismissal. 

"Thank you for not outcasting me, Time. I will prove to you that the risk you are taking is worth it." another dip of his head before the blond finally left the young-God to his own thoughts. That was.... alot.. and even with his newly cleared mind he still wasn't sure if he had made the right decision.