Alaric shot up from his bed. His heart pounding and sweat dripping from his forehead. He gripped his chest, feeling each thump slowly coming to a resting state. What was that? What was that feeling that ran through him so? He looked out the small window of his room. The moon was high in the sky, it was still early in the night. Bron lay at the foot of his bed, curled up and sound asleep. Alaric’s heart returned to normal and his eyes drifted back out towards the moon. The cloudless night made its light so full and bright. It was close to a full moon, perhaps just another day or two. He would need to make accommodations for Bron while he was away. Perhaps, Salem might be able to watch him? Him or Lumi. Both would probably do it without any strings attached, well aside from another drinking contest from Lumi. He pulled his legs up slightly, trying his best not to disturb the small creature at the end of the bed. As his legs slipped out of the covers and onto the cold floor, he heard a rustle in the bed. Turning back to only find Bron wrapping himself up in the excess blankets. Alaric gave a soft smile.




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He stepped towards the window and gently undid the notch keeping it locked. The cool spring breeze alone was strong enough to push the window ajar. The scent of the mountain and forest around them drifted into the room. Alaric’s nostrils flared with the new scents. Lately, he felt as if he was coming into his own with his were-side. That spar with Teveni was a bit frightening and he was still wary of losing control but he felt like his body was settling. Perhaps, it was due to all the extra work he had taken on? Lately, Salem and he had been partnering for more dangerous quests. Nothing had come to dangerous, yet. Still, he felt more sure of himself and his abilities. He wasn’t just some orphaned stray taken in, he was a contributing member to the guild. Being around these people, those so much stronger than him, forced him to finally get off his ass and start to become a man.

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Salem stood on his staff hovering in the sky as he gazed at the moon. His awareness of the world as a spiritual creature had its ups and downs. Oftentimes on nights of a full moon he would hover and look at it, remembering his time as a pure spirit in Desierto. It was funny how the world around him changed but the moon remained the same. It was a lot of memories he needed to shift through at times.

Standing like a statue of beauty, as the pale moonlight enveloped his figure. It really gave him an ethereal feel. It also felt better to be in the Deep Green than it was at the base at times. At least here in the green he felt more at home with the abundant nature. Salem had his hands folded behind his back as he continued to stare. Taking in the sight as his deep blue eyes glowed blue, that looked as if it had a tinge of silver as it reflected the moonlight.

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Standing at his window, he noticed a figure up in the sky, hovering slightly above the treeline. He would squint his eyes trying to make out the figure but alas, he was too far away. The window creaked open a few more inches with the breeze. That’s when his nose picked up the scent. It was like fresh rain on a hot summer’s day. It was relaxing and pure but there was heat to it on the back end. His brow furrowed. “Salem?” He whispered to himself. What was he doing out there? Alaric grabbed a light jacket that hung on the back of his door and slipped out. He quietly made his way down to the floor.

Once he was outside, he quickly made his way to where Salem hovered above. For a moment, Alaric merely watched the fae soak up the lunar light. His body was still but he could be certain that his mind was racing. What could the two of them have in common? Salem was a fae, a being as much of this world as the plants in the forest and clouds in the sky. Alaric was just a mutated human, a race that knew little more than to just consume. After a few minutes of standing there watching the fae, Alaric would break the silence. “The moon’s kinda my shtick.” He gave him a grin hoping his cheesy line would brack the fae’s trace.

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The Fae was enjoying his reverie. A voice shook him and broke him out of it. It took him a moment to place the voice before a smile formed on his face. Salem leaned back with both arms outwards to the side, as if he was making a trust fall. He fell backwards while his staff rolled along the back of his legs, when it got behind her knees he hooked his legs to them. He was hanging upside down his horizontal staff like a bat.

He brought himself downward to see the wolfman better. Till he was more face to face with him. “The moon is your thing but it is connected to the seas. I can feel an attraction to it as well and maybe something involved with it.” Salem licked his lips deliberately, his eyes giving off that inhuman blue glow. Looking over Alaric as if he was the prey that could get eaten. “What brings you to the forest anyway?”


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He stared up at Salem with a soft grin. “Something sweet in the air caught my attention.” He walked closer, now just slightly underneath the man that he had become closer with these past few weeks. Salem still hung in the air like some acrobat but Alaric wasn’t too worried. He’d been preparing a spell these past few days. After his fight with Teveni, he realized that his quick little jumps and burst moves would not cut it when it came to those who liked to hang in the air. He’d have to meet them at their level. He took another step forward and a magic circle appeared on the sole of his foot, several small circles in fact formed. Their glow was minor but amplified by the darkness of the night. With a simple push off with his right foot, Alaric started to lift upward to meet Salem up in the cool evening sky. While his magic was not known for subtly, this spell seemed to reel back on the grander explosions for more controlled burst that were meant to give stabilization and flight. Who knew wolves could fly?

As he rose up in the air, circles would appear and disappear as needed to keep him stable and give him proper lift. He still could not control it well enough to reach true high heights but this was enough for now. He gradually brought himself up towards Salem’s face. Wondering if the Fae would be in dismay over the sudden flightless man’s flight. As he got closer he would speak. “I guess, we can always share the moon.” He said in a soft tone. Even those he was using explosions to keep him lifted, their sound was minimal, keeping the purity of the night sky still intact. “Only if you don’t mind sharing the sky with me, that is.”

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900/900 words needed to train Arial Tactical Explosives

Salem raised his eyebrows at his wolfman flying. It was not high but it was a cute enough trick. Before Salem had his doubts that the man would ever make it in the air unprompted. He took the compliment in stride as he floated. He assumed Alaric meant him. Salem was confident enough to think himself the sweetest thing in the air. Even if he was aware that Alaric was not being entirely truthful with him.

“I do not mind sharing the moon.” Salem gave in reply, a mischievous air coming off of him. He unhooked his legs and let the staff move to his hand. Falling out the sky before landing on the ground at the last minute. “Except the Sky is not my domain. If you want something I can share. I suggest we go to the sea. At least there I can really show you a thing or two. Like how to properly move in the air. Your current flight is nice but you are so stiff.”

The fae really exited the sky, since he did not want his wolf falling out of it by accident. Salem just did not feel like saying that aloud. It was easier for him to tease and play hard to get. Genuine concern and empathy was so boring.

“If you come down. I may be able to help you loosen up. Then maybe you can show me a thing or two with those muscles.”


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As Salem dropped to the ground, Alaric’s grin faded into a sad frown. He canceled the spell and fell to the ground, as graceful as one might expect that to go. Stiff? He needed to try it more. Maybe this wasn’t the best time to show Salem that spell. He sulked over to Salem, his jacket blowing slightly in the evening’s breeze. “Should give me credit for even being up there, you know how wild this magic is.” He sighed as he threw the hood of his jacket over his head. He turned towards the woods, and the stillness of the night took over again. If he listened closely, he would hear the subtle sounds of the creatures moving through the branches and riding on the wind. The days were warm enough that some of the creatures from hibernation were beginning to stir. He took a deep breath, taking it all in. As he exhaled, he slid his hands into the pockets of his black beat-up jacket.

“A night run might be good. Have you ever done that? Ran in the woods at night?” He turned back to Salem. He was skin and bones. If he was a runner, his build would probably be ideal. To Alaric, it just seemed like a good way to enjoy the fresh air of the evening.

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Salem did not take the grumpy pants too seriously. The spell work was not bad at all. Except he believed that Alaric could do a lot better than what he showed. As a being of magic he wanted to help his lover pup to improve. He understood it was the same thing as trying to get himself to improve his body. It would not be easy but it was more than possible.

“I give you credit. The spell was not bad at all. It could just be better. I know you can do better. You can train me in physical stuff and I can train you in magic. It is always better to get tips from one who practically breathes mana.”

He added his words in before Alaric turned back around. The mention of a run would have had his sun kiss skin almost turn pale in most cases. The dark sky really helped to cover it up. Salem was about as enthused about going for a run, as one would be about eating poop. Some people may enjoy it but he was not one of them. Still he did not want to turn the wolf down. He would try to count it as physical training.

“Sure. Let’s run. I need a bit of a head start! You will lap me too quickly otherwise. Then we can work more on your magic. Hate to harp but I do not want you falling behind too much in terms of magical skill.”

Salem had to put it out in the open that he was making a compromise. He refused to be the only one training tonight. Not when they could grow better together. That was something Salem refused to compromise on.

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His brows lifted as the compliment he so craved was tossed to him. “You breathe mana? That’s weird.” He lowered his torso and touched his toes, stretching out his legs and lower back. He rocked himself slightly around until he was facing away from Salem. With a quick snap, he came up, twisting his body partially around. With half of his face towards Salem, he gave the man a quick glance. Hoping to find the Fae in a peek of some sort. He would twist himself towards the other side before returning to face Salem. “You really could give me some pointers if you like. I’m open to suggestions. My typical, blast them till they fall doesn’t seem to be cutting these guild quests lately.”

He walked behind Salem, glancing over his body. “Yea, no offense but you probably do need a head start. You’re all bone and no muscle or fat aren’t ya?” He had brought his hand up to his chin, rubbing it as he spoke. He realized how rude his comment was and immediately snapped out of the pose. “Ah, shit. Sorry, I didn’t mean you’re sickly-looking or anything. I umm. I just meant, shit. Go ahead I’ll give ya a thirty-second head start. “ Did he just fuck up?

He turned his back to Salem. “I’ll upstart counting when you’re ready. End point is at the edge of the cliffs to the Deep Green.” He took a step back, his face red blushing over his foot-in-mouth syndrome. He started to count. Slowly. “One, two, three…”


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While Salem let Alaric stretch. He wished he had a storage ring to put his staff in. Running with it could be a bit of a pain at times. He turned it sideways and got ready. He heard the weak comment and smiled. His pearly whites reflecting the light of the moon a smidgen, he gave a smile that was not a smile, not entirely possible to decipher.

“Good thing you are cute.”

Those were the words that Salem left behind as he started to run. He was trying to go as fast as he could. He neglected to see if and when Alaric would even start counting. Only his eyes were supernatural and he had to be looking to tell. Since he was trying not to use his magic, he had time to think a bit. How he thought it would be best to train Alaric and all. He figured the thing he should start with in terms of teaching was movement magic. It would work better for him since he needed to fight in such close quarters.

Salem may not be the fastest but by human standards, he was moving inhumanly fast. His legs could almost be considered a blur with how he was moving. It helped that even if he was not using magic actively, his heritage did help him out. As a fae, trees and such would move a bit to avoid him. The only other race being as blessed in that aspect in nature being the elves. It made it look like he was moving on a trail more than anything. One that only lasted long enough for him to move through.

“Are you still  around babe?”

He asked the question in a slightly teasing way. Salem may not be able to sense him but he had a suspicion that Alaric was around. He doubted he could actually beat him to the finish line, even with how fast he was moving. Salem made it to the end, beating his partner. He wanted to spend time there but something was calling him to the sea. Salem made a note in the ground by carving groves with his water magic. Then he lept into the sea to find what was calling him.

[Exit]


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Alaric watched as Salem ran off into the night. The forest quickly swallowed him up. Alaric began to countdown, starting at thirty. He wanted to give Salem ample time to place some distance between the two of them. While he had never seen Salem in a challenge of endurance and speed like a run, something gave the impression that he was probably going to need it. If What Alaric lacked in magic gracefulness, he more than made up in his physical body. He spun around and covered his eyes while yelling loud enough for Salem to hear, at least for the first bit of his run. As he neared the end of his count, Alaric spun around, peering once more into the darkness. He took a big whiff picking up his scent. It seemed Salem might have been quicker than Alaric gave him credit for.

He started to chase after him. Alaric’s quickly made their way through the forest’s thick root system and branches. His eyes gleaned with every passing peak of moonlight. While they had not shifted towards his iconic werewolf yellow, he could still see perfectly in the night air. Salem’s scent laid his path out perfectly. It was as straight as he could have hoped the fae to run. He had to give him credit he had managed to place a decent distance between the two of them in just thirty seconds.

As he gained speed, Alaric’s movements in the woods became more primal. He had started to hunch a bit and was grasping with his hands towards branches and bases of trees. Using his upper body to pull him forward while his lower body pushed. Had he always been this fast? Salem’s presence was becoming more present too. His scent was becoming stronger. He must have been closing the gap between the two of them. A smirk crossed his face expelling the focused expression. Alaric veered off slightly to the left, making an arch around Salem’s current path. Hunching down even lower as he moved.

Within the passing of only a few trees, Alaric’s body shifted and contorted but never broke its pacing. Within mere moments, he had shifted himself not into a werewolf but a simple reddish-brown wolf. His padded feet silently moved through the forest while his claws dug in, ripping into the earth below. At this point, he was starting to divert too far from Salem’s path. He had to correct his movements, making his way now straight for the fae.

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