he's got that dog in him

[friendsfordinner]

Who: Hickey & OPEN!
What: tracking training! couples talking! dog??
When: throughout the month.
Where: in Milton and the surrounding wilds.

Content Warnings: usual Hickey warnings apply (possible talk of violence, cannibalism, starvation, Terror's everything)

( catch-alls and closed starters within. hmu if you want one! )

Comments

[friendsfordinner]

What sort of half-assed scratch is that? Hickey stays next to Raju, nudging his hand with his head, as if trying to convince him that hey, you could pet him a lot better, try for a second round at scratches.

But in reality, he's quietly listening. They're close enough that Raju's hunting for Crozier? That he's sharing food? What the fuck, how come he didn't know that before now?

Hickey's trying to seem calm and nonchalant, but he's keeping an ear open for any new information.

[load_aim_shoot]

"Mm." Raju watches Francis put the bow away. It's been getting to him a little lately, keeping it so far away from him when he's inside, and part of him wants to keep it on him. But he's spent enough time thinking about Francis' near death and everything that'd followed and doesn't particularly want to bring it up now, the danger and the injury and everything that hadn't resulted from it, everything that hasn't changed. He doesn't want to pull all that into the air again just to explain. Particularly not when Francis seems so relaxed.

The head under his hand nudging his palm distracts him. It certainly is tame, isn't it?

Scratching the head, not patting it. He can do that.

"Nothing in your traps," he confirms while his fingers try moving through the fur carefully and slowly, not sure of the creature's temperament, tame as it seems. "And it seemed like it might be faster to fish than try tracking anything, if I got lucky."

His free hand raises the fish tied to him and he smiles, pleased with himself and hoping the distraction of the fish will mean he doesn't have to bring up just why he still doesn't want to spend too much time away. There's more than one reason to want to keep Francis in his line of sight, after all, and only one comes close to the topic he's already decided it isn't the time to go into.

[goingtobeunwell]

He knows Ram well enough by now that he’d like to sleep and eat with that bow strapped to his back, but this is good for them both. They’re in their home and it’s safe and secure…despite the presence of the wolf in their midst begging for scratches, anyway, and it doesn’t help anyone’s mental state to be on their guard constantly.

But thankfully there are fish! He’ll happily celebrate a successful fishing venture. “A fine haul,” he smiles, picking up the bundle of fish and waiting for Ram to untie the bunch from himself. He leans in close as he does so, his attention on Ram’s dimples and the way his eyes crinkle when he’s pleased with himself.

[friendsfordinner]

Oh what the fuck is that smile? Hickey's never seen Crozier's eyes crinkle like that. What the fuck does Raju have to make him smile like that?

Without thinking, Hickey kind of fails at the act. He stares down Crozier, absolute judgement in his wolf eyes. It's hard to tell why, but the dog absolutely does not approve of this.

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju's smile deepens as he holds Francis' gaze. He leans forward slowly, as if his body's doing it on its own—

The wolf's head moves oddly under his hand and Raju looks down, frowning at it for a moment. It isn't Raju that's got its attention just now which means, he thinks, he isn't doing anything wrong. So that's something. But he isn't sure what this is supposed to mean. What do dogs like? What do wolves like?

Well. Animals like to eat, don't they? And Francis did just pick up the fish. "Tell the wolf it can't have those," he says, lifting his hand from the wolf's head so he can untie the line, letting Francis take the fish. "That's tomorrow's breakfast. You said it was begging for scraps; you didn't feed it, did you? Maybe it thinks all our fish is its now."

He grins, more teasing Francis than anything else. It'd be a problem, if that was the case, but they can deal with it when it becomes one.

[goingtobeunwell]

The wolf's sudden change in body language is a bit disconcerting, but Ram is probably right that it's the fish in his hand. "I might have fed him," he admits sheepishly, lifting the fish away from the wolf's face and hanging the lot by the fire. "I thought he might have been malnourished - he's small for a wolf, isn't he?"

Crozier pauses to wash his hand in their basin, glancing over his shoulder at Rama and the animal. The wolf still doesn't seem all that dangerous to him, considering it didn't immediately lunge towards the fish or bare its teeth.

He smiles a little again, expression fond. "What should we call him?"

[friendsfordinner]

It's a damn shame that Hickey can't really speak in this form. No, he doesn't want that fish! And he's not small! Fuck you, he's perfectly normal for a wolf!

But when Crozier mentions naming him, Hickey realizes what this means. He's going to try his hardest to keep his wolf life and his person life as separate as possible. Billy's the only one who knows right now, and Hickey wants to keep it that way. However, he knows this place is ridiculous. There's a high chance someone will find out and if Crozier or Raju give him a stupid name, it'll be perfect for teasing. And the last thing Hickey wants is to have someone call him a ridiculous dog name.

So he tries his best to look as strong and imposing as possible. He looks over at Crozier, obviously preening, and lets out a low, deep woof. You should call him something imposing. Something strong. Please give him a good name.

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju grimaces at the wolf when it makes that noise. It's a noise that makes a part of him want to get his bow again, and convinces the rest of him that it's still trying to beg for food.

"Call him?" he asks, bemused. "I thought we were leaving the door open so it goes home. If you give it a name you're going to keep feeding it, and then it'll never go."

[goingtobeunwell]

He laughs; it's almost as though the wolf understands them. Rama, however, does not look nearly as amused as Crozier is, and is eying the beast skeptically. "Look, don't you see? He wants a name."

Crozier walks up to Rama, hand touching his shoulder with an affectionate little shake. "Don't be like that, Ram," he says. "It's a wolf, not a pet. But why not give him a name, mn? He looks like a Jack, or a Brig."

Something nautical, because he's predictable.

[friendsfordinner]

Those names suck. And Hickey will tell Crozier that those names suck with a disappointed huff and a little whine as he trots over to Raju. Come on, if he's going to be stuck with a stupid name, surely Raju can come up with a better one than Jack.

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju starts scratching the wolf's head absently to quiet its whining, focusing mostly on Francis and the look of indulgent scepticism Raju is levelling at him. If Francis is giving it a name, he's making a pet of it. But Raju doesn't mind quite enough to argue, certainly not when Francis seems so pleased about it.

He huffs, making a show of reluctantly giving in as he smiles, squeezing the hand on his shoulder. "You said it was small, didn't you? Why not Mouse?"

[goingtobeunwell]

“Mouse,” he repeats, feeling it out a little. A wolf named Mouse. He rather likes it, actually, the touch of irony in the name. Lord knows Neptune hated swimming, the spoiled king of the sea that he wasn’t. “Mn. Mouse.”

He leans forward and presses his face into Rama’s hair, smelling the pine needle water and soap and a hint of sweat. “I think that’s it. Mouse the wolf,” he smiles.

[friendsfordinner]

That name's even worse! Mouse? What the hell? And he's not small to begin with! (Oh God, is he small? Hickey doesn't know the average size of a wolf.)

He turns towards Crozier, ready to make every sort of whining noise of protest he can think of, when he spots Crozier burying his face into Raju's hair. And Hickey can't help it: he lets out a small growl of annoyance, staring down the two men. He's not doing anything, but he's making his displeasure known.

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju looks down at the wolf sharply, frowning. One of his hands is behind Francis but the other, at least, is free, to do... what?

He glances at Francis, then back down to the wolf, very aware now that he doesn't know enough about dogs to know what might be a normal noise and what might not. A growl, even a little one, might put Raju in mind of the bow hanging next to the door, but Francis had been comfortable with the thing when Raju had gotten here.

"What does it want?" he asks. "I still can't figure out what it's been responding to. This isn't what they do when they're hungry, is it?" It might be. Raju hates that he can't be sure.

[goingtobeunwell]

The wolf looks like an animal might getting its tailed stepped on, but Crozier has no idea what he's done to displease the creature. He stands up a little straighter, hand tightening on Rama's shoulder. "I have no earthly idea."

It is still just a wild animal. Maybe it is hungry, or maybe it's about ready to leave. Either way a growl means it's unhappy, and he has no qualms letting the weird little wolf go about to where it came from.

"He might want back outside. Let's open the door a bit wider."

The door's pulled open and Crozier stands by the handle, waiting, watching. He can't imagine after getting fed and watered and pet that it would need anything else from them.

[friendsfordinner]

What? Wait, no, he doesn't want to go back outside! He just wants the two of them to stop snuggling! He doesn't want to see Crozier looking at Raju like that!

So instead of going outside, Hickey purposefully walks over towards the fire. He turns in a circle before sitting down and looking up at Crozier and Raju. Nope. Not moving. He's staying put, thank you very much.

But as he does so...Christ, he's going to have to just suffer though it if that happens again, isn't he. He's suspicious enough already, the last thing he wants is more attention drawn to him.

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju feels the chillier breeze in from the door, watching the wolf walk in the exact opposite direction from it. He sighs.

"Does it know it's a wolf and not a pet?" he asks, looking amused and indulgent despite his dry tone. "Because if it thinks it's supposed to be here to stay, we're going to have to start sleeping somewhere else."

Which would only be a problem for Raju, really, since Francis doesn't need the heat in the way that Raju does. It isn't the only fireplace in the house, of course, but keeping more than one lit means using more firewood... It's a problem for later. The problem for now is one Raju's less certain he's happy with, after that odd growl— But not unhappy enough to stop following Francis' lead.

[goingtobeunwell]

And there goes the wolf. Crozier shuts the door with a soft huff of annoyance. He doesn’t know what to do at this point,

“I don’t think he does,” he grumbles. He also doesn’t want to sleep anywhere else, although… “You did promise me a bed though.”

The wolf issue seems like one that won’t be settled for a while, certainly without more coercing and possibly more fish sacrifice, but he does seem to recall that Ram had promised somewhere comfortable to lay. And now is clearly the perfect time to bring it back up.

He smiles down at Rama, eyebrow raising suggestively.

[friendsfordinner]

Fucking hell, this is gross. A bed? Promised him a bed? Idly, Hickey hopes that they actually have a bed and they don't plan to sleep on the couch. He can handle the indignity of being called Mouse, he can't handle the indignity of listening to Crozier fuck someone else.

He lays put, trying his hardest to seem nonchalant while secretly listening and paying very close attention to what Raju and Crozier do next.

[load_aim_shoot]

"I did, didn't I?" Raju moves closer to him. It's hard, still, to resist the lure of Francis with his shirt off and Raju doesn't have to, so he doesn't, putting his hand gently over one of the bruises over Francis' chest. "It might be better for your ribs than that chair, now they're nearly in one piece again. I should have aired the mattress out already."

[goingtobeunwell]

As skeptical as Crozier still is of the wolf, it's easy to ignore it in favor of getting a little closer to Rama. It'd be nice to make the formal transition from furs laid out on the floor to an actual bed. The cabin is home, but it would be nice not to feel so transient as they sleep.

"There's still time enough," he laughs, hand cupping the one splayed against his chest. He runs his thumb across his knuckles affectionately. "Not too much time though, I'm healed enough that I can sleep horizontally now."

[friendsfordinner]

He's not looking, he's not looking, he doesn't want to see this, he's just curled up into a little dog circle on the floor—oh what on earth, Raju's touching his chest? Touching his bare chest! This is ridiculous!

Hickey adjusts his position slightly so that his paw is covering his eyes, draped over it like he's shielding it from the sun. Unfortunately, he can still hear everything.

[load_aim_shoot]

Raju makes an amused noise, looking pleased. "Enough time so we can wait until the wolf is gone, I hope. The bed isn't large enough for three."

[goingtobeunwell]

“Mn, even if it’s a small wolf, there’s a crowd,” he agrees. He isn’t paying attention to the wolf now; all of his attention is on Rama and his smile. He leans forward, just barely brushing that dimpled smile with his lips.

[friendsfordinner]

He's not looking, he's not watching, nope nope nope Hickey doesn't want to see this. So don't mind him as he keeps his eyes closed, not wanting to see Crozier and Raju kiss or snuggle or what the fuck else they'll be doing.