Changing Rain

accepting the new

Night fell swiftly, as if it were a dark blanket being draped across the forest. Telrin watched Eric from across the fire as the youth poked at the flames with a stick. Linsum was already pretending to sleep. The man spent so much time faking it that he might as well actually fall asleep. Of course, no one but Telrin knew that his did not truly sleep. Eric had his arms propped on his knees, huddling up against the chill of the winter air.  

" Do we have a tent?" He asked quietly as another gust of wind blew through their little campsite.  

" Yes and no." Eric pulled a face as he looked at Telrin, clearly not in a mood for riddles.  

" Yes we have a tent, no we will not be setting it up. " 

" I can do it, if that's the problem." He offered, scooting closer to the fire.  

" If it were as simple as my being lazy, I would have let you do it hours ago. Besides, laziness is Linsum's job. Let me ask you a question. How many other tents do you see?" Eric straightened out a bit to look at the other campsites a ways over.  

" One." He said, mildly suprised. Telrin nodded.  

" That's the Generals tent, it's only set to signify his importance. When our army is on the move as quickly as we are, it males no sense to pitch a tent when we don't need one. " 

" Well what happens when it's to cold to sleep outside?" 

" That rarely happens, especially with shifters. "  

" Why?" Eric looked confused, clearly thinking that It was certainly cold enough to set up a tent.  

" Look closer at the camps. " He lifted an eyebrow at Telrin before examining them, then stood up as he began to see.  

" Their all shifted! Every single one. Even the birds!"  

" Phased actually, but yes they've all changed into their true forms. " Eric sat down, slightly stunned.  

" True form?"  

" Its what we call our hidden animal selves. " Eric just shook his head. Telrin stretched out so that he was lounging on his cloak, making sure to look and sound casual when he spoke next.  

" If you're cold, just phase into your true form." Eric's face instantly turned dark.  

" No." Telrin sat up, slightly frustrated.  

" I know you hate 'shifters', but that's no reason to be dense. You have an advantage, use it." Eric glanced at Linsum, then gestured at him with his head.  

" He's not changed, I'll be fine. " Immediately Linsum phased into his true-form, his coyote self comfortably curled in a ball, not even opening a single eye once. Eric glared.  

" I'll be phasing too Lad, if you want to survive the night, it'll be in your best intrest to change."  

" I have the fire." 

" Do you have wood?" Eric opened his mouth, but didn't answer, the small pile of dry wood that they had found earlier was completely used up. Without another word, Telrin phased onto his true form and went to lay next to Linsum, making him move over with a hard push. Eric looked around, thinking, but not coming up with a feasible answer to his problem. Telrin layed his head on his paws and watched Eric, waiting. Finally Eric looked to him, giving in as another cold wind gusted over him.  

" I don't know how!" He growled over the wind. Telrin thought for a second. With a loud snarl, Telrin jumped at Eric, teeth on full display. Eric fell back in sheer shock, even Linsum looked up in surprise. Telrin snapped his teeth right next to Eric's ear, making him struggle to get up to run. The air around him shimmered and then it was his wolf that sat in the snow, still surprised.  

Satisfied, Telrin trotted back to his place by Linsum, who was lolling his tongue out the side of his mouth in amusement. Eric slowly got to his feet, delicately lifting each paw before setting them down in the snow. Both older men watched, silently laughing as Eric struggled to gain control over his long, floundering limbs in the deep snow. Finally able to stand with his legs braced far apart, looking around, wondering what to do with himself. Telrin let out a quiet barking yelp to get the lads attention, then tipped his head to the spot next to him. Eric stared at both the spot and then at Telrin himself, unsure and unhappy. Telrin barked at him one last time before laying down and closing his eyes. It took a long while, but Telrin eventually felt the warm presence of Eric as he slowly and quietly lay down next to him.  

Telrin sighed, satisfied that Eric was not foolish enough to feel too proud to keep warm. He hoped it meant that his plan would flow smoother.  

Worn out, Telrin finally allowed himself to drift off into sleep, dreaming of his wife playing with a wolf cub. The last time his family had been together. It had been his dream every night for many years, and he knew it would be his dream for many years to come. Untill the time when he could join them.