Post by Aradath D'Lagen on Dec 28, 2009 9:31:23 GMT -8
Chapter 1: The Talk
The streets were nearly empty at this time, the moon hanging lazily in the sky preparing to dip below the horizon in deference to the sun. All was calm in the city. Except for one mage.
Aradath's breaths came in gasps as he ran through the streets of Illinor. Tobias was missing. Gone. Vanished without a trace.
Technically speaking, the boy was sixteen, but with five years of his memory gone, he sometimes had the mindset of an eleven year old. It wasn't safe for an eleven year old to be wandering the city streets alone at night.
He slowed his pace as he saw the familiar swish of light blue robes ahead. “Tobias...?” he called out softly. Yes, there coming into view was his apprentice outside a tavern, staring up at the stars no less. He really shouldn't have been surprised, he reflected with a small smile.
Tobias looked over as he approached, smiling at the sight of his master. “Ebrithil! What is wrong? You look worried...”
Aradath sighed, coming to stand beside him. “I was worried, Tobias. I awoke to find you gone. Do you have any idea how late it is? Not to mention that it's the dead of winter and you're out here in nothing more than your apprentice robes...”
“Sorry, Ebrithil. I was just looking at the stars... Look, there's so many of them.” He stared up at them with wide eyes, seeming not to notice that he was trembling from the cold.
Aradath turned his gaze toward the sky, looking at the stars a few moments. “Yes, there are many stars... But Tobias, you can always come back to look at them at a more reasonable time. Come on, you're freezing.” The elder mage slipped off his heavy white-furred cloak and wrapped it around his apprentice.
Yawning, Tobias leaned back against him, allowing his eyes to close. “Not... tired...”
He put a hand on his shoulder. “Oh come on... You can be not tired in your bed.”
The boy just nodded tiredly, allowing to be lead by the shoulders back to Aradath's home. However, part of the way there he suddenly stopped walking, hearing unfamiliar sounds coming from an alleyway. “Hmm? Ebrithil, what's that sound?” He began heading over closer to the alleyway to investigate the strange moaning sounds. “What are those people-” he was cut off as the elder mage suddenly yanked him back.
“Tobias!” Aradath's face was tinged slightly pink and he forced himself to calm down. “You don't want to disturb those people.”
“But why?” he insisted, staring up at him curiously. “Why are they so close? I thought you said that Mortals-”
The elder mage winced. “Tobias, I'll explain at home.” Oh spirits. He forgot when he took the boy into his care that he would have to explain this to him. He lead the boy home, sitting him in a chair by the fire. He took his time making tea and warming himself, hoping that he would fall asleep before he had to get into the detail. But alas, Tobias was set on learning something new and whenever that happened the boy never calmed down enough to sleep.
“Tobias,” Aradath began, seating himself in a chair across from him. The boy took the tea offered to him, now sitting with rapt attention. “Tobias,” he began again. “Sometimes when a man and a woman love each other-”
“Like how we love each other?”
The elder mage nearly choked on his tea at that statement. “N-No!” He breathed in for a moment. “Tobias, that is a different kind of love. The love of a master and apprentice. This kind of love... It's different.”
“How is it different?” Tobias blinked, taking a sip of his tea.
Aradath sighed, setting his tea down to rub his temples. He was going to have to try a different angle. “Tobias... As you get older, you'll notice certain changes in your body...”
“Like how now I'm starting to get chest hair?” He tilted his head to the side, eying him strangely.
“Yes. Like how you're getting chest hair. These changes are completely normal for Mortal boys to be going through. They-”
“Completely normal?” Tobias repeated, frowning.
“Yes...” At this, Aradath furrowed his brow. “Why do you look so disappointed?”
“Well... I thought I was turning into a Shifter,” he replied, looking quite crestfallen that he was not. “I thought that maybe soon I'd get to turn into a wolf and run around doing, uh, wolfish things.”
The elder mage could not hide his smile of amusement at that one. “No Tobias, I'm afraid that you'll have to stay human for a while yet.” He watched his apprentice gloomily taking another sip of his the over the rim of his cup before continuing. “These changes signify that you are changing into a man.”
“So... That's sort of like being a shifter, right? I mean I'm changing...”
“Well yes, you're changing, but you can't change back.”
“Oh.” He stared gloomily back to his tea once more.
“As a man, you'll find that when talking to women, you'll sometimes feel certain... Urges. And there will come a time when you will act upon these urges and-”
“Oh, urges? I've acted on those before,” Tobias concluded with a nod.
This time, Aradath did choke on his tea, spitting it up with a splutter. He coughed and hacked, making his apprentice shift with worry. “You... You have?”
“Yeah!” He grinned at him. “You see this one time, I was talking to this barmaid- she was only a few years older than me. Well I think she was a barmaid anyway. She was dressed like one... Any way, she was being really nice to me.” He didn't seem to notice the way Aradath was staring at him looking horrified and sitting at the edge of his seat. “She said her name was Sunny. Suddenly, I just had... I had this urge.” Tobias glanced up from his tea, startled to see his master just inches away from him now. “I just wanted to feel those soft petals against my flesh. I wanted... No, I needed to roll among them, their silky hands caressing me, the warmth engulfing me.”
“Th-their?” Aradath repeated. “Tobias, there were multiple wh-”
“So that's when I left her to go roll around in the daffodil patch behind your house,” Tobias concluded with a nod.
The elder mage released a breath that he had not known he was holding. Of course Tobias was talking about flowers. What else would the boy be talking about? He could not help but ruffle the boy's hair as he finished his tea. He was then silent a few moments. How could he explain this to him? That's it, he couldn't beat around the bush anymore. He had o be straight and to the point or else the boy would never understand. “Tobias, what I'm about to explain may shock you, but...” He trailed off, eyes widening as he realized his apprentice had just dropped off to sleep. Oh spirits. Trust Tobias to fall to sleep the exact moment he finally knew what he was going to say. He thought of waking him up to just get the whole thing over with, but seeing him look so peaceful, he shook his head, smiling slightly. He covered him with the fur cloak before turning to leave the room. He could always tell him in the morning. Or never.
Preferably it would be the latter, but with a sigh he realized it would have to be the former.
If he ever kidnapped a child again, he was going to have to make sure to raise him without such a naive look on the world...
The streets were nearly empty at this time, the moon hanging lazily in the sky preparing to dip below the horizon in deference to the sun. All was calm in the city. Except for one mage.
Aradath's breaths came in gasps as he ran through the streets of Illinor. Tobias was missing. Gone. Vanished without a trace.
Technically speaking, the boy was sixteen, but with five years of his memory gone, he sometimes had the mindset of an eleven year old. It wasn't safe for an eleven year old to be wandering the city streets alone at night.
He slowed his pace as he saw the familiar swish of light blue robes ahead. “Tobias...?” he called out softly. Yes, there coming into view was his apprentice outside a tavern, staring up at the stars no less. He really shouldn't have been surprised, he reflected with a small smile.
Tobias looked over as he approached, smiling at the sight of his master. “Ebrithil! What is wrong? You look worried...”
Aradath sighed, coming to stand beside him. “I was worried, Tobias. I awoke to find you gone. Do you have any idea how late it is? Not to mention that it's the dead of winter and you're out here in nothing more than your apprentice robes...”
“Sorry, Ebrithil. I was just looking at the stars... Look, there's so many of them.” He stared up at them with wide eyes, seeming not to notice that he was trembling from the cold.
Aradath turned his gaze toward the sky, looking at the stars a few moments. “Yes, there are many stars... But Tobias, you can always come back to look at them at a more reasonable time. Come on, you're freezing.” The elder mage slipped off his heavy white-furred cloak and wrapped it around his apprentice.
Yawning, Tobias leaned back against him, allowing his eyes to close. “Not... tired...”
He put a hand on his shoulder. “Oh come on... You can be not tired in your bed.”
The boy just nodded tiredly, allowing to be lead by the shoulders back to Aradath's home. However, part of the way there he suddenly stopped walking, hearing unfamiliar sounds coming from an alleyway. “Hmm? Ebrithil, what's that sound?” He began heading over closer to the alleyway to investigate the strange moaning sounds. “What are those people-” he was cut off as the elder mage suddenly yanked him back.
“Tobias!” Aradath's face was tinged slightly pink and he forced himself to calm down. “You don't want to disturb those people.”
“But why?” he insisted, staring up at him curiously. “Why are they so close? I thought you said that Mortals-”
The elder mage winced. “Tobias, I'll explain at home.” Oh spirits. He forgot when he took the boy into his care that he would have to explain this to him. He lead the boy home, sitting him in a chair by the fire. He took his time making tea and warming himself, hoping that he would fall asleep before he had to get into the detail. But alas, Tobias was set on learning something new and whenever that happened the boy never calmed down enough to sleep.
“Tobias,” Aradath began, seating himself in a chair across from him. The boy took the tea offered to him, now sitting with rapt attention. “Tobias,” he began again. “Sometimes when a man and a woman love each other-”
“Like how we love each other?”
The elder mage nearly choked on his tea at that statement. “N-No!” He breathed in for a moment. “Tobias, that is a different kind of love. The love of a master and apprentice. This kind of love... It's different.”
“How is it different?” Tobias blinked, taking a sip of his tea.
Aradath sighed, setting his tea down to rub his temples. He was going to have to try a different angle. “Tobias... As you get older, you'll notice certain changes in your body...”
“Like how now I'm starting to get chest hair?” He tilted his head to the side, eying him strangely.
“Yes. Like how you're getting chest hair. These changes are completely normal for Mortal boys to be going through. They-”
“Completely normal?” Tobias repeated, frowning.
“Yes...” At this, Aradath furrowed his brow. “Why do you look so disappointed?”
“Well... I thought I was turning into a Shifter,” he replied, looking quite crestfallen that he was not. “I thought that maybe soon I'd get to turn into a wolf and run around doing, uh, wolfish things.”
The elder mage could not hide his smile of amusement at that one. “No Tobias, I'm afraid that you'll have to stay human for a while yet.” He watched his apprentice gloomily taking another sip of his the over the rim of his cup before continuing. “These changes signify that you are changing into a man.”
“So... That's sort of like being a shifter, right? I mean I'm changing...”
“Well yes, you're changing, but you can't change back.”
“Oh.” He stared gloomily back to his tea once more.
“As a man, you'll find that when talking to women, you'll sometimes feel certain... Urges. And there will come a time when you will act upon these urges and-”
“Oh, urges? I've acted on those before,” Tobias concluded with a nod.
This time, Aradath did choke on his tea, spitting it up with a splutter. He coughed and hacked, making his apprentice shift with worry. “You... You have?”
“Yeah!” He grinned at him. “You see this one time, I was talking to this barmaid- she was only a few years older than me. Well I think she was a barmaid anyway. She was dressed like one... Any way, she was being really nice to me.” He didn't seem to notice the way Aradath was staring at him looking horrified and sitting at the edge of his seat. “She said her name was Sunny. Suddenly, I just had... I had this urge.” Tobias glanced up from his tea, startled to see his master just inches away from him now. “I just wanted to feel those soft petals against my flesh. I wanted... No, I needed to roll among them, their silky hands caressing me, the warmth engulfing me.”
“Th-their?” Aradath repeated. “Tobias, there were multiple wh-”
“So that's when I left her to go roll around in the daffodil patch behind your house,” Tobias concluded with a nod.
The elder mage released a breath that he had not known he was holding. Of course Tobias was talking about flowers. What else would the boy be talking about? He could not help but ruffle the boy's hair as he finished his tea. He was then silent a few moments. How could he explain this to him? That's it, he couldn't beat around the bush anymore. He had o be straight and to the point or else the boy would never understand. “Tobias, what I'm about to explain may shock you, but...” He trailed off, eyes widening as he realized his apprentice had just dropped off to sleep. Oh spirits. Trust Tobias to fall to sleep the exact moment he finally knew what he was going to say. He thought of waking him up to just get the whole thing over with, but seeing him look so peaceful, he shook his head, smiling slightly. He covered him with the fur cloak before turning to leave the room. He could always tell him in the morning. Or never.
Preferably it would be the latter, but with a sigh he realized it would have to be the former.
If he ever kidnapped a child again, he was going to have to make sure to raise him without such a naive look on the world...
