awashlogs | Event Six.

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Event Six.

If you see this hairy creature
Your first choice should always be to run
Otherwise you had better hope
You have silver bullets in a gun.

he full moon hangs brightly over the Town, hovering so low that it almost feels as though you could reach out and touch it. It should be comforting.

But as the howl of wolves fills the air, it's anything but.

There are werewolves on the prowl, and their target is very clear -- the Town won't be able to last without your help.

Welcome to Awash's sixth event log, everyone! Further information on this event can be found here at the OOC post.

You are welcome to start your own posts or logs for this event as well. If there are any questions, please ask them here. Thank you!

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[It is a fact. Oddly, there's something about hearing it confirmed like that, as though hearing it in Noct's voice makes it easier to reassure himself with than trying to tell it to himself in his own. He would never let anything hurt Noctis, and especially not this.

Even if he is "this", the point still stands. And so he steps slowly into the light, ears and claws and too-sharp teeth.]

It's still dangerous for you.

[Understandably so, perhaps.]

You shouldn't be reckless.

Oh...

[ Noctis can't help his dismay even if he's suspected -- Ignis, half wolf and nearly feral, those eyes gleaming in the limited light, wickedly sharp teeth promising, at the very least, a world of pain, if not almost certain death. ]

Ignis.

[ He should be afraid, he should probably be less reckless -- but Noctis has always been reckless, barrelling ahead with only Ignis to temper him. And now here he is before him, the danger instead of the buffer, threat instead of protector.

But Noctis doesn't see him as the former -- even now he's still trying to protect him, and Noctis draws a little closer, struck by how ferocious he looks.

And yet... he is still his Ignis. ]

Why? What happened --

I was defending Aurorean. I suppose it must've gotten me while I was kicking it.

[He says it rather calmly for someone who's so decidedly wolf at this point. Though it's not as though they're any great strangers to transformations? It would probably be worse to be a frog. There's always that.]

It would be better if you didn't come close to me, Noct.

[There's tension in his voice; he's trying so hard to remain calm, keep it steady, but it's clear that he's fighting tooth and nail to accomplish that.]

[ Turning into a bloodthirsty werewolf is not better than turning into a frog!

It's so unnerving, listening to that measured voice that sounds for all the world like they're talking about the weather or a walk or something inane. Ignis is talking about a wolf bite so casually, and how Noctis shouldn't come near him, just like what Prompto said, which is why he elects to ignore the warning entirely.

He takes another step forward, frowning. ]

Why? You're Ignis, you always have been. I'm not leaving you to your own devices.

I am not as I've always been.

[He's rooted to the spot now, eyes fixed on Noctis, watching every bit of him, every hint of movement. His hands are starting to tremble, from the sheer exertion of holding himself back.]

That's...rather the problem. We're both in here, myself and the wolf, and it's largely just a question of which will prove subordinate to the other.

[ Okay, so he's definitely not as he's always been. There's more of an edge, a bite to his voice now than before, and Noctis notices the struggle -- he's fighting to keep himself calm, and oh look at him -- Ignis has never stared at Noctis like that, like he would be dead as soon as he moved wrong.

These are the eyes of a predator, ferocious and unyielding, and Ignis is trying to hold him back. Not moving, feeling a flicker of apprehension, the prince eventually asks. ]

Which one's winning?

[And that's the moment when the tension snaps, the breaking point that his previous warnings have been leading up to. Like a gunshot, the coiled readiness in him breaks free, and his reasons for warning about Noctis keeping his distance abruptly come into clarity as he springs and all but tackles Noctis to the ground in a predator's leap.

And yet — it stops there. They're on the ground, he's got Noct pinned, but that's all; it's as though that one movement was some sort of concession to the wolf, a release of the pressure that'd been building, and now that it's been alleviated, Ignis is in control again.

But he's still not moving away.]

The wolf wants to devour you. And I am going to protect you.

[There's a hint of a shudder in the way he exhales, proof of the determination he's exerting — and yet, from the tone in his voice, there's no mistaking who is going to win this battle in the long run. If it were anyone else, the match might be a toss-up — but this is Noctis, Noct's safety, and there's nothing in the world that can match Ignis's determination when it comes to that.]

It won't touch you, Noct. I won't let it. But I'm not quite myself right now, because of it.

[ Noctis has been in his fair share of fights with daemons, with beasts -- he's been knocked around and he's done his own fair share of knocking around, but the sudden spring of this wolf-beast, Ignis, is unexpected. He's knocked down and pinned to the ground, the weight of the wolf above him, feral and primal and entirely... Six, what has happened to him?

Ignis isn't moving, and Noctis is staring up at him, wide-eyed and not entirely sure what to do. Is Ignis trying to prove a point, and to whom? To the wolf inside him? He's pretty sure that what is pinning him now is the wolf itself, and he can see it shining in his eyes despite Ignis' iron control. Wolf and man both in one body -- it's more vivid than the movies set it out to be, and he swallows hard. ]

Yeah, I uh -- figured.

[ Ignis will win, he has to; and he can't help but notice the marked surge in the pure, raw strength of him, primal and vicious and yet paired with a keen, intelligent mind. Ignis isn't Prompto, he's more... ferocious, and he can't help but reach up to brush over his jaw, hoping to Astrals that the wolf in him doesn't decide to bite his hand off. Even now, Ignis is fighting to protect him, and he doesn't know what to say about that. ]

How can I help?

I told you to stay back because I don't want you to be afraid.

[He's still tense, still poised and coiled with the visible exertion of holding himself back, but there's humanity in the way he leans gently into the touch of Noct's fingers as they stroke down his jaw.]

You're mine. And this fool of a wolf knows it.

[He should move, really he should, and let Noct get back to his feet. But he can't — he doesn't.]

Right now, I need you to be my partner in protecting you. I understand you're worried for me. But to keep you safe...this time, I need you to put yourself first. I am asking you to help me, by putting yourself first, while I also put you first. D'you understand what it is I'm asking for?

I'm not afraid.

[ Noctis says boldly, firmly. He makes no move to squirm out of his hold, reaching up behind to scratch behind his ears, heart skipping a beat at how close they are. Ignis can lean in and rip his beating heart out of his chest without pausing. He can clamp his jaws on his throat and it'll possibly be over.

And yet here they are, neither moving just like this. ]

Like what? Are you telling me to run away? Because the answer is still no.

I need you to refrain from assuming that I have perfect control over this, because I don't.

[And yet, when Noct's fingers find their way to his ear, something in him quiets; the human recognizes the affection for what it is, and the wolf merely recognizes that the touch, while uncalled-for, still ultimately feels good.]

You can't blindly trust that I won't be a danger to you. I'm asking you to recognize the danger I present for what it is, and make your decisions based on your own security.

[He glances up, fixing his eyes steadily on Noctis.]

I'm asking this because I know what you're thinking. You see me in danger or in pain and you're prepared to do whatever it takes, self-sacrifice included, to try to rescue me. I'm asking — I'm begging you not to do that this time. Don't put yourself at risk for my sake. Please.

[ How can he ask him that? How can he ask him to think of himself first if Ignis is in danger or in pain? The thought of it sets his teeth on edge; he can't turn away from him, he can't promise that -- he wouldn't forgive himself if he can't do anything to save Ignis, whether it's from himself, the wolf, or whoever that might end up hunting him.

He makes a soft, angrily defiant little noise, snapping. ]

Don't fuck around, Iggy! You know I'll never agree. What the hell are you even thinking, asking me that?

[ What's he supposed to do, stand by and watch? Keep himself safe at Ignis' expense? Either they're both safe or not at all. ]

[His lips pull back just slightly, out of sheer frustration, and his hands tremble again as he makes himself pull back, rolling off of Noctis and pushing himself back up into a crouch, where he can hug his knee and try to keep himself anchored despite how he's shaking from the desire to spring again.]

Very well. If that's how you'd have it, then I'll protect you alone.

[He lowers his forehead, resting it against the top of his knee, and shakes all over from the effort of keeping himself still.]

You will be safe, Noct. Mark my words about that.

[ Ignis lifts himself off of him, the weight suddenly gone and he sits up, hands flat behind his back to brace himself. But it doesn't take long before he registers Ignis curling up, shaking as if he's trying to fight off something -- age old, primal instinct, perhaps.

So he crawls over to him, fearless and recklessly, prodigiously concerned for him. Nevermind that Ignis is a danger to him, to himself -- Ignis remains first and foremost his confidant, his oldest, closest companion, the man who had been with him through the best and worst of times. If he tells him he'll be safe, then he will be. ]

Hey...

[ He says softly, reaching out to touch his hair, to touch him. ]

We're gonna be in this together. Prompto turned, too. He can help as well.

[It's exactly what he doesn't want, exactly what he'd begged Noctis not to do. But there's no changing Noctis, not really, and he supposes on some level Noctis wouldn't be Noctis unless he was making his choices like this, every time, no matter how reckless.]

I could've stayed away.

[He says it under his breath, more to himself than to Noctis, and yet there's no mistaking that these words are intended for Noct, soft and stricken as they are.]

I thought about it. But I thought that abandoning you while I dealt with this would be too grave a sin. I don't care what this takes from me, to fight it. I'll fight it every gods-damned minute, but I will not abandon you.

[ Because here is the truth, Ignis: he will choose Ignis, every single damn time. Whatever choice is presented to him, himself or Ignis, he'll choose him. Ignis has given up so much for Noctis, devoted so much of his life to him -- Noctis knows all of it right to his bones.

Because of Noctis, Ignis hadn't had a normal childhood -- he was groomed for a special position since he was very young, and he had carried out all his duties without complaint, cared for and protected Noctis, became his friend and his closest confidant as the years passed.

How can Noctis abandon him now? He's crouching beside him, frowning. ]

If you ran away from me, I'd come after you every single time.

[ He says softly, a hand resting on his shoulder and squeezing. Ignis must be suffering, fighting against the wolf-like nature, struggling to keep himself here. ] I won't abandon you, either. So if you ask me to do that again, I'm going to have to punch you. Probably. Okay?

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Event Six.

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