Wolves

[ks_claw]

Fandom: Rise of the Guardians/Guardians of Childhood/Nightmare Dorks University

Rating: R for mentions of violence

Story Summary: As a child, Pitch Black was attacked by a vicious animal while at a summer camp. Ten years later, he returns to civilization.

Author's notes: I haven't updated this fic in a coon's age, but hope you guys enjoy anyway.
-----------------


CHAPTER 1

It had been a beautiful, starry night. The kind of night where you snuck out to go for a walk under the round, glowing coin of the moon, usually with a lover, and in this case a cousin who had ignored any of the rules set for him by the camp, and broke every single one each day and night. And somehow, that had been exactly what Proto had talked Piki into, and together they had managed to sneak out of their cabin, and head into the woods surrounding the summer camp and its small lake, that seemed to gleam like molten silver in the moonlight.

It had almost felt magical, Piki recalled, and the clearing they had found with golden lights of fireflies dancing seemed to emphasize this. Proto had made a comment about the lifecycle of fireflies, but Piki had ignored it in favor of watching the fireflies and the stars in quiet wonder.

A quiet that unfortunately was broken by Pitch, who had woken up alone and had guessed his twins whereabouts. So he too had sneaked out, and had after a desperate search finally found his brother and cousin.

“Why did you leave me behind?” He had asked, or rather demanded. When Piki thought back on it, he could remember how upset Pitch had looked. And how he had looked like this each time that Piki decided to spend more time with Proto than his twin. A pattern that had been uncomfortably consistent that very summer, though Piki had not thought much of it at the time. Children were often selfish like that.

“You would just start complaining like you always do.” Proto had said. “And then we’d get caught and get in trouble.”

“Shut up! I wasn’t talking to you!” Pitch hissed at his younger cousin, and then frowned when Piki stepped in front of Proto.

“Go back to the camp, Pitch. I can’t always drag you with me.” He had said in his best older twin voice. Pitch looked at him with wide eyes, hurt very evident in them, before they narrowed in anger.

“Fine! I didn’t wanna be with you anyway! Not with Proto around, because he ruins everything!” He spat. Piki frowned.

“You’re being childish!” He had scolded.

“I hate you!” Pitch had angrily hissed in return, before he turned and ran into the underbrush. Piki grimaced when he realized something.

“Oh great, he ran the wrong way.”

As much as Pitch could overreact at times, he was still Piki’s twin. And running away in anger and getting lost in the woods would not solve anything. The last thing they needed was Pitch getting them into trouble, because they had all ended up lost in the woods.

“Why must he ruin everything?” Proto muttered, as they followed his trail. “I wish he would leave us alone forever.”

Piki frowned at that, finding his younger cousin’s words to be rather harsh. “Let’s just find him and then-” he was cut off by a scream coming from the woods in front of them. It was loud, ringing and terrified, the kind of scream you might hear from a frightened animal in distress. Or-

“PITCH!” Piki shrieked, before he set off in a sprint, with Proto following suit.

They both stopped when they broke through the bushes to another clearing. Piki’s eyes widening at the sight that met him.

Black. Black with eyes that seemed to glow like gold, with sharp fangs burying into Pitch as it dragged him across the ground, his (little) brother screaming in pain and fear…

“PIKIII! PIKI HELP ME!!”
——

Piki sat up with a choked gasp, and began coughing as if he had been holding his breath, with his lungs now craving oxygen. And for all he knew, that might have been the case. After a bit, his coughing ceased, and he groaned, rubbing his eyes before he looked at the alarmclock on his nightstand.

3:30 a.m.

With a quiet moan, Piki lay back down, covering his eyes with one arm. He thankfully didn’t have classes in the morning, but that didn’t make him feel less frustrated. He knew there was no possible way he could go back to sleep after a dream like that.

He eventually got out of bed and wrapped himself up in a silkrobe, before leaving his room and heading to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.

He paused when he noticed there was a light in the kitchen, along with a scent of some kind of baked food. Piki grimaced, squinting his eyes until the moving on until he got to the doorway of the kitchen.

“Proto, what the fuck are you doing in my kitchen in the middle of the night?”

Proto, looking uncharacterstically tired, just gave a slow blink. “… I couldn’t sleep. And you told me I could borrow your kitchen.”

“In the daytime or on weekends, unless otherwise stated.” Piki retorted a bit sharply, then grimaced, rubbing his temples, feeling a headache try to sneak up on him. Just what he needed. “Ugh, whatever… Just- just clean up after yourself when you’re done.” He strode past the other to get a mug from his cupboard, before he went to find his favourite brand of calming tea.

“… Are you nervous about tomorrow?” Proto asked at sudden. Piki paused in his movements of taking a teabag out of a tin, before he frowned and dropped the bag in the mug from before.

“If you mean ‘am I nervous about meeting my brother, who I haven’t seen since that disaster of a summercamp we went to, when we were 12 years old?’” He grimaced after a moment at that, before he took his electric kettle to pour water into it, so it could get boiled for the tea. “…The answer to that is a very certain yes.”

“So am I.” Proto muttered, earning a surprised look from Piki.

“Why would you be nervous?” He asked.

Proto gave a slight shrug. “I suppose… I wonder if he finds me responsible. I mean…” He ducked his head, again a rather uncharacteristic thing for him, Piki thought. Proto was always practically radiant with confidence. Or at least when it came to outsiders. Piki was the only person he dared let his guard down around, if rarely at that, and even then he always had an air of being well aware of what he was doing, be it his general behavior or whatever crafting project he was cooking up.

Now, however… He almost reminded Piki of that night ten years ago, when the events had been over…

He was distracted by the electric kettle, as it began to bubble madly, as it finished boiling the water, before giving a sharp click. With a sigh, he poured the water up in a mug.

“We were kids,” he finally told Proto quietly. “And while what we did lead to some awful things… well…” He frowned. “If Pitch decides to have held a grudge for all this time, then we’ll just have to work our way through it.”

Comments

Wolves chapter 2

[ks_claw]

“I wish he would leave us alone forever.”

Children were always selfish creatures. Proto knew that from experience, especially considering the events of that summer.

He was selfish, he thought, because he had wanted to spend time with Piki, and only Piki. Pitch was just an annoyance, and in his own opinion, his other cousin just got more and more annoying as time went by. After all, there were plenty of other children. Why couldn’t he just try to get along with those, instead of dogging the heels of his twin brother?

Years later, when Proto thought about it, his kind of thinking had been unreasonable. Of course Pitch had the right to spend time with his brother. They were twins, and the identical kind had an affinity for sticking together like peas in a pod.

Unless a selfish little prick like Proto kept forcing his way in between them.

“I wish he would leave us alone forever.”

A selfish wish, spurned by a moment of irritation after a stupid argument, which he himself had been the cause of in the first place. Proto had wished many things on his cousin that night. That he would just go away, that by some miracle he would be taken home by his parents, while Piki stayed with Proto at the summer camp, that he got sick from a cold despite the warm summer night…

He had never wished for Pitch to be attacked by a wild animal that had almost killed him.

Proto frowned to himself as he thought about it, watching from his point of observation by the university campus parking lot, as Piki paced back and forth, sometimes glancing at his watch.

The trauma had been awful to them both. Thanks to some specialized therapy, Piki had somehow forgotten everything but how his brother had been screaming for him, as the animal that had attacked him was dragging him off…

Proto on the other hand, could remember everything.

It had been dark, but the light of the full moon had given just enough light for them to see what was happening. An enormous beast of a black wolf, which should be impossible to find in this part of the country, not to mention the sheer size…

He swallowed, remembering how the animal had stopped at the sight of the other two boys, had slowly released Pitch who had dropped to the ground, sobbing in pain. How the beast had bared its bloodstained fangs in a low, rolling growl…

The feeling of a hand suddenly on his shoulder sent a shock of surprise through his body, and before Proto knew it, he was sprawled out on the ground, wide-eyed and gasping for breath while clutching a hand in his shirt, as if trying to keep his thundering heart from breaking through his ribcage.
The massive form of his roommate Pitchiner loomed over him, looking at him with a very concerned expression.

“Geez Proto, didn’t mean to scare you like that. You okay?” He asked, before holding out a hand.

Proto, normally the most composed person in the world, scowled in response before he accepted the others offered hand, and let himself be pulled to his feet.

“I’m fine…” He managed. “I was… deep in thought.”

“I could tell. I’ve been calling your name, but you didn’t respond.” The jock snorted, before he pointed with a thumb at the pacing form of Piki. “Any idea what’s up with him? He’ll be wearing a hole in the ground if he keeps it up.”
Proto huffed, absently brushing some grass off his bottom, before he drew in a deep breath to properly compose himself.

“Piki and I are simply a little wired from anticipation. Piki’s brother is arriving today.”

Pitchiner blinked at that, taking a moment to think, before replying; “Oh yeah, I remember hearing about that! What time is he showing up?”

“Any minute now…” Proto said slowly, noticing an old carcass of a truck, that was pulling up to the campus parking lot. “In fact, I think it might be him there.”

Pitchiner snorted in surprise. “In that thing? I thought it would be something much more fancy, considering you two!”

“He’s been living with a distant relative.” Proto heard himself say, but he found his own voice sounding distant, as though coming from underwater, as he focused on the truck.

It was a miracle that the thing was working in the first place, but in a way it showed the tenacity of it’s owner, he supposed. Said owner was stepping out of the truck now, tall and thin as a scarecrow, and almost resembling one too, wearing his old deer hide coat with its adorning thin straps dangling from the shoulders and wrists, along with that old leather hat, adorned with just a single strap around its cap, with the finishing touch of a ratty magpie feather. And hiding some of the front of this tall man, was a black, almost grizzly looking beard, always with that burst of gray…

And the man lifted his head and seemed to find Proto right on with a pair of eyes of grey steel, and Proto swallowed, feeling as though he had been nailed to the spot, before the other male turned his gaze away towards the other passenger of the truck that was now climbing out.

Pitch had been a sickly child to look at, Proto recalled. And a seizure when he had been seven years old had left the twins’ mother worried when their father had talked her into sending them off to that summer camp. Proto remembered Piki grumbling about it, though the older Black twin had never meant anything cruel by it. Proto had always seen it as an endless supply for his verbal ammunition, in his attempts of getting Pitch to leave him and Piki alone, though more often than not it was Piki who would give in and let his twin come along for whatever adventure Proto had planned.

It had been ten years since that fateful night, and Proto would admit if asked, that he had wondered about any possible physical trauma his cousin might have suffered from the animal attack.

Whatever kind of therapy Pitch might have been having through the years, however, had worked wonders. It had given him a swimmer’s build that practically oozed of strength and confidence. His posture was straight, almost military-like, and he had a watchfulness about him that showed that he was very alert to his surroundings.

And then there was the tattoo.

Proto could only imagine his aunt’s face, if she had seen her son before he had arrived here. In any other situation it would have been priceless. But something about the tattoo made Proto feel cold.

It started on Pitch’s left arm, and went up his shoulder, covering it with the shape of an animal that Proto couldn’t identify from this distance, before finishing in other swirling designs close to his neck, and probably covering some of his upper chest or back. It was black, with shades of gold, purple and blue. And Proto found himself feeling nauseous as a faint memory re-emerged unannounced.

The beast had its fangs buried deep in Pitch’s shoulder, and Proto was quite certain he could hear flesh and muscle tearing over the sound of his cousin’s screams of pain…

“Oy! Proto!” Pitchiner’s voice sounded, a bit too loud and a bit too sharp, and Proto blinked bewildered, and realized he was leaning up against the jock.

“Whoah there..” Pitchiner said, now a bit more soothing, as he supported Proto carefully. “You sure you’re alright? You got real pale, and then you started looking like you might be sick.”

Proto swallowed, and discovered much to his own embarrassment that yes, he did honestly feel like throwing up, though looking away from the twins’ reunion, and taking a few deep breaths, soon helped him steady himself.

He was very glad that there was no one else around, except Pitchiner and the twins to see him like this, and Pitchiner was at least not in the habit of running with gossip.

“I think… I’m gonna go back to the dorm.” He heard himself say, feeling very exhausted at sudden. “You’re right, I’m not feeling too good. I’ll see you later.”

He ignored the concerned look from Pitchiner, as he walked as far away from his newly arrived cousin as possible.

Guilt was a very strong motivator for not feeling well all of a sudden.
—————–

Piki didn’t really know what he had expected, when it came to his brother. In the 10 years they had been apart, they had only exchanged a few letters, and Pitch had never told much about the time he had been away. Piki remembered how his brother had written in the beginning, that he had missed his home, had missed a lot of things, but their uncle, Zacariah Black, had told him that he wasn’t able to go home just yet.

His parents, Piki recalled, had tried to explain that the accident had left Pitch deeply traumatized, and only staying with Zacariah was going to help.
Piki would admit to himself, that he had almost expected Proto to point out to the adults, in his usual clever ways, that keeping someone close to where they had been traumatized was usually left than helpful But he had only mentioned it, once he and Piki had been left alone together. And even then that had not lasted for long, as Proto had been taken home by his mother, who had been rather distraught.

You couldn’t really blame her, seeing as Piki and Proto had both been right there, when Pitch had been attacked.

The memory of that flashed briefly through Piki’s mind, and he shivered, remembering how terrified Pitch had looked, how he had screamed for his brother…

The pickup truck that had arrived at the university grounds finally came to a stop, and Piki felt himself straighten up as he watched two figures climb out of it intensely.

Uncle Zacariah, Piki recalled, had always been something of an oddity in the Black family. No one really knew which side did, that he was related to the Black twins. When they had been children, Piki and Pitch had simply been told to refer to him as “Uncle Zacariah” or “Sir.”

And of all things, he had always been part of the supervisors that were in the summer camp that the twins had gone to ten years ago. This, their father had informed them, was because the entire establishment was on his lands, and so he had wanted to be able to keep an eye on things, on the camp itself, and of course the children.

Strange or not, relation or not, or many other things, Zacariah Black had an air about him, that despite his ragged scarecrow looks made you want to listen and pay attention when doing so. Even Proto did not start anything, if he knew that he was going to get caught by their uncle.

The most that Piki could remember, was that Zacariah had a way of putting you to work, and finding a way to make you like it. Even the Black twins had found a way to enjoy themselves, when Pitch had not been feeling cross over the way Proto was trying to hog Piki’s attention from him. Honestly, from what Piki could remember, Zacariah had done everything in his power to make certain that the twins had gotten along.

Then the incident had happened, and Zacariah had just sort of taken over things.

‘It happened on my lands. Makes it my responsibility.’

Pitch had changed. As children, he and Piki had been of a pale complexion. Whatever kind of outdoor life he’d lead while living with their uncle, it had left him wiry and tanned, his clothes consisting of worn jeans and a ratty-looking black wife-beater, and a jacket of dark leather hanging over one arm.
And Pitch himself… Piki faintly recalled the conversation with Proto the other night, of his worries about Pitch rejecting both of them, because of what had happened. ‘Will he or won’t he?’ was a very tempting thought to hold on to…

But then Pitch looked at Piki, actually looked… and he gave a large, bright grin.

“PIKI!”

And before Piki knew it, he was caught in a strong, hard embrace, with his twin easily picking him up and spinning them both around. And before he knew it, Piki found himself laughing as well, returning the embrace the best he could, before Pitch stopped and set him down, with the both of them rambling almost incoherently at each other.

“Look at you!”

“Look at you!”

“You got so tall! HOW!?”

“No taller than you, dummy!”

The sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted their rambling and the Black twins looked towards Zacariah, who was watching them with a calm look, albeit with a small twinkle in his eye.

“Good t’ know that there could be such a pleasant reunion 'tween you two.” He said, his tone gruff, but not unkind. “Now Pitch, how about we get things in order, and stop by administration first, so that you c'n get whatever things you might need from there?”

“Yes, uncle.” Pitch said, straightening up before looking to Piki. “Maybe Piki could show us the way?”

“Gladly!” Piki exclaimed, “and perhaps I could give you a tour of the campus afterward, unless you have other things in mind?”

Pitch looked to Zacariah, who only shook his bushy head slowly.

“Nothin’ that can’t wait,” he rumbled. “You boys have been apart for a long time. ’S only fair you get to spend more of it t'gether.” He then turned away to close the doors on the truck, before locking them, giving one side a solid kick with an irritable grunt, and muttering something under his breath.

“So…” Piki asked quietly, while the older man occupied himself. “Do our parents know about the tattoo?”

“Ah, no…” Pitch said awkwardly, rubbing his neck a bit. “We just came directly here. Uncle Zacariah didn’t want to waste too much time…” He leaned forward, adding discreetly: “And neither of us could really remember where the place is, so…”

Piki nodded with a mouthed 'ah.’ “I understand. And I’m certain mother and father will too.” He frowned, looking to his twin (who despite what he said himself really did look taller than him).

“I’m glad you’re here. And I’m glad you’re alright.” He shrugged awkwardly, “I mean… considering back then…”

Pitch blinked and looked like he was about about to ask Piki what he meant, but Zacariah had finished checking up on the truck by then, giving them both a light slap on the shoulder, raising a brow at Piki.

“Shall we be off?”

“Of course! Administration is this way.” Piki said, motioning for the two to follow.

Wolves Chapter 3

[ks_claw]

Campus was every bit as chaotic as Pitch had expected that it was going to be. The sights, the sounds, the smells and colors… everything was overwhelming yet at the same time amazing.

If he hadn’t been with his uncle and brother, however, he would probably have gone bounding off to investigate every single thing. As it was, Zachariah kept him grounded with stern looks, while Piki talked his ear off about everything that had happened the past ten years in the family, at least until they got to the administration offices of the area. After that, Piki fell behind a bit, as Zachariah and Pitch went inside to speak to administration.

The one they spoke to, was one Manfred Lunanoff. He was a small and peaceful-looking man, but there was something about him that made Pitch feel alert. Mostly, Mr. Lunanoff smelled of peach blossoms, but there was something… other, underneath it all. He was friendly however, and showed no signs of hostility, as he welcomed Pitch to the university and explained about classes and living arrangements.

“Now keep in mind, we have a few teachers who prefer a slight dressing code, so it would be appreciated if you would be able to… well, cover up your tattoos.” Mr. Lunanoff commented, glancing at Pitch’s arm. “I understand that it is covering some scars from… the incident?”

“Certain wolf bites can’t be covered up by ordinary medicine.” Zachariah said gruffly, “th’ tattoo was a birthday gift.”

“I don’t have a problem with covering it up, however.” Pitch added, “not if it’s going to be a bother to someone.”

“Not to everyone, just some and most likely only in certain classes.” Mr. Lunanoff said kindly, “I’ll make a note of it on your schedule, which you can pick up once you’ve settled in. Now, I am also aware that you have family on this campus, but are they aware of your special situation?”

Pitch grimaced, feeling uncertain on how to respond. He glanced to Zachariah, who just gave a slight nod.

“My brother and cousin are here, yes, but they are unaware of my situation.” Pitch finally told Mr. Lunanoff, “but I hope to be able to inform them at some point. At least, when the time is right.”

Mr. Lunanoff nodded, and shuffled around a few papers before picking a specific page. “Well with that out of the way, I just need you to sign your name here, and here and you will officially be a student. Oh, and so you know, your living quarters have been prepared especially for your condition. We have had a few students in the past with similar problems, and I hope they will fit your needs as well.”

Pitch nodded, as he signed his name on the documents. “I hope so, Mr. Lunanoff. I appreciate your help.”

Mr. Lunanoff only smiled, and Pitch once again had the feeling there was something specific about him. “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Black.”
———-

“Lunanoff is an ally of your second half, boy.” Zachariah rumbled, once they had left Lunanoff’s office. Pitch blinked at that, looking to his uncle, but didn’t ask how he knew in case it was a foolish question.

Zachariah Black knew many things, and you didn’t always want to know the answers to your questions. Pitch had learned that the hard way in the ten years he had spent with him.

“Comes from this area. Lots of old connections.” Zachariah grunted. “Now let’s go get your suitcase, so we can get you settled in.”

“Yes, uncle.” Pitch agreed, as they got back out into the sunshine. Piki had been waiting for them and smiled when he saw them, getting up from the bench he had been seated on.

“How did it go?” He asked, seeming honestly curious.

“It went fine, I’m starting classes next week and I’ve got a place to stay.” Pitch said. “Maybe you know the place? It’s in the “Campus D” area, wherever that is.” he offered the papers about that information to Piki, who glanced them over. Piki nodded, handing the papers back. “I know that place, I pass it to my own area. But why there? I thought…” he paused, halting himself and seeming to think of something. “Of course, how silly of me, mine is a single abode, not one for extras. And Proto already has a roommate, though I don’t know if he could squeeze in a third.”

“It’s fine, I’ve got a place to stay and that’s what’s important.” Pitch said, “besides, it’s… specially arranged. I’ll be taking special classes, and some of them are late, and I wouldn’t want to bother anyone who would be my roommate.”

“Boy, we ain’t got all day.” Zachariah cut in with an annoyed grunt. “We’re wastin’ light, and I want to be on the road soon. Y'know how the engine gets after a drive this long, so let’s get your things.”

“Of course, sorry uncle.” Pitch replied, and both he and Piki followed the other man quickly to his truck back at the parking lot.

As they went, they passed by a group of well muscled younger men, who Pitch figured could only be described of as ‘jocks’. They were running around and doing what looked like some sort of Lacrosse game, and Piki nudged Pitch slightly, pointing at one of the players.

“That there is Pitchiner, he’s Proto’s roommate. I’m sure you’ll get introduced to him at some point, in one way or the other.”

Pitch just nodded, though he wasn’t looking much at Pitchiner. Instead, he was paying attention to some of the other players running around, though some of them had taken notice of him too. For the most part, they were still focusing on their game, but those not in the middle of fighting for the ball were standing to the side, watching Pitch and the others from a distance.

Zachariah had noticed them as well. He took a good, long look, before he snorted softly.

“From up north, just like yourself.” He grunted, then gave Pitch a slight pat on the shoulder. “Come on. Truck now, looking and conversing later.”

Pitch said nothing, but followed. Piki had watched the entire exchange curiously, but didn’t ask any questions as he followed along himself.
——————————–

The house was small and as ordinary as they came. When Piki thought about it, he had never had any reason to really pay attention, but that was to be expected when he lived in an entirely different area. But it looked comfortable at least, with a tiled roof and shutters that had been opened, where they before had been closed, now that Piki thought about it. Probably to prevent vandalism from rowdy students, which sounded sensible enough.

Zachariah took a look over it and grunted, giving a nod. Then he motioned for Pitch to follow, getting out a key that they had probably gotten in administration, before he went up a small flight of stairs and unlocked the front door. Pitch hoisted up in his suitcase and followed suit, pausing only at the door to look back at Piki.

“Want to come have a look?” He asked, and Piki followed quickly.

Inside was as ordinary as it came. There was a large room which functioned as a livingroom and kitchen, with an island separating the kitchen from the livingroom, and a couple of doors. One opened up to a single bedroom, where Pitch set his suitcase, while another had to be to a bathroom, Piki guessed. The third was revealed to open to a set of stairs leading down, and Zachariah went to examine it. He returned moments later, grunting something about it being a washing room and a special made pantry.

“This is it.” Zachariah then told Pitch, standing in front of him, and Piki noticed curiously how Pitch was just a little taller than Zachariah. “I’ll be leaving you to it, boy. But if anythin’ should happen, call me. I’ve got some contacts in the area, who might drop by, or who’ll come if any trouble arises.”

“Yes, uncle.” Pitch said in a quiet, respectful tone.

“Just remember, keep an eye on the sky and yer feet on the ground.” Zachariah added, “you’re strong an’ healthy, but don’t be afraid t’ show your throat if someone seems stronger than you. An’ there’s folks here from up north. You’ll get along just fine.”

“I will remember, uncle.” Pitch replied.

“I’m sorry, but what do you mean with ’from up north?’” Piki interjected cautiously, flinching just a little at the dirty look he got from Zachariah. “Not that I mind Pitch making acquaintances or anything, it just seems an odd thing to say?”

Zachariah merely glanced at Pitch, who shrugged.

“He just means, that there might be some familiar faces around here. I got to know some different people where I stayed.” He said, “and I might run into some of them here. Some are freshmen like myself, a few are seniors.”

Piki was tempted to ask why Zachariah hadn’t just said so in the first place, but decided not to. He felt himself start to faintly sweat under the hard glare of his uncle, until the older man gave an annoyed grunt, looking to Pitch.

“One last thing: Remember what I taught you. Don’t let the rest o’ your family get to you.” He said sternly, as though Piki wasn’t there at all. “With your brother an’ cousin being here, you can’t be certain about how they’ll react t’ certain things.”

“I know, uncle.” Pitch replied sincerely. “I am who I am. One thing first, and a Black second.” Zachariah nodded satisfied at that, before patting Pitch on the shoulder.

“Atta boy. I’ll hit the road then. But keep me posted if somethin’ happens, a'right?” He then gave Piki one final hard glare, before turning and heading out the door.

Piki swallowed slightly. He wasn’t quite certain how, but the older man’s gaze had spoken volumes.

‘Don’t screw this up.’ it had seemed to say, though Piki couldn’t say for certain what was meant with it. Was it somethign related to the accident years ago, or something else?

“So…” He said slowly to Pitch, “would you… like me to show you around some more, or…?”

Pitch shrugged. “Sure. Maybe we could find something to eat? I’m hungry like a wolf.” He flashed a strange little grin at that, as if he’d made some kind of inside joke. Piki just blinked slowly, but nodded.

“Sure. Students around here don’t eat out much, but there are some decent places around when it calls for it.” He said.

“Then by all means, lead the way!” Pitch replied cheerfully.