Eivind spoke with a cool authority that was difficult for Blue to ignore, and as much as he wanted to fuss and argue, exhaustion was beginning to creep up his legs, drag itself along the column of his spine and settle in his head with a stubborn air. He sighed, his body sinking into Eivind's as he listened to the wolf give him unsatisfactory answers to questions he believed he had a right to know. But wolves were stubborn, and arguing with this one was only going to wear on his already fragile frame. "Try not to shoot my mouth off all the time, hm? I'm not making any promises," he grumbled, turning his head slightly into Eivind's chest and breathing in slowly.<br/><br/>The wolf smelled unlike anything Blue had experienced in another before, and for a brief second he couldn't believe how . . .<i>pleasant</i>Eivind's body odor was. Eivind reminded Blue of petrichor, the wonderfully euphoric smell of the earth after a long rain, and one of Blue's absolute favorite smells. Every wolf Blue had encountered up until that point smelled like dirt to some degree, earthy and rich, some smelled better than others, but never a scent that Blue found himself drawn to. Why did Eivind's scent appeal to him so intensely? Did other members of Eivind's pack smell similarly, or was it just him. Blue was instantly curious but instead of pondering the question any longer, he scowled and shook his head, knocking the thought away. What the hell did it matter what Eivind smelled like? Who the fuck cared that despite Blue's awkwardness, Eivind sat still, comfortably, cradling his long angular body as if they fit together like complementary puzzle pieces. But Blue didn't fit anywhere, and he never would. The wolves had made sure of that.<br/><br/>"I'm sure it would have been better for me if I had come with Lofgren willingly too, right? Keep your mouth shut, don't argue, don't say anything to piss off the beasts with the sharp, pointy teeth." He rubbed at his eyes and sighed, tired of the conversation. Tired of everything. "Maybe you're right, Eivind. Maybe wherever you're taking me is better than this place. Maybe I won't be raped and beaten every single day, and that will be a relief. But if I don't have a choice in the matter, then all you're doing is taking me from one prison to another. Why should I be happy about that?"<br/><br/>It didn't matter. None of this did. Nothing Eivind said, nothing Blue said, all of it was just fluff to distract from the reality of the situation. Eivind was going to take Blue whether he liked it or not. He may have been more gentle about it, but it didn't change the fact that Blue was once again at the mercy of another wolf. What was it about Blue that kept attracting these males? The ones with the iron will, the ones that never listened. Eivind said things in an attempt to quiet him, but he wasn't fucking listening. Maybe no wolf knew how to listen, or soothe, or calm the nerves that raged inside of Blue at every waking moment. Maybe Blue wasn't meant to feel any sense of contentment while he was still surrounded by wild animals.<br/><br/>He closed his eyes, inhaled Eivind once more and decided that he didn't want any more words, for himself or from Eivind. The wolf was right about something; Blue needed sleep. Hopefully whatever Alaric had done was enough to carry him through until he woke. It took a few minutes for Blue's breathing to finally level out, but once it did, Blue slept dreamlessly. It was the best sleep he had had in a long while.