Eivind agreed to take them all back to pack territory without argument. Blue figured that Eivind was relieved to go back to the woods, to the open space and seclusion. If Blue had wanted to stay, he was sure Eivind would have agreed to that, too, however reluctantly. But Blue was just as fed up with their experiences in the city as his two lupine companions seemed to be. Eivind and Sig carried out the larger things to the car while Blue finished sweeping the hotel room, making sure he had retrieved everything Eivind had purchased for them during their stay. After combing the bathroom for the toiletries and shoving them into an empty garbage bag he had snatched from the bin beneath the sink, Blue made a final stop at the bedside tables, pulling open the drawers in case one either he or Eivind had shoved something in there absentmindedly. He found the watch that had previously been housed in Eivind's truck. He didn't know if the watch held any kind of meaning to Eivind (the wolf didn't really seem like the type to engage in materialistic sentimentality), but he attached it to his wrist anyway, just to make sure it didn't get left behind. Next to the watch was the bottle of lubricant they had purchased. Blue grinned, snatching the bottle and shoving it into his pocket as deeply as he could.<br/><br/>The ride back home was only about an hour, shorter than Blue had anticipated, though he had been weaving in and out of consciousness the last time they had made the trip. Their path was uninterrupted with very few other drivers out, and Eivind drove his truck confidently down the roads when they began to twist and the scenery transformed from large office buildings and hotels, to suburban homes on the outskirts, to finally thick clusters of evergreens that lined their journey for miles. Conversation bounced back between the three males every few minutes or so, but for the majority of the ride they were quiet, each man seeming to take the time to decompress after their stressful extended stay.<br/><br/>Blue moved to begin taking things from the truck into Eivind's cabin, but it those plans were immediately shot down once Eivind began stripping. Sig was mimicking Eivind's actions, but he went his own way, as Sig often did. Blue didn't mind; he knew he would see the small wolf again eventually. Blue was tugging on the pull-over hoodie he had dressed himself in, opting for that instead of a shirt. He had expected Eivind to simply say goodbye and go off on his own, but the wolf didn't want to separate from him. He wanted Blue to come along. The young human smiled and nodded, "Okay. Don't run off too far so I can't see you," Blue instructed, but he knew Eivind wouldn't.<br/><br/>Being in the city and being exposed to the light pollution had almost made Blue forget just how<i>dark</i>the woods could get. It took a long time for his eyes to adjust to the blackness, but eventually they began to cooperate. Limbs could be seen moving beneath him, and Blue became more confident in his steps. Although Blue walked at a decent pace, it certainly wasn't fast enough to keep up with a giant, two hundred plus pound wolf. Eivind kept circling back to Blue, never straying far, never leaving Blue's field of vision. The deeper they wandered into the forest, the closer Eivind stayed until eventually he was padding directly next to his mate. Blue liked having the big wolf close, affectionately scratching behind Eivind's ears and petting his head.<br/><br/>He was momentarily confused when Eivind began leaning into him, putting weight on him and interrupting Blue's steady gait. "What are you doing, Vin?" Blue laughed, leaning down to press his face against Eivind's muzzle, nuzzling and kissing the spot between Eivind's golden eyes before the beast bounded off again. Blue watched, trying to figure out what Eivind was doing as in this form he didn't have the luxury of speech to communicate his thoughts. The wolf turned and stared, his eyes glowing in the darkness. Blue stopped walking and merely stared, his lips parted and his heart beginning to thud loudly. A small smile had flickered across Blue's mouth as Eivind rushed toward him, but Blue held his ground until the wolf was right in front, seizing to a halt, then backing up so he could do it again.<br/><br/>"You wanna play a game?" Blue asked curiously, tilting his head. Eivind seemed to respond to this positively, approaching Blue once more. The boy erupted into a joyous laughter and wrapped his arms around the wolf's impossibly thick neck, pressing himself against Eivind's fur. "Yes, okay! I'm not supposed to run yet though, so how about we play hide and seek? I'll go into the trees and you can sniff me out. I promise I won't go too far," Blue added, not wanting to worry that Blue would get himself into trouble in their mysterious surroundings.<br/><br/>Blue released Eivind and stood straight, smiling down at the beast. "Here, I'll give you some incentive, not that you need it." He slipped the sweater up and over his head, tossing it at the ground at Eivind's paws. "For my scent, though I'm sure you have it memorized by now. I'll be really cold without it. If you find me, you can help keep me warm." With a grin, Blue turned his back on Eivind and began lightly jogging through the trees, calling over his shoulder, "Count to thirty, and then come and get me!" before disappearing completely into the black.