<span style="color: #FF0000">The incident at the lake was roughly two weeks ago. It had helped the both of them work off whatever bit of stress and tension they had been building up with one another and the world as a whole. With that now past them they have instead focused on their trip. Between what she saved and what he was able to earn with some animal kills, they had enough for the supplies and the trip itself. Eidhin figured that they could start out near some of the more rural areas of Scotland, along the lines of where he thought he might have come from. <br/><br/>He figured with how territorial they were it would not be hard for them to be spotted nor confronted when they crossed into the territory of a pack. It was just a matter of making sure they did not attack them right off the bat and instead gave them the time that the needed to talk and explain themselves. It was more like a hope than anything else. <br/><br/>The cabin was abuzz with activity as they went through their checklists and packed. Due to her diet, Eidhin had to account for them carrying food for her, whereas he planned on hunting for what he needed. It would mean some extra weight, but it was not something he felt too concerned or bothered by. After all she had done for him; he could carry a few extra pounds so that they could make sure she had a good meal. <br/><br/>The hardwood of the floor caused his knee to ache slightly while he knelt at his backpack and continued to pack what supplies he felt they would need.  Outside he could hear the birds and insect life as usual, which is probably why it suddenly stopped that his attention went immediately from the bag to his front door. Already his wolf growled and he did not even try to stop himself. Instead he welcomed the growl and projected it out toward the door, which he slowly approached keen on attacking whatever or whoever was on the other side. <br/><br/>Partially shifted hand clasped the cool metal of the knob and in one swift action, he turned and opened the door prepared to pounce whoever was there, only to have something else happen entirely. Faster than he could follow Eidhin found himself on his back, with a shin across his throat and feeling the splinters from his now broken porch as they pressed into his back. Above him a man whose face was shadowed by the large brimmed hat he wore, held him down like he was nothing but a puppy. <br/><br/>“You are big…and strong…” the man’s voice sounds like rocks. Harsh and raspy, this hinted at age that was in complete conflict with the strength he surprisingly possessed, “To think that you were thought to be a runt…?” He chuckled then, even as Eidhin struggled for more air and a means to gain some leverage he chuckled, “A fighter too? Good, good. You will need that when you meet more of our kind.” A final pat was given to his cheek and then he was suddenly free from the weight that had just been crushing him. “Now, where is Eilidh?” <br/><br/>“Wh…” he coughed and sputtered as he tried to catch his breath enough to talk. “Wh..wh…WHO! The fuck are you!” he growled in challenge, still ready to fight even if he was just proven to be very much out matched. <br/><br/>“Oh, well I am her grandfather and the man who saved your life,” he smiled as if such information should have already been known, even as Eidhin’s face fell into full and complete shock.</span><br/><br/>To say that Eilidh was looking forward to this change, this trip, would have been an outright lie. She was petrified of leaving their little island of safety, of solitude among a world that she could accidentally slaughter if things got out of hand. She was petrified of change, of leaving what she knew and branching out to look for people that may or may not feel inclined to help them. They were going to have to put their faith into a group that they<span style="font-style: italic">might</span>find, and hope they weren’t led astray…or that they didn’t inadvertently offend anyone in the process while attempting to come to this newfound knowledge of their kind and what they were capable of; Five years alone with trial and error didn’t answer every question they had, so this could be beneficial.<br/><br/>Maybe.<br/><br/>Eidhin, to his credit, wasn’t pushing her to be as gungho as he was to get out there and explore. She was doing this for him, to allow him the answers he’d not had for so many years. She was still new and still coming to terms with it all…he deserved to know more and to possibly find that pack he’d lacked for so long in these people they sought out. So, when he picked Soctland, she agreed (hesitant, though her mind was), willing to do anything that he needed. She’d told him that she’d do whatever it took, and if going to Scotland was what it took…she’d go to Scotland.<br/><br/>As the days counted down, they were checking and rechecking items, making sure that everything was set. And, it was at such a time while she was up in the loft, making sure she’d packed what she thought was necessary and figuring if there were any other items that needed washing to bring with…when a disturbance was heard. Yes, she’d heard the sound and Eidhin’s subsequent growl, but she trusted his instincts, that he could handle whatever it was that needed handling in that moment; The last thing she wanted was to overstep his alpha role again, a mistake she’d not take lightly with this new dynamic. But…when the door was wrenched open and the sound of splintering occurred, she was fully focused on the sound, the struggling…<br/><br/>…And her name.<br/><br/>Jumping down over the loft’s edge, she booked it for the door, stopping dead at the sight that met her eyes, his explanation falling on deaf ears. “Seanathair…?” she breathed out, eyes wide as a hand stopped on the door frame, steadying herself as the shock of it all hit her, her own and Eidhin’s. He’d not aged a day…not one day since the picture that she’d seen of him last. Lorcan had never been forthcoming with his fatherly relations, and all that she knew of him was that he came from her father’s side, and that there’d been a falling out. But she’d always hoped they’d cross paths.<br/><br/>What she’d not expected was the same face that graced those photographs to be the face staring them down now, having not changed save for the color of his hair. By her recollection, he had to be…nearly seventy now.<span style="font-style: italic">How can he possibly be so young?</span>Eilidh wondered, mouth agape as she continued to stare unabashed at the familiar—yet foreign—face. “How…How did you…?”<br/><br/>“How?” he asked, attention shifting to her with a kindly look in his eyes, one of approval and appraisal. “Is that really the question  you have to ask me after all of these years?” Without warning, he rushed her, arms crushing her in a hug as she just stood there, body tensed and still suffering from the intense shock of it all. Sensing she needed more time to process it all, he released her, one hand holding onto her shoulder as he looked back at Eidhin. “Now, you’ve got questions…I’ve got answers. Do you want to cover the basics out here, or are you going to invite the old man into your house?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Eidhin continued to stare from one to the other, not sure of what to do exactly and the proposed question initially went unanswered. Then, because his pride was a bit hurt, he grumbled a bit “Not like you’re a vampire and need an invitation.” <br/><br/>To that statement the older male merely arched a bro and smirked, “You definitely take after your father.” <br/><br/>At the mention of his father, which he hoped meant his actual father, Eidhin’s demeanor changed slightly. “Are you going to tell me about him if I invite you in?” <br/><br/>“Are you really going to be so rude as to not allow me to enter in order for you to find out?” <br/><br/>Another huff left his lips, but Eidhin nodded, “Please, won’t you come in?” Tone heavy with sarcasm, his gesture over dramatized reflected the mood he currently sported. <br/><br/>“Aye, a chip right off the old block you are,” is all her grandfather said before he entered their cabin and made himself at home in their kitchen without being invited to do so. Already he was in Eidhin’s supply of sausage and eggs, both being put into a pan over the woodstove to cook. <br/><br/>Eidhin could not help the snarl that came from his lips as he watched this…man…invade his personal space. <br/><br/>“Easy there big boy, I don’t want to mess up a perfectly good wall by putting you through it,” the meat had only just been seared more than anything else and he already had the meal on a plate and began to dig in when he warned Eidhin. “You may want to calm him down a bit, Eilidh. He may have been like this for a few years, but he has never had his dominance challenged by another male before,” a bite of sausage was taken as he stared down Eidhin in a manner that screamed casual and deadly at the same time. “He may be big and strong, but he has no idea how to use all of that well enough to be a threat to anyone but a human,” another bite taken, his thoughts and words mulled over while he chewed. “I don’t want to hurt him, but I will if he continues to challenge me. I am an Alpha and will not allow someone, even Eidhin, to challenge my rank and title,” the threat was clear as day and all the while he talked his gaze was ever on Eidhin’s where it never wavered.</span><br/><br/>No matter the amount of sarcasm, the tension between the two, Eilidh didn’t say another word. She followed blindly as Faolan walked passed her and already had the food going before Eidhin knew what to do with himself. The snarl was heard, recognized and winced at as she stayed off to the side, not wanting to get involved. She’d only herself just had an issue stepping on Eidhin’s toes in the bar when it came to Coilin, stepping in when it wasn’t her place as he was her alpha. Now, here they were with two alphas in the same house, the same territory, and she was off to the side watching what could have been an impending train wreck with no avoidance in sight. Eidhin was too prideful and her grandfather was cocky; Likely rightfully so, but she’d no proof to the contrary.<br/><br/>As he’d tucked into his meal, his attention shifted to her, at least from a vocal standpoint. The pair were staring each other down hard and suddenly it was her task to try and calm Eidhin down before the house was wrecked. It was bad enough that their porch was now in splinters but that there could be a physical altercation between the two to assert one’s dominance over the other...if the damage to the house wouldn’t be bad enough, the physical damage to Eidhin would be worse, knowing he’d not back down.<br/><br/>But how did she step in? How did she take his attention away from Faolan, the singular focus on him in his territory, eating his food, challenging his rank and title?<br/><br/>Letting out a breath after a glance at her grandfather, she walked up to Eidhin, steps cautious, hesitant. “Eidhin…” she tried first, hoping that his name alone would snap him out of it. “Eidhin, please…” He didn’t look down at her, though. His gaze never wavered from his target, and he could see clear over her head with no issue at all so that gaze remained intact. Bracing in case his anger turned toward her, her hands rose, gently cupping his face, one hand working its way into his hair as she urged his face down to look at her. Only when his eyes connected did she speak, tone as gentle as her touch. “Eidhin...you need to back down…” Her voice was quiet, pleading. “I know you’re alpha...We know you’re an alpha...Please don’t challenge someone who could hurt you, and make me watch…”<br/><br/>There, she’d attempted. Whether or not he listened had yet to be seen, but she tried.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">It was there, right there beneath the surface, waiting for him to just let it go. <br/><br/>The Wolf. <br/><br/>All that it needed was for him to let his guard down just a bit, to let just a fraction of his control slip and the wolf would be all over the interloper before anyone could even think twice. It just needed the smallest of chances to take on this old wolf and break his aged hip. Put him in the place that he deserved, which was far beneath Eidhin. <br/><br/>Faintly he heard his name being called, but all he could see was this male and the more he just stood there with that smug look on his face while he ate <span style="font-style: italic">his</span> food, the more he wanted to just rip it off of his face. It was at this point that every muscle in his body had tensed and he could just about feel his body start to shift. The nerves of his skin felt like his skin crawled and he was about to tear at it to be free of the sensation. If only he could get at the target of his aggression, then he would be all better. <br/><br/>Soft hands and a gentle tone guided his gaze down and away to something that did not bother him so much. More like someone, his eyes found the Amber hues of Eilidh and instantly some of the tension left his body. Words, now heard where before they had fallen on deaf ears registered and further worked to sooth the soul of the angered beast. With a sigh his shoulders slumped and he visibly relaxed. <br/><br/>“I’m sorry,” he whispered to Eilidh and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Once he felt he was more than settled he looked back up to the older male, who had by now polished off his plate and was helping himself to the water. <br/><br/>“Good,” he said with a clap of his hands. “Now where shall we begin?” he asked with a smirk.</span><br/><br/>Relief flooded her, almost exuding from her in a palpable fashion as Eidhin relaxed, as the tension left from his shoulders and as his eyes softened. What predatory gaze had been there, the challenge that had been so prevalent in his gaze only a breath before, faded. In its stead was apology, accompanied with a whispered apology as the intensity diminished. A kiss was pressed to her forehead and she remained close just for that moment longer, wanting to make sure he was fine before pulling back and allowing whatever dialogue would happen to take place.<br/><br/>...And then her grandfather had to open his mouth, a mouth that held a steadfast smirk.<br/><br/>Though Eidhin may have calmed, there was still a wolf that lurked readily in her eyes, watching this alpha, this relation of hers, asserting himself for the sole reason of “because I can”. It didn’t sit right with her, or her wolf, and she had half a mind to comment. But, without another glance back at Eidhin, she closed the gap, slowly moving toward Faolan, eyes assessing him.<br/><br/>“We know the basics,” she started, eyes finally reconnecting ones that held a haunting familiarity, as though she’d seen them in person at one time or another; some time other than the pictures she’d perused. “We know how to shift...I’m wondering more...is there a way to avoid it? Does it get easier? What’s needed to make the transition--if necessary--as easy as possible?” Then a pause as she asked another question that was on her mind, on Eidhin’s mind. “You’re an alpha...which means you’ve a pack...How many of us are there?”<br/><br/>A glance back at Eidhin and Faolan laughed. “Where do you want me to start, Eilidh?” he asked, the chuckle evident in his voice as he took yet another bite and wandered back over to look and see what other food they had that looked appealing. “So...she’s got the voice you lack, eh, pup?” It was his turn to glance at Eidhin that time, a challenge in his eyes, clearly goading him. “Do you have any input or are you going to let her speak for you?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-style: italic">For Eilidh</span><br/><br/>He chanted to himself, as he did his best to ignore the obvious taunts that were thrown in his direction. “They are questions that the both of us want answers to,” he addressed the male. “Though I want to know more about my birth parents and want to know why you took me from them,” there was a bit more demand in his voice than he  intended, but his patience was wearing thin. <br/><br/>“Oh? You do now?” he asked as he munched on an apple. “Well, let’s answer what she wants first, ok?” the smirk there as what seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face. “Yes, I am an Alpha, more like an Alpha among Alphas, if you can understand that. Overall, in this area of the world, we have roughly four packs with their numbers ranging about twenty to thirty members,” he explained. “The change hurts, every time, but with time you can learn to speed it up and make it hurt less. However, you have to practice to get better at it,” then his gaze focused entirely on Eilidh. “There is no way to keep from changing, eventually your body will be forced to change and in those moments the pain is twice as unbearable, coupled with instincts running on overdrive.” <br/><br/>Silence filled the room after that with the information that had been provided. Eidhin had known a bit about how the change hurt, but got better the more often he practiced. Still, it was not something that one could just jump into, because of how unnerving it could be to the newly changed. <br/><br/>“And my parents?” Eidhin asked. <br/><br/>“Your mother died giving birth to you and your father destroyed by grief went full wolf and we have been trying to coax him back to the human world ever since,” the old man said without so much as a pause to take a breath. <br/><br/>“Wh…wha…Why was I taken then?” he asked confused. <br/><br/>“Your father was an Alpha and the hope was that you would be one too, but there were some upstarts looking to remove your family line. So, before anyone could harm you, we hid you with my son and his family with the idea to return you to the pack when you changed,” he stated as he tossed the finished apple and looked for more to eat. <br/><br/>“So…why didn’t you come for me? Why did you leave me here? I might not have done this to Eilidh if you had taken me sooner!” he snapped with a snarl. <br/><br/>“Temper…temper…don’t want you losing your cool again and hurting someone you care about, do we? I mean again,” he again taunted the younger wolf. <br/><br/>Eidhin could feel his anger start to overcome him once again, could feel his rage building and boiling. His gums itched and his vision swam somewhat with his eyes starting to shift from human to wolf.</span><br/><br/>Patience had never been a virtue that Eidhin had possessed, not unless it came in the form of a videogame that he had to work at winning. Patience when it came to dealing with people was...not his strongest suit, more for her to handle while he inwardly seethed. Patience with Faolan was nearly nonexistent in this case as he continued to taunt Eidhin, to goad him and wait for whatever reaction he was hoping for while she stood there and prayed to God that it would blow over and this fascination would wear off.<br/><br/>Sooner rather than later, if at all possible.<br/><br/>Instead, answers came and each answer--each<span style="font-style: italic">word</span>--tore another fraction of hope away from her desperately clinging fingers. She’d have to turn...there was no way around it. According to him, she could try to hold out, but the change would be all the more painful, and all the worse with her instincts running on high alert. The last time, she hadn’t remembered tearing into that boar until she threw up the contents; Who knew how bad it would be another time around, if she staved it off for too long?<br/><br/>And the pain. How could the pain of each bone breaking, each muscle ripping and reforming, each organ reshifting, get<span style="font-weight: bold">worse</span>? A notion of that magnitude was too boggling to comprehend, her eyes widening as her face turned crestfallen.<br/><br/>After that, things muted, everything else sounded far away as she contemplated the next few decades and what they’d be like. What it’d be like to turn over and over again, and how such a pain wouldn’t lessen, but become manageable.<span style="font-style: italic">So this is what my life’s to be?</span>she thought, brow furrowing as her thoughts and attention completely turned inward.<span style="font-style: italic">I’m to be this wolf, always changing, a danger to those around me unless I can somehow curb the instincts and urges...No wonder Eidhin stayed away for so long, and he’s five years on me…</span><br/><br/>Just as her thoughts turned a bit deeper, a feeling invaded her thoughts and had her slowly coming out of herself. Anger, rage, all things suddenly directed at her grandfather and in startling capacity. Her own eyes flared as she snarled at him, irritation in her voice. “Faolan, you know better than to provoke him,” she snapped. “Just because you’re an alpha doesn’t mean you have to be an...an… ass!”<br/><br/>Rushing to get into Eidhin’s sightline again, her hands were pulling his face back down to hers, standing on tip toe to try and snap him out of it. “Eidhin, Eidhin breathe for me! Focus for me! Please, don’t let him get to you!” she pleaded, arms suddenly about the entirety of his form as she clung tightly to him in a warm embrace, a tight embrace.<br/><br/>“Eilidh, you should know better than to chastise an alpha, new or not,” Faolan suddenly remarked casually, biting into his apple again and tossing the core aside. “And you should<span style="font-style: italic">not</span>be calling your grandfather by his first name. Show some respect to your elders.”<br/><br/>“Show some respect to Eidhin and I’ll show some to you,” she snapped again, her own anger flaring. “He’s more family than you ever were.”<br/><br/>“In two weeks, he’ll be a lot more than family if you aren’t careful.”<br/><br/>The comment was thrown out so casually that her anger momentarily subsided, her arms still holding tightly to Eidhin’s form as she glanced over her shoulder in the alpha’s direction. “What do you mean...a lot more than family…? What’s in two weeks?”<br/><br/>That smirk turned into a cheeky sort of grin as his head tilted to the side, taking a step in their direction before leaning heavily on the table at his back. “Why, you go into heat, of course!” His tone was so jovial, humor dripping from each word as he said it. Her eyes widened, brows pulling in to a confused, worried sort of line as she glanced back at Eidhin, and then back at Faolan. “...What do you mean...I go into heat?”<br/><br/>A tsk beneath his breath as he shook his head, leveling a look at her. “Do you really need me to lay that out for you, or do you know what it means?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Again the beast was right there, right there on the cusp of being unleashed only to once again have Eilidh step in and stop him. Inwardly, both man and wolf were none too happy with her stopping them. At least at first, then they would draw the comfort from her embrace and hear the logic in her words, so that what displeasure they felt soon dissipated. He was not sure what exactly the deal with this asshole was, but he was grateful for Eilidh to be there and keep him in check. <br/><br/>At the moment he had just been focused on holding Eilidh back and focusing on her rather than the asshole, when the subject changed. <br/><br/>“No…” he whispered as he looked across the room. “You are just jerking our chains,” he stated in disbelief at the recently revealed information.<br/><br/>“Yep. Heat, just like any other…well…bitch, pardon my French,” at the rate he was going, he was going to eat through all of their provisions and he did not even care one little bit. <br/><br/>“Watch your tongue,” Eidhin warned when Eilidh was referred to as a bitch. <br/><br/>“Fine,” his hands thrown up, but he pressed on “I am very serious, though. I mean I can already smell her and I am sure other males will too. I wanted to warn the two of you and prepare the two of you for what was to come.”<br/><br/>“Why?” not understanding why now he would even give a fuck to step in.<br/><br/>“Because, the Heat is a strange time in any wolf’s life and I wanted to at least warn the two of you,” he continued on. “I know how the two of you were raised and though you know the truth now, that does not really change overnight and this Heat will…well….cause the two of you to behave and act in ways that you might not have done so soon or ever…” <br/><br/>“Is there a way to avoid it? Herbs or something to take that will make it just…go away? Like a huge ass bottle of Midol or something?” Eidhin asked nearly desperately.<br/><br/>“Geez, you are really all brawn and no brains, huh?” another shot at his expense, though he was not too bothered by it this time. His mind focused on something entirely more pressing than his pride at the moment.</span><br/><br/>It was like the floor dropped out from under her feet as he continued. The fact he called her a bitch didn’t even register as she thought about the ramifications of a heat, focusing solely on an animalistic standpoint.<br/><br/>Dogs went into heat. Though she hadn’t had a dog, she’d seen enough around Rathdrum to know how other dogs acted around one...how those dogs in heat acted. It didn’t take much before it seemed like a flock of males had descended around the one raging with hormones and urges, ready to lay there and take it, ready to get that urge satisfied. Some of the time, she’d found it amazing that dogs from one side of town would gravitate toward one on the other side of it; The distance that scent seemed to carry had been awe-inspiring at the time.<br/><br/>Now that she was about to experience that heat...she didn’t think it was so awe-inspiring. She thought it was terrifying.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">What if I’m not the same Eilidh?</span>she started to think, heart beginning to race as the panic began to set in.<span style="font-style: italic">What if I go...slutting it about with the whole town because I can’t control myself? What if people come here, harassing us because they can smell me and I’m not in the right state of mind to turn them away? What if I...what if I ruin the one good thing I have going, with Eidhin, by making advances that I wouldn’t have meant to do otherwise?</span><br/><br/>The last question was the one that had her most worried. They’d been together since childhood, had thought they were related, had been best friends from the time they could recognize the other… The only part of their dynamic that had changed was that they knew the truth, that they weren’t related. Eidhin was the only person she had left, and now there was a chance she’d chase him away with some crazy, instinctual animalistic urge she wouldn’t be able to properly curb.<br/><br/>Her hold on Eidhin had loosened significantly the more she thought about it, about the need for space. Faolan had said they had two weeks, but that he could already smell her...that had to mean something, right?<br/><br/>“Eilidh, still with us?” her grandfather prodded, eyebrows lifting as that look on his face didn’t diminish. No, it would seem that, even in the face of what he’d said, he expected her to just bounce back and not focus on becoming a rough, sex-crazed bitch; There was no other title for it.<br/><br/>“Yeah...yeah, I’m still with you,” she answered back, pulling away from Eidhin then, arms crossing as she faced away from him, focusing the entirety of her attention on Faolan instead. “What if I remain here? What if I don’t leave the house? That’d help keep the...scent contained, wouldn’t it?”<br/><br/>A laugh tumbled free, shaking his head as he loosed what sounded like a sigh of amusement. “You really think that it’s that simple?” he asked. “I can smell you already...I’ve been able to smell it coming on and stepped out to warn you about it<span style="font-style: italic">now</span>, two weeks in advance. What does that tell you of your chances for staying cooped up working?”<br/><br/>“What if…” Her mind was reeling, trying to think of any other alternatives. “What if I stay away from Eidhin for the duration of it? What if I go in town with the humans? Hang around with them instead?”<br/><br/>“Did we forget about the ‘animal magnetism’ part of being what you are? Perhaps you’ve been hanging out with Eidhin for too long...seems his dense sensibilities are wearing off on you.” A few steps forward and he lowered himself down to her level, in condescending fashion as a hand clasped on her shoulder. “You are going to want to be with<span style="font-style: italic">any</span>and<span style="font-style: italic">all</span>men in sight. Women, too, if they suit your needs. You won’t care who it is, so long as you get what you need...and humans are breakable. You’ll be rough, unable to ease up and they can’t handle that.” A pat on her shoulder as he stood back to the full of his height and returned to poking around their cupboards. “It’d be safer to stay here and try to avoid contact with people, but you’ll be drawn to it, and they to you.”<br/><br/>Shrugging, he turned his attention fully on the last of their rations and frowned. “...You really need to keep more meat in the house…”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">When she pulled away from him and Eidhin felt like he had done something wrong, even though he knew he had not. Sure, the idea of them doing anything beyond the hugs and other such simple examples of affection was…weird that did not mean it was really bad…right?<br/><br/>The world that they knew had begun to spin out of control and Eidhin was not sure he could take much more of this…<br/><br/>And then the comment about them not keeping enough meat came and he snapped. With Eilidh having pulled away and no longer directly in front of him, it was not hard for him to react how he wanted to react. In a blur he rushed across the room and this time managed to tackle the other male through the wall he had been facing. Out of the cabin and into the woods, right into a tree. The old man looked pleasantly surprised by the attack and stayed perfectly still in the face of the snarling younger male. <br/><br/>“Stop taking this shit so fucking casual! This is our lives! Our lives that you fucked up! All you had to fucking do was let me die! Then she would not have to even go through this shit!” he growled and slammed him against the tree with each shouted proclamation.  <br/><br/>“Is that what you want?” he finally asked. “For you to be dead? Cause I can arrange that…” he snarled back, his eyes already a brilliant gold as the rest of his body began to shake and tremble with the onset of a shift. “I can give you what you want! Kill your worthless ass and leave Eilidh all alone!” His words were slightly garbled as his mouth began to fill with fangs. “Is that what you want!” <br/><br/>In answer to that, Eidhin snarled. At the moment he was not sure what he wanted anymore, save to rip out the throat of the man he had pinned against the tree. So, it was with this singular desire that his mind honed in on and focused. All of his rage, hatred and pain into this goal. Already, he could feel the mental bonds start to slip, to feel the leashes and chains give way to unleash the wolf.</span><br/><br/>Everything went to hell in the blink of an eye. In the literal blink of an eye, Eidhin was across the room and both he and Faolan were out of the house, the sound of splintered and broken wood filling the room along with sound of snarling, yelling.<br/><br/>And then another sound joined the fray...a sound from within the house where she remained, while the pair continued to yell and snarl at each other, both close to a full shift, a full fight where neither would truly win, no matter how cocky<span style="font-style: italic">he</span>seemed. It was an almost indistinguishable sound, one that had her writhing in pain as she dropped to the floor, as her bones cracked… But no sounds of agony, no sounds of anguish as her body shifted in the quickest shift it’d done yet.<br/><br/>Eilidh was too focused on stopping what would be a blood bath to feel the pain. Her wolf had taken over and she was more than willing to let it.<br/><br/>Eidhin’s snarling and Faolan’s slow shifting were met with a growl; Damn near a roar, in fact, as the full of her six-foot, five-inch frame came out of the house, snout growling and snapping in both their faces. A clawed hand had clasped onto Eidhin’s shoulder and yanked him back while her face remained in her grandfather’s, growling loudly, eyes wild. Did she want to fight? Did she want this to happen? No, not by a long shot.<br/><br/>Was she about to let it happen, though, and be stuck mid transition as they ripped each other apart? No.<br/><br/>Without even meaning to, her thought went out to Eidhin, a thought that she was screaming in her head and inadvertently pushing into his own simultaneously.<span style="font-style: italic">“CALM THE FUCK DOWN, EIDHIN! REALLY?! GOING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED AND LEAVE ME HERE ALONE?! WELL FUCK YOU, TOO, IF YOU THINK I’M GOING TO STAND BY AND FUCKING WATCH IT HAPPEN!”</span>Her wolf was fully snarling, snapping mentally, voice more gravely, raspy in her inner thoughts just then as Eilidh’s mind was pushed to the back and happy to stay there.<br/><br/>Teeth bared, eyes staring the older man down and down hard, she waited…<br/><br/>...Only to be met with a laugh. “And you said you wanted to hold off the transition…” he fairly cooed at her from behind the fangs. “I think I’ve helped you two out enough, eh?” A strong arm pushed Eilidh back--an action that she allowed--and he straightened his clothes. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again at some point…”<br/><br/>And, as he walked away, he paused only once, to look at Eilidh. “Remember what I said...two weeks...and you may want to shift back now; More...potent and all…”<br/><br/>Her eyes remained trained on him until he vanished from sight, and her gaze remained transfixed where he vanished until his scent faded enough to prove he’d left the area. Without even a glance back, she stalked off in the opposite direction, needing to think, to transition back and to evaluate this whole new area of her life that was about to change with a countdown looming over her head.