Connected In Trust

Metas sat in his human form, and Ajax was propped up against his side with his head resting on the Alpha's shoulder. The silver-haired Ajax looked very limp and pale.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get Lara?" Metas asked with concern.

"I'm sure," he etched out painfully. His body was torn up pretty badly, especially the back of his neck and upper shoulders. He looked liked he had lost a fight with an industrial weed-whacker.

"You really want to sit here and heal on your own, don't you?" Metas replied flatly. "Hard-headed until the end, aren't you?"

"I will die as stone," Ajax wheezed in agreement.

"Are you going to heal those scratches on your backside?" the wounded male followed up as he took in measured breaths to keep the agony at bay.

"Nope. You keep yours, and I keep mine. I thought you would get a better nick in, not going to lie. I'd rather you leave one on the back of my neck as well," Metas replied.

"What? Why?" Ajax asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ajax, do you not see how much you mean to me? You, Lara, and Gerald have always supported me. Always. When this is over, you expect me to just cast you aside like nothing? Truly?" The Alpha asked with a tense, and a little hurt tone.

"I mean... I thought I was just along for the ride with Lara. Without her, would you truly even let me stay in the circle? I've always felt like the tack-on to the group. Honestly, it's made me a little jealous and angry - especially when you and Jyriah seemed to hit it off like the brother you never had." Ajax admitted with a clear sound of malice in his tone. He really did feel jealous.

"You can really jump to conclusions sometimes, buddy." Metas sighed out and cracked a soft smile.

"Even if Lara was gone, you'd be my left-hand. I don't trust anyone but the ones who are right here with me right now. I just want us to both remember that if you hurt yourself, it hurts me. Should I hurt myself, it hurts you. Life is balancing act, yes?" Metas went on.

"I represent the colony. You represent me. If I look weak - you look weak. If you look foolish, I look foolish. Strike the back of my neck with your claws. May the scars remind us forever that we rely on each other to stay strong. All of us do - but especially you and the others in that cave. We are the foundation for the entire mountain."

Ajax nodded - he understood what his friend was telling him - it was time to grow up. They weren't carefree kids anymore - nor were they stupid teenagers. He looked to his Alpha, and followed his command immediately.

He stretched his fingers out, and let his long claws extend from the tips of his fingers. Once Metas lowered his head and moved his scruffy black hair out of the way, Ajax put four deep cuts where the bites on his own back had been.

The Alpha let out a grunt of pain, but a smile curved on his face in satisfaction. "Thank you," he started. "No one can be replaced, Ajax - least of all you," Metas replied with a weak smile, and reached over to pat Ajax's shoulder.

"Let's go rest with our mates and heal. The sun is coming up, and Silas will be hunting for us. Can you manage a walk down the bank and up the river, or do you need help?" Metas asked with concern.

"I can manage. Let's start walking before it gets any lighter. If they caught us both right now, we'd be in trouble," Ajax replied and stood with difficulty. "By the time we get to the part where we go up river, I should be healed enough to swim just fine. If not, I'll let you know."

They began their walk up the river away from the waterfall and towards the demon's realm, then made their way into the rushing water, but not before Ajax started to giggle.

"What's going on with you?" Metas asked with a quirked brow, and instantly read the mischief on his friend's face. "What are you thinking?"

"Hold on, I want to piss them off a little..." Ajax replied with a snicker and then made his way out of the water and to the other side where he turned into his canine self, and rolled around in the dirt to coat the ground in blood and fur. Afterwards, he'd pick up some of the debris as his mortal form, and tossed it into the demon's realm to make it look as though he had just went to end his life to ease his suffering.

"...That's hilarious - but also a good idea....we should have been doing this for ages...." Metas mused out with a grin, but he did not laugh.

"Hold on, let me shake the rest of this off, and I'm pretty sure I can swim," Ajax replied as he stood and pushed off all the leaves and sticks off his body, and out of his hair.

He did feel better, so he found it easy to keep his footing in the rapid water as it flowed past them and into the demonic realm where it turned a beautiful silver color, but continued to flow like normal water.

They would have to get back before it got too bright, and too "late" to hide. Now that they had been sleeping during the daytime, they all honestly started to feel as though they had more energy and as though they were connected to the moon.

Metas made a note to himself to ensure that the rest of the colony also switch to this schedule when he returned. It felt far more fitting for their kind. Besides - it was the humans who wanted to use the day for things since they night scared them so much.

They were not humans, and they did not need the sun - for they feared nothing in the dark.