Ch. 29 Just a Small Dip

"Why were you in the woods Sunday night?"

Myrddin looks at Scott. "What are you…. Oh. Sunday night? Why? Did you finally recognize me? And I can ask you the same thing"

Scott shakes his head. "I asked you first"

Myrddin shrugs. "And I asked you second"

"Why did you grab me when we almost got hit by that car? And where did you go after?!" Scott demands.

"I went into the woods after. Did you and Stiles go looking for the body? Why don't we both forget we saw each other that night" Murddin pets the dogs head.

Scott points at Murddin. The questions in his head all just jumble together and are flying out of his mouth. He wonders if this is what Stiles feels like. "What happened to you? I heard Deaton say you changed but you-"

"Used to be small and weak? I had a growth spurt over the summer. The doctors already did all their tests. Nothing popped up on their radar to cause any concern. Why don't we just leave Sunday night to a weird coincidence since we both weren't supposed to be out there, is that better?" Myrddin knows Scott won't push if he spins this the right way.

Scott lowers his arm and looks out a window towards the moon. "Did… you see anything weird that night? Did you hear a howl?"

"The howl could have been coyotes. And I did see something weird" Myrddin mysteriously leads Scott on. And he's slightly concerned about Scott's jumping from question to question and acting Uber weird.

"What was it?" Scott stands at the other end of the examination table.

Myrddin leans forward. "I saw an asthmatic teenager running through the woods the night a dead body was reported with some blood on his shirt and jacket"

Scott's eyes widen and he takes a step back. "That's not-"

"I don't care what it was or wasn't. The only reason I didn't report you to the police Scott is because I know you and that you wouldn't kill anyone, at least I hope that's the case. And I didn't find the other half of the body. So before you start asking me questions and threatening me, think before you do that. Just because I'm strong now doesn't mean I'm suddenly stupid" Myrddin picks the dog up and walks past Scott. "Just go home and get some rest. And don't do anything stupid… again"

Scott is left in the examination room stunned. He was just trying to figure out why Myrddin was in the Preserve and if he had seen that wolf or not. He completely didn't expect to be accused of murder….

——————

Myrddin puts the dog in the kennel and looks at the other animals and greets them. He hasn't seen them in a while since he took this week off of work since he started school back up and wanted to get that situated first.

As he goes towards the back he sees a familiar face.

"Iggy? What are you doing here again?! Don't tell me you ate another magnet…." Myrddin looks down at the magnet eating Iguana.

The reptile tilts its head and blinks one eye at a time. Before sticking its tongue out and leaving it out.

"And that's why you are a contender and not immediately my favorite animal visitor here at the clinic. How do you keep eating magnets?" Myrddin rubs his chin.

He figures Iggy is on the good stuff since it's acting so weird.

*HISSSS!!* *Meow!!* *LOTS OF ANGRY CAT NOISES!!!!*

Myrddin walks towards the felines and watches as they try and get free of their cages. Suddenly he turns around and sees Scott looking in through the window in the door.

Scott sees that he's been caught peeking and gets out of there. The cats aren't his problem any more. And he needs to think in depth about a few things.

After the front door closes Myrddin notices the cats stop acting weird.

"What is wrong with you cats? Did Scott take away your catnip or something?" Myrddin goes over to the cages and checks on the cats to try and figure out what had them acting weird.

——————

After Merlin locked the place up and texted Deaton he walks home. By now it's stopped raining and the clouds are already beginning to clear. The moon is big and bright in the sky. It's not full, but it's close.

It's been a while since Merlin has walked back home.

While walking down his street he gets a vision.

There isn't much to see since it's so damn foggy. But after a minute he finds Scott sleeping in the entrance of a coyote cave… in nothing but his boxers.

Myrddin expected the vision to end but it doesn't. He continues to hear Scott breathing on the damp ground covered in leaves. He's just face down sleeping away without a care in the world.

"Jesus Scott. What did I just tell you? And here you are doing something so weird I don't think I could have imagined it" Myrddin says while looking around. Scott doesn't look hurt. And there aren't any coyotes around. Nor are any of his clothes around the area.

He randomly gets a feeling of vertigo but nothing else happens. He figures his real body probably fell over. And now he realizes that he has no way of ending these visions if they happen at inopportune times.

As the vision continues and doesn't stop Myrddin just picks a direction and goes. At least he can move and this will allow him to pinpoint where Scott is relative to Beacon Hills. Hopefully it's nothing too crazy-

——————

3 MILES

That's roughly the distance Myrddin estimates. He had to float/walk 3 miles to get to civilization. It was all fog and trees the entire way until he made it to some backyard in the very early morning.

And when Myrddin turns around to look back towards the woods his vision ends.

He opens his eyes and sees the dark night sky. Something soft was under his head, so he looks up and sees the worried face of a strawberry blond girl with a phone to her ear.

"W-wait! He-he's waking up now I think…" Lydia looks down at Myrddin's face.

"Godiva?" Myrddin blinks a few times.

"Yes… no…. He's awake. And he's fine enough to be an idiot… Alright. Thank you. Bye" Lydia hangs up and puts her phone to the side. "Are you really still calling me Godiva?"

"Are you really done calling me Tom?" Myrddin questions back.

"Depends. Did you peep on someone recently?" Ludoa tries to get back to her usual persona as her worry begins to go down.

Myrddin moves his left hand and feels something licking it. "Prada?"

He tries to sit up but Lydia puts her hands on his shoulders and forces him back down. His head falls back down into her lap and he looks up at her. "Why can't I get up?"

"You were passed out on the sidewalk! Why would I let you move?! You just need to lay down and relax! Your mom is on her way over here. Just be glad that I called her before 911" Lydia huffs.

Myrddin reaches over and grabs the white fluff ball and places her on his chest.

Prada lays down with its paws in front of it and it's back paws straight out behind it. "Awwwwrrrrr" It yawns and lays its head down while staring at Myrddin.

Lydia narrows her eyes. "Traitor"

"Why is your dog a traitor?" Myrddin asks while he begins petting the dog.

"Because she never lays down on me like that. I'm just glad she lets me hold her in my lap now" Lydia can't help but shake her head.

Myrddin looks down at the dog. "Was she not always a cuddler?"

"Sort of. She used to lay next to me but not on me. It took a lot of training and time to get her to stay in my lap" Lydia states while remembering the frustration of Prada not listening. "But here she is, just absolutely adoring you. What do you have that I don't?"

"Do you seriously want me to answer that?" Myrddin looks back to Lydia just in time to see her roll her eyes.

"It was rhetorical. Now how are you feeling?" Lydia touches his face and gently moves his head to see if he flinches at all.

Myrddin lets her do whatever it is she's doing. He's got a dog on his chest and he's required by a law only secondary to a cat laying on you. He who has been selected for nap time, shall not move until the animal moves. "I'm feeling good. Face is just a bit rough though. A night of sleep and I'll be great"

"If that's what you think, then whatever. Your mom will be the one to decide that. So did you not get enough sleep or did your running around during practice actually tire you out more than you let on?" Lydia relaxes her shoulders a bit.

"Practice was great, that's not what this was. I probably didn't get enough sleep is the problem. Gotta memorize that playbook before Friday after all" Myrddin gives a small smile.

"You shouldn't need to have it all memorized in a week, shouldn't it be before the first game?" Lydia asks as if Myrddin is an idiot.

Myrddin shrugs. "I've memorized it already, just needed to stay up for most of last night. So here we are. I almost made it home but I guess this sidewalk looked close enough to a bed for my brain" He lies like it's nothing. He did memorize the plays, but he got plenty of sleep.

Lydia's eyes show her surprise. "Already?! What do you mean?! It's been-"

"I have the entire thing memorized. All positions even. Most of them are just slight variations of an original play so after memorizing the core of it the variations were easy peasy. It's just that coach didn't show them in groups so you wouldn't see the pattern unless you saw all positions and put the plays next to eachother" Myrddin explains. He can smell a sweet citrus scent from Lydia.

Lydia pinches the bridge of her nose. "Whatever Myrddin. I guess there is a reason why you're grades are better than mine"

"Im surprised you admitted it, and I'm glad you understand that. But can I ask how you found me? I don't imagine you were just looking out your window randomly and saw me" Myrddin looks up at the calm night sky.

"Mom left the damn gate open again. Prada got loose again. It's like she knows when you are near or something because she went straight to you. But…. I guess it was a good thing because you were face down on the sidewalk" Lydia moves some of Myrddin's short bangs off his forehead and rubs some of his hair between his fingers.

Myrddin turns his head. "How long was I out?"

Lydia lets his bangs go but rubs her fingers through his hair. It usually calms Jackson down when she does this so maybe Myrddin might sit still until his mom can come pick him up. "I'm not sure. I found you already passed out. But I'd say you were out for 3 long minutes. I made sure you were only sleeping and not hurt before I turned you over"

"And decided to give me a lap pillow?" Myrddin adds.

"I couldn't just leave you here. And I'm not wearing a jacket to put under your head. You should actually be happy. Many guys would kill you to be in your position" Lydia adds in a snarky tone.

Myrddin looks at her in her thin pajamas. It's a long sleeve shirt and pants of a thin fabric. "Well they can have my spot. I'm currently being held here against my will"

"Because you were passed out!" Lydia narrows her eyes at him. "I guess you really are fine considering how rude you are being"

"What? I should honestly be grateful?" Myrddin feels Prada open its mouth and silently yawn.

Lydia moves her hair over her shoulder with her left hand while her right hand continues to go through Myrddin's hair. "No…. But you don't have to make it sound like torture"

"It's not bad. In fact, it's the first time someone has done this for me besides my mom. But that was years ago. It's just that I'd rather be laying on something softer than the ground while having a lap pillow" Myrddin admits but doesn't go in depth.

"Well you don't need to wait much longer" Lydia looks down the street but doesn't see any car. So she decides to find out some things from Myrddin. "So, have you had the chance to give this new body a test run yet?"

"I'm not going to fuck you while you're dating Jackson" Myrddin flat out says.

Lydia presses his nose. "Not what I was asking~. I'm still staying loyal to Jackson. I'm just asking for a friend. I don't plan on touching you like that…"

Myrddin moves his head to get Lydia's finger off his nose. "Somehow I find that hard to believe…"

"Believe what you want. For now I still love Jackson" Lydia takes her left hand and places it on his shoulder and taps her finger on it. "But I really am curious. I'm not asking who you stuck it in. Just a number"

"Zero"

"Come again?" Lydia tilts her head for her left ear to get closer to Myrddin.

"How can I come again if I didn't come to begin with. I said zero. Z E R O" Myrddin spells it out for her.

Lydia looks Myrddin up and down, and her eyes linger on her dog enjoying a life-size Myrddin body pillow. "You want me to believe that you have this body and haven't used it for pleasure at all? I may act stupid but you know I'm smarter than that"

Myrddin doesn't say anything but looks into Lydia's green eyes that are darker than his own.

She stares at his eyes and a smirk slowly grows on her face that she covers with her left hand. "Oh my god~. You really haven't! I can only imagine your willpower. I've seen Juniors and Seniors practically spread their legs open and invite you between them. You've got a personal cheerleader squad during practices and you haven't even played in a game yet. I suppose it's only a matter of time before your brain begins to match your body"

"I won't change just because my body did" Myrddin glares up at Lydia's smug face.

Lydia shrugs. "But you already have. A year ago you wouldn't have grabbed me and come closer. And you're way more confident now. You've already changed Myrddin Wyllt, but I suppose you're going by Merlin now"

"I meant bad changes Lydia. Gaining confidence is a good thing, unless you gain too much. I don't want to be arrogant and overconfident" He tries not to move too much as Prada slightly snores.

"Whatever~. I'm just surprised you're still a virgin" Lydia continues to cover her smirk.

"And I'm not surprised you aren't. But I wonder how many guys you tell you are?" Myrddin can play just as dirty.

Her smirk goes away and she puts her left arm behind her as she leans back on her hand. "I don't lie about that. Most guys prefer not to ask anyway"

"Holy shit Lydia. You don't need to make it sound like you're a whore" Myrddin shakes his head.

Lydia supresses a shiver from Myrddin's hair tickling her. "And you… make it sound like I'm not…"

Myrddin closes his eyes. "I don't think you're a whore. I don't know you all that well. So I don't know why you sleep around. We aren't even real friends. And we aren't fake ones now either. So I have to ask. Why do you care about my opinion?"

"MYR!!!" Ada shouts as she parks along the side of the street and jumps out.

Lydia was about to respond….. but she isn't even sure what she would say. She doesn't care what Myrddin thinks of her. But his words always cut so deep whenever they talk.

"Hey mom, I'm-" Myrddin turns his head and sees his mom running over.

"Passed out, face down, on the sidewalk! How are you feeling?! Are you feeling numb on your left or right side? Was it a seizure? Did you go drinking?! Etc….." Ada continues to list off various ways he could have been left passed out on the sidewalk.

"Erhm, Mrs. Wyllt. He was just tired due to a severe lack of sleep" Lydia tries to calm the mother down a little. She wonders if her own mom would be this worried about her. She doubts it though.

"Lack of sleep?! Myrddin!-" Ada worriedly grabs the sides of Myrddin's face and uses her thumbs to open his eyelids.

"If I get some sleep I'll be fine" Myrddin can feel his eyes water from being forced open.

"Fine?!" Ada goes full protective mama bear.

It takes a lot of convincing from Myrddin to get his mom to calm down even a small amount.

Ada wraps Lydia in a big hug. "Thank you so much Lydia dear! Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't found him!"

Lydia stiffens her back from the sudden physical contact. She's surprised for a few seconds before returning a small hug. "You're welcome Mrs. Wyllt"

After their hug Myrddin picks up the napping dog and hands it to Lydia. "Here's your fluff ball back"

"Thanks" Lydia holds the white dog as it continues to sleep.

Myrddin puts his hands next to Lydia's legs and does a kick up as he lands on his feet. "See? Perfectly fine"

Ada grabs his ear and drags him to the car. "Then you're fine enough to be dragged back home and locked to your bed. Do I need to take your books away to make sure you get enough sleep?!" She looks over her shoulder. "Good night Lydia, tell your mother I said hello"

"Bye Lydia" Myrddin says through his wince before he gets out in the car.

Lydia just waves them off as she stands up with Prada now fully sleeping in her arms. This night couldn't get weirder. At least it was amusing to see Myrddin's mom worry over him for about 10 minutes. She's honestly surprised he was able to convince her. Lydia decides to be more wary of Myrddin's words.

——————

Myrddin wakes up early the next morning and is walking through the woods. It's very foggy this morning so he knows today is the day. If it wasn't foggy he would have just gone to school.

He knows he went in a straight line from the coyote cave so he found the house and tried to follow his path back to Scott.

There is also the fact that he made sure to find the river and the house on a map so he had a better idea of where the cave is. Otherwise it would have been pretty useless to wander through the foggy woods.

"Ventus" Myrddin quietly says.

The fog then begins to get worse as the wind disturbs it and causes it to do the opposite of what Myrddin expected.

As the wind dies down Myrddin continues walking forward. The birds and other small animals of the Preserve make some morning noise as they go about starting their day.

Myrddin holds out his left hand. "Aqua"

He injects his mana into the surrounding air that is filled with the fog as he takes control of it.

This feeling helps him come up with a few ideas on how he can progress his magic. But for now he tries to move the fog around without bringing the water molecules together and keep it as the fog.

It's hard to keep them dispersed. But it helps him understand the level of control he is at and it helps him improve his control as well.

Myrddin obviously isn't able to take control of a whole lot of fog, but it's a sizeable enough amount as he continues towards the cave.

The density of the fog os interesting. He's able to make the fog thinner or thicker. Basically determining how visible things are through the fog. But fog is still fog so there isn't any surface tension to defend himself if he tries to cloud the vision of his opponent.

After about 3.27 miles he finds the cave and a nearly naked Scott.

"You seriously are sleeping without a care in the world" Myrddin takes the extra clothes from his bag and throws them down next to Scott and goes to exit the cave.

*Thump*

Myrddin turns around to see that Scott has gotten up and used the wall of the cave to help stand up. "Put some clothes on you idiot"

"Myrddin?" Scott looks around confused. "Why did you-"

"I didn't drag you out here. Now put those clothes on and get the fuck outta here" Myrddin points at the running shoes, sweat pants, and tshirt before leaving out into the fog.

"Where is HERE?" Scott asks but gets no answer. It's like the time back on the road when they nearly got hit by the car. How does Myrddin keep finding him? And is he trying to help him out?

Scott has no idea what the fuck is going on anymore and puts on the clothes and exits the cave. He'd rather not wander back into town practically naked.

Scott then begins wandering through the woods in a straight line.

*Snap*

He hears a stick break in the distance.

Scott looks around confused when he hears some more movement to his left. Through the fog he sees an outline of something move.

*Ghhhrr*

The beast huffs as it moves its body up and looks over at Scott.

The teen moves forward as he tries to tell his body to run but its slow to react as he watches the beast take a step forward.

*GHHhhhrrr*

It huffs louder this time, almost sounding like a bear. And then it takes off.

Scott begins running parallel with the creature as they both speed through the woods. He moves faster than he has ever ran in his life as he manages to sort of keep pace with the beast which is running on all fours and making huffing noises.

After a minute Scott loses sight of the beast and climbs a hill.

*Grrrrrrrraaaaaawwwwwrrrrr*

The beast practically howls.

He takes a brief glance back as he stopped hearing the noises of the beast but doesn't stop running as he approaches a fence and hops over it.

*SPLASH~!!*

Scott frantically tries to get his bearings back as he resurfaces.

"*Gasp!!*" Scott looks around in a panic as he tries to catch his breath. He continues to look around until he spots a house and outside of it is a bespectacled man trying to water his garden while staring at Scott.

"Good Morning" Scott says like he didn't just jump into a random guys pool.