![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
The world hadn't actually ended, it just seemed like it. Dwayne has to keep telling himself that sometimes, between long nights at the radio, on his endless rounds of the yard perimeter and all the hundred little things that their new home (for now) required to keep running. The world was running on duct tape, spit, and baling wire, limping along, but it *was* still turning.
They'd come pretty damn close, but it wasn't quite over. They were the ones left and that meant they had a lot of work to do.
And maybe most importantly...Josh had officially Survived.
It was hard to believe how many weeks has gone by, but he'd *lived*. Some days were still a little shaky, but the traces of fever were completely gone. The wolf had won, and Dwayne's desperate last-ditch Hail Mary had actually *worked*. Somehow, that made everything right, when he could roll over and watch his mate asleep, warm and well and *alive*.
Now all that was left was for him to get used to the Change, to figure out what kind of wolf he was going to be. There was no going back, but it had saved Josh's life, kept Dwayne from having to go through this hellish epilogue of a world alone, and that alone was worth it... Even if he had any doubts at all that Josh could handle the Change. There would be some acclimatization, some trial and error... That was why Zach was keeping his distance and Rhys spending nights in the little caretaker's cabin... But it would pass.
Josh would have a mate, and a pack, and he would get used to it, given a little time. Dwayne was sure of that, even though the approaching full moon gave him nerves. The first change could be tough, and Josh... He was still recovering.
So Dwayne did all he could to keep things running.
They'd come pretty damn close, but it wasn't quite over. They were the ones left and that meant they had a lot of work to do.
And maybe most importantly...Josh had officially Survived.
It was hard to believe how many weeks has gone by, but he'd *lived*. Some days were still a little shaky, but the traces of fever were completely gone. The wolf had won, and Dwayne's desperate last-ditch Hail Mary had actually *worked*. Somehow, that made everything right, when he could roll over and watch his mate asleep, warm and well and *alive*.
Now all that was left was for him to get used to the Change, to figure out what kind of wolf he was going to be. There was no going back, but it had saved Josh's life, kept Dwayne from having to go through this hellish epilogue of a world alone, and that alone was worth it... Even if he had any doubts at all that Josh could handle the Change. There would be some acclimatization, some trial and error... That was why Zach was keeping his distance and Rhys spending nights in the little caretaker's cabin... But it would pass.
Josh would have a mate, and a pack, and he would get used to it, given a little time. Dwayne was sure of that, even though the approaching full moon gave him nerves. The first change could be tough, and Josh... He was still recovering.
So Dwayne did all he could to keep things running.
no subject
Date: 2016-04-02 02:34 am (UTC)Today, unsurprisingly, is not a good day, not with the full moon so close, it's pull singing unfamiliarly in his blood, and he keeps close to Dwayne. Keeps his focus within the safety of these four walls, where his and Dwayne's scent mingle in every room, and Rhys's is familiar and welcome. He's nervous, but he's not letting himself be frightened, not after everything he's gone through to get here, how much Dwayne and Rhys and even Zach have gone through to help him. It'll be fine, he's got a pack and a mate and Dwayne's example to follow, and it's going to be a grand adventure, dammit, not the nightmare he knows Zach's first shift was.
None of which stops him from pausing to press his nose into Dwayne's neck with a low rumble as he curls his fingers into his mate's shirt. "You won't let me hurt anyone, right?" he asks, even though he knows it's a stupid question, because of course Dwayne would never let that happen.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:Two Days Later...
Date: 2016-06-30 09:45 pm (UTC)But the morning had been clear, breezy, and a little chilly, and a little bit of cold was far from the worst conditions to deal with. They could do a shift in bad weather, but a calm, pleasant night was a lot more pleasant.
He wanted tonight to be pleasant. No disasters and no panic. They'd had good conversations leading up to it and everything seemed good, but that flutter of worry was still there, because this was the night where they'd find out for sure how Josh was going to deal with his new condition.
Rhys had already given him two vials, with quiet explanations. One red vial in case Josh couldn't finish the change on his own, because getting stuck halfway through the shift was dangerous.
The other vial, the gray vial, was in case Josh couldn't control the wolf. With Dwayne there it wouldn't be a problem, but for the crow shifter's sake... It was better to be safe. And for Josh's, because Dwayne knew Josh would never forgive himself if the change got rough.
To much to worry about, and Dwayne was being a fussy old Wolf. He sighed and looked at his own pale eyes in the mirror, inspected his beard for signs of impending gray, and slipped out to the bedroom. Sweatpants and a t-shirt for tonight: turning from a human into a 200-pound wolf wasn't very wardrobe-friendly, not was trying to get those clothes back on in the morning.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: