To be fair, it's not one that Jude hadn't been ready for, hadn't brought up to Adrianna near-immediately in his meeting with her upon his return. Shifter instincts are overwhelming even for full-grown adults who have had a lifetime of practice with their animal, and any of them can be dangerous.
Jude has brought a band of what amounts to psychic toddlers carrying flamethrowers into his pack's territory.
Like it or not, the members of Riftwatch are his responsibility, and he knew what it would entail. But it doesn't mean he enjoys it.
Somehow, it doesn't surprise him that Marcus is the first one he hears about. He can practically feel the dominance simmering around the man even in his human form. It's no wonder that he goes a little sideways, drunk on instinct. For the first few days, Jude is content to watch, biding his time.
But when Leif comes back all scuffed up with his tail between his legs, Jude knows it's time.
Jude comes with a pocket full of jerky snacks, two peanut butter cookies in a plastic bag, a bottle of water and a bag with some spare clothes. When he hits the makeshift border of Marcus' slapdash little territory he feels it shiver over his bones, but pushes through without hurting himself.
He is at home with the implicit danger. The tearing, hurting push of Marcus' dominance find no purchase in Jude's soul. This was his job, long before Thedas.
Jude approaches with his hands in his pockets, barefoot and in a loose sweater and comfortable pants. It's cold.
"Hey, Marcus," he says, lifting one hand to greet him, hooking his thumb in the bag at his shoulder.
"My guy, you cannot be beating on our scouts."
He very much doesn't expect Marcus to be lucid enough to hold a conversation about this, but it's nice to be able to establish a baseline.
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To be fair, it's not one that Jude hadn't been ready for, hadn't brought up to Adrianna near-immediately in his meeting with her upon his return. Shifter instincts are overwhelming even for full-grown adults who have had a lifetime of practice with their animal, and any of them can be dangerous.
Jude has brought a band of what amounts to psychic toddlers carrying flamethrowers into his pack's territory.
Like it or not, the members of Riftwatch are his responsibility, and he knew what it would entail. But it doesn't mean he enjoys it.
Somehow, it doesn't surprise him that Marcus is the first one he hears about. He can practically feel the dominance simmering around the man even in his human form. It's no wonder that he goes a little sideways, drunk on instinct. For the first few days, Jude is content to watch, biding his time.
But when Leif comes back all scuffed up with his tail between his legs, Jude knows it's time.
Jude comes with a pocket full of jerky snacks, two peanut butter cookies in a plastic bag, a bottle of water and a bag with some spare clothes. When he hits the makeshift border of Marcus' slapdash little territory he feels it shiver over his bones, but pushes through without hurting himself.
He is at home with the implicit danger. The tearing, hurting push of Marcus' dominance find no purchase in Jude's soul. This was his job, long before Thedas.
Jude approaches with his hands in his pockets, barefoot and in a loose sweater and comfortable pants. It's cold.
"Hey, Marcus," he says, lifting one hand to greet him, hooking his thumb in the bag at his shoulder.
"My guy, you cannot be beating on our scouts."
He very much doesn't expect Marcus to be lucid enough to hold a conversation about this, but it's nice to be able to establish a baseline.