[Well, at least we have dinner.] Axel sounded amused.
"I'm kinda curious why he let us go though. He was obviously hunting for his own meal," Nathan mused.
[Maybe he decided you didn't have enough meat on your bones to make a good meal out of.]
"Ha ha, very funny. Still. At least we can go look for a cave or something now."
Nathan took off at a slow jog with the rabbit in his mouth, wanting to wait until he was out of the rain to eat. An hour later, with Axel's help, he finally located a small cave that was unoccupied. It wasn't in the greatest shape but at least he was out of the rain and could eat in peace.
"I wish I was able to cook this. I'm tired of eating raw meat," Nathan complained as he started munching on the small animal.
[Even if you shifted, which you won't, you don't even know how to cook, let alone how to start a fire,] Axel remarked.
"Why are you pushing so hard for me to shift recently? It seems like every other sentence is about me shifting."
[Because you've been walking around as a wolf for almost 200 years. I'm not sure you'd even be able to stand on two legs after being like this for so long. If you don't shift back and relearn how to be human we'll never be able to get revenge on that damn blood-sucker.]
Nathan paused his feast at Axel's words. "I know. You're right. But…"
[But you're scared.]
Nathan let out a faint whimper as he laid down. "I don't want to be. Even if I wasn't, how would I even learn about being a human? You're a wolf and there's no one else to teach me."
[What about that dragon?]
"He was a dragon? How could you tell?"
[His scent. Smoke and turned dirt. Classic dragon scent.]
Nathan wavered, his imagination slowly stressing him out. "I don't know. What if he turns out like those vampires?"
[Only one to find out. Besides, he seemed nice enough. He could have left you in that trap. Or worse, killed you.]
Nathan didn't respond right away, mulling over the idea. "Maybe. Let me sleep on it and decide in the morning. Besides, who says we'll ever see him again."
[Alright. In the morning then. Good night, Nate.]
"Good night, Axel."
**********
~The Next Morning~
Nathan emerged from his small shelter and stretched in the early morning sunlight. "Hello sun. Good bye rain."
[Well, aren't you in a good mood this morning?]
Nathan chuckled as he took off at a light run. "Can you blame me? We got a decent meal, a good night's sleep, and the rain finally let up."
[True.] Axel said. [Have you thought about what I said last night? About finding that dragon from yesterday?]
Nathan didn't respond as he continued running. He didn't answer until he came upon a small lake and was taking a drink. "I have," he paused, "and you're right. I should look for that dragon, but I'm not going to shift in front of him. Not yet. I'll interact with him like this for a while and try to get a read on his character."
Axel paced while feeling proud of his partner's growth. [That's a great plan, I like it.]
Nathan snorted in amusement. "Oh, I'm so glad I have your royal highness's approval. Anyway, I was thinking of trying to catch another rabbit to give him. To replace the one he gave me," he trailed off shyly.
[Hmm.]
"What?"
[Nothing. Do you want any help?] Axel offered, sounding suspicious.
"No. I want to do this on my own."
[Alright, but let me know if you need me.] With that, Axel decided to take a nap and withdrew deeper into their mind.