Call of the Wild: Training Accident

[x-wolfcub.livejournal.com]

Professor Sefton tries to train Nick in the control and agility of his wolf-form. However the choice in training partners leads to a bit of a problem.



As Nicholas Gleason stood at his full height, the fur on the back of his neck was still standing high. His eyes were locked directly on one person, the boy standing at the other side of the ravine, Julian Keller. Even though Nick had long worked on subduing his feelings after the incident in the theater, his more feral wolf side still wasn't quite ready to give it up. Even standing still, his lips wanted to curl back. Some parts of him even wanted to lunge forward at the other boy, but he was doing his best to draw strength from the professor standing near his side. "Are you sure this is a good idea Professor Sefton?" His gruff wolf voice sounded even more like gravel than normal today.


"I trust you", Kurt said reassuringly with a quick squeeze to the boy's shoulder. "And I know how you feel about Julian, so if you can hold it together when he is the one throwing things..."


Nick let out a snort, acknowledging the professor. Even though he didn't have confidence in himself, the strength of the professor was enough to calm him down. The wolf-boy lowered his head and fell down to all fours before looking up at Julian. When he had asked Professor Sefton for help in improving his agility and control in his wolf-form, having things hurled at him by Keller was pretty low on his list, but he thought he would make the best of it. "You ready?"


Julian had an array of things around him, but a megaphone was not one of them. Cupping his hands around his mouth, "Whenever you are, Wolfie." Three eggs and a few logs raised into the air surrounded by an almost imperceptible greenish glow. Truth-be-told, Keller was equally uneasy about throwing things at his wolf shaped classmate. Control would be his test today, ensuring that his anger didn't get the best of him, but also not pulling any of his shots.


"You are here to throw things, Julian", Kurt said warningly. "No unnecessary comments, please. Begin."


With his tail streamlined behind him, Nick quickly charged out into a small clearing in front of him. He wasn't sure exactly what Julian would be hurling, but the boy was sure that he wanted to get the let up on his rival as early as he could.


From his vantage point, Julian could clearly see Nick as he charged down the slope, intent on reaching the other side. "Okay," he said, exhaling his frustration at Professor Sefton's last comment before sending the first rotting husk of a log flying down the hill, followed by several eggs in a high arc.

Hearing the log whistling towards his head, Nick jumped up into the air, quite happy with himself as he saw the log fly by underneath his outstretched paws. But just as his satisfaction sunk in, he was nailed in the side of the head by the eggs. The boy tumbled to the ground, not so much because of the force, but by the sudden shock. Quickly scurrying to his feet, the yellow yolk dripped down the side of his muzzle as he cast a glare up at Julian.


Julian chuckled and tossed another couple of the wet, decaying logs toward his rival, while three eggs circled his head. Three eggs was the most he could do right now, though there was no reason to let Gleason know that. "Incoming!" Julian warned, a slight edge to his voice. Despite their differences he didn't really want to clobber Nick with large pieces of wood...at least not in front of the professor who already hated him.


"Try to stay aware of your surroundings. Nick", Kurt called down encouragingly. "And try to keep an eye on what Julian is preparing, if you can, so you know what to expect."


The words of encouragement were enough to get Nick back up on his feet. Trying a different tactic, a more aggressive one, the boy charge the next log, slapping it out of the way with his front paw. Running quickly he leaned away from the first two eggs, but the third smacked him dead center on his other plant foot. It wouldn't be a problem normally, but while he was running the fast, the slippery egg was enough to cause Gleason to lose his footing, forcing him to somersault forward and onto his back.


Again, Julian laughed and sent the next volley toward his fallen rival. "Nice one, Gleason! Too bad werewolf, downhill gymnastics isn't an Olympic event, or you'd be taking home the gold!"


"Julian!" Kurt said harshly from across the ravine. "I have told you, we are not here to insult Nick. One more word and I will call this off."


"It was just a joke, jeeze," Julian mumbled as he hurled several more brightly dyed eggs down the ravine toward his rival.

Nick quickly rolled onto his stomach and dodged the eggs as they went by. A fanged smile appeared across his face as he saw them just miss his tail and go flying toward the opposite side as he blindly began to charge forward once again.

Julian tossed a full volley of dodge balls down into the ravine, trying to smack Nick as he started to scramble up his side of the hill. "Not gunna get past me, Gleason," he muttered, soft enough that Professor Sefton wouldn't be able to hear.

Against his better judgment, Nick gave himself over to his animal instincts as he let himself run faster towards Julian. The wolf hoped back and forth a few times dodging the first few balls before grabbing the final one in his mouth and clamping down hard with his jaws. He quickly spit it out before he continued his charge. "Try to stop me Keller!"

Hearing the challenge, Julian scoffed and raised the rest of the dodge balls, along with a couple eggs that were left in the carton and sent a full barrage down-slope at high speed.

If his wits were about him, Nick would have been able to think through how to dodge the onslaught. But his wolf-brain was in full charge mood, and the sudden group of flying things just caused him to freeze suddenly. Before another idea came into his head a pair of eggs nailed him in the face, blinding him long enough for several balls to hit him in the gut and send him crashing down to the bottom of the hill in a large heap.

Julian stopped throwing things and paused, part of him knew he was going to be in some trouble. However, there was another part of him that couldn't help but double over with laughter and that part was the one that one out.


Kurt shot him an unimpressed look, already moving to catch up with the fallen boy. "Nick? Are you all right?"


But the Nick was not home. For whatever reason, the boy wasn't listening. But the wolf most certainly could not comprehend. He had already rolled over onto his back and was burring his hind claws into the ground, scratching wildly and digging a trench. It was only a matter of seconds before he bound up to the top of the hill. The wolf quickly rose up into the air, pulling back is front paw, and letting it's four razor-sharp claws shine in the morning sun.


Still doubled over with laughter, Julian didn't see the giant wolf bounding up the ravine. Had he, a telekinetic shield may have blocked what was about to happen, but it was not to be.


With a loud howl escaping the bellows of his chest, the wolf's clawed paw came crashing down. Before the boy could regain any control of his primal side, the claws met the flesh of Julian's backside. With a sickening slicing sound, a small trace of blood flew into the air, as the paw came all the way through.


Julian's laughter turned into a howl of pain immediately as he tried to scramble to his feet but found himself unable to do so. "Shit! What the fuck, Gleason?!" The boy could feel the blood draining down his leg from a deep gash across his buttocks.


Kurt had seen the wolf about to strike, but even teleportation couldn't get him there in time to prevent it. He arrived less than a second too late, grabbing the wolf's leg to hold off another strike. "I do not think he is himself, somehow. Shield yourself!"


Not needing to be told twice, Julian tossed a bright green shield up between himself and the wolf, tears running down his face as he watched the beast try to strike at him again. The downside of tactile telekinesis was that he could still feel the wolf's weight lunging against the barrier.


With Julian's shield up and the professor clutching at his leg, the wolf rolled to its side and snarled back at the blue man. But something about Professor Sefton's face gave Nick enough control back to take a few steps back away from Kurt and Julian. Slowly his ears fell down to the side of his face, and with a small whimper he turned and began running full speed towards the woods, not casting an eye back towards the scene he had created.


"Nick!" Kurt called after him, straightening up and preparing to give chase. "Come back!" But a glance at Julian, and the blood soaking the boy's trousers, made him hesitate before going anywhere. "How badly are you hurt?"


"He...he bit my ass. Clean off it feels like!" Julian whined, clutching his bottom in a vain attempt to stop the flow of blood.


"Stop whining and let me get you to the medlab", Kurt said briskly, with a last unhappy glance the way Nick had gone. "He did not bite you, it was his claws. I think it is probably not as bad as it feels."

"Oh, damn," he swore as Kurt helped him to his feet, realizing how strong his professor had to be in order to effortlessly support most all of his weight. It may not, in fact, been as bad as it felt, but to Julian Keller, it felt pretty bad.