Untitled Werewolf Story
Jul. 28th, 2011 10:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
breezeshadowTitle: Pending
Genre: Fantasy
The Troops: Gareth, Andy
Status: Complete but very rough, likely typos everywhere
Rating: PG-13, just in case
Summary: In running from yourself, you may just run into others.
Prompt: "Run"
--
In the darkest of the night hours he always felt it -- that sort of creeping warning, a chill upon his skin, the past memories of the horror settling in his mind and thinking that their reminders were a comfort. It hadn't even been that dark when it happened, but that never mattered to the whispers. It had happened, and he was at his most restless at night, and then things just sort of worked out that way.
He wanted to morph and flee, run through the streets, dash down anyone who stood in his way as he escaped himself. But it was a false comfort. He could never run away, and besides, the sight of a massive brown wolf stalking the Io streets would likely just bring his nightmares to an unsettling reality. He had to just breathe, and think, and be human, in body and mind, as best as he could.
Yet he thought the being human was what was causing these troubles in the first place. When a wolf was frightened, it knew to evaluate. When a human was frightened, it just floundered.
He paused in the street next to a bright building, loud voices trailing out of the thick door and thicker windows. Pubs didn't really have a concept of closing hours, and he watched the door warily, expecting someone to come out, hit him over the head, and drag him to the authorities. But that was foolish, he knew; he had already been "registered", and the government had no more quarrel with him so long as he paid his taxes and kept out of trouble.
Too bad he now forever had a quarrel with them. Andy shoved open the door to the pub and walked into the anarchy.
No one paid him any mind, though he felt like they must; they were too busy laughing or arguing or just drinking themselves into a stupor. Andy could support that last group. He approached the bar cautiously, slipping through the groups of people, before seeing a lone empty bar stool. In an instant he was in it, ignoring the surprised looks that may or may not actually be there.
The bartender grinned at him, all bad teeth and truthful warmth.
"Good to see you, Andy. The usual?"
"As strong as you can." His voice growled without him meaning it too, but the human before him just nodded like this happened all of the time in his life, and grabbed the gin and whiskey and lime.
He jerked his head toward the person sitting next to him, but they were just staring into their drink. Upon his look they immediately glanced over though, smiling weakly. "Sorry, I didn't peak in there did I?"
"No." He knew when there was someone else slipping into his thoughts, sifting through them like public files. This telepath had just had the misfortune to be sitting next to him; there had been no real invasion, nothing but his own private intrusions.
"Oh good. Sometimes when I've had a lot to drink, it just sort of happens." The telepath returned to staring at his drink, swirling it in his glass. Andy could not smell any alcohol on him, just this sort of nervous sweat, old and not caused by him.
It was a perfect distraction from himself. "Rough day?"
The man sighed. "Of a sort. Same old shit every week, really, but I never really figure out how to handle it, you know?" At Andy's nod, the man took a sip of his drink, continuing with a brewing unease. "I know she's going to die. This is the fifth time in two weeks she has had to go in. But it doesn't get easier knowing. That just makes it worse."
"Your wife?"
"My daughter." The man stared into his glass, eyes dark, shoulders giving up. "She's only ten. I wanted to stay with her tonight but... They told me no, that she needs her rest. Wouldn't have Daddy be with her help that out? I don't understand that shit."
"What's wrong with her?" He noticed the bartender set down his Rickey but barely paid it any mind; he was engrossed in the other man's personal tragedy.
"They don't know. That's the worst part." Another sigh, and the telepath looked like he would fall apart if Andy dared touch him. "Some days she is perfectly fine, other times she's in the hospital for days. She may pull through again but... But I just have this feeling."
"I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say. He never did during moments like this.
"It's fine, she's comfortable and doesn't seem frightened. I'm taking care of that for her." The man chuckled sadly, staring into his empty glass.
"So she's getting worse then, Greg?"
Andy jumped at the new voice behind him, nails blossoming into claws as he whirled around his bar stool, snarling. But the man behind him hardly looked threatening, all skin and bones, dark circles around his hazel eyes, blond hair probably not combed in the last five years. He glanced over at Andy as the man's jaw elongated, canines becoming more prominent, and smiled politely.
"Didn't meant to startle you there. I'm Gareth. You?"
"Andy. And you are standing too close." His words came out growling and gutteral, a consequence of the morph that he did not bother trying to change.
"Well there's very little I can do about that considering how crowded it is." Still, the man stepped a little closer to Greg, who watched the exchange with a soft smile. "I'm sorry to hear about April."
"Yeah well so am I." He shrugged with resignation, sighing. "You're awfully polite today. Work go well?"
"I will probably manage to save another vampire from getting his sorry ass fried for something he didn't do, yes." Irritation coated the man's voice. "I do love the assumptions in this place. 'You're not a human? A crime was committed near you? You did it. Obviously. Don't try to pretend otherwise.'"
"Of course. Everyone knows humans don't commit crimes." Greg glanced over at Andy as he growled. "Sorry, did I bring something up?"
"No." It wasn't quite a lie; after all, the memories had been creeping through all night, and Greg's little joke certainly didn't make it any worse.
"I'm a lawyer, you know. Specialize in representing non-humans." Gareth looked down at Andy, who glared the man, fur spreading over him.
"They did nothing that is actually illegal." And that he hoped was the end of it; he forced the transformation to a halt, but could not convince it to reverse, leaving him as a furred human with fangs and claws. He supposed that would at least get the message out pretty clearly to leave him alone, but also made picking up his drink more difficult; his half-paws could barely grasp it.
"The Werewolf Containment Act?" Gareth smiled at Andy's stare. "I'm working on making it illegal. I'm gathering up people who are willing to testify, tell their story, explain what happened, the works."
"Not interested." He sipped at his drink, hoping to chug the memories down with it. It usually didn't work on the first drink, but perhaps he could force it.
"Why not? It would be at no cost to you, and then perhaps you could finally get the justice you deserve. I'm sure you agree that the government should have to--"
"I told you I am not interested." Andy snapped the last words out, but Gareth did not budge, simply lifting an eyebrow at him. "I am here tonight to pretend that never happened so if you could--"
"You can't do that, you know." Gareth smiled at Andy's snarl, fangs fully exposed. "It'd probably be a lot more satisfying for you to testify and aim for justice instead of drink yourself into a stupor. Think on it, okay?"
"You should think on minding your own business and keeping your stupid little ideals out of my face." He stood up then, pushing his finished drink back toward the bartender, who took it away as quickly as possible. His legs bent awkwardly, not quite capable of supporting him alone anymore, but there was no room for a half-human half-wolf to go on all fours.
"'Stupid little ideals'?" Gareth snarled, fairly impressively for a human, Andy couldn't help but note. "I have helped many non-humans escape unfair justice in this damned empire and I can assure you that these are far from 'stupid little ideals'. I bet they are a lot better than any sort of ideas you have come up with."
And with that he let the transformation take over. In a couple of seconds he had shed any resemblance to a human, falling down to all fours before taking a massive leap at the human. The human was so thin that he easily bowled him over, and soon the large chocolate-brown wolf had his front paws on the man's shoulders as he snarled in his face.
"Oh Great Dragon, Gareth, stop picking fights with the fucking weres, would you?" Greg had knealt down beside them as the rest of the room suddenly took great interest in the bar. "He has a right to refuse to testify. Especially if it bugs him this much to just think about it."
"But that's the point!" Gareth seemed to be missing that an angry wolf had his jaws a few inches away from his face; it was just interesting enough to allow Andy to listen. "I'm not saying he hasn't gone through absolute shit. That's actually the point. He shouldn't have to wander around hiding how wrong it is. We all know the government is doing immoral shit. If he were to stand up to them and tell everyone about it... I'm no therapist but it could help."
"There you go again, being an idealist when someone is trying to kill you." Greg smiled at Andy. "Sorry. He's an idiot sometimes."
Andy felt the awkward rearranging in his throat; it restricted his breath, but not enough to stop him from being able to speak. "I've noticed."
Beneath his paws Gareth laughed. "Yeah so sorry I'm trying to help you get justice. Really. I'll just go back to clerical duties, give up my license."
"Yeah like that'd ever happen." Greg rolled his eyes, then made a fist and nudged Andy's shoulder with it; the wolf looked over at him with interest. "Mind not eating my friend? You can see he's all skin and bones, no good for you."
Andy grinned, tongue peeking in between his sharp fangs; and then, he was just curious and amused enough to step off of Gareth, who sat up and brushed at his coat before allowing Greg to help him to his feet. Andy shook himself off, then squeezed in between his former bar stool and bar, lying down with his head on his paws.
He wouldn't be able to return to human for a few hours, he knew, and his fur bristled at the thought. He glanced around the room, but no one was even paying attention; now that it was clear the big bad wolf was not going to eat the tiny stupid lawyer, they had returned to their own quarrels and jokes. He kept one ear shifted toward them, listening to their words, sensing if they would go after them; but otherwise, he felt more relaxed in his new form, enough to focus on his new companions.
However much Gareth annoyed him, he was intrigued by him, and by Greg as well. The telepath's story had tugged at his sympathy, and he listened quietly, trying to fill in the blanks in his knowledge. April had always been sickly, but she had been getting worse as she got older, it seemed; and now that she was almost living at the hospital, Greg was convinced the end had come. Gareth did not seem to be an expert at sympathy, Andy noted with a soft snort; but he was trying, telling Greg that the hospital would try to make her comfortable, and he would be sure to send her something, and as a lawyer would Greg like to sue the place for not letting him be with his daughter?
"It's always about going to court with you," Greg noted, but Andy could hear the warm gratitude in his voice.
And thus the debate began about how why Greg thought going to court would be worthless and only worsen his daughter's situation, and how Gareth thought well they could then go once April was out of the hospital, and Greg sighed and said he didn't think that would happen, and soon Gareth was patting his friend on the back and apologizing and asking if there was anything he needed.
"I kind of want to bring her a gift," Greg mentioned after a while; Andy could hear the tears behind his voice, fought down in a never-ending battle. "She really likes dogs but you know, I obviously can't bring her a real dog. So I've been saving up so I can get her a really high-quality plush instead -- you know those ones in Erickson's? One of those. They're so lifelike."
"I can give you some money if you want. I'm not using it. We can go tomorrow and pick one out and deliver it." Gareth's voice was soft, the edge Andy had heard the entire night gone. "She'll love it, I'm sure."
"I just hope they don't find some reason to not give it to her." Greg paused, his voice breaking. "She loves dogs so much."
With a soft whine Andy got up and squeezed over to both men, nudging Greg's leg. The man automatically scratched at his ear, then stopped and looked down. "Ah, sorry. Habit."
"I'm almost a dog." He usually wouldn't offer; usually he preferred to stay away from the hospital, and its scents and memories. But something about these two men had caught his attention, his interest, and his utmost sympathy.
Greg paused. "Maybe a very big, talking, possibly ferocious dog, Andy. But would you like to come? Tomorrow? If they let you in?"
"I am registered with the empire, and have had all of my proper... Procedures." He growled out the word. "They will let me in."
"It is very kind of you to offer." Greg tapped the tip of Andy's nose. "Thank you. That would be great. Do you know where Erickson's is?" At Andy's nod, Greg looked over at Gareth. "When would you be able to meet?"
"I have lunch around noon. I could take an extra-long one; I don't have any afternoon clients tomorrow." Gareth reached down and rubbed Andy's head; the werewolf growled softly. "Would you be able to meet us then?"
"Awesome. Thank you, Andy. I'm sure April will love you." Greg smiled, relief in his voice, as he stood up. "Though on that note, I should go home and get ready for tomorrow. Gareth, thank you for meeting up on such short notice."
Gareth smiled, patting Greg's shoulder as he also stood up. "It's no problem. I will see you tomorrow. We'll pick out the best damn plush there, and then bring along the best damn wolf."
Greg laughed while Andy growled, ears going back. "I didn't know you were rating the wereanimals. I'm not sure that's something they'd appreciate."
The three of them walked out together, Andy looking behind them every minute or so as they walked down the street. Greg soon arrived at his house and bid them both farewell; and soon he was alone with the strange lawyer, keeping careful watch for them both.
"Well this is where I'm living. Do you return to the reservation at night or what?" Andy growled softly and tried to shrug. "Do you want to stay here, then? I don't like the idea of you sleeping in the streets."
Andy's ears went flat, staring at Gareth. He had slept on the streets for years without any trouble; except, of course, for that one night, years ago. He growled at the memory, stomach sinking toward the ground, tail tucking beneath his legs. He could either stay with a strange man who wanted to force the darkness out of him, or sleep with the darkness itself.
"Don't try anything."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
And he allowed himself to enter the house, but he opted, in the end, to sleep right outside Gareth's apartment, keeping a half-vigilance through the night.
~~~
He didn't stay the night, slipping out of the building early in the morning, before Gareth had risen. He considered morphing back to normalcy; but he had to be a wolf to see the girl anyway, so he might as well just stick with one form and rest. He padded to the other side of town, where he knew that a wolf among the streets would not be viewed with suspicion; and furthermore, where he knew he could approach the demi butcher and a pointed whine would give him a slab of meat and a little note that he owed the man a silver coin; the note was looped through his ear and while it looked weird next to the silver stud, at least he would not lose it.
It felt and looked like a price tag, but no one made any snide remarks; they all understood what the note really meant. He only hoped that the humans would as well, once he met up with them. He walked down to the public bathhouse, full of shouting and arguing customers as always; he waded in the waters for a bit, at one point getting into a splashing fight with a young cat-human who laughed when he easily drenched her.
Shaking off of the worst of the water, he found a place in the streets where the sunlight creeped through the buildings and lied down, watching the bustle of non-humans. At one point a vampire walked by, recognizable by the pile of robes covering her, and, with a cheeky grin, fluffed the fur on his head to stand on end without even pausing in her walk; he gave her a tired look, but she just gave him a thumbs-up and skipped off.
He dozed in the sunlight, but woke up with plenty of time to get to Erickson's. He rose, shook his fur back to decency, and trotted through the back alleys, until he emerged at the toy store. He had never actually entered the shop, having neither the money nor the desire for a plush. However, looking up at the door, he blatantly saw the sign showing a human-animal hybrid with a giant X over them. With a huff, he trotted into the alley way, and then came back out fully human, wearing the same clothes from last night, and delicately taking the note out of his ear.
A half-hour later he saw Gareth and Greg walking down the street, and waved to them; they hustled after that, exchanged their greetings, and then the three entered the shop.
The owner watched Andy warily, but Andy knew he had no concrete proof he wasn't a full human, and ignored him as he stared at the gryphon plushes, wondering if the feathers were real. Soon however Greg had picked out the wolf plush -- a sleek black thing, with inpeccable stitching and bright blue crystal eyes -- and they all left the store. They had barely closed the door before Andy took a set of papers out of his pocket, put them in his mouth, and flowed back into wolf form, baring his fangs when the store owner swore at him to never come by again.
"How dare you, Andy. You may have left one stray fur on his carpet." Greg sounded amused.
"Fucking moron just lost his business is what he did." Gareth glared at the ground as he walked. "I don't care how high-quality his shit is, if he's going to yell at someone who was just in his shop and caused no trouble--"
"Calm down, Gareth. I don't want you upsetting April." Greg's voice was unusually stern; he took the plush and held it near Andy's nose. "Here. You should be the one to give it to her."
Andy looked up at the man warily, ears flicking back; then he gently took the plush in his mouth, being mindful of his fangs on its soft form, and let Greg take his papers. The walk to the hospital continued in a thoughtful silence.
The nurse looked disapprovingly at him, and kept rereading his papers; but eventually she gave in and returned them to Greg, warning him that any sort of discomfort or damages would come out of Andy's pocket, and furthermore they only had one hour to visit, that was it, no more. They all nodded politely, and then were led down the hall.
The room smelled of illness and grief, and Andy wrinkled his nose; but upon seeing him as he entered with her father and Gareth, the thin girl's bony face lit up.
"Puppy!" she squealed the word and reached out her thin hands; obediently Andy trotted over and carefully placed the plush on her lap. She didn't care, however, instead rubbing at his ears and chest; he wagged his tail carefully, growling softly all the same.
"He's a werewolf." Greg smiled as he approached. "His name is Andy."
"Andy!" She was more careful with her petting now, sticking to just rubbing his nose. "I'm April. You're a pretty wolf!"
"He agreed to come with us today." Greg sat down on the other side of the bed, stroking his daughter's hair back from her face. "How are you today?"
"I'm better! I didn't throw up today! I got to eat breakfast, it tasted funny but the doctors said if I eat dinner too then maybe I can get something special. Andy do you think it's candy? I think it's candy!" Andy rested his head on her lap, and she rubbed at his ears.
"You probably can't handle candy yet, honey," Greg said soothingly; slowly Gareth approached, looking at the ground, distinctly out of place.
"But maybe, Daddy! Uncle Gareth! Do you think I should get candy?"
The lawyer startled, then smiled weakly. "Oh. Sure. Whenever you're ready."
"See?" April stuck her tongue out at her father. "I bet Andy agrees too."
The werewolf chose not to join in that argument, and yawned pointedly. April giggled, then left him alone to pick up the plush. "Is this for me?"
"Well it's certainly not for the nurse." Greg grinned as April hugged him.
"It has eyes like you! But it looks like Andy. I think I'll name it Greggy." She had the plush touch noses with Andy. "Say hello to Greggy!"
Andy carefully licked the plush. The door opened and he glanced over; a doctor had entered, and motioned to Greg, who politely left with him. The werewolf cocked his ear toward the door, trying to listen, but he only heard them moving down the hallway. He wanted to follow, but the girl had returned to rubbing at his ears and head, and he figured it was best to just stay put.
She continued babbling at him, about stuff he wasn't sure he understood; Gareth didn't seem to quite get it either, answering her questions weakly and taking forever to actually reach the bed, though. April did not seem to mind, however; when her father finally returned, fifteen minutes later, she was chattering to Andy about how when she grew up she was going to own a big house full of puppies just like him. Andy sincerely hoped not.
Greg chatted with her then, about their mother, the pet cat, and about Andy. She wanted to know a lot about him, questions that made Andy's ears go flat against his head -- where he was from, what did he spend his day doing, what did he eat. Greg fielded the questions well, never lying or making up a single thing, and Andy found himself impressed with the man; he could tell he knew about werewolves from his body language, but not how much he actually knew.
And then the nurse came in, and told them their time was up. April seemed sad, but did not protest or cry; instead she just hugged all of them, and rubbed at Andy's ears, and asked him to come back.
And so he did.
~~~
And he kept coming back. He wasn't entirely sure why. But something about the trio attracted him. Greg's kind but knowing attitude toward him was a comfort, as was watching his clear devotion to his sickly child. April was surprisingly insightful for a child; he could only assume the entire family had experience with werewolves, as she knew where it was acceptable to pat his head, and that rubbing his belly wasn't a wise decision, and that a nudge over a stroke went a long way.
Gareth he just couldn't understand, but something about his intense desire to help the world intrigued him. His ideas were a little idealistic, a little more foolish, but he was intelligent, and Andy sensed that he would learn quickly what would work best and would go for it with all of his energy. He finally dropped his insistence that Andy testify, but Andy suspected that he was waiting for the werewolf to magically change his mind and help him out.
He had always felt awkwardly out of place among of the wereanimals; they had been lucky enough to be raised by their own kind, while he was raised by his fully-human mother in a fully-human society until he ran away like a typical teenaged fool. He kept his contact with her until she passed away, but ever since then he had never found a suitable replacement. The other weres viewed him with suspicion, and he knew that they considered him to be half on the executioner's stand already. Too neurotic and too dangerous, so they would say.
Sometimes, Andy believed them. But with these three humans those neuroses seemed so deftly handled; even when he once snarled at April because she rubbed his neck near where that chain of memories had once laid, the little girl was mostly just apologetic, and Greg just took him out for some food away from the child, and didn't even ask why he had done it.
It was the human family he had been craving, he suspected, though he also knew he would never truly be a part of it. Greg was married -- his wife was just on business, and would be returning within a month. And as April grew healthier and stronger, his time to spend with them all grew shorter.
It felt like months but it was only a week, he knew; and then that day all four of them walked out of the hospital, with April giggling as she held her father's hand. Andy followed the three of them, ears and tail down, not really knowing where else to go, what else to do. It was only a gentle pat on the head from Gareth that made him decide to follow them at all.
They ended up in a park, right near the edge of Io, with an artificial pond and manicured trees. April gathered up a pile of flowers and threw them over Andy as he laid in the sun, listening lazily to Greg and Gareth discuss one of the lawyer's latest cases. She then plopped down next to him, beaming.
"What do you look like as a human?"
It was the first time she had asked that, and in an instant Andy flowed back into human, shaking off the grass that clung to his clothes as he pushed himself into a sitting position. April giggled.
"I bet I'm gonna be taller than you when I grow up."
"Oh shut up." He threw a bit of the grass at her. "I bet you won't be able to turn into a wolf."
"Maybe I will, puppy! Maybe I will magically learn." She grinned, and he knew she understood she was spouting nonsense. "I'm gonna find a potion and drink it and then I can turn into any animal I want!"
"You will have to show me when you do." He couldn't help but be amused; insightful though she may be, April was still just a ten-year-old child sometimes.
"I'm gonna be a cat! I bet I can already run as fast as one!" The girl sprung to her feet, leaning toward Andy and grinning in his face. "I bet I can run faster than you!"
"Oh really."
"Really! Get up! I'll show you!"
And then somehow, he ended up in a running contest, purposely going slowly so April could at least seem like she could keep up. And by the end they were both panting exhausted, and Gareth and Greg looked amused as they collapsed into the grass, and April claimed that she definitely was faster than him, definitely.
Eventually April got tired, and Greg decided that yes, it was probably best to get her home and make her some real food instead of whatever the hospital thought counted. But while April was hugging Gareth and promising him to come over at some point, Greg walked over to Andy and held out his hand; the werewolf shook it.
"Thank you for seeing her. She really likes you, you know." Greg smiled. "As do we all. You should come over to my place for dinner or tea at some time. I"m sure my wife would love to meet you; April keeps telling her about her 'puppy'."
Andy nodded numbly, not knowing what to say; Gareth walked over with April, returning the girl to her father. They all vaguely planned to have dinner some time next week, and definitely after Greg's wife returned from their travels; then Andy found himself walking back somewhere with Gareth. He didn't know where; surely not back to Gareth's--
"Andy, are you busy?" Gareth smiled at Andy's surprised look. "I have a wereanimal client right now and I'm, ah, not really well-versed in the most current of wereanimal politics and problems. Would you be willing to sit over tea and try and help me sort through it?"
Usually he would have to think through it, fight through the defenses of his mind; but the idea of continuing with this sort of family, of not going home alone or back to the misunderstanding wereanimals, overrode his sense and protective instincts. He found himself nodding, saying something affirmative, listening quietly to Gareth explain the wereanimal's background.
And then he found himself in the kitchen of a house he never thought he'd dare enter, across from an odd lawyer he had once tackled to the ground in a bar, trying to explain the intracies and aggravation of the wereanimal politics to an inxperienced human bent on saving the world.
Genre: Fantasy
The Troops: Gareth, Andy
Status: Complete but very rough, likely typos everywhere
Rating: PG-13, just in case
Summary: In running from yourself, you may just run into others.
Prompt: "Run"
--
In the darkest of the night hours he always felt it -- that sort of creeping warning, a chill upon his skin, the past memories of the horror settling in his mind and thinking that their reminders were a comfort. It hadn't even been that dark when it happened, but that never mattered to the whispers. It had happened, and he was at his most restless at night, and then things just sort of worked out that way.
He wanted to morph and flee, run through the streets, dash down anyone who stood in his way as he escaped himself. But it was a false comfort. He could never run away, and besides, the sight of a massive brown wolf stalking the Io streets would likely just bring his nightmares to an unsettling reality. He had to just breathe, and think, and be human, in body and mind, as best as he could.
Yet he thought the being human was what was causing these troubles in the first place. When a wolf was frightened, it knew to evaluate. When a human was frightened, it just floundered.
He paused in the street next to a bright building, loud voices trailing out of the thick door and thicker windows. Pubs didn't really have a concept of closing hours, and he watched the door warily, expecting someone to come out, hit him over the head, and drag him to the authorities. But that was foolish, he knew; he had already been "registered", and the government had no more quarrel with him so long as he paid his taxes and kept out of trouble.
Too bad he now forever had a quarrel with them. Andy shoved open the door to the pub and walked into the anarchy.
No one paid him any mind, though he felt like they must; they were too busy laughing or arguing or just drinking themselves into a stupor. Andy could support that last group. He approached the bar cautiously, slipping through the groups of people, before seeing a lone empty bar stool. In an instant he was in it, ignoring the surprised looks that may or may not actually be there.
The bartender grinned at him, all bad teeth and truthful warmth.
"Good to see you, Andy. The usual?"
"As strong as you can." His voice growled without him meaning it too, but the human before him just nodded like this happened all of the time in his life, and grabbed the gin and whiskey and lime.
He jerked his head toward the person sitting next to him, but they were just staring into their drink. Upon his look they immediately glanced over though, smiling weakly. "Sorry, I didn't peak in there did I?"
"No." He knew when there was someone else slipping into his thoughts, sifting through them like public files. This telepath had just had the misfortune to be sitting next to him; there had been no real invasion, nothing but his own private intrusions.
"Oh good. Sometimes when I've had a lot to drink, it just sort of happens." The telepath returned to staring at his drink, swirling it in his glass. Andy could not smell any alcohol on him, just this sort of nervous sweat, old and not caused by him.
It was a perfect distraction from himself. "Rough day?"
The man sighed. "Of a sort. Same old shit every week, really, but I never really figure out how to handle it, you know?" At Andy's nod, the man took a sip of his drink, continuing with a brewing unease. "I know she's going to die. This is the fifth time in two weeks she has had to go in. But it doesn't get easier knowing. That just makes it worse."
"Your wife?"
"My daughter." The man stared into his glass, eyes dark, shoulders giving up. "She's only ten. I wanted to stay with her tonight but... They told me no, that she needs her rest. Wouldn't have Daddy be with her help that out? I don't understand that shit."
"What's wrong with her?" He noticed the bartender set down his Rickey but barely paid it any mind; he was engrossed in the other man's personal tragedy.
"They don't know. That's the worst part." Another sigh, and the telepath looked like he would fall apart if Andy dared touch him. "Some days she is perfectly fine, other times she's in the hospital for days. She may pull through again but... But I just have this feeling."
"I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say. He never did during moments like this.
"It's fine, she's comfortable and doesn't seem frightened. I'm taking care of that for her." The man chuckled sadly, staring into his empty glass.
"So she's getting worse then, Greg?"
Andy jumped at the new voice behind him, nails blossoming into claws as he whirled around his bar stool, snarling. But the man behind him hardly looked threatening, all skin and bones, dark circles around his hazel eyes, blond hair probably not combed in the last five years. He glanced over at Andy as the man's jaw elongated, canines becoming more prominent, and smiled politely.
"Didn't meant to startle you there. I'm Gareth. You?"
"Andy. And you are standing too close." His words came out growling and gutteral, a consequence of the morph that he did not bother trying to change.
"Well there's very little I can do about that considering how crowded it is." Still, the man stepped a little closer to Greg, who watched the exchange with a soft smile. "I'm sorry to hear about April."
"Yeah well so am I." He shrugged with resignation, sighing. "You're awfully polite today. Work go well?"
"I will probably manage to save another vampire from getting his sorry ass fried for something he didn't do, yes." Irritation coated the man's voice. "I do love the assumptions in this place. 'You're not a human? A crime was committed near you? You did it. Obviously. Don't try to pretend otherwise.'"
"Of course. Everyone knows humans don't commit crimes." Greg glanced over at Andy as he growled. "Sorry, did I bring something up?"
"No." It wasn't quite a lie; after all, the memories had been creeping through all night, and Greg's little joke certainly didn't make it any worse.
"I'm a lawyer, you know. Specialize in representing non-humans." Gareth looked down at Andy, who glared the man, fur spreading over him.
"They did nothing that is actually illegal." And that he hoped was the end of it; he forced the transformation to a halt, but could not convince it to reverse, leaving him as a furred human with fangs and claws. He supposed that would at least get the message out pretty clearly to leave him alone, but also made picking up his drink more difficult; his half-paws could barely grasp it.
"The Werewolf Containment Act?" Gareth smiled at Andy's stare. "I'm working on making it illegal. I'm gathering up people who are willing to testify, tell their story, explain what happened, the works."
"Not interested." He sipped at his drink, hoping to chug the memories down with it. It usually didn't work on the first drink, but perhaps he could force it.
"Why not? It would be at no cost to you, and then perhaps you could finally get the justice you deserve. I'm sure you agree that the government should have to--"
"I told you I am not interested." Andy snapped the last words out, but Gareth did not budge, simply lifting an eyebrow at him. "I am here tonight to pretend that never happened so if you could--"
"You can't do that, you know." Gareth smiled at Andy's snarl, fangs fully exposed. "It'd probably be a lot more satisfying for you to testify and aim for justice instead of drink yourself into a stupor. Think on it, okay?"
"You should think on minding your own business and keeping your stupid little ideals out of my face." He stood up then, pushing his finished drink back toward the bartender, who took it away as quickly as possible. His legs bent awkwardly, not quite capable of supporting him alone anymore, but there was no room for a half-human half-wolf to go on all fours.
"'Stupid little ideals'?" Gareth snarled, fairly impressively for a human, Andy couldn't help but note. "I have helped many non-humans escape unfair justice in this damned empire and I can assure you that these are far from 'stupid little ideals'. I bet they are a lot better than any sort of ideas you have come up with."
And with that he let the transformation take over. In a couple of seconds he had shed any resemblance to a human, falling down to all fours before taking a massive leap at the human. The human was so thin that he easily bowled him over, and soon the large chocolate-brown wolf had his front paws on the man's shoulders as he snarled in his face.
"Oh Great Dragon, Gareth, stop picking fights with the fucking weres, would you?" Greg had knealt down beside them as the rest of the room suddenly took great interest in the bar. "He has a right to refuse to testify. Especially if it bugs him this much to just think about it."
"But that's the point!" Gareth seemed to be missing that an angry wolf had his jaws a few inches away from his face; it was just interesting enough to allow Andy to listen. "I'm not saying he hasn't gone through absolute shit. That's actually the point. He shouldn't have to wander around hiding how wrong it is. We all know the government is doing immoral shit. If he were to stand up to them and tell everyone about it... I'm no therapist but it could help."
"There you go again, being an idealist when someone is trying to kill you." Greg smiled at Andy. "Sorry. He's an idiot sometimes."
Andy felt the awkward rearranging in his throat; it restricted his breath, but not enough to stop him from being able to speak. "I've noticed."
Beneath his paws Gareth laughed. "Yeah so sorry I'm trying to help you get justice. Really. I'll just go back to clerical duties, give up my license."
"Yeah like that'd ever happen." Greg rolled his eyes, then made a fist and nudged Andy's shoulder with it; the wolf looked over at him with interest. "Mind not eating my friend? You can see he's all skin and bones, no good for you."
Andy grinned, tongue peeking in between his sharp fangs; and then, he was just curious and amused enough to step off of Gareth, who sat up and brushed at his coat before allowing Greg to help him to his feet. Andy shook himself off, then squeezed in between his former bar stool and bar, lying down with his head on his paws.
He wouldn't be able to return to human for a few hours, he knew, and his fur bristled at the thought. He glanced around the room, but no one was even paying attention; now that it was clear the big bad wolf was not going to eat the tiny stupid lawyer, they had returned to their own quarrels and jokes. He kept one ear shifted toward them, listening to their words, sensing if they would go after them; but otherwise, he felt more relaxed in his new form, enough to focus on his new companions.
However much Gareth annoyed him, he was intrigued by him, and by Greg as well. The telepath's story had tugged at his sympathy, and he listened quietly, trying to fill in the blanks in his knowledge. April had always been sickly, but she had been getting worse as she got older, it seemed; and now that she was almost living at the hospital, Greg was convinced the end had come. Gareth did not seem to be an expert at sympathy, Andy noted with a soft snort; but he was trying, telling Greg that the hospital would try to make her comfortable, and he would be sure to send her something, and as a lawyer would Greg like to sue the place for not letting him be with his daughter?
"It's always about going to court with you," Greg noted, but Andy could hear the warm gratitude in his voice.
And thus the debate began about how why Greg thought going to court would be worthless and only worsen his daughter's situation, and how Gareth thought well they could then go once April was out of the hospital, and Greg sighed and said he didn't think that would happen, and soon Gareth was patting his friend on the back and apologizing and asking if there was anything he needed.
"I kind of want to bring her a gift," Greg mentioned after a while; Andy could hear the tears behind his voice, fought down in a never-ending battle. "She really likes dogs but you know, I obviously can't bring her a real dog. So I've been saving up so I can get her a really high-quality plush instead -- you know those ones in Erickson's? One of those. They're so lifelike."
"I can give you some money if you want. I'm not using it. We can go tomorrow and pick one out and deliver it." Gareth's voice was soft, the edge Andy had heard the entire night gone. "She'll love it, I'm sure."
"I just hope they don't find some reason to not give it to her." Greg paused, his voice breaking. "She loves dogs so much."
With a soft whine Andy got up and squeezed over to both men, nudging Greg's leg. The man automatically scratched at his ear, then stopped and looked down. "Ah, sorry. Habit."
"I'm almost a dog." He usually wouldn't offer; usually he preferred to stay away from the hospital, and its scents and memories. But something about these two men had caught his attention, his interest, and his utmost sympathy.
Greg paused. "Maybe a very big, talking, possibly ferocious dog, Andy. But would you like to come? Tomorrow? If they let you in?"
"I am registered with the empire, and have had all of my proper... Procedures." He growled out the word. "They will let me in."
"It is very kind of you to offer." Greg tapped the tip of Andy's nose. "Thank you. That would be great. Do you know where Erickson's is?" At Andy's nod, Greg looked over at Gareth. "When would you be able to meet?"
"I have lunch around noon. I could take an extra-long one; I don't have any afternoon clients tomorrow." Gareth reached down and rubbed Andy's head; the werewolf growled softly. "Would you be able to meet us then?"
"Awesome. Thank you, Andy. I'm sure April will love you." Greg smiled, relief in his voice, as he stood up. "Though on that note, I should go home and get ready for tomorrow. Gareth, thank you for meeting up on such short notice."
Gareth smiled, patting Greg's shoulder as he also stood up. "It's no problem. I will see you tomorrow. We'll pick out the best damn plush there, and then bring along the best damn wolf."
Greg laughed while Andy growled, ears going back. "I didn't know you were rating the wereanimals. I'm not sure that's something they'd appreciate."
The three of them walked out together, Andy looking behind them every minute or so as they walked down the street. Greg soon arrived at his house and bid them both farewell; and soon he was alone with the strange lawyer, keeping careful watch for them both.
"Well this is where I'm living. Do you return to the reservation at night or what?" Andy growled softly and tried to shrug. "Do you want to stay here, then? I don't like the idea of you sleeping in the streets."
Andy's ears went flat, staring at Gareth. He had slept on the streets for years without any trouble; except, of course, for that one night, years ago. He growled at the memory, stomach sinking toward the ground, tail tucking beneath his legs. He could either stay with a strange man who wanted to force the darkness out of him, or sleep with the darkness itself.
"Don't try anything."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
And he allowed himself to enter the house, but he opted, in the end, to sleep right outside Gareth's apartment, keeping a half-vigilance through the night.
~~~
He didn't stay the night, slipping out of the building early in the morning, before Gareth had risen. He considered morphing back to normalcy; but he had to be a wolf to see the girl anyway, so he might as well just stick with one form and rest. He padded to the other side of town, where he knew that a wolf among the streets would not be viewed with suspicion; and furthermore, where he knew he could approach the demi butcher and a pointed whine would give him a slab of meat and a little note that he owed the man a silver coin; the note was looped through his ear and while it looked weird next to the silver stud, at least he would not lose it.
It felt and looked like a price tag, but no one made any snide remarks; they all understood what the note really meant. He only hoped that the humans would as well, once he met up with them. He walked down to the public bathhouse, full of shouting and arguing customers as always; he waded in the waters for a bit, at one point getting into a splashing fight with a young cat-human who laughed when he easily drenched her.
Shaking off of the worst of the water, he found a place in the streets where the sunlight creeped through the buildings and lied down, watching the bustle of non-humans. At one point a vampire walked by, recognizable by the pile of robes covering her, and, with a cheeky grin, fluffed the fur on his head to stand on end without even pausing in her walk; he gave her a tired look, but she just gave him a thumbs-up and skipped off.
He dozed in the sunlight, but woke up with plenty of time to get to Erickson's. He rose, shook his fur back to decency, and trotted through the back alleys, until he emerged at the toy store. He had never actually entered the shop, having neither the money nor the desire for a plush. However, looking up at the door, he blatantly saw the sign showing a human-animal hybrid with a giant X over them. With a huff, he trotted into the alley way, and then came back out fully human, wearing the same clothes from last night, and delicately taking the note out of his ear.
A half-hour later he saw Gareth and Greg walking down the street, and waved to them; they hustled after that, exchanged their greetings, and then the three entered the shop.
The owner watched Andy warily, but Andy knew he had no concrete proof he wasn't a full human, and ignored him as he stared at the gryphon plushes, wondering if the feathers were real. Soon however Greg had picked out the wolf plush -- a sleek black thing, with inpeccable stitching and bright blue crystal eyes -- and they all left the store. They had barely closed the door before Andy took a set of papers out of his pocket, put them in his mouth, and flowed back into wolf form, baring his fangs when the store owner swore at him to never come by again.
"How dare you, Andy. You may have left one stray fur on his carpet." Greg sounded amused.
"Fucking moron just lost his business is what he did." Gareth glared at the ground as he walked. "I don't care how high-quality his shit is, if he's going to yell at someone who was just in his shop and caused no trouble--"
"Calm down, Gareth. I don't want you upsetting April." Greg's voice was unusually stern; he took the plush and held it near Andy's nose. "Here. You should be the one to give it to her."
Andy looked up at the man warily, ears flicking back; then he gently took the plush in his mouth, being mindful of his fangs on its soft form, and let Greg take his papers. The walk to the hospital continued in a thoughtful silence.
The nurse looked disapprovingly at him, and kept rereading his papers; but eventually she gave in and returned them to Greg, warning him that any sort of discomfort or damages would come out of Andy's pocket, and furthermore they only had one hour to visit, that was it, no more. They all nodded politely, and then were led down the hall.
The room smelled of illness and grief, and Andy wrinkled his nose; but upon seeing him as he entered with her father and Gareth, the thin girl's bony face lit up.
"Puppy!" she squealed the word and reached out her thin hands; obediently Andy trotted over and carefully placed the plush on her lap. She didn't care, however, instead rubbing at his ears and chest; he wagged his tail carefully, growling softly all the same.
"He's a werewolf." Greg smiled as he approached. "His name is Andy."
"Andy!" She was more careful with her petting now, sticking to just rubbing his nose. "I'm April. You're a pretty wolf!"
"He agreed to come with us today." Greg sat down on the other side of the bed, stroking his daughter's hair back from her face. "How are you today?"
"I'm better! I didn't throw up today! I got to eat breakfast, it tasted funny but the doctors said if I eat dinner too then maybe I can get something special. Andy do you think it's candy? I think it's candy!" Andy rested his head on her lap, and she rubbed at his ears.
"You probably can't handle candy yet, honey," Greg said soothingly; slowly Gareth approached, looking at the ground, distinctly out of place.
"But maybe, Daddy! Uncle Gareth! Do you think I should get candy?"
The lawyer startled, then smiled weakly. "Oh. Sure. Whenever you're ready."
"See?" April stuck her tongue out at her father. "I bet Andy agrees too."
The werewolf chose not to join in that argument, and yawned pointedly. April giggled, then left him alone to pick up the plush. "Is this for me?"
"Well it's certainly not for the nurse." Greg grinned as April hugged him.
"It has eyes like you! But it looks like Andy. I think I'll name it Greggy." She had the plush touch noses with Andy. "Say hello to Greggy!"
Andy carefully licked the plush. The door opened and he glanced over; a doctor had entered, and motioned to Greg, who politely left with him. The werewolf cocked his ear toward the door, trying to listen, but he only heard them moving down the hallway. He wanted to follow, but the girl had returned to rubbing at his ears and head, and he figured it was best to just stay put.
She continued babbling at him, about stuff he wasn't sure he understood; Gareth didn't seem to quite get it either, answering her questions weakly and taking forever to actually reach the bed, though. April did not seem to mind, however; when her father finally returned, fifteen minutes later, she was chattering to Andy about how when she grew up she was going to own a big house full of puppies just like him. Andy sincerely hoped not.
Greg chatted with her then, about their mother, the pet cat, and about Andy. She wanted to know a lot about him, questions that made Andy's ears go flat against his head -- where he was from, what did he spend his day doing, what did he eat. Greg fielded the questions well, never lying or making up a single thing, and Andy found himself impressed with the man; he could tell he knew about werewolves from his body language, but not how much he actually knew.
And then the nurse came in, and told them their time was up. April seemed sad, but did not protest or cry; instead she just hugged all of them, and rubbed at Andy's ears, and asked him to come back.
And so he did.
~~~
And he kept coming back. He wasn't entirely sure why. But something about the trio attracted him. Greg's kind but knowing attitude toward him was a comfort, as was watching his clear devotion to his sickly child. April was surprisingly insightful for a child; he could only assume the entire family had experience with werewolves, as she knew where it was acceptable to pat his head, and that rubbing his belly wasn't a wise decision, and that a nudge over a stroke went a long way.
Gareth he just couldn't understand, but something about his intense desire to help the world intrigued him. His ideas were a little idealistic, a little more foolish, but he was intelligent, and Andy sensed that he would learn quickly what would work best and would go for it with all of his energy. He finally dropped his insistence that Andy testify, but Andy suspected that he was waiting for the werewolf to magically change his mind and help him out.
He had always felt awkwardly out of place among of the wereanimals; they had been lucky enough to be raised by their own kind, while he was raised by his fully-human mother in a fully-human society until he ran away like a typical teenaged fool. He kept his contact with her until she passed away, but ever since then he had never found a suitable replacement. The other weres viewed him with suspicion, and he knew that they considered him to be half on the executioner's stand already. Too neurotic and too dangerous, so they would say.
Sometimes, Andy believed them. But with these three humans those neuroses seemed so deftly handled; even when he once snarled at April because she rubbed his neck near where that chain of memories had once laid, the little girl was mostly just apologetic, and Greg just took him out for some food away from the child, and didn't even ask why he had done it.
It was the human family he had been craving, he suspected, though he also knew he would never truly be a part of it. Greg was married -- his wife was just on business, and would be returning within a month. And as April grew healthier and stronger, his time to spend with them all grew shorter.
It felt like months but it was only a week, he knew; and then that day all four of them walked out of the hospital, with April giggling as she held her father's hand. Andy followed the three of them, ears and tail down, not really knowing where else to go, what else to do. It was only a gentle pat on the head from Gareth that made him decide to follow them at all.
They ended up in a park, right near the edge of Io, with an artificial pond and manicured trees. April gathered up a pile of flowers and threw them over Andy as he laid in the sun, listening lazily to Greg and Gareth discuss one of the lawyer's latest cases. She then plopped down next to him, beaming.
"What do you look like as a human?"
It was the first time she had asked that, and in an instant Andy flowed back into human, shaking off the grass that clung to his clothes as he pushed himself into a sitting position. April giggled.
"I bet I'm gonna be taller than you when I grow up."
"Oh shut up." He threw a bit of the grass at her. "I bet you won't be able to turn into a wolf."
"Maybe I will, puppy! Maybe I will magically learn." She grinned, and he knew she understood she was spouting nonsense. "I'm gonna find a potion and drink it and then I can turn into any animal I want!"
"You will have to show me when you do." He couldn't help but be amused; insightful though she may be, April was still just a ten-year-old child sometimes.
"I'm gonna be a cat! I bet I can already run as fast as one!" The girl sprung to her feet, leaning toward Andy and grinning in his face. "I bet I can run faster than you!"
"Oh really."
"Really! Get up! I'll show you!"
And then somehow, he ended up in a running contest, purposely going slowly so April could at least seem like she could keep up. And by the end they were both panting exhausted, and Gareth and Greg looked amused as they collapsed into the grass, and April claimed that she definitely was faster than him, definitely.
Eventually April got tired, and Greg decided that yes, it was probably best to get her home and make her some real food instead of whatever the hospital thought counted. But while April was hugging Gareth and promising him to come over at some point, Greg walked over to Andy and held out his hand; the werewolf shook it.
"Thank you for seeing her. She really likes you, you know." Greg smiled. "As do we all. You should come over to my place for dinner or tea at some time. I"m sure my wife would love to meet you; April keeps telling her about her 'puppy'."
Andy nodded numbly, not knowing what to say; Gareth walked over with April, returning the girl to her father. They all vaguely planned to have dinner some time next week, and definitely after Greg's wife returned from their travels; then Andy found himself walking back somewhere with Gareth. He didn't know where; surely not back to Gareth's--
"Andy, are you busy?" Gareth smiled at Andy's surprised look. "I have a wereanimal client right now and I'm, ah, not really well-versed in the most current of wereanimal politics and problems. Would you be willing to sit over tea and try and help me sort through it?"
Usually he would have to think through it, fight through the defenses of his mind; but the idea of continuing with this sort of family, of not going home alone or back to the misunderstanding wereanimals, overrode his sense and protective instincts. He found himself nodding, saying something affirmative, listening quietly to Gareth explain the wereanimal's background.
And then he found himself in the kitchen of a house he never thought he'd dare enter, across from an odd lawyer he had once tackled to the ground in a bar, trying to explain the intracies and aggravation of the wereanimal politics to an inxperienced human bent on saving the world.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-29 04:45 am (UTC)I'm uncomfortable, though, with the presumptive attitude Greg and Gareth have towards Andy. Their tolerance and gentle smiles in the face of his violence and discomfort says that they don’t take it seriously. I wonder, too, about the use of touch: given the power imbalance inherent between humans and weres, is it truly appropriate that they manhandle Andy without his consent?
no subject
Date: 2011-07-29 04:50 am (UTC)Also, the touch is tricky to work with here. He is giving his consent to it by very clearly NOT flipping his shit, in a way, though I don't like giving that explanation. Wolves use touch to communicate, and the humans are basically trying to replicate that to make him comfortable, while not overextending human boundaries (hence the not touching his belly, but being okay with just touching his nose). It's a tough call, though.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-30 04:58 am (UTC)You step up behind someone and they startle badly. They become clearly aggressive. What do you do? The first thing, if you take the threat seriously, isn’t smile politely; you would have a beat of something else as you assessed the situation, determined if you were in immediate danger, decided you were in the wrong, and then apologized. Missing that beat means the threat was never taken seriously – that Gareth doesn’t believe there’s anything Andy can do to harm him.
>"Andy. And you are standing too close." His words came out growling and guttural, a consequence of the morph that he did not bother trying to change.
>"Well there's very little I can do about that considering how crowded it is." Still, the man stepped a little closer to Greg, who watched the exchange with a soft smile. "I'm sorry to hear about April."
This time, as well as ignoring the potential of Andy being a threat, Gareth also dismisses his comfort. The whole tone is of dismissal: how one reacts to a dog barking at you from a car, not another person you have offended or frightened to the brink of violence.
>"I'm a lawyer, you know. Specialize in representing non-humans." Gareth looked down at Andy, who glared the man, fur spreading over him.
Literal looking down. Just. *points*
>"Not interested." He sipped at his drink, hoping to chug the memories down with it. It usually didn't work on the first drink, but perhaps he could force it.
>"Why not? It would be at no cost to you, and then perhaps you could finally get the justice you deserve. I'm sure you agree that the government should have to--"
I wouldn’t have a problem with this if it weren’t for the overall lack of respect. Instead of reading as “this is something Gareth cares enough about to overstep himself”, it seems like he’s just an all-around asshole with no sense of boundaries or appropriate behavior.
>"But that's the point!" Gareth seemed to be missing that an angry wolf had his jaws a few inches away from his face [...]
First off: ow. Why doesn’t Gareth react to the ow of this? How does he not crash into other people if the bar is so packed that he had to get in Andy’s personal space? Logistics aside, why is he not reacting to the fact that he’s driven Andy far enough to make him attack, which is a huge risk for someone of a subjugated social class against a privileged person in a public area?
And why isn’t Andy as angry about all of this as I am?
>The man automatically scratched at his ear, then stopped and looked down.
Ew. Unsolicited, nonconsensual contact.
>Gareth reached down and rubbed Andy's head; the werewolf growled softly.
EW. Growling is not a happy noise. Growling means “you are making me uncomfortable and unhappy”. If there were any sexual overtones to this, I’d be absolutely up the wall; as it is, yes, it’s discomforting.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-31 02:08 pm (UTC)The bartender grinned at him, all bad teeth and truthful warmth.
I felt the need to pick this out because it made me smile; very nice line.
As for my overall impressions of the story, well, I just love male friendships that have a genuine warmth and caring to them. You don't see enough of them in literature or frankly in real life since there is an emphasis on macho detachment and if you actually show that you love a guy, you're a QUEER! So something like a group of male friends going out together to pick out the perfect stuffed animal for a sick little girl just made me go <3 Overall, this was a very enjoyable little read.
I of course read through the discussion you and Stan are having, and my interpretation of affairs was this: Gareth is a bit overly pushy about his ideals, but that IS something I would expect to see of someone very passionate. I do agree that some scenes made him appear a bit dismissive, which seemed out of character for someone who had a passion for wereanimal rights. However, the interpretation of that isn't quite cut and dry for me as, "he's being rude."
Is he someone with his heart in the right place but his understanding of what he's dealing with a bit skewed, like someone who say, fights the sake of elephants or whales but unintentionally condescends them by not taking their very real physical prowess seriously under some assumption of, "I'm helping them, I understand them, they won't hurt me" ?
Is he someone who is genuinely intrusive and dismissive due to the inferiority of wereanimals being culturally ingrained so heavily that even those who believe in their rights have a bad habit of not taking them completely seriously? I have seen this when it comes to women: people who find womems' rights abuses to be an utter outrage, but who are still casually sexist. For example, a friend recently made a "lulz so funny!" post saying there was an easy way to sex birds by behavior... it was a gif of a seagull squawking incessantly at another. It wasn't intentionally sexist on her part; it still VERY much was.
Or, are we putting undue blame on Gareth; it Andy more aggressive, more wary, more sensitive than other typical weres? Is it expected that a wereanimal wouldn't be as sensitive to crowding, to touch, etc? I didn't get that impression from the writing per se, but I also know very little about wereanimals in your world and if it is par for the course for them to be traumatized, distrusting, and fundamentally broken or not.
Basically: there's some complex character interactions there, I *don't* think that's a bad thing, because it does leave the reader with things to think about and interpret - which is one of my favorite parts of writing. I also think that the discussion generated warrants evaluating Gareth's character to ensure that a) he is meeting your expectations for what he is like and b) that whatever he is, he is consistent in it.