[ Though Stiles had been wandering in the dark to find his way in pack, Derek was following along to make sure that he hadn't gotten too lost. Even when they were butting heads more than they were getting along, he wasn't about to let the Southorn get himself killed because of a misunderstanding, or an attempt to find where he fit in while residing in the wolf's den.
The errant beta that broke their moral code-- they were protectors, and the man of the Night's Watch had elicited no reason for attack-- could've been a breaking point rather than a turning, but Stiles had handled it like a lupa should. Much more gracefully than the faoladh would have, even, though he was keeping a close watch on the beta after that incident.
Which lead to him not being out on the hunt with them, though Derek had only picked a few of the betas that Stiles got along with best-- Scott, Erica, Isaac-- to join them. They weren't to get involved unless necessary, beyond making sure that the buck didn't get too far from Stiles, though it'd turned out unnecessary. Stiles had this figured out, in an unconventional way.
As the scent of fresh blood hits the air, he slows, reaching to push up his wolfskin's head, red in his eyes dimming. That was it, Stiles had done it.
Stalking through the trees, Derek holds up his hand to stop Scott from rushing towards his friend and closes the space between them on silent feet. Wordlessly, he slides his hand up the back of Stiles' neck, fingers carding through his hair until he can settle his palm against the base of his skull at an easy angle. It lets him smooth his thumb against his scalp, a gentle pressure. ]
[ It says a lot for Stiles' impressive hyperfocus that he didn't even see the other three pack members as he went to work. He'd put himself in such a frenzy that the only real goal he had was to take that buck out, so much that he'd put himself into a state of total zen up until he was on the thing. And then, well, then it all hit him like a ton of bricks.
By the time Derek gets to him, he does in fact throw up, and his hand curls against the tree bark as he starts to try and stand up, wiping off his mouth and coughing. That just proceeds in getting blood smeared on his mouth, and he croaks out a--] Oh my god. [ Before trying to stand fully, wiping his hands on his tunic and staring at the blood splatters on the ground in front of him. He did that, with his own hands. His dad'd be proud. (Or horrified. One or the other. He's not really sure anymore.) He leans backwards a little into Derek's hand, wheezing. ]
For the record? [ And he coughs again, trying to get the disgusting taste of blood and vomit out of his mouth. ] This tattoo better be frickin awesome.
[ As Stiles straightens, Derek gestures with his free hand for them to take the deer away-- partially so Stiles doesn't have to look at it anymore, partially to get it back home to take care of it-- and then all focus turns in on him. Everything closes to just the two of them, and he shifts around to stand in front of him even as his hand stays on the back of his neck. It's fairly easy to avoid stepping in anything that isn't snow and dirt when he's got his wits about him and isn't nauseous, but he doubts the same could be said of Stiles right now.
Bringing his free hand around, this time towards Stiles, he chuffs softly and wipes the blood away from his mouth carefully. If he's bothered by it or any possible residue from him throwing up, he doesn't indicate as much. ]
You're not just getting the tattoo, Stiles. [ With a shift of his shoulders, he nudges the wolfskin away from his arm enough to show him his. ] But hopefully this is worth it?
[ He wrinkles his nose as Derek steps close, wipes at his mouth even after Derek does to try and clear the taste from his mouth. Holy shit, he did that. He killed something. Stiles should probably be ten times more excited than he actually is. His hands are shaking a little, and he doesn't stop jittering until Derek's hand anchors against the back of his neck, giving him something else to focus on. ]
And I'm just saying, ooh, training and magic and fierce wolf-related fighting can apparently catch me a deer. [ Flatly. ] Considering the amount of screaming and panicking after, so much panicking after, I don't even want to know what's going to happen when next time it's a human, or better yet, something with very sharp teeth--
[ He's rambling, a clear sign of his nerves. But Derek reveals the armband and he looks at it. The permanence of it means this is it--there's no escaping, no running off back home. He may never see his dad again.
Running a hand through his hair, thicker and fuller since he'd arrived with a buzz cut, he exhales. ] Let there be ink and pain.
Actually, it seems a bit more like fox smarts and wolf tenacity caught you a deer. [ Derek doesn't seem particularly bothered by the rambling, and instead gives him a reassuring squeeze at the back of his neck rather than telling him to stop. ] Ideally, you won't be going up against another person or anything with 'very sharp teeth' until you've been with us for longer and we can teach you how to defend yourself from them.
[ With a gentle nudge, he slips his hand down between his shoulders to steer him away from the kill sight and back to camp. They have an initiation feast to attend, as well as Stiles' ink to see to. But something else is on his mind, and now is a good time to bring it up.
As if he knows of Stiles' quiet fear. ]
After your arm isn't as sore, we should travel to Riverrun.
What?! [ His discomfort is forgotten for a moment as Stiles whips hs head to stare at Derek, amber eyes blown comically wide. ]
You want to move the entire pack down to visit Riverrun. The entire pack.
[ Riverrun. Just saying it makes something stir in his chest. It's been a month or so since he's really had a dream about home, but it's so easy to recall the memories-the Tumblestone and the Red Fork, the heat of the summer sun and swimming in the water, the airy godswood where he used to take his books and sit with his mother, reading until the sun went down. Riverrun could not be more vastly different than the icy cold of the North (although lately, it had beauties in its own rights--it just took time to see it.), and the feeling of home is like a punch in the gut. ]
[ Derek angles his head towards him, cocking an eyebrow down at the comical look on his face. ]
The entire pack. To Riverrun.
[ Lifting his hand up from his neck, he smooths his fingers through the fluff of hair that's grown out on his head, ruffling it gently as he gets to the top. It's no secret that Derek doesn't like to move too far south with the pack-- they have a set territory that they usually travel, following the weather and the fauna as it changes-- but for Stiles?
Traveling beyond the Wall is something he's willing to do, now. ]
The trip's gonna take a month, at least, and it's gonna be hot and you're all going to melt or something, but--yeah, yeah, it's still the long summer, the Tumblestone's probably just right for swimming... [ Like it had been when he'd left. There's a pang of guilt that he forces back--he'd done everything his father had asked, followed their motto--Family, Duty, Honor--but it was clearly not everything his dad wanted. It hurt to imagine going back and then leaving again, but at the same time, he hadn't seen him in months.
Derek had definitely succeeded in distracting him, so much so that the blood splattered on his doublet wasn't much of a concern, at least not at the moment. ] We'd have to ask, to get through the Wall, they don't just let wildlings pass for no reason, in fact, most of them think you guys are a band of murderers, which, I mean, really not helping considering I look like I just ate a heart or something.
[ Oh black humor. He's trying to figure out the logistics--almost trying to find out ways for it not to work because he's so flabbergasted.]
[ Derek doesn't like the sound of the pack melting in the drastic difference, but he thinks that it'll be a good thing for everyone to go through. There were some that'd seen the seasons the rest of the Seven Kingdoms yielded, but they were few and far between. If anything, the children deserved to see a summer beyond the Wall, the same as Stiles deserved to see his birth home again before they were actually mated.
Even with the crude joke, he laughs, low and quiet. ]
You take the faolan and the ones that stay behind when the rest go hunting. They'll ask less questions and likely let you through faster if we take another way through the Wall while you go the conventional route with the half of the pack that isn't as murderous looking.
[ He fingers a bit of the wolfskin draped over his shoulders, rubbing at the fur and the smoothed underside absently as he thinks of the safest openings for them to slip through. ]
You actually thought about this. [ Jeez. For someone who's gone from literally the worst second you could ask for to becoming sort of sub-par, Stiles is getting some seriously preferential treatment. Then again, he is a member of the ~pack~ now, gruesome murder and all, and maybe he's starting to assimilate a little better than he thought.
With a lopsided grin, he bumps his arm against Derek's--his arm slide down to meet his hand, and slides naturally into the slots between his fingers. It's an embarrassing thing to say, holding hands with the alpha and all of that ridiculousness included, but Stiles is a firm fan of "if I don't say something out loud then we don't have to talk about it", not to mention very sudden and often very stupid courage. So it kind of seems like an okay thing to do. ]
It's like you actually want to impress me or something. [ It's also incredibly distracting. ] My dad'd flip his shit. I need to send a raven..
I've been thinking about it for the past week. [ While not exactly ashamed or embarrassed to admit to it, Derek does a good job of not looking at Stiles as he does. They're still not as smooth and steady as they could be, but there's a certain... fondness that he's developed for his lupa, in the spaces between their disagreements.
He finally looks at him with the bump, eyebrows quirking up as he does. As their fingers fit together, he doesn't even think before he's curling them, anchoring himself easily to Stiles as they walk. A part of him wonders when he became so comfortable with the concept, after he spent so much time never making this sort of contact with any of his pack around him, but he figures it's better to just assume all things come back to his second. ]
Consider it a wedding present. [ He chuffs. ] You can send the fastest we have.
Aw, honey. [ Wiggling his eyebrows, he elbows Derek with the arm that's connected to his, trying to make light of a serious situation. It's nice to not focus on the fact that he definitely just killed something for the first time ever.
Which, now he's thinking about it again. Damn it. Shaking his head, he turns his attention to the thought of being home again, letting the sights and sounds of Riverrun over run the smell of blood still in his nose. It's not long before he's thinking out loud--of course it isn't, he's Stiles. ] The kids can play in the river--it's been like my favorite place in the whole world since I was four or five, and we can teach everyone how to catch fish instead of freakin' ice fishing, because that's cheating, and it's like the only thing I've ever been good at.
[ Riverrun. His hand squeezes a little in Derek's--the idea of going home is absolutely cemented in his mind now. He doesn't even freak out about the phrase "wedding present". Which is kind of impressive. ] How long is it gonna take for the arm thing to stop hurting?
[ Giving him an impressive roll of his eyes, he elbows him back before turning his attention forward. The smell of blood is still fresh, but it's not as overpowering as it was at the kill sight. What he's smelling is just what's lingering on them, as well as the faint trail left behind by the deer being brought back to where camp is set up.
But the fact Stiles isn't focusing on it and is, instead, talking about Riverrun is both impressive and better. Derek inclines his head to the side a little as he listens to him, trying to picture the only time he'd ever seen spring beyond the Wall. Summer will be far more interesting. ] You adapted to your territory, we adapted to ours. But it'll be interesting to watch Isaac try to outclass everyone before he falls into the river.
[ With the squeeze from Stiles' hand, he returns it gently, considering the question. ] No more than two weeks, so long as it's taken care of.
[ As they come upon the camp, Stiles goes quiet for a little while, after snorting at the remark about Isaac--so, so true. It's not an upset quiet. Rather, the fact that Stiles is even able to be quiet around Derek nowadays says leaps and bounds about how much their relationship has grown. But, however quiet he's being is quickly interrupted as the questions start to bubble up under the surface until he's practically bouncing with the effort of holding them back.
Half about Riverrun, but mostly about the tattoo process. He has yet to hear about anyone getting one, let alone a human, and all he heard last time was some pained screeching and howling. Which. Stiles has like zero pain tolerance so that's going to be fun.
He doesn't, however, drop Derek's hand, even as they come into the encampment. ]
[ Even if he wasn't holding onto Stiles' hand, it wouldn't take much for Derek to notice the way he vibrates in his skin. It's something he's started to associate with him attempting to hold himself back-- from asking questions, shooting snark at him, babbling, whatever-- and he has to huff out a quiet laugh before he pulls him a little closer. And it's interesting, that he's so comfortable with this, with having Stiles close and holding onto him the way he is.
The pack's noticed the change, and he knows it. He was always more tactile with the younger members of the pack, but since Stiles came along he's slowly warmed to being more open with the rest of their packmates. It's... something he's missed.
He's also missed his relative peace and quiet, but Stiles isn't all bad. ]
How does this work?! Okay, I mean, there are about a million people in the seven kingdoms and beyond with some kind of ink somewhere, but it's usually a Free Cities kind of thing, and then it's usually a slave thing, but this is obviously not a slave thing? When did it start? How are you planning on actually doing this, because every method I keep thinking about gets progressively more and more painful, and really, as much as I am totally down for the whole Be One With Your Pack, Young Tully, thing, I'm pretty sure that passing out in front of half of them is probably not the best way to start an initiation rite.
[ Finally, he remembers to breathe, and ruffles his free hand over his hair. ] Phew.
It's as old as our blood is. Packs needed ways of differentiating from one another, and showing who belonged where, or where they originally came from if they were mated into another pack. [ He does not talk about what happens when someone is outcasted from a pack, or their pack is killed. It won't be good for his nerves. ] We don't have slaves, though we do take captives for bargaining or to be made examples of, if they don't become pack.
[ There's a slight pause, as Derek debates whether or not he should admit to the method. ]
Normally the faoladh, lupa, or a guide will give the tattoo, with needle and ink. It... takes a while, but it's not as painful as some of the methods beyond the Wall that I've heard of. And Deaton has done it enough times that he knows what he's doing.
[ He pauses for a minute to take that in, chewing on his lower lip and jittering a little in place. ]
Is there a record of the different pack's symbols? I'd like to learn them. [ If there's nothing else, Stiles is voracious in his want for information--it's what, maybe, could make him a good lupa indeed. He adds, after a beat-- ] It sounds like they're like our sigils; I can teach them to you, too. Even if they're kind of useless, I think they're cool.
[ And from all of that he gets. ] So I could learn how to do that? [ Beat. ]
[ Watching him jitter with amusement, it turns into a somehow soft affection as Stiles reveals that thirst for knowledge once again. Derek has grown used to the questions, at least, and they're not as frustrating as they had been at one point. But he considers it, thumb rubbing along the shape of his hand as he does. ]
No. Not that I know of, anyways. There are some pack symbols I could draw for you off the top of my head, but we don't interact with nearly as many as there are in the North. [ But his interest is obviously piqued, as he inclines his head towards him. Useless or not, if they're to travel to Riverrun... ]
You can learn when we come back from beyond the Wall.
We'll have to pass through the territory belonging mostly to the Starks--I'm sure they'll like you, considering their symbol is a direwolf, on a gray field. [ Stiles bites at the inside of his lip, thinking, eyes directed up to the sky as he conjures up a mental map of Westeros. ]
But after that, we can take the kingsroad and cross Moat Cailin and then--[...And then home. ] Our sigil's a trout, which probably isn't a surprise, and the colors are red, blue, and silver.
[ With his free hand, Stiles digs around in the pocket of his cloak and pulls up a large cloakpin. He'd tucked it away to keep it safe from any...fluids, and now he passes it over to Derek to examine. It's a silver trout, intricately engraved, designed to look like its leaping out of the water, and he runs his thumb over his palm, a little nervously. ] ...was my mom's.
There's a Stark, here on the Wall. I've met him once. [ The packs will occasionally deal with the Night's Watch, though Derek himself tries to avoid it as much as possible. It's true, wildlings and those in black are often at odds with one another. He'd rather avoid anything happening to his packmates if he can help it.
Watching Stiles dig into his cloak pocket, he takes the cloakpin and smooths his thumb over the body of the trout. Even before he knows whose it once was, he takes care with it-- insignias are important to everyone in the Seven Kingdoms, as well as beyond-- and he has to regard it thoughtfully. But learning that it belonged to Stiles' mother, he pulls him a little closer by their joined hands. ]
Our families have been allies for eons. [ He smiles a little, recalling the tales of the river fish and the wolves his mom used to tell him--those and the constellations had always been his favorites. ] So if we have to go ahead and need an envoy, I kept all of my clothes from when I left the house.
[ As Derek brings up his dad, he quietly strokes his thumb across the side of his hand. It's not a thought out gesture so much as instinctual--he just knows the feelings, knows the ache and pain of losing your parents. His mom's death had been so hard on him--years later, he still wasn't over it. To lose both would be even worse.
He leans a little into his shoulder, not exactly sure what to say. ] Do they pass those down, normally?
It'd probably be best for you to put them on with your winter coats, anyways. Easier to identify you as Southorn, gives you more sway. [ There have always been stories about the Starks, like wolves themselves. After having see the direwolf at the bastard's side, he's fairly certain that the stories are true. They're like a pack, themselves.
Humming low in his throat, he closes his finger over the pin in his hand and considers the strong similarity between them. It's a painful one, one that he doesn't like that he can consider-- losing even just one person is driving the knife in, where losing so much of his family twisted it deeper-- but one that's there nonetheless. ]
There are some families in packs that do it out of tradition, but it's normally only when the original owner has passed on.
Yeah. [ Guess who's back back again prince stilinski's back tell a friend ] I'll try to convince them with my unending charm and obvious foreigner ways. Really got me far in the pack here.
[ Oh yes, sarcasm.
It's kind of crazy how similar he and Derek are. The more time that passes, the more Stiles starts to learn about him, about his past--from what he heard from Scott, a woman destroyed his entire life. And maybe that means a lot, now, for the fact that Derek's standing next to him, holding his hand, when he could have just ripped out his throat the minute they met and have it over with.
He's not sure what he did to get on Derek's good side, but he's not planning on changing it anytime soon.
Stiles weighs that for a moment before speaking up, giving his hand a tiny squeeze. ] ...You wear it well. I bet he'd be proud.
It has, actually, considering how quickly you charmed the faolan and their mothers. They're the foundation of the pack, and no one is more fierce than a mother. I figure if anything happened to you, they'd be on the offending party faster than I would.
[ It's half joke, half sincerity, but there's an underlying twist to it-- because if anything did happen to Stiles, it's true. Derek would be among the first to leap to the call. And it really does mean a lot, now, because he's holding him close and actually speaking without scorn about being married to Stiles.
When before all he wanted to do was send him home, were it not for the fact that Stiles' mother had wildling blood in her. He's certain he'd never known her, but Melissa had-- which likely meant that his mother and father had as well-- and along with Deaton, had encouraged the marriage.
It's interesting to think about, but Stiles' touch draws him out of those thoughts-- reflecting on his family, on how they could have met long before now, of what it all meant when a golden wolf chased a white wolf through darkness every night-- and he looks at him. ]
As your mother'd be proud of you. [ He takes the trout in his hand, carefully slipping it back into Stiles' pocket for safe keeping. ]
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YER A MAN NOW STILES
The errant beta that broke their moral code-- they were protectors, and the man of the Night's Watch had elicited no reason for attack-- could've been a breaking point rather than a turning, but Stiles had handled it like a lupa should. Much more gracefully than the faoladh would have, even, though he was keeping a close watch on the beta after that incident.
Which lead to him not being out on the hunt with them, though Derek had only picked a few of the betas that Stiles got along with best-- Scott, Erica, Isaac-- to join them. They weren't to get involved unless necessary, beyond making sure that the buck didn't get too far from Stiles, though it'd turned out unnecessary. Stiles had this figured out, in an unconventional way.
As the scent of fresh blood hits the air, he slows, reaching to push up his wolfskin's head, red in his eyes dimming. That was it, Stiles had done it.
Stalking through the trees, Derek holds up his hand to stop Scott from rushing towards his friend and closes the space between them on silent feet. Wordlessly, he slides his hand up the back of Stiles' neck, fingers carding through his hair until he can settle his palm against the base of his skull at an easy angle. It lets him smooth his thumb against his scalp, a gentle pressure. ]
A REAL MANLY MAN
By the time Derek gets to him, he does in fact throw up, and his hand curls against the tree bark as he starts to try and stand up, wiping off his mouth and coughing. That just proceeds in getting blood smeared on his mouth, and he croaks out a--] Oh my god. [ Before trying to stand fully, wiping his hands on his tunic and staring at the blood splatters on the ground in front of him. He did that, with his own hands. His dad'd be proud. (Or horrified. One or the other. He's not really sure anymore.) He leans backwards a little into Derek's hand, wheezing. ]
For the record? [ And he coughs again, trying to get the disgusting taste of blood and vomit out of his mouth. ] This tattoo better be frickin awesome.
MANLY MEN ALL PUKE AFTER THEIR KILLS SURE.
Bringing his free hand around, this time towards Stiles, he chuffs softly and wipes the blood away from his mouth carefully. If he's bothered by it or any possible residue from him throwing up, he doesn't indicate as much. ]
You're not just getting the tattoo, Stiles. [ With a shift of his shoulders, he nudges the wolfskin away from his arm enough to show him his. ] But hopefully this is worth it?
DEFINITELY.
And I'm just saying, ooh, training and magic and fierce wolf-related fighting can apparently catch me a deer. [ Flatly. ] Considering the amount of screaming and panicking after, so much panicking after, I don't even want to know what's going to happen when next time it's a human, or better yet, something with very sharp teeth--
[ He's rambling, a clear sign of his nerves. But Derek reveals the armband and he looks at it. The permanence of it means this is it--there's no escaping, no running off back home. He may never see his dad again.
Running a hand through his hair, thicker and fuller since he'd arrived with a buzz cut, he exhales. ] Let there be ink and pain.
ABSOLUTELY.
[ With a gentle nudge, he slips his hand down between his shoulders to steer him away from the kill sight and back to camp. They have an initiation feast to attend, as well as Stiles' ink to see to. But something else is on his mind, and now is a good time to bring it up.
As if he knows of Stiles' quiet fear. ]
After your arm isn't as sore, we should travel to Riverrun.
shifty eyes
You want to move the entire pack down to visit Riverrun. The entire pack.
[ Riverrun. Just saying it makes something stir in his chest. It's been a month or so since he's really had a dream about home, but it's so easy to recall the memories-the Tumblestone and the Red Fork, the heat of the summer sun and swimming in the water, the airy godswood where he used to take his books and sit with his mother, reading until the sun went down. Riverrun could not be more vastly different than the icy cold of the North (although lately, it had beauties in its own rights--it just took time to see it.), and the feeling of home is like a punch in the gut. ]
You've--gotta be shitting me.
snrk
[ Derek angles his head towards him, cocking an eyebrow down at the comical look on his face. ]
The entire pack. To Riverrun.
[ Lifting his hand up from his neck, he smooths his fingers through the fluff of hair that's grown out on his head, ruffling it gently as he gets to the top. It's no secret that Derek doesn't like to move too far south with the pack-- they have a set territory that they usually travel, following the weather and the fauna as it changes-- but for Stiles?
Traveling beyond the Wall is something he's willing to do, now. ]
It'd be summertime, wouldn't it?
no subject
Derek had definitely succeeded in distracting him, so much so that the blood splattered on his doublet wasn't much of a concern, at least not at the moment. ] We'd have to ask, to get through the Wall, they don't just let wildlings pass for no reason, in fact, most of them think you guys are a band of murderers, which, I mean, really not helping considering I look like I just ate a heart or something.
[ Oh black humor. He's trying to figure out the logistics--almost trying to find out ways for it not to work because he's so flabbergasted.]
no subject
Even with the crude joke, he laughs, low and quiet. ]
You take the faolan and the ones that stay behind when the rest go hunting. They'll ask less questions and likely let you through faster if we take another way through the Wall while you go the conventional route with the half of the pack that isn't as murderous looking.
[ He fingers a bit of the wolfskin draped over his shoulders, rubbing at the fur and the smoothed underside absently as he thinks of the safest openings for them to slip through. ]
no subject
With a lopsided grin, he bumps his arm against Derek's--his arm slide down to meet his hand, and slides naturally into the slots between his fingers. It's an embarrassing thing to say, holding hands with the alpha and all of that ridiculousness included, but Stiles is a firm fan of "if I don't say something out loud then we don't have to talk about it", not to mention very sudden and often very stupid courage. So it kind of seems like an okay thing to do. ]
It's like you actually want to impress me or something. [ It's also incredibly distracting. ] My dad'd flip his shit. I need to send a raven..
no subject
He finally looks at him with the bump, eyebrows quirking up as he does. As their fingers fit together, he doesn't even think before he's curling them, anchoring himself easily to Stiles as they walk. A part of him wonders when he became so comfortable with the concept, after he spent so much time never making this sort of contact with any of his pack around him, but he figures it's better to just assume all things come back to his second. ]
Consider it a wedding present. [ He chuffs. ] You can send the fastest we have.
no subject
Which, now he's thinking about it again. Damn it. Shaking his head, he turns his attention to the thought of being home again, letting the sights and sounds of Riverrun over run the smell of blood still in his nose. It's not long before he's thinking out loud--of course it isn't, he's Stiles. ] The kids can play in the river--it's been like my favorite place in the whole world since I was four or five, and we can teach everyone how to catch fish instead of freakin' ice fishing, because that's cheating, and it's like the only thing I've ever been good at.
[ Riverrun. His hand squeezes a little in Derek's--the idea of going home is absolutely cemented in his mind now. He doesn't even freak out about the phrase "wedding present". Which is kind of impressive. ] How long is it gonna take for the arm thing to stop hurting?
no subject
But the fact Stiles isn't focusing on it and is, instead, talking about Riverrun is both impressive and better. Derek inclines his head to the side a little as he listens to him, trying to picture the only time he'd ever seen spring beyond the Wall. Summer will be far more interesting. ] You adapted to your territory, we adapted to ours. But it'll be interesting to watch Isaac try to outclass everyone before he falls into the river.
[ With the squeeze from Stiles' hand, he returns it gently, considering the question. ] No more than two weeks, so long as it's taken care of.
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Half about Riverrun, but mostly about the tattoo process. He has yet to hear about anyone getting one, let alone a human, and all he heard last time was some pained screeching and howling. Which. Stiles has like zero pain tolerance so that's going to be fun.
He doesn't, however, drop Derek's hand, even as they come into the encampment. ]
no subject
The pack's noticed the change, and he knows it. He was always more tactile with the younger members of the pack, but since Stiles came along he's slowly warmed to being more open with the rest of their packmates. It's... something he's missed.
He's also missed his relative peace and quiet, but Stiles isn't all bad. ]
You can ask, you know.
no subject
How does this work?! Okay, I mean, there are about a million people in the seven kingdoms and beyond with some kind of ink somewhere, but it's usually a Free Cities kind of thing, and then it's usually a slave thing, but this is obviously not a slave thing? When did it start? How are you planning on actually doing this, because every method I keep thinking about gets progressively more and more painful, and really, as much as I am totally down for the whole Be One With Your Pack, Young Tully, thing, I'm pretty sure that passing out in front of half of them is probably not the best way to start an initiation rite.
[ Finally, he remembers to breathe, and ruffles his free hand over his hair. ] Phew.
no subject
It's as old as our blood is. Packs needed ways of differentiating from one another, and showing who belonged where, or where they originally came from if they were mated into another pack. [ He does not talk about what happens when someone is outcasted from a pack, or their pack is killed. It won't be good for his nerves. ] We don't have slaves, though we do take captives for bargaining or to be made examples of, if they don't become pack.
[ There's a slight pause, as Derek debates whether or not he should admit to the method. ]
Normally the faoladh, lupa, or a guide will give the tattoo, with needle and ink. It... takes a while, but it's not as painful as some of the methods beyond the Wall that I've heard of. And Deaton has done it enough times that he knows what he's doing.
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Is there a record of the different pack's symbols? I'd like to learn them. [ If there's nothing else, Stiles is voracious in his want for information--it's what, maybe, could make him a good lupa indeed. He adds, after a beat-- ] It sounds like they're like our sigils; I can teach them to you, too. Even if they're kind of useless, I think they're cool.
[ And from all of that he gets. ] So I could learn how to do that? [ Beat. ]
Awesome.
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No. Not that I know of, anyways. There are some pack symbols I could draw for you off the top of my head, but we don't interact with nearly as many as there are in the North. [ But his interest is obviously piqued, as he inclines his head towards him. Useless or not, if they're to travel to Riverrun... ]
You can learn when we come back from beyond the Wall.
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But after that, we can take the kingsroad and cross Moat Cailin and then--[...And then home. ] Our sigil's a trout, which probably isn't a surprise, and the colors are red, blue, and silver.
[ With his free hand, Stiles digs around in the pocket of his cloak and pulls up a large cloakpin. He'd tucked it away to keep it safe from any...fluids, and now he passes it over to Derek to examine. It's a silver trout, intricately engraved, designed to look like its leaping out of the water, and he runs his thumb over his palm, a little nervously. ] ...was my mom's.
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Watching Stiles dig into his cloak pocket, he takes the cloakpin and smooths his thumb over the body of the trout. Even before he knows whose it once was, he takes care with it-- insignias are important to everyone in the Seven Kingdoms, as well as beyond-- and he has to regard it thoughtfully. But learning that it belonged to Stiles' mother, he pulls him a little closer by their joined hands. ]
... my wolfskin was my dad's.
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[ As Derek brings up his dad, he quietly strokes his thumb across the side of his hand. It's not a thought out gesture so much as instinctual--he just knows the feelings, knows the ache and pain of losing your parents. His mom's death had been so hard on him--years later, he still wasn't over it. To lose both would be even worse.
He leans a little into his shoulder, not exactly sure what to say. ] Do they pass those down, normally?
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Humming low in his throat, he closes his finger over the pin in his hand and considers the strong similarity between them. It's a painful one, one that he doesn't like that he can consider-- losing even just one person is driving the knife in, where losing so much of his family twisted it deeper-- but one that's there nonetheless. ]
There are some families in packs that do it out of tradition, but it's normally only when the original owner has passed on.
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[ Oh yes, sarcasm.
It's kind of crazy how similar he and Derek are. The more time that passes, the more Stiles starts to learn about him, about his past--from what he heard from Scott, a woman destroyed his entire life. And maybe that means a lot, now, for the fact that Derek's standing next to him, holding his hand, when he could have just ripped out his throat the minute they met and have it over with.
He's not sure what he did to get on Derek's good side, but he's not planning on changing it anytime soon.
Stiles weighs that for a moment before speaking up, giving his hand a tiny squeeze. ] ...You wear it well. I bet he'd be proud.
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[ It's half joke, half sincerity, but there's an underlying twist to it-- because if anything did happen to Stiles, it's true. Derek would be among the first to leap to the call. And it really does mean a lot, now, because he's holding him close and actually speaking without scorn about being married to Stiles.
When before all he wanted to do was send him home, were it not for the fact that Stiles' mother had wildling blood in her. He's certain he'd never known her, but Melissa had-- which likely meant that his mother and father had as well-- and along with Deaton, had encouraged the marriage.
It's interesting to think about, but Stiles' touch draws him out of those thoughts-- reflecting on his family, on how they could have met long before now, of what it all meant when a golden wolf chased a white wolf through darkness every night-- and he looks at him. ]
As your mother'd be proud of you. [ He takes the trout in his hand, carefully slipping it back into Stiles' pocket for safe keeping. ]
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