2. Crawl

"Hey War, let's go shopping for a new collar for your dog!" Drake yelled too loudly as he barged into Warden's office. He'd just come out of a very long, very boring meeting with some of his father's business partners and had a headache raging the size of Drake's ego.

"I'm going to skin my dog if he doesn't shut up, now." He growled, making Drake huff as he took a seat on the edge of Warden's giant desk.

"What's got your feathers in a ruffle, War? Oh! Did you have that ridiculously long monthly meeting you hate today?" He chimed, making Warden want to punch him in the face.

When he just grunted in response and leaned back in his leather chair, throwing an arm over his eyes, Drake seemed to figure out that he'd guessed right.

"Come on, now you definitely need to get out of here. You know your father is going to try and ask you to stay late and work on the paperwork for whatever deals they've decided if you don't, even though it's his responsibility."

He had a point. More work after a four hour meeting about stuff he already knew like the back of his hand was not something he was looking forward to. Not that he wanted to mess around with Drake at that moment either, but he knew blowing off his friend for the fourth day since they'd visited that pet store would start irking his more fluffy side.

Sighing, he sat back up again and dropped his arm to his desk. "Fine, but no humping women's legs like last time or I swear I'm going to sign you up for one of those neutering programs. That vet, who's leg you avidly molested with your privates, will have the pleasure of removing some specific pieces."

Drake's face reddened with anger, but as quickly as it had appeared, he shoved it aside and smirked. "Deal. I'll behave mum, promise!"

Rolling his eyes, Warden couldn't help but grin as he got up and tugged on his suit jacket. He wanted to go back to the house, or at least his penthouse, and change, but judging from the eager look in Drake's eyes, that wasn't going to happen.

Oh well. As long as I don't hold anything I shouldn't get my suit dirty.

"Alright, let's go. You can shift in the car since the windows are heavily tinted."

Drake cheered, making Warden wince as the sound reverberated through his skull, making his headache flare up. Darn hyper lycan. Must not have had sex last night considering how wound up he is right now.

Warden followed him out to the lobby, then elevator as he thought about the poor guy they were going to likely cause a scene with. Well, Drake will. He couldn't afford to have his name in the papers for getting kicked out of a pet store.

"Come on," Drake grumbled as he suddenly appeared in front of him and grabbed his arm, pulling him over to his black Corvette. He was sure it was some special model with a bunch of random extra features, but he really couldn't care less about the thing as long as it got him from point A to point B. He'd let Drake pick it out when he mentioned he didn't care what he got.

As he slid inside, he noted Drake already in the back, tugging off his clothing as he began sprouting fur. "You are the ugliest dog I've ever seen," Warden mumbled as he got the car started and began backing out of his personal parking spot in the huge garage. Drake just growled at his words, making him glance in the rear-view mirror with a smirk.

"I like you that way. Less words." He said.

A heavy paw smacked the right side of his face, making him swerve slightly. "Be careful, you idiot!"

All he got in response was another growl.

Stupid mutt.

Even though he thought that, he could never stay mad at Drake. Sure the guy had been the cause of his first crash, first broken bone, and first detention, but there was no way he could have asked for a more loyal, and fluffy, friend.

The fluffy part came into play when he shifted. There were several different breeds of lycan, surprisingly. Short-haired versions, long-haired versions, as well as small and large. While most of the top dogs were short-haired and giant, some of the smaller wolves did sometimes slip into the city's pack order. Drake was one of the few long-haired wolves that held some power in the city, but he never took it very seriously when he wasn't hunting a vampire or using his status to sniff up the wrong tree for some tail.

"Alright, we're here. Please behave. If we get kicked out of here I'm going to cut your pay." Warden warned.

Drake hopped into the front seat, his large wolf barely able to balance on the fabric as he tried to sit, obviously eager to get out of the car but lacking the hands to let himself out right then.

Of course. Don't listen to me or anything.

Warden slid out after checking traffic on the road, then shut his door and ran around to the other side. Before actually letting Drake out he made sure to grab the leash they kept in his glove box and slipped it over his head. It was one of those simple ones that acted like a noose because the last few times they had tried something involving Drake's wolf he'd chewed up the expensive ones, so he got the cheapest thing since Warden didn't feel like paying for stuff the guy was just going to shred.

With a firm grip on the leash, Warden stepped back, letting Drake jump to the curb before shutting the door and locking it with the key fob. He let Drake lead him inside the electronic double doors, glad that he had extra strength over a human, as he had to pull Drake back several times to keep him from literally charging through the store. Warden figured the guy was following his nose considering how he was zigzagging a bit, but when he looked confused and then started for the rabbit area, he realized that Cerat's scent was likely everywhere and picking out where he was at that moment would be nearly impossible.

When they finally stopped near the rabbit area, however, a different employee was holding a bunny as she spoke with a customer. Drake glanced up at Warden, ears pinned and a glare on his face as if to say that it was his fault for not going the immediate next day to find the guy instead of waiting.

"Don't give me that look. Let's just go ask if he's working." Warden said. He stopped talking after that, realizing that people were beginning to stare at him.

Nothing to look at here... except for a disturbingly large dog and his owner talking to him like he understands. And correction, mutt.

Grinning, Warden was glad that his friend couldn't hear his thoughts as he was lead up to the front. They waited in the line for several minutes before finally getting to talk to the owner. She evidently recognized him because her face immediately lit up with a warm smile... which was promptly scared off her face when Drake decided to jump up on the counter, his giant front paws easily covering a good portion of the space.

"Oh my, what a big boy you are!" Flora cooed, though he could hear a bit of awkward worry in her voice from being scared at his sudden partial jump.

"What can I do for you?" She asked Warden, finally looking up from Drake as she pet his thick fur.

"I just wanted to know if Ceret was working today? I have a few questions I'd like to ask him about the rabbit we bought."

"Oh! Why yes, he is. If he's not with the rabbits then he should be over in the back by the reptiles." She said.

Warden was going to thank her as he smiled, but Drake didn't give him a chance as he threw his bulk off of the counter and started trying to bound to the back of the store. It took all of Warden's strength to keep him from doing just that, though not even the tightening of the noose-like leash around his neck seemed to bother him enough to hit the brakes.

As they turned the corner below a large sign that read REPTILES, Warden heard a loud yelp. It was too late to try and grab Cerat as he stumbled backwards and dropped to the hard tile floor, Drake on top of him, licking his face as the young man's hood fell away.

Drake stopped licking abruptly when he noticed the man's hair. Everything seemed to pause, actually, because Warden was actually at a loss, too. He remembered that the guy had whitish-silver hair and faded blue eyes, but to actually see him again face to face and without his sweatshirt's hood up?

Wow.

Snapping himself out of his stupor, he walked around Drake and hurried to offer Cerat a hand up. The guy looked spooked as he pushed himself slowly up into a sitting position, then began fumbling with his hood until it obscured his face once more. Once he was seemingly content, he finally took Warden's proffered hand, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet.

He's really light... and his hand is freezing.

The cold temperature and his features finally had Warden's brain working. His hand hadn't been cold the last time they'd touched, but there could have been reasons for that. He's definitely not human. It wasn't usually a big deal, but he would have definitely recognized a fae or shapeshifter that had his description. Drake would have told him if he had been notified, too, since that was part of his job with the city's lycan pack. When Drake glanced up at him, he knew that they were likely thinking the same thing.

He's trying to hide something.

"Um... Can I help you, Sir?"

Lifting his gaze back to Cerat, he noticed the guy awkwardly standing in front of him, trying to do his best to sidestep Drake whenever he got closer to sniff at his clothing.

"Ah, yes. Sorry. Got caught by surprise when he ran into you." Warden said.

Cerat licked his lips and nervously nodded. "It's okay. That happens sometimes with bigger dogs."

The way he was staring at Drake while still trying to keep eye contact with him, darting his eyes between the two of them, had Warden quickly figuring out that he understood what they were. Or at least what Drake was. Warden was about to question him about the dog collar they had originally planned on, but then realized that that would give Cerat an out to send them to another employee in the dog section.

"Well, my sister loves her rabbit so much, I believe his name was Thumper? But she doesn't like to share... So uh, I was wondering if you had any reptiles you recommended as a pet for a beginner?"

Dammit, I don't want another pet!

The look Drake shot Warden as Cerat seemed to think over his words told him just that. He was insane for even considering another pet, let alone a reptile. He hated cold blooded things. Frogs, fish, lizards, vampires...

"I think I know the perfect thing, but first, could I suggest perhaps a collar and leash for your friend? The noose leashes are useful in a pinch, but they can cause damage to your dog's throat if used often." Cerat said, making Warden and Drake look at each other for a moment before Warden shrugged.

"Sure. Show me what you recommend?" He asked, earning a small nod from Cerat before gesturing for them to follow him toward the dog section of the store.

Warden was a bit shocked by the amount of collars, harnesses, and general restraint gadgets the store carried. The isle they were lead to was completely full of them.

"These should be fine once you get him trained up a bit more, but if you'd like much better control over him..." Cerat sort of mumbled to himself as he inched down the isle, stopping in front of a display of head halters.

Reaching up to their largest size, Cerat took down a package and opened it to take out the halter. Holding it up slightly, he nodded to Drake. "This is a really simple halter that goes around their head like a normal collar, but also has a strap for their muzzle. It won't keep him from being able to open his mouth at all, but it does feel a bit annoying to them if they pull against it much, so it's great for hyper dogs or ones that might pull." He said, finally looking back up at Warden with a hopeful smile.

He's not even trying to really sell it to me. He said all of that while looking at the noose leash on Drake. He just wants to help him.

Stealing a glance at his friend, Warden had to fight not to smirk at the look Drake was giving him. He wanted nothing to do with the head halter.

"Can you put it on him so I can see how it works?" Warden asked, smiling and kneeling as Cerat nodded and did the same.

"Of course. It's really easy to take on and off." He said, slipping the collar portion around Drake's fluffy neck before taking the nose strap and tugging it up, then over his muzzle until it rested on the upper bridge. He then snapped a small piece beneath his jaw, keeping just enough pressure on the strap to keep Drake from easily getting it off.

Warden faced away to snicker quietly for a second before looking back at Drake, appreciating his friend's frustration. "I like it. I think I'll take it and the collar and leash you recommended." He said, earning a huff from Drake.

Cerat stood and hurried to retrieve the leash and collar, returning a few moments later to clip the leash onto the small ring that controlled the head halter. He tugged it a little, making Drake move his head even though Warden could tell that he clearly didn't want to.

"Wow, I like it. He's always so stubborn. This will make walking him so much easier." He said as a grin stretched across his face.

Cerat offered him the leash. "He'll try to mess with it at first, but it works wonders and is much safer than normal leashes, prongs, or nooses." He said as Warden took the leash, shortening it in his hand so that Drake only had a foot or two to walk with instead of the full length.

"Perfect." He said, honestly pleased that his arms wouldn't be pulled out of their sockets anymore when they decided to do their little charade.

When Cerat met his eyes and gave an honest closed-mouth smile, Warden felt his face heat slightly.

"About that reptile..." He mumbled, trying to break one-sided awkward situation he found himself in.

"Oh, right. Follow me, please." Cerat finally said as he turned. Warden slowly followed after him, Drake sauntering lazily beside him, tail swishing in frustration at the halter.

"Here we go, this big guy would definitely be my suggestion for a good starter pet, though he does cost a bit. The smaller ones are also nice but they will need to be held a lot more." Cerat said as Warden stopped next to stacked glass cages built into a wall that seemed to be visible through the other side of the cages.

Probably for employees to remove the animals.

When he focused his attention on the pet Cerat was motioning towards, his eyes went wide and he stepped back, getting a gruff snicker from Drake that he not-so-cleverly disguised as a bark.

"Isn't that thing dangerous? Doesn't it bite?" Warden fumbled. He'd never seen a... he leaned over, reading the creature's information.

Bearded dragon.

"Well, if you intentionally bother him then he will puff up like a blow fish and his spikes can hurt some, but this guy has never shown any aggression to me since we've had him. He's an adult, several pounds, and shouldn't grow much bigger."

Wonderful. It's already as big as my lower arm. Glad to know that it won't get any bigger.

Of course, that was a slight exaggeration, but it was pretty big for a lizard.

"Would you like to pet him? Or one of the smaller ones?" Cerat asked, glancing up at him for just a brief moment before dropping his gaze.

No, he wouldn't like to pet anything, but he knew that Drake would be on him later if he chickened out when it was just a lizard.

"Uh, sure. Um, if he's the tamest then I'll try him."

Cerat grinned and hurried into the back area. They watched him through the glass cages, though Drake did take a few moments to scare some of the animals in the lower ones before Cerat stepped out with the gigantic lizard. Seriously? Is he sure it's not some sort of alligator? Before he could voice his concern Cerat walked closer and held the lizard close enough to touch.

If this thing kills me, I'm haunting you for the rest of your fluffy life, Drake. Warden thought, even though he knew the idiot couldn't hear him.

Taking a deep, calming breath, he carefully reached out his right hand and placed it on the lizard's back. He had to bite his tongue to keep from jerking his hand away from the odd feeling of its rough skin.

Huh... this isn't so bad.

The lizard was doing exactly what he'd prayed it would, too. Which was absolutely nothing.

"He's actually not bad," Warden mumbled as Drake lifted his head to sniff. He didn't look impressed, but at least he knew better than to try and bite it with all of its spikes.

"He's my favorite reptile here. Super calm and he only eats a small salad and some worms or crickets each week, which you can just get already dead."

Ew.

"Wait, can he actually catch a live cricket? No offense to him, but he looks a bit, uh... chubby?"

Cerat actually laughed at that, and boy did it have Warden feeling weird. Not bad, but definitely not the way he expected to feel hearing a guy laughing. Just nervous about the lizard. He told himself as Cerat set the large creature down in a display cage that sat a few feet away from them on a table. It was probably used for showing off different reptiles during little store talks, or in their situation, evidently, showing how one eats.

Cerat was all too happy to set the big lizard in the tank and then disappear back into the back area for a moment, before returning with his fist clenched.

"Watch this," he said, his voice enthusiastic as he reached into the tank and opened his hand, allowing three big crickets free. They didn't last long. The lizard mauled one after the other, chewing like a starved child after having been given their favorite cereal... with no manners.

Without meaning to, Warden burst out laughing at the funny reptile. "Well, he definitely showed me. He's not a slow mover when food is involved."

"Nope! But he'll usually only move for them, so he is a bit plump." Cerat replied with a quiet laugh of his own.

Remembering the price tag on the reptile, he was a bit hesitant to put down so much for something he really didn't want, but for some reason he really wanted to make Cerat happy. Surely buying the lizard would, wouldn't it?

Pull yourself together. You don't want a darn lizard that just sits around, eats, and poops. Drake does that enough at work.

"I think I'll take him. What do I need to get for his cage?"

The look on Cerat's face was just as surprised as Drake's, as they both stared up at him in surprise. However, while Cerat's expression began to morph into excitement, Drake just huffed and stood from his sitting position, then whipped his tail to the side.

Shut up, you idiot. I'm not whipped!

He gave Warden a look that they both knew meant that he was being stupid, but he couldn't help himself.

"Um, we actually have tanks with a lot of stuff they need as a bundle if you want to look at them. It pretty much has everything but food, and you can just get a small can of freeze-dried crickets or worms so you don't have to deal with anything live if you want."

Warden forced another smile and nodded, following Cerat as he lead him over to different tanks and set ups for reptiles.

By the time Cerat was helping them out of the store, pushing the cart with all of their things since Drake was making a fuss and causing him to use both hands on the leash, even with the head halter, Warden had spent upwards of five hundred dollars.

This store is a trap.

Cerat is a trap.

Speaking of trap, he had a feeling that getting Cerat out to where they'd parked was Drake's version of a trap, because they still had to figure out exactly what he was. It was just really odd that neither of them could smell his species, especially with Drake's sharp nose. Lycan were pretty obvious, as well as vampires and some fae. If he wasn't either of those, that left a few more options, but they were much more rare.

Once Cerat had everything in the backseat of the car, Warden thought that he'd have to force the topic, but when the guy eyed the clothing on the floor and stared at Drake with a frown, Warden knew that he'd figured out their slight trap.

Of course he would. It's kind of obvious and he probably realized what Drake was back in the store, but got distracted.

"So, Cerat?" He finally asked, a brow raised as he leaned against the open passenger side of his car.

"What are you?"

What little of the guy's face that he could see immediately turned pale. Or, well, more pale, as he jerked his head down. Unfortunately for him, Drake was right there, sniffing with slightly-bared teeth. Cerat hurried to take a step back, but Drake darted behind him, easily blocking his escape route back to the store. When he realized that he was stuck, he hesitantly lifted his head back up and met Warden's eyes with his wary, faded blue ones.

"V-vegetarian?" He answered awkwardly.

Cerat jumped as Drake nipped him from behind... likely on the behind. It was clear that he was getting stressed by their pressuring, but someone couldn't just come into the city being supernatural and not register. It was a simple piece of paper stating what they were, age, and what not. And it was mandatory, like most cities. Crossing his arms over his chest, Warden narrowed his eyes on Cerat and pursed his lips in thought.

"You aren't a lycan. We would have been able to smell it on you. You're also not a fae, because those are pretty easy to pick out, too, though I did think that at first when I saw your features and how you were with animals. Now then, that doesn't leave much else that's fairly common..."

The guy was shaking then, making Warden think that he might just be what they thought he wasn't.

"I'm a v-vegetarian." He stuttered again, hugging his arms around himself in his large sweatshirt.

Drake paced around him, panting with his eyes locked firmly on Cerat's, even though he tried to hide under his hood.

"I think you're something that starts with a V, alright, but they're definitely not know for being vegetarians." Warden noted.

Stepping forward, he reached out, sliding his fingers gently against Cerat's neck. The chill of his skin was unmistakable now. It wasn't just his hand that had been cold from the air conditioning. His whole body was icy.

He must have just had a slightly warm hand before because he had been handling the rabbits.

"Vampire."

"Cerat, honey?" Came a shout right as he spoke, making Cerat flinch, and at the same time whirl around as a sigh of relief left his lips.

"We need you inside! We've got a rush of customers!" Flora shouted, waving him over. He hurried forward, stumbling once before darting inside the building a few moments later.

"I couldn't smell a single trace of blood on him..." Drake said from inside the car after jumping in and changing back.

"It doesn't matter. He needs to leave the city or we'll need to kill him." Warden said quietly as he slid into the driver's seat.

"It's unfortunate. He's really interesting." Drake replied as he tugged on his clothing.

Warden couldn't argue that, but rules were rules. And vampires were extremely dangerous to not just humans, but also to other creatures. They weren't allowed.

"Don't mention him to anyone for now. We'll come back tomorrow and deal with him on our own. I doubt it will take much convincing to get him to leave." Warden replied as he  got the car started.

"Yeah. I could smell the fear coming off of him. He won't be difficult to get rid of."

Hopefully.