A lone wolf padded his way down the sidewalk, as boldly as if he had been a person and not a wolf at all. Of course, he was a person under that canine exterior - an eighteen-year-old human male named Darcy. As a wolf he was a big, heavy-looking creature, but that was mainly because of his dusty-tan coat of shaggy fur. It added a lot of extra bulk. Peering out from this mass of fur and muscle was a pair of amber-yellow eyes, gleaming unnaturally as the wolf's head swung from side to side. He sniffed the air, seeking vainly for any kind of familiar smell.

Some time to get lost, he reflected, with a slight frown on his face. It was so early in the morning that it was still dark... but not for long. The first glimmers of a sunrise were beginning to show, and Darcy would prefer to be hidden before he was forced to change back to human form. If only I'd been paying attention, I'd be home by now. This is just wonderful.

Lucifer, quite awake this morning, was aimlessly wandering down the sidewalks. So, maybe he wasn't 'aimlessly wandering', because he had an intention of getting home to his apartment, but it quite looked like it, although it wasn't the strangest thing to see someone ambling down sidewalks this early in the morning. What was odd was that Lucifer had been awake for about two hours now, and had been outside for very nearly both of those hours.

He had two layers of clothing on, which consisted of a tight, snug long-sleeved shirt, and a sort of dull, green sweatshirt thrown over it, which were just enough to keep him warm with all this walking he was doing. Need I say his pants are black cargo pants, that look sort of new?

His eyes are green today, as they always are. He'd never bothered with those color-tinting contacts.

He looked overwhelmingly tired, and quietly solemn, among other things, with his head down, looking at his, for once, stylish brown shoes. They're not dress shoes, but a casual kind of thing, really. He was ruining them with the way he walked, however, scuffling his feet.

His dark brown hair was mostly covered by the green hood over his head, and it didn't get in his eyes so much.

He blinked tiredly, shuffling on for another moment, before... his eyes met something. The paws of a dog. And he looked slowly up at the thing. And up. It was a really big dog. No, not a dog. A wolf.

He froze right there, staring at the thing with that 'deer in the headlights' sort of look.

Did I mention the fact that Lucifer's terrified of wild animals?

Hey, I remember you. Valentine guy... Lucifer, that's it. Lucifer. Hey there!, he thought, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be finding somewhere to hide, to change back. Darcy gave a doggy-smile, tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth, while wagging his tail enthusiastically.

The scent of fear reached his sensitive nose, and he gave a puzzled whine, then leaned forwards to nip the sleeve of Lucifer's sweatshirt and give it a tug. Just to show that he meant no harm. He knew Lucifer wouldn't recognize him, and he didn't intend to reveal his identity - but he wasn't going to allow the guy to be afraid of him.

"Uh, hey there, doggy," Lucifer said hesitantly. He put his hand out to Darcy, slowly and carefully. "You shouldn't... be out here so early. You nearly scared me to death." Perhaps it was odd that Lucifer was talking to the animal like that. Darcy was probably used to it.

"You ought to be getting home, doggy." Wherever it was that "home" was for Darcy, anyway. It wasn't like Lucifer would know.

Since he seemed to be friendly, Lucifer patted him on the head, and looked into his eyes. "Hey, I know someone with eyes just like yours," he said the first thing that came to his mind, before he could stop himself. "This guy... Darcy. He seemed nice."

'Course I should be getting home. You're right, I really should. When I change back, maybe I'll remember how to get there, Darcy thought, with a big sigh. You'd think that he wouldn't get lost in the first place, but sometimes he just didn't pay attention to where he was going. He pushed against Lucifer's hand with his snout, and gave his hand a tiny lick. You think I'm nice? Mmm. That's good to know. But I've gotta get out of sight. Don't want another person figuring out I'm not a wolf. You'd probably change your mind pretty quick about the whole 'nice' thing.

Then, he gave a snort, pawing at his snout as if trying to hide his face. Crap, you recognize my eyes... Geez, it's that obvious, isn't it...

He gave him the tiniest of smiles, finishing the thought. "My roommate has eyes like yours, too. He's not too nice, though. I dunno if he likes me or not." He simply stared down at the dog now, with an easy expression.

Lucifer cocked his head to the side, as the dog pawed at his face. "Something wrong, little buddy?" It must be noted, though, that there's nothing "little" about wolf-Darcy.

Wrong? No. I'm just a dolt, that's all. Nothing to worry about, Darcy shook himself. He noticed then that the glow of sunrise was becoming a little too bright, He could feel his disguise beginnng to prickle at his skin, warning of the impending transformation. Oh, hell. I gotta hide. Can't let anyone see this.

He bolted past Lucifer, accidentally shoving against him as he went past - no laughing matter, considering his weight. He didn't stop to apologize, scrabbling his way through a broken fence and hoping it would lead him somewhere where he could be safe for a minute or two. Might as well force the transformation and get it over with.

Sinking into a crouch, he closed his eyes and waited for the borrowed hide to become loose.

The sunrise was nice, and Lucifer always loved to watch it. He usually got to, because of his insomnia, but it never got old. He looked up, if only a little, to watch the sky.

"Hey! Ouch!" So much for "being friendly". Lucifer fell backward, and reached backwards with both his hands to save himself from falling into the sidewalk on his rear end. He still hit the pavement, still, though, and his wrists hurt. Falling onto his butt despite his efforts, Lucifer checked to see if anything was broken. Good news was, his wrists didn't look broken. They felt sorta broken, but he could still move them, so didn't think much of it.

"Heeeeeeeey, that hurt," Lucifer whined, and looked around for Darcy. He wasn't there. Guess he saw a bird, or another dog or something, Lucifer thought.

Darcy, meanwhile, was going through with the only part of shapeshifting he really didn't like - the part where he changed back. Going into wolf form wasn't nearly so bad as coming out of it. Going in was a warm feeling,pretty pleasant. Going out felt like he was having his skin torn off, along with the wolf's hide. But he put up with it. It only lasted for a minute, after all.

He gritted his teeth, emitting a low growl as the sharp canine teeth sank back into his own, familiar teeth. Then the wolfskin pried loose. A sound that was a mix between a howl, and several different four-letter words, was wrenched from him. He slumped forward, shaking. The wolf's skin slipped back off his head, and he gave a sigh. That's it for another night.

He hoped no one had heard him.

Lucifer was rubbing his palms into his pants, as if that would make the pain go away. Surprisingly, they weren't bleeding, just had little marks on them from where he fell, and they were squished into the pavement.

Lucifer paused in mid-rub, to just freeze there. He had very sensitive hearing, so of course he'd heard it. "What the hell?" He thought aloud, slowly climbing back to his feet, while still rubbing his hurting palms against the material of his jeans on his thighs.

(Nn short. >>)

Darcy absently petted the shaggy fur of the wolf's hide once or twice, before folding it up and tucking it under his arm. Beneath the disguise, he'd been wearing a simple brown t-shirt and a pair of navy pyjama pants. He wished that he could put the furry cape back on, at least to keep warm for the walk home, but he was already taking a risk by even having it out in the open like this. He peeked out of the gap in the fence, his brown hair dishevelled from the transformation. He looked kind of startled to see that Lucifer was still out there. Well, maybe he could sneak past him.

Pushing through the space in the fence, keeping his face turned away from Lucifer, Darcy began walking away as if he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary.

Lucifer, with a sigh, started walking away, figuring it was nothing. Well, at least he kpet telling himself it was nothing. It was just some kid getting out of hand or something. Nothing bad. Nothing ever happened. And he stopped rubbing his palms against his jeans, fearing it would look odd. Though they still kinda hurt...

Then, somebody walked past him. Someone he thought looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't tell. "Hey! Darcy?" He asked the kid walking on his way, looking perfectly normal. He usually guessed wrong at people who he thought were familiar, and he couldn't see his face, so... he wasn't sure.

"Hn?" Darcy looked up, startled. Well, that hadn't worked. He smiled sheepishly, making an attempt to his the bulky wolfskin behind his back. "Ah - 'allo, Lucifer. I 'ave not seen you for a while. You are well?"

Trying to hide what he was carrying just made it all the more obvious. If it wasn't plain that it was impossible to kill and skin a wolf in under a minute or so, someone could have thought he'd gone and killed the wolf, and was just dragging home part of it. Better hope there were no animal-rights activists in the area.

"Yes, I am well." He gave a slight nod. "And how are you? I was just thinking about you." Well, since Dary-wolf and Darcy-human were the same people (er, and animal) he would've already known, but since Lucifer didn't know, he'd thought it good to add. It must've just been a coincedence he was just thinking of him, then run into him...

And he still doesn't notice that big, hulking wolf skin that Darcy's hiding.

"I am doing well, myself. Sleepy, though," he said, stifling a feigned yawn. He blinked innocently at Lucifer, slowly backing away. "You were thinking about me? Ah, really? Pourquoi - I mean, why?"

"Yeah. It's a bit early to be wandering outside, don't you think?" He asked, absently rubbing at his palms again. The pain was dying away, but that had really hurt. He was sure the wolf hadn't meant it...

"Ah, I saw a dog- actually, not a dog, a wolf, with your eyes. Weird thing though. Crashed right into me and made me fall into the sidewalk."

"I like to get out in ze fresh air, when it is all tranquille," Darcy explained, wondering why Lucifer hadn't noticed what he was carrying. Not that he wasn't glad about it. "Besides, you are out as well as I. What is it you are you wandering around for?... Perhaps you must get some sleep, you are maybe imagining things, eh - what would a wolf be doing in the plein milieu of a city?"

((trans: tranquille = quiet, tranquil, calm
plein milieu = in the middle of))

"Hmm... mhmm, it is rather nice out here early in the morning," Lucifer agreed with the smallet of shrugs. "Just restless, is all. And no, I swear there was one... unless it was a really big dog." He held up his palm for him to see the reddened skin, and the marks from the sidewalks. "Besides, I don't don't think the pain is a dream. Unless I'm completely crazy." And in which case you wouldn't be able to help, he thought, darkly.

"Ouille. I caused - I mean, the wolf, it caused that?" Darcy asked, catching his slip and attempting to correct it. He winced in sympathy, lookng at Lucifer's upturned hand. He hadn't meant to knock him over. He should have been more careful. "I am sorry - it looks like it 'urts. You will be alright, I 'ope?"

"Mm, yeah." Lucifer was slightly suspicious now, but it didn't show. After all, if it was just a tiny slip of the tongue on accident, and he accused Darcy of something, and it turned out to be nothing, he'd feel... quite stupid. But still, he thought, The eyes, and then just meeting him on the sidewalk and... the slip. Maybe I am just crazy. "Yeah, I'm sure it'll be fine. Just hursts a little bit right now. And anyway, it wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was," Darcy replied, then bit his lip. Shit! Think before you talk, you idiot! Don't admit it! he scolded himself. He ran a hand back through his hair, sighing. Lie. NOW. "I mean, if I 'ad been 'ere sooner, I might 'ave caught you before you fell, or somesing. You know what I mean?"

"Uhm," Lucifer paused, filtering out all his thoughts before he spoke, "yeah, I know what you mean. Still, it's not your fault I fell in the first place." I can't stand it. Even If I am wrong, next chance I get, I'm swearing he has some connection with that dog.

Darcy looked very much as if he would like to disagree, but he just nodded. "Yes, I guess it is not my fault,... not really..." he mumbled, adjusting his grip on the heavy wolfskin he was still attempting to conceal behind his back. He averted his gaze, remembering just now that Lucifer had recognized his eyes. "Euh... I will 'ave to keep an eye out for zis creature,... call ze animal shelter. 'E can't be running around pushing people to ze ground..."

"Well, I don't really think he meant to knock me down. After all, he seemed pretty friendly. I figure he saw a squirrel or something and went after it, is all." Lucifer was almost... annoyed at the small talk.

He stepped to the side, with a sigh. "What's that?" Obviously referring to the little bit of the wolfskin showing.

"What?" Darcy squeaked, turning swiftly back to face Lucifer. "Ah, ... you mean zis?"

He took the bundle of fur from behind his back, keeping the head mostly hidden. He went through the motion of revealing the wolfskin as slowly as he possibly could, so he'd have time to think up a plausible explanation as to why he was carrying part of a dead animal. There wasn't any such thing as a plausible explanation at this point, but he wasn't going to just give up.

"...It is a rug," he said weakly.

"A rug... made out of fur?" Lucifer asked, and cocked his head to the side. "Are you sure it's just a rug?" The unspoken words were 'made out of the same pattern on that wolf's fur?'. Now Lucifer was sure he was right about this. He had to be. Right?

"Euh... yes," Darcy said, making an effort to sound like he knew what he was talking about. "You 'ave never 'eard of a fur rug before? Like in movies, when zey have one made out of a bear, and ze mouth is open wide? Is like zat."

He gave a charming, but unconvincing little grin, that said very clearly, 'I'm not fooling anyone'.

"Darcy, can you please tell me the truth?" He felt a little miffed that Darcy wasn't telling him something. "That was the same fur that wolf had... and I don't think it's just an odd coincedence." Well, there goes. If he was wrong, he was hoping that Darcy wouldn't be too mad at him.

He gave a little sigh.

"Ze truth? But I-... ah, il n'y a plus de raison pour le nier..." Darcy mumbled, trailing off into french for a moment. He sighed dismally, then unfolded the wolfskin to show Lucifer the head. He was probably going to get yelled at now. Or freaked out on. One or the other. "You are right, it is ze same. Exactly ze same. And zat is ze truth."

((trans: there's no use in denying ))

"Darcy, you should've... why didn't you... just tell me? And... why do you do that?" Well, even though Lucifer knows that magic exists, this doesn't really make sense to him. In other words, yes, he's sort of freaking out on him.

Darcy cringed, unconsciously hugging the wolfskin to his chest. "I... I... well, why would I tell you? You would not 'ave believed me. It is meant to be a secret - people overreact when they see a normal wolf, imagine what they think of a person-wolf!" He frowned slightly, his amber eyes reproachful. "...And, why do I do what? What do you mean?"

Lucifer let out a sigh. He knew what he meant, and he had indeed been afraid of Darcy-wolf, before he showed he was a friendly creature. Not that he was surprised, now that he knew, because Darcy was such a nice guy. "I understand," he mumbled. "Why do you go around... being a wolf?"

"Oh. Well.. I do it for fun, I guess..." he blinked, looking thoughtfully down at the furry bundle in his arms, "To meet people, also. If zey are not afraid of wolves, most time, people like me. It is different than meeting people when you are one of zem. So many rules. It is simple to make friends when you are a 'armless wolf."

He paused a moment, then added, "Or dog. A lot of people think I am a dog, because I do not act mean."

"Darcy," Lucifer frowned, looking serious, "and what happens when people find out that you're not just a harmless... wolf? Or dog? What happens when people find out that... you are one of them?" It was an interesting question, to Lucifer.

He grimaced. "Some are very scared and scream. Others get angry - zey either run, or zey hit me. One girl slapped me not too long ago," Darcy explained. Then he raised an eyebrow, looking curiously at Lucifer. "You, you are not angry or scared...?"

"Was more afraid of the actual wolf you, than... this," Lucifer admitted, murmuring slightly. "I don't mind... too much." Then again, he didn't share personal information with Darcy-wolf and figured he couldn't understand, and then found out he was a person and actually could understand.

"Really?" Darcy smiled. Not too much? That was the best reaction than he'd gotten in a long time. "Zat is great. Oh, by ze way - I am sorry I scared you. And pushed you over."

His smile grew sheepish. "And also zat I lied. So, sorry about lying, too."

"Eh, well... you should be more... careful next time. Er, in... keeping that a secret." He paused, and gave a yawn. "And I forgive you... for now."

"Heh. Thank you," Darcy nodded, although he wondered..., "For now? What do you mean by 'for now'? 'Ave I done somesing else that bothers you?"

He gave Lucifer a pleading look. He was just as good at giving puppy-eyes in human form as in wolf form. Maybe even better.

Oh, please not that look... Lucifer thought. After all, he had a weakness for cute things. And Darcy was, indeed, a cute thing. Probably to the point of being uncomfortable between the two. But since Darcy probably doesn't swing that way, let's just leave it as a thought.

"S'just teasing," he came up with the not-so-snappy reply, after filtering what he was almost about to actually say.