#i'm rly proud of this and also real rabid for the plot tbh so come at me pls!!! also in case u don't feel like reading his lore...

[maerps]

character info in source. ... — open to anyone! the plot: some ten/twenty (?) years ago, louis took a young orphan child under his wing (he does nice things every couple of years!). he cared for them while they couldn’t & taught them to hunt wildlife and defend themselves against animals and people alike. they parted ways while the kid was still relatively young (probably because louis’ lifestyle at the time wouldn’t have been healthy for a growing child), but old enough to still have had a significant bond with louis. flash-forward to now, when louis is running as a wolf in the woods surrounding his manor and here they are, all grown up with a crossbow aimed at his heart. feel free to come plot with me, but you have my full permission to go wild!!

the soft glow of the moon over the forest is louis' only indication that it's late, but he isn't quite sure how late.  he's been running for some time now, his wolf form moving leisurely through the trees with the practiced ease of someone who knows them inside and out.  every step is instinct, every breath filled with the cool, sharp scent of the woods louis calls his home.  as his paws press against the dry earth, there's a sudden familiar sense of alertness that rises within him—he hasn't shifted in a while, but it's like a sixth sense that tells him something feels different.  it's just the subtlest shift of the air, but louis stops in his tracks, ears twitching, fur bristling.

the crack of a branch fills the silence, barely a whisper but enough to make him pause.  his senses sharpen as he scans the shadows, trying to pinpoint the source.  the scent hits him next, all at once—familiar but faint, buried under years of time.  he knows that scent.  louis takes a slow step forward, muscles coiled and ready, his unnatural, observing gaze never leaving the trees.  then he catches it—the barely-there shimmer of metal glinting in the moonlight.  a crossbow, aimed directly at his chest.

their presence is unmistakable.  they're here, but why?  what's changed since he last saw them all those years ago?  louis doesn't move, his mind racing, his wolf itching to do something.  he could easily slip away into the shadows, leave without the chance of an arrow ever connecting should it be drawn back, but this isn't the time for that.  he's not sure why he feels this way—perhaps it's the lingering affection he feels for them—but he stands still, gathering his thoughts and reaching out with the power of his mind.  he can feel it, faint as ever but steadily growing, as the bond between them surges to life.  he wonders if they will, too.

it's me.  the thought presses into the mind, gentle but urgent.  i don't want to fight you.  his mental voice carries through the forest, but whether it reaches them, whether they'll offer him any other response than their arrow surging toward him, he doesn't know.