Across the Wasteland

Xavier, his senses heightened by years of restless nights, straining to hear the sounds of wolf paws, awoke at the sound of the beast in his home yawning, his eyes cracking just slightly to see it waking the boy up. Shutting his eyes as the boy got up, he flinched a bit as the sleeping bag was placed over him. Once the kid was out of his home, he finally stirred, pushing the bag off of him and back to its place. Reaching under his shirt to scratch at his chest--the fur he had put there was finally getting to him--he frowned at the dried blood on it. Sighing he unzipped his jacket, shivering as the cold air hit the stained deep green sweater he wore underneath the jacket, he hurriedly found his spare jacket, deciding that he would need to do something about the dried blood soon.

After he had pulled on his spare jacket, which was a red winter coat lined with fur, he exited his home, carefully avoiding the wolf. Seeing the boy outside, he frowned slightly before deciding to ignore him for now, heading towards the backside of his home. This was by far the worst part of his day. Unzipping his pants, he shivered and cried, "Ah!" as the cold air hit his bare, sensitive skin before proceeding with his business, wishing to get it over with as quickly as possible.
 
The younger one ignored him, just like he was doing, by now he seemed to be working with some wood and other stuff, before he rose what looked like a spear, and just stared at the snow for a moment before hurling it at something that had been running on the snow, and a loud squish and crack sound was heard, before he just walked toward it, pulling a dead rabbit with him, and went back inside and then quickly paced out again.

" ... " he snickered and then sat down among some bones, the other humans had tore the wolves to bones, bloody ones. "I guess I'll have bone soup again"
 
After he had finished his business, Xavier zipped his pants before examining the landscape. It was barren and vast, like it had been for what seemed like forever, but he couldn't see any wolves anymore. Stretching, his bones feeling stiff from sleeping in a position such as he had the night earlier, Xavier went back into his home, frowning when he saw the wolf still there.

"I gave you the night," he said, once he had found the kid where he had left the bones of the wolves, folding his arms over his chest. "Now that it isn't as cold anymore, I want you to leave. I told you yesterday: there are no free rides here. And unless you intend to share that rabbit in my home, or help in some other way, you will have to leave." He let his scowl deepen, wanting the kid to know he was serious. Still, a chill ran through him when he thought of the wolf in his home. If the kid set the wolf on him, he would be hardpressed to fight it properly...
 
The younger one suddenly ran back inside, took the rabbit and held it closer to himself "It's not for you or me." he said, this time the movement of his lips showed that he was also frustrated, but it seemed more like it was because of the animal more than anything else, "You're a coward" he replied suddenly, not letting go of the poor dead animal's corpse and keeping it close, before sitting on the snow and tinkering with the woods, it looked like he was making some sort of tool.

"My dad was a coward too. That's why he could rape me when he got the chance, try to eat me and then feed me to the wolves" he said, no humanity at all in his voice, but he wasn't exactly lying, that had really happened, and despite how much of a stigma that had turned into, in his mind, and in his bodily language, that didn't matter.
 
"Maybe I am a coward," Xavier admitted gravely, having followed the kid into his home, "but in no way am I your father. But I do not need another mouth to feed, and I do not want to take care of a kid." Frowning deeper, he continued, "Unless you start pulling your own weight, you and your beast will have to leave." Taking a stance that his father had once used on himself when he was the kid's age, he folded his arms across his chest. "By all means, if you think coming into my home like you did is acceptable, by all means, go see some of the others who live nearby. I can assure you, I'm the kindest of them all, and none of them will let you sleep through a night like I did."

Glowering down at the boy, he tried to appear imposing and strong, like his father would so many times after he would be caught sneaking out in the middle of the night when he was a teenager.
 
His eyes followed the man for only a second before he was done with the tool, and for the surprise of even his beast, who perked up his ears and paced to him, he had managed to somehow make a bow. "I can take care of myself. But you're going to die regretting you ever lived" he replied coldly without looking at him, feeding the rabbit to the wolf and taking other few branches and testing their strenght for a moment. "The wolves don't approach those with weapons" he mumbled before shuffling the beast's head and stood up, showing the bow to the man. " ... Do you know how to make one?" he asked, tilting his head a little bit.

Then he looked from on top of the man's shoulder " ... ? " his smirk was unpleasant and he shrugged, putting the bow behind himself. " ... a wolf" he whispered "behind you, don't move.."
 
At the mention of the wolf behind him, Xavier tried to glance behind him, wondering if the kid wasn't bluffing just to get him unnerved. He was still pissed off about the kid's insolence, and would have loved to punch him, just once, but he was more worried about the possibility of being mauled by a wolf.

Grinding his teeth, he narrowed his eyes at the kid, trying to see if he was lying. If Xavier was quick enough, then he could spin around, draw his knife, and kill the wolf wihout so much as a scratch. Still, he hadn't eaten anything yet, and knew his reflexes were sluggish because of that.

Ever so slowly, Xavier unfolded his arms, ears straining for the sounds of breathing behind him, reaching into his pocket to find the knife. Still keeping it in his pocket--for now--he took out the blade, making sure to keep his breathing steady and normal.
 
However the boy was not as methodical, he just pushed the man out of the way and flew a very strong sordid sounding upwards kick at the wolf's lower throat, breaking it at the instant of impact because of the metal plates at the tip of his boots, the beast just dropped dead before it could even say "arf."

He then knelled down in front of it and caressed it's sides and stomach "It was a female" he mumbled, more to himself than to the man, but then he noticed his shaggy tamed wolf staring at him from the entrance and sighed, pulling his bow closer and sitting down besides the victim of his quick reflexes, despite the fact he hadn't had a bite to eat in two days now. " ... Adults are so weird" he said, and probably to the surprise of the man, the damn wolf nodded, and sat down beside him and besides the corpse of his kin, staring at the boy with questioning eyes.

" ... " he turned to the man and then at the wolf "He's just angry because he's hungry" he spoke to the beast, who sneezed "Don't worry. Just give me time" he nodded at it and went back to fix some branches, slim straight ones, had he been probably working on that the previous night? It was possible. But other than that, Xavier's anger, yelling, insisting and frowning was in no way affecting this strange yet still nameless boy.
 
Xavier didn't care what the gender of the wolf was. Nor did he care why the wolf had come into his home. He was just frustrated and fed up with this kid and that damned wolf. Leaving the kid there, needing to clear his head to keep from doing something he might regret, Xavier walked a couple hundred meters away from his home, still in sight of it but far enough that he didn't have to think about the kid.

Hugging himself as a cold wind blew through, he saw the figure of a man a bit farther away, and frowned. Normally, those who lived within fifteen miles kept their distance to him, and it was unusual to see someone so close. Besides that, he had thought that those closest to him had already died, after not seeing them for a year and a half. Reaching into his pocket again, he took out his knife once more, feeling strangely threatened by the figure. Strangers typically meant trouble for him, and if word got out that he had another resident living with him, then surely his 'neighbors' would think it weird and come to investigate. Which was the last thing he needed. Women and young kids like the one in his home were something to be kept secret, especially around the crowd he usually observed from afar.

Rubbing his neck as he watched the figure continue walking past him, he made sure that whoever it was had no intention of approaching him before turning back towards his own home, not feeling much better from being outside, just having a bright flush to his cheeks now. Coming through the entryway, he sighed before sinking against one of the walls again, closing his eyes as he pressed his index fingers to his temples.
 
((OOc: You could say I got bored...))

" ... " he tensed up for a moment before his eyes followed the man, slowly he stood up and alongside his wolf he stood in front of the man, but only to stare at the figure that was walking around randomly, probably and scavenger or something of the like. Still however he didn't like it one bit and he turned his face toward the man, his lips dry and parted, he hadn't drank a drop of water or eaten in two days. It was obvious to see that the host was very angry and frustrated, but he himself didn't feel anything, he was empty, or at least that was his idea.

" ... Adults are so weird..." he mumbled again and began walking and look around the garbage, bow resting under his arm and a few arrows on his jacket pocket holding them up and still with a rope and a sort of container, his wolf following. "... Vaughn... food" he said a little louder than usual, and instantly the beast sped off on a random direction as he walked among the rubble once more. " ... "
 
By the time Xavier made it back towards his home, the kid's wolf was already streaking off to God knows where. Crawling inside his home, cheeks flushed, he cleared a spot on the floor, digging a tiny bit into the hardened ground. Setting up the makings of a small fire, intent on getting some food in his system, he dug out a worn plastic bottle from where his lighters were arranged. Inside it was halfway filled with water, which was very nearly frozen. Shaking it to get loose some of the ice pieces, he opened the bottle before taking a drink, deciding that he needed to find a better way to keep water as a liquid.

Finding the kid, he asked, crossing his arms over his chest, "Hungry?" Leaving it at that, he went back inside, grabbing the lighter with the least amount of fluid in it, deciding that he might be able to find a new one soon. Sighing as he picked up his third-to-last can of food, he frowned at the label. Green beans. And seven years expired. Still, if he wanted to keep alive, he would have to stomach it. Supposing that he could do with just half, and let the kid have the other half if he wanted, he set the can by the small firepit, sighing as he waited a moment for the kid to come in or not.
 
The younger one came back after a while, dragging something with him, he also seemed to notice the fire but didn't comment on it, he just sat down with his ...thing, on hands. He began to pull and crack only to show off that to anyone's surprise, that was a ... a half eaten goat. However his facial expression didn't change whatsoever, and he turned to look at the man leaning his hand toward him. "Lend me your knife ..." he asked, his voice the same inhuman one.
The beast walked inside a split second after all, carrying a broken branch in it's mouth, to which the boy paid no attention to.
 
Flinching when the kid asked for his knife, Xavier almost immediately answered, "No." Almost. He didn't want to part with his knife, which had been the one thing between life and death on multiple occasions. Still, with a wary glance tossed at the wolf, he gritted his teeth and took it out before refocusing on the small pile of twigs and scraps of cloth that was supposed to be a fire.

Grabbing his lighter, he held it nearest to the center of the pile, striking a tiny flame. Holding his breath, he waited until the fire caught, sending smoke into his face as the kindling burned. Coughing, he rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, his fingers feeling the warmth of the tiny flames through his gloves.

Feeling the fire diminish a little, he leaned forwards, feeling the heat against his cheeks, before blowing gently on the embers, trying to make the fire a bit bigger.​
 
((OOC: Lack of inspiration /cries/))

" ... I don't like goat. You can have it" the boy said, moving the small fresh non frozen corpse closer to the man and leaving it closer to the fire, staring at the can with a displeased smirk. "I rather eat a branch... "
 
Rolling his eyes, making sure to keep that out of sight of the kid, he said, "I wouldn't be able to cook it in here. We'd need a bigger fire, and not only do I not have anything to make it bigger, but I'd have to move the fire out there, and I don't want to risk the fire going out." At the rate that the twigs and cloth was going, the fire would probably be out by the time that the beans were barely heated up. Still, to eat real meat...trying to keep his mouth from watering at the thought, he shook his head before opening the can, positioning it to where it would catch some of the heat of the fire.

Coughing as more smoke went in his eyes and nose, he asked, "What do you want my knife for?" He had attempted to keep the suspicion and worry out of his voice, but it didn't work very well, and he had come off sounding like a jerk.
 
"I can make a bigger fire" he replied staring at the small fire he was managing to make "The modern life adults got used to made them forget the most basic of survivalism and also made them weak and nervous and stupid. Like this goat." he said, pushing it closer to him "This goat thought that my wolf was an ally, killed it." he continued and stood up, two steps closer to the man, his eyes barely visible under his fringe. "You adults don't know that crashing two rocks together can make a stronger spark than a lighter's. You don't know that digging can help you find water. You don't know that the underground is the best of ways to preserver food, because it remains clean and nobody thinks of digging." he finished and was now one step away from the man.

"You're going to die soon, because you've only sought the comfortable ways of life, what the modern life taught you, well now that is the old times and this is the wasteland, and if you want to survive, you have to move, across the wasteland, across the world. You're a whimp and you complain and suspect over the smallest of things. The reason I am alive is because I don't waste my time with that. You don't have water and frozen water will cause you cramps, those beans are most likely rotten, give me your knife, and I'll teach you how to use fire to boil water and make a stew slow and delicious with one goat leg enough to keep you warm and strong."

He finished. His voice was clear, strong, and very manly despite his looks, and by now he just crouched in front of him, eyes still hid under his messy hair "You think because you're an adult you know better, but why am I strong and swift and why are you weak, slow, nervous and sluggish? You don't know how to live, you only survive and loose your dignity."
 
Xavier flinched when the kid started talking. 'I wasn't an adult when all this happened,' he thought to himself. At the start, he had just barely turned seventeen. Instead of how to survive, he was thinking about which college to go to, if he wanted to become an engineer like his parents wanted him to be or to be a writer. He didn't even have a proper job back then, like his friends all had. 'I know I look like I must look like I'm thirty or forty, but I never got to be a real adult!'

Shooting a glare at the kid, he felt his hand instinctively clenching. "I don't care about any of that!" He finally shouted, getting to his feet. "I am alive, which is a hell of a lot better than most of the other people on this goddamned planet. And sure, maybe living like this is killing me, but at least I can remember before the whole world was covered by this damn snow! I can remember the feeling of being warm all over, of never being frightened of anything but the dark and what could hide underneath my bed, which was only a futon!" He didn't know how he went from focusing on this damn kid thinking he might be a better survivor than he to being a five-year-old, afraid of the Boogeyman. Still, he didn't like this kid, despite anything he might have to show him.

Getting to his feet in his anger, he frowned at the small fire, suddenly not hungry.
 
"Well I didn't!" he yelled back, this time the wolf began to growl "The only world I ever knew was that of a man who only cared about a woman with big balls on her chest and the disgusting thing he did to me and his women! I had to survive and take care of me and shaggy wolf, and no matter what men and adults are all the same, I don't know what you're even talking about, but I sure as hell know I live a better life than you, you want to die quicker? Fine! But don't act high and mighty just because you had a different plan before everything crashed down. You don't know what is it like to live in a permanent state of fear, of panic, not knowing what to do and being too small to realize that the man on top of you is raping you!" He crouched, sighing long and bitterly before the beast paced to him very slowly and began to push it's head between his arms.

"You think because you were once young you deserve better ... but what about me... I was five... He put me in the basement with Vaughn and his pet dog... what was I supposed to do...?"
 
Xavier was seething by the time the kid had trailed off into silence. Feeling about ready to just break down, all the cracks in his mentality coming to the surface, he finally spoke, his voice quiet and cold. "Get out. Right now. I don't want to see you or your goddamned wolf here ever again. I did not ask for you to be here, and I want you to leave, immediately."

Watching the wolf with shrouded eyes, he folded his arms over his chest, forcing down the rush of memories and emotions that were fighting their way through. Swallowing them down, he took a deep breath before thinking to himself, 'It's not fair; there are plenty of others nearby, couldn't the kid have gone to them instead of my home?' In truth, he might be better off with someone else, given that his nearest neighbors were living in a home made of stone, rather than snow.
 
He hugged the wolf this time, whom was actually struggling agaisn't him for some reason before he bit it's ear and after a yelp he let go and it quickly paced outside, he just followed without a word, quiet as a tomb, just like when he had arrived. Not a single sound. Outside, where it was cold again. However this time he looked back at the little building and all he did was sit down on a rock, and shrug while his wolf sniffed him. He wasn't feeling anything at all, and right now he was very busy wondering... why.