Well shit. He had, hadn't he? He'd been exhausted from the fight, already bleeding far too much...if Tim had wanted to put an end to the monster in front of him, it wouldn't have been easy, but it might have been possible. Especially since he'd apparently gone into those woods already expecting a werewolf. He didn't remember smelling silver that night, but that didn't mean it wasn't hidden away in Tim's belt.
Huffing out a grumbling sigh, Jason pondered his options. He could send the boy away. Call him an idiot and drive him out of his territory. Tim would go...but that would shut down any avenue of working through this without bloodshed.
He could pretend to just be helping from the outside. It would soothe Tim's need to Do Something while still being in control of the situation. He could feed Tim just enough information to keep him safe and out of his way where it mattered. But if Tim ever found out the truth--and he would. He was a lot of things, but a damned good detective was at the top of that list--any trust between them would be gone. There would be anger and hurt and possibly Tim bringing in the family just because he felt slighted.
The last option set his hackles on edge. Secrecy was a defense, a way to keep himself safe since he didn't have a pack to watch his back. Anonymity was crucial to keeping Ra's off his tail.
But he'd trusted Tim. Trusted the younger vigilante to not kick him while he was down. Trusted him not to just run back to Bruce and tell him all about the thing that went bump in the night. That was a pretty big trust...but exactly how far did it go?
It would be nice, not having to hide himself from absolutely everyone. He hadn't been lying earlier, wolves were pack animals and humans were herd animals and mixing the instincts of both was easier than one might imagine. He'd cut himself off from the rest of the League, denied his pack when he'd refused to go back after his failure to kill Batman and Robin. He was....alone. Had been alone for years.
"'Trust' is a strong fucking word, baby bird....but I'm getting there. Don't make me regret it." He said the words before he could think himself out of it, looking at the ground instead of watching the understanding bloom on that too young face. "Stay out of my hunting grounds. The people I take there can't be held in a human system. They'd rip their way out of it like it was nothing and not even pause to consider the people they kill on the way. I mean it, I won't save you next time."
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Well shit. He had, hadn't he? He'd been exhausted from the fight, already bleeding far too much...if Tim had wanted to put an end to the monster in front of him, it wouldn't have been easy, but it might have been possible. Especially since he'd apparently gone into those woods already expecting a werewolf. He didn't remember smelling silver that night, but that didn't mean it wasn't hidden away in Tim's belt.
Huffing out a grumbling sigh, Jason pondered his options. He could send the boy away. Call him an idiot and drive him out of his territory. Tim would go...but that would shut down any avenue of working through this without bloodshed.
He could pretend to just be helping from the outside. It would soothe Tim's need to Do Something while still being in control of the situation. He could feed Tim just enough information to keep him safe and out of his way where it mattered. But if Tim ever found out the truth--and he would. He was a lot of things, but a damned good detective was at the top of that list--any trust between them would be gone. There would be anger and hurt and possibly Tim bringing in the family just because he felt slighted.
The last option set his hackles on edge. Secrecy was a defense, a way to keep himself safe since he didn't have a pack to watch his back. Anonymity was crucial to keeping Ra's off his tail.
But he'd trusted Tim. Trusted the younger vigilante to not kick him while he was down. Trusted him not to just run back to Bruce and tell him all about the thing that went bump in the night. That was a pretty big trust...but exactly how far did it go?
It would be nice, not having to hide himself from absolutely everyone. He hadn't been lying earlier, wolves were pack animals and humans were herd animals and mixing the instincts of both was easier than one might imagine. He'd cut himself off from the rest of the League, denied his pack when he'd refused to go back after his failure to kill Batman and Robin. He was....alone. Had been alone for years.
"'Trust' is a strong fucking word, baby bird....but I'm getting there. Don't make me regret it." He said the words before he could think himself out of it, looking at the ground instead of watching the understanding bloom on that too young face. "Stay out of my hunting grounds. The people I take there can't be held in a human system. They'd rip their way out of it like it was nothing and not even pause to consider the people they kill on the way. I mean it, I won't save you next time."