prettyredbird | Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

Strange occurrences were happening all over Gotham's streets. It had all started with Red Robin coming across the body of a child predator with his throat torn out, left in a clearing in the Gotham Woods for anyone to find. He had no sympathy for the guy, but such a horrific scene of the crime certainly left an impact. It wasn't long before rumors of a vicious beast stalking the city began to circulate on the streets. People spoke of viscera and gore dripping from a powerful maw, the moonlight reflecting off of sharp white teeth, and howls powerful enough to make trees tremble. The whole thing sounded completely ridiculous. Tim insisted that it must have been an escaped bear, or some new supervillain trying to freak people out and cause chaos. The more detective work he put into it, however, the less he believed his own theories. Further bodies of the scummiest of criminals, fur, blood, partial canine paw prints that were far too big to belong to any wolf or dog, dead deer that looked as though they had been mauled by something far stronger and more terrifying than any grizzly--it would've taken quite a mind to put together such a convincing fake monster, but it was still possible. When the wildlife cameras he placed failed to pick a single thing up, Tim buried himself in research to find any sort of plausible explanation. Each trail only led to a single outcome.

Werewolf.

In the far corners of the internet, the least reliable sort of people swore the beasts were real. That they could transform into massive killing machines, apex predators unlike any that had ever existed before. They could shake off a substantial level of damage, and without some sort of silver to block their healing ability, they were nearly invincible. The first time Tim had read about them, he rolled his eyes and decided it was time to get some sleep. But as he lay there, staring holes into his ceiling, the idea simply wouldn't leave his mind. His best friend was the clone of an alien, could he really claim a werewolf was more far-fetched than that? Maybe it wouldn't be such an awful idea to look for a pattern, choose the right night, and see for himself who (or what) was leaving remains in the woods. At least then he could be sure.

As Tim stepped into the trees in the middle of the night a week later, Tim decided that yes, it was an awful idea. The hair on the back of his neck rose as goosebumps exploded in chains along his skin. Every sound around him seemed both amplified and completely terrifying. It wasn't like Red Robin to be scared, but he'd never actually tried to hunt a monster before. Turned out being in entirely new territory did in fact make him quite anxious. He hadn't wanted to try to explain his research to the other Bats when they'd nearly thrown him in an asylum that time he insisted Bruce was still alive and lost in the time stream, which meant that he had exactly zero backup. It took all of his training to keep his breathing calm, and his gloved had clutched the silver dagger that he'd brought closer to his chest. Sure, a six inch blade was totally going to protect him from a giant monster. Good thinking, Tim!

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There was a genuine smile at the compliment, but his eyes rolled when Jason bossed him around. "You're so charming." The younger of the two said with a sigh, but he didn't actually look that annoyed. He was willing to chalk it up to the wolf making sure he didn't hurt himself or anyone else.

Tim too could smell that the air around them had changed. He wasn't quite sure what it meant, if anything. Perhaps it was normal with magic, at least the sort he was practicing, and the fact that he had so little exposure to it was why he'd even noticed. It might help him to go through the grimoire again. During his time with it he had studied every page, but maybe something had slipped through the cracks in the wee hours of the morning. Even geniuses could make mistakes.

He grabbed a protein bar from his bag and took a seat at the table Jason was already at. "I brought more if you want one." They were pricey ones that didn't taste like shit, a rarity when it came to having to fuel themselves in their line of work. Tim didn't mind sharing, he had no idea what the metabolism of a wolf would be like, or if Jason had food stored away somewhere in the place he'd brought him to. Then he was quiet again, remaining polite in his manners but downing the whole thing pretty quick. His body was begging for the calories.

"So what's it like to be a wolf?"

"Charming. Sure, we'll go with that." He rolled his eyes, but he was smirking as he looked back at the younger boy. It wasn't the harsh, toothy thing from the Tower, either. It wasn't something a little closer to his normal, slightly lopsided grin from before. When Tim offered him a protein bar, he accepted it with a muttered 'thanks' before peeling it open and taking a bite.

It wasn't horrible but, to Jason's advanced senses, it was a little artificial. Still, he nodded approvingly at it as he took another bite. "Not bad. What brand are these? Actual whey powder is a nice change up from the usual shit they put in these." He eyed the wrapper as he chewed...only to nearly choke on his half chewed bite at that unexpected question. He thumped his fist against his chest a couple of times to get the lump down past his wind pipe, gasping in a breath as soon as the way was cleared.

"Jesus, kid." He thumped a couple more times against his chest, clearing out the last of the unprepared bite before he left the rest of his bar on the table and slumped back in his seat. "Not 'what's it like to be a criminal' or 'Crime lord, huh'? Just gunna jump straight to the furry questions. Fuck me.."

But that smirk was back, as was the little spark of humor in pale blue eyes.

Tim had to try not to smirk when Jason choked on the protein bar because of his question. He was known for being blunt, so it shouldn't have been too surprising that he didn't beat around the bush. "I'm not a kid." The younger of the two told him, like he hadn't just barely become legal. It bothered him, the idea that Jason would see him that way. Tim didn't really want to examine why, but he knew for sure that he wanted his predecessor to see him as the competent, mature adult that he tried to be.

He at least had enough tact not to say that he didn't really care what it was like to do crime or being a crimelord, and that was why he hadn't asked those questions. Jason looked amused and Tim wanted to keep him in a good mood. "Being a wolf is a lot more interesting. You're the only one I've ever met. Can you really blame me?" The amusement was reflected in his own eyes. It was nice, getting to talk like this.

He set his elbow on the table, and his chin on his palm. "As a kid, you play pretend and act like animals all the time, but it's hard to imagine what it would be like to actually be one. "Do your senses change? I know dogs have a yellow-blue color spectrum, so I would imagine that wolves are the same. Or is it different because you're still human on the inside?" Tim didn't see a reason not to be his usual nerdy, curious self, since Jason seemed amused enough to tolerate it.

"No, I'm not." He corrected drying, still smirking a little but playing it off like he wasn't. He took another bite of the bar, leaning back in his chair and swinging one leg up to rest on the tabletop. It was his table top and he'd done much worse things to it, after all.

"I'm just the only one that you knew about. Hell, you galivanted around with Ra's and his personal pack for how long before burning them? Which....still a little impressive, I won't lie." And more important than saying it, he meant it. Tim's run with the League had been impressive both in how Ra's hadn't managed to kill or claim him, but also in how much sheer destruction he'd left in his wake.

"The senses change, yeah. I still get all the colors on two legs, but my eyesight is very different on four. You don't notice it, though. Not really. The colors are different, but the nose adds a whole new layer to everything. I can't 'see' a mouse in the long grass, but I know it's there because I can smell it's pulse and I can hear it's teeth grinding and because I know it's there, I can focus in until I see it. Does that make sense? It's hard to put into words."

It didn't help that he was probably going to be opened from nipple to navel for even talking about this.

"Oh." Tim said stupidly in response, blinking a few times. Of course he knew there was something... mystical, about Ra's, but he had chalked that up to the man using the pits and using that sort of mystery to enhance his aura so people believed he was more than what he actually was. Then again, his focus had been elsewhere. On finding and saving Bruce. He and Ra's were the only ones that believed he was still out there and needed help.

Still, a wolf pack? Should someone with keen detective skills like his own really have missed something so important?

His smile grew sharp around the edges. "A little impressive? I crippled the entire organization by myself." He might not have been the most egotistical of the Robins, but he certainly wasn't going to downplay his own accomplishments.

Jason talking about what it was like to be a wolf was enough of a distraction that he dropped it almost immediately. Because, truly, the whole thing was fascinating to him. Tim's pretty blue eyes practically shimmered with interest as he leaned closer. So it was a full transformation, then, right down to the senses. "Do you still have human thoughts? And control over what you're doing? Or when you see prey, do you feel like you have to chase it?" Jason was going to have to find a way to quiet him if he wanted the questions to stop, unfortunately. That's just how Tim got when he got excited about learning.

He flashed a grin at Tim's understanding of exactly what he'd escaped. The entire League weren't wolves, but most of the higher ranking members were. It was kinda Ra's thing. He was old enough to still have the Wyld blood running through his and his direct descendants veins. Born, natural beasts that went bump in the night. The wolves under him were all bitten like he was, making them subservient to those who made them.

Most of them, anyway. He'd torn himself away from Talia with blood and sheer force of will, a sin Talia still hadn't completely forgiven him for even if they were back on speaking terms.

"Yeah. You did." And if there was more than a little warmth in that acknowledgement of Tim's deeds....well, no one would believe Tim if he told. And that warm look in his eye faded during his exaggerated eye roll.

"If I had the urge to chase everything I noticed, I would have eaten you that night in the forest." He smirked, letting that sink in for a moment before he shrugged. "I can chose. Sometimes it's nice to stop thinking and run for miles just for the simple joy of the ground under my feet. It's not something I let myself do a lot because I can't ever really get far enough away from people, but it's an option."

The last of the protein bar went into his mouth and he swung his leg down so he could lean forward.

"What's it like to do the shit you just did? Did it burn? It smelled like it burned."

The faintest blush spread onto Tim's cheeks, but there was every chance that Jason's supernatural senses would be able to tell despite his calm face how much he liked being complimented about what he'd accomplished with the league. Getting praise from the second Robin--deep down, it still felt really good, despite their differences.

When Jason rolled his eyes, Tim laughed. "Guess I was lucky you chose not to hunt me, then." He didn't point out that, in fact, Jason had chosen to save his life when he had no real reason to. Tim had stalked him in a hopes of decapacitating the wolf. It only would have been fair for that same wolf to watch him bleed out in the forest floor. But he didn't. "We could get you far enough away, if you wanted." The offer was said without Tim's usual level of forethought. All he had considered was that there were plenty of wild places far enough from humans if they did some significant traveling, and Tim was in a position to help with that. He knew Jason was capable of getting himself that if he really wanted to, but... Tim just felt the need to offer anyway.

The questions turned to him and Tim's lips twitched as he took a moment to think about his experience trying out magic for the first time. "It didn't. It felt warm, but it didn't hurt." His eyes traveled to the grimoire still sitting open. "My mother left a hand written note in the book that my own magic couldn't hurt me. I could burn out, yes, but the magic itself suddenly turn on me and cause harm even if I tried. I wonder if that's part of it." Maybe that was innate in magic, or maybe that had something to do with the wards Janet had left on him. Tim hadn't figured that part out yet. He'd done of research on his own powers, but not on the powers of others. That could wait until later.

He didn't see the blush, but he could smell it. The hot rush of blood coming to the skin. Just a touch of embarrassment but something else that felt a little like pride. He immediately wanted to pull the praise away...but he didn't. He didn't because Tim deserved it, no matter what his own injured pride said.

He'd never been a particularly good Robin, after all. He'd tried, sure, but Dick had left impossible pixie boots to fill. At least Tim had had the good sense to redesign the uniform.

"It's not worth the amount of travel. If I have a rogue shifter or vampire or other supernatural baddie, I deal with them out in the woods where I have room to really protect myself against them, but most of the time?" He waved a hand at their surroundings. "I'm good here."

A city block. A wolf the size of a pony confined to the magical equivalent of a kennel the size of a city block. It was no wonder his shoulder knots had knots.

"Huh. Well, that is pretty impressive. I wonder if it's a personalized thing? Or a trait of your particular flavor of magic? Because I've for sure seen mages go up in their own flames. Or maybe that was just how they burned out, poured too much of themselves into it?" He shrugged, trying for nonchalance, but the curiosity was clear in those pale blue eyes.

Tim wasn't the only one who had a burning need to learn, apparently.

"You have?" Now that was interesting. Tim knew he was unique, the grimoire laid out just how special his magic was. But he was conscious enough to be aware that there was every chance his mother was being egotistical about things. To be fair to the second half of what Jason said, Tim had no idea what a true magical burnout would look like. At first he had assumed it would be some fairytale bullshit where he passed out and went into a coma for a while. After Jason had told him it was dangerous, he thought his burnout would hurt other people and not himself.

He could feel the eyes on him, and he liked it. Liked that Jason wanted to know more about him. It was getting harder to deny just how much he liked it, too. "I really can't be sure. My mother said that our magic is incredibly special and powerful, but she was always prone to exaggerate to show off. Without her actually being here, it's impossible to gauge if I'm actually something special, or just that I can tap into magic the same as hundreds if not thousands of others in this country alone." Tim gave a non-committal shrug as he spoke.

"I could feel some of myself changing. Like I wasn't entirely human for a few seconds. I'm not sure. I'm fairly certain I'm not like you, that I won't shift into something entirely non-human but.." His head tilted. "I don't know. It's impossible to say what's unique to me when I don't know anyone else that knows magic. I don't want to assume I'm special."

He huffed softly, shaking his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I have, but they've been nothing like you."

What did he mean by that? He wasn't entirely sure...but he did know it was true. "I don't think you should assume she was exaggerating. There are so many kinds of magic out there and none of it has smelled even remotely like what you just did. Hell, you know at least two other magic users. At least, B used to be okay working with them on things he didn't understand. I wouldn't call Constantine or Zatanna 'mages', though. Constantine just seems to reach into his own guts and make things happen, while Zatanna is more fae meets stage magician. Neither of them are wrong in how they use it, but they're very different. The guy I saw burn worked for Ra's and he was something completely different then either of them. He worked almost exclusively with blood magic and had a familiar he'd physically chained to himself."

He very clearly hadn't shed a tear for the man, his lip curled up like he'd smelled something foul. He shook his head, as if banishing the image of the memory or wafting away a bad smell.

"Either way, hundreds of magic users or not, I'm pretty confident that no matter what, you're something special."

Jason made a really good point. He'd briefly met both of the magic users that were mentioned, but their way of using magic was entirely different than his own. Maybe that's why finding out he had magic had been so mind-altering for him. "I can do blood magic." Tim's head canted again, wondering if that meant he would end up with a familiar, too. The idea of chaining one to himself wasn't the least bit appealing, he wasn't that sadistic, but it would be nice to be part of a duo again.

The gayest little flutter wove through Tim's chest when Jason confirmed that he was special. "Okay." He swallowed hard. "You know, I have wondered... would I have ever figured out what I was if you hadn't told me and given me the book? No doubt Ra's would try something again, but he hasn't been successful in any of his attempts yet." A furrowed brow, because the man was creepy as hell. "And he didn't tell me while I was working with him last time. He might never have."

The wrapped from his own protein bar was lightly tossed into the garbage before Tim's eyes moved back to Jason's face. "I guess, just. Thank you. You saved my life and you told me about a piece of myself I might not have accessed otherwise. You even brought me here so I could try things out. It means a lot." Yes, the human looked somewhat uncomfortable, expressing emotions had never been his strong suit but it was even more difficult after years around Bruce.

"The world may never know, Timbit." The nickname rolled easily off his tongue before he could stop it, but he didn't seem too bothered by the slip. He, grudgingly, liked the kid. He wasn't anywhere close to admitting it, yet, but he could feel a warm swirl of affection in his chest when he looked over at the younger man. Maybe it was because he'd shaken off the worst of the programming Talia had tried to drill into his brain. Maybe it was because he'd watched in real time as Tim had been just as un-ceremonially replaced as he'd been.

Either way, he no longer had to swallow back the bitterness that seeing Tim had once provoked.

"I think you would have found it, eventually. You're too much of a natural for it to have not leaked out of your ears at some point. But even so, I'm glad I nudged you in the right direction. I wanna see you soar, baby bird. Not crash down in the dumpster with the rest of us rejects. As for Ra's..." He made a face, sending his own wrapper to join Tim's in the trash.

"I'll kill you myself before letting him get his hands on you for real."

It was a threat. Every single word dripped sincerity. He meant it with every fiber of his being, it was whole heartedly a promise of a threat to kill the boy in front of him.

So why didn't it feel like one?

Jason wanted to see him soar? That was complete one-eighty from the way their relationship started off. Maybe neither of them were who they assumed the other to be when they'd first clashed. Getting to know Jason like this was getting to learn that there was a whole other side to him. Not quite a softer side, but certainly one that was a hell of a lot easier for Tim to get along with.

The threat, though, made his own eyes narrow. Jason meant exactly what he had said--he'd kill Tim before Ra's had access to the powers that were buried in Tim's chest. Part of him wanted to agree that Jason offing him if it came to that would be the correct option, he could never let himself be used as a weapon for someone so sick and twisted. On the other hand, Tim couldn't help but be a little indignant. Jason had tried to kill him a few times, and it hadn't ever stuck. He wasn't nearly as weak now as he had been as a young teen, with or without the magic. What made Jason think it would be so easy?

But that wasn't really what Jason meant by it, was it? He was talking about stopping Ra's. "I hope you'll be strong enough to." The younger of the two challenged. He wasn't angry, he was entirely sincere. If Tim reached the peak of what his powers held, would a wolf be enough to stop him? "Though you would obviously be competing with me as to who could get it done first, because I would rather kill myself than be used as a pawn by him."

The indignation would be understood, though Jason would have found it incredibly amusing. Not because he thought Tim couldn't defend himself, but purely because Tim honestly thought that he'd been trying to kill him before. The tower had been a message to Bruce. The many fights after that had been more an opportunity to give his rage an outlet.

How many times had he left that boy bleeding on the ground?

How many times had he walked away before delivering that last blow?

Even before the Tower and before Black Mask and before everything, Jason had spent far too much money and skill and thought on fitting the Batmobile with a bomb that would have leveled the city block as soon as the combined weight of Batman and his Robin had settled into the seats....only to turn around and bypass all that security again just to disarm the damned thing. At the absolute height of his rage fueled and expertly manipulated anger, he still hadn't actually let himself kill the kid.

Something in him had always stopped him. Some unspoken, unknown connection that had somehow pulled them closer and closer until...well, until there they were. Sitting at a table sharing snacks and vowing to never let Ra's exploit the power that ran through Tim's veins.

The fact that either of them could have easily killed the other wasn't the point. The point was that they were past that.

"Well, the simple option is just to kill him instead. I vote that option." He held up a hand to ward off the Bruce bullshit that was no doubt about to be regurgitated at him, rolling his eyes and giving Tim and lazy, fond smirk. "I know, I know. Not an option. But it is fun to think about."

There wasn't even a little doubt in Tim's mind that Jason had been trying to kill him. Not the first time, perhaps, because Tim had been beaten to unconsciousness, but he'd argue the throat slit and the blade to the chest were legitimate attempts. He was too stubborn to admit that the blades may never have sunk deep enough for a reason. But ultimately, did it really matter? Tim had forgiven Jason for all of it, even before all of this supernatural stuff came into play. Because he understood that Jason was manipulated and half out of his mind from the pit. It wasn't worth arguing over intentions anymore, not as long as Jason wasn't still trying to do it.

The face Tim made in response to the suggestion that they kill Ra's was all too predictable, but Jason put his hands up before he could start on a lecture. He still held the belief that killing was wrong deep in his chest, even if it began to waiver the further away he was from Bruce. He would only ever consider it if there was no other option. Hunting someone down just to do it wasn't the same thing, in his mind.

Secretly, he could admit to himself that it did sound tempting. Ra's was as evil as anyone Tim had spent time around. He paused, sighed, and shook his head. "You know, I still sometimes wonder if he managed to get his hands on my spleen. God knows what he could do with it if he did. Do spleens hold magic?" Not that he figured Jason actually knew the answer to that question. It wasn't something he was actually all that worried about.

Even manipulated, half out of his mind with the Pit, and his wolf striving to do exactly what his Lupa wanted...it would be a long while before Jason forgave himself for what he'd done. Despite what Bruce and the others thought, he hadn't killed mindlessly, but he had been harsher than he'd needed to be. He understood that death was sometimes necessary, but he did regret how easily he'd turned to it for those first several years.

Now when he killed someone, it was because there was no other choice. Either they'd never rehabilitate or they'd never be able to be held for rehabilitation. It wasn't a perfect system, but it was the one he'd settled on for lack of better options.

The question pulled a huff of laughter from him, smirk clear as day on his lips. "I don't think spleens hold magic specifically, no. Blood, maybe, but the organ itself should be good. Though, blood can hold all kinds of horror without the addition of magic."

How many times had Tim almost cloned the clone?

"I have it on good authority that he doesn't have either, though. So you can rest easy, baby bird. How you feeling? Wanting to give it another go or do you want to rest a bit longer?"

As much as he had been joking, it did sort of calm him down to know that Ra's didn't have his spleen somewhere in a jar. Tim had failed to clone Kon ninety-nine times but he didn't have access to the same sort of things that Ra's did. His attempts had been purely science based. Anyway, the last thing he needed was for Ra's to have his own little pet Tim Drake clone. Eugh.

"I think it's time to give it another go." The protein bar was filling without leaving him feeling sluggishly full. Tim gave a confident nod and pushed himself to stand up, stepping back over to where he had been practicing earlier. "I was able to make a few things out of smoke before, if you didn't see it. Supposedly I can manipulate shadows in the same sort of way. I could potentially use them when I fight." In his mind, his magic was a tool, and it would be foolish not to use it if it would help him.

He turned to face Jason again. "I don't know how much I should practice with blood magic. I can manipulate blood, sure, but for that to work there needs to be blood in the first place." Tim wasn't against hurting people, but something didn't sit right with him to draw someone else's blood to use magic against them. It felt unnatural. That left him with being able to use his own, but, he couldn't imagine cutting himself open outside of dire circumstances.

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Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

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