Jazzy - In the Shadows

"What are you talking about, Wolf?" Tony asked as he took a deep breath, thankful to be clear of the Swamp Witch.

Wolf pondered whether or not he should tell Tony. Maybe it was nothing; maybe his mind was just playing tricks on him. But then, what if it wasn't? He had felt the energy in her hand, he had felt a strong tingling feeling flood his body, and yet he didn't want to admit to anything. The proof was there but he refused to acknowledge it.

"It's nothing, never mind." Wolf brushed his hands and dropped the subject. He quickly walked away from the house and back onto the rough path. He was more than happy to leave it in the past for good. That old witch was just playing with him. She didn't mean it; she couldn't. But, then, what if she did?

"All right." Tony shrugged. Wolf could feel the sense of insecurity in him, but it didn't matter. Tony not believing him was the least of his worries. "Well, we better find that last crystal; we've already wasted so much time."

"Time," Wolf mumbled to himself, playing with the word in his mouth. He quickly whirled around and faced Tony. "How much time do we have left?" Wolf wanted the answer that second and wasn't willing to wait longer to find out. Less than two seconds had passed and he asked again. "How much time do we have!?"

The expression that Wolf had filled Tony's face as he remembered the same thing. They had been so worried about their time, taking care of it, trying not to waste it, but they had forgotten why.

Of course they wanted to rescue Virginia as soon as possible, but the mirror had completely left their minds subconsciously. "I don't know, I-- I've lost track," Tony stuttered, ashamed. He felt that keeping track of time was his job, and somehow he had let everyone down. He cursed himself for not paying better attention; he should've made sure he knew how much time remained.

"Okay, okay." Wolf licked his lips and shut his eyes. He backtracked their steps and every single night. The full moon night seemed like ten, much less than one, but he knew how long had really passed. "How long have we been in here?"

"I dunno," Tony shrugged. "Not more than a day."

Wolf's eyes lit up and he inhaled a deep breath. "No, no, no!" He shouted, more to himself than to Tony.

"What!? What is it?"

"The Swamp. It can play tricks on your mind. It makes you think that barely any time has passed, and then, before you know it, a week has gone by." Wolf shook his head and sighed deeply. "As far as I can tell, we've got two days left."

"Two days!?" Tony shouted. This was crazy. How were they supposed to get the crystal and make it back to Wendell's castle within two days? "This is crazy, how are we going to do all that before our two days are up?"

"With a little luck?" Wolf mused, trying to lighten the mood. He was just as unhappy as Tony was, but if he kept their minds off their time limit, perhaps they would be more constructive. He didn't want to keep thinking about if they didn't make it in time. He didn't want to arrive too late only to find the mirror locked forever. Too much was at stake; he wanted to think positively.

"With a litt--,"Tony began to mock him, but found himself too upset to do even that. "Listen, my daughter's life is at risk here, and you're talking about luck!? You could try and say something useful!" Tony felt himself shouting, but he didn't think it was loud enough. He wanted to vent his anger so badly, but at the time Wolf was the only one there.

"Hey! Don't talk that way to me!" Wolf yelled, pointing an accusing finger at Tony. "Don't you think I care about her!? She's not just your daughter, but she's my mate and the mother of my cub!" Wolf shouted equally as loud back to Tony.

"She was my daughter long before she was your, your, mate, or whatever! I can save her by myself!" Tony felt his pride build up inside him; his feelings had been bottled for too long.

"Oh yeah!? Who saved Virginia all those times before!?" Wolf asked, a smug grin on his face.

"Forget about a few instances, how about years of support and being there for her!?" Tony shouted back. A smug grin then appeared on his face.

Wolf snorted and chuckled at Tony's attempt. "Puh-lease! She'll need me more than she'll ever need you! At least I can keep track of time!" Wolf felt himself cross over the wrong line with Tony; he was rubbing his fur the wrong way. For a moment, he wanted to take back his words.

"Oh yeah?" Tony stammered, trying to think of a reasonable comeback, but found only one alternative: "At least I'm completely human." Tony knew that was below the belt, and so what if it wasn't what they were talking about, but it worked; it was opening his anger up. At least, he thought so until he saw Wolf's crestfallen expression.

Wolf felt like he was punched. Tony had never used their differences so harshly to come between them. He felt his fists curl up and his arms tense. Tony saw his hands, and had a strong feeling of what he was planning to do.

"Take it back," Wolf said through clenched teeth, his eyes blazing yellow.

"Why!? I meant it!" His pride once again clouded his normal vision, forcing him to step over the same line Wolf had.

"Take. It. Back," Wolf said again, but much slower, emphasizing every word. He brought his tightly closed fist up to eye level with Tony.

"Go ahead," Tony was speaking like normal, low and soft, but his voice was cold and empty. "Do it. Do it just like you did the other night."

Wolf immediately dropped his fist and his angered expression. From the intense smell of blood and the bruises Tony had acquired, Wolf knew he had physically beaten him harshly. Tony hadn't moved; he was really expecting Wolf's fist to come into contact with his jaw, but felt nothing.

Tony then noticed how Wolf's eyes were glazed over, filled with sadness and regret. Tony's anger instantly left him. He knew he had pushed it too far, and now he had to make it better.

"I'm sorry Wolf, I really didn't mean it."

"But you did. You did mean it." He paused. "And I deserve to hear every word."

"No, no," Tony said, trying to console Wolf. "It's just, I just want Virginia back, and I guess my stress has gotten to me."

Wolf nodded, perfectly understanding where Tony was coming from, but it didn't make him feel a whole lot better. The words had still come out and made him realize that part of him would be like that, a cold-blooded killer. He didn't want to know, he didn't. He kept telling himself not to ask, for fear of an answer.

Before he could shut his mouth, the words had already leapt out. "What happened that night?" Wolf asked Tony. A drastic urge to know crept through his throat and out into the air.

Tony took a deep breath and sighed. "Nothing that you meant," Tony shrugged and started to walk again. Wolf hurried over to him and pulled on Tony's arm, forcing him to stop and face him. That's when he caught it, the same look he'd seen the morning after the full moon.

Doubt. Anxiety. And mostly, fear. Tony didn't trust Wolf; his eyes didn't meet with his for long anymore; they couldn't. Wolf couldn't blame him either. He could sense the large gap between them, a hole that had been torn since the mission started; since they'd lost Virginia.

Tony would never admit it, but Wolf knew. He knew that Tony, deep down, blamed Wolf for losing Virginia in the cottage. In his eyes, he could see it. And what made it worse was knowing that he'd put an even bigger tear into their relationship with the full moon. He didn't need Tony to tell him. He figured it out on his own. The cut in his arm, the bump on Tony's head - everything was pointing to him.

Tony was about to begin to explain what happened that night the best way he could, but Wolf stopped him.

"Tony, just forget I asked. Let's go find the crystal." Wolf started to walk away again. Tony looked down into the green swamp water, and stared back at his own reflection. His hair was dirty and mussed, his eyes had bags under them and his clothes were torn and mud-stained.

He was about to leave and follow Wolf, when he caught something shimmering in the water, deep down. It was round and thick, but with tiny ripples in the water, the image was distorted. He stared down at it, trying to figure what it was.

"Hey Wolf, come here." He waved Wolf back over without lifting his gaze off the object in the water. It sparkled and reflected off of a stray sunbeam that had broken through the top canopy and onto the water.

"What?" Wolf asked as he came over, looking into the water as well. "It's just water, Tone."

"What is that? Is it a coin or something?" he asked pointing down.

Wolf's face instantly lit up as he saw it far down into the green hazy water. "Huff puff! That's not a coin Tony, that's a crystal!"