He hadn’t been enthusiastic about taking the mission, particularly with a total stranger who seemed all too happy to drag him along without input. That was a lie. He had mumbled and shaken his head, distracted by some older man or other trying to enjoy his tea without being spied on. This goddamn curse. He couldn’t focus easily when around his type. Still, there was no turning back now as he followed along closely to his partner. He’d gotten the details of the mission a little later when his head had cleared. Something was stealing people’s animals or something?? It was a little freaky but also fuck it, it was an investigation. He was bred for this. He needed this to be good. Hopefully it was good.

The more he imagined what could be the problem the more excited he got. His first real investigation. He was the reporter here, not the intern. Well, he assumed the guy with him wasn’t an intern anyway. The blonde nodded in response. Squeeze as much info out of the locals and then get crackin’. At a glance, there didn’t seem to be much wrong with the farm. It looked fairly normal and if there had been any other damages other than the animals, he couldn’t tell. Heath reached into his pocket and pulled out a pencil and a little notebook to annotate little phrases for the article that were already popping into his head.

As the stranger spoke to him once more, he stared as he processed what he’d been asked. What? Oh, shit. Uh. “We could ask if they have any bodies and check the wounds on them.” Morbid, but it was something he had seen mentioned in newspaper clippings about murders and fights. Actually, any gruesome detail he could get his hands on was good enough. People loved that kind of thing. But he imagined it would also help if, hopefully, his partner had any knowledge of animals or…monsters? Maybe that was hoping too much. As Billy reached for a name, the blond was quick to offer it. “Heath Ambroise. Thanks for bringing me.” he said as he attempted a polite smile and offered his hand for a shake. “You do this a lot?” Heath asked hesitantly. The guy seemed all too happy to be wandering around in the middle of the night waiting for something to pop out.

“Heath.” The journalist corrected immediately though it was probably lost on his partner as the guy waltzed off. He stood there in silence for a few moments before he squinted at Billy’s form. Wait a minute- “Oh…” The joke had been completely lost on him. Well, whatever he was focusing on other things. Heath shook his head before getting busy, and by busy really he just wandered little bit closer to the sheep corral to get a better look at it. He checked to see how the thing had entered. Ramming into the damn fence was too loud and noticeable. Had it flown? Had it dug under the fence? Details, Heath, details. What else could help?

“It’s late and this isn’t a homicide, so hopefully watchmen won't be a problem.” He stated. Wards were probably enough to keep away whatever animals prowled about at night. Maybe a wolf had decided to mark this as part of its territory or something. If that was the case why not just set wards around the corral? As Billy led, he followed. He jogged up to him before falling in step as they approached the wards. In the little light offered by the moon, he could see a couple of fat lumps laying on the ground and bloody drag marks. Heath had expected some CRIME SCENE tape if he was honest. All he saw was four simple wooden posts with runes he couldn’t read on them. “You see anyone?” he asked, though his eyes were focused on the corpses. One would assume that taking a mission concerning whatever killed these sheep gave them enough authority to look at said corpses. He didn’t like the feeling that he needed to sneak around when they were just trying to help.

“Did any of the people you talked to actually see the thing?” Heath asked as stepped to the edge of the barrier.

Heath frowned at his partner at the revelation, eyes narrowing in slight annoyance. “That’s something you share on the way here.” He said, his voice low before shaking his head in disapproval. It would’ve been easier if they were authorized for all this…extra stuff they were doing but he would work around it if he had to. He wasn’t about to lose to on this story just because of a misunderstanding. “What’s your plan if we get caught then?” he asked, shrugging off the minor concern he’d felt just a minute ago. Fuck it. He supposed he should get used to it. It was in his job description. He should expect some of his leads to have risks. Inconvenient as this development was, he felt a little more excited about the mission. He’d count it as practice for whenever, if ever, he got bigger cases to look into. He didn’t smile though not wanting to let his companion think he was over it.

His thought were interrupted by the sudden, soft warmth down on his leg. Heath gave the cat a quick look over, hesitant to pet the cat. He waited for a cue from Billy, but as he focused on his magic Heath supposed it was alright. The cat seemed to want the attention anyway. Quietly, he knelt before the cat and slowly scooped her up before gently scratching her head. Why can’t Sinclair be this cute…? he thought quietly. The light hurt his eyes a bit but he forced himself to watch. Blinking away the spot, he studied the bodies carefully. Yes, light was so much better. He wanted a drawing of this. He made sure to burn the gruesome image to memory since his hands were currently occupied.

At the question, the reporter swallowed. Gored bodies weren’t exactly his specialty but logic and critical thinking were. Without thinking, he carefully lifted the cat and set her in his hood before moving around the barrier and try to get a different angle at things. “Multiple bites…so the sheep didn’t go down without fighting but…” If the sheep had to get bitten multiple times how come it had taken so long for someone to figure out the sheep were being taken? Or was it just that strong of a creature? Maybe he should’ve done a little bit of research before he showed up. “Most animals that come to mind couldn’t really take two sheep with it, or make gashes that big.” Or possibly shove two injured sheep and shake them around like rag dolls. He looked towards the forest before back at Billy. “I’m going to assume it lives nearby and it’ll probably come back. We could wait here and try to mark it for a hunt or try to catch it on its home turf.” He said as he raised a hand to pat Dr. Puddy again. What were they hunting anyway? Suddenly the farm felt a little more eerie. He was distracted now, half focused on Billy and half on the sounds of the night. A stray bug, a branch snapping. He was alert sure, but for what? And that was what really bugged him.

He rolled his eyes. “My sense of adventure includes contingency plans.” Heath already had enough trouble sleeping. Getting arrested and put somewhere for the night would probably only worsen his issues. He crossed his arms as he went back to trying to figure out what had transpired the night before. His expression darkened at the mention of toxins. “That’ll be a nice challenge.” He noted quietly. Alright cool. Close quarters combat was definitely not the way to handle the beast. They would have to lure the dumb thing back and trap it. At least, he would like to do that. Maybe they could use the bodies in the wards but would messing with that signal the guards? He wanted to get his hands on those deflated sheep godamnit.

“Makes sense.” He replied without anything to add. He felt a little embarrassed he was unprepared. But this wasn’t the time to worry. Fake it till you make it and all that. Heath was glad the cat was happy. At least she was enjoying herself. “You’re cute.” He mumbled before returning his attention to the problem at hand. He stared into the woods, while intimidating it was something he was more familiar with. Better than standing out in the open anyway. The light disappeared and immediately the nerves began to flutter in his stomach. Someone was coming. He couldn’t quick make out the voices just yet. But it was loud enough to tell they weren’t exactly being cautious. They hadn’t noticed their snooping then. He pressed a hand onto Dr. Puddy’s spine to keep her from getting flung out of his hood as he was yanked. Thankfully he had enough coordination not to face plant as he broke into a sprint. How did one run quietly anyway?

Heath managed to stay relatively quiet as he scrambled over the fence and towards the cave. It was the last place he wanted to be, but fuck if they had any other viable choices now. He leaned on the edge of the entrance, refusing to step in any further unprepared. It was far enough, no way they could see them at the moment. He listened again ignoring the heartbeat in his ears. Heath set the cat familiar down before calling to his own. Sinclair materialized by his legs. He nodded over at the tunnel, quickly informing Sinclair of everything he had missed. “Good to know I’ve instilled a sense of self-preservation in you.” The familiar tone was calming despite the hint of condescension. With that he looked to Billy, now at least better prepared. If he was right, they were about to corner a wild animal. He listened again, only catching a spontaneous drip of something on the cave floor and some crickets. He looked to the ground for blood stains or tracks. Anything. If it wasn’t here maybe it was somewhere deeper in the woods. Then again if it was here why hadn’t anyone bothered to check yet? Idiots.

Heath was thankful for the darkness that had enveloped the pair. At least that way Billy couldn’t see Heath rolling his eyes at him. He stayed quiet, not completely turned off this mission just yet. The guy seemed smart enough albeit flighty but he supposed it was just because of the nature of the mission they were on. And…the fact that they weren’t supposed to be doing half of what they actually were. He looked down at Sinclair who was busy observing their partners. By the way the familiar stood, he could already tell Sinclair was having second thoughts about being here. “Wait- are we setting a trap now??” he whispered back totally not good with this plan. Well, it wasn’t like he had anything better in mind.

Sinclair followed the other witch, pausing only to hiss a command into Heath’s mind. He hurried forward to close the gap. The blonde stared at Billy’s back willing his eyes to adjust faster. Would he even be able to see if they got far enough into the cave? Would they be able to get out? Crap. As the entrance became a pin prick behind them, Heath decided he would mark their way back. Would a rock be enough? No, that’d be noisy…“Magic, you dunce!” Right. He had a point. He could do it. It was easy enough, even if he hadn’t practiced it in a while. Heath moved to the cave wall and dragged his fingers across the cold surface. He frowned in concentration as he willed thin trails of ice to appear where his fingers touched before pulling away. No matter how things went, he would hope Billy would grace them with his light once more. Then the small bits of ice would be able to lead them out. He could shrug off any worry of getting lost in this…expansive…cave system. Hopefully they wouldn’t stay in here too long.

Heath moved closed enough to pinch a bit of Billy’s shirt and tugged slightly to catch his attention. “You got something to communicate telepathically?” he whispered not really hearing a threat at this point and hopping they were still close enough to the entrance that it was still safe to speak. Everything felt too loud. The occasional water drips had become more noticeable and his feet seemed to fall all too loudly on the rock. The echoes were getting louder and he could only assume the cave was expanding. Wait were they going underground? He hadn’t noticed an incline but where else would an intricate cave system go. He should’ve brought matches this was awful.

Heath grimaced, not really enjoying the fact that they were actually winging the mission. They didn’t even really have a plan, did they? He was relaxed but this was a circumstance that there was a big risk of getting maimed. He had a right to be a little unnerved at how easily Billy shook off his concerns. Every so often Heath continued to leave little streaks of ice on the wall. At least it was cold and wet down here. It made the whole process faster for him. “Oh, sure. Here.” He whispered back, fumbling in the dark before clasping hands with his partner. Hope Billy could deal with the cold. His hands were probably freezing by now. He held on firmly, only pulling the boy to the side every time he tried to lay a trace of ice on the walls so they could run back. He predicted they would be running. He got that kind of vibe off his partner.

The blonde sighed quietly. Not his ideal response. He would count hand holding as a useful enough form of communication. He squeezed the witch’s hand hard in warning at being spoken to like a child. He was capable enough just…new. Inexperienced. But that didn’t make him childish. At least, not to Heath. “If I’m good, will you call me Heath instead?” he whispered back as he closed the gap between them. He stopped just before bumping into Billy’s back. His eyes were wide for a moment. They were closer now. They had to be. Why would they stop? He stayed quiet, practically holding his breath. Sure, enough there came a subtle squeeze of his hand. It wasn’t too hard to get. But now what? Heath ran through the few spells he knew. He felt he was as a disadvantage here. A cave wasn’t exactly his optimal environment. Then again maybe it was just was Billy needed who knows? They hadn’t exactly discussed abilities beforehand.

Shit. A note for next mission then. He could swear he heard faint breathing or was it just echoes of Billy’s? No, it was definitely up ahead. Somewhere he didn’t want to go unprepared. He tugged his partner’s hand back hoping he would start moving back the way they came. Not to the entrance but just a little ways off so they could talk. He was by no means a powerhouse, but he had an idea of something they could try. Hopefully Billy would put up the rest. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a shake in his legs. His body was already to make a mad dash out of here.

“How many creatures did you say we were tracking?” sinclair’s voice piped up in his head.

“One.”

“Are you sure?” Heath scowled at his familiar who was purposely picking at his nerves now.

He was a little unnerved by his familiar’s comments and the knowledge that up ahead there was a monster, maybe more than one ready to maim them both. Still, as uneasy as this entire situation made him, Billy’s words had caught him off guard. “Wh- Don’t call me son.” He hissed back. This was kind of serious? It felt really serious. How was he expected to kill something unknown to him?? “Listen, I don’t know what you can do but I can’t fight anything in here.” He whispered. “If you can I’ll help but I wouldn’t be able to assist much.” His combat experience was next to nothing. The last fight he’d had had been with fists over the last kabob at a party. That wasn’t exactly magical combat experience. As far as he knew not many of his spells were really combat oriented anyway.

The reported quieted down. His familiar was holding back giggles at how unprepared the witch was. But what exactly prepared you to fight monsters in a dank cave next to a stranger? Nothing. This was trial by fire. In a cave. “I know you like winging shit, but it might be easier if we don’t right now.” He continued, happy he couldn’t see whatever smug mug he was getting. He was more or less admitting to being a little scared and it didn’t sit well. But he would rather be scared and alive than brave and in the hospital.

“I think we could at least get the upper hand if we lured out of the cave. You could blind them right before they get out with, uh, the light ball thing, and I could try and try them. We go from there.” And then, Heath would punt one of the wolves’ skulls like he was kicking a field goal. And then they would all live happily ever after. Crap. He waited though he didn't expect Billy to say anything mildly reassuring.