"Sorry, I'm trying, it's a bit hard. I think my tongue and teeth are getting bigger." Eric mumbled, feeling at his teeth with said tongue. "It's fine."
Eric kept moving but Clyde grabbed him by the wrist. "How long do you have?" Eric looked at the hand around his wrist, following the arm up to Clyde's face. The worry on that mug was just too much for him.
"Just over a day." Eric admitted, stepping in closer. "That's why I want this day just for you and me. It might be my last day as well." He looked down at himself. "Not exactly human, but the last day of my old life."
"Might?" Clyde whispered, just loud enough for Eric to hear.
"I checked, there's a midnight train out. It'll be my only chance to go back." Clyde looked down but Eric put a hand under his chin, lifting his face up. "I made plans, I borrowed the doc's phone. Clara is cooking a big dinner tonight, you, me, her, Rudy, Tom.. and for some reason Tom asked to bring Lars and since Lars kind of is responsible for me meeting you, I agreed." Clyde was scrunching his brows but Eric went on. "I'll make my decision by then and tell everyone at dinner. I just want until then to be.. us. Okay?"
"Foxes hate reindeer cooking." Clyde said, putting a smile on his muzzle.
"He'll deal. So. What are we going to do?" Eric moved Clyde's arm over his shoulder and started walking.
"We can spend some more time in the sauna. There's skiing, or ice skating. We can go for a walk through the ice sculpture garden." Clyde started listing off things.
Eric bounced a bit on his toes, well floated a bit, who knew it was possible to accidentally take off? "Yes. That's all perfect. All of it." Clyde nodded and steered him towards the sculpture garden.
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By evening, the aurora had come out in full force again. Beautiful ribbons of green, purple, and blue snaking across the sky in glittering sheets of light. It played overhead as Clyde and Eric skated across the frozen pond. He had been surprised there were even skates for hooves, but they existed. Eric was just sliding along, watching the sky.
"You're cheating." Clyde accused as he came up beside Eric, slowing himself in a small spray of ice shaved off the top of the lake by his skates. "You're flying a bit to stay up, I can see the sparkle."
Eric blinked and looked down, laughing at the faint light streaming off of him. "Sorry, I, um, didn't notice I was doing it."
"You didn't notice?" Clyde responded skeptically. "How do you not notice?"
"I dunno. Ever since the doc helped me figure out I had enough magic to do it on my own it's like breathing. Just something I do. And it's even easier around you. You make me feel light, like there's nothing holding me down." Eric blushed at the words.
"I think that is both the sweetest and corniest thing anyone has ever said to me, söpö." Clyde pulled in Eric for a hug.
"What's herkkupeppu?" Eric asked innocently.
Clyde blinked and looked at Eric. "Um. Sweet ass? Tasty butt? Something like that. Why?"
"Just something I heard Lars calling Tom on the phone call earlier." Clyde went a bit wide-eyed and Eric just shrugged. "They're probably going at it like a couple of rabbits right now. Well, maybe not now, i's almost time for dinner, isn't it?"
"Just about. How're you holding up?" Clyde moved back a bit so he could look Eric over.
"Well, the fur's getting obnoxiously thick under this parka, but my shoulders, arms, and face seem human still." Eric shrugged, and held up a hand that now only had two fingers and a thumb, though the fur stopped short just above his wrist.
"Most of your face." Clyde corrected. "Your nose is a little wide."
"Is it bad?" Eric asked as he felt at it.
"Well, the in between steps are never great, but I'll always think you're cute. C'mon, lets get these skates back in. Have you made up your mind?" Clyde asked, throwing out the question as if he might get Eric to answer it by being casual about it.
"Yes. And you'll find out at dinner." Eric skated off the ice, looking over at Clyde. "I'll race you back to your place."
"You're on."
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Eric sat on one side of the table, smiling at Tom who sat across from him, the long fox tail he sported keep smacking into things, which was a source of amusement for the dinner. Lars looked relaxed, he was usually a little high strung but was keeping it under control for the sake of Tom and Eric which he appreciated. It helped that, with warning, Clara had whipped up a few fox tribe dishes for them to eat. Apparently something you had to prepare for at dinner parties up here. Rudy and Clara sat at the ends of the table and of course Clyde was right by his side.
He could tell it was driving his reindeer insane that he hadn't shared his choice yet. But Clyde was trying not to pressure him and Eric loved him even more for that. He was content here, this was a home, not the one he was used to but one he could enjoy, and he did love the reindeer next to him. Love in a few days. His parents would call him nuts, but he knew. At the moment they were talking about Tom's job, hooking up broadband connections to remote areas, and Lars was getting a crafty look in his eyes that said he might be up to no good.
There was a knock at the door and Rudy got up to get it. After a moment he came back with a small box in his hands. "It's for you, Dave dropped it off." He said, holding it out to Eric.
"Elf Dave?" Tom asked curiously.
"The same." Eric nodded. "But it's not for me, I just asked for it. Honestly surprised they got it done in less than a day. They're good." He got to his hooves and looked around at the faces looking at him. He reached into the pocket of the vest he was wearing and pulled out the antler hilted knife Clyde had given them on their first meeting. "I wasn't really sure what this meant." He put it down on the table, gently, and Clyde stared at it. He could tell he was afraid Eric was giving it back. He started working at the box's packaging. It was wrapped and festooned in ribbons. Elves really could not help themselves when it came to wrapping things.
"I've only shed one pair of antlers so far, and you already mounted those on the wall over your bed." Clyde blushed as Eric put that out there. Lars and Rudy laughed. Clara looked a little bit scandalized.
"Clyde!" She said. He gave her an innocent shrug and grin which she met with a soft sigh and a rueful shake of her head.
Lars leaned over to whisper to Tom. "That's not appropriate to do until they're officially mated. Reindeer and their weird antler things."
Finally getting the box opened. Eric lifted the lid. "What I mean to say is, it's not complete, yet. And will need to wait until I shed these." He reached up and tapped on his antlers. "Which I don't even know when that will happen, I guess I still have a lot to learn. But I had them put a wooden one on in the meantime." He pulled out another knife, this one with a wooden handle carved to look like reindeer antler, his name carved into it. He set it down on the table next to the one Clyde had given him, but closer to the other reindeer. Clyde was staring at it, he slowly reached out to touch it and run his fingers along it. "I want to stay."
Before he knew what was happening, two strong arms were wrapped about him, squeezing the air of his lungs. "I still need permission." He croaked out, and Clyde loosened his hug a little as Eric finally returned it. "I already took up the resort on extending my stay to New Years so if I don't get a chance to ask at tryouts, I can ask after Christmas."
He knew the others were clapping or chatting. Clara might have been crying, bless her. But Eric had all his attention on Clyde. "If you want, of course." Clyde kissed him as best he could with muzzle to lips, to more than a little whooping at the table, but almost as soon as the kiss started Eric felt his legs go weak under him. It felt like something inside of him was flaring up.
He collapsed, but luckily right Clyde's arms. "Eric?! What's.. oh, you're glowing."
Eric could feel it, even see it splitting his vision a little as his face pushed out into a muzzle, fur growing over that and the rest of his face, then down his neck as it thickened. He could feel the fur thickening under his shirt, then as it grew down from his shoulders and up from his wrists to his elbows, lighter colored and feathery like the others. The glow puffed away from him like smoke and he felt strength returning to him. "Sorry, I don't know what that was." He mumbled as he got to his feet.
"You making up your mind." Lars said confidently. "No offense, but the doctor didn't know what he was talking about. He was giving you times based off normal transformation magic. Your family has a blessing, and it works different."
Eric looked at him, then at Tom confused. "He traced our family tree back to the werewolf tribe. Supposedly when he left our half-human ancestor behind he blessed him and his descendants with the ability to come back and join the tribes if they wanted." Tom explained in brief.
"If they wanted. From the accounts I read, it never finished until the exact moment they said they were staying. The more they changed the more inclined they were to stay. But it wasn't permanent until they wanted it to be." Lars broke out into a big grin. "I think it's kind of romantic. All you have to do to know he wants to be with you is just look at him." Then the fox fixed Tom with a very pointed look. Tom's ears were vibrating but he suddenly looked considering.
It was good that the others began talking so loudly, that they didn't hear what Clyde whispered into Eric's ear. "We are doing so much more than cuddling when I get you back to our bed." Why did the words 'our bed' make him suddenly giddy? He just knew they were going to find an excuse to head off sooner than later.