The bear had been circling the camp for a few days now, too late in the year for such a creature to be out roaming the woods. The elders sent Nik out to find it, he went begrudgingly, and Baz followed without even a second thought, as though he was starved for some kind of mission, anything to make him feel less idle. Walks in the woods and sexual escapades were no longer enough to keep him tempered. The weapon he was needed use.

Nik tracked the bear in the skin of a wolf most of the day; its steps staggering and random. Every so often he would find bits of blood in the snow.

“Its sick and dying.” Nik explained shifting back, “We need to find it and ease its suffering.”

“I can end it quick enough.” Baz nodded, summoning his swords from the divine space they occupied.

“No,” Nik put his hand on Baz’s arm and lowered the sword. “You’ll learn today not everything needs to be solved with a sword.”

“It’s a danger, though right?”

“If left alone yes,” Nik explained. “But we need to know why.”

“Because it’s a bear?” Baz raised and eyebrow.

“It’s a living thing Baz, it needs compassion.”

“Helping me wasn’t a one-off thing then?” He asked.

“I find things that are hurting Baz.” Nik smiled. “and then I help them.”

“Show me.” Baz nodded his swords going back from whence they came.

Nik nodded and the two of them continued to follow the bear’s staggering path. By midafternoon then had found it; a giant, sickly, old, grizzly bear, fur in patches, thinning and missing an eye. The creature was nearing death but still was fighting to live.

“Stay here.” He told Baz speaking a spell softly to himself, “I’m going to talk to it.”

“It’s a bear Nik.”

“Druid Baz.” Nik pointed to himself as he began to approach.

Hello there, Niks spoked to the creature as he took a few steps closer. Your seem like you’re hurting, I can help if you let me.

The bears head turned, and Nik saw that its one good eye was clouded over. He moved just out of arms reach of the creature and summoned some berries to his hand. The bear sniffed the air came close to him. Nik moves his hand through the beast’s matted far, it liked was offered him, but there were no thoughts beyond the want of food. The bear’s mind was gone. Old and dying of the forest rot; the small bit of the Queen of Rots’s influence his people could not keep at bay. He saw the small mushroom growing from its ears, Nik sighed and turned an on eye on Baz, who was tense and ready to strike.

“He’s alright Baz, just near the end of his time,” he reassured the assassin, “I’ll make him comfortable so he can live he last few days without pain.”

“Would it not be better to kill him not and end to suffering.” Baz asked drawing closer to the creature, his swords only slightly relaxed.

“His time will end soon Baz,” Nik reaching out and touched the beast’s face. “But it’s not up to us to decide that end. We do not kill if we do not have to. He will leave when he is ready.”

Nik let his healing magic set to work on the bear, the creature laying down in the snow as he eased his pain. Baz was watching oven his shoulder..

“Here,” Nik said taking Baz by the hand “Touch him.”

Baz stiffened warily as Nik guided his hand across the bears fur, but after a moment like most things he did he relaxed and Nik let him go on his own.

“How’s much longer does he have?” Baz asked eyeing the sickly creature.

“A week I’d say at most. There’s no food for him right now and he’s too sickly to last until the thaw.” Nik explained. “The spell I used should make the days pass a little easier for him.”

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Baz broke the connection with the creature and stepped back as Nik check the bear over once more. Nothing else wrong with him but the passage of time he was glad to see. Once he was done, he summons another handful of berries and laid them beside the creature’s nose.

“If he eats them maybe he’ll get a few more days.” Nik rose out of the snow. “He won’t come close to camp now, let’s leave him.”

Baz nodded and the two of them started to walk back to the tribe. Baz said nothing for a while, as if thinking what’s to say kicking the snow as they walk.

“How can you be so kind to things that could kill you?” He said after a while.

“Because I take time to understand and listen. Just like I did with you.”

“But I could have killed you.”

“But you didn’t.” Nik smiled and took his hand as they walked.

“I’m not a bear.”

“No you’re worse.” Nik chuckled “but the lesson is the same. Find out why something is suffering and do your best to help it, even if you can’t save it.”

“You saved me then?”

“From frostbite at least.” Nik smiled. “Still working on a few....”

His sentence stopped short as Baz dropped his hand, the radiant glow of His swords manifesting blinded him for a just a moment as Baz pushed him back into the snow, spinning around to face something.

Nik blinked and his vision focused only to see that he bear had followed them. Now on his hind legs was about ready to come down on Baz. Roaring and showing it’s teeth. Nik could feel the rage and anger coming off him, that wasn’t there before. What had he missed? Has those few berried, rekindled his hunger?

One slash from Baz’s swords and it was over, a slice to the throat and the creature was dead. The woods fell silent as Nikulas sat frozen in the snow, watching as Baz loomed over the bear. After a moment the swords dropped into the snow and disappeared. Baz turned to look at Nik, the front of his white clothes and faces spattered with blood. Nik rose to meet him but looked past his lover to the dead creature as the guilt rose in his chest. He’d been wrong and caused it suffering.

“Are you hurt?” Baz asked him a hand touching his shoulder, those purple eyes scanning him with a cold intensity.

“No, I’m fine.” Nik pushed passed him and went to kneel beside the body of the bear as the snow turned red around him. He reached out a hand and touched the bears motionless body, shutting its dead eyes and allowing his magic to start the decomposing process.

“You were wrong.” Baz came to sit beside him.

“No I just wasn’t right.” Nik sighed. “We don’t kill often, but maybe this time I should have... I just hate it.”

“You’re not a killer Nik.”

“Yeah and I have been trying so hard to stop you from being one,” He rubbed the blood off his hands into the snow. “And here you just saved me.”

“I think before I do it now and that’s something I can thank you for. I didn’t want to kill it...” Baz wiped the blood off his face. “But I had to save you. I guess that’s good reason right?”

Nik smiled at his words and took his hand again; they were hot and warmed on his cold fingers. This was not how he hoped this lesson would go but Baz had learn so much more in the end.

“We need to thank it,” he looked at the slowly rotting bear. “It’s death marks an important moment in this forest. For in its death a seed has been planted and within its body something great will grow.”

“And what’s that?”

“A Druid and the new life he will protect.” Nik looked as Baz the blood still staining his face. “You’re ready Baz...if you still want to learn.”

“Yeah…” Baz look between Nik and the bear, and a sad smiled crossed his face. “I think do. But didn’t the elder’s say you couldn’t teach me.”

“Fuck the Elders, you’re ready.”

*****

Nik recounted the tale to the elders and the rest of tribe they agreed to let Baz learn their way. No push back or resistance, like they were finally listing to his words. Nik didn’t believe it for a moment, but he was getting his way.

That night Baz took off the armour and vestments and Nik seals them safely within an mass of tangled roots in the corner of their tent for safe keeping. The brown leathers and furs made Baz look like a completely different person, smaller, but no less formidable, it seemed to relax him without the weight of the chains on his shoulder.

There was dancing and celebration afterward not only for Baz’s welcome but to honour the life of the bear. Nik took great pleasure in loosening Baz up with too much ale and showing him how to dance. Like most everything he took to it like a duck to water as Nik saw the person he knew was in there a long.

As the Druids, drunk, dance and sang through the night Baz’s smile grew wider, and his light grew brighter. Niklus watched as Baz let himself come undone, and couldn’t help but smile. Shirt half off in the cold of a winter night, dancing around the fire, his hands finding a way to touch every man in the tribe. This was not what Nik had thought he’d uncover but, here it was.

“Hey boo.” Baz danced over and wrapped his arms around Nik’s shoulders and pulling him into a deep kiss.

“Boo?” Nikus raised an eyebrow.

“Don’t know, sounded right?” Baz laughed and kissed him again. “This is amazing Nik,”

“So you’re a happy drunk then,” Nik said when he came up for air.

“Sure,” Baz kissed down his neck, “Now, how about you start teaching me now, we’ve been doing in the same moves since we started sinning, there has to be something knew.”

“There is,” Nik ran fingers through Baz hair, he liked that he was finally initiating things. “How about you try what you want and I’ll guide you along.”

“I think I have a few ideas.”

*************

The next morning Baz didn’t pray, nor did he think about doing so. He slept in, and he and Nik enjoyed each other for hours, until the need for food and drink finally rose them from bed. Nik didn’t remind him either. It might have been selfish on his part, but this Baz was soft and affectionate, without the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, he was just living and that was all Nik had wanted him to learn. They rest would just be extra.