Chapter 58.3

“Hey, you two,” she said. “Can I assume your presence means we’re on the right track?”Tadhgán nodded. “You can. It’s not a bad place for them, honestly. A bit of shelter, the river would provide water, and it seems like they were slowly coming together a short while back. Any chance Amara and Tessa can block off the other side of the canyon so we can catch them?”

“Yeah, gimme a sec,” Vee said, pulling out her phone. “Where are you at?”

“What?! How did you end up there?”

“No, Tadhgán says they’re all at the canyon, and we need you to get to the other side so we can block them off.”

“Well, I don’t know, can’t you GPS it?”

“Okay, I’ll have Chloé flag you down, and then you take the other side, got it?”

Vee’s face turned bright red for a moment. “No one is double teaming anyone! Just get your butt over here!” After hanging up on Amara, Vee huffed and turned to Chloé. “Hey, can you—”

“Yup! Got it!” Chloé said, shooting into the sky to help Amara locate the canyon.

Tadhgán leaned closer to Nick and gently nudged him. “Okay, magic, right?” he asked, pointing at Vee’s phone.

“Surprisingly not,” Nick said. “But I don’t blame you for being suspicious. If I hadn’t grown up here, I would absolutely believe phones are magic.”

“Phones?”

“Long story short, they allow us to talk to anyone we want, anywhere on the planet, at any time. We can also use them to access the entirety of human knowledge, take pictures, make art… they can pretty much do everything.”

Tadhgán laughed as he shook his head. “You lot have the strangest definition of magic.”

Deciding it would be fun to show Tadhgán his phone, Nick reached into his pocket. He then quickly remembered that he kept his phone in his jacket, which he’d given away. Nick awkwardly asked permission to reach for the inner pocket, which thankfully Tadhgán didn’t find strange in the slightest. As Nick grabbed his phone, his fingers brushed against Tadhgán’s chest, and it was impossible to ignore how well-defined his body was.

Blushing slightly, Nick turned his attention to his phone. “Here, see? This is mine.”

“And you can make pictures with that thing? How?”

“So, if I click here twice… there we go!” Nick leaned towards Tadhgán, angling the selfie camera so that they were both in the frame. Tadhgán flinched as he saw himself on the screen, and craned his neck closer to get a better look.

“I swear to the moons, Nicholas, if this thing traps my soul or steals my face…”

Nick laughed. “Don’t worry, it can’t do anything like that. Here, keep your eyes focused on that black dot, then smile in three, two, one…”

The camera clicked, and soon Nick had Tadhgán’s very first selfie in his phone. Tadhgán flinched in surprise, then ran his fingers over his face just to be safe. “What did that just do?” he asked, his voice betraying his concern.

“It’s like drawing a picture or making a painting, but the phone does all the work,” Nick said. He showed the picture to Tadhgán, then to prove the camera wasn’t harmful, he scrolled through his photos to show off other things he’d taken pictures of. “See? Now we have a picture commemorating this moment. No one is hurt; we all have our faces. Plus, I think you look pretty good!” Nick added with a laugh.

As they finished examining Tadhgán’s first selfie, Chloé flew down and announced that she’d found Amara. They now had groups on both sides of the canyon, and were fairly confident they’d be able to trap the wolves.

Tadhgán took the lead, carefully staying ten to fifteen feet in front of Vee, Nick, and Chloé. As he explained it to Nick, the wolves were familiar with his scent, and if they saw him first, he might be able to help pacify them. As he walked ahead, Nick couldn’t help but remember that he’d only given his new friend a jacket. Tadhgán’s legs were still mostly exposed to the elements, and Nick made a mental reminder to get him some better clothes once they pinned down the rogue wolves.

Sure enough, ten minutes later, the two groups met in the middle of the canyon. They waved at each other from hundreds of feet away while, in between them, Tadhgán carefully approached the three wolves that huddled together defensively underneath a small outcropping of stone.

Just like with the deer, Tadhgán was able to approach the wolves without issue. He gently brushed their coats with his hands, smoothing down their hackled fur and whispering soft reassurances to each of them in kind. Nick smiled as he watched Tadhgán work his magic again, then immediately wondered if, just like phones, Tadhgán would consider his affinity with animals simply a mundane fact of life.

Once the wolves had calmed down, Tadhgán took time to introduce Nick and all his friends to them. Chloé was over the moon at this, and Nick caught her giving a massive, silent “I told you so” to Tessa as they each greeted the wolves. Tessa rolled her eyes, but failed at holding back her own smile as she pet the otherworldly beasts. Amara and Vee were just as excited, though Vee’s shudders told Nick that she was probably still imagining wolf fur magically embedding itself inside her. Thankfully, the introductions went well, and soon planning was underway to move the wolves to the facility underneath Lysander Hall, where they could be kept safe until Tessa found a way to return them home.

Many hours later, after several close calls with random students, the wolves had been successfully moved to the facilities under Lysander Hall. It had been a slow and painful process, but with Tadhgán’s steady hand, they managed to avoid any injuries to both themselves and the animals. Instead of keeping them inside the smaller rooms, like they’d done with the first wolf, they set up barricades around the various entrances to the massive center chamber to give them all more space. Once they were finished relocating the blankets, food and water dishes, and various toys the AV club had donated, they were content to call this operation a success.

They opted to leave through the Whitmore Hall exit, with Tessa leading the way through the maze-like corridors. Nick and Tadhgán followed closely behind her, with Chloé, Amara, and Vee holding up the rear.

“Ugh, I need to take, like, three showers after all of that,” Vee complained. Nick briefly turned around to see her plucking stray fur off her coat as she walked.

“I’m gonna need the same, but, uh… for other reasons,” Amara muttered. It was impossible to miss her bright red tail as it snaked behind Vee, caressing the curves of her hips and ass. Amara’s eyes were glowing more than usual, which meant she was politely holding back how horny she was for everyone else’s sake.

If anything, Nick was surprised at how proficient Amara had gotten at keeping her urges in check. Her mastery over illusions had been the biggest reason no one had found them ferrying three magical wolves across campus, and she’d kept her magic running for pretty much the entire trek. Based on personal experience, Nick knew that she was running on fumes. Memories of all the times he’d kept her fed in the past popped into his head, though he tried not to dwell on those thoughts.

“Tess,” Nick asked, trying to distract himself. “What’s the next step?”

“I need to get this stupid portal up and running,” the witch said. “We’ve got four wolves, an interplanar tourist, and no reason to think this is going to stop any time soon.”

With another glance up at Chloé, or at least, where he thought Chloé was, Nick started running the numbers. Vee and Amara needed their privacy, Tessa needed to pair up with Imani to work on the portal, and Chloé likely wouldn’t be a person for several hours, at least. That meant he was the only person available to keep Tadhgán company.

The thought brought a smile to his face.

“So, Tadhgán,” he started. “Sounds like you’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future. Is that alright with you?”

“It’s more than alright, Nicholas!” Tadhgán said with a smile. “I’ve been biting my tongue since we left the forest, but I have many questions about this place. Everything is so… shiny! There are hardly any trees, everything is made of stone and glass, it’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen before!”

Several minutes later, the group exited Whitmore Hall and went their separate ways. Nick and Tadhgán said goodbye to everyone, then Tadhgán gestured to Nick that he was ready for whatever came next. That gesture, conveniently enough, reminded Nick that Tadhgán was still wearing nothing but his original outfit and Nick’s jacket.

Looking up at the sky, Nick saw that the sun had already started its journey towards the horizon. They likely only had a few hours of daylight left, and Tadhgán clearly wanted to look around, so Nick wanted to ensure that he used those hours wisely.

“Alright, so, this place is called Aurelius University,” Nick said. He took the lead, charting a course towards his apartment in much the same way Tadhgán had taken charge of their travels through the forest earlier. “It’s a place where people come to further their education and begin to specialize in whatever tasks they think they want to do for the rest of their lives.”

Tadhgán nodded along as Nick spoke. “So, like, hunting?”

“Well, no, nothing like that. Hunting isn’t something humans need to do all that often. It’s more likely you’ll find people studying music, nursing, athletics, stuff like that.”

“That… makes more sense than I was expecting,” Tadhgán admitted. “Most of the villages I see back home work the same way, though with different skills. They’ll have someone who’s great with leather, and another who provides healing with various herbs and plants.”

“See? We’ve got more in common than you thought!” Nick playfully nudged Tadhgán as they walked.

“What about you, Nicholas? What do you do here?”

“I’m studying architecture. Ideally, I’ve love to spend my life designing buildings like these.” Nick gestured to all the structures surrounding them.

“As strange as they all look to me, I can’t deny they’re beautiful.” Tadhgán craned his head as he looked around. Moments later, a strong breeze swept across campus, causing him to shiver slightly as the wind danced around his exposed legs. “Still no idea how you manage in this weather, though.”

“Don’t worry, we’re heading back to my place,” Nick said. “Since you’re going to be here for at least a day or two, I’ll make sure you don’t freeze to death in the meantime. You can also use my shower if you want!”

“A bit of washing up sound phenomenal right now… Any chance you have access to a hot spring?”

Nick grinned as he looked at Tadhgán. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.”

“That’s a devious smirk, Nicholas,” Tadhgán said. “You’re lucky I like you, or else I’d suspect you were planning to drown me in the springs or something.”

“You’ll love it, trust me,” Nick said with a laugh. “We’ll let you wash up, then once you’re wearing warmer clothes, I’ll show you around some more.”

Tadhgán laughed before leaning closer, slipping an arm around Nick’s shoulder. “Music to my ears, Nicholas.”

It wasn’t long before they arrived at Nick’s apartment. He gave Tadhgán a very brief tour of his place, mostly because he didn’t feel there was much to say about it. His main focus was getting Tadhgán something that would make him more comfortable during his stay, so it wasn’t long before he introduced Tadhgán to the shower. It took a small bit of explanation, but thankfully he was a quick learner.

“Then, when you’re finished, you can use this towel to dry off. In the meantime, I’m going to rummage through my closet and try to find you something that—” Nick’s words caught in his throat as he briefly looked back at Tadhgán, who was already partially undressed.

Tadhgán paused, looking at Nick. “Something that what?”

“Sorry, uh, something that fits comfortably. I’ll just, um, leave you to it!” Nick said, quickly leaving the room to give Tadhgán privacy.

Half an hour later, Nick had laid out several outfits that he thought might fit Tadhgán. With no idea what his style might be, he also did his best to choose a variety of different colors and materials, just to be safe. He’d only just grabbed a seat on the bed when the bathroom door opened and Tadhgán walked around.

“Nicholas, that might be my favorite thing about this place,” Tadhgán said excitedly. “You’ve got your own personal hot spring? At all times? By the moons, I’d never leave my home if I had that!”

With a quiet chuckle, Nick looked over at Tadhgán. His response caught in his throat, however, when he realized that Tadhgán hadn’t bothered covering himself with the towel and was completely nude, save for a collection of trinkets, feathers, and small carved circles that hung from his neck. Nick’s face flushed as he averted his eyes, though he didn’t manage to move quickly enough; he saw enough to piece together that Tadhgán’s body was just as impressive below the waist as it was above.

“Everything alright?” Tadhgán asked. “I haven’t offended you, have I?”

“No! No, it’s fine, I just… wasn’t expecting you to be naked. Around here, um, humans typically only express nudity in front of romantic or sexual partners…” Nick quietly gestured to the piles of clothes he’d laid out. “These clothes are for you, just, uh, pick whatever feels the most comfortable.”

“My apologies, Nicholas,” Tadhgán muttered, his words powerfully sincere.

Even looking away, Nick found himself blushing again. He was starting to grow quite fond of the way Tadhgán continued to call him Nicholas.