Devouring midnight

Sitting down in the shallow water, he huffed to himself. He touched his ear, sticky blood seeping out of it where Dennai had bitten him.
"Dammit." He sighed to himself, stepping out of the water dripping across the beach to where they all sat, taking extra care to get M at least a little bit soggy.

Dennai grinned up at him, stuffing the clump of hair into his pocket, using his Kage shield to stay out of the way of the sopping wet moggy boy. He saw M stir but if anything the water on his skin and clothes made him more comfortable with his face in the sand.
"Look whose all wet!" Dennai giggled, lying back within Kage's shadow. He kept his hands hovering over his hair, as much as he liked messing with Haru, he didn't want to lose all of his hair.

"I will shave you." He grumbled, flopping down onto the sand, wringing his hair. "But actually it's quite nice in the water, maybe I should throw you in and see if you float." He laid back on the soft sand, trying to coax what remained of the covered sunlight to dry his wet clothes.

"Float? Of course I'd float! M floats! And M's as heavy as a rock sooooo..." He trailed off as he found himself looking at Haru's ear.
"Did I do that?...oops" He grinned nervously and looked to Kage, though he was still immersed in his book enough to ignore the guilty eyes.
"Didn't mean to make you bleed" For a moment he was quiet, but the hairs in his pocket gave him an idea and he crawled over to the intoxicated male, pulling the small clump of Haru out, he swept them lightly over M's nose, grinning as he batted him away.

Haru shot Dennai a death glare, nursing his throbbing ear with his hand gently. Shifting back in the sand his eyes widened as he realised what the boy was doing.
"Dear God, don't wake the beast. Maybe I won't have to murder you, he'll get there first!"

Dennai didn't stop but grinned at Haru nonetheless.
"He won't kill me! He looooooooves me" The boy jumped to his feet and flopped down on M's back, sweeping the hairs over his nose once more, pausing only when the great mass of flesh sneezed in recognition of the irritating tickle.
"Why are you so scared of him? He's sleeping...you really are a great big pu-"
"Dennai." Kage cut in quickly, his eyes peering over the top of his book like an observant parent.
"Um..." Dennai dropped the hairs and abandoned his sentence. Before he could slide away from M there was a loud cough like sneeze and the 'beast' sat up so quickly that Dennai was thrown a couple of metres backward, landing on the sand with a brief cry of shock and reflexes that came too late.
"The Hell?!" M screeched, itching his nose to find a few stray strands of what smelled like Haru. Once his nose was clear he simply fell forward onto the sand again, not quite awake but unable to sleep with his headache that he knew he'd not fallen asleep with.

"Yeah really loves you." He retorted rolling his eyes. "And I'm not scared of M I just know that if he wants a fight I can't take him. Though he's already pissed at me because I acted up." Haru grinned remembering the incident that had happened mere hours ago.

Shaking the sand from his hair and clothes Dennai smirked, with his arms behind his back he swaggered back over to them.
"Can't take him? You're a whiiimp, I could take him anyway" He walked around M knowing full well that he was too tired to be interested in a challenge, so Dennai's attention was on Haru once again.
"If you can't take M...does that mean you cant take me?" It was the only warning Dennai gave before he leapt at Haru, his eyes set on his other ear deeming it ready for a good chew.

This time Haru was ready, grabbing Dennai as he pounced, gripping his arm and pulling it behind his back, forcing him to the floor and holding him steady.
"Actually I can take you. I just don't like picking on twelve year olds." He smirked "And yeah I'm a wimp for not taking M on but I'm as tall as his girth. I'm not about to take some stupid risk and end up crushed. Which is why it's unfair of me to fight you."

Dennai squirmed and wriggled but was unable to escape, not that he was trying too hard, it was all a game to him, now he was ever more determined to bite Haru's other ear. He gritted his teeth only to growl one word.
"Fourteen!" Without being able to aim or control his leg, he kicked upward in defense, resuming his squirming, though it did little to help.
"Good thing he's short" M mumbled, slow to catch Haru's words.

"Fourteen, twelve not much difference." He smirked, avoiding Dennai's legs. He was almost considering letting him go, but knew the repercussions would be great. Most likely on his non-mangled ear. "Looks like I got a great chance to shave you now." He muttered.

Dennai gasped as he heard the dreaded 'S' word and his squirming became real.
"I don't want you to shave me! I like my hair! Kage! Tell him!" He whined, trying to turn his head and plead with Kage directly, but a book blocked his chance.
"I told you Dennai, I'm not getting involved, you're responsible for you and whatnot..." Dennai kicked out a few more times and tried to push Haru away but felt himself sinking slightly into the sand he was moving in. While he struggled in an attempt to save his hair, a low warning growl emanated from the she-wolf who's eyes were now firmly on Haru. Dennai's whining was like that of her pups.

Haru laughed to himself, raking his hand in a straight line through Dennai's hair, making a low buzzing noise.
"Sorry Den, looks like you're kinda bald now." He grinned, pulling his hand away. "Though I can't be bothered to do it all. So you'll look fine like that."

"Like what?" Dennai shrieked, pushing himself up and darting away in a series of panicked movements, his hands roaming his head in search of any missing hair. His breath had quickened and his eyes were wide but he stopped when he realised that his hair was untouched.
"You...didn't shave me?...!" His eyes narrowed and he seated himself on the sand.
"Dirty rat, scaring me for no reason, scaring my hair..."

"Yeah well, I don't carry shaving tools on me permanently otherwise you would be bald." He laughed. Haru didn't think it would work as well as it did, after all Dennai claimed to be fourteen, something Haru still disbelieved, so in an aspect he should've seen through it. But knowing that he didn't set the smile wider across his face.

Dennai stuck out his tongue, his arms folded as he glared at Haru from his spot on the sand.
"Just wait until we're on the boat" He murmured, envisioning himself dangling Haru over the side by his tail, not that he thought himself overly strong, but in his mind Haru was just a scrawny cat in desperate need of a bath Dennai would be all too happy to give him.
"Just wait...you'll be Bald before me...."

Haru shook his head and lay back in the sand.
"Good luck with that. Though I still have to find where Aidan went, he said we could go but I think he's a bit on the drunk side...especially after what happened with M. So we won't be going 'till he comes and gets us...or at least shouts loud enough when he sobers up."

"No shoutiiiiiiiiiiing" M grumbled, vaguely aware of the conversation from his spot on the sand.
"I suppose when he's ready we'll simply have to go whether he's sober or not..." Kage said, folding away his book so that he could lie back on the sand and think, the closest he seemed to come to sleeping.
"More waiting?" Albany asked, cuddling one of the wolf pups to keep her mind relaxed.
"Why are we waiting up here anyway?...we're a little out of the way, aren't we?"

"We didn't walk far though and I wouldn't put it past that freak to already be out looking. Just makes sense to get as far away as possible." He turned to watch Amoux, seeing how the she-wolf was handling Albany touch her pups.

Kage thought for a little while as no one seemed to say much more and the slow sound of palm on young bristled fur reached his ears.
"So who is this man that you all seem to be fleeing from anyway? I probed M's mind a little...but he was scarce with the details..." He briefly sought out Albany's face, but she would not raise her eyes to him, it was an open enough question but she had already made up her mind not to answer it.

Haru remained silent, letting the question roll off his back instead.
"Are yeh ready or not?!" A slurred voice yelled, breaking the growing tension. Haru flipped onto his stomach glancing up at the form of Aidan, who was supporting himself against a tree. "Tides only out fer so long, getta move on kitteh!"

"So that's Aidan..." Albany said, plopping the pup from her arms back onto the soft sand, watching it stumble briefly.
"Already on his feet..." She glanced down at M, face still flat on the sand. "...M?" He didn't move, he'd drifted off again. Without a moments notice Kage had grabbed an ankle and had already begun dragging him across the sand with little trouble.
"Time to go!" Dennai happily declared, leaping over to Haru, his back exposed it became the perfect place to land.
"Yah!"

Haru yelped in surprise, slowly struggling to his feet with the extra weight, but finding himself pleasantly stable once he got up.
"Fine I'll give you a lift, but I'm not a bloody horse." He sighed, readjusting Dennai so he could support him properly, staggering through the soft stand to where Aidan was standing, clutching a bottle in his hand.
"Facking lightweight!" He laughed. "Though Mac ain't please about the 'mount o' glass tha' shattered. I found it funny ter be honest wit' ya."

Despite being dragged face down along in the sand, M's ears remained exposed to the insult and his limp hand formed into a fist but for a single digit which he groggily used to give Aidan the finger.
"Kaaaaaaage, am I taller than you yet?" Dennai asked from his new vantage point on Haru's back, though it was obvious that Kage was still taller than them both.
Already Dennai was settling down boredly, his eyes wandering slowly upward until they saw Haru's other ear, all he had to do was wait, until no one suspected him.

"Awww is tha' t'best yeh can do?" Aidan laughed, stumbling towards the docks. "Yeh can't even chase meh now aye?" Draining the last of the drink he still held, he tossed the bottle asside, watching it shatter on the ground. "C'mon then children!"
Haru could feel Dennai go limp on his back, making sure to keep his ears pressed firmly to his head, he didn't want to risk loosing the other one.