Never Surrender

19

It was morning and I woke up to the smell of cooking. "Good morning sleepy head, I was beginning to worry you weren't going to wake up," Jaskier said. 

"You were worrying for nothing then," I replied shifting into my human form. 

"Why are you so grumpy, did you not sleep well?" he asked. 

"Well I did after you stopped snoring," I replied.

"I feel insulted, I don't snore!" he exclaimed. 

"Oh believe me you do," Geralt said suddenly making his presence known. 

"How long have you been tailing me for?"  I asked. 

"Since you left, thinking you were clever," he replied. 

"Then why didn't you show yourself sooner?" I inquired. 

"I wanted to remind you what it was like for you being alone," he said throwing himself down next to me. 

"How did I do?" I asked. 

"You didn't do too bad," he replied. 

"You're The Geralt of Rivia!" Jaskier exclaimed, getting up and walking closer to him. 

"I am indeed," he nodded. "Who's this?" Geralt pointed at him. 

"Some lost Bard looking for you," I answered taking a sip from my animal skin flask. 

"Go back to where ever you came from, this world is not for a Bard," Geralt growled. 

"I did try to tell him," I said. 

"Well obviously not good enough, because he is still here," Geralt said turning to me, our eyes locked. 

"Have I done something to offend you two?" Jaskier asked moving closer to us. 

"Can you fight?" I asked. 

"No," he answered. 

"Do you have any weapons?" Geralt inquired. 

"No," he replied. 

"Go home human,  go back to your town," I said. 

"I would listen to her, Phoenix knows best," Geralt said. 

"So I have heard, is that before or after when she mindlessly attacked you?" he asked.

"You don't know what the circumstances were," Geralt snapped. 

"Yes, I heard that she was weak and let the beast take over," he said. 

"You have no right to judge," I growled flashing my eyes yellow at him. 

"Phoenix breathe," he said and rested a hand on my arm. "You don't want to attack the Bard." 

"I do after what he said," I growled, the beast was not far off from the surface it was begging to be set free. 

"Don't waste your energy on shifting you may need that strength later," Geralt advised me. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath in and locked the wolf back into its cage again. "Leave human before you cause any more trouble." I watched Jaskier intently, my eyes followed his every move.  He stood up, threw his lute over his shoulders and walked away with his head hung low. My attention snapped to Geralt. "What?" 

"Nothing," I said throwing myself back onto the forest floor. 

"You need to get a handle on that wolf," he said, "you're not just a danger to me or yourself but you will be to others." 

"I know," I sighed and rolled my eyes. 

"It's for your own good, I am not going to attempt separate you two again, it was too risky," he reminded me. "Maybe we should consult the elves?" 

"No," I said pulling my head up from the ground.

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