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The clapping was an interesting way of getting his attention and turning away from his constructs he found his audience was a young boy, probably no older than eight. Kid must have been drawn in by all the buzzing, though the look on his face wasn't exactly entertained or in wonder. Curious probably, judging by the book the kid must have been reading when he started practicing.

He gave a small wave, smiling to assure the kid he wasn't annoyed. Though with his concentration off the swarm, the half finished cube bubbled out into an amorphous blob again.  "Hey there! What's up?"he asked, more than willing to have company whilst practicing. Besides, kids weren't so bad. Just curious little buggers. Though this would be the first time in a long time that he had talked to one without a parent dragging them away.

The turning of autumn was a great opportunity of material collecting, seeing what mater worked best with what constructs. He knew the groundskeeper certainly didn't mind him raking up the leaves, sticks, and whatever else he could find nearly every morning. Though he was having to spread out his practice sessions a bit more, the trees around the school could only give so much in a few nights. Still he was grateful that he was even able to practice this much in the open. Usually it was a construct here, a construct there, small undetectable things.

Alex shivered, part anticipation, part cold wind, and he was reminded once again he'd have to go shopping for clothes at some point. But that was on a to-do list a mile long that he's been putting off since moving. No sense in thinking about it now. The task at hand demanded his concentration. On either side of him were piles of debris. If he guessed right about ten to fifteen pounds each. The problem was simple, take two sources of material and combined them into one. Something he had only ever done in distress and not on purpose. It put a strain on his mind, dividing and then recombining like that.

So to start off easy one insect swarm each to combine into one hive mind. Spreading his hand out over each pile he inhaled, eyes slipping closed in concentration, and on the exhale began the task of transforming the materials into two small swarms of locust.

It was the man with electricity sparking up his hands that spoke first, "You know this guy kid?" Void looked from the two men back to Alex, a bit concerned. "Yeah, a while back. It's been what, 1 year or so, right Rebirth?"he said. Looking at his face, nostalgia shouldn't be so clearly written. "Try 3, Void. I-" He jolted when a ring tone suddenly went off and the two men took that as their cue to start firing. Alex didn't get a chance to react. Thankfully Void did, sending up a wall of darkness to shield him. Unfortunately it didn't absorb everything, so the impact force sent him sprawling.

"C'mon guys that's enough!" Void's shield melted away and could see that they were still ready to fire on him. "You're right, kid, time to get moving."the man with the gun put the weapon away and picked up some of the art they were stealing. "But-" Void started only to be cut off by the second man. "No buts, open the portal! Now!"

Alex sat up, scrambling to his feet as Void opened up the portal. "No...Void wait!" The two men were already stepping into the portal, loot in their arms. "Sorry, Reb. We'll catch up later, promise." Void hesitated to step into the portal, watching Alex race toward him. Then he stepped in, portal closing behind him, leaving behind a blank wall for Alex to nearly run into. "No...No, damnit! That's not fair! Void, please..." He leaned his head against the wall, wishing the portal would open back up, that he could see the kid again. He had thought Void had been dead for so long, that it had been his fault he disappeared. Now the only evidence the kid had ever been here were the blank spots on the walls where the paintings had been.

The kid had been alive this whole time, alive and alone to be picked up by a pair of thieving vultures. Who knew what they were doing to him to get him to work with them. Suddenly, all food he had eaten earlier felt sour in his gut and all he could do was sink to his knees.

So we can have multiple events going on in the thread at the same time right?

        Alex grumbled, burying himself further into the warm fur. Fur…Where in the world did he find fur? He opened his eyes, blurrily looking at the source of warmth, only to jolt when finding it’s not a what but more of a who. Olive was still sleeping, snoring softly. She didn’t seem to care that the boy had been cuddling up to her just seconds ago. Blushing brightly, Alex looked over the edge of the nest to see if he could get down himself.

        However, something caught his eye. Herbert stood in the small clearing, looking at the first light of the rising sun as if he could glare it back under the horizon. There was no stopping it’s steady march and the moment the thicker beams of light passed over the tops of the tree Alex soon saw why Herbert glared at it so much. It was as if the sun sapped the strength from his body, once youthful flesh turned wrinkled beneath the new sun. Herbert was gritting his teeth, veins bulging at his neck, pain apparent.

        Alex didn’t know how long he just sat there and watched the transformation. Nevertheless, when it was done Herbert tipped backward, looking he was going to fall over. Suddenly B.D. was flying down catching him. Herbert had aged greatly in the light; no longer a young twenty something but withered into someone who looked at least 70. Maybe older, there was no real telling.

        “It’s strange right.” Olive’s voice startled him and he looked at the wolf girl who was now laying her muzzle on the edge of the nest. Below them B.D. helped Herbert sit on one of the logs, murmuring something about making breakfast. “Just last night he was young man and now, older than dirt. It’s a wonder he survived on his own like this.”Olive sighed.

        “So that’s his mutation, switching between old and young? That’s kinda lame.”Alex looked over at Olive to find her smirking. “No, that’s not his mutation. It’s a side effect of it. From what we know, he’s an immortal and can regenerate any wound at night. Which is probably why he smokes like a chimney.”
Alex blinked at this new information and looked back down at Herbert and B.D. Herbert was smoking now whilst the man bat prepared leftovers for breakfast. “C’mon, let’s go eat.” Olive was suddenly picking him up again, carrying him down the tree to join their friends.

        Once they had their fill, it was time to move out. From here was the start of everything. They followed back roads, going further north to places that became more and more remote. Sometimes they wouldn’t see a road for days, maybe more. The walks were long, exhausting treks through tough terrain. Enough so that Olive would pull him up on to her shoulders to carry him. After a few weeks of doing this she began to call him pup. Which he found pretty annoying. He wasn’t a child after all, he was just as capable as them.

        And he was out to prove it. Everyday Alex was treated to a new lesson. Sometimes enforced by the group and sometimes mandated by nature. He was taught how to catch, kill and prepare his own food. He learned the difference between what plants were and weren’t edible. The first time he mistook poisonous berries for edible ones was a hard couple of nights. The first time he had to kill a rabbit resulted in tears.

        When they would come across a small town or a lone gas station, Alex would go with Herb to gather supplies they couldn’t get in the wild. These were the more disagreeable lessons. Stealing wasn’t right in his mind but at the same time he came to understand the need. When you were in need, there was no time to argue. Either you do and gain or you don’t and go without. Herb would do most of the stealing while he distracted folks or kept look out. While other times he would be the one stealing while Herbert distracted people.

        After leaving one such town, Herb surprised him with a gift. An old book on animal anatomy. “I’m sure the library won’t miss it. Besides it could be useful to you. Study up, a growing mind like yours needs a good education.”

        Alex was getting stronger in his abilities as the days went by, more confident with their encouragement. His mutation was a good thing, an incredible thing, something he should be proud of. That’s what they kept telling him anyway. Bolstered by their words he tried other tactics for hunting, using constructs instead of doing it himself. Moreover, as with anything new there were times that he went hungry for his trouble. Nevertheless, with each iteration there was improvement.

        As the summer months wound down and the nights got colder, they headed south again. Like a small family of migratory birds, Alex learned that it was best to follow the weather where it would be mild and sunny. But walking didn’t always get them where they wanted to go fast enough. The cold nights were starting to wear everyone down.

        That’s when B.D. got the brilliant idea of holding up a food semi. Occasionally they would see them pass through the busier highways, mostly followed by other semi’s and a few sparse cars. B.D. argued that it’d be easier than hunting for the winter and if the semi was traveling this way it must have food that had long shelf lives. Herbert was not convinced to say the least.

        He would have stayed that way if it wasn’t slowly becoming apparent that having a fourth member who consumed plenty of food daily would require more than they could hunt and steal. Alex of course felt guilty about this. He did his best to pull his own weight but being young and inexperienced put him at a disadvantage. Eventually Herbert relented; holding up a semi was one of their better options for the time being. But he made it clear that if they were in danger that they should leave immediately.

        B.D. was a little too enthusiastic about it. That night they staked out the highway that cut through the mountains. It was just after four am when they saw it, a semi with the label of some grocery store. It was all alone. The bat-like mutant was the first to go, flying high above it before diving toward it, crashing on the roof of the cab. From where he and Olive were laying in wait, they saw the semi swerve dangerously before coming to a halt.

        Olive ran for the back of the semi, Alex and B.D. right behind her. She didn’t waste any time and broke the lock with her bare hands. “I grabbed the keys ya know.” B.D. sighed holding up the key ring. “Is the driver okay?” Alex spoke up as Olive hefted up the trailer door. “He’s fine kid.”B.D. chuckled.

        “C’mon you two, let’s grab the stuff and get out of here.”Olive tore into boxes, pulling out different foodstuffs and handing them over to B.D. to stuff into a duffel bag. Alex was left outside to keep a look out for trouble. It was only a few minutes later that he spotted some. “Uh, guys…guys!” He slapped on the floor of the semi trailer to get their attention. The driver was up and getting out of the cab. “Guys he’s got a gun!”

        Olive was quick to wrap up at that, shove the bag toward B.D. and grabbing Alex, swinging him up onto her shoulders. “Hold on!” Olive wasted no time running on all fours, B.D. taking to the skies bag of food clutched in claw. It was then that shots were fired, the first few missing completely. The next one however found it’s mark, carving its way into Alex’s left shoulder.

---

        He must have blacked out after that, because the next moment he opened his eyes he was somewhere safe and warm. Herbert was yelling, furious, “You should have kept a better eye out! We need to take him to the hospital!”, and B.D. was sounded like he was sobbing, guilt in his voice, “He’s just a kid, we should have sent him home, what were we thinking! He’s a kid!”

        Alex didn’t know if he had made a sound or if Olive, who he realized was holding him, notified the two panicking men that he opened his eyes. “Alex, thank god, I need you to stay awake. We’re going to take you to the hospital, alright.”Olive’s voice was soft as she moved slowly to stand up. “No…” He couldn’t go back, they’d take him away from them. He only just started getting to know them, he had found a place here, they couldn’t take that away, not yet. “Alex you’re going to bleed out at this rate. I’m sorry, we have to go.”

        Olive pressed her paw like hand against his wound, trying to keep pressure on it as she ran. Somewhere above them he heard B.D.’s wings and the whistle of wind rushing by. Things started to blur together from there. Suddenly he was in Herbert’s arms and they were no longer in the forest but a town, no a hospital. Herbert was call for help, begging for someone to save his nephew. Right…it would have been strange if a man just suddenly came in with a bleeding kid with no relation to them.

        He was placed on a gurney and Herbert stayed long enough to promise that he’d be back for him. That they’d be back on the road in no time. That never happened. When he came to a nurse told him how lucky he had been that the bullet hit his scapula, the shoulder bone, and nothing major. Apparently, the doctors had been worried that an artery had been hit with how much blood he lost.

---

        He waited two days, two days withstanding questions and lying through his teeth hoping that someone would show up for him. But no one showed up, no one came back for him. It would only be a matter of time before the hospital staff caught on that something was up. Even with his shoulder still hurting it was time to move on. If they didn’t want him, he didn’t need them.

He looked up when she walked into the kitchen, saying nothing while she got her coffee and sat down across from him. The distance was comfortable for him, far enough that he could make a run for the door if he needed to. Geez why was he thinking of escape plans? She wasn't going to hurt him, he was sure of that. Okay maybe not so sure, if he was thinking of escape routes. He never really went into depth with anyone about his past with anyone. Surface stuff, sure, but details, never.

"So... have you by any chance thought about what I suggested last week at our meeting?"

He nodded, prodding at the soggy cereal in his bowl. "Yeah, a lot of thought...I, uh... I actually retraced my path on a map for clarity." He pulled the folded up paper from his pocket and placing it on the table by his bowl. "I thought it'd help. I've got a lot of things that you should know." He only hoped that it would stay between them.

The week hadn't exactly been easy on him. He couldn't do it, he couldn't just give up on what could potentially be a permanent home for him. So he got his hands on a map of the U.S. and in retracing his steps he found memories pulling themselves out of their long buried spaces. It made sleeping a little more difficult than usual. However, bad dreams or not, he knew this was for the best. He needed to get on with his life, rejoin society as it were. And he couldn't very well do that living the way he had.

Still it didn't make it any easier, which was why he was sitting in the kitchen rather than going straight to Miss T. He figured if he ate something it would make things easier on him. Though this time he didn't send Ace to hunt like usual. He didn't have motivation for it. Instead he had bowl of cereal, which was a lot more boring than he remembered. Maybe it was the time and distance but when did cereal become so lame? Too late to make eggs or anything else. He just had to deal with what he had.

He took a sip of his coffee, letting the warmth sooth his nerves. The sooner he fessed up the better he would feel later.