Chapter Text
Razor has always lived in the Wolvendom.
At least, that’s all he’s ever been able to remember. He was told by Andrius once that the wolf lord found Razor in the forest when he was nothing more than a baby. As a child, Razor took that to mean that the forest must have created him. Even after seeing wolf pups being born to the pack, it would be many many years before he realized one could only be born from someone who looked like them.
And since Razor wasn’t a tree, he must…have come from somewhere else. Someone else.
But it was a complicated thing to think about and Razor hated complicated things, so he made himself not think about it all through his childhood. His wolf family said he was a wolf like them, and that’s all he needed to be content.
It wasn’t until he met his first human that his life views were brought into question. The tall human looked more like Razor than his family did, at least in terms of shape. He walked on two legs without a long snout or claws or a tail. This man had arms with fingers, hair that was only thick at the top of his head, and he had a smile without fangs.
Only then did Razor start to question what he is.
Human? Or wolf?
Andrius had no simple answer for him.
“I knew one day you would grow curious and ask this of me,” Andrius admitted. “You are not a wolf…but nor are you human either,” he told him. “You are simply…you. And you need not be anything more.”
Andrius was the wisest of his lupical, his family, so he tried to live by those words. Razor would simply be Razor, and that is all he need be.
After that the tall human did three things for Razor. He gave the feral boy of the Wolvendom his name, brought him better clothes than the tattered animal hides he wore, and he taught Razor how to use a weapon. It was heavy and unwieldy at first, but in time he grew to like it, just like he grew to like his name and clothes. But the sword was the most valued, as he treated it like his own personal claw that he could sharpen to the finest edge and protect his family with.
A number of things happened after that.
The man disappeared from his forest never to return, but a woman from the city took his place. She smelled of ink with purple roses etched onto her clothing. Lisa is who she introduced herself as, and said she was to become his mentor, a teacher, to help him understand his newly acquired electro Vision. And since she didn’t smell of deceit, Razor chose to trust her.
Razor learned things quickly in those days.
He trained with his claymore and practiced the use of his Vision, eventually combining the use of both in combat with positive results, but that was not all Lisa taught him. She encouraged him to learn how to cook proper meals and expand his vocabulary. While he came to enjoy cooked potatoes, he still disliked talking at length. Conversation was too complex with too many words that meant too many things. Luckily, his mentor, Lisa, took things easy with him and never forced much conversation if he wasn’t up to it.
Even after all of the training, Razor still felt more wolf than human. He relied on instinct and felt no desire to ‘return to society’ as Master Lisa put it. The human things he learned were useful, but nothing that made him desire the human way of life in its cities with stone paths, posts with glowing lights, or its buildings as tall as trees.
But that started to change when another person entered his forest wielding fire and explosions that frightened his wolf pack. At first Razor had approached with determination to fight the intruder causing his family distress, but he quickly realized the culprit was nothing more than another human. A child. A pup with no intention of causing harm who soon became a friend too.
It was like being a wolf cub again the way the two of them would run around the forest, fighting hilichurls and digging up hidden treasures. Razor never said more than a few words to her, but it was like she could understand him just the same. She never tried to pull him away from the forest to the city, only thanked him for the company with a bracing hug around his middle and promise to come visit for another adventure soon. If she had been born a wolf, Razor would without hesitation call her his pack sister, and just like that, he began to feel like more of his human side brought out.
The tall man. Master Lisa. And the burny girl. All so very different and yet thanks to their meeting, he has grown and learned much. How to protect himself and his family. How to use his Vision and encourage learning for the sake of learning. How to turn justifiable caution into companionable friendship.
Now that he’s learned so much, there can’t be much more he really need know. His life is simple, no need for anything complicated. He hates complicated things. So why would he ever need to learn more?
Except as luck would have it, there is another lesson he has yet to learn. Two, in fact. They’re not ones that can be taught by mysterious fighters or wise scholars, and especially not naive youths. It is a lesson that one can only experience by oneself as it’s different for every single person in Teyvat.
A lesson of luck.
And a lesson of love.
*****
Razor often avoids being seen by adventure teams that come into the Womvendom. Sometimes he follows them, to make sure they aren’t there to cause trouble for the wolves that live there, but always out of sight by keeping to the thick woods and foliage. Razor keeps his presence hidden--from behind boulders, in the branches of the highest trees, and sometimes in thick bushes a mere yard or so away--so that he can observe unnoticed.
Master Lisa says these adventure teams come from Mondstadt mostly, but they often go out into the world to help people. To hunt up meat, mine ore, or gather wild plants for those who cannot do so themselves. He somewhat understands as he and the other wolves will often do similar things for injured or newly mothered wolves, but the concept of payment still eludes him.
Why seek reparations for a kind deed? Is the kind deed in itself not reward enough?
Humans. He still has yet to understand them fully despite being born of one.
This particular adventure team is picking lampgrass in bundles. Razor doesn’t eat it himself, but he knows the Mondstatdters use the plant for making candle wicks and subtly flavoring food, so seeing them pick it isn’t out of the ordinary. As long as they don’t overharvest, which the Mondstadters at least seem to be careful of, he doesn’t see a problem with them taking some.
This team looks like a bunch of older humans with the exception of one. He’s apart from the rest, a young man filling his arms with bundle upon bundle of lampgrass. He’s about Razor’s height and maybe the same age, but apart from that there isn’t much commonality.
The young man has ashen blond short hair and goggles perched on top of his head. He’s wearing a laced-up vest, shorts that go to the knees, and thick gloves too. Shining bright on a bag on his hip is a red gem. A Vision he realizes, one that looks just like his friend Klee’s.
A pyro user, he concludes.
“Bennet, let's get a move on!” someone calls out.
“Coming!” the young man responds.
Razor watches as Bennet starts running to join up with his comrades. His foot catches on a stone and he trips. Bennet falls right into the stream with a yelp dropping nearly everything in his arms. Half the flowers are taken by the water, quickly floating away before he can get a hand on them. He frantically grabs the rest, all of them soaking wet as he joins the others.
“S-Sorry! I fell in the creek!” he apologizes with a laugh.
“Shocker,” someone snorts, and the other giggles.
“It’s fine, Bennet. We’ll just put yours with the ones for cooking, since turning them into candle wicks isn’t gonna happen now,” says the oldest.
“Sorry,” he apologizes again with a sheepish smile as he hands them off.
“Alright, I think this is good,” hums the oldest. “Let’s head back.”
The group then makes their way out of the Wolvendom with their haul. Bennet casts a quick look over his shoulder at the creek before he goes. There’s a flicker of disappointment on his face, but it’s quickly replaced with a smile before he turns and runs to catch up with the others.
A strange person, Razor thinks. He doesn’t think he’ll have cause to see him again but for some reason Razor spends the better part of an hour moving some of the larger stones away from the creek and tamping down the ground to smooth it out. After the obvious tripping hazards are gone and there’s no sign of the adventuring party, Razor returns to his pack deep in the woods.
*****
A week later, Razor hears and smells visitors in the woods again. It’s the same adventure team from before except there’s only the three of them instead of five. The pyro Vision user Bennet is among them, and Razor finds himself supervising their work from the tree tops.
They’re hunting today. Wild boar. Someone in Mondstadt must be in need of fresh meat and Razor can’t blame them. Wolvendom boar is the most delicious thing he can think of.
He watches as they spend the early hours setting up claw traps. Bennet is told to stand back and watch them as they do this, though from the tap of his boots, he doesn’t look all that thrilled about it.
“We don’t need you losing fingers or toes, Bennet,” explains the oldest member. “Not after what happened last time.”
“Yeah, I know,” Bennet sighs.
“Don’t worry. You can help check them later and carry the boar back to the city,” they say, patting Bennet’s shoulder and bringing a smile to his face. “Less likely for an accident that way.”
“Gotcha!” Bennet beams as they walk away. “Think the team will wanna eat lunch out here? I brought my frying pan.”
“Uh… We’ll see,” the team member says with a tight smile.
Razor doesn’t see them again for several hours, but they do return to check the traps. That’s good, because Razor didn’t want to have to trigger them all before nightfall to keep his wolves from walking into them. He’s had to do it a few times before, usually leaving the triggered traps at the forest entrance for the Mondstadters or Master Lisa to take back to town later.
He spots Bennet on his own heading to the trap below the tree Razor is perched in. The grass is long and thick here. A prime spot for a boar to walk right into it without seeing it. Which is why it’s not surprising when Bennet steps directly into the thing.
Razor thinks to drop from the tree, to help, but before he can, Bennet catches the jaws of the trap in both hands right as it springs, keeping it from snapping onto his boot with the full force. He grunts in pain, his fingers bleeding from the sharp teeth. He’s not quite strong enough to keep it from closing completely, but at least it wasn’t at full force. He tentatively lets it go so that it’s eased into biting down on the thick leather of his boot.
“Not again!” Bennet groans.
“You got anything, Bennet?” Calls a voice from far away.
“Uh…no. No boars over here,” he answers, tugging at the trap to try and free himself. He gives up with a huff. “But I could use some help anyway.”
Two people show up, one of them tsking as the other goes to fiddle with the trap.
“Why do you always do this?” the tsking one sighs.
“He doesn’t do it on purpose,” the older one says. “At least this time your boots are higher and thicker. You won’t be getting a fresh scar,” he offers up to Bennet which makes him laugh.
“Yeah, haha, a silver lining to everything, right?” Bennet grins.
They free him and Razor listens in as they talk a moment. No boars in any of the traps. Pretty unlucky considering how many they put out, and in prime locations too. It seems the only thing the traps caught today was Bennet. Bennet lets out a weak laugh and scratches the back of his head.
“Bad luck strikes again, sorry guys,” he apologizes.
“It’s not your fault, Bennet. We’ll just have to try again tomorrow,” the oldest one says, patting his shoulder.
“With our luck, it’ll be raining tomorrow,” mumbles the other human. “No way we get the commission done before someone else does.”
Bennet’s smile falters for a second, but it returns in full force as he puts his hands on his hips.
“Don’t worry guys! I’ll stay out here a bit longer and get us a boar, no problem! You all go back and get some rest for the next commission!” Bennet exclaims.
“Bennet…”
“Trust me!” Bennet grins, thumbing his chest. “I got this!”
“Fine, but… maybe don’t use the boar traps then,” the older one says. “I’ll take them with me. I don’t want you to get stuck without anyone to help…”
“Sure,” Bennet nods.
“And come back to the city before it gets dark,” he adds. “Don’t want to have to send someone else out to get you.”
“If I can’t track one down by sunset I’ll come right back to town,” Bennet assures them and beams. “That’s a promise!”
*****
Razor is learning that Bennet is not very good at keeping his word. That or he is just very bad at telling time. Not that Razor can claim he’s any better. He can’t read the watch Lisa keeps in her pocket at all even after all these years, but that doesn’t matter. He knows dusk when he sees it, and it’s definitely dusk.
He tracks the pyro user with a simple sniff. Bennet smells like burned edges and antiseptics, both strong scents making him easy to find. Peeking out from the shadows of a great tree, Razor finds him. He’s trying to seek out boar by lamplight it seems and not having much luck.
Not surprising. All the boars are long back in their dens by now. And besides that, Bennet’s in the wrong territory for it. It seems nothing is going the young man’s way today.
Bennet drops onto a boulder with a sigh, putting the lamp down beside him. The smile that was ever present before is now gone, replaced with disappointment. Razor can hear his stomach grumble, and Bennet puts a hand over it to stifle it with a sigh.
“A bad luck day,” he mumbles. “I guess it could be worse.”
He doesn’t sit there resting long. A snap of twigs has Bennet up on his feet and drawing his sword in a second. But the sight of a wolf cautiously approaching has him lowering the weapon rather than readying a stance to fight.
“A wolf,” Bennet realizes and sheaths the sword. “Stay back,” he warns, kneeling down and grabbing up a pinecone.
The wolf steps closer, its curiosity piqued in part thanks to Razor. Anyone that Razor is watching is a person of interest, and because the wolf is young, she wants to know what this visitor is doing in their territory too. Razor can smell from here that she means Bennet no harm, but he watches and waits from his spot in the bushes, just in case this human escalates it into something he need to intervene.
“Seriously, don’t come closer,” Bennet says again urgently. “Look out!”
Bennet throws the pinecone. Not at the wolf. It lands squarely into an untriggered boar trap. It snaps with a loud noise, and frightens the young wolf. She turns tail and runs away into the darkness.
Razor blinks in shock. He hadn’t seen the trap before. It must have been there long enough to have lost its scent over the years because he didn’t smell it either. Bennet could have spotted it during his hunting and remembered where it was. Maybe he was hoping that his luck would change and that a boar would wander into it.
As soon as the wolf is gone, Bennet sighs with relief and falls against a nearby tree. Instantly, three apples fall in succession from its branches directly onto his head one after another, making him yelp in surprise and then whine with pain as he rubs the forming bumps.
But the second he spots the fruits Bennet smiles and gathers them up.
“Always a silver lining,” he says happily as he bites into one. “I guess…I should head back.”
Razor keeps watch over him as he travels the forest. So as to keep Bennet from wandering deeper into the woods, Razor proceeds to snap twigs purposefully in the directions Bennet shouldn’t go, hurrying him along the other way. It works, and before long, Bennet’s eaten all his apples and made it safely out of the forest without a single delay or injury.
Right at the exit, Bennet turns around to look into the dark woods.
“Better luck tomorrow,” he sighs with a smile and heads back on the road to the city.
*****
It’s a month later and a good way into the summer before Razor sees Bennet again.
Actually, ‘hears’ is more accurate.
Someone is in the Wolvendom near the ore deposits, swinging away with their weapon at the rocks. So noisy, and it’s scattering all the songbirds Razor likes to listen to. He leans out from behind a boulder and spots the culprit, Bennet.
The commission must be for some crystal ore this time, but it’s strange. He’s completely alone.
Where is the rest of the team?
Bennet strikes at the rocks, the summer sun beating down on him. With the amount of sweat Razor can smell off him, he’s been at it for a while. He’s not surprised when Bennet ends up tiring himself out before long, dragging himself over to the shade of a tree and dropping into sitting on the ground. He takes a big swig of water from a canteen and sprawls out on the grass for a nap. The second he’s snoring, Razor comes out from the thick foliage to approach him.
This is the closest he’s been able to observe Bennet. He’s got bandages littered all over his exposed skin. There are also scratches and cuts at various stages of healing. And scars. A lot of scars.
A hard worker. Bennet works hard at everything he does. Just like Razor.
But Razor has his pack to fall back on when he needs help. When he’s sick or tired, they’re there to lend a hand. But today…Bennet doesn’t have a pack. No one to help him or look out for him as he rests.
Bennet helped Razor’s family. Saved her from the trap. That makes him a friend. A lupical.
So today, he will be Bennet’s pack.
Razor draws his claymore and walks to the ore deposits several yards away. He uses the heavy weapon to free up the crystals and ore in the area easily. Using such a small sword, it’s a wonder Bennet was able to loosen any up at all. But he supposes what Bennet lacks in strength he makes up for in determination.
Bennet would have made a good wolf, he concludes.
Once the ore is freed up, Razor puts it in a pile next to the deeply slumbering Bennet. The adventurer's bag he has lying next to him is open, and a squirrel darts out taking something from within. Razor peeks inside to find only sunsettia pits, the rest of the fruit chewed away by the rogue rodent that just escaped.
Bennet’s food was stolen.
Razor has a campsite not far from here that he uses to cook when Master Lisa visits. There might even be a few potatoes that are still good. He takes his leave, gathering up the supplies he needs along the way.
A good lupical doesn’t let friends go hungry.
*****
Bennet lets out a loud yawn as he wakes from his nap. The summer always takes it out of him so fast. His dads back at the adventurer’s guild always say that he overheats too easily because he’s a pyro Vision user. He likes that explanation better than the usual one people spout.
It must be your bad luck!
Did you do something bad in a past life?
That’s it! Your karma is catching up with you, Bennet! Haha!
Hard to not think his bad luck is the cause of his recent problems. Benny’s adventure team has been a little…busy lately. Thanks to Katheryne he was able to keep their team on the listings until they all get back from their vacations and whatnot, but there’s a niggling feeling of denial that refuses to leave him.
Not feeling too great today, sorry.
Sorry, Bennet. I…have plans. Maybe another time?
Actually, that commission sounds simple enough. You can do it alone, easy!
He sighs and shakes the thought. They’re just busy, he tells himself. They’ll come back. They’re a team. A team sticks together through thick and thin. And Bennet’s not about to give up on them.
“Back to work,” he hums as he sits up. “Time to-- woah! ”
There’s a pile of ore right next to him. The exact ore he was commissioned to get! He jumps to his feet and stares at it with a puzzled expression as he tries to figure out what happened.
A rock slide? That conveniently stacked itself into a pile? Right in front of him?
Not with his luck, he thinks with a snort. No, someone did this for him.
Bennet looks around, finding only green grass, blue skies, and swaying branches in the gentle breeze. Nothing but the sounds of singing birds in their nests.
Well, whoever it was, they’re long gone. And now all his work is done for him. All that’s left is to eat lunch, pack the ore up, and make his way back to Mondstadt to give Wagner his order. He’ll be home in time to actually eat dinner with his dads for once!
“A good luck day,” he grins as he reaches into his bag for the sunsettias he brought.
Only he gropes around inside to find them gone. In their place is something…warm? He pulls it out and finds a bundle wrapped in thick leaves and lampgrass twine.
“What the…” Bennet undoes the twine and unwraps the leaves.
The smell of oil, salt, and potatoes wafts into the air. Bennet’s mouth drops open and waters at the sight of the food he’s unwrapped.
“This smells like--!” He sticks his nose into it, getting it greasy but breathes in deep anyway. “Yeah! Mondstadt Hash Browns! Oh man!”
Another gift from his mysterious benefactor? It has to be! He bites right into one, burning his tongue but nothing could stop him from grinning as he eats.
The outside is crispy and the inside savory, with a jam center that tastes a little like wolfhook berries. And the shape is just adorable! Like a little puppy paw print. Bennet’s never seen anyone make them quite like this before, but it’s got to be about the best thing he’s ever eaten out in the wild.
“A double good luck day! Wow!” he exclaims as he chews.
Bennet polishes off both hash browns quickly, licking his lips and the fingers of his gloves when he’s done. Hell, he’s ready to lick the leaves it was wrapped in. Then he rises to his feet, cupping his hands around his mouth before taking a deep breath to yell.
“Thank you for the help! And the food!” he calls out, hoping his benefactor is nearby enough to hear it. “I promise to pay you back!”
With his declaration made to the forest, Bennet happily fills his bag with the ore and rushes back home to the city of freedom, feeling luckier than he has in months.