Jim woke up as he normally did, tucked into the nest of blankets he called his bed. his bag and newest set of clothes was by his door, waiting for him to wake up and get ready for the day. He was in his troll form, his squarish and flat nose nuzzled into the blankets as his ears twitched to the sound of the birds outside. He glanced to his closed curtains and the festering fear calmed down.

He felt nervous when waking up, always hesitant of the sun peaking through his window. Usually he would grab his walkie talkie and ask if Toby had any sunscreen. Jim had plenty of burn cream and bandages, but even his human form could get affected by the son for long periods of time.

Claire was his most recent fit of anxiety, having recently told her of his ability to shapeshift, and explaining that he'd seen her brother be taken and switched with Enrique. Changelings didn't have names in the darklands unless you were a higher up, so after being given a name in the human world or simply naming yourself as a higher up in the changeling's ranking, that name was respected and used every day. In a way, it was like a chosen name.

Claire had somewhat understood his explanation, and while severely worried for her brother, she tried to be kind to the small changeling that was staying with her. They got a long well, while Jim was there to placate them, but they often got into a couple of fights without his supervision. Claire was willing to join them more on their trollish adventures, and with learning magic from Douxie, she would be amazing.

They were a part of his clan, and he was happy to know they were somewhat accepting of his more trollish habits. Especially during cuddle times.

With a tired groan, Jim stretched on his bed and kicked his feet out, the crunch of popping bone and stone against wood made his ears twitch, and he got out of bed and picked up his clothes, switching to his human form as he went to the bathroom. He turned the water on, checking it as it warmed up in the shower. The door was open, allowing steam to air out into the house. He looked at the mirror as he waited, thinking. Strickler had told him that changelings could check on their familiars in the darklands with the spit check, putting their saliva onto a reflective surface. It was mentioned in passing, and Jim hadn't tried it at the time. But curiosity was getting the better of him.

He coughed, trying to gather the saliva needed in the back of his throat. Again, he coughed and gurgled on nothing, spitting onto the sink when he thought he had enough. The mirror rippled, it's reflective surface becoming a mirror into the trollish world, a place of dark rocks and green crystals, of torches and goblins climbing across baskets and delivering bottles.

Jim wandered around, looking for a baby with his name. There was none, but he could apparently see within the nursery. He frowned in confusion, whining in frustration. He turned away from the mirror, shedding his clothes and closing his eyes as he got into the shower, opening his eyes to start cleaning himself. Showering always took longer than most people, because he had to wash his human and trollish forms, and it was somewhat hard to clean your horns. You know?

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After cleaning up, Jim went downstairs to start cooking. But, Barbara was in the kitchen and working on pancakes, which seemed too thick to eat properly in human form. He appreciated it, and watched in amusement as she bumbled around to finished plating them when he got downstairs.

"Jim, Honey! Happy birthday!" Trapped in a hug, Jim leaned into it with a happy purr. He smiled at his mom, taking the offered paper plate with the pancakes she'd made. Changing to his troll form to appreciate it better, he hungrily ate his breakfast while beaming at his mother, his tusks and nose getting sticky with syrup once he'd finished. Barbara laughed and gave Jim some napkins to wipe his face and hands, earning a laugh and a sheepish thank you from her son.

"Look at you, 16 already! Come on to the garage, I havw your gift ready." Barbara seemed pleased with herself, and Jim curiously sniffed at the air. He tilted his head, following slowly behind his mom as she rushed off into the garage and turned something on. His ears twitched at the sounds of a motor running, and his tail wagged at the surge of adrenaline running through him. The air smelled like oil, which was tangy and made his mouth water. He preened as he ran into the garage, nearly bounding through the door on all fours. He stopped at the door, the light was on and a shining blue vespa stood among the garage, a burley thing that looked like it could handle his troll form, much better than the bike he used to have.

"Whoa..." Maybe it was a good thing he'd ruined his bike when finding the amulet.

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Giggling and kicking his feet in delight as he drove the vespa around Toby and Claire's bikes. He was grinning, his blue eyes vibrant and shining. The amulet hummed and glowed in response to it's owner's good mood.

They passed by Benito's on their way, and Jim excitedly waved to Douxie and Mr. Strickler. Strickler was stepping out of the cafe, Douxie was spotted through the window. The three kid's left as Strickler sipped his coffee, the shadows of the Alley an obvious contrast to the bright beautiful day outside. Red eyes stared down at him and a growl made his hackles rise. He didn't dare rise to the challenge of attack, and smoothed down his ruffled feathers. He took a sip of his coffee.

"I've seen the Trollhunter, he looks like your student. The Titan boy, he must be slain underneath my paws."

Strickler looked at Bular in barely vailed contempt.

"Jim, the Trollhunter? No, I would know if he was. He holds no proof as such."

Bular hummed unconvinced, annoyed even.

"I've tasked a Stalking with finding the Trollhunter, it will follow his scent and kill him. Then, we will know if your boy is the Trollhunter or not, Stricklander." Strickler nodded, struggling to withhold the protective instincts begging to tear his claws into Bular's flesh. Bular stalked away, leaving Strickler alone in the alleyway.

"Very well, we shall see." He tried to remain calm, did his best to seem unbothered. But panic made it's way up his spine, this was a test of loyalty and he knew that. But could he go through with slaughtering the Trollhunter if the mantle had fallen on his star pupil? His son?

No, he couldn't go through with it, he'd never go through with it.