~Cruor~

'Thief'/Buckrider(Jacob)

(Wanted to do some with myths from my home country of the Netherlands, as our folklore is pretty unpopular.  Also gonna do the chapter names like this. FYI i don't like how this came out-)

You double checked the lock on your window. Vacation in the southern Netherlands was a pleasant experiences, until reports of thieves and robberies happening at night emerged. Homes saw no signs of forced entry, yet their possessions were usually gone. It was pitch black out now, and you sat watching television in the small bedroom.

Until something out the window caught your attention.

A shadow loomed over, casting onto your bedroom floor. On edge, you got up to look. Your apartment was rather high up. But that didn't seem to matter to the humanoid figure behind the window. Without any problem, the shadowy figure grabbed the window, the locks clicking open. The figure  slid it open, stepping inside into the light of your room. It was a tall man, his clothing old fashioned. He looked like he walked straight out of the 17th century. Black shoes and pants, and a baggy old fashioned baggy v neck shirt with long sleeves. He wasn't alone, as a buck climbed in after.

"Nou dan," the man mumbled as he brushed his hand through his messy blonde hair. "Je had betere sloten neer moeten zetten vriend." You shot him a questioning look, barely able to understand what he was saying.  He furrowed his eyebrows, patting the animal that stood by his side. A smirk crept on his lips. "Ah, you're not from around here?" His accent was heavy, and you could tell that English wasn't his strong suit. The words came out slightly struggled. "Who the hell are you, why are you in my house?!" You hissed, backing away. "Not smart to go here, you don't know." It took a bit to decipher what he was trying to say, his way of speaking really didn't help.

"What? Was i supposed to know that some guy and his goat were going to break into my home?" He laughed at your remark, his shoulders shaking. "Brave, are we?" Taking a few steps closer, he now loomed over you. You tried holding your own, staring right back up at him. The buck nudged past you, audibly climbing down the stairs. "Been too long," the man commented, gripping your chin. "Things really have changed."  You grabbed his hand, trying to pull him off you. It had to be a weird joke, or you really were losing it. The man backed away from you, and took the liberty to start rummaging through your stuff. You were starting to get impatient, annoyance replacing your fear. The man had a smile on his face, clearly unbothered. "What are you doing?" He only hummed in response. "If you're looking for anything valuable i'll look with you. I'm not wealthy by any means." This seemed to finally catch his attention as he stood up, looking almost as annoyed as you.

"So can you finally tell me who you are now?"

"Jacob," was the only reply you got. "And what is all this about?" You questioned. "It's been three hundred years, you folk are scared before," he muttered in his broken English. You took another good look at his clothes. "Come to think of it, how did you get up here?"

"Bok."

"Excuse me?"

Jacob pointed at the stairs where the buck had gone. You heard the animal climb back up the stairs. "I.. really don't understand." Seemingly done with your questions, Jacob lifted his pet up, and walked back out the window. Before you could say anything else, he simply tossed it out. You ran over to him, looking out the window in shock. The buck never hit the floor, instead floating right under the window. The intruder held a rather smug expression on his face.

"See?" He stated. "Yeah... i do," you muttered. He snorted as he harshly pat your back, causing you to choke on air. "People usually more afraid." You weren't quite sure as to why people would be afraid, if some poor English speaking guy broke into their home, rummaged through their stuff, and tossed their pet goat out the window. "How old are you even?" You watched as he seemed to get lost in thought, his blue eyes darting across the room several times.

"Do you know when you were born?" You rephrased your question. "Think... 1635." You stared at him wide eyed.  "That old?" He asked. "Yeah," you replied. He sighed to himself, looking a lot less entertained.  The moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Hey, i heard noise, is everything okay in there?" It was the voice of one of the other guests staying there. Panicked, you looked to Jacob, then back at the door. "I heard crashing, can you open the door?"

Jacob leaned close, whispering in your ear. "I'll come back tomorrow." Without waiting for a reply, he backed away to the window, allowing himself to fall out backwards. You rushed the open the door.

The strange man never quite leaving your mind.