The Haunted: Bestial AU

Chapter 5: Hunter Denied Part 2

Hell. He was in hell.

Thunder roared overhead, the sound crashing into his eardrums like cymbals. The rain that accompanied it was no more merciful, pelting on his back and shoulders like marbles and seeping into his clothes. As the temperature dropped, so did his livelihood, and as he watched his feet take one long, heavy step after another, he mused how living was very much like death.

Mia was at his side. THAT he knew. He could tell by her heartbeat; quick and strong, almost birdlike. He assumed that was what an elf's heartbeat was like. Quick and strong, pumping candy-sweet blood at the force of a hose, blood that he was now sure he would retch at the taste of. Though, he felt like he would retch either way. His stomach had gone from aching to burning, an acidic taste occasionally rising in his throat. It gurgled and churned painfully, a constant reminder to him that he was running on empty. Mia's flesh hadn't helped much.

"Are the mercenaries still on our tail?" Mia piped up out of the blue. He flinched slightly at the sudden sound. "We should probably-"

"We are," Grayson interrupted, walking amidst a few ice-cold puddles. "This has been abandoned, I've been here before."

Drake expended some energy avoiding them, but his tail, dragging on the ground, went into them, getting the tip wet. He shuddered. Water. He despised water. All endermen did; the only difference between him and the monsters was that he wasn't burned alive by it.

He felt cold. Would he ever be warm again?

He hadn't realized he was slowing down until Mia bumped into his back. He turned, murmuring an apology before Grayson told the two to hurry up. Apparently they could stay at this place for the night. The path had shifted to something a bit dangerous, just an outjutting in a cliff-face. It was made of some pale stone, so somehow somebody had...stuck the stones to the side of the mountain? Who know, but it felt sturdy enough to stand on, even if the height was...yeah, not fun. About halfway across the bend, there was some sort of overhang, supported by pillars.

Grayson led them under the structure and through a hole in the stone. There was a room full of bookshelves a little less than his height, and two rooms in the back. They went into the one on the right. The blond lit something, probably wood or charcoal, and a fire burst to life. The other blonde seemed happy about this, but none of the group really spoke. Drake leaned against the doorframe, legs shaking from exhaustion. "So..."

"I think you should rest, Drake," Grayson cut in. The interruption was good, because Drake didn't even know what he was going to ask after that. It was also not good because...how bad did Drake look? He hoped he didn't look as terrible as he felt, if Grayson was insisting he rest.

Mia asked something about the maps Grayson had grabbed as Drake lowered an eyebrow. "Those bandits are NOT on our tail?" He asked semi-sarcastically, his own tail twitching on the ground. He slid down the wall so he was sitting down. "I'm pretty sure any bandit worth their money could probably track us down, esp-especiallllllllllllllly after tha-tha...that hasty-"

He woke up on the cold stone floor. He gritted his teeth as pain wracked his body, spine, abdomen, and the back of his skull throbbing painfully. Someone was shaking his shoulder roughly.

"Drake! Drake! Are you okay?"

Goddammit Grayson...let me sleep, please. Everything hurts and I'm cold and tired and I'm starving, I don't want to get up...

"I....no." His voice didn't seem like his own. Soft and defeated. He could feel his companions' stares on him without needing to open his eyes, but before they could answer any more questions,