Dylan looks up, startled when he spots his best friend.
Orion stumbles down the riverbank, one arm clutching his side as the other clings to a nearby tree. His posture is hunched and his face tightens into a painful wince every time he so much as breathes.
His cheek bone is bruised, growing a darker shade of purple with every second. His lip is busted and there's a small gash over his forehead. He can feel his own blood, sticky and wet, caught in his eyebrow, but it's nothing compared to the sharp, shooting pain of his ribs.
"Orion! What the hell!" Dylan shouts, standing up as he plunges into the river.
He's just about to step foot onto Ironhill territory when Orion holds up a hand.
"Don't, Dylan." He says, his voice so forceful that it stops the younger boy in his tracks.
Orion crosses into Bluewood territory all the time. The fact has become normal and mundane, but Dylan has never crossed into Ironhill. They both know why, and the idea fills Orion with so much dread that he fears he'll puke. His hand, which was trembling, holds firm in the stillness of the moment.
They're silent, neither boy moving until the thick tension in the air has passed.
"You actually listened." Orion breathes at last, surprise colouring his tone. Dylan rolls his eyes.
"What the fuck happened?" He asks, watching Orion's expression scrunch.
Dylan laughs disbelievingly.
"Really? Now?" Dylan asks and Orion shrugs, immediately regretting it.
"You know I hate it when you swear." Orion mutters.
Dylan's too pretty to swear. Orion's thought so for...well, for a long time now.
"Fuck you." Dylan says candidly, but his expression shows only concern for his friend, who remains just out of reach. Orion huffs.
"Now you're just doing it to spite me." He mutters. Dylan smiles weakly and Orion grins.
He winces once more at the uncomfortable stretch of his torn lip, gingerly easing his way down the slope. As soon as he is close enough, Dylan reaches out.
Orion hesitates for a moment. The river has always been neutral ground for them, despite the fact that technically, it's Bluewood property. More so than this, it has always been safe. This had been his destination.
And here he is. The adrenaline in his body has completely evaporated and as he looks at Dylan's open arms, he chokes on a sob. Safe.
Orion falls into Dylan's embrace, his strength failing him as the tears that he had repressed in front of his pack finally fall.
Orion's chest shakes in Dylan's arms, and despite the fact the Orion is far broader than Dylan, he's never seemed so small. Dylan's arms wrap around Orion's frame tightly, cradling him close as sobs continue to wrack through him.
"Ry..." Dylan begins, but he quickly decides against it.
Instead he holds his friend, stroking his head and telling him that he'll be ok until finally, Orion believes it.
When Orion stills in his arms, Dylan reluctantly pulls away, looking at his friends face.
They sit opposite each other, submerged in the shallows of the river, Orion remaining very still as Dylan dabs his wounds clean with his damp shirt.
"Your mum's going to have a fit." Orion says, eyeing his best friend's white shirt.
Dylan had recounted many, animated tales of his mother's reaction to his torn, muddy shorts and grass stained trainers. Hence why he was very often sent out like a wild boy, sans shoes. His mother had decided that it was cheaper, and frankly easier.
"Shut up." Dylan mutters, his eyes never leaving the gash on Orion's forehead.
Orion smiles, but regrets it immediately as his split lip tugs again.
"Ow." He mutters and Dylan sighs, moving his attention to Orion's cheek bone.
"What happened?" He asks quietly. His voice is even and scarily calm, something Orion knows better than to believe.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Orion mutters.
Dylan gives him a look.
"Dad wanted to set up a patrol near here. They were set to come around at 3pm." Orion says quietly.
Dylan's stomach drops.
He doesn't like to think about what they would have done to him if they'd found him here. Alone. But his stomach heaves at the thought of what Ironhill's Alpha would do to Orion if he had found them together.
"Orion..." He whispers.
The older boy shakes his head.
"I told him it was a stupid idea. Better to do it at nightfall, and on the southern edge of our territory. This border is the furthest from the town, it wouldn't make any sense to cross here." He explains heavily.
Oh, how he had paid for those words. He knew he would, as soon as he had said them. He had not been wrong.
"And?" Dylan asks urgently, cleaning the angry skin of Orion's cheek.
"Dad was pissed. But the elders agreed with me. Praised my dad for doing such a good job training me." Orion says bitterly and Dylan laughs.
Everything Orion knows, he's learnt himself. He and Dylan both know that.
"I think that's the only reason I'm still alive." Orion whispers.
A sickening shudder crawls down Dylan's spine. He grabs Orion's hand without thinking, needing the reassurance that his best friend is still here. Real and breathing. Orion's fingers clutch Dylans tightly, his lips lifting halfheartedly.
"He played it cool for the rest of the meeting, but as soon as we got home he lost it. Told me if I ever showed him up like that again he'd..." Orion trails off, looking into the woods.
He squeezes Dylan's hand so tightly, the younger boy loses all feeling in it. But he doesn't strictly mind, instead relishing in the heat of his touch, the comfort of feeling Orion's body so close, thrumming and alive, his hand so smooth and fitting perfectly in his own. Orion's touch is so familiar to him, so comforting, that they hardly notice the electricity anymore.
Dylan dabs at Orion's split lip, swallowing tensely.
"I'm sorry." Dylan murmurs and Orion sighs, glancing down to meet worried baby blues staring back at him.
"Don't be." He murmurs.
Dylan hesitates, exhaling lightly before continuing to dab at his best friend's split lip.
He hates having to fix Orion up, which is more often than he'd care to admit, but there are certain perks. He gazes at the soft, supple lines of Orion's full lips, dabbing carefully as he imagines what it would be like to kiss them.
He leans in closer, examining the cut. He cradles Orion's jaw, brushing his thumb against the torn flesh delicately, careful not to apply any pressure. His brows tug together as he imagines what had caused this. A fist? Or something sharper?
Only when he looks up, does he realise how close he is.
How their lips are just inches apart.
And how Orion's eyes are trained on Dylan's lips.
Before he can lean in, a sharp rustle interrupts them from the Ironhill tree line to Dylan's right.
He crouches in front of Orion immediately, growling and baring his teeth as he threatens whoever may be lurking there. He blinks in surprise when a small rabbit hops into view, laughing softly to himself.
"Look, Orion!" He says, pointing.
But Orion is staring at Dylan, perplexed.
Not because they had nearly kissed, or because Orion's heart is still pounding in his chest at the prospect. No, he would torture himself over that thought later.
It's because his best friend had just put himself between Orion and danger.
Dylan's not stupid, not by a long shot. In fact he's incredibly shrewd. He knows what would happen to him if Orion's pack found them together, which is why they are always so careful.
Bluewood pack have always been more reasonable. Less violent. They would never harm Orion. But Ironhill?
They'd kill Dylan.
They probably wouldn't kill Orion. They'll need him when his father dies. But Dylan? He wouldn't stand a chance.
Orion tries to swallow the fact that Dylan, the nearly fourteen year old future Alpha of Bluewood, had just risked his life to spare any further harm coming to Orion.
When he looks back at Dylan, he sees him differently. In fact, he never sees him in quite the same way again.