AN: and I'M BACK! Sorry this took so long, I was supposed to post this chapter last night, but the damn power went out again. Anyway, sorry for the slow start, but the next chapter is where the plot actually kicks in.
————————————————————-
Leo thought he had imagined it at first.
The smell did not exist a second ago, it was probably all the running that had played with his mind. But no, the smell was real. It was a thick, rich metallic scent that coiled around his nose like a snake. He knew what blood smelled like, but this. It was so overwhelming he felt like choking, he could even say that it was almost sickening. Leo racked his brain as he tried to figure out what could've caused such a cloud of stench.
Maybe there was a wounded animal nearby? That was his first thought, but it instantly vanished when the smell grew stronger. Leo was practically forcing the rising bile down his throat, and his head grew hazy as though oxygen was ripped from his lungs. The smell...it wasn't an animal, he didn't know what it was, but he didn't want to stay there long enough to find out.
Leo blindly ran in one direction, away from the overwhelming aroma. Twigs and small rocks caught between his paws as he bolted down the forest path, his pelt pressed down from the wind currents. He soon regretted not paying attention to his surroundings, as the ground gave out beneath him, and he tumbled into a trench. His body rolled down in vicious cartwheels, before making an abrupt stop as he hit the bottom. His head collided with a tree, and soon the dizziness overtook his brain and his vision turned black...
"Leo..."
"Leo..."
"LEO!"
Leo's eyes shot open, bright light bled into his sight making him groan loudly. Through blurry vision he caught the outline of a familiar figure. Julian stared down at him, fully human, with a look of concern. Leo also noticed that he was also in his human-form, draped in a gown and laying on a white sheeted bed. He must have unconsciously changed back when he had hit the tree. Leo scanned the room he was in. He was in a nicely lit room, medical objects and pill containers lined tall shelves. The light came from the bulb beaming from a lamp hovering over him. He recognised this place, this was the medical office in Nyx Valley. How long has it been since he passed out?
"Leo, what happened?" Julian asked, his brow creased. Leo almost forgot he was there.
"I ran into a tree," Leo responded, blankly.
"That sounds very unlike you," Julian muttered, tilting his head to the side. "Did you trip while chasing that buck?"
Leo's chest flared with annoyance, then he snapped towards the blond. "No, but maybe if you hadn't pushed me, I would've caught it earlier and not have to chase it through the goddamn forest."
Julian regarded him in disbelief. ""I was trying to help you!"
"Oh yes, tossing me into the grass was a great motivator," Leo snapped, sarcastically.
"You're not supposed to charge at the thing's front, you could have been kicked in the jaw. Since, you're smaller and more fragile, I assumed–"
"Well thanks, mom! I'll think twice before doing my job next time."
"You need to be more careful is what I'm saying," The blond said, seriously. "I–Rose was really worried about you, okay? I can't help it if you're built differently."
Leo gave him a hard look. "Neither can I," He murmured, before turning over on the bed, facing away from the other.
What followed was a long silence, broken only by the soft thrumming of the light bulb. Leo hoped that Julian would just leave, but it seemed that the blond was here to stay. Why was he still here? What did he gain from pissing Leo off? Leo attempted a few calming breaths, ignoring the other boy's presence. That didn't last long.
"How is your head?"
Leo growled under his breath, but answered anyway. "It's fine...not that it's any of your business."
"Um, alright." He played with the cuff of his sleeve. "I'm asking, because you seemed really busted up when I found you in the woods, you were barely conscious so I had to carry you the entire way back."
"Yeah, okay," Leo murmured, disinterested. Then, he blinked in realization. "Wait, you carried me while in your wolf-form? How did you manage that?"
Julian tensed, and there was a vague sense of shame in his eyes. "I didn't carry you in my wolf-form, I was afraid of you slipping off my back while I walked. I figured it would be easier to...carry you while I was human."
"Oh," Leo said, feeling his face heat up. "Well, thank you for that, I guess." He stopped the subject there, not wanting to dwell on the imagery of his naked body being carried by his archenemy.
"You're welcome," He replied. "Also, sorry for pushing you so hard, I realize now that I could've hurt you."
Leo shrugged. "No need, I already beat you to it."
Julian laughed, it was a small barely noticeable chuckle, but still caught Leo by surprise. Then, just as abrupt, Julian's expression turned thoughtful. "Hey, I have a question."
"Yeah?"
"Do you really despise me?"
Leo paused, thinking. He had to lie, of course, there was no way Rose would forgive him if he told the truth. "I don't despise you, that was said in the heat of the moment."
He was perplexed at how genuine he sounded, despite those words being false. He looked to see Julian's reaction, and it was identical to the one he had when Leo had apologised to him.
"You really mean that?"
"Yes, I do," Leo responded. "You may be unspeakably cocky, immature, plain–"
"Okay, I get the message," Julian sighed.
"Let me finish...you may be all of that, but I suppose there's some good in you, why else would Rose date you?"
Julian bent a softened gaze at him, a tiny smile grazed his face. "Thanks, you're not so bad, yourself."
Leo returned his gaze, and surprised himself by smiling back. Another minute of silence followed, before Julian asked another question.
"So, what really happened back there? What caused you to run into a tree?"
Leo hesitated, wondering if he should tell the truth. This was Julian after all, he didn't owe him an explanation. However, the situation disturbed him a fine amount, and he had to tell someone. "There was something in the forest."
"The buck?"
"No," Leo snapped. This guy. "It was..something else–"
"Sorry, Mr Aether." A Healer came in, holding a clipboard. "You have to leave, I need to run more tests on Mr Valentine."
"Of course," He replied with a nod. He turned to Leo gingerly. "Bye, Leo."
He left soon after, leaving the Healer to check Leo's head. Thankfully, there was no sign of brain damage, and it wasn't long before Leo was allowed to leave. He was almost halfway out the door, before he heard the voices of Rose and Victor in the hallway. They were deep in conversation.
"You haven't told him yet?" Uncle Victor asked, he had a frustrated tone.
Rose bowed her head. "I was going to do it after we were done hunting, but then he got hurt and–"
"You can't keep stalling like this, Rose. He needs to know."
Unsurprisingly, Leo was confused. What were they talking about? In a panic, he saw them begin to head towards the medical office. Not wanting to get caught snooping, he ducked back into the room. As they neared, he stepped back out, pretending to be surprised to see them. "Hey, you two."
"Leo, you're okay!" Rose smiled.
"Of course, I don't go down that easily," Leo smirked. "What were you guys up to?"
"Nothing," Victor said. "I was just discussing with Rose about the bonding ceremony."
Leo stopped himself from frowning. Why are you lying to me? He hated the thought of being left out, and the fact these were his own family members made it sting even more.
No matter, He thought. I'll wait for Rose to tell me herself.
He turned his gaze to his sister, though her eyes casted downward, not meeting his eyes. If she told him, that was.
After making sure with the Healer that Leo was alright, he went home later. He was strictly advised to get plenty of rest, yet Leo laid on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He was swarmed with thoughts. Thoughts about the smell of blood he had found in the forest, about Rose and Victor keeping secrets from him, and thoughts...about Julian. Leo heaved a sigh, turning on his side, facing the pedestal beside his bed. A photo frame stood in his view, moonlight bounced off the glass inside the wooden barriers. The picture showed a family, a little boy and girl, and two adults stood behind them. They all smiled back at him. It reminded him of the time when he wasn't so angry all the time, when he had been happy, when his parents were still around.
He will never get that time back, he will never feel the embrace of his parents again. And it was all their fault.
"I miss you guys," He whispered, then closed his eyes. By some miracle, he managed to get some sleep that night.