~Thursday 19th September 2013~
"Watch your step, pet," Elspeth giggled when Slate gripped his hips, preventing him from tripping over a tree root and falling onto his ass, "maybe you should take a breath and calm down before you hurt yourself," Slate didn't look to be too pleased by Elspeth's mood but the boy simply couldn't stop grinning. He was a child of the forest and, although it wasn't his own that they had ventured into that night, he could still feel every fibre of his being coming alive with the woodland energy.
"I can't," Elspeth leant into Slate's chest, listening to his heartbeat, wondering if that would manage to calm him like it usually did, "I'm half wood nymph, the forest speaks to me, I have to listen."
"Listening doesn't mean you have to run everywhere, pet," Slate slipped his hand into Elspeth's, his tight grip preventing the boy from straying too far away as he continued to lead him through the forest like a child, "you never told me what type of nymph you were. What's your other half?"
"Water," Elspeth bent down swiftly and picked a flower, inhaling the soft scent, "my father is wood, my mother was water. That's why my eyes are purple. Wood nymphs have pink eyes, water nymphs have blue eyes," Elspeth stood up on his tiptoes, slipping the flower in behind Slate's ear, "red suits you."
"Come on, they'll be waiting," Slate smiled, leaving the flower behind his ear whilst the two continued to walk through the forest, "do you have powers? Being both wood and water?"
"Yep," Elspeth stopped and stooped down next to a wilting blackberry bush, lifting one of the branches and closing his eyes. He barely even needed to concentrate as he blew gently on the darkened leaves, opening his eyes to see the plant in full bloom once again. He picked a handful of berries, holding them out to Slate, who was staring at him with that faint smile once again.
"That was pretty cool," Slate chuckled, eating one of the berries, leaving the rest for Elspeth, "can you do that with every plant?"
"Anything with a life energy," Elspeth said with a nod, "we feed off of it, it's how we sustain our immortality, we're not like you, it's not a natural phenomenon to us. We can wither if we're not in the presence of living things," Elspeth saw light in the distance, streaming through the tree line, a dark orange glow that made the shadows dance with the movement. Abruptly, a silence fell between the two, with Elspeth losing the confidence that he usually held, anxiety bubbling up within him. Normally, he didn't have any difficulty with meeting new people but Slate was the only wolf he had met, he wasn't sure how his pack would react to his presence.
Clearly Slate must have noticed Elspeth's apprehension, squeezing the boy's hand and flashing a reassuring smile down at him as they grew closer and closer to the light. Elspeth could hear people talking and laughing, moving a little closer to Slate when they finally entered the open space that had been carved out in the forest.
They weren't noticed at first, stood on the sidelines, simply watching in silence. Elspeth was well aware that Slate was hanging back to give him time to adjust, he probably would have caught everyone's attention had he not. It was a nice gesture, then again, Slate was always nice to him, even when he didn't need to be.
"What happened to always being here first, Slate?" Elspeth shied back when a boisterous looking man joined the two of them, trailing a very pretty woman behind him. Slate noticed Elspeth's change in behaviour, as always, and snaked an arm around his waist, probably to prevent him from running or anything like that. He wouldn't. He wasn't that stupid, he knew some wolves couldn't resist a chase, especially on a full moon.
"Who's your friend?" the man asked, smirking at Elspeth, "you finally got a boyfriend?" the woman next to the man scolded him quietly, shaking her head.
"I apologise for him, Yale doesn't have a filter," the woman smiled at Elspeth, her bright eyes matching the colour of her pastel blue hair that fell past her shoulders in soft curls. Elspeth couldn't take his eyes off her, having not seen many people with unnatural hair colours. Bailey had told him about them once, when he had gawked at a man with pink hair for five minutes, but it still intrigued him every time.
"This is my beta, Yale, and his mate, Cora," Slate flashed a brief, reassuring smile only to Elspeth, with it fading instantly when he turned to the other two, "this is Elspeth, he's a friend of mine. Not my boyfriend, Yale, don't spread that around please," Elspeth took a breath, stepping forward and extending his hand, trying to show some degree of his regular confidence. Instantly, Cora gasped and Yale's eyes widened, making Elspeth grimace and stumble backward, dropping his gaze to his feet, his bottom lip catching between his teeth.
"Sorry," he whispered, unable to bring himself to look up again, his confidence having fizzled away entirely. Maybe he wasn't supposed to approach them first. God, he'd probably just broken some sacred rule, they would all hate him now.
"Your eyes," Cora marvelled, a soft hand touching Elspeth's cheek, probably with the intention to make him look up again so they could examine him more. However, that didn't happen, with the contact only holding for a millisecond before a low growl interrupted the chatter around them, likely drawing more attention toward them. Great.
"S-Sorry, Slate, I didn't think..." Cora murmured quietly, surely it wasn't Slate that had growled. Why would he do that?
"El, look at me please," Elspeth heard that subtle change in Slate's voice, that insistent edge to his tone rearing its head, forcing the boy to lift his head no matter his own choice, "you stay with Cora tonight, OK? I'll be running so I might not see you for a little while, I want you to get to know everyone here, and you tell me if anyone treats you wrong. You'll be walking some trails out here with the other members of the pack that aren't wolves, you'll be perfectly safe if you stick to the paths and don't wander off. You understand?" Elspeth nodded, forcing a feeble smile, not wanting Slate to worry about him too much, "be good, alright? I've just gotta talk to Yale for a minute, Cora will explain everything tonight," Slate pressed a chaste kiss to the top of Elspeth's head before wandering off elsewhere with Yale, leaving him alone with Cora.
"I'm sorry about the eye comment, I didn't mean to offend you or anything, I've just never seen anyone with purple eyes before," Cora wore a pretty smile, even if it was a little weak due to the sheepish expression on her face.
"I'm a nymph, everyone usually has that reaction, I should be used to it really," Elspeth tried to focus on Cora's calming aura, slowly relaxing in her presence. She wasn't a wolf, he could see that, she was human, so maybe there was nothing for him to worry about.
"Yale told me nymphs don't leave their territories. Isn't it really dangerous for you guys or something?"
"Yes, we have a lot of predators. Slate has been taking care of me though, I feel very safe with him," Cora giggled, hugging herself when a particularly chilly gust of wind whispered through the trees. Immediately, Elspeth removed the hoodie that Slate had let him wear, remembering that he really should get some of his own clothes, passing it to the woman.
"Oh, no, it's fine, Elspeth, you don't need to do that."
"You look cold, I'll survive. And you can call me El, I know my name can be a mouthful," Cora took the hoodie slowly, simply staring down at it in her hands before lifting it to her face and smelling it, an odd reaction.
"It's Slate's, isn't it?" Elspeth nodded slowly, not understanding the point of the question, "thank you, but I can't wear it. Yale would go ballistic if I had another wolf's scent on me, we don't want to start a fight between any of them," Cora returned the hoodie to Elspeth, who repeated her action in smelling it, only able to detect the subtle smokey scent that all of Slate's things radiated with.
"How do you know his scent? I can barely smell anything," Elspeth enquired, slipping the hoodie back over his slender frame.
"I've known him for three years, I know the majority of the pack's scents. Plus, the wolves have a heightened sense of smell, what we can barely detect, they can pick up from a mile away."
"But you're still going to be cold," Elspeth knew humans were much more fragile than SNs, he worried about Bailey more than he needed to, he didn't want Cora to get sick or anything.
"Not for long," Cora grinned when she noticed Yale and Slate returning to them, "can I have your jacket, babe? You're not gonna be needing it," she asked when the two were close enough. Yale placed a gentle kiss to her lips, removing his jacket and slipping it onto his mate's shoulders.
"What are the drawings on your arm?" Elspeth gazed in awe at the band of roses on Yale's bicep, wanting so badly to touch them, to feel the texture of them on his skin.
"My tattoo? They're just flowers," Yale extended his arm to Elspeth, who ran his fingers over the flowers, finding they weren't raised off the skin like he had assumed they would be, "haven't you ever seen tattoos before?"
"My kind aren't allowed to blemish our skin, is it permanent?"
"Yeah, they're forever," Yale chuckled when Elspeth moved to touch every one of his other tattoos on display, totally enamoured by them, "what about your piercing? Isn't that a blemish in your culture?"
"I said we're not allowed, I didn't say I followed that rule," Elspeth adjusted his septum piercing, an unconscious movement he did probably over a hundred times a day.
"I like you, you're not like any nymph I would have imagined. You best keep him around Slate, you'd benefit from someone who actually has some degree of humour," Slate merely rolled his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his lips when his eyes met Elspeth's.
"We're going to turn in a minute, I wanted to remind you that no one will hurt you. You're perfectly safe here, pet," Slate took the flower from behind his ear, slipping it behind Elspeth's instead.
"I know, I trust you," a smile appeared on Elspeth's face, one that Slate mirrored almost instantly.
"I'll take care of him, Slate, don't worry," Cora chimed in, clearly rousing Slate from whatever trance-like state he had drifted into.
"You better do," Elspeth just about caught the edge of Slate's voice, but he wasn't sure that anyone else did, so didn't mention it.
"I hope you've prepared yourself," Cora wore a subtle smirk as she watched Yale and Slate walk over to the fire in the middle of the clearing, "this is certainly a sight to behold," other men and women joined Slate and Yale, whilst some strayed further back, toward the edge of the clearing, like Elspeth and Cora were.
"Why are they undressing?" Elspeth whispered, feeling the heat flare into his cheeks as he watched Slate remove his shirt.
"The clothes would rip when they turn, this way they don't have to keep buying more. Everyone is used to each other's bodies. Mates only look for one another, single members tend to look elsewhere, emotions are heightened on full moons, they don't want to start any fights."
"What about the blonde? He looks pretty content with watching Slate," Elspeth didn't mean to sound so venomous, a little shocked when he heard his own tone as the words left his lips.
"That's Jesse, he's obsessed with Slate. There's a few rumours that they screwed once or twice but I wouldn't listen to any of them. Truth be told, when he figures out how close you are with Slate, he isn't gonna be friendly," Elspeth frowned, unintentionally scowling at the boy, who had somehow moved so much closer to Slate in those few seconds since they had undressed.
Elspeth didn't have chance to voice any other complaints or threats that might have drifted into his mind, suddenly losing the ability to speak as he felt the forest come alive with energy. It was intense, the power flowing through him, hitting him like a brick wall. He had never experienced anything like it, unable to appreciate the beauty of the pack transforming in front of him as he tried solely to focus on clutching onto his own control.
"Aren't they beautiful?" Cora whispered, clearly too enamoured by the show before them to notice Elspeth's sudden dizzy spell, "just wait 'til you see-" Cora stopped abruptly when she turned to look at Elspeth, concern plastered over her expression, "El? You're really pale, are you OK?" Elspeth blinked slowly, the buzzing in his ears making it difficult to discern the words that Cora was saying. She looked worried, so it was probably something important to do with Elspeth's shift in demeanour. Elspeth opened his mouth to say something when another wave of power hit him, managing to cause his knees to buckle under him, sending him collapsing to the forest floor, only just about able to remain conscious.
"Yale!" Cora's voice echoed through Elspeth's head, only adding to the throbbing ache that was practically splitting his skull. He was sat up, at least, with Cora's hand on his back and a sudden crowd around him.
"El? El, can you hear me?" just about, Elspeth thought to himself, unable to muster the energy to actually speak the words. A loud whine stole his attention, his eyes suddenly searching for the source of it, a sense of awe washing over him when found it.
It was the most beautiful creature Elspeth had ever been in the presence of. It carried an almost regal aura around it, standing strong, towering over him, despite the fear in its eyes. It had to have been Slate, surely. Although Elspeth would have never imagined the man's wolf to look like it did. Stark white fur that looked almost silken, glowing golden eyes, a height probably well over six foot. He was truly gorgeous.
"Is he OK? Yale, tell me he's OK," a soft smile broke through Elspeth's previously pained expression.
"He wants to know-"
"I'm fine," Elspeth rasped, interrupting Yale as he held up a shaking hand, wanting to touch the wolf. Silence fell, with Yale and Cora staring at each other in bewilderment and Slate's wolf tilting its head to the side ever so slightly, as though it too was confused.
"El, you can hear me?"
"Yeah, you're pretty loud," Elspeth's smile broadened, his energy slowly returning to him as the pain ebbed away, "can I touch you?"
"How can you hear him, El?" Cora's voice caught Elspeth's attention, "wolves have a form of telepathy with their alpha, we're not wolves, we shouldn't be able to hear him."
"Wood nymphs have enhanced connections with animals," Elspeth shrugged one shoulder, "it's probably due to that, I can't think of another reason."
"What happened, pet? I thought you weren't scared, you could have warned me if you were a fainter," Elspeth giggled, shaking his head, Slate's voice in his mind making him feel all warm on the inside.
"I didn't faint, your energy nearly knocked me out. When you turn, when you all turn, you bring the forest to life. I told you, I tap into the energy here for my immortality, it can fluctuate but I've never experienced anything like that. Not even during lunar eclipses or solstices. It was intense."
"You scared me," the wolf stepped forward, leaning his head down, allowing Elspeth to run his fingers through his fur gently, letting out a soft rumble of appreciation when he did so.
"Slate," Elspeth whispered in a voice so low he wasn't even sure the man would hear, stroking the wolf's head, looking right into his eyes, "you're beautiful."
"How long will they be out tonight?" Elspeth asked, holding Cora's hand as the two walked down the path that led back to the clearing. They hadn't walked as far as usual, with Cora particularly nervous that Elspeth might almost pass out again, even though he assured her he wouldn't. It was on Slate's orders that the wolf walking with them ensured they didn't overexert themselves.
"Last month they didn't get back here until three in the morning," Elspeth checked the time on his phone, finding that it was only eleven o'clock, "I'm sure they won't stay out that long this time though, Slate will be worrying about you probably."
"What do you do whilst you wait?" Elspeth caught Cora when she stumbled, giggling when she cursed her poor eyesight, holding her hand tighter to ensure the action wasn't repeated.
"Just talk really, we ordered pizza last time, poor delivery guy nearly had a heart attack when he saw Jasper watching over us. He got a good tip from it," Elspeth glanced over his shoulder, seeing the other non-wolf members of the pack following close behind them, talking in small groups like they were. Behind them, he could just about see the wolf that had been chosen to guide them that night, Sabrina, a new recruit apparently.
"Shit," Elspeth returned his attention to what was in front of him when he heard Cora's curse next to him, finding that they had already made it back to the outskirts of the clearing. It was supposed to be empty, with only the fire to guide them back, but it wasn't. Instead, there were three men there, or rather, two men around Slate's age and a boy that was far less than Elspeth's. One that he immediately recognised.
"Your majesty-" Elspeth grimaced at the title, holding up a hand to silence the boy, who was no longer content with sitting peacefully on the log. He tried to run toward Elspeth, immediately restrained by the two men.
"It's fine, he's harmless, honestly. He's from my tribe," Elspeth explained, smiling weakly at the two men, who hesitated before letting go of the boy, who stumbled to his knees at Elspeth's feet. God, he hated tradition.
"Your majesty, we have been so worried. We feared you may have perished, the Elka found your blood, your father has been searching everywhere," Elspeth sighed, running a hand through his hair, feeling all eyes boring into his soul.
"And he thought sending you, a child, would be beneficial? Why not send the Elka?"
"H-He didn't send me..." the boy's shoulders sagged and realisation made anger bubble up within Elspeth.
"Bracken, you could have been killed out here. What is wrong with you? Why risk your life to find me? You know there is a coven in this territory, as well as demons roaming the land. How could you be so foolish?" Elspeth crouched down, lifting Bracken's head, seeing tears in the poor boy's eyes. Maybe he was being too harsh, the boy would have been on edge as it was.
"I feared for you. I wanted to find you. You told me to, I was only following orders, your majesty," Elspeth shook his head briefly. Regretting the deal he had made with Bracken, regretting informing the boy of his escapades. He could have been killed, for God sake, and that would have been Elspeth's fault.
"Your majesty?" Elspeth grimaced, biting down on his bottom lip when he heard Slate's voice behind him, rising to his feet slowly to face the man, "you never mentioned your last name," Slate muttered, a twinge of exasperation in his tone, "I should suppose it's Braern."
"I was going to tell you, Slate, I just... I didn't know how. It's not something I can slip into conversation," Elspeth saw the betrayal in Slate's eyes, immediately stepping closer to him, gripping his hands, that hidden fear of rejection rearing its ugly head within the boy, "please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry, I... I thought you would make me go back if I told you," Elspeth saw no change in Slate's expression, no shade of happiness, of contentment, that he could usually detect.
"Are you ruling?"
"No, my father is. I'm only a prince," Slate sighed quietly, cupping Elspeth's cheek, staring into the boy's eyes with the intensity that always blazed in his own only adding to his fear. This was it, Slate was going to send him home, he wasn't going to be willing to harbour a rogue royal. Who would? He didn't need a war starting.
"OK," Elspeth blinked a few times, unsure what to say, "I understand it was a difficult topic for you to broach, I forgive you, pet. You can still stay with me if you so desire," Slate leant closer, dropping his voice, his close proximity sending a shiver down the boy's spine, "but, for future reference, if you withhold anything from me again, you may find I'm not so lenient with the consequences, pet."